Whether you’re staying inside this winter to avoid cold weather or possible COVID infection, now is the ideal time to tackle DIY projects. Invest just one weekend and you can add value and style to your home interior.
Plan ahead and order online so that your DIY materials come right to your door. Then start on a Friday afternoon and by Sunday you can enjoy the look of your new stairway system, countertop or shelves!
Project #1- Refinish a Countertop
Whether it’s in your kitchen or bathroom, an old countertop can be an eyesore. Roll on a new stone surface right over existing countertops made of laminate, cultured marble, concrete, wood or tile.
The SpreadStone™ Countertop Finishing Kit from Daich Coatings includes everything you need to transform a countertop in a weekend. Available in 11 color options, the kit covers up to 40 square feet of space, and is generally priced less than $125.
Application can be done in three simple steps — a stone base coat, a decorative stone coat and a stone clear top coat. The coatings create a lasting and elegant new upgrade for any room. The finishes are essentially odorless and come pre-mixed and ready to apply immediately, with no harsh chemicals.
Project #2 – Add Shelving
Everyone needs more space. Get yours with easy-to-install floating shelves from Ornamental Moulding & Millwork. Ideal for any room, the lightweight shelves stand 4-3/4-inches tall and have a depth of seven inches.
The Ambrosia Maple Rustic Shelf has oblong and gray hued bores running with the grain of the wood for designer appeal. The mantel shelves come in two versions: with and without black wrought iron decorative trim, and are available in three-, four-, five- and six-foot lengths.
Designed to bring a rustic element to your home, the shelf can be used as both a stand-alone floating shelf and as a fireplace mantel. Lightweight and easy-to-install in just minutes, each shelf comes with a mounting cleat, wall screws, finish nails and instruction sheet. There’s also a step-by-step video online.
Project #3 – Transform Your Stairway
It doesn’t get easier than this. Cut and hammer out an old wood baluster from your stairway system. Then replace it with a decorative iron baluster. Repeat in a pattern that works for your home’s style. That’s how simple it is to transform a staircase in one afternoon.
The IronPro™ kit from L.J. Smith Stair Systems comes in Satin Black, and one kit is needed for each baluster replaced. After removing the existing baluster, attach the pivoting fasteners to the handrail. Then the new iron baluster is measured, cut and inserted into the pivot fastener and swung into a vertical position. The assembly is aligned and screwed into place to secure the baluster. It’s that easy.
For an open tread stairway, select the IronPro Level Kit that includes a ball adaptor, round and rectangular sockets, a base collar, a threaded disk and centering plugs. For a kneewall stairway, the IronPro Kneewall Kit includes a ball adaptor, threaded ball adaptor, round and rectangular sockets and centering plugs.
Project #4 – Roll on a New Wall Finish
Turn a boring wall into a textured showpiece with VeriStone® Roll-On Wall Texture. Without mixing, prep work or multi-step labor-intensive processes, VertiStone quickly transforms a room.
By using decorative textured brushes and the stone coating, different finishes can be achieved easily, including smooth polished marble, natural suede, parchment, dream lace and linen.
VertiStone tints to thousands of colors and can be applied directly onto drywall, block, masonry and concrete surfaces. Designed for both interior and exterior use, the fast-drying finish features extremely low VOCs and is odorless. The breathable finish does not encourage mold and mildew, so it can be used in high humidity areas of the home, such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Project #5 – Add Decorative Boards
Change the look of a kitchen island, add an accent wall to a room, or cover up ugly pipes in a basement. These are all possible projects with Decorative Boards.
Available in Ambrosia Maple, White Oak, Black Stained Aspen and Gray Stained Aspen profiles, Decorative Boards have deep wood graining. The easy-to-install boards come in variety of sizes. Every board is 7/16-inches in thickness and eight-feet long, and are available in widths of 1-1/2-, 3-1/2- and 5-1/2-inches.
Next weekend, don’t just binge watch a show on TV. Take an active role in upgrading your home with one of these simple DIY winter projects.
