Looking to update your home but not drain your bank account in the process? HGTV's "Property Brothers" Drew and Jonathan Scott stopped by the plaza on Monday to show how to update floors, tiles, cabinetry and decks with a few hours of free time and a little elbow grease.
Hardwood floors
Gone are the days of gluing and nailing down hardwood. “Flooring is one of the easiest things people can do themselves,” Jonathan said.
Wood flooring can be installed by simply lining up wood planks and clicking them together. Just don't forget to leave a little space around the floor as wood tends to expand and contract with changes in humidity levels. The brothers also suggest stripping out old floors and starting from the beginning instead of trying to install new flooring in between old planks.
“Don’t lay over the old flooring,” Jonathan said. “Do it right.”
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Decks
Embarrassed to have guests on your deck? All it takes is a few hours during a weekend afternoon to get it in tip-top shape.
“It does not take a lot of work just to sand it down, clean it up,” Jonathan said, adding that there are now products available that have stain and seal in one for easy application. The most important part of this home project is to clean the deck properly before staining it. If old paint is peeling on the deck, it will cause new coats of stain to flake as well.
If you are building or replacing your deck entirely, consider using a composite material as it doesn’t have to be stained at all.
Tiles
Repairing cracks in tile may seem intimidating, but it's actually quite doable to tackle as a DIY project. With hairline cracks in tiles, just clean it up with matching paint on a Q-tip. If the crack is significant, break the tile out with a hammer, clean up any remaining grout and set a new piece of tile in place.
To freshen up tile without replacing it, Drew and Jonathan recommend re-glazing tile for a cleaner, newer look that won’t break the bank.
Cabinets
A kitchen can look instantly fresher with updated cabinets, but before spending thousands to buy new cabinetry, consider painting them instead.
“You don’t have to actually replace your cabinets,” Drew said. “Paint it out.”
To add a little more interest, Jonathan suggests popping out one of the cabinet panels and putting in some glass. Add a little frost to the glass with a can of frosted glass spray paint to give a high-end look at a low cost.