March Makeover-For-Your-Home Series: Make The Walls Of Your Home Outstanding!

Nothing brightens up a room more effectively than a new coat of paint. But sometimes it takes more than a coat of paint to make a wall stand out for the right reasons: an unattractive ding or damage to a wall will certainly get noticed, but for all the wrong reasons. If you have some walls that need a face lift, here are the tips that will do the trick:

Repair Walls to Give Rooms A Fresh Face

By: Jane Hoback
Originally Published: January 14, 2011

Sooner or later you’ll repair walls that make rooms look worn out. Erasing dings, dents, and scuffs is an easy fix. We’ll show you how.


Patch drywall to smooth walls
A putty knife, Spackle, or joint compound can repair wall damage that ages a room.

Dents and dings: A quart of Spackle ($11) and a putty knife can fill dozens of small wall indentations. Spackle adheres to painted walls better than joint compound, though it takes a bit longer to dry. Cut wall repair time by thoroughly wiping away excess Spackle.

Fist-sized holes: Joint compound is your best bet when covering the mesh or drywall patches that cover big holes. You’ll need at least two thin coats of compound and fine grit sandpaper to blend repairs into the rest of the wall.

Nail pops: Nail pops travel in packs: Rarely do you see just one. To repair walls pocked with pops, hammer the popped nail back into the wall or pull it out with a needle-nose pliers; refasten the drywall to the nearest stud with a couple of screws, then fill dents with two or three coats of joint compound. Sand until smooth and flush with the rest of the wall, then repaint.

Remove marks for a clean start
Microfiber cloths are little miracles that erase the evidence of a childhood well spent, drawing on and caroming off walls. To get rid of scuff marks and fingerprints:

• Spray an all-purpose cleaner onto the cloth (never directly onto walls to avoid drips) and swipe the scuff. (Test a hidden spot to make sure the cleaner doesn’t take off paint with the mark.)

• Pour a little dish soap onto a damp cloth and wipe the mark.

• Dip a sponge into an earth-friendly and slightly abrasive paste of dish soap, baking soda, and water, and gently scrub grime. 

• To repair walls decorated with crayon marks, dab toothpaste onto a towel or toothbrush and scrub marks.

• Use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser ($3), the best instant wall cleaner around. Wet and wring the eraser before attacking scuffs.

Touch up what you can’t wipe out
Prepare for inevitable touch-ups by keeping leftover paint or at least recording the paint number and/or formula (paint names change). Don’t have the original? Scrape off a little and ask your paint store to match it.

For touch-ups, use the same type of brush or roller the original painter used. Feather the paint from the outside borders in.

If touch-ups stand out, paint the entire wall, making sure to paint corner to corner and avoid splatters onto the ceiling and adjacent walls.

Here in Southeast Texas many walls have the added difficulty of being textured, and on some wall and ceiling repair jobs matching the technique of the texture is an obstacle. If you are readying your house for sale, your Texas realtor will be able to assist in identifying home repair specialists or painters capable of assisting with more extensive wall repair work. Also be sure to identify your home value for the current market. Once the walls are repaired, you will enjoy how flawless your home presents, and whether for sale or just for your own enjoyment, renewed walls makes for a renewed home!

March Makeover-For-Your-Home Series: New Life to Wood Floors

Wood flooring is an attractive selling point to any home. So whether you are just seeking to beautify your flooring for spring and summer activities, or get your home in tip-top condition for sale, make sure your wood floors shine. If you are concerned that your wood flooring has a few dings and scratches or other unsightly flaws, then you will be pleased to know how easy it is to make those flaws vanish away. Check out this article I found:

Repair Wood Floors and Erase Ugly Scratches

By: Jane Hoback
Originally Published: January 14, 2011

Repair wood floors and scratches that make rooms look worn out. We’ll show you easy ways to put the luster back into your floors.


