DIY Home Remodeling For Your Living Room

Owning a home comes with certain responsibilities. When most people think of these responsibilities they think of paying bills, cleaning the house, buying furniture, things of this nature. However, there is a side of owning a house that is not often the taken into consideration and even when it is, details are usually skipped over. I'm referring to remodeling. Any time you buy a house that is not brand new, or if you have lived in the same house for several years, or just want to spruce up a bit, a remodel is required. Any area of the house can be remodeled, but the most common rooms to redo are the bathroom, the entrance, bedrooms, and the living room. If you are considering remodeling your living room, this is the best place to start since we will talk about the different steps of remodeling your living room specifically.

The first thing you need to do is make decisions about colors, flooring. By making all of the decisions before beginning you will avoid having to change everything later. It is best to compare everything first so you can make sure everything will go together. To make all of these decisions you will need to first gather paint samples, carpet samples, curtain swatches, and anything else you may need. It is best to get more samples than you think you'll need. Samples can be obtained from many places including Walmart, Home Depot, etc. and it is wise to gather samples from more than one place as some places have different or at least more choices. Once you have gathered all of the samples that you want it is time to start comparing. Tape the paint strips or wallpaper samples up on the walls to see how the colors and patterns look. From there you can hold up fabric swatches and carpet squares up to the paint strips to see what goes together.

Once you have made all of these important decisions, it is time to gather your tools and begin work. If you do not already have tools, the first matter of business will be to head to a local hardware store and stock up. You will need different tools depending on some of the choices you made, but a few will be required regardless. You will need a good drill with several bits to go with it. This will allow you to be able to hang new curtain rods, art, and anything else that requires drilling. You will also need a hammer, a Phillips head screwdriver, a flat head screwdriver, some caulking and a caulk gun, sandpaper, a measuring tape, a level, spackle, and a utility knife. If you are painting the walls, you will need paint brushes, rollers, paint trays, painters tape, and some type of drop cloth to protect the floors. Also, you will likely need a ladder unless your ceilings are very low. Make sure you have a good set of work gloves to protect your hands while performing various tasks. You will also need old or ragged clothing that you do not mind getting dirty and possibly torn.

Walls - You need to begin by washing down the walls to remove any dirt or grease. Next, you will need to fill in any and all holes and cracks. This is where the spackle comes in. For the cracks, it may be best to use a flexible filler. After the filling is done and sets it is time to use the sandpaper. Inevitably there will be some rough edges and raised areas from the filler, this makes it necessary to sand down all of the rough places and raised areas. Next, wipe down the sanded areas and apply primer to seal in the filler. Once the primer has dried and set you may begin painting or putting up wallpaper. If you are painting, you will first want to apply painters tape along the edges where the walls meet the ceiling and the floor as well as around light sockets and switches, baseboards, or anywhere you do not want the paint to be. Not only does this keep the paint from running into areas where it should not be, it also ensures straight even lines. Also, be sure to lay down your drop cloth to protect your floor.

Floors - For your floors, how you proceed will be determined by the type of flooring you are using. The first step, regardless of the type of flooring you are using is to remove the old floor. This is where you will need some of the tools. If you are removing carpet, you will need the utility knife. Once the old floor has been completely removed, you will need to clean and sand down the base floor as well as repair and broken boards and fill in holes. After all of this, it is a good idea to apply a sealer to protect the floor over the years. Next, it is time to lay the new floor. The next step is to place any rugs that you are using and finally, move in your furniture.

If you are looking for professional help with your remodeling project, you will find a whole host of professionals by performing a simple internet search. For example, if you live on the Gulf Coast, pull up your favorite search engine and type in "Gulf Coast Home Remodel" and see who's on page 1 and pick one of those.