When you are out looking at paint for your decorating you need to be sure that you have enough, because there is nothing worse than running out of paint when you only have a little amount to do to finish the whole job, and what would happen if you were unable to get to the store or if they had run out of that shade?

The best thing to do is make sure that the walls that you are painting are measured correctly and this will enable you to the right amount.

So how do you work out how much paint to buy?

Simple all that is required is a paint calculator, these are available for free on many paint manufacturers websites and best of all they are just plain easy to use.

For example:

You take the four measurements of the walls, the length and width of the ceiling, and finally how high the ceiling is, and that is it, the calculator will work it out for you.

Naturally there are doors and windows, but this will mean that some will be left over and can be used at a later date if there is any touching up to do.

Paint Quality Institute.

Glidden.

Domino Magazine.

True Value Paint.

The above are just an example; they have plenty of tips too.

Happy Decorating.

Source [Charles and Hudson]

Ikea is great, many people experience the pleasure of visiting the local or in some cases not so local store where you can actually spend the whole day, looking at the products and planning out what and where everything you have seen can go, but sometimes, the non finished wood can be somewhat a put off, especially if you have or plan to have it all around your home.

Take the storage units, these a are priced to sell, and many do buy them, but in some cases people paint them or decorate them in some other way, this is what Patty van Dorin from Rambling Rose has done, by simply buying five of the units, bolting them securely tighter to give a tall chest, and as a final finish she has covered it with some vintage wall paper, and boy does it look a dream.

It is amazing how something a simple like a stack of drawers from Ikea can actually be totally transformed by utilizing a few items that you probably have already around the home, like paint and wallpaper, proving what a bit of time and careful planning can achieve.

Ikea has so many products like this that it is almost impossible to choose what item to makeover, however it must said that the wood will need to be treated first otherwise the wallpaper may not stick properly, try sealing first!

Source  [Rambling Rose]

Whether you are planning to move or just want to improve the value of your property, how can you be sure that the work you are planning to do is actually going to improve the value of the property at all?

After all there must be nothing worse than spending an awful lot of money and time on a project only to find that the work done will not add anything to the value of the property and in some cases may even devalue the property price as is the case with some personalized work.

Sound Money Tips has produced a list that gives you the sort of return on your investment you can expect from a few specific jobs, these jobs are not major works, but mainly the sort thing that all homes require from time to time, but by knowing what sort money you are going get back means that you can decide which job is better for you, when time and cost has to be considered.

So exactly what return on your investment can you expect, the list below will give you an idea.

Clean / de-clutter – 973% Average Return on Investment.
Lighten and brighten – 865% Average Return on Investment.
Yard – 426% Average Return on Investment.
Plumbing and electrical – 260% Average Return on Investment.
Staging – 251% Average Return on Investment.
Update kitchen and bath – 168% Average Return on Investment.
Paint interior – 148% Average Return on Investment.
Carpeting = 104% Average Return on Investment.
Flooring – 101% Average Return on Investment.
Paint exterior – 76% Average Return on Investment.

As you can see the higher return is from the tasks that can be done by yourself, with just a bit of expense on materials, but as the jobs involve more skills and materials the return on investment goes down, but as you can clearly see even the last on the list produces a 76% return, which is still good.

Source  [Behind The Walls]