It’s no secret house maintenance is a year-round struggle. However, a fall home improvement project can be a fun reprieve from the monotonous hassle of home care and be more affordable than one thinks.
Fall comes hand-in-hand with chilly weather and most home improvement projects move indoors. It’s also a reason Gino Mediati of Pacific Ace Hardware sees a seasonal surge of painting projects this time of year.
“It’s pretty common to see indoor painting as the weather changes,” Mediati said. “Paint is something that can transform a room at a relatively low cost and makes a huge impact.”
When it comes to painting, one doesn’t simply buy some paint and start slathering it on the walls. First and foremost comes preparation to ensure you don’t paint the furniture and floors as well as the walls.
“It’s all about preparation work. If you don’t start with a clean space and start putting paint on something that’s not prepped correctly, you can’t go back after it’s on,” Mediati warned against hasty-painting. “It’s about having the right tools and taping off anything you don’t want painted and spreading plastic across the furniture. Do the patching then the painting.”
Safety should also be kept in mind when tackling home improvement projects. From ladder placement for hard-to-reach places to keeping paint out of reach of pets and children, safety is of paramount importance.
“Standard latex house paint is low in volatile organic compounds. That’s the bad fumes and stuff that’s bad for the environment,” Mediati explained. “Half of the paint in the store has zero VOC’s. The rest of it is super low. That’s California state law.”
Other fall tasks
Beyond the indoor painting projects, Mediati mentioned a host of other maintenance tasks t0 be aware of.
“Other important things to remember in this time of year would be preparing the exterior and yard for the winter,” Mediati said. “With the water conditions we have, it’s a good idea to mulch your landscape to keep water in the soil. As mulch breaks down it feeds nutrients into the soil. You can also fertilize your lawn by using the mulching attachment on your mower.”
When it comes down to it, home improvement projects come down to imagination and budget. The internet has a variety of resources that can teach one how to tackle just about any home improvement enterprise. One such resource is acehardware.com. Just punch in your local store and the website will tell you what’s in stock.
However, if one opts to go about things the old fashioned way, one can just head down Main Street to Pacific Ace Hardware with any and all questions. Mediati and his staff are ready and willing to help.
