Useful tips for renovating apartments and cottages. Where to start renovating an apartment and finish it in the shortest possible time. Selection of materials for decorative finishing
Ecology of life. Apartment renovation A nail is easily driven in if its tip is dipped in vegetable oil. If you add sugar to a cement solution, it will become much stronger.
Apartment renovation
1. The nail is easily driven in if its tip is dipped in vegetable oil.
2. If you add sugar to the cement solution, it will become much stronger.
3. Alabaster diluted with milk hardens longer - it is easier for them to seal cracks with a brush.
4. If the oil brush is very hard, you need to dip it in boiling vinegar for 1 minute.
5. A room that has just been wallpapered cannot be ventilated for several days, otherwise the wallpaper will begin to bubble and peel off.
6. It is easier to cut tiles when they are wet. This way it is less likely to break.
7. Imported tiles are more expensive than domestic ones, but when laying them you will not have to align the edges of the tiles so that they lie close to one another.
8. Fallen tiles can be firmly fixed using zinc white, thickly rubbed with natural drying oil. But it will take a long time to dry.
9. Washable wallpaper should not be used sunny room- under the influence sun rays Such wallpapers emit substances harmful to health.
10. Using wallpaper and paints in light colors, you can visually increase the volume of the room. Dark tones visually reduce its volume.
Apartment cleaning
1. Scratches on polished furniture can be repaired using shoe polish of the appropriate color.
2. You can wipe mirrors with cotton wool soaked in cologne or alcohol (vodka). You can use cold water mixed with linen blue - this will give the mirror a pleasant shine. A diluted infusion of tea is suitable for the same purpose.
3. It is recommended to clean a yellowed enamel bathtub with salt and vinegar.
4. It is recommended to wipe tiles in the bathroom with vinegar and water (1: 5). You can use a soap solution with the addition of ammonia.
5. It is recommended to wash anything painted with light oil or enamel paint with water without soap and soda (they make the paint dull). You can add ammonia to the water (a teaspoon per liter) - it removes dirt and adds shine. After washing, you need to wipe with a dry cloth to prevent yellow spots and streaks from appearing.
7. A new broom, mop, or broom will last longer if you soak them in hot soapy water before use.
8. A white mark on a polished surface caused by a hot object can be removed by wiping it with alcohol and vegetable oil.
9. Rub with a woolen rag in a circular motion.
10. You should not wash windows with soap, as it forms a film on the glass that is difficult to wash off.
11. A strong vinegar solution removes stains from glass and mirrors (1 tablespoon per glass of water).
12. A brush dipped in salt water will help restore the golden color to straw products.
13. The color of the carpet will become brighter if you sprinkle it with fine white salt in the evening, and the next day remove the salt with a soft, clean, damp cloth.
14. Linoleum floors should not be washed. hot water or water with added soda or ammonia- linoleum becomes dull and deteriorates.
15. You can wash with warm water and laundry soap, then rinse and wipe dry.
16. About once every 3 months you need to wipe the linoleum with natural drying oil, and then thoroughly wipe it off with a soft cloth. You can rub linoleum with a mixture of wax, paraffin and turpentine (1:1:5), which must be mixed while heated.
17. It is good to wipe parquet floors with a damp cloth soaked in cold water with the addition of glycerin (a tablespoon per glass of water). Washing parquet with hot water is not recommended.
18. It is enough to wipe chrome surfaces with a cloth soaked in soapy water.
19. Nickel-plated surfaces are cleaned with pastes and liquid cleaning compounds. For example: a paste of ammonia and tooth powder. When this mixture dries, the product should be wiped with a dry cloth and polished with a cloth.
20. To keep your serving knives shiny, you need to peel them with raw potatoes. A few drops of lemon juice will also work.
21. Porcelain dishes should be washed with water with the addition of ammonia.
22. Crystal dishes should not be washed with hot water - this will make them cloudy and covered with a network of small cracks. If, after washing, you wipe it with a woolen cloth with blue-tinted starch, the dishes will shine more.
23. Dark plaque from silver and silver-plated products can be easily removed as follows: wash the product in warm soapy water, then clean it with a soft cloth soaked in a mixture of ammonia with chalk or tooth powder. After this, rinse with warm water and wipe thoroughly.
24. Silver, silver-plated and cupronickel items can be refreshed by washing them in warm water with baking soda (50 g per 1 liter of water) or in warm soapy water with ammonia (1 tablespoon per 1 liter). After this, the product must be rinsed clean water and wipe dry with a soft cloth. published
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The most unpleasant part of the renovation, undoubtedly, is washing off the water-based emulsion from the ceiling and removing the old wallpaper. To make this job easier, stick old newspapers on the ceiling. When the glue dries, you can peel them off along with the paint. Apply a wet cloth to the wallpaper and iron it with a hot iron: the wallpaper will come off the wall in ribbons.
You cannot glue wallpaper until the wall is clean of whitewash and paint. Otherwise, the wallpaper will not fit on the wall. The wallpaper seam will not be noticeable if you start gluing the wallpaper away from the window.
To evenly cover the walls with film, use a wooden stick after gluing foam rubber onto it. When you paste the film, smooth it with this foam. It will follow the unevenness of the wall and press the wallpaper against it. To eliminate bubbles on regular wallpaper you should iron them with a slightly heated iron (of course, when they are dry).