Camouflage scratches
Take some artistic license to hide minor scratches in wood floors by rubbing on stain-matching crayons and Sharpie pens. Wax sticks, such as Minwax Stain Markers, are great scratch busters because they include stain and urethane, which protects the floor’s finish.

Don’t be afraid to mix a couple of colors together to get a good match. And don’t sweat if the color is a little off. Real hardwoods mix several hues and tones. So long as you cover the contrasting “white” scratches, color imperfections will match perfectly.

Homemade polish
Mix equal parts olive oil and vinegar, which work together to remove dirt, moisturize, and shine wood. Pour a little directly onto the scratch. Let the polish soak in for 24 hours, then wipe off. Repeat until the scratch disappears.

Spot-sand deep scratches
It takes time to repair wood gouges: Sand, fill, sand again, stain, and seal. Here are some tips to make the job go faster.

Sand with fine-gauge steel wool or lightweight sandpaper.

• Always sand with the grain.
• Use wood filler, which takes stain better than wood putty. 
• Use a plastic putty knife to avoid more scratches. 
• Seal the area with polyurethane, or whatever product was used on the floor originally. 
• Apply the polyurethane coat with a lambs wool applicator, which avoids air bubbles in the finish.

Fix gaps in floor
Old floorboards can separate over time. Fill the gaps with colored wood putty. Or, if you have some leftover planks, rip a narrow band and glue it into the gap.

So there you have it: a path back to a beautiful floor!


The home selling process can be intimidating. Be sure to become familiar with the home selling process if you have never sold a home before. Doing so can prevent a lot of stress and help you to make the very best decision on a real estate agent and how to ready your home for sale. If you intend to buy or sell a home in southeast Texas, be sure to call Lauri Kent and her team.

March Makeover-For-Your-Home-Series: Freshen Up Your Doors

Today our March Makeover-For-Your-Home takes a look at the doors of your house. Not just your front door either, but all doors: bedroom doors, cabinet doors, the french doors that lead to the back yard. While it is true that investment in the front door of your home is the single best investment to increase the value of your home, all doors are the entryway to every nook and cranny of your home, and the doorknobs and door pulls are the baubles that provide that extra adornment that add to the beauty and uniqueness of the home. From vintage, retro, to modern, consider the possibilities of replacing the brass....

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Repair and Replace Door Hardware

To Update Rooms

By: Jane Hoback
Original Publish Date: January 14, 2011

Repair and replace door hardware that makes rooms look dingy and outdated. We’ll show you how door and cabinet pulls, knobs, and hinges can give your home new sparkle.

Repair and replace kitchen cabinet hardware

Replacing or repairing knobs and pulls on cabinets and drawers is a quick way to give your old kitchen a new look.

Cabinet hardware can be simple or ornate, and ranges from $1 a knob to $45 or more. Here’s your game plan:

• Repair loose knobs and pulls by tightening holding screws, replacing stripped screws, or plugging gaps with wood filler applied with a putty knife.

• Count the number of knobs or pulls you need before you head to the hardware store. Estimating will cost you time and money.

• To replace pulls, which are attached to cabinets by a screw at each end, measure the distance between holes--not the length of pulls--to assure a perfect fit.

• If you’re switching from a two-hole pull to a one-hole knob, choose hardware with back plates that cover door scratches and holes.

Tighten, polish, or replace door hardware

Nothing ages a room like a loose doorknob. You can tighten mortise-style doorknobs by simply tightening the setscrew on the side of the doorknob. For cylindrical doorknobs, you’ll need to take the doorknob apart.
           
Replace dated doorknobs with sleek door levers. For easiest installation, choose a lever handle lockset made by the same manufacturer. Prices range from $20 to $160.

Buy a commercial polish, such as Wright’s or Weiman, to make brass doorknobs shine. Warm water and a little dish soap or a homemade paste of equal parts vinegar and baking soda will scrub off dirt and make stainless steel and glass doorknobs sparkle.

