What is included in the redecoration of the premises. Redecoration in the apartment full instructions: we do the redecoration of the apartment step by step
Cosmetic repair is a concept that is interpreted by everyone in different ways. I call cosmetic repairs a set of works that does not affect the capital structures in the room, and is also not associated with the replacement of communications (electrical wiring, plumbing and sewerage) in the room. Redecoration does not affect floor screeds, does not imply installation of drywall structures, replacement of doors, installation of drywall arches.
Stages of cosmetic repair
The stages of cosmetic repairs, which I will discuss in this article, include restoring the previous state of the apartment without carrying out work to change the types of finishes. These works include re-pasting old wallpaper, re-painting ceilings, painting window frames, painting doors, skirting boards and architraves if necessary, as well as replacing simple flooring (linoleum flooring or laying laminate). All the work included in a simple cosmetic repair, if desired, free time and basic skills, it is quite possible to do it yourself. In the article, for example, consider the repair of a room.
Preparation for repair
1. Clear the room of furniture (if possible). Place the remaining furniture in the center of the room and carefully cover with plastic wrap. This will provide free access to the perimeter walls and provide access to the entire ceiling area. 2. If you do not plan to change the flooring, also protect it from building debris and dust, as well as mechanical damage. Be sure to cover parquet, laminate with sheets of hardboard or thick cardboard. Lay a thick plastic film on top with an overlap of 10 cm, glue the joints with adhesive tape. It is desirable to fix the protective film with tape also around the perimeter of the room. 3. Dismantle the plinth in case of replacement of the flooring or parquet scraping. Use masking tape to protect individual elements that do not require repair. Masking tape is a special sticky paper tape that can be easily removed after completion of work. 4. Remove the front panels from the sockets and switches, and cover the sockets and switches themselves with paper masking tape. Do not forget to first disconnect all electrical circuits from the voltage.cosmetic repair stages: Dismantling works
Dismantling of old coatings for cosmetic repairs
Old coverings of walls, a ceiling, a floor are removed.
Ceiling preparation for cosmetic repairs
Start by removing existing coatings. There are ceiling coatings with water-dispersion paint, in old houses there is lime whitewashing. Rarely there are ceilings painted with enamels (oil or alkyd).
Ceiling wash and rustication
Water-dispersion paint and enamel cannot be washed off with water (they do not dissolve in water). Therefore, remove the peeling areas of the coating with a steel spatula, open the cracks with the angle of the spatula. Roughen the enamel with coarse sandpaper to roughen and increase adhesion with new applied layers of finish.
Rinse off limescale to the ground. The bottom layer of putty does not need to be removed. The technology of this process is not complicated, but laborious and dirty. Using a roller, wet the ceiling with water, then scrape off the whitewash with a spatula. After cleaning the entire ceiling, rinse the ceiling with a warm water solution with a sponge.
Preparing walls for cosmetic repairs
The technology for removing old wallpaper does not differ from the technology for removing lime whitewash. Peel off peeled fragments of wallpaper “dry”, soak the remaining firmly glued areas with warm water and remove with a spatula. If there are many layers of wallpaper, be patient and remove layer by layer to the primary base.
Cleaning paint before cosmetic repairs
Remove old paint, platbands, window frames and doors only in case of severe peeling. The process is laborious but necessary.
Choose from two methods for removing oil (alkyd) enamel: chemical and thermal. With the chemical method, the paint is softened with special chemical compounds, they are called "washes", and the paint is removed with a hard spatula or scrapers. Ready-made washes are sold in hardware stores. With the thermal method, the softening of the old is carried out with a jet of hot air from a special building hair dryer, do not confuse it with a hair dryer. The paint softens in small areas and is also removed with a scraper or spatula.
Preparation of surfaces for finishing for high-quality cosmetic repairs
After removing the old ceiling and wall coverings, it is necessary to eliminate the defects of the walls and ceiling. Widen (expand) the cracks. Loosely adhering and muffled-sounding "mumbling" areas of plaster must be completely removed. Surfaces prepared in this way must be treated with a primer. Primers provide uniform drying of applied materials and their better adhesion to the surface.
Filling cracks with gypsum mortar
Plastering is part of a facelift.
