"Remodeling" for noobs - what did you wish you had known?

[Lis]

I'm in the process of purchasing my first place (yay!!). It's a one bed, one bath, 750 sq ft co-op. The kitchen was recently updated and the bathroom fixtures are fine. Really, the only changes I have to make are cosmetic (double yay!!).

Things I'm planning on doing:
- Painting EVERYTHING. The entire apartment was painted white. Everything. I hate white walls.
- Adding simple chair rail in the dining corner (2 walls, not a full separate room). Don't have exact measurements right now, but it would probably be 7ft and 10ft. Plan on using a corner blocker to avoid making difficult/angled cuts.
- Putting up backsplash in the kitchen - it's peel and stick that you can cut easily.
- Putting linoleum down in the bathroom (small amount, maybe 20ish sq ft of flooring), going over existing flooring.
- And if I'm being extremely crazy... tearing up the bedroom carpet and finishing the hardwood or going fake wood linoleum on that too??

Not sure of closing date yet, but I'm likely to have two weeks before I have to be out of my rental.

Things that must be done before I move in: (because I said so)

- Painting the living room, dining corner, and hallway
- Putting up the chair rail

Things I'd like to get done before I move: (but it's not the end of the world if I do it after the movers)
- Painting & backsplash in the kitchen
- Painting the bedroom

Things that'll get done when they get done: (if I do this within a year after I move in, great)
- Flooring and painting the bathroom
- Removing carpet in the bedroom and redoing the flooring some how

This will 99.999% be done alone by yours truly (I'll be very surprised if I can get anyone to help other than providing a running commentary). I'm 5'0, fairly weak, and don't have access to a lot of tools. I've picked projects that seem doable and fairly easyish (in the grand scheme of DIY tasks) and have plenty of online guides. But the most "home improvement" thing that I've done was paint my bedroom in middle school.

So for those of you who aren't (or weren't) so DIY inclined and got some basic jobs done, what did you wish you'd known before you started? What random lessons did you learn that you weren't expecting to?

And do you think this is all (or mostly) doable in about two weeks?

Help.

[GuitarStv]

None of the things you've listed are particularly hard or physically demanding, but if you've never done them before expect to make a few mistakes and for it to take longer than it would if done by a professional.

You can get the painting, chair rail, and kitchen backsplash done easily in a week, and the linoleum done in another week.  Depending on how the carpet is attached and the amount of refinishing you need to do to the floor beneath, this is a task that I'd probably save for later so you don't get overwhelmed.

[lthenderson]

what did you wish you'd known before you started? What random lessons did you learn that you weren't expecting to?

And do you think this is all (or mostly) doable in about two weeks?

Don't rush things. When you rush, you run into problems, get frustrated, do things poorly or cheaply and end up redoing them later. Personally of your list, the only thing I would do while it is empty just because it is easier it paint everything. It is much easier to protect flat empty floors from paint splatter than lots of furniture.

With every house I have bought, I generally have a list of things that I want to do once I move in. With every house I have bought, that list almost always changes. Some things will gain importance, others will not seem so obnoxiously wrong, and some things I will realize would be better if I did something completely different than I had originally planned.

The other hint is that with today's internet, there is a wealth of information online in the form of tutorial videos on how to do just about anything. Definitely study up on those before doing anything. It will give you many ways of doing something and teach you tricks that might help you out.

Good luck.

[bacchi]

Paint the chair rail before putting it on the wall. It's much easier than doing it later. (Ask me how I know.)

Borrow/buy a long level.

If you can borrow/steal a finish nailer, it'll speed up the job.

[BudgetSlasher]

Best piece of DIY advise I ever got (it was not skill related) . . . however long you think it will take and however much you think it will cost, double the cost and triple the time and you will be right. I have found it to be a good rule of thumb and works out on average.

The second best thing I was told "the enemy of good is better"; we all want it to be perfect, but good enough is all you need and sometimes trying to make it better results in a lot of work for you and sometimes well you end off in a worse place. I still struggle with this one.

Painting: you are 90 percent of the way done when you star putting paint on the walls; I repainted 2/3rd of a house when I moved it, it took me about two weeks of wall preparation and taping to be ready and only a day and a half to apply paint. If you can freehand the junction between trim or ceiling and walls prep is quicker (the wife can I cannot). If you use tape, use one with edge lock and wet it before you start painting (less likely to bleed under); also score the painted edge of the tape with an exacto knife before you remove it (less likely to peel paint up with it). Take a flashlight and place it against the wall so the light runs across the wall, if you can see something under those conditions assume that you will be able to see it with color on the wall, NEVER say oh that is too small to notice . . . . Oh and seal off the area you are working in and wear a dust mask, good lord dose drywall sanding dust get everywhere.