Clean or replace door hinges

• Telltale paint on door hinges says someone did a sloppy job. To restore hinges, try these techniques.

• Wash with sudsy hot water.

• Scrub with a nylon brush or a toothbrush. A wire brush could damage the finish.

• Brush on paint stripper that is safe for all surfaces.

• Polish with beeswax furniture polish or brass polish.

Jane Hoback is a veteran business writer who has written for the Rocky Mountain News, Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine, and ColoradoBIZ Magazine.

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Stay tuned for for more March Makeover-For-Your-Home tips and tricks for improving the quality and value of your home. If your a southeast Texas resident and would like assistance in determining that actual value of your home, give us your information on our Your Home's Value form and we will be glad to assist you. Lauri Kent is a real estate agent serving Greater Houston and specializing in home sales of Spring TX, The Woodlands TX, and the whole Lake Conroe area. Enjoy browsing Lauri Kent's impressive featured properties for sale on her website.

March Makeover-For-Your-Home-Series: Renew A Room With Paint

There is nothing more obvious, and time-honored, than to freshen a room than a nice coat of new paint. If your walls are looking a little dingy, or if they are marred with the battle scars received from active kids armed with soccer balls and crayons, then a fresh coat of paint is an easy and very inexpensive way to make your home look renewed. And of course, a fresh coat of paint is a must-do if your are in the process of selling your home. What do you need to know about interior latex that you didn't already know? Read on and see: the proof is in the paint.

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Low-VOC Paint Protects Health, Pocketbook

By: Joseph D'Agnese
Original Publish Date: October 13, 2010

Low-VOC paints are kind to your health, and they won't break the bank, either. Learn more about these eco-friendly ways to brighten a room.

VOCs health hazards

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are solids and liquids that convert easily to gas or vapor at room temperature. VOCs are contained in many paint products and have been linked to a variety of health problems--watery eyes, headaches, asthma, respiratory diseases and cancer.

Common paint VOCs

Common VOCs in paint include ethylene glycol (the same chemical compound found in antifreeze), formaldehyde, benzene, and a variety of other flammable or toxic chemicals. The paint’s materials safety data sheet (MSDS) lists the hazardous materials the product contains. Laminated MSDS sheets are usually displayed in paint stores, or you can download them from a paint manufacturer’s website.

VOC regulations

Current EPA regulations limit VOCs to 250 grams/liter in latex paint, and 380 grams/liter in oil-based paint. Low-VOC paints, now available from most major manufacturers, clock in at less than 50 grams/liter in flat paints, and 150 grams/liter in gloss paints. Some go even lower, hitting 25- or even 10-gram/liter benchmarks.

A paint that has 5 grams or less/liter can claim “zero-VOC” status.

Low-VOC price

Painters shy away from low-VOC paint, thinking it’s more expensive than the stuff that’s hazardous to their health. In fact, low-VOC and zero-VOC paint are comparable in price to any paint that’s comparable in coverage.

Price is determined by how much bang you get from a gallon. Benjamin Moore’s zero-VOC Aura paint sells for almost $60 per gallon, not because it’s zero VOC, but because it is self-priming and requires only two coats to cover a room. Benjamin Moore’s low-VOC line, Ben, costs about $35 per gallon, comparable to other VOC-laden premium paints.

Tints and VOCs

Even if you buy low-VOC paint, you can unwittingly raise toxic levels by adding tints tainted with VOCs. Low-VOC tints are available, so ask for them when lightening or darkening paint.

Joseph D'Agnese is a journalist and book author who has written numerous articles on home improvement.

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More March Makeover-For-Your-Home tips and tricks are coming, all to give you ideas for improving the quality and value of your home. If your a southeast Texas resident and would like assistance in determining that actual value of your home, give us your information on our Your Home's Value form and we will be glad to assist you. Lauri Kent is a real estate agent serving Greater Houston and specializing in home sales of Spring TX, The Woodlands TX, and the whole Lake Conroe area. Enjoy browsing Lauri Kent's impressive featured properties for sale on her website.