After the primer has dried, close up deep potholes and places with chipped plaster on a gypsum base such as "Rotband", "Prospectors", TIGI Knauf. Perform this operation with a rectangular stainless steel trowel. For large plastering areas, use the building rule of the desired length.
stages of cosmetic repair: Plaster work
Stages of cosmetic repairs - obligatory putty
Prime the plastered areas and level the surfaces, for example, “Vetonit KR” (up to 1 mm) or “Vetonit LR +” (up to 3 mm) (Weber). This operation eliminates small surface irregularities and fills small cracks.
Remember, a large thickness of the putty layer is ensured by applying several layers, with each subsequent layer being applied after the previous layer has completely dried.
I recommend gluing serious cracks in the ceiling with strips of plaster fiberglass with a cell size of 2 × 2 mm. The technology for gluing the tape is as follows: a layer of putty is applied to the ceiling area, the fiberglass mesh is pressed into the putty with a spatula and rubbed. Remove excess putty squeezed out through the mesh cells with a spatula and return to a container for further use.
Wall putty
Ceiling putty
Is it necessary to completely putty the walls and ceiling during cosmetic repairs, or can you limit yourself to leveling individual sections.
My answer is very clear. Putty the ceiling completely at least 1 time. Walls when sticking dark and heavy wallpaper can be limited to partial puttying, with light and thin wallpaper - puttying at least 1 time, when painting walls - the topic is not cosmetic repairs.
Ways to prevent the formation of cracks again, after the completion of cosmetic repairs
The probability of a crack appearing on ceilings with rust (rust-connection of floor slabs), as my practice shows, is very high. For your peace of mind, I recommend using the "cobweb". Gossamer is a fiberglass ceiling wallpaper. The web is sold in rolls, has a thickness of up to 2.0 mm. The considerable thickness and loose structure of the cobweb does not allow the resulting cracks to appear on the ceiling.
The technology of gluing the "cobweb" is the same as gluing wallpaper in a joint.
With very uneven surfaces, as well as wooden floors, I recommend that before gluing the cobweb, the entire surface of the ceiling is covered with a paint grid with 2 × 2 mm cells. The mesh is puttied, sanded, primed with diluted wallpaper glue and pasted over with a cobweb, like wallpaper. This multilayer "pie" will provide maximum protection against further cracking of the ceiling.
Preliminary result. After the work listed above, you will receive:
- Wall and ceiling defects plastered.
- Cracks glued with paint (plaster) mesh or all surfaces (it depends rather on your desire).
- The surfaces are puttied in 1-2-3 layers (the amount depends, also on the expected result). They came out smooth and white. It's time to paint the ceiling!
Cosmetic repairs are not possible without painting the ceiling
Finish painting the ceiling with a new polyamide paint roller with medium pile. I do not recommend using foam rubber and velor rollers. Foam rubber is twisted, velor does not stain. When painting, use a special tray (ditch) to wring out excess paint.
stages of cosmetic repair: Painting the ceiling
Prime the prepared ceiling with water-dispersion paint diluted with water. This is done in order to reveal almost imperceptible defects on the putty. After puttying and sanding (“zero” sandpaper) of defective areas, paint the ceiling with undiluted paint.
Determine the paint consumption in advance. This is important when painting the ceiling with colored paints. The amount of pre-tinted paint should be enough for 3 stains. Do not re-tint the paint. When using a web, paint consumption increases by 25%.
Wallpapering the final stage of cosmetic repairs
After painting the ceiling in 2-3 layers, proceed to wallpapering. If you decide to glue the ceiling plinth.
1. Primer walls before wallpapering
Before wallpapering, prime the entire surface of the walls with wallpaper paste, diluted as indicated on the package with glue: preparation of glue for priming the surface.
2. Marking before wallpapering
Using a long building level or plumb line, draw a vertical line to guide the first canvas. Wallpaper is traditionally glued from the window, but with modern butt-gluing, this does not matter. Can be glued from the door.
3. Preparing wallpaper before sticking
The wallpaper is cut into canvases with an allowance (5-7 cm) in length. When cutting canvases, consider the frequency of repeating the pattern (rapport). Be careful when choosing adjacent canvases in height to match the pattern. If the wallpaper is "no selection" then you are a little lucky.
4. Wallpapering
Wallpaper is pasted in two ways.
Sticking paper and vinyl wallpapers
Cover the wallpaper canvases with glue (paint roller or maklovitsa), naturally from the front side. Fold the canvas in half (glue inside, edges in the middle). Keep in this state for the time indicated on the adhesive package (usually 3-7 minutes). Don't hold onto the canvases. It's better to underdo than to overdo. Be especially careful and careful when using thin paper wallpapers. If they get too wet, they will simply spread in the hands.
