Joe Kowalski, training manager at Glidden reveals these tips for painting doors and trims:
1. For doors and trims, use two coats of a latex semi-gloss or high-gloss enamel. 2. Two coats is recommended as the enamels perform better applied in thinner coats and two coats makes the finish more resistant to the scratches and dings doors receive. 3. For people preferring the look of oil on their trim, oil based finishes leave a higher sheen with a more durable finish. In either fashion, be sure to use a high-sheen paint. Library
Do you have bookshelves where your kids would keep textbooks? Chances are it's time to upgrade the shelves to add a more sophisticated look. Here's what Semerjian advises:
1. Repaint the bookcase to a neutral color -- a mix of beige and gray is recommended. 2. Recover the old books with some craft paper -- brown masking paper from a home improvement store is a clean look and will make those old books you don't want to get rid of into a beautiful focal point. 3. After covering the books, use letter stamps that you can purchase from a craft store and stamp the title and author on the spine of the book. You can make it look like lettering from a typewriter for a more charming look. Memory wall
Finally, instead of purchasing some new artwork for your home, consider creating a memory wall to bring back some of the memories of when your children were younger.
Joanne Cleaver, who writes the "Money Mondays " blog for Bobvila.com, shares these steps for the perfect memory wall.
1. Common items on a memory wall include: photos, graduation tassels, childhood drawings, cards and report cards. 2. Arrange photo frames or timelines that you want to include on the memory wall on a large piece of paper on the floor or on dining room table. Once you have settled on a pleasing arrangement, mark on the paper the point for the nail for each frame. Now, center and level the paper on the wall in the bedroom.
3. Drill through the nail markers on the paper. Pull away the paper and hang your arrangement or timeline. --By Scott Gamm
Gamm is the founder of the personal finance website HelpSaveMyDollars.com. He has appeared on NBC's TODAY, MSNBC and CNN. Follow Scott on Facebook and Twitter.