Do not ever start a project with a hard deadline, you will end up rushing. As a corollary DO NOT RUSH; you will make mistakes, cut corners and cheap out . . . best case scenario it will bother you (even if it does no bother anyone else) forever, worst case you are setting yourself up to redo it.

The think that has taken me the longest time to acknowledge and accept is there is a time to quick, respect it. What I mean is there comes a point where you are not focused, you are tired, you got home from your job and have put in a couple hours . . . then you are prone to making mistakes (or at least I am). Took me forever to accept that no matter how little time I have been at that time or how close the project is to complete, it is time to walk away before I make a mistake that will mess a lot of things up.

Tools: Buy good tools. You do not have to pay full price, I stalk CL every day . . . and if there is something I need (and the budget allows) at a good price I jump. Them few times I have bought cheap tools think that it is a one off project that isn't that important, I have been unsatisfied with the tool and some time down the road (often years) I have a project that requires that tool and I wind up getting a better one. On the other side of the coin, there is a jig/speciality tool/insanely expensive and limited tool for every task . . . you do not need all of them.

Your tools are better and more accurate than you are: When I have bought good tools in every instance where I am using a tool as it is meant to be used, I am the limiting factor, not the tool.

Youtube and the internet in general are your friends, but a friend/family member who is competent is an invaluable resource. I've learned plenty and solved plenty of problems with the internet, but I have a family member who is very competent is many aspects of DIY who often serves as a sounding board for my projects. You would be amazed at how often a fresh perspective uncovers a truly stupid flaw in your plans.

Plan, plan, and plan again. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have come up with a plan and waited (even just slept on it) reviewed it and said out-loud "oh what a stupid I am"

Accept that you will miss something, do something wrong, curse yourself for how you did something previously, cost yourself extra time or materials and money. This is how you end up learning you will come out ahead in the end (over all of you projects).

[Kriegsspiel]

If you refloor with Allure flooring, and the existing floor is garbage, dropping a thin piece of plywood down makes the Allure lay flush and solid.

For painting, the roller is easy, but with a brush, you need to get a fuck ton of paint on there.

[Goldielocks]

Things I learnt the hard way:

1.  Tiling a backsplashis surprisingly easy, if you get the ceramic white tiles, like subway or standard 4" squares.   Really.  Very Easy.  The hardest part is removing the old tile, which is not that bad and can be patched.

2.  Carpet-- is heavy & dirty to remove, but the vast, vast number of carpet staples to pull out was the surprise (we put down wood flooring).  You may be able to pull up the carpet, clean up the floor, and just paint it and live with that for a while.

3.  Lino install --  it is the corners and edges along walls and cupboards that are hard.   For example, a small bathroom with divided toilet area is harder than an 8 x 10 open room.   First tip is to not have seams.  Second tip -- if you have a lot of edges, hire it out using the store you are buying from.  Talk about value for money!

Good Luck!

[MasterStache]

Don't rush things. When you rush, you run into problems, get frustrated, do things poorly or cheaply and end up redoing them later. Personally of your list, the only thing I would do while it is empty just because it is easier it paint everything. It is much easier to protect flat empty floors from paint splatter than lots of furniture.

The other hint is that with today's internet, there is a wealth of information online in the form of tutorial videos on how to do just about anything. Definitely study up on those before doing anything. It will give you many ways of doing something and teach you tricks that might help you out.

+1000

I've learned the hard way not to rush things. Be patient and take your time. Doing it right the first time, at a moderate pace, is better than doing it twice. And the Internet is fantastic. I use YouTube and DIY forums all the time. Just be careful and double, triple check to make sure the advice you are getting is accurate. 

[Gone Fishing]

+1 when it comes to everything taking longer and costing more than you expect.  That said, your jobs seem pretty reasonable.  As a side note, personally I think carpet is gross, but I keep it in the bedrooms because it helps muffle sound much better than wood floors.  Rugs over a wood floor are a little better than carpet in the cleanliness department but probably not as effective in the sound department.