The canvases impregnated with glue are superimposed on the wall at a pre-marked vertical level. Smooth out wrinkles and bubbles with a pressure roller or a stiff brush. I do not recommend using a rag, because. some types of paper wallpaper may wash out the paint.
Sticking non-woven wallpaper
Wall papering
When sticking non-woven wallpaper, glue is applied to the wall. The wallpaper itself can be cut into canvases according to the size and selected pattern. Apply glue to the wall with a roller and glue the canvases end-to-end, following the alignment of the pattern of adjacent canvases.
5. Undercut wallpaper
Since the pieces were cut with an allowance in length, after gluing the canvases under the ceiling and at the plinth, cut off the excess wallpaper with a construction knife along a metal ruler or with a special wallpaper cut that resembles a spatula. Watch the sharpness of the canvas. A blunt canvas tears and pulls the paper of the canvases along with it.
6. Pasting wallpaper border
Stick the upper part of the canvases up to the planned border. Beat off the horizontal level marks of the border along the entire perimeter of the room. The “end” of the line should meet the “beginning”. With a sharp knife and a metal ruler, cut the canvas along the perimeter. Butt to the cut edge, glue the border. At the same time, do not glue the bottom of the border. Glue the lower canvases, leading them under the border. Glue the bottom of the border, after cutting off the excess from the canvas.
You can glue the border without such a "bother" - in the "overlay". Use special glue for gluing borders.
We glue the wallpaper border
Clean up the room. Don't open windows! Avoid drafts until the wallpaper is completely dry! Wallpaper pasted!
10. Floor repair during cosmetic repairs
These are all stages of cosmetic repairs. That's all!
Photo gallery "Renovation of the kitchen before and after the repair"
Every apartment owner wants to carry out cosmetic repairs inexpensively, but with high quality. This can be done realistically if professionals are involved in this process. Most often, inexpensive minor repairs of premises involve only changing the lining - wallpapering, painting walls and ceilings, installing laminate, etc. To perform these works, budget materials are purchased, which may be slightly inferior in quality and appearance to their expensive counterparts. Despite this, the tiled surfaces will look great, and their service life will reach several years or even more.
Cheap repairs at San Sanych
If you want to renovate housing in Moscow, please contact us. The company is engaged in all types of repairs - cosmetic, capital, euro, budgetary and others. In each case, we will select the best method for solving the tasks, taking into account the optimal cost. Our masters are distinguished by high professionalism and extensive experience in this field. The customer can expect that the employees of the company will adhere to the technology when performing all the necessary operations. This reduces the likelihood of defects, which subsequently need to be eliminated, which entails additional material costs.
What work is done during an inexpensive cosmetic repair?
If you decide to order a redecoration of an apartment, please note that the company can perform the following operations:
- replacement of wall cladding - painting with water-based paints or wallpapering (most often);
- puttying and painting the ceiling, sometimes wallpapering;
- installation of ceramic tiles, laminate or linoleum on the floor - the most budget options;
- replacement of plumbing fixtures and water pipes;
- laying electrical wiring and other operations.
How are the repairs going?
Most often, any repair, including cosmetic, begins with the preparation of the foundation. They remove old wallpaper, paint, close up small cracks and eliminate other defects. As a result, you need to get a solid, even base, which is the key to a long service life of the finish. Surface priming is equally important. It helps to prevent the appearance of fungus and improve surface adhesion. It is this base that is used for further cladding in the chosen way.
Redecoration is one of the most affordable and easiest ways to improve housing in the shortest possible time, to give the surrounding space of a house or apartment new colors and decorations. The financial costs of cosmetic repairs, as a rule, are not high, and the achieved effect of cleanliness, freshness and novelty of the interior can exceed all expectations, give a feeling of joy and comfort. In the article we will tell you how to make cosmetic repairs with your own hands in the apartment.
Cosmetic repairs are done independently with minimal redevelopment of housing, with low costs for repairing walls, floors, plumbing, windows and doors. This type of apartment renovation can be characterized as a partial or complete restoration of the condition of the walls, repair and installation of floors, ceilings without performing a complex replacement of structural elements (reconstruction of floors, replacement of partitions). These works usually include puttying and painting ceilings and walls, replacing wallpaper and skirting boards, painting windows and doors, minor repairs to floors, for old parquet, scraping, and repeated varnishing.
