Doing home improvement projects yourself is a wonderful way to beautify your home and make it the dream house you have always wanted. There is a lot you need to remember about home improvement projects in order to do them right, so here are a few tips so you can work smart instead of just working hard.

Recycle shoe boxes to add more storage to your different rooms. Use any wallpaper you have left, or any fabric, to cover the boxes with. Not only will you have a little extra storage space, but you’ll also create a dramatic effect.

Lampshades all look the same. You can spice up your lamp shades by painting them using stencils. You will add instant personality to your room, simply by brightening up your boring lamp shades.

Paint stripes on your old walls before installing paneling! You might have some old parts of the wall sticking through if you are putting up paneling. To cut down on that, measure where the panels are going to meet. Paint strips on the wall using paint color which better matches the paneling color.

Texturing walls through the use of drywall mud could cover up unwanted blemishes. It’s easy to texture. All you need to do is use a trowel to apply the mud evenly across the wall. Then, apply your texture using whatever tool suits you. You can get good results from a sponge, a brush with hard bristles – even a plastic bag!

The improvements that are easily noticeable are very important. Your prospective buyers are going to judge what they see in front of them, and so you need to have all the visual aspects covered. Even though cosmetic improvements are not usually the most vital improvements, when the goal is the sale of your house, they are!

If you find water under your sink, call the plumber. Just catch water in a large container and talk to a professional plumber.

When you’re doing any kind of home improvement, make sure you’re taking notes on what surrounds you and stick to improvements that are smart. Avoid nonsensical or questionable improvements like leaving a sun room in a cold climate uninsulated. This will make your home much more difficult to sell. Be sure you stick with the improvements that are actually wanted and don’t overdo it. Keep the actual climate in mind.

Don’t toss out dirty bedroom doors. Remove the door from its frame, then sand it down until you expose bare wood. Then buy some oil based paint of your choice and paint your door with a paint roller. For a fresh feel, replace doorknobs with a more sophisticated look.

These tips can aid you in mastering your home improvement project. The more you know, the more likely you will be to end up with a living area that lives up to your expectations of style, function and value. The more work you put into it, the more you get out of it. Doing a job well is its own reward, plus your home will look great.