March Makeover-For-Your-Home Series : Kitchen Counter Top Makeover

We are kicking off our March Makeover-For-Your-Home series with a focus on how to give a face lift to your kitchen counter tops. Especially if you are planning to sell your home in the near future, taking a close look at the condition of your kitchen counter top is critical, since a home's kitchen is a central selling point. The following article will be very useful to help you determine whether you can do a quick and easy repair to your kitchen counter top, or whether it might be more productive to replace it.
 

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Repair and Replace Kitchen Counters to Stay on Top of Scratches

By: Jane Hoback
Original Publish Date: January 14, 2011

You can repair kitchen counter mishaps with only a little time and money. Big boo-boos, however, will need professional help.

Granite
Even granite counters suffer kitchen wear and tear. But you can make them shine with a little time and know-how. After you fix them, don’t forget to reseal them.

Cracks, chips, scratches: Fill nicks in granite by building up layers of epoxy resin colored to match the stone. Clean the area first with acetone, which breaks down grease. Be sure to open a window for ventilation.

Stains: The type of stain--wine or ink, oil or bleach--determines the type of poultice you’ll need to suck it out. A paste of flour and hydrogen peroxide pulls out grease, oil, bleach, and ink stains; a mix of flour and bleach cleans wine stains. If you want to go commercial, check out Alpha, Aqua Mix, and StoneTech stone cleaners. Cost: $6 to $20.

Solid surface counters
Solid surface countertops, such as Corian, are man-made from resin, acrylic, and other materials. They’re tough but not impervious to scratches and stains. To repair minor scratches, rub a white polishing compound on the area with a wool pad, then apply a countertop wax.

For deeper scratches or cuts, call a professional. Figure labor costs at about $15 to $35 an hour. If you need to replace portions of the counter, figure at least $35 to $65 per square foot.

Laminate
Fixing gouges or covering burns in laminate is tough for mortals, though repairing minor problems is doable.

Fix small chips with laminate repair paste that matches the color of the countertop.
Cover scratches with countertop polish or car wax.
Fix peeling laminate with contact cement applied to both surfaces and pressed back into place.
Remove coffee and tea stains with vinegar or a paste of baking soda and household cleaner.
Bigger problems will require replacing the damaged stretch. Laminate comes in a billion colors, but finding an exact match for an old counter could be difficult.

To get the look you want, replace the counter. Labor will cost $15 to $35 per hour; countertops range from $3/linear ft. for Plain Jane straight-edged laminates to $100/linear ft. for laminates with a beveled edge that look like granite.

Tile
If you’ve planned ahead and stockpiled old tiles, then grab a few and replace cracked or scratched areas. If you don’t have extra tile, then attempt the following first aid:

Wipe away scratches with a dab of toothpaste on a clean cloth.
Work epoxy glue into cracks with a toothpick, then color with matching oil-based artist paint.
Remove old grout with a utility knife, then replace with a rubber trowel.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel countertops become scratched, stained, and dull over time. While you’ll never completely remove scratches, you can buff them into a warm patina by massaging with vegetable oil.

Remove stains with a paste of baking soda and dish soap. A sprinkle of Barkeeper’s Friend will remove stains without scratching.

Jane Hoback is a veteran business writer who has written for the Rocky Mountain News, Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine, and ColoradoBIZ Magazine.

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Stay tuned for for more March Makeover-For-Your-Home tips and tricks for improving the quality and value of your home. If your a southeast Texas resident and would like assistance in determining that actual value of your home, give us your information on our Your Home's Value form and we will be glad to assist you. Lauri Kent is a real estate agent serving Greater Houston and specializing in home sales of Spring TX, The Woodlands TX, and the whole Lake Conroe area. Enjoy browsing Lauri Kent's impressive featured properties for sale on her website.