Currently, the concept of cosmetic repairs with the advent of many new finishing materials and technologies has expanded slightly. For example, today it is quite possible to transform the room on your own within a few days by making decorative plaster on the walls, which does not require careful preparation and laying a laminate in the room.
Another small nuance - in the process of cosmetic repairs, shortcomings in the structural elements of the apartment or in engineering systems can be revealed, which will entail unforeseen work and cost overruns. It all depends on the ability to independently evaluate the initial data of the premises before carrying out repair work and the actual wear of the object.
Let's make a reservation right away that the capital redevelopment of an apartment (demolition and transfer of load-bearing walls, changes in the intended purpose of premises, reconstruction of floors) are not included in the definition of cosmetic repairs, since these activities require the preparation of redevelopment and reconstruction projects and their coordination in the relevant authorities.
Main types of repair:
- Ceiling painting
- Repair and painting of wooden doors and windows (although it is currently cheaper and more technologically efficient to replace old windows and doors)
- Linoleum or laminate flooring
- Leveling and scraping of parquet floors, and their repeated varnishing
- Laying ceramic tiles on walls or floors
- Plumbing installation
- Partial replacement of sockets and switches
- Replacement of lighting fixtures.
If you have minimal skills, desire and time, you can perform a simple apartment renovation on your own, however, before starting work, you need to draw up a clear procedure for carrying out all the stages for yourself.
Preparatory work
Before starting the repair, it is necessary to free the room from furniture. If it is impossible to take out large-sized furniture, it must be moved to the center of the room, to ensure a free approach to the walls. The remaining furniture must be carefully covered with old rags and plastic wrap.
If the floor covering is not planned to be replaced, it must be protected (except tiles). To do this, you can use hardboard, sheets of packaging cardboard, on top of which the room is carefully covered with plastic wrap in an overlap, and the joints are glued with a film. Remove decorative frames from sockets and switches or paste over with tape. Before carrying out work with electrical wiring, it must be de-energized (!)
Dismantling of old coatings
- Old coatings are removed from the ceiling. Currently, the most common ceiling coatings are water-dispersion paints, which are practically impossible to wash off, unlike traditional whitewashing. It is enough to remove the exfoliated sections of the ceiling with a metal spatula, obvious cracks need to be embroidered and puttied.
- If you are repairing a ceiling with old whitewash, it must be washed off with warm water to the ground. To do this, take a container with warm water, rub a little laundry soap into it and add two tablespoons of soda. With a roller or brush, carefully apply water to the ceiling and wash off the old whitewash. It must be removed completely.
- Old wallpaper. If old paper wallpapers are pasted on the walls, they hold tightly, and it is planned to apply a dense coating in their place (non-woven wallpaper or for painting), then you can save the old surface. Old vinyl wallpaper is hard to remove. You can use a hair dryer or a heat gun. The rest of the coatings are simply thoroughly wetted with warm water or a special wallpaper remover is used.
- Old coverings of doors, windows, platbands and skirting boards are carefully cleaned with sandpaper and a small spatula. Then primed, puttied with a special compound, sanded and primed again. Oil paint is removed using a building hair dryer or mortar.
Ceilings
- Ceiling painting. When choosing materials for painting, it is necessary to focus on the intended purpose of the rooms. If the premises are residential, then it is better to choose acrylic paint. Non-residential rooms (bath, corridor, kitchen, hallway) with high-quality moisture-resistant water-based paints. You can pick up color additives in the paint and make different shades in the rooms. The ceiling is primed before painting. The paint is applied to the surface of the ceiling with special rollers, carefully observing the joints and the occurrence of streaks.
- Wallpapering. For finishing the ceiling with your own hands, you can use special wallpaper for the ceiling, which is characterized by increased density and light color. The procedure is time-consuming and requires certain skills.
- Ceilings are glued. Square or rectangular panels (special polystyrene foam ceiling tiles) are glued onto the ceiling surface. The main thing is to thoroughly clean and prepare the ceiling, and then carefully primed. The plates are fixed to the ceiling with the help of special adhesives.
Wall decoration with wallpaper
Now in stores there is a huge selection of different wallpapers: silk-screen printing, embossed, paintable and photo wallpapers. Almost all wallpapers come with application instructions, special adhesives are sold. The main thing is to observe the specified technology, to prevent temperature drops, humidity and drafts in the room.
