21 DIY  Home Improvement Ideas

Learn More

next page

Refresh Your Rooms With Paint

You can give your drab, washed-out walls a burst of brilliant depth just by picking up a paint can and having at them. That's the power of a coat of paint: It rearranges your reality. Which is why painting is the most oft-tackled DIY home-improvement upgrade. While you don't have to be a pro to learn how to paint like one, there is more to a good paint job than just slathering some color on the wall. 

next page

Add Crown Molding the Easy Way

Crown molding makes it to the top of most remodeling lists because it adds charm and value to a home, not because people enjoy spending a Saturday try­ing to get the corners just right. Luckily, there's a simple way to beat miter-saw frustration. So in just a weekend, you can upgrade a plain room to an elegant space—and still leave plenty of time for the rest of your list.

next page

Install a Low-Cost Stair Runner

Want to get a good grip on slippery stairs? Try a DIY runner.   Using just two off-the-shelf woven runners ($125 each) and supplies from a home center, she gave her stairs an non-slip upgrade.

next page

Install a Dishwasher to Conserve Water

That old dishwasher could be wreaking havoc on your electric and water bills. If you don't have a dishwasher at all, you're using 40 percent more water washing by hand! The biggest cost saver of all? You can install a dishwasher yourself in an afternoon. No plumber, no electrician—and no worries that you're squandering your retirement money on a load of clean dishes.

next page

Rewire a Vintage Entry Lantern

Many hanging lanterns from the first half of the 20th century were humble by design, looking as if they'd been crafted by blacksmiths rather than machines.  If you've scored one such find at a yard sale or have one stashed in the attic, you can invite guests to "come on in" by putting back into service a vintage lantern. It's an easy, affordable job once you get the parts.

next page

Faux Shiplap Backsplash With Peel ‘N Stick Flooring

Another easy home improvement project idea that you can make without spending a ton of money or time, this faux shiplap backsplash tutorial uses adhesive flooring to create an easy backsplash.  No serious woodworking or carpentry skills required and of course, no tile cutter needed.

next page

Make Shade and Add Privacy With Interior Shutters

Sunlight streaming through windows can be an annoying distraction. Not to mention the neighbors who have more evening hours to look into your brightly lit living room.  You could install shades to foil prying eyes, but swinging wood shutters would definitely be more beautiful.

next page

Give Kitchen Cabinets a Flawless, New Finish

Your cavelike kitchen feels that way because the dark cabinets have sucked all the light out of the room. But a brighter makeover doesn't necessarily mean replacing those gloomy boxes with all-new one.  As long as the frames and doors are structurally sound, you can clean them up and brush on some new paint—and within a weekend take that kitchen from dreary to sunny. 

next page

Get More Flowers Without Spending a Dime

Dividing perennials every three to six years is a great way to thin clump-forming varieties, like the daylily, which blooms from late spring to late summer. This technique can also be used to control plant size,  and multiply the number of specimens in a garden.  A good rule of thumb is to split apart spring- and summer-blooming perennials in late summer or before the fall frost.

next page

Install a Water Filter and Ditch Expensive Bottles

Millions of households have switched to bottled drinking water because of concerns over the purity or taste of their tap water. Such problems exist across the country, regardless of whether the water comes from municipal pipeline or ground well.  However, there's an easier, less expensive way to obtain clean drinking water: install an under-sink water-filtration system.

next page

Lay an Eco-Friendly Layer of Insulation

It's bad enough to have to get up in the morning, let alone get up and experience the icy shock of a cold floor. What you need is some warmth underfoot, a little cushion as you pad across the house. Enter cork. Resilient yet durable, stylish yet earthy, a natural cork floor can turn any cool room into a cozy haven. These floating-floor systems sit well over plywood, concrete, or even existing flooring.

next page

Refinish Your Home's Handsome Wood Door

 Wood entry doors everywhere suffer from the same assaults, and many end up in the trash, replaced by low-maintenance, mass-produced metal and fiberglass surrogates.  But you can breathe new life into your old door with a few affordable supplies.

next page

Put Down a Fresh Bead of Bathroom Caulk

You've seen the ominous signs of aging caulk. First it was the brown tinge along the edges. Now its smooth and supple skin has turned brittle and cracked, opening the way for stubborn colonies of mildew to take hold, or for water to seep through and turn wallboard and framing mushy.  Whether it's around your sink, between a tub and its tile surround, or covering the joints of your shower stall — it has got to go.

next page

Easy DIY Window Trim

No special fancy tools or hardware required for this easy DIY window trim. Maybe you need a contractor to do anything remotely like this, or at least needed serious woodworking skills.  Home improvement DIY does not get any better than this, save money and get something that looks fantastic.

next page

Add Architectural Interest With Stair Brackets

The newel post and balusters get all the attention, while the exposed side of most staircases is largely ignored.  But with the addition of decorative stair brackets, a bland stringer can become an elegant eye-catcher. Here we used simple-to-install, affordable wood brackets that go up with adhesive and nails.

next page

Lay Low-Cost Flooring in Laundries 

Long before the advent of resilient sheet flooring and plastic-laminate planks, there was vinyl tile. Originally produced as an alternative to linoleum, vinyl tile grew in popularity because it was colorful, easy to clean, and crack resistant.  The 12x12-inch tiles come in dozens of colors, patterns and textures, making it easy to create checkerboard designs and floors with contrasting borders. 

next page

Walls With an Easy-to-Clean Backsplash

If installing a traditional tile backsplash feels a little out of your DIY league, putting up one made from a single sheet of solid surface material may just be your saving grace. Shaping, cutting, and gluing up this inexpensive stock material—available from companies such as  And when you have your sleek backsplash in place, you'll think it such a stylish protector from splashes and splatters you'll wonder why you ever considered tile in the first place.

next page

Prevent Mold Growth With a Bathroom Vent Fan

Installing a ventilating fan in your bath does more than just eliminate fogged-up windows, steamy mirrors and stale odors. It also helps prevent moisture-related problems, such as the growth of mold and mildew, that can be costly to remove and lead to health problems.  Avoid all of that with this affordable upgrades. 

next page

DIY Vanity Concrete Countertop Overlay

Nothing says modern chic decor like concrete austere fixtures.  So if you have a totally outdated countertop that needs replacing, you could try some tarting up before you make a big investment by adding a DIY concrete countertop to the bathroom vanity and makeover that awful old counter you are so tired of looking at.

next page

Ceiling Fans for Summer (and Winter) Savings

The popularity of ceiling fans continues to grow as more and more homeowners discover dramatic, year-round energy savings. In summer, ceiling fans create cooling breezes, which reduce the strain on air conditioners. In winter, they circulate heated air to keep the room warm. Installing a ceiling fan is relatively simple, especially if the space above is accessible from an attic. 

next page

Cut Costs With a Programmable Thermostat

Going digital with a model that automatically changes the indoor temperature setting is fairly easy, and it can trim about $180 off your annual heating and cooling costs.  Simple models that only control heat are sold at home centers for around $25. But units like the one shown here can handle many more functions, including cooling and humidifying.

Read more

10 Easy-to-Make Candles for Your Home

10 DIY Twin Room Decorating Ideas