Where to Start with DIY Home Improvement Projects

Who says you need heavy equipment and thousands of dollars to make home improvements? If you’re new to DIY projects, it’s important to understand that you can make some noticeable changes without knocking down walls or replacing appliances. In fact, many DIY home improvement projects cost less than 50 bucks.    

Looking for some inspiration? Consider these quick and easy projects to get started.

Install new house numbers

Stake your claim to your new home – and make sure everyone else has your number, too. Many house numbers are too small, hampering the efforts of everyone from rescue and postal workers to pizza delivery services. Install large house numbers both on the garage and near the front door – and instantly improve your home's curb appeal.

Make your mark with a wall of paint

At least one room in your new home is probably crying for a fresh coat of paint – and in a color that befits your taste. Tackle an entire room, if you choose, but consider a more limited but equally fulfilling DIY home improvement project: painting one wall a bold color. Choose the dominant wall in the room and make it a striking focal point. (Just don't be in too much of a hurry; pick up a scrap piece of wood or some poster board at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore and practice before applying paint to the wall.)

Embrace spray paint for smaller DIY home improvement projects

Paint is one of the simplest and most economical of all DIY home improvement projects. Spray paint can make them some of the quickest, too. Lawn furniture, flower containers, shelves and end tables make suitable objects for spray painting – as long as they're scuffed up with sandpaper first to ensure adhesion. Check the paint to ensure that it provides coverage for the type of material you're covering; different formulas of paint cover wood, metal, and plastic.

Install dimmer switches

Get just right light the first time. Skip buying new bulbs with higher or lower wattages and head straight to installing dimmers in rooms with overhead lighting fixtures. Installing dimmers is a basic electrical task but one of those DIY home improvement projects that will leave you feeling like an expert. The ReStore team will be delighted to walk you through it, step by step.

Install under-cabinet lighting

Adding under-cabinet lighting can add style and functionality to your kitchen. Often called “rope lighting,” these tiny lights are multi-functional, providing task lighting by day and a warm, “night light” glow when it gets dark.

Update the knobs and pulls on your kitchen cabinets

Knobs and pulls are one of the simplest ways to update your kitchen and add some style, too. Select replacements of roughly the same size and with the same gap between nail holes. It's more common to install pulls on drawers and knobs on cabinets. But you shouldn't feel hampered by convention once you see the selection at ReStore.

Add depth to a ceiling with a medallion

Once the exclusive domain of ceiling fans, medallions have justifiably muscled their way into kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms and even bathrooms, where there is not a ceiling fan in sight. Simple to install, etched medallions can look stunning in white or can be painted (with a brush or spray paint).

As your confidence with DIY home improvement projects grows, you can count on ReStore to help guide your efforts – and salute your weekend warrior status.