[aperture]

(1) Your chair rail will not look finished until you caulk it.  There is clear and there is white caulk.  You want paintable caulk.  If either the rail or the wall will be white use the white, otherwise use the clear and plan to paint it. 

(2) The green frog tape is superior to the blue painter's tape.  Pull up tape as soon as the paint is dry.  If you leave it down too long, there is a risk of leaving residue. 

(3) Pulling out carpet and the carpet pad sucks - especially if there were animals in the space in the past. 

(4) +1 on using a long level - use it for the chair rail and for the back splash.  Your counter, or your top cabinets may not be parallel and level.  Eye ball your level line to see if it looks right - make it look right by splitting the difference.  Also pay attention to long lines - if you have a long wall and a short wall - make the long wall level (if you have to choose between them).

(5) Use semi-gloss for the woodwork (chair rail and etc.) and eggshell or flat for walls.

(6) Choose the color you want, then select a tint slightly lighter - colors look darker when you cover large wall space.  If the color is not right after doing a small patch, you can take the gallon back and ask them to adjust (may not work for multiple gallons). 

(7) Rent a floor sander, and hire someone that knows what they are doing.  Easy to chew holes in your floor.  Sandpaper will cost as much as the sander (or more).  When you get the sandpaper, make sure you can return unused paper for a refund - then get more paper then you need.  Sucks to run out. 

Best wishes, Ap.

[cheddarpie]

+1 to everything everyone has said so far. My 14 cents:
- The old mantra: measure twice, cut once
- YouTube is an incredible resource for learning how to DIY anything and everything
- If you're not an already-successful DIYer, it is well worth hiring experts for jobs that are exceedingly difficult and/or potential for disaster: e.g., hanging/finishing drywall on a ceiling, finishing floors
- For paining, get a good roller, roller extender, metal pan and plastic liners, good tape, a good brush for edging, and handheld paint cup with a magnet, and good roller fuzzies. Make sure to get the appropriate thickness for whatever texture your walls are. Watch a YouTube video about how to paint, there are some good tricks.
- Higher-end paint has better coverage, so depending on the size of the room you will save money by buying one can of more expensive paint than two cans of the cheap stuff. With white walls already, you should be able to cover in one coat.
- Look into renting tools, buying what you need on Craigslist, or use your local tool library if you have one. A mitre saw is in my experience the easiest kind of power saw to use and can make your chair rail corners perfect. Nail guns and air compressors seem scary when you've never used them before, but they are really not that bad and you get the hang of it pretty quickly.
- Keep a list of all your paint colors, brand, and finish (gloss/matte/etc.) by room
- Sign up for the online account at HD or Lowe's so that you can look back at your purchase history and see what you've bought in the past. I can't tell you how many times I've come back to a project 6+ months later and completely forgotten what color paint/type of mulch/specialty-sized thingamabob I needed.
- Buy a supply of earplugs and dust masks to have on hand
- Angie's List was worth it for me my first year of homeownership to get a sense of what things should cost and some valuable coupons
- Get a good pair of work gloves and use them (I never do and always regret it!)
- If you have other homeowner friends, suggest some swap days to work on each other's homes. Having a team to help you makes things move extraordinarily faster and is much more fun.
- Good luck and have fun!

[Lis]

Thank you all for the great advice!! The biggest thing I need to get done is painting - as long as that gets done, I can survive without the rest.

(1) Your chair rail will not look finished until you caulk it.  There is clear and there is white caulk.  You want paintable caulk.  If either the rail or the wall will be white use the white, otherwise use the clear and plan to paint it.

I didn't even think of that! I already got the advice of caulking behind the counters before putting back splash up, so I'll definitely remember this too.

- For paining, get a good roller, roller extender, metal pan and plastic liners, good tape, a good brush for edging, and handheld paint cup with a magnet, and good roller fuzzies. Make sure to get the appropriate thickness for whatever texture your walls are. Watch a YouTube video about how to paint, there are some good tricks.
- Higher-end paint has better coverage, so depending on the size of the room you will save money by buying one can of more expensive paint than two cans of the cheap stuff. With white walls already, you should be able to cover in one coat.

Good call. I'm planning on using the better paint in the living room since it's the largest room (HD estimate was 1-2 cans and one coat each of the expensive stuff versus 4ish cans and 2 coats of the cheap stuff).

Where is the best place to get good painting supplies?

