Add Warmth and Value with Easy Weekend Projects

Add Warmth and Value with Easy Weekend Projects (ARA) – You’ve got a weekend to work with and the inspiration to do something to dress up your home. You don’t need to spend like a diva or wield a hammer like a home improvement show host to achieve a high-impact do-it-yourself project. Many value-enhancing, elegance-adding improvements can be accomplished in a weekend with minimal effort and expense."You can find a weekend project that’s right for your budget, skill level and decorating goals," says home improvement expert Mike Denny of So Simple Crown Molding. "Look around your home and consider the details, those little things that you can do to really punch up a room’s warmth and appeal. You’ll be surprised at the projects that come to mind, and many will be things you can do in a day or less." <div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/10b.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/10b.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div> At a loss where to begin with your weekend home improvements? Here are three ways to improve your home’s value, style and warmth: Punch it up with Paint. Color has a huge impact on how a room feels and painting is one of the easiest DIY projects to accomplish in a weekend. "Paint’s impact may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how many people overlook its power to make over the most tired decor," Denny says. Repainting can allow you to create a whole new look for a room without changing a stick of furniture or a single piece of artwork. For color ideas, draw inspiration from design elements you already love in your room’s decor, be it a particular hue of red in the pattern of a throw pillow or a shade of green in your favorite painting. If the color is already present in your decor, chances are you can make it work on your walls. Light the Way Interior designers agree: lighting has a huge impact on how a room looks. How light falls on your furnishings will affect how they look in the room. "Plus, drab, out-dated lighting can also have a big affect on how you feel about your home," Denny says. If your new decor still seems tired, it might just be a problem of poor lighting. Consider how your room is lit at the different times of the day when you use it most. If it seems dim at times when you would like it to be bright, you may consider replacing existing light fixtures with brighter, more stylish options, possibly even ones that adjust on a dimmer according to changing illumination needs throughout the day. Don’t be intimidated by working with electricity when replacing light fixtures. Seek advice online or from the experts at your local home improvement store. Always be sure to turn off power at the electrical box, and tape the breaker off while you’re working so that no one comes along and turns it back on until you’re ready. A Room’s Crowning Glory Few room enhancements speak of elegance and style the way crown molding does, but many do-it-yourselfers may think the job is beyond their abilities. Yet crown molding can be a weekend project within the abilities of virtually anyone who can handle a ladder and a caulk tube. The secret? Products like So-Simple Crown Molding, a light-weight crown molding made from a dense EPS (Styrofoam) composite. It installs with just caulking and comes with precut corners. No nails required. In the past, crown molding was made of wood or MDF (particle board), and was the domain of the finish carpenter or old school do-it-yourselfer who builds their house from scratch. Now anyone can claim "bragging rights" for installing crown molding with this easy-to-handle material that looks exactly like real wood crown molding. There are many beautiful styles of crown to choose from — decorative, contemporary to classic. You should choose the style that is right for you. For example, "Dentil Crown" style is a very popular decorative style and can be found in many Victorian homes. Dentil Crown is very detailed and is constructed of multiple layers of carved wood. Classic "S" style moldings are simple and can be found in almost any ranch or Tuscany style home. Classic styles have a universal appeal and come in many sizes. When crown molding is installed against a wall painted with color your room really comes alive. <div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/3b.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/3b.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div> Painting is also a breeze. So Simple Crown molding features a white SkinTec surface that is smooth and paint ready and no primer is needed. Professionals call it the "installer friendly" crown molding you can paint before you install. They cut the corners for you and it installs with just caulking. The result is a beautiful molding that even the most discriminating home owner cannot tell from wood products. "So Simple Crown has literally taken all the confusion and frustration out of the weekend crown molding project," says Denny. For more information about crown molding visit, www.SoSimpleCrown.com. Courtesy of ARAcontent

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