Using free time, a little financial resources and a little diligence, you can transform your apartment into a new and cozy space in a short time.
“Yes, so that repairs in your apartment do not end!” - throws a passer-by over his shoulder and leaves home. And you stand and think: “And why is he? Did you wish for wealth or, on the contrary, ... overlaid?
But indeed, the issue of repair is an unpleasant matter for the average citizen. With today's prices for materials and services of construction Jedi, you will have to fork out seriously. And how much time and nerves you have to spend, and even live in a ruined apartment! You don't wish it on your enemy. But repair is a vital necessity, and sooner or later you will still have to face it. Some craftsmen, even in times of crisis, still manage to do the renovation of an apartment with their own hands quickly and inexpensively. But how do they do it? Inexpensive - this is a cosmetic repair with your own hands and domestic materials. Such repairs do not require large financial investments, but the cleanliness and freshness of your apartment is guaranteed. Cheap is not always bad.
Where to begin?
Get a small notebook. In it you will write down all ideas, prices and phone numbers of shops or specialists. But the main thing is that it will contain a plan for your repair and an expense estimate. The plan should reflect all your wishes: replacing windows with plastic, false ceiling or just whitewashing, new tiles in the bathroom, wallpapering or a couple of new sockets in the kitchen. Write exactly what you want. Decided on the wallpaper - that means wallpaper, if you want decorative plaster - then so be it. Pipes are buzzing - replace, a punctured toilet - throw away. You may think that, based on your desires, do-it-yourself apartment renovation will not work quickly and inexpensively. But you probably do not know this, but only drive yourself into the framework. If it turns out - you will do it, if not - it's not a big loss, it's just a note in a notebook. Next, get down to the estimate: what exactly do you need and in what quantity. How many meters of tiles, grout, bags of putty, wallpaper, chipboard and other things. You can always correct these entries.
To find out exactly what materials, what quality and price you need, go to online stores and construction forums for help. Carefully study the characteristics and pricing policy, approximately calculate the expense. And at the same time, calculate how to replace the faucet yourself, glue wallpaper or install drywall. Determine for yourself: I can do it myself, but here you need to look for an electrician or plumbing. Write it down.
How can you save
Lots of options. To begin with, remember: it is better to buy materials for apartment renovation in the cold season - the price is much lower. Summer is the construction season. In winter, you can stumble upon a 50% discount in building markets or the “Buy 2, get 3 for free” promotion! So you can buy the same wallpaper at a low price, but with a much better look and quality. And if they lie for a couple of months in a dry pantry or closet, then nothing will happen to them. Check local forums, especially if you live in a big city. There you will surely find many people who have already done inexpensive apartment renovations with their own hands. Photos of finishes, tips, addresses and phone numbers of specialists you will surely find in the same place. And you will also stumble upon the heading “repair” and “remains of materials”. Periodically view who and what interesting sells or gives away. After repairs, people often have materials that no one will buy at the sale price, but it’s a pity to throw them away. So, you can buy a couple of bags of putty or even Spanish tiles for a ridiculous price. A person has an extra 2-3 meters left, there is nowhere to put them, and you will be fine in the toilet. There you can also find the remnants of the cable or grout “for a chocolate bar”. More impressive people, settling in new buildings, often change brand-new plumbing or PVC windows for more expensive ones, and these are given for next to nothing. Why? Because they want “Rehau” or “only France”, and such a window will do just fine for you. Everything is better than the old wooden one. When you get rich, buy yourself a Rehau.Tools for repair
A construction tool costs a lot of money, so it’s better not to spend money on it. As an option - take it for a while, it is rented everywhere. And it will be even better if you borrow it from acquaintances, friends or relatives. And be sure to thank the person for the help. How? You better know. Take this opportunity to ask if they can help you with the decoration of the apartment. Especially if your friends are well acquainted with the building charter. It will also help to do the renovation of the apartment with your own hands quickly and inexpensively, and even with high quality. Yes, and for sure your friend will make a significant discount for the old memory.
You will need:
Step-by-step instruction
1. The concept of repair includes the following list:
4. The next step is to repair the ceiling. Expand all the cracks with a spatula so that they become deeper. Prime with primer, putty with putty and let dry. After the primer dries, sand the ceiling and prime it again. Repair the walls before painting the ceiling. 5. After working with the ceiling, proceed to remove the old wallpaper. To do this, wet the old wallpaper with water, let it soak for a while, and as soon as it gets wet, remove it with a spatula. The wall must be dry and clean before you start repairing it. Expand all the cracks on the wall with a spatula, prime them with primer and seal with putty. When those places that you putty dry out, sand them, and then cover them with a primer again. If you will be gluing thick wallpaper, then do not use finishing putty. 6. The next step is painting the ceiling or wallpapering the ceiling. Dilute the water-based paint as written on the can and paint the ceiling 2 times. If you decide to glue the wallpaper for painting, then glue it and paint it 2 times as well. Domestic paints are cheaper, so your budget will not suffer. 7. Before wallpapering the walls, it is necessary to paint the doors and window frames with paint. If you buy "P" paint from Russian manufacturers, and not imported ones, then it will cost you much less. After the paint has dried, proceed to wallpapering. To save money on buying wallpaper, choose a domestic manufacturer. In terms of quality and durability, wallpapers from Russian manufacturers are not inferior to imported ones. 8. The final stage is the painting of the floor. If the furniture was not taken out, then seal the legs and the perimeter of the furniture with masking adhesive tape, and remove it after painting - the furniture will remain clean. Choose domestic paint - it will come out cheaper, but it will not affect the quality of the painting.
Walls
Walls are the first thing that always catches your eye. Of course, everyone will like smooth walls and beautiful stylish wallpapers, but if there is no money for leveling and expensive materials, you can limit yourself to simply replacing old wallpapers. Only by re-gluing the wallpaper will you already transform the apartment. It is quite possible to pick up inexpensive dense wallpaper on a paper or non-woven base, and you can stick them even on not very even walls. Non-woven wallpaper hides small irregularities especially well.
There is another option. The previous owners left a couple of rolls of wallpaper in the apartment, which they did not need during the renovation. For example, I just changed some particularly dirty and torn sections of the wallpaper. It was enough to replace the wallpaper strips where they suffered the most. These are protruding corners, places near the door jambs, in the hallway at the entrance, in the kitchen not far from the stove - all this will cost much less than a complete replacement, and the housing will look much better.
Ceiling
If we are dealing with whitewash or lime layers, it is best to clean them first. Numerous lime deposits, flaking and crumbling, are not only aesthetically ugly, but also harmful to health. Erasing lime is not difficult, you first need to soften the layers by wetting small areas of the ceiling with water from a spray bottle, and then clean off the white with a hard spatula or scraper. If there is old peeling wallpaper on the ceiling, they need to be removed.
After stripping, the ceiling can be further sanded with ordinary sandpaper, that is, sandpaper, and primed. If the surface is smooth, without pits and cracks, it will be cheaper to paint the ceiling with acrylic paint, it is better to use matte paint in light, clean colors. If there are small defects, the wallpaper will hide them. Wallpaper for the ceiling should be chosen white or very light, without a pronounced pattern and with very fine corrugation. Another economical option to transform the ceiling is to glue foam boards.
floors
If these are concrete floors, as a rule, nothing further needs to be done with them in terms of preparation, they are quite even and durable. Squeaky wood floors are a much more serious problem, and repairing them, at least over time, cannot be avoided, but the creaking problem can be temporarily solved. Squeaking in wooden floors occurs when adjacent boards rub against each other. In particularly “loud” places on the floor, you can drill a few holes with a conventional drill and pour in some mounting foam. The foam will fill and seal the voids between the boards and the floor will stop creaking. This must be done carefully, without fanaticism, so that the floor does not swell.
You can even out strong “waves” and uneven wooden floors by nailing hardboard, plywood or OSB sheets on top. For the necessary strength, the thickness of plywood or OSB should be about 1 centimeter. As a floor finish, linoleum is still the most economical and durable. Fortunately, the choice of linoleum in stores is extensive.
Tile
If we have already figured out the wallpaper on the walls, then what to do with the tiled floor? Replacing the tile, of course, can be a way out if the tile does not stick to the wall, because there is no other way out. In rare cases, when the tile easily moved away from the mortar, and the mortar itself adheres well to the wall, it is easy to restore the tile by smearing it with a thin layer of PVA glue and pressing it firmly into place against the mortar. Here the main thing is to get the right side of the tile into its imprint on the mortar, and the PVA glue will very firmly glue the ceramics with the mortar - checked! But if the tile is holding tight, and buying a new one is expensive, you can work a little on what you have. Tiles, firstly, can and should be thoroughly washed. Since it is a tile, it will withstand much more aggressive cleaners than dish gel, but it will also look much better when it is cleaned of limescale, rust and other traces of use. It is also necessary to clean the seams between the tiles. There is no need to be afraid to damage the grout, on the contrary, you need to clean as much grout as possible. Mold often settles between the tiles in the bathroom and it is very difficult to remove it from there.
After removing as much grout as possible along with unwanted flora and fauna, the seams can be treated with a special antiseptic agent. After that, they can be filled with fresh grout. It is better to choose a grout color that is neutral or close to the color of the tile.
Plumbing
Carefully inspect plumbing fixtures. No cracks or chips? There is no need to change plumbing. Plumbing cleaners will help bring all the surfaces of sanitary ware into a more presentable look, and a bright shower curtain will complete the job. By the way, you can also freshen up a cast-iron bathtub with paint. Not from the inside, of course, but from the outside. But, shining with freshly painted sides, the bath will immediately take on a more elegant look. And if, nevertheless, the inner surface of the bathtub is damaged and worn out, it makes sense to turn to specialists in the restoration of bathtubs, who will cover the surface of the bathtub with new enamel right at home.
As a rule, such a service is cheaper than buying and installing a new bath. And here is another option: make a bath curtain not only for the top, but also for the bottom (use glue and Velcro).
Electrician
Check all outlets. If you see melted plastic around the plug holes or even just dark spots, these sockets should be changed without hesitation! Fixtures are changed as needed. If they are intact, not obsolete and all the bulbs are on, it is enough just to remove them, wash them and hang them back. Do not forget to turn off the power in the apartment when working with an electrician!10 ways to spend less on decorating an apartment, and get a real masterpiece
Designer tips: 1. 100% polyester silk. Stone-like tiles, parquet-like linoleum, onyx-like laminate, Trekhgorka under Ralph Lauren. Porcelain stoneware "under the python". “Artificially aged” something there ... It’s embarrassing to even think about it. Alas, the number will not pass. Look through good interior magazines. There, everywhere, stone is stone, tile is nothing but tile, and wood is exactly what wood is. If there is no money for parquet, and a simple laminate is beneath your dignity, look for a good engineering board. As a result, you will get a floor that looks much more expensive than the money spent on it. A good alternative to porcelain tiles for kitchens, bathrooms and hallways is cement tiles. The result will look more expensive a hundred times. 2. Adjacent rooms should contrast. If you have a bright living room, consider painting the entryway a deep, relatively dark color. In any case, the cost of paint will be the same, and the result may look really expensive. 3. If on good carpet no money, look for viscose or fiber blend carpeting that mimics a silk or wool pile carpet.
4. Plant the curtains on a thick lining. Even inexpensive curtain fabric will seriously benefit from this. Look for fabrics that are three meters wide. This results in significant savings. If you are not ready to spend a lot, give up printed textiles (fabrics with a pattern). When cutting fabrics with a pattern, due to the need to properly join the fabrics, there are a lot of scraps. The more rapport, the more waste. Do not use curtain tape for curtains. Let the seamstress lay the "manual" folds. It's not that expensive, and the folds gathered on the braid look very cheap. five. Set-headset-set. The same things in the interior are allowed only in one case: if they are paired things that form a symmetrical composition. Chandeliers, table lamps and sconces from one set, leave those to whom God did not give imagination. He also - sets of upholstered furniture "sofa-two chairs" and similar tender sadness. For more details, see the next paragraph. 6. Ready solutions. Bad news: there are none. At least for us. The shower room is built using the construction method because it is a room. Unless you run a student hostel or an underground massage parlor with a striptease, the shower stall (it's a sad structure of yellowish acrylic and skewed doors) will not work for you. Do not spend money on "designer" plumbing. Let the appearance of the sanitary equipment of the bathroom (kitchen, bathroom) be dictated by the function. Buy washbasins and faucets with simple shapes, without inappropriate decor. The toilet bowl should be invisible and cope with its duties. No one will love them, right? 7. Paintings, prints, prints, photographs and posters frame in simple but deep frames with glass and be sure to passe-partout. Even a picture printed on a home inkjet printer (or a naive children's drawing) looks very significant in such a frame. Play with the size of the passe-partout. A small work in a very wide passe-partout looks very “designer”. And, by the way, cardboard for a passe-partout can be almost any color. 