[lthenderson]

Good call. I'm planning on using the better paint in the living room since it's the largest room (HD estimate was 1-2 cans and one coat each of the expensive stuff versus 4ish cans and 2 coats of the cheap stuff).

Where is the best place to get good painting supplies?

Another thing I dislike about cheap paint is that it usually is high in VOC's or fumes. It might not be such a big deal when you aren't living in the house but after moving in it becomes a big deal. Good painting supplies means staying away from big box stores. Personally I use Sherwin Williams paint and have had really good results with it. It is expensive but if you pay attention, they have sales about once a month and I load up at that point.

[Gagnante]

Sherwin Williams also has coupons on their web site that can come in handy.  http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/special-offers/sales-and-coupons/

[Mongoose]

I had never done any DIY before tackling the house we have now. DH does most of the complicated stuff (drywall, countertops, etc.). I have learned to do a lot of things I never expected to even try (mudding and taping walls, insulation, reframing, roofing a shed). Most of it has been easier than I expected but it takes a lot of time and helps to go slow. I do use you tube tutorials and read a lot when we are starting a new project.

+1 to the time, especially when removing a carpet. Oh, and +1000 to the gross. We removed old, nasty carpet, uncovered tons of old dog (I hope) pee and picked approximately 10 million gazillion staples out of each room. My hand gave out on the staples but DH could get them out with pliers I believe. Be prepared to uncover a lot of dirt. We uncovered the original hardwoods floor in good condition after we cleaned them up so it was worth it. But it was hard, dirty work. Oh, carpet is also very heavy so we used a sharp utility knife to cut it into manageable sections. And watch out for the demon tack strips. Those were evil and nasty. Ugh. That was a project. But well worth it. Laminate floor to match the hardwood turned out to be surprisingly easy (only some complicated cuts).

We did put area rugs down on the hardwood in the bedrooms. It does dampen the sound enough for our purposes and we can clean under it.

We've painted our whole house too. I personally can't hold a paint roller anymore (something is wrong with my dominant hand that the doc can't figure out). I switched to these pad paint things that are supposed to be for edges. They work surprisingly well for me and my hand doesn't give out. I also noticed I got good coverage with way less paint with those.

Oh, and don't be surprised if you find weird things (wrenches left under the carpet, multiple layers of linoleum under carpet, etc). We have found a number of very odd things in houses we have lived in over the years. Some were clearly multiple layers of redecorating. Some were just weird. A few were just plain dangerous. I always plan on finding something strange.

[Basenji]

+1 on low VOC paint, especially as you are painting most of the place.

Paint colors: put paint samples on the place it will go and sit with it in different light/times of day, if you can. We put a blue we meant for a cathedral ceiling on the WALL and not the ceiling. When we did the ceiling we realized after we painted the whole thing that the ambient light was dimmer on the ceiling and the blue was now way too light. We're leaving it as is, but it's a bummer.

On the other hand, the color we picked for the WALL was perfect because we had gone through a few small sample pots trying different colors.

Sounds like you know what you want to do, but I think it can be good to live in a place for a while before acting/spending. You may be surprised what you decide really needs doing. It may not be on your list now.

[Kaydedid]

Most straight and level edges in a building aren't either, especially if it's older.  Especially noticable in doorways, windows, etc.  Sometimes it's visually better to make something like a chair rail parallel to the baseboard instead of level.

+1 on the quality paint and putting your time in the prep work.  We like the Valspar at Lowes.  Also, heavily textured walls can be a big pain to tape due to bleedthrough.

If you're buying a whole piece of lino instead of squares, make a template with construction paper. Overlay on the lino and cut generously (leaving the lino a little bigger than the template), then trim to fit.  Take your time. 

[Jakerado]

It's not needed at all, but personally I'd suggest ripping up the current linoleum floor before putting new down. Only because it sucks when you've got 4-5 sheets stacked on top of each other and then need to rip all of them up at once. It's much easier to do it when there's only one sheet down. Then again, that's wasted effort, mostly ;)

[cheddarpie]

Good call. I'm planning on using the better paint in the living room since it's the largest room (HD estimate was 1-2 cans and one coat each of the expensive stuff versus 4ish cans and 2 coats of the cheap stuff).

Where is the best place to get good painting supplies?

I also like Sherwin Williams for paint, but I get other supplies (brushes, etc.) at Home Depot. You can also check Goodwill for rollers, pans, etc. A good edging brush and quality roller foamies (technical term) make the biggest difference.