To prevent brush marks from being visible when painting, it is necessary to apply last layer paints towards the window, while the penultimate paint is across. On the wall, the final coat of paint must be applied from top to bottom.
When painting a ceiling or the top of a wall, it's common for paint to run down your hand. In this case, you need to make a cap from a waterproof material and place it on the handle of the brush: it will collect the dripping paint.
To avoid painting the window when painting the frames, place the cardboard against the glass. Then you can safely paint all the corners.
It is advisable to paint large surfaces with a roller. First, strokes are made crosswise, and then rubbed. The paint is applied in a thin layer several times. But before using the roller, you need to paint over all the tight spots with a brush.
To prevent alabaster from sticking to the walls of the container where it is mixed, place a bag in it before diluting the mixture.
You can put push pins into the holes that are in the walls. If necessary, they can be found using a magnet.
If, while performing cosmetic repairs, you decide to perform finishing work yourself and paint the walls, you will need some little tricks that craftsmen use when working with paint.
1. If you come across a paint brush in which the bristles do not hold well, pour universal glue (for example, “Moment”) between the bristles, and the brush will serve you for a long time.
2. It is very difficult to stir settled paint in an open jar so as not to stain your hands and clothes. Make a small hole in the lid of the jar, insert a curved rod attached to the drill chuck into this hole, and turn on the drill. One minute will be enough to mix the paint well without getting dirty.
3. A piece of wire bent on both sides, placed on a bucket of glue or paint, will serve as both a brush stand and a brush cleaner.
4. If there is any oil paint left in the jar, before closing the jar and storing it, place a circle cut out of thick paper on top of the paint and fill it with a thin layer of machine oil - this will prevent the paint from drying out during storage and forming on its surface. film.
5. Add a variety of interesting shades to white water-based paint can be done using aniline fabric dyes.
6. If a film has formed on the surface of the paint, it is not necessary to filter it - you just need to dip an old nylon stocking into the paint, and you can safely dip your brush directly through this stocking, and the paint will be completely used.
7. Even the most inexperienced painter can stretch an even panel along the wall if he uses a brush with a metal cross rod and a ruler with a beveled edge.
8. A pipe running in a corner or lying on the floor is very difficult to completely paint with a brush. Take a piece of an old tsigeyka and sew it into something like a mitten with the fur facing out, then put it on your hand. Dip this mitt into the paint and paint the pipe by simply running your hand along it.
9. If you need to delete the old one oil paint from the surface of the wall, iron it through aluminum foil with an iron until it softens - then the paint can be easily removed with a scraper or spatula.
10. Two or three thin coats of paint are much stronger and smoother than one thick coat.
11. If you are applying the paint with a roller, start with a few strokes in a criss-cross pattern and then work the paint in.
12. The final coat of paint must be applied from top to bottom, otherwise brush marks will be visible.
Laying ceramic tiles with your own hands
When renovating a bathroom or kitchen, one of the main steps is to change the tiles on the walls and floors. Now the prices for laying tiles by specialists are approaching the prices for the tiles themselves, so it makes sense to do everything yourself - with your own hands.
You should start by preparing the surface on which the tiles will be laid. First, clear the room of furniture, mirrors, and plumbing fixtures. When the room is empty, preparations can begin. It doesn’t matter whether it’s walls or floors, the surface must be hard and level.
In principle, you can lay new ceramic tiles on old ones, but in this case there is a high probability that old glue won't stand it excess weight, and the entire tile will begin to crumble. In addition, a few extra centimeters of room space have never bothered anyone.
1. Use a chisel and hammer to remove old tiles, as well as the adhesive base underneath. The main thing is to ensure that the surface becomes perfectly flat. Once this step is completed, you need to make sure that the overall slope of the surface does not exceed 4-5 mm. This must be checked using a level, the length of which should not be less than a meter. The slope of the walls can be checked using a plumb line - a rope with a weight attached to the end. If the slope in your room is greater than the required value, you need to get rid of it. To do this, use a primer. It is best to start applying it from the place where the unevenness is maximum. You cannot apply a layer thicker than two centimeters at a time, otherwise it simply will not dry.
2. When the surface is ready, you can proceed directly to laying the tiles.
First you need to unpack the pre-prepared tiles. Let's say a few words about how to choose the right ceramic tiles: in addition desired color, pattern and size, you should choose a tile based on its wear resistance. For example, for the bathroom and stairs, for walls and floors, it is advisable to buy different tiles— read more about this in the article “How to choose ceramic tiles.”
In addition to the tile itself, you also need to stock up on glue. It is best to use special dry building mixtures. You can find them in any store. Mixtures used for wet areas, outdoor works, etc. differ from each other.
Before installation, you need to prepare an adhesive solution (instructions should be on the packaging). The solution should not be too liquid and too thick, that is, it should not spread and slide down the wall, but at the same time deform without much effort.
Usually they start laying tiles from the walls, from top to bottom. It is recommended to mark the surface (for example, using taut ropes) so that the rows of tiles are even.
3. Next you need to small area Apply an adhesive solution to the wall or floor surface; it is recommended to use a notched trowel.
After this, you should carefully attach the tile to adhesive based and, tapping with a rubber mallet, level it. Using a level, you can make sure that the tiles lie level. If the tile is too deeply recessed into the mortar, then you need to carefully separate the tile and lay it again, adding a little mortar under it.
