Weekend DIY Projects
That Really Add Value To
Your Home
.jpg)
Top Tips
from Black & Decker
Having worked as a senior sales consultant for one of London’s
largest estate agents and now managing her own property
portfolio, Property Developer Kate Bullock knows that when it
comes to making the right impression it’s the little things that
can make a big difference. Whether your property is about to go on the market, the `For
Sale` sign has become a permanent fixture in the garden or you
have made the decision to stay put and want to get the most from
your home. Kate Bullock has teamed up with Black & Decker to
highlight three jobs that you can do in just a weekend to spruce
up your home.
Kate Bullock, comments: Curb-side appeal has always been
important, but with house prices faltering and unrest filtering
through the market, sellers have to ensure that their property
stands out from the crowd and that first impressions really
count. It
has always surprised me that people put so much energy into
setting the scene on the inside - filling the house with fresh
flowers, baking bread and roasting coffee beans in the oven yet
fail to think about what the buyer will actually see first, the
front door and the surrounding area.
Just as the old saying goes, people judge the front of the house
as they do a book by its cover. If the front door and window
ledges are cracked and in bad order, a potential buyer may be
made aware of further maintenance issues before even entering
the house. Creating the best first impression is not about spending a
fortune, most jobs come under the DIY remit, but the trick is to
focus efforts in the right area.
1. Make your front door look
like new in
a weekend
.jpg)
Curb appeal and good first impressions start at the front door.
The front door and porch area act as an invitation to
buyers/visitors, it says a lot about you and is an indicator as
to what they can expect to find inside. Re-painting the front
door is the easiest and least expensive way to add punch to your
entry.
How to:
You will want to work when the weather is nice enough to leave
the door propped open, but avoid excessive heat or direct
sunlight.
Sand the door smooth remembering to always wear safety glasses.
Painted exterior wood surfaces benefit from being stripped using
a power sander, the Black & Decker KA270 Multi-Sander is perfect
for this kind of job. It boasts orbital, detail and random
sanding action making it ideal for the large surface areas as
well as the more detailed parts of the door. Always hold the
sander flat against the surface and apply even pressure. Fill in
cracks and rough edges.
Before starting with the painting, lay newspaper under the door
to prevent your brush picking up dust. Wedge the door in an open
position to hold it steady. Prime the door - allowing it to dry for a least three
hours. Apply your first topcoat, keep the door open at all times until
completely dry. Apply the second coat the next day. When
painting the door begin by coating the panels and follow the
grain of the wood.
Finishing touches:
For the perfect finish why not update the door hardware,
replacing tired house numbers and handles. Consider adding a
few finishing touches to warm things up e.g. matching flower
pots with colourful plants or a new welcome mat.
2. Sprucing up external gates
and railings
.jpg)
A rusty gate is no way to greet buyers, they will immediately
start thinking this place needs work. Flats in particular often
have metal fences on outside staircases. These are often left to
become tatty creating a negative first impression.
How to:
With metal railings, the first thing to get rid of is the rust
and old paint. The Powerfile from Black & Decker is a handy
tool that removes rust and paint build up from metal railings.
Remember to always wear safety glasses. Once you have finished sanding, dust off and wipe down the
surfaces. Apply two coats of rust-inhibiting primer and then
apply topcoat. If you're using spray paint hold the spray nozzle
20 to 30 cm from your work and keep the can moving. To avoid
drips, paint out of, not into, corners.
3. Adding that Wow factor
If you want to update a tired room why not introduce a feature
wall. It’s economical and easy to do. Although it probably won’t
send your property value soaring through the roof, it will
create a sense of sophistication that other properties might be
short of. The chimney breast is an ideal place to have a feature
wall because it’s usually the central focus.
How to:
Lay dust sheets around the room to make clearing up much easier. Remove paper before starting any other work. Do not use old
wallpaper as a lining it will never give you the finish you
need! The Black & Decker KX3300T Wallpaper Stripper will halve
the time it takes to prepare your walls and will save you
getting sore and blistered hands. Fill the stripper with water
before plugging in, when it starts to steam, place flush to the
wall
Leave stripper in place for about 15-30 seconds, then move it
along the wall and scrape paper off the wall. Work your way
across the wall. After the wall has been stripped, wash the
surface to remove all traces of adhesive. Check for cracks,
these are best filled using a flexible filler, these come in a
tube and require a sealant dispenser.
Lining paper should be used on bare walls before any paper is
hung; it creates an even surface for the final wall covering.
First you need to "size" the wall. Fill a bucket with half water
and half PVA, then brush the walls with the mixture and let it
dry properly. When it comes to applying the wallpaper paste, it
will attach itself to the glue and stick a lot better. To hang lining paper and your final wallpaper, measure the
height of the wall and cut a strip of paper about 10cm longer.
Draw a vertical pencil line on the wall surface of your chosen
staring point, check and re-check using the Black & Decker
BDL230S Laser Level. This also has a pipe, wire and stud
detector built in if you need to hand anything on the wall
safely. Cover the reverse side of paper well with paste. Carry the paper
folded loosely over to the wall and up your step ladder position
against the pencil guide line. Let the fold drop out and
hold the top edge of the paper against the wall, with about 5cm
overlapping on the ceiling and at the skirting.
When you are happy it is level, brush it down from the top
removing any bubbles. Trim at the top and the bottom, brushing
the edges tight against the ceiling and the skirting board.
Finally using a clean damp sponge wipe away any excess paste and
repeat matching up any patterns.
October 2008
Home
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)