DIY Home Projects You Can Complete in a Weekend

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Change The Lighting

Boost Curb Appeal

Replace Flooring

Liven Up The Walls

Renovate Your Bathroom And Kitchen

Ideas For Weekend DIY Projects

Have you been bitten by the DIY bug? Many homeowners enjoy tackling a do-it-yourself project or two.

Completing renovation projects can give you a sense of accomplishment. You went out, bought the supplies you needed, threw in the elbow grease, and made your home a more attractive or more comfortable place to live.

Speaking of making your home more attractive, many DIY projects can boost the value of your home or help it sell more quickly when you put in on the market. Many home buyers are looking for move-in ready, appealing houses. A home that has refreshed walls, lighting and flooring is going to get more attention from buyers compared to a house that needs an update.

Although some renovation projects take days or even weeks to complete, many can be knocked out in just one weekend. Some take even less time, meaning you can spend a few hours on Saturday working on a project and enjoy your home's new look on Sunday. Here are some of our top DIY weekend projects.

Change the Lighting

One way to brighten up your home is to improve the lighting. You can trade out old lighting fixtures for new ones or do a quick refresh by upgrading old lampshades or switch plates. Here are a few easy DIY options. One quick note before you do anything in your home involving lighting — be sure to switch off the electricity before you begin to avoid getting zapped.

1. Install a Ceiling Medallion

A ceiling medallion rests underneath an overhead lamp and can add a decorative touch to your ceiling. It's an excellent way to transform a dull ceiling into the focal point of a room. As a bonus, adding a ceiling medallion beneath an overhead light isn't difficult to do.

Before you install a ceiling medallion, one thing to consider is whether you want to leave it white or dress it up with a coat of paint. The medallions come primed and ready for a coat of paint. You can also leave them as is. If you have a white ceiling and want the medallion to blend in, adding a subtle decorative touch, leave it plain. If you'd like the ceiling medallion to draw the eye and attract attention, go ahead and paint it a bold or contrasting color.

View Our Ceiling Medallions

2. Switch Your Fixtures

When was the last time you took a close look at your home's lighting fixtures? Perhaps you installed some overhead lights when you first moved in or have kept the same lights that were there when you first bought your home.

Whether your interior lights are drab or just behind the times, swapping them out for new fixtures can help breathe new life into your home. Plus, it's pretty quick and easy to trade old fixtures for new ones. Need some ideas for what type of fixtures to choose for your new lighting? Some of the biggest trends in lighting for 2019 are big, sculptural overhead lights and fixtures made from natural fibers.

Of course, you don't have to follow the trends. It's your home — choose the lighting style that makes you the happiest and that coordinates the best with your other decor and overall style.

3. Add Pendant Lights

If you don't have overhead lighting, such as pendant lights over your kitchen counters or a dining room table, and would like them, installing new fixtures can be the way to go. Installing pendant lights where none exist already does require an extra step compared to swapping out old fixtures for new. You will need to run an electrical cable to the area from the circuit and drill into the ceiling to install the light itself. But don't worry, the entire project won't take more than a few hours.

4. Upgrade Your Lampshades and Switch Plate Covers

If your first thought when reading about replacing light fixtures or adding new ones was, "No way," there is an even easier way to refresh the lighting in your home. Take a look at the lampshades around your house. Do they spark joy? What about the covers on your light switches? Are they dull and drab?

In just a few hours, you can give your space a new look by trading your old lampshades for new ones and by replacing the boring switch plate covers with decorative ones. If you're feeling particularly crafty, try decorating or dressing up a plain, solid color lampshade or decorate a switch plate cover. Paint the shade or cover or use washi tape to make an attractive pattern on it.

Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal

Although plenty of people would say that it's what's on the inside that counts, when it comes to your house, what's on the outside might matter the most. People form opinions about your home and decide whether or not it's a property they'd be interested in based on how it looks on the outside.

If you plan on selling your home, the odds are likely that your real estate agent will recommend that you improve its curb appeal. Even if you don't plan on selling your home soon, boosting its curb appeal can have several benefits. For one thing, you'll feel better about how your house looks on the outside. You might also find that you get more enjoyment from the exterior of your home when you give it a little TLC.

1. Add Greenery

Don't underestimate the power of a few strategically placed plants when it comes to sprucing up your home's exterior. How much greenery you add depends on the layout of your home and the amount of space you have. If you don't have a lot of space, a few planters on either side of your front door can enliven your entryway. Choose colorful flowers for the planters, such as petunias and marigolds in the summer and violas and pansies in the spring and fall.