The main thing in laying ceramic tiles with your own hands is to constantly ensure that the rows are level with respect to the walls.
The gap between the tiles should not exceed 4 mm, but should not be less than 2 mm.
It is usually difficult to install partial pieces of tiles. This is because they need to be prepared first. You need to cut the tiles using special tool- tile cutter.
It is recommended to plan the installation so that non-intact parts fall down the walls, along the edges of the floor, or in the future are covered by pieces of furniture.
4. After all the tiles have been laid, you need to let them dry. After drying, you need to clean the surface from dust and adhesive solution, and fill the seams with a fugue (it is recommended to use a rubber spatula).
13 tips for renovating an apartment.
1. Removing old dowels. We recommend leaving the old dowels in the wall, as during the process of removing them, the hole from the dowel often becomes even larger. If, for example, you need to drill a new hole in the immediate vicinity, then take a corkscrew, screw it into the dowel and thus remove it from the wall. Then the old hole is sealed with plaster.
2. Cotton wool for walls
This trick works best with wallpaper with a rough surface.
The holes from the dowels are filled with a piece of cotton wool instead of plaster, and then covered with a layer of wall paint.
3. There is no such thing as “a dowel does not hold”: it all depends on the right choice. It offers a suitable dowel for every wall.
Detailed information can be obtained from a consultant at a hardware store or on the company’s website.
4. Quickly fill small cracks
Small cracks (whether stress cracks in new buildings or signs of aging in old ones)
homes) can be quickly and easily filled with acrylic joint compound.
Acrylic has one advantage: it can later be coated with paint. To level the mixture, use a spatula or your finger dipped in detergent.
6. Leave deep cracks open
Deep cracks are deepened to the brickwork using a hammer and chisel, then wetted (you can use a sponge) and only then filled with putty.
7. Gypsum mass without lumps
The secret of the lump-free mass lies in the sequence of mixing the ingredients. First, water is poured, then plaster is poured.
In no case is it the other way around! In this case, the container is filled with water by approximately one third, and then gypsum is poured into it a little at a time until it turns into an even mass covered with a layer of water. The mixture is left to stand for some time.
Then, using a thin spatula, mix the gypsum until a viscous mass is obtained.
8. Laying the cable in the wall
Laying cables under plaster is one of the most labor-intensive and dirty jobs. Often home craftsmen do this with a hammer and chisel. Make your task easier - use a wall chaser with a dust extraction device. This instrument can be rented from construction stores.
This investment will quickly pay for itself, especially in the case of solid, continuous brickwork.
9. Convenient wall chaser
If you need to lay a channel for a cable in plaster or in a light building bricks, it is best to use a small wall chaser.
It is attached to the drill as an additional attachment.
10. Keep your distance
Cable, plug and distribution boxes installed at a distance of 30 cm above the floor and 30 cm below the ceiling. The distance to doors and windows should be 15 cm
Switches should be located at a height of 105 cm.
11. Laying the electrical cable
Do you want to lay the cable in a grooved channel, but you don’t have cable clamps on hand? Hammer small nails crosswise into the wall near the cable, then cover the channel with plaster. After the plaster has dried, remove the nails and seal the holes with plaster.
12. Bridging cracks
Tensile cracks caused by different building materials may reappear even after filling. The way out of this situation is to stick a special self-adhesive adhesive tape for mesh-based cracks.
13. Plastering walls without unevenness
Metal beacon strips, fixed perpendicularly and parallel, ensure uniform application of the plaster mortar.
The planks must be laid so that the board for applying the plaster fits well against them.
A house without mistakes - tips are worth their weight in gold!
1. HEIGHT OF KITCHEN FURNITURE
According to the standard, the height of the kitchen base is 85 cm. Furniture customers often forget to make an “adjustment for height.” As a result, having received a set of cabinets and work surfaces of a standard height, they are forced to either slouch or reach upward with all their might. If you, having great growth, bought ready-made furniture, then you can put the lower cabinets on legs and decorate them with a strip. For a country-style kitchen, the role of stands can be performed by ordinary facing bricks with beautiful finish. If the furniture is too tall for you, you can saw down its legs.
2. DOES THE WASHER NEED FENDERS?
A common mistake is not using a sink with a wing or a second bowl to save space. In the kitchen where they cook for big family, you can’t do without a voluminous multifunctional sink. On the wing - a kind of continuation of the tabletop - you can place hot dishes or put washed vegetables and fruits. The second bowl allows you to wash large pots and fruit at the same time.
3. DRAWERS INSTEAD OF CABINETS
Don't rush to hang shelves in the kitchen. Organize your drawers to save space and keep your work organized. It is easy to divide the space in the drawer into sections and place any containers in them. Access to them will be convenient. Just pull out the drawer and everything is at your fingertips. You can order internal partitions separately or use regular plastic containers.
4. SIMPLE AND CONVENIENT
Recesses instead of handles on the doors look unusual and aesthetically pleasing and fully correspond to the modern look of the kitchen. But you may... hate this apparent simplicity when trying to open the door with wet hands or without removing the grip. The exit is a “click-clack” system, which allows you to open the doors even with your elbow. This system will satisfy even the most picky owners of kitchen furniture and will minimize the space of any kitchen.