[Metric Mouse]

If you're buying a whole piece of lino instead of squares, make a template with construction paper. Overlay on the lino and cut generously (leaving the lino a little bigger than the template), then trim to fit.  Take your time.

+1 on the scribing method of flooring install. Gives an amazingly clean, exact edge for things you can't tuck under (cupboards, bathtub edges, etc.)

If you're going to re-do your bathroom floor, you'll want to look up how to pull the stool to lay flooring under it. Not difficult, but important to replace it properly. Not something you want leaking.

[zolotiyeruki]

There's a ton of good advice here.  I respectfully disagree on a couple points:
1) remove the tape *before* the paint dries. Once the paint dries, it will try to stick to the tape.
2) flat paint on walls is really bad.  It's much harder to clean than eggshell/semi-gloss.  I have lots of kids, so cleaning the walls is a frequent task.

[GreenSheep]

I made a ton of improvements to my house (painting, tile, backsplash, etc.), and one big source of both motivation and technical how-tos (as well as just plain good ideas) was younghouselove.com. I went to college with John Petersik, and I liked the fact that although he and his wife are not professionals (well, they weren't when they started, but I guess you could say they are now), they dove in and tried things anyway... and after a lot of trial and error and research, they shared what worked and what didn't with their blog readers. They're cheerful and energetic, and they dumb things down enough that someone like me, with zero experience, can follow. Their video tutorial on "cutting in" (painting edges without tape) is absolute gold and saved me tons of time. They no longer update on a regular basis, but all of their info is still there and is searchable.

Thanks to their advice and my hard work, I recently sold my house in 5 days, for more than the asking price. Good luck with your home improvements -- and have fun!

[cheddarpie]

There's a ton of good advice here.  I respectfully disagree on a couple points:
1) remove the tape *before* the paint dries. Once the paint dries, it will try to stick to the tape.
2) flat paint on walls is really bad.  It's much harder to clean than eggshell/semi-gloss.  I have lots of kids, so cleaning the walls is a frequent task.

Yes, I agree with both these points. Don't remove the tape immediately, but maybe an hour or so after painting.

Also, something important I learned the hard way is that latex paint takes about a month to fully cure, so it's best to wait to push furniture against the walls/hang pictures/etc. until it's been about that long (or at the very least a week). Even when the paint is "dry," it can stick to other objects ... I have a permanently affixed splotch of paint on the back of my couch from moving it back into place to soon, plus one picture frame that is stuck to the wall. You can leave everything just an inch or so off the wall and it will be fine.

[BudgetSlasher]

On the trim/paint front, I prefer to use PVC trim in wet places (bathroom/kitchen) and honestly would not mind using it everywhere, and I hate the feel MDF trim though it is cost effective.

If you are using wood for your trim/chair molding and it has knots in it (of if existing trim has knots that have bled through the paint)

Prime those spots first with a shellac based primer to help prevent future bleed through.

[BudgetSlasher]

There's a ton of good advice here.  I respectfully disagree on a couple points:
1) remove the tape *before* the paint dries. Once the paint dries, it will try to stick to the tape.
2) flat paint on walls is really bad.  It's much harder to clean than eggshell/semi-gloss.  I have lots of kids, so cleaning the walls is a frequent task.

My tip of scoring the edge of the tape/paint with an hobby knife is to ensure that the dried paint does not come up with the tape and instead breaks at the score.

I agree that taping the tape down soon after after painting has finished, but the paint is not completely dry is best. However . . . that is not always the case, sometimes after you tape you apply a primer on the first day, apply color on the second day, and possibly apply an additional coat of color on the third day and if you are doing this after work in a larger room . . . well sleep may call you instead of removing tape.

[GuitarStv]

FWIW, using tape is purely optional.  I used to use it all the time and it would take me ages to get an area ready for painting.  Now I just run over the edges with a good brush and a steady hand.  It's much faster and far less clean up . . . and the results have been pretty good so far.

[lthenderson]

FWIW, using tape is purely optional.  I used to use it all the time and it would take me ages to get an area ready for painting.  Now I just run over the edges with a good brush and a steady hand.  It's much faster and far less clean up . . . and the results have been pretty good so far.

That's my preferred method with painting as well. Make sure the brush is loaded with paint and not too dry. That helps in painting nice lines freehand.