09 Nov 07 
Why Pay for Home Improvement When You Can do it Yourself?
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to New Homes Section's Blog. Thanks for visiting!
The recent decline in consumer confidence, slower than expected home sales and the tightening of lending practices has left many homeowners in their old home waiting it out. Homeowners are deciding to hold on to their current home and fix it up which may be why many are now doing home improvements by alone. Why not? A little knowledge of the technical aspects, motivation and an eye for creativity is enough to do home improvements on your own.
Why are people turning to do-it-yourself home improvement projects?
In some cases, construction workers lacking the necessary experience, or expertise, for quality construction and home renovation are out there right now claiming to be experts and working on homes across the country. As a result, homeowners are finding that many jobs are not being completed to their contentment. Often, homeowners prepay for these services and end up losing money; some end up with more work than they started with. With no money and a need to finish their home project they get started alone.
You do not have to rely on non-professionals and pay someone to improve your own home. Why not try to do it yourself? You’ll save money and you may save time! You can improve your home’s existing concrete surfaces using acid stains, acrylic stains, epoxy paints, and scoring techniques. These techniques can make your driveway, garage, patio or home look incredible and leave you with a new looking home and some extra confidence.
Decorative concrete work can cost up to three times that of regular concrete. This is why many people cannot afford to have it done by a professional and opt to handle the chore alone. There are reasonably priced ways to beautify concrete after it has cured without having to pay skilled professionals.
Acid based concrete stains are becoming more popular for coloring concrete surfaces. They chemically react with the cementitious material to produce permanent color with a spotted or blotchy appearance like that of marble. The result is a natural, elegant looking surface for your patio, garage, carport etc..
Water based concrete stains are a substitute to acid stains and are more user friendly because they are less toxic. These stains do not chemically react with the concrete; they are immersed into the surface pores and act like a dye. The wide array of available colors in water based stains is the big advantage to using them.
If you have extra time and want to endeavor further than the basic staining of concrete, consider using scoring techniques to create patterns on the surface. As an example, you can make your concrete look like tile flooring or anything else you’d like to imagine. An angle grinder with a 4 inch grinding or cutting wheel is the ideal tool to get this job done. Scoring is irreversible so, be sure to draw the pattern on the concrete before scoring to ensure that you are satisfied with the way your concrete will look.
Epoxy paints are a superb coating for garage and basement floors. Most commercial floors have epoxy coatings because of their durability and resistance to chemical spills as well as their desirable appearance. Epoxy paints, because of the increasing amount of available colors, have become popular for residential use in recent years. Applying Epoxy paints is a relatively easy project, but the key to successful application is preparation…among other things, make sure your surface is clean. Epoxy paints are obtainable in a water based form making it safe for the do-it-yourselfer and ideal for interior applications. For a 400 sq. ft. garage, you may spend about $200 for the materials needed for your new Epoxy flooring.
You do not need to spend tons of money to improve the look and feel of your home. Assuming you have time and a little motivation, you have the capability to do any project yourself. With proper instruction and a little work, anyone can turn boring concrete into their own work of art and transform their home into a new home.
Tags: building tips, construction, diy, Do It Yourself, fixer upper, home improvements, homeowner repairs
