Brush Up on Home Equity

To get maximum value for your home for minimum time, money and effort, nothing beats a fresh coat of paint.

Maintaining and improving your home enhances both your living style and your long-term investment. The money you spend on fixing up your property today will pay for itself in profits when you decide to sell. Painting your home indoors, and outdoors, is the fastest and easiest way to create the look you want, without spending a bundle.

Many people put off interior and exterior paint jobs, because of the time and effort involved. There are ways, however, to make the task virtually effortless.

Shake Things Up

Even though paint colors are professionally mixed when you buy them, they will need to be fully stirred before painting. If the paint is not completely mixed, you can end up with uneven tones on your newly painted walls. Mixing paint with a stir stick, however, can be a tiresome task. Here's a fast and easy way of mixing your paint, not maxing out your pain: let your electric or portable drill do all of the work!

Take a plastic clothes hanger, cut it into a long "J" shape, and insert it into the end of the drill. It's a handy tool that blends the paint completely and is quick and easy to use.

Be Slap Happy

Most people get the excess paint from a brush by scraping it against the edge of the can. This can cause drips and waste valuable paint. Try tapping or slapping the brush instead. This will keep more paint at the end of the brush, where you want it, and the excess will fall into the can instead of dripping down the sides. You'll also be able to cover more area between dips, which is an important tip if you're traveling up and down the ladder.

Know Your Codes

Before you invest the time and expense painting the exterior of your home, make sure that you're aware of any building codes or restrictions in your area. Don't go to all the trouble of painting your stucco home a nice bright color if your neighborhood holds restrictions allowing only neutral tones. The height, size and color of fences and other outdoor appointments may also be held under code. Always check before painting, or all of your hard work may be in vain.

Go Lead-Free

In the United States alone, hundreds of thousands of children have been poisoned by the lead found in residential paints. Lead poisoning has been linked to health conditions including learning difficulties. One major cause is the old, peeling lead-based paints found in many homes. It's important that you strip and replace any deteriorating paint in your home.

Prime Time

Careful preparation is the first step to getting the job done quickly and properly. Using a good quality primer can also save money, as you need to use less paint in the pricey top coat.

There are other ways to save money by performing primary tasks yourself. For example, try beveling your fence posts to create a new look, rather than purchasing a whole new fence. With a radial saw and some basic geometry knowledge, you can cut perfect angles for your new picket fence.

Building equity in your home is easiest with paint. Trendy or timeless colors inside the home, and fresh accents outdoors, will increase the value of your property and earn you well-deserved bragging rights.

Article Source: http://www.real-estate-article-directory.com

Contributor Sadie Bedgegood loves writing for several well-known web zines, on lowes home improvement and home equity issues.
Don't reprint the same version as everyone else. Get your own unique content home improvement article here.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated