HomeQuicks

Home Improvement

Paint, floors, walls and finishes: projects that make your place look better and work harder.

Home improvement is repair's ambitious sibling: the work you choose rather than the work that chooses you. Paint, floors, walls, trim and finishes are where a weekend of labor changes how a room feels every day after, and where the gap between a professional result and an amateur one is mostly preparation, not talent. The guides here are built around that truth, giving surface prep and materials their unglamorous due before the satisfying part starts.

Coverage includes painting and paint removal in all their forms, wallpaper going up and coming down, floors from hardwood and laminate to tile and the scratches they collect, concrete work measured in honest cubic yards, wood finishes from tung oil to varnish, and the fixtures, doors, shelving and lighting that finish a space. Project guides state their real difficulty and their real tool list up front, including the cheap substitute where one exists.

Renters get a fair deal here too: where a full improvement would anger a landlord, the guides note the reversible version that scratches the same itch. And when a project crosses into structure, gas or serious electrical work, the handoff to a professional is named at the exact step it becomes necessary. Pick the surface you have been staring at; the featured guides above are the deepest coverage on each.

Home Improvement

Flaking and spalled concrete surface

A Simple Guide on the Causes and Prevention of Concrete Spalling

5 min read

Concrete spalling is the deterioration of concrete due to environmental factors, poor installation, and other reasons. It has the potential to wreak havoc on a concrete structure. So, protecting the concrete early can avoid the dangers and also avoid having to replace it later. HomeQuicks outlines some of the main causes of spalling and the ways to prevent it.

Kitchen with granite countertops and island

Useful Tips for Maintaining a Honed Granite Countertop

4 min read

Isn’t it frustrating when the stains on that honed granite countertop don’t just get off? HomeQuicks will provide you with some skillful shortcuts to keep your honed granite spick and span.

Light wood floor with a glossy finish

DIY Instructions on How to Use a Floor Buffer to Refinish the Floor

5 min read

Over time, tiled, stone, and wooden floors tend to look dull and lifeless, and lose their luster. The simplest way to give back the floor the lost luster is by using a floor buffer to refinish it. Got you thinking about how to use a floor buffer?

Patched cement rendering on an old wall

What’s the Difference Between Cement, Concrete, and Mortar?

8 min read

The major differences between cement, concrete, and mortar are their ingredients and specific uses. This HomeQuicks article gives the comparison of concrete vs. cement vs. mortar, which includes all aspects like their composition, uses, and properties.

Used oil paint tubes and brushes on paper

Innumerable Ways in Which We Can Use Paint Thinner

4 min read

A paint thinner is available in a variety of types, and if you are searching for different ways to use one, you are at the right place. Here are some tips that will make your painting job easy.

Rattan chairs and table under autumn trees

How to Paint Rattan Furniture

3 min read

Are you looking to update your décor without spending big bucks? Well it can be done by simply painting your old rattan or wicker furniture.

Damp stained concrete basement wall

Solutions for Wet Basements

4 min read

Wet basements can prove to be pesky and moldy, creating dampness and claustrophobia. One must seek specific solutions to get rid of the inconvenience caused due to this condition.

Light laminate wood flooring seen from above

How to Easily Remove Scratches from Laminate Floors

3 min read

Small streaks and scratches in laminate floors greatly reduces their aesthetic value. Learn cost-effective approaches for how to remove scratches from laminate floors, and you can accomplish the task on your own.

Insulated lunch bag packed with fruit and containers

Insulated Lunch Bags for Women

4 min read

Insulated lunch bags are an audible elan for all those embarrassed souls, who find the idea of carrying flimsy food ‘store-keepers’ too haywire a proposition! Insulated lunch bags for women, is indeed the order of the day!

Floor buffer with a wax-stripping pad on a wood floor

Floor Wax Remover

3 min read

A floor wax remover is used to scrub off the old layer of wax from the flooring, in order for a new layer to be applied. In the following sections, we will learn more about the same and provide you with a recipe for making one at home as well.

Hexagonal stone tile floor

How to Care for Marble Tiles

3 min read

Follow these simple guidelines on marble tile care, to have gleaming, rich marble floors for a long-lasting period.

Richly oiled wood grain

Teak Oil Vs. Tung Oil

3 min read

The teak introduced to us by the southeast Asians and the Tung tree which is found in China, are among the most suitable oils to be used for heavy-duty furniture and also for our everyday wooden utility items. Let us find out which oil is better in maintaining the beauty of our furniture for years.

Red and yellow plastic chairs painted with faces

How to Paint Plastic

3 min read

Wish to give a new look to your plastic furniture? Follow these tips on plastic painting to get the desired effect.

Workers pouring and leveling a concrete slab

Concrete Prices Per Cubic Yard

3 min read

Trying to calculate the cost of concrete for the new home improvement project you got in mind? Read on for some helpful tips.

Hand rolling paint onto a white wall

Dry Erase Paint Reviews

3 min read

Mentioned in this article are dry erase paint shopping tips and tricks, that will help you buy the right kind of product. Read on...

Soapy hands being scrubbed clean

How to Remove Spray Paint from the Skin

4 min read

Searching for ways to remove spray paint from the skin? This HomeQuicks article suggests a few easy-to-use methods for this purpose. Take a look...

Spray paint cans scattered on a concrete lot

How to Remove Spray Paint from Concrete

4 min read

Spray paint marks on concrete troubling you and you’re wondering how to get rid of them? Read the following article for some great tips and ways of getting that concrete to look as good as new again.

Old tile floor mid-renovation with tools and mortar

Amazingly Simple Hacks on How to Remove Linoleum

3 min read

Removing linoleum can be pretty much difficult if it is very old, and especially if it is on a wood floor. Read the following article that provides you with a method that will help you to get rid of it easily.

Edge view of stacked sheet boards

Plywood Sizes and Types

7 min read

No, you cannot just pick up any piece of plywood to construct whatever you want. It is available in different sizes and thicknesses, and different types are used for different purposes. Here’s a complete guide on the different sizes of plywood, and the types it comes in.

Wallpaper steamer plate held against a papered wall

How to Use a Wallpaper Steamer

3 min read

This article will elaborate on using a steamer to remove wallpaper. The wallpaper removal tips will surely be of good use. The steamer is a very handy tool. This article will help you to solve the question as to how to remove wallpaper with a steamer? Have a look...

Blue paint peeling from old boards

Easy Home Remedies for Wallpaper Removal

3 min read

Stripping off wallpaper isn’t too difficult, and you can actually do it yourself by making use of some simple techniques. This HomeQuicks post tells you more.

Small amber oil bottle resting on a round wooden board

Tung Oil Vs Linseed Oil

3 min read

Tung oil is the oil that is extracted from the seed kernels of the Tung tree, whereas linseed oil is extracted from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant. These oils are used as wood finishes. This HomeQuicks article provides a comparison between tung oil and linseed oil.

Oiled wood planks with rich grain

Applying a Tung Oil Finish

4 min read

The Chinese have used tung oil finish to treat furniture and make it water resistant and durable, since ages. If you are a DIY person, then knowing more about the benefits of tung oil as a finishing agent, will surely help you in taking care of furniture at home.

Door intercom panel on a brick wall

Wireless Door Intercom Systems

5 min read

When a visitor knocks at your door, rather than getting the door immediately, how about going wireless and save yourself a nasty surprise, if it ever comes your way? To know which of the wireless door intercom systems can prove useful to you in attending visitors, read on...

Close-up of a yellow surveyor's measuring tape

How to Calculate Cubic Yards for Concrete

3 min read

The amount of concrete required for construction is measured in cubic yards. Read on to know the simple steps on how to calculate cubic yards for concrete...