5. Indelible mark
Steel furniture fronts, tiles and refrigerators are fashionable and elegant and are especially popular with young couples. However, even clean palms leave marks on such a surface. And this forces the diligent housewife to regularly wipe and wash shiny objects. There are two solutions to the problem: purchase polishes for stainless steel, which not only remove contamination from such surfaces, but also prevent it, or purchase steel equipment from leading manufacturers, treated with a special protective coating.
6. Cozy corner
The desire to create comfort in the kitchen should not lead to disastrous results. Walls or parts thereof, upholstered with fabrics, look great, but quickly accumulate unpleasant odors and dirt.
You can achieve the effect of a warm room, sweet for the eyes and soul, by using wallpaper that imitates matter. Of course, washable ones are most suitable in the kitchen.
7. Which REFRIGERATOR is convenient?
Stores household appliances offer a huge selection of refrigerators. Economical energy consumption, beautiful front, comfortable freezer and a suitable price are important purchasing conditions. But imagine: the layout will require moving the refrigerator - you will need to change the hinges so that the door opens in the other direction, but it turns out that this is impossible. So think about it while still in the store. The equipment of the refrigerator should correspond to the composition of the family and its lifestyle. Exterior design is important, but so is the interior design.
8. WITHOUT INTERFERING EACH OTHER
The absence of partitions between the living room, hallway and kitchen makes the room light and spacious, but less comfortable. If there is a TV on in the guest area, cutlets are being fried in the kitchen, and children are playing nearby, then the noise disturbs absolutely everyone. Yes, and sounds from staircase will be heard throughout the apartment, and not just in the hallway.
Install entrance doors with high sound insulation, and also re-partition the room. The last technique is possible, even if you don’t want to lose the desired space. Use movable or translucent screens or partitions. Install partitions that are not full height or shelves that are open on both sides. Sliding or folding doors across the entire width of the room will also help.
VISITING PAINT: THE PROBLEM OF CHOICE
When deciding on a radical change of style or just planning to update and refine the premises, trust the colors. The main advantages of coloring are versatility, simplicity and accessibility. However, there are some subtleties here, knowledge of which will help you in choosing paint, coloring will make the process enjoyable, and paint coating- beautiful and durable.
SO THAT INTUITION DOES NOT REPLACE INFORMATION
Before making a choice, you should know that all modern paints and varnishes for interior work are divided mainly into two large groups: paints on water based and solvent paints.
Solvent-based paints have good water-repellent properties and the coating they form is easy to clean. household products. These paints are used mainly for surfaces with harsh operating conditions; they are good for wood and metal. Impact resistance external factors alkyd paints are higher than water-soluble ones, but alkyd paints not very healthy and environment(remember the smell of solvent).
Water based paints - optimal choice for interior work. In addition, they have a number of advantages. Most of them are environmentally friendly as they do not emit harmful substances neither during application nor during operation of the coating. They have the ability to “breathe” - the surface is permeable to air and vapors, but does not allow liquids to pass through. Another significant advantage is fire safety. As for ease of use, VD paints are unrivaled here: they do not flow, accidental dirt can be easily removed with a damp cloth, and the tool can be cleaned with ordinary water.
Very often, when carrying out repairs on your own, situations arise that you have to puzzle over. Or some time after the repair, unpleasant moments appear.
Sequence of work
When making repairs, it is very important to follow a certain sequence so that you don’t have to redo everything again later.
If you are planning to change gender and are planning to grinding work, then this must be done first, BEFORE finishing the walls and ceiling. If the floor is made from laminate or finished boards, then this is done AFTER finishing the walls and ceiling.
If you plan to change the doors, then you need to do it AFTER the floor, because the doors may not open.
A lot of dust and debris is generated when changing windows. It is also better to do this work first. If it is planned to replace the wiring, then this is also done before finishing work begins.
Also, first of all, work is done to replace plumbing and heating.
Finishing work
To prevent white glossy enamel from turning yellow after painting, add ink from a regular pen to the paint can before starting painting. For 1kg. One rod is enough for enamel. The enamel will preserve white within 3-4 years.
If suddenly, shortly after the repair, the wallpaper begins to peel away from the walls, and there is no glue left, then ordinary laundry soap will help out. It needs to be soaked in water so that the soap softens, moisten inner surface wallpaper with a damp cloth, coat with soap and press well against the wall.
After renovation, the smell of alcohol, varnish, paint lingers in the apartment and does not dissipate - that’s also not scary. You need to take a bucket, pour water, add ice and 10 g of ammonia to it. If there are several rooms, then put buckets in each room.
Open all windows and doors and leave overnight. In the morning the smell was gone. When removing old whitewash, a lot of dust is generated. To avoid this, the surface must first be coated with paste.
Before gluing the wallpaper, you need to thoroughly clean the walls, otherwise the wallpaper simply won’t stick. To remove old wallpaper, you need to cover it with old newspapers, let it dry, and then when removed, they will pull the old ones with them. Common problem when painting surfaces - traces from the brush. To avoid them, the penultimate layer is laid across, and the last along the surface. When painting the ceiling, the last layer is placed in the direction from the window, and vertically on the walls. It is better to paint large surfaces with a roller, and before that paint over all corners and joints with a brush.
The paint must be thoroughly rubbed over the surface, otherwise smudges will inevitably form. It is better to put 2-3 thin layers than one thick one. When whitewashing and painting ceilings and upper parts Wall paint often runs down your hands. To do this, you can put a cap made from the bottom of a plastic bottle or rubber on the handle of the brush, and the paint will flow there.
If hairs come out of the brush, they can be strengthened with superglue, and the brush will last for a long time.
When preparing alabaster mortar in a bucket, it quickly sets and sticks to the walls of the bucket. Insert into bucket plastic bag and the bucket will be clean. If you add a little alcohol to the water for alabaster, the alabaster will be softer and more elastic.
Another repair tricks - visual
In addition to purely construction work, it is necessary to use so-called visual effects during repairs. With the right finishing, you can increase or decrease the space, increase or decrease its height. The general rule is that light colors make the room larger, and dark colors make the room smaller.
You can visually raise the ceiling if you make it light, or use wallpaper with a vertical pattern. And if, on the contrary, you need to reduce the height, then you can use wallpaper with a transverse pattern or make suspended ceilings.
The darkest wall of the room needs to be covered with lighter wallpaper, and the room will become lighter.
When laying tiles, you should also take into account some nuances. Due to the color and size of the tiles and the way they are laid, you can change the size of the room.
TINY TIPS FOR REPAIRING AN APARTMENT: ART-THERAPY SECTION (PAINTING WORKS)
- You, of course, know that before painting you need to cover everything that should not be exposed to it.
The most troublesome places are baseboards, all kinds of pipes and other complex shapes. You will avoid these hassles if you cover the entire surface with old wet newspapers. The newspaper will dry to exactly the same shape and leave no chance for paint to penetrate.
- Another problem is the bristles that constantly fall out of the brushes.
And then they come to the rescue people's councils for repairs. Place brushes in water for 1 hour before painting. The stubble will swell and will no longer bother you. Her boring persistence will dissolve in water!
- But in general, this is a stunning in its simplicity, but very necessary trick.
Put regular foil to the bottom of the paint tray, and you won’t have to wash both the tray and your hands each time from the next portion of this terribly sticky liquid.
- Working with paint, although not dusty, is fraught with consequences that are difficult to wash off.
Drops or splashes of excess paint are especially unpleasant at the moment when you carry the brush from the can to the target.
Home craftsmen, sharing repair secrets, advise stretching an ordinary clothesline over a can of paint. Calmly remove all excess coloring liquid from it.
Brilliant! And simple!
And for a snack about painting work.
- If a film has formed on the surface of the paint, do not blow on it as if it were hot milk. And don't strain!
Why suffer so much? Invite the lady of your heart for a candlelit dinner, and then use her stocking. By asking permission, of course!
Dip part of the nylon stocking into the paint can and dip the brush straight through it. The paint will be completely used, and you will forget about the film. There is no need to wash the stocking and give it to the owner.
- About windows and doors
Before painting frames and doors, they must be washed. To easily remove stains after painting, wipe the glass with an onion cut in half or a cloth soaked in vinegar. Don't let the smell bother you. You will definitely thank you later when the paint can be easily removed from the glass.
- About wallpaper
Now imagine that you have hung wallpaper for children. We tried so hard to create comfort and beauty for your child, and then there’s a misfortune - a bubble. This happens often.
Don't despair!
Arm yourself with a regular syringe with glue. Poke the swelling with a needle, squeeze out a little glue and smooth it out with a wallpaper spatula. That's it, the enemy is defeated!
- About nails
Without soap, as folk craftsmen say, you can’t even hammer a nail. It turns out that if you need to drive a nail into fairly hard wood, cover it with soap or oil. And you will really remember kind words and repair tips, and everyone who shares them. We hope, of course, that we will be among the last!
- About the ceiling and wallpaper roller
It is difficult to glue wallpaper to the ceiling. For this would be better suited large roller with a long handle. Well, what if you only have a small one left?
Don't rush headlong into the store. Take a cardboard paper towel roll, make a hole in it, insert a long stick into it and wrap the whole structure with tape. Yes, this roller will not spin, but in this case you don’t need it. The hand will not fall off, and this is the main thing!
- About tiles
But, for example, in order to prevent unnecessary splits and breakage tiles, keep it in water for 45 minutes. In the bathroom or in a large basin. After such a “swim”, the tiles will become easier to cut and will not break.
Well, for a snack in this block of repair tricks →
- Try playing Terminator!
Yeah, what does an American superhero have to do with repair advice? And the most direct thing.
Find a magnetic bracelet and put it on your hand. And then no iron detail will be hidden from your magnetic hand.
Elementary!
WE CONCLUSION
Of course, it is better to trust complex design and renovation of apartments to professionals. But even before them, you can safely trump one of the repair tips that you just read.
We do not claim the scale of our brief instructions.
And it is simply impossible to cover all existing folk tricks and tricks. But we hope that we were able to tell you something new and useful.
For some, the need to renovate their apartment causes a reaction that is far from positive. It comes first financial side question. A painstaking calculation of funds begins, with a distinction between the purchase of materials and payment for the services of specialized construction teams.
Repairs may be cosmetic and limited to painting, wrapping and updating appearance. And it can be major with the replacement of electrical wiring, plumbing and installation of modern acrylic baths.
The process of renovating an apartment itself is perceived as a long period of time with many inconveniences. The result ultimately turns from desired to hard-won, and instead of a feeling of satisfaction, a feeling of fatigue and detachment arises.
The situation is completely different for people with imaginative thinking. Having visually imagined what the apartment will look like after finishing, they are easier to part with their money, in the hope of quickly seeing everything with their own eyes.
People from this same category, who are not burdened with funds, often resort to the services of designers. Master designer home interior with the help computer programs can develop a 3D view of the apartment. In many ways, this method is considered a strong incentive to action, since it allows you to see the results of the work in advance.
However, people who are purposeful and have high inner enthusiasm never give up, even in a situation where there is a severe limitation of funds. For such people, the way out is to carry out partial or complete repairs on their own.
Some people choose a thorough capital design of housing with redevelopment, while for others it is enough to carry out inexpensive repair in the apartment, which is more often called cosmetic.
Stages of repairs
When deciding where to start renovating an apartment, some people think that they first need to purchase materials and tools. In general, this is correct, but in order to spend money correctly and not buy too much, you need to make preliminary calculations. Calculate the basic geometric parameters of each room: height, length and width. Determine the sizes of window and door openings.
The data obtained will help determine the exact scope of work and calculate the amount of each type of building material.
When deciding to make a global change internal view apartments on your own, you must first draw up a step-by-step plan. It is a properly developed plan, including a phased renovation of the apartment, that becomes the key to successful work processes.
The first step will be dismantling work:
- scrap fencing interior walls and partitions to expand space;
- dismantling wooden windows to replace them with plastic double-glazed windows;
- removing door panels or complete dismantling door frames.
- removal of old floor coverings;
- dismantling wall coverings or clearing walls of paint compounds;
- clearing or blurring ceilings.
Categories of complexity of work processes
The most labor-intensive work is considered to be screeding the floors and plastering the walls. It can be especially difficult to deal with surfaces endowed with a large number changes. Some of them can be eliminated by knocking them down with a hammer, but only a leveling screed or similar plaster layer can truly save the situation.
To carry out high-quality straightening of wall surfaces, plaster beacons are used. To do this, buy aluminum slats or metal pipes of small square or rectangular cross-section.
In the first case, the material is inexpensive, but when purchasing, you should know that when you remove the slats from the seams after the plaster has dried, they can no longer be used again.
Metal pipes are more expensive, but the percentage of their preservation after dismantling is much higher. In addition, some people prefer to leave them in the solution for a stronger layer.
The most in an economical way To achieve evenness of the screed is the installation of mortar beacons on the floors. But this process is very painstaking and only those who have the appropriate skills can decide on it.
The simplest type of work is painting. At least that's what the majority thinks. The opinion is both right and wrong. The truth of the statement lies in carrying out the final process, that is, the painting itself, using quality tools.
Paint rollers and brushes, plastic trays with meshes for rolling rollers. By working with high-quality tools, you can avoid smudges on the walls and the appearance of vertical paint stripes.
Capturing an impression
For the sake of interest and to confirm their personal participation, a large number of people take before and after photos of their apartment renovation. Sometimes this results in a whole series of photographs with separate initial and final views of each room.
Some amateurs post photos on the Internet because today it is considered a fashionable activity, while others simply use them to view with friends and acquaintances. In any case, a photo of an apartment renovation done with your own hands is not only a memory, but also a confirmation of personal skill.
Photo of apartment renovation with your own hands
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Part 1: plan, team, agreement
My husband and I bought an apartment without finishing and received the keys in early June. We had 2 months, 350 thousand rubles, one technical supervision engineer and a team of workers from Tajikistan for repairs.
Svetlana Akhmadishina
finished the renovation
We began preparing the basis for repairs three months before the keys were issued: we found out the prices for building materials in large chains, selected plumbing and finishing materials. We haven't ordered anything yet, we just made a wish list.
We knew we needed high-quality repairs no frills: simple eco-friendly materials and functional furniture. There was no need for gold tapestries, carved door handles and designer chandeliers made of cast iron. Thanks to this approach, even at the preparation stage we had a clear action plan and a full understanding of what we ultimately wanted to do in the apartment.
I’ll tell you how we met the deadline and went over budget by only 15 thousand rubles.
Team
We bought an apartment in a new building in a new area, the houses here are rented out in phases. In our phase, 10 houses were handed over at once, all of them needed to be renovated. Therefore, there were many repair teams.
Superintendents look for clients at the management company's office when residents are given keys. In new buildings like ours, superintendents can show apartments in which renovation is underway right now.
We met three foremen. The first two gave us leaflets with prices, and the third immediately offered to see the apartment in operation. We asked to see several more objects at different stages of renovation. So we got a first-hand look at how the team performs rough work, how they install plumbing, and met the workers who will be involved in the renovation of our apartment.
If there are no crews in the area, several potential contractors are invited to the site. Meetings are scheduled back-to-back so that foremen bump into each other at the door. This is how they compare qualifications and bargain with those with whom they want to work.
This is how the qualifications of workers are usually assessed.
By project- it’s good if you have the opportunity to see the object live or, at worst, in a photograph. If you get to the site, look at the corners, joints and any difficult places: they show how the team works.
There is no point in looking at an evenly painted wall - look at the joints with the floor and ceiling. Look at how the sockets are installed, how the tiles are worn, what is going on under the sink or sink, what the places where the pipes enter the wall look like. In renovation, the devil is in the details.