One easy rule of thumb to follow when planting in a container is to choose "fillers, thrillers and spillers" to create an attractive container:

  • Thrillers are towering, tall plants.
  • Spillers are vining plants that cascade over the edge of the planter.
  • Fillers are smaller plants that fill in the gaps or space in the container, making it look full and thriving.

You don't have to limit yourself to planters when adding greenery to your home. If you have the room, you might consider adding a hedge around the perimeter of your house or even planting a tree or two if you have a big enough yard.

2. Focus on Your Lawn

Some people get really into taking care of their lawns, turning lawn care into almost a competitive sport. While you don't have become a lawn care champion, an ideal weekend home improvement project is to give some attention and care to your lawn. That can include mowing your lawn or adding grass seed in areas that are patchy or bare.

3. Paint the Front Door

It's not only the greenery and grass that affects your home's curb appeal. How the exterior of your home appears also has an impact on its overall appeal. One way to boost the visual appeal of your house's exterior is to give the front door a new coat of paint.

What color should you paint your door? One option is to choose a vibrant, bold color that stands out against the backdrop of your home. Ideally, the color will complement the other colors of your home. If your home's exterior walls are white, a black door will be eye-catching and attractive. A red door will also stand out against a white house.

Another reason to paint the front door of your home red is if you've paid off your mortgage. In Scotland, homeowners traditionally paint their front doors red after making the last payment on their mortgage.

4. Refresh Your Mailbox or Address Numbers

When's the last time you took a look at your home's mailbox? The mailbox serves a functional purpose — letting you drop off outgoing mail and collect incoming mail without going to the post office. Although your mailbox is functional, that doesn't mean you don't have to pay attention to its form.

If your mailbox is looking worse for wear, whether it's dented, rusty or just tired-looking overall, you might replace it with a new model. You can also pay attention to the practical side of your mailbox when you replace it. Look for one that locks, if you don't have that feature already, or for a mailbox that gives you a place to put outgoing mail and a separate section for the postal worker to put incoming mail.

Another thing to pay attention to is the address numbers on your home. The more visible your home's address numbers, the easier it will be for visitors, postal workers and delivery people to find your home. You can refresh those quickly by purchasing number stickers and placing them on your front door or next to it, or by putting them on your mailbox.

5. Change (or Install) Outdoor Light Fixtures

If you come home at night, do you have to fumble around for the keys in the dark? What about if people visit your home in the evening? Do they have to make their way up to your front porch without any lighting? Adding a light or two to your home's exterior will make it easier for you to find your keys when you come home late at night. It will also make your home more welcoming to any guests you have.

Adding a light fixture to your home's exterior is similar to adding a new fixture inside your house. You want to turn the electricity off at the circuit before you get to work. If you're installing a light where none was previously, you'll need to run an electrical cable to the area. If you're replacing an old lamp, you can take the old light down and put the new one in its place.

Replace Your Flooring

This one might seem daunting at first, but you can save a lot of money and time by trying it out. Carpets can get dirty and worn over time, and a lot of people prefer the low maintenance and distinctive sheen of a laminated or engineered hardwood floor. You might think it's fancy, but both carpet removal and wood floor installation are pretty straightforward.

1. Install Engineered or Laminate Flooring

Although solid hardwood floors were trendy for years, today's savvy homeowners are turning to engineered hardwood or laminate floors instead. Just one-quarter of homeowners who are replacing their floors choose solid wood.

Laminate or engineered hardwood flooring offers several advantages compared to solid hardwood or carpeting. For one thing, the floors are easy to care for and more durable. Engineered wood is more water-resistant than solid wood, so you can feel comfortable installing it in your kitchen. Laminate is also water-resistant. You can vacuum, sweep or mop either type of flooring. To keep the flooring looking great, you'll want to act quickly to clean up any spills.

Another thing that makes laminate or engineered hardwood a good pick is that either one is pretty easy to install over a weekend. First, remove all the furniture from the floor, as well as any doors that swing into the room. Next, throw on your dust mask and heavy-duty gloves and begin ripping up the carpet. Use a blade to cut the carpet into manageable strips, and repeat the process until the floor has been stripped bare. You can then use a scraper to eliminate any leftover scraps.

You'll need to measure out your floor to know how many planks you need, as well as the width of the planks. Depending on how creative you want to be, you can find various DIY guides online to supplement your project.

Liven up the Walls

Sometimes, the best way to freshen up your space is to give the walls of a room or rooms a new lease on life. Painting a room is usually a home improvement project you can complete in a weekend. There are a few other ways to refresh your walls, too.

