Mount Pleasant Magazine May/June 2021

28 www. ReadMPM. com | www. VOICE forRea l Es tate. com | www.MountPl easantBu i lder s . com want to get prepared on a personal level. To start with, make sure that those sleeves are attached to a shirt that you’re at peace with throwing in the trash at the end of the project because grout, caulk, stain and various other construction materials do not come off in the wash. That goes for shoes, too. Next, locate your closest Little Caesars. Even if you’re not a fan, it’s inevitable that you’ll end up looking up from your project to find that it’s 8:00 p.m., you’re starving, and you’re not in the mood to prepare even the simplest of meals. And Little Caesars is about the only place you’ll want to show your face when you have paint in your hair. On to the real advice: when it comes to renovating, the majority of cosmetic projects aren’t complicated, but they are hard work. Which means that if you watch enough YouTube videos – never watch only one video on something; you need to hedge your bets — and read enough blogs, you can probably rip up carpet and lay hardwood flooring yourself. You will be exhausted, and your fingertips will all have blisters (use gloves!), but it can be done. I think that the most important skill that you need to tackle cosmetic DIY projects is confidence. That being said, if this is your first foray into home improvements, start small. Paint will give you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to transforming a room, and it’s also very easy. Chat up the experts at your favorite paint store to make sure that you have the right type of paint for the room, along with the correct roller and brushes. Here’s my biggest painting tip: forget the tape! Putting up painter’s tape is time-consuming and, unless you take it off at the exact right nanosecond, you’re either going to get blobs of wet paint on your baseboards or you’ll rip the dry paint and need to touch up. I recommend edging by hand instead. Search YouTube for tips and practice by making a few straight lines in the middle of the wall. It’s even easier when you try it in a corner. Don’t let it intimidate you; the worst thing that can happen is you’ll need to touch it up – which you’ll need to do with tape, too – so just get it on the wall and make sure you have a sample size of the ceiling and baseboard color for mistakes. Another great way to add value to your home is with trim. Whether you choose a chair rail, board and batten or beadboard, it will add tons of personality to your home and make it feel more custom. This job will require a miter saw and nail gun, but did you know that you can rent Add func t i ona l i t y to an empt y space wi th an eat - i n banquet te, wh i ch prov i des seat i ng, s torage and charac ter. Create the i l l us i on of an open space wh i l e s t i l l keepi ng the func t i ona l i t y of de f i ned rooms by add i ng wi ndows , wh i ch wi l l l et more l i ght i n and ser ve as a beaut i fu l des i gn feature.