8. Cosiness. Another collective fetish. According to my observations, what is called “comfort” in our Palestinians is, in 99 percent of cases, poetic crampedness. In many ways, this is a bodily memory of a bygone childhood, of a warm and affectionate meager Soviet life with carpets teeming with saprophytes, a kind grandmother, Czechoslovak crystal and Dreiser, unread by anyone, in the polished Polish wall "Hanka". The coziness will not be added by an expensive demon like a round bed with music and a minibar, a bar counter with a built-in aquarium, etc. The same is true for such rich things as a lambrequin, a garland and a swag. Do not worry: in a good, thoughtful interior, coziness inevitably comes naturally. Therefore… 9. … Farewell, gypsy Sera! Duvet covers made of coarse calico in a small Nefertiti, towels in scarlet roses, pillowcases with “stray-eye” shades, nylon blankets with Shanghai leopards. All these are attributes of collective farm chic, forgive me for being direct. They don't add comfort. Motley coloring is often necessary for these things solely to hide their exceptionally lousy quality. Let the bed linen and bath towels be plain white (options: ivory, ecru). But from excellent Egyptian cotton. 10. However, with ivory, it is also important not to overdo it. Peach, beige, sand… The average nuance range is good for chain hotels. Because their stencil interiors are bound to please everyone. Your interior should please you. After all, he is a manifestation of your essence, right? Pick up a fan-palette of any paint manufacturer. Do you feel a pleasant heaviness? These are your possibilities. Don't miss them!
The usual everyday business: the apartment clearly needs repair, but there is not enough money. How to make an inexpensive apartment renovation with your own hands? It seems to be the simplest, obvious way: surface cosmetic repairs. That is, plywood wallpaper, whitewashing the ceiling, painting, fixing the creaky floor; Possibly window replacement.
However, if you calculate the labor costs and consumption of materials, it turns out that by increasing labor costs by half, and spending money by a quarter, you can give the apartment a completely different look, and for a long time. How much you need to invest specifically depends on the prices in the region, but the general methods by which you can make an apartment cozy and elegant inexpensively are the same.
Saving money when repairing an apartment with your own hands is, like the Earth in ancient legends, on three whales and a slowly hurrying turtle under them:
- We are not afraid of work. Nothing comes from nothing. Either money or labor.
- Wherever possible, we do not change the capital, but the old one that has lost its appearance, but renew it.
- We attribute the maximum savings to where it will not affect the quality of work and will not be visible.
- We spread the costs of labor and money over time: having conceived repairs in the summer or autumn, we spend a year on preparation, and then we pile on and quickly do everything. To lay out 200-300 thousand rubles at once is a problem, but it is quite possible to break them up in parts for a year. In addition, there will be time to measure seven times - cut once.
Where it's hard to save
The only area where you have to invite a specialist is to remake and strengthen the electrical wiring if it is old and weak. Here, the only way to save money is to negotiate with the DEZ electrician. He will do the work in pieces, in his spare time, but the likelihood of hack work will be even less than that of “branded” specialists: after all, he will then serve all this.
It is better not to save on electrics and wiring, however, some points, such as installing sockets, can be done independently.
Tool
A good specialized tool makes the job much easier and cheaper. But it's hard to buy. Therefore, it is better to rent a tool as needed. In terms of costs, it will come out a little if you decide in advance on the design and draw up an approximate work plan for yourself.
Season
Plumbing
A sore point with independent cheap repairs is the replacement of plumbing. If it is still “alive”, only filthy, then it can be cleaned and painted. How to do this will be described below. But if there are chips and cracks, then, if you like it or not, you need to change it.
For such a case, here is some information for you: new settlers, especially in houses above the budget category, often start a major overhaul immediately upon entering, and excellent, completely new faience and cast-iron plumbing equipment ends up in a landfill. Landfill operators (simply - landfill scavengers) have long turned this circumstance into a profitable business.
They do not make direct contact by office phone with strangers, but it is quite possible to get through to them using word of mouth methods. The rate is from a third to a half of the factory price for a household item. And do not think that they will take you to the dump and show you where it lies. In the back room you will be offered a choice of clean, carefully washed products, which you can sit down on at least immediately.
Construction garbage
The next sore point is the removal of construction waste. The operation is not cheap, and requires paperwork. Exit: basement, barn, cottage or closet and a few bags of used plastic sackcloth, bought for a penny. Construction debris does not sour and does not rot, it can then be poured into a container in a garbage dump in a bucket. There is nothing illegal in this.