1. Add Removable or Temporary Wallpaper

For a while, the word "wallpaper" was enough to strike fear into the hearts of homeowners everywhere. Traditional wallpaper is, admittedly, a chore to apply. But today's removable or temporary wallpaper options let you enjoy the benefits of wallpaper without the hassle of a complicated installation process.

Temporary wallpaper usually has an adhesive backing. To install it, you use a squeegee to smooth the paper onto the wall. The adhesive backing makes it easy to reposition the wallpaper as needed until it's just right. It also makes it easy to remove the wallpaper when you decide that you're totally over it.

2. Add Crown Molding

Want to make a room look more elegant and pulled together, all in a single weekend? Add crown molding along the top edges of the walls.

Few embellishments bring more character and style than crown moldings, which offer a marriage between the walls and ceilings while opening up bold design possibilities. Installing crown molding makes a great weekend project for your home.

However, traditional moldings aren't exactly a DIY project. Usually made from solid wood or plaster, crown moldings require extensive skill, expensive equipment and, most inconveniently, much longer than a single weekend to install. Focal Point has an answer to that dilemma, though, as we manufacture crown molding kits that simplify installation.

With our Quick Clips™ mounting system, you can quickly screw in the mounts, cut the polyurethane molding panels to size, and then tap them into place on the clips. You can accomplish this job in a single afternoon, and people won't even be able to tell the difference between them and the genuine article.

3. Add Panel Molding

Like crown molding, panel molding makes a home look elegant and put together. Also, like crown molding, traditional panel molding is tricky to install and often requires the work of a professional. Our panel molding kits make it easy to add a decorative touch to your walls, whether you decide to install a frame to accent pictures or paintings or a chair rail to create visual interest around the room.

The panel molding kits attach to your walls using either an adhesive or finish nails. Like our ceiling medallions, the panel molding is primed and ready for you to paint. You can also leave it as is if you prefer.

View Our Panel Molding Kits

Renovate Your Bathroom and Kitchen

When it comes to boosting resale value your home, two rooms matter more than others — the bathroom and the kitchen. While you might not be interested in a complete redo of your bathroom or kitchen, there are a few DIY renovating projects you can do over a weekend in either room.

1. Change Faucets

Take a look at the faucets on your kitchen sink or bathroom sink. Are they looking old and tired? Is the plating on the handles starting to flake away, or are there signs of limescale and other damage?

Replacing your faucets isn't too difficult of a project. The most important thing to remember is to cut off the water supply before you start. Otherwise, you might end up soaked.

You'll most likely need a wrench to get the job done. It's also a good idea to wear some safety goggles to protect your eyes as you loosen the bolts on the faucet.

2. Add a Floating Shelf

If you've ever found yourself longing for more space in your bathroom or a place in your kitchen to display decorative objects or plants, a floating shelf can help solve your problem. When installed into the studs behind your walls, our shelves can hold up to 50 pounds. Focal Point floating shelves are also made of high-density polyurethane, which means they are water- and moisture-resistant and can withstand a fair amount of wear and tear.

Plus, the shelves are primed and ready for painting. You can leave them as is if you want a bright, white shelf on the wall, or paint or finish them to complement your kitchen or bath's color scheme better.

3. Add a Tile Backsplash

A backsplash adds a pop of color and visual interest to your kitchen. One popular trend of late is to create a tile backsplash that takes up the entire wall.

Don't be intimidated by the idea of covering the entire wall, although you can create a smaller backsplash if you prefer. It's also worth noting that it's easy to find tiles mounted on 12x12" sheets, which makes installation quick due to an adhesive backing.

If you're looking for a more challenging DIY that you can still finish within a weekend, you can also choose to lay the tiles individually. Depending on the size of the area, you can complete the installation on Saturday and grout the tiles on Sunday.

4. Replace Cabinet Hardware

By this point, you might have gotten the message that sometimes even the smallest of upgrades can be enough to make a big difference in your home. If you've got a few hours and want to breathe new life into either your kitchen or bathroom — or both — try swapping out the hardware on the cabinet doors and drawers for new ones. In many cases, replacing door handles and drawer knobs is a matter of unscrewing the old ones and replacing them with shiny new knobs or handles. You can usually complete the project with just a screwdriver or a cordless drill.

Check out Focal Point's Crown Molding Kits

Whether you decide to tackle one or more of the above DIY projects for your home, you can give your space an entirely new look in just a weekend or two. Focal Point's crown molding and other kits make it super easy to improve the look of your home in a weekend or less. You can find our easy crown molding kits at Home Depot or buy directly from us. We're also happy to answer any questions you have about installation or choosing the kit that's best for you. Get in touch with us today, and we'll be delighted to chat with you about DIY home project ideas and how our kits can help you refresh your home's interior in almost no time at all.

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