By communication- for this, it is convenient to connect a third party, so that a specialist from the customer’s side evaluates the qualifications of the workers, asks questions about what materials the craftsmen will use and what technology they will use. If you don’t have friends savvy in this matter, welcome to technical supervision.
Technical supervision
If there is not enough experience in repairs, an outside specialist is invited to select a team and evaluate the work. This could be a builder or a technical supervision engineer. We found such a specialist on the Internet.
Our engineer qualified as a civil engineer in the 70s and has been working in the construction industry ever since. We agreed that he would come to pass the draft stage.
A third party in the repair is invited to individual stages or for the entire period of repair. Technical supervision of an apartment renovation in Moscow costs from 4,000 rubles per visit, the price depends on the distance from the Moscow Ring Road, the area of the facility and how often the work needs to be monitored.
4000 R
costs at least one visit of a technical supervision specialist in Moscow
It is bad to involve technical supervision suddenly or in the middle of work. Our engineer told how he was hired at the end of the renovation, when 60% of the work had already been accepted and paid for. He made a bunch of comments, the workers got scared, dropped everything and naturally ran away. Therefore, before starting work, the foreman is warned that technical supervision will be involved in the acceptance of the stages.
Price
To calculate the cost of repairs, a foreman is invited to the site. The customer describes the work in detail: indicates the location of sockets, the plan for moving sinks in the kitchen, the location of plumbing fixtures, wiring, the location of lamps on the ceiling and walls.
To make it easier for the foreman to understand the client, they show a design project or a selection of photographs of apartments whose decoration they like. The foreman measures the area of each room, the height of the ceilings, and assesses the condition of the apartment before renovation. Expensive work includes replacing radiators, insulating balconies, soundproofing rooms, replacing double-glazed windows, and remodeling. After this, the foreman draws up a list of work and gives the cost of work and materials.
All the same can be done for you by a good interior designer who takes care of estimates, measurements and engineering plans. He may not give the final price of the work, but at least he will accurately determine all the areas, lengths and volumes for which the foreman will make his calculations.
This assessment scheme works in new buildings. In older buildings, the cost is more difficult to calculate: it depends on the degree of wear and tear of the apartment. They evaluate the wear and calculate the amount of work finally; when the floor is opened, the condition is visible load-bearing structures, wiring and plumbing pipes. Therefore on initial stage the cost of dismantling is calculated, and the exact amount of reconstruction and rough finishing work is determined after all the shortcomings of the room become visible.
We have a one-room apartment in a new building without finishing. We planned to spend 350 thousand rubles including work and materials. The foreman estimated the work alone at 240 thousand. It was expensive for us: we didn’t have enough to buy materials.
RUB 350,000
our planned budget for the renovation of a one-room apartment
When we realized that we couldn’t meet the budget for the work, we crossed out what we could do ourselves or put off for the future. We took care of the insulation of the balcony, laying the laminate flooring, puttying and painting of the walls. They decided to do the ceiling in the room later. As a result, the cost of the work decreased to 140 thousand, or 3,600 rubles per square meter.
We planned 90 thousand for the purchase of materials for rough work, 120 thousand for finishing work, so we met the budget - 350 thousand rubles.
How to reduce the cost of work
They ask for a discount on work. You need to understand that builders give discounts simply from their own pockets, so pushing them hard may turn out to be more expensive.
Builders with low qualifications are chosen. Teams with little experience and no own equipment, are cheaper. In this case, the customer will have to take on the role of an expert. It will be necessary to consult externally, delve into each stage of work in detail and often come to the site.
Refusing some work or change technology. Leveling walls is an expensive job. If indoors uneven wall, but the customer knows that he will install a built-in wardrobe in this area; a perfectly flat surface may not be needed - however, you must first consult with the company that will make the wardrobe.
Save on materials. Builders do not recommend saving on electrical cables, plumbing fittings and distribution pipes. The quality of these materials is checked after the repair is completed. If the materials turn out to be bad, you will have to dismantle and start the finishing process again. You can save on materials for finishing; you can buy plaster not for 600 rubles per bag, but for 350 rubles. Or put on the floor not a parquet board for 5 thousand, but a laminate for a thousand.
Customers undertake some of the work themselves. Save on dismantling floor and wall coverings. If there is enough experience and free time, customers retain part of the finishing work, wallpapering, laminate and baseboard installation.
Do you need an interior designer?
There is such a profession - interior designer. If this good specialist, he will take care of three aspects: aesthetics, working drawings and materials with packaging.
Aesthetics- this is what the apartment will look like: what color it will be, what fabrics it will be made of, how everything will fundamentally look, how and where the furniture will be, what size it will be approximately. This is the general feeling of the apartment. Good interior designers make collages and visualizations so that you can imagine the result of the renovation in advance.
Working drawings- This is a plan for floors, walls, tiles, ceilings, electrical, lighting and anything else that is required for your apartment. The designer draws this up in drawings so that you don’t point your finger at the foreman about how to build. This is important: today you showed him a socket in one place, and tomorrow it will appear in another and no one will prove anything.
Tile and plumbing fixtures are especially useful in shop drawings. The designer directly lays out tiles of the required size from the required corners, avoids dangerous joints, and lays curbs. If you need complex tiling work in the bathroom or kitchen, you must have such a plan: otherwise you will be left with a bunch of unnecessary tiles and scraps, and in the end everything will not come together.
