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Improvements That’ll Take Years Off Your Home’s Appearance

If you’re thinking about diving into some improvements for a refresh, you’re not alone. According to Nielsen Scarborough, 53 percent of adults made some type of home improvements in the past 12 months, and 56 percent of those adults spent $1,000 or more on their home improvements. But which home improvements should you tackle first and still keep your budget in check?

Inexpensive home improvements can take years off of your home’s appearance. From refinishing your hardwood floors to updating your lighting, you can invest a nominal amount in your home’s appearance and win big. Here’s how to get started.

Refinish Your Hardwood Floors

Giving your hardwood floors a quality refinish can take years off of your home’s appearance. It’s also a good way to tackle wood floor repair before it spirals out of control. Start with the most visible rooms like your foyer or living area and slowly work your way through your home.

But what about wood floor refinishing cost? You can expect to pay between $2 to more than $5 a square foot. Just make sure to invest in wood polish and cleaner specially designed for your floor. Otherwise, you could be damaging its luster before you get the chance to really show it off.

Replace Old Fixtures

Homeowners on a budget can think smaller while still making a big impact. Replacing outdated brass fixtures in your bathroom and kitchen can give your home an instant facelift. Focus on the most important and visible fixtures first like your kitchen faucet, or even your cabinet pulls and hardware, to make the biggest impact. You can even source inexpensive or free fixtures from garage sales, salvage yards, and estate sales.

Give Your Walls a Fresh Coat of Paint

Dingy, dark walls can make your home feel old and claustrophobic. Give your walls a big refresh with trending colors like modern blue pastels, periwinkles, or a soft pink. Even just a fresh, white wall can make your house feel brighter and cleaner without a big investment.

However, if you don’t think your walls really need a full paint job but you still want to freshen up the room, try touching up the trim instead. Adding a splash of color to your baseboards and crown molding can transform your favorite room in the house.

Freshen Up Your Kitchen Cabinets

Replacing all of your kitchen cabinets can cost a bundle, but there’s still a way to freshen them up on a budget. Try removing them altogether and painting the cabinets for a modern kitchen. Depending on the material and finish of your cabinets, you can also try painting the actual cabinets to make them look sleek and clean without replacing them altogether.

Keeping your kitchen area clean is essential to avoid nuisance pests, like bugs, rodents, and ants from damaging your kitchen cabinets, baseboards, and cupboards.

Here are some kitchen cleaning tips:

  • Remove all unnecessary items in your kitchen, particularly in your kitchen cupboards, and learn the 3 simple steps to clean baseboards.
  • Stainless steel appliances should always look great. However, they are hard to clean. Use vodka as a stainless steel cleaner to make your appliances sparkling again.
  • Keep your kitchen smelling like a lemon-fresh scent using real lemon. Get rid of all cooking odors, such as burned toast or fish, by poking a few holes with a skewer or toothpick. Place it directly on the oven rack for 15 minutes at a 300°F heat. Allow the wonderful aroma to permeate the whole room, leaving the door of the oven slightly ajar.

Update Your Lighting

A dark home with poor lighting can quickly make your home feel dated. Updating your lighting with brighter bulbs and fixtures can create more light in your home without the expense of adding windows and skylights. For an inexpensive idea, repurpose a mason jar and light fixture kit for a cozy and intimate look in your kitchen, dining area or hallways.

Here are some lighting trends this year that you might want to implement in your home:

  • Matte black lighting fixture, like a black pendant, is the newest favorite neutral, which is edgy, chic, and makes space in other modern color palettes.
  • Geometric Chandeliers: Upgrade the look of your living room with chandeliers in trendy geometric shapes, which are great lighting candidates anywhere in the house.
  • Wicker pendants: Wicker pendant lighting is exceptionally versatile. It works with various styles of home, like traditional and boho.
  • Colored Glass: Colored glass table pendants and lamps are unique. They are gaining in popularity since it expresses one’s unique personality and sense of style.
  • Wood Bead Fixtures: Wood bead light fixtures make up the Boho home style, which is uniquely adding natural material and texture to your space. Choose beaded chandelier styles for your dining room.
  • Architect Floor Lamps: Opt-in oversized architect lamps that add playful style to your living room. Make them fit your space choosing floor lamps with a joint body.

Inexpensive home improvements aren’t just easy on your wallet, they can also inspire you to fall in love with your home again. Focus on the improvements that matter most to you and let the rest fall into place.

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