​Breathe new life into your old home

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
North Yorkshire Lighting Control Project, Inspire Audio Visual Inspire Audio Visual Classic style bathroom
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The heart wants what the heart wants – sometimes it’s a new coffee machine, sometimes it’s a chocolate-covered carb fest, and other times it’s an entire new house complete with modern finishes. 

Although we can’t dish out modern mansions left and right, we can provide you with some simple tips and tricks to make your current house feel brand new (and we are not talking about changing your living room scatter cushions or dining room window treatment; it goes a little deeper than that). 

All it takes is a little TLC and commitment to give new life to an old home. Let’s see what your options are…

Clean or replace the carpets

Make your space feel fresh and brand-new with a clean/new carpet. A new carpet certainly provides a fresh dose of comfort for you and your family. It is safe to say that one of the main reasons that a lot of people root for carpet is because of its main feature: its fluffiness. Nothing beats that homey feeling of stepping on a cosy carpet. 

Today’s carpet manufacturers take various lifestyles into consideration. This has resulted in developing a range of foot-friendly, soft carpet choices for every style, colour, and pattern imaginable. Fibre advancements, weave enhancements, and improvements in backing technologies have ensured carpets that provide both refinement and durability.

Should your carpet be perfectly ideal except for a stain or two, then get right on professional cleaning services to help you out. It doesn't just look good, it’s also safe: dirty carpets can detract from a peaceful atmosphere, while allergens and dirt can contribute to respiratory problems.

Install new doors

One of the most dramatic enhancements you can make to your home is to install new doors. By selecting a product that matches the character of your home, you can give your property a dramatic facelift. New doors also help with increasing the resale value of your home, and add a lot of kerb appeal (inner and outer). 

The biggest way to save on a door replacement is to select a product that does not require a new opening, or the widening of an existing hole. It’s significantly more labour-intensive to widen an opening than to reduce its size. This is especially true if your home has brick, stucco, or another type of siding that isn't easily modified.

One of the best parts of door installations is that you can pick the order. This means that you can replace some of your doors now, and some later. Most people who choose to install this way replace the doors on the front of their home first, and then proceed with the back- and side doors later.

Update power outlets and plates

Time takes a strain on everything, and even your power outlets aren’t safe from the effects of life. Therefore, if you see that your power outlets, light switches and plates may have yellowed or even cracked over the years, don’t blame them. 

Rather update your house by treating all of them to brand new faces. This can also work for other items such as alarms, thermostats, and smoke detectors. But we strongly recommend that you consult a licensed electrician to help with any task where electrical wires are concerned.  

homify hint: While you’re busy with the lights, why not switch over to LEDs to cut down on your electricity usage? LEDs create – and consequently waste – very little heat. And when it comes to energy saving, they use at least 75% less energy than their incandescent counterparts.

Repair the walls

Since you know that a wall takes up a lot of visual space in a room, it should come as no surprise that a wall also needs to look good in order for the room to follow. So, if your walls are in dire need of some TLC, then get right on it.

Repair those holes and cracks in the walls (you can fill a deep crack with screwed-up newspaper, which makes a good base for the filler. For larger holes, you might need to build up several thin coats of filler rather than one thick one, ensuring to let each coat dry before adding the next). And patch those corners (corners are particularly vulnerable to wear and tear). 

Get a professional to ensure you receive expert work. Or, if you are up for it, the Internet is full of DIY videos on this topic, so happy hunting!  

Alternatively, if your walls don’t suffer any cracks or holes, yet you are quite tired of their outdated look, it might be time for a fresh new face, such as new wallpaper or even a wall mural.

Add a fresh coat of paint

A reliable and dear update that can work on almost anything, and on any budget – a good paint job. The right colour paint can make anything look much better. Whether you’re finessing outdated furniture, making your front door look more striking, or refinishing time-worn hardwood floors, grabbing a bucket and brush can mean a world of difference to you and your house. 

And don’t think that just because you have a brick wall with a bold, burnt colour that a good dose of paint is out of the question. Brick provides visual interest in its rough surface, and its colour is only one of its many appealing features. So, feel free to paint your bricks to match your palette (or cause a striking contrast for an eye-catching effect), and allow its unique texture to make the statement. 

Relax – homify will show you how to: Enliven Your Home With Coloured Paint.

Stain your old wooden floors

Add some beauty (and value) to your house by taking a look at what’s under your feet. Hardwood floors are among the most attractive flooring options for almost any part of a home. If you have hardwood floors that have seen better days, the easiest way to boost their beauty is to stain them. 

Staining a wooden floor can be done in one of two ways: with a coloured finish, such as a browned lacquer, a floor paint, or white oil, for example. In this case, the colour stays in the finish on top of the wood.

The other alternative is to use a stain or wood dye, which is a liquid (usually water or solvent based) that contains a pigment which soaks into the wood. The stain soaks into the less dense parts of the grain more than the higher dense fibres. This means it works with the wood, exaggerating the patterns in the grain. 

This is a fantastic way to add some fresh life to your wooden floors, but if you’re not up for a DIY day, rather call in a pro.

What other tips can you think of to make your old house feel (and look) brand new? We'd love to hear them in the comments!

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