Electrical planning also needs to be done in advance: so that the sockets are where they are needed, and not behind the cabinet; so that you don’t have to throw extension cords around the apartment, and the sockets themselves don’t get covered with tees. The designer determines that, for example, there will be a TV area here. He thinks: we need sockets for the panel, receiver, speakers, set-top box, Apple TV and three more spare ones. The designer designs a block for 8 sockets in this place and carefully hides it from view.
Equipment and materials- the designer selects specific articles of wallpaper, tiles, coverings, furniture and lamps, often with prices. The result is a table of what and where to buy. Typically, designers select items from expensive salons, from which they receive a commission. In some cases, you can agree to draw up a bill of materials for furniture from Ikea and wallpaper from Leroy Merlin, but we don’t believe in that.
The main question is: should you contact a designer or is it better to do it all yourself?
Usually the answer is this: if you have expensive materials and generally expensive repairs in big apartment, then be sure to contact the designer. If you are limited in everything and your apartment is small, then it’s better to have the whole design work do it yourself: draw the same working drawings and choose the materials yourself.
You can find a designer who will look at your plans and drawings and suggest something for a reasonable fee. Be sure to convey your wishes and show the drawings to the technical supervision engineer: he will tell you where your wishes are unrealistic.
2500 R
per m² is the work of a normal interior designer in Moscow, according to our experience
The cost of designer services in Moscow starts from 1000 rubles per square meter and goes to infinity. A good designer can be found for 2,500 rubles per square meter - this is not much less than our entire renovation budget per meter. So we did everything ourselves.
Agreement
In Russia, we can enter into an agreement with a citizen of Tajikistan if he has a residence permit, temporary residence permit or work patent.
Each of these documents allows you to work in Russia for a certain period:
- residence permit is valid for 5 years;
- temporary residence permit - 3 years;
- A work patent is purchased for a limited period from a month to a year; the patent can be renewed without restrictions.
If you don’t have any of the documents, it’s bad: a foreign citizen cannot work without these documents. A migrant who does not have documents may be deported from the country, and all obligations and contract agreements will have no legal force.
Our foreman has a residence permit and can work in any region of Russia. A temporary residence permit and a patent provide the opportunity to work only in the region in which they are issued.
We entered into an agreement with him, indicating the start and completion dates of the work, responsibility for failure to meet deadlines and delays in payment for work, and the terms of warranty service after the commissioning of the facility.
Payment for repairs in three stages
In the contract we indicated the total cost of the work and divided the payment into three parts. We agreed that we would contribute money after each stage was completed.
The technical supervision engineer advised us to divide the payments like this: 30% + 30% + 40%. This motivates workers to deliver work on time. The rough stage of work must be carried out strictly according to technology; alterations will be expensive and will result in the cost of a new repair. The finishing stage in our case is very simple, there are no complex materials. It is beneficial for workers to do high-quality rough work and not waste time and effort on correcting defects.
A large sum was allocated for the last stage. As a result, the final finishing went quickly and the workers received the final payment.
They paid like this:
- First stage, 20 days - 42,000 rubles.
- Second stage, 27 days - 42,000 rubles.
- Third stage, 14 days - 56,000 rubles.
How they deceive
We included risks in the last payment: poor-quality repairs, missed deadlines and other troubles, including the disappearance of the contractor. There are popular deception schemes in the repair services market.
The workers receive an advance and disappear. Therefore, the work is paid in stages. The payment procedure is prescribed in the contract, a detailed work plan is indicated in the estimate, each stage is closed with work acceptance certificates, and payment for the stage is made after the act is signed. If defects are found, the builders eliminate them, the customer accepts the work again and only then pays for it. If the advance still needs to be transferred, you need to document the transfer of money.
The workers take money to buy materials and disappear. The customer can independently purchase all materials according to the foreman’s list. But to speed up the process, the purchase of materials for the first stage is entrusted to the contractor. In this case, workers purchase materials at their own expense, deliver and unload them at the site. The customer checks what was purchased using sales receipts and returns the money to the contractor. Separately negotiate the purchase expensive materials, for them the contractor transfers the entire amount or the main part.
The workers perform the bulk of the work, receive 80% of the payment and disappear after a third party appears in the reception. This happens if you involve an outside builder, engineer or technical supervision specialist in the work. Workers receive complaints about the quality of work already completed and paid for, do not want to eliminate shortcomings and disappear. To prevent this from happening, the team is warned that from the beginning of the repair or at one of the stages the work will be monitored by a third party.
In the next article I will tell you directly about the repair itself: how to prepare estimates, purchase materials, control deadlines and accept work.
Remember
- The team is selected based on their portfolio or reviews on the craftsmen’s website. If it is possible to see the object in action, they evaluate it live.
- If you don’t have the time or desire to supervise the repair yourself, hire a technical supervision specialist. He helps select a contractor, conducts interviews, takes charge of communicating with builders, controls the stages and visits the site two to three times a week. An engineer is hired one-time or for full cycle repair.
- To conclude an agreement with a foreigner, documents are checked. The migrant must have a residence permit, temporary residence permit or work patent. If the contractor has a work permit or patent, the region is checked: the contractor has the right to work in the region where the patent or work permit was issued.
- To reduce the cost of work, they choose contractors with low qualifications, ask for a discount on the work, remove dismantling from the estimate, or take on part of the work themselves.
- Payment for work is divided into stages so that most accounted for the completion of the work.
