Home Remodeling

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    5 Popular Home Projects You Should Skip This Summer and Save for Winter

    ByPatricia Shannon

    Summertime is an excellent opportunity to get a head start on a few home improvement projects, but not every job benefits from the heat and humidity of the season. Bubbling paint, unsafe temperatures in the attic, and waiting for more comfortable working conditions are all reasons you should consider putting off certain jobs this summer. And before you think you’re off the hook from any DIY renovations this season, we rounded up a few that are worth focusing on now, while the weather is warm and favorable for outdoor work. Ron Shimek is the president of Mr. Handyman, a Neighborly company, a leading provider of property maintenance, repair, and improvement services. 5 Projects to Skip This Summer and Save for Winter Ron Shimek of Mr. Handyman shares his top picks for home improvement to-dos that are better left for winter. 1. Fixture and Hardware Upgrades While you’re spending time indoors during the winter, you might notice more things about your house that you want to change or upgrade, or you might be looking for quick and easy ways to add more interest, personality, and style to your home. Swapping out your fixtures and hardware can give your home a fresh look in a matter of minutes, and you can stay warm indoors while you work. “Upgrading light fixtures, cabinet pulls, door handles, or even installing smart home devices can significantly enhance your home’s aesthetic and functionality without being weather-dependent,” explains Shimek. 2. Insulation and Weather Stripping Spending time in your attic messing with insulation in the summer is probably the last thing you want to do, but there are other reasons to put off this project until cooler weather arrives. In the winter, you’ll be better able to identify cold spots leaking in from damaged weather stripping and other flaws in your home’s insulation. Additionally, there will be no delay in feeling the effects of a job well done. “You’ll immediately feel the impact of improved insulation and sealed drafts as your home becomes warmer and your heating bills potentially decrease,” says Shimek. 3. Interior Painting Painting the interior of your home during the summertime can come with a few obstacles, one of which is humidity. Moisture is a major culprit in sabotaging paint drying time. When paint doesn’t dry properly, it can lead to bubbles, cracking, and mildew issues if you’re not careful. Although Shimek says some ventilation is needed to help the paint dry during the winter, the lower humidity levels go a long way in getting walls and ceilings dry in a reasonable amount of time. Plus, the home project pro says it’s a great way to give your living spaces a fresh look during a season when you’ll be spending a lot of time inside. 4. Minor Remodels The key here is minor, as you’ll likely spend a lot of time indoors during the winter, so whatever construction you do will likely happen while the whole family is underfoot. It is best to schedule these projects during the winter when the weather can be unstable. “These indoor projects don’t rely on good weather and can significantly improve the comfort and functionality of your home during the months you use them most,” says Shimek. Low-key bath and kitchen remodels are both projects you can move from your summertime to-do list to your wintertime schedule. 5. Dryer Vent and Chimney Cleaning “These are crucial safety projects, especially as you begin to use your dryer more frequently and your fireplace for warmth,” says Shimek. Hiring professionals to clean your dryer vent can reduce your fire risk, while a professional chimney cleaning can prevent creosote buildup. Creosote is a tar-like byproduct of smoke from wood-burning fires that forms on the interior of the chimney. It can be a fire hazard and a health risk. Get these projects squared away early in the season to ensure your home is safe and prepared for the cold weather ahead. Related 5 Projects to Do Instead This Summer When the weather is nice and you are eager for a home improvement project, get a jump on these projects that are ideal for summertime. 1. Exterior Painting Hold off on exterior painting until days when the temperature is warm and the humidity is low. In some areas, particularly in the South, this might mean starting or completing the project early or late in the season, when the weather is moderate. These conditions are ideal for allowing paint to dry properly without cracking, bubbling, or mildew issues, says Shimek. 2. Deck and Patio Refinishing One bonus of the summer heat is how quickly it dries surfaces, like when a sudden summer rainstorm hits and the puddles vanish before our eyes after the sun comes out. It turns out that this phenomenon is also beneficial when it comes to pressure washing, staining, sealing, and sanding patios and decks. Shimek says the warm, dry conditions help the materials dry properly, which means they should last longer. 3. Window and Door Work Consider any window-related projects for another early- or late-season job. “Replacing windows and exterior doors is less disruptive when the weather is mild, as it exposes the interior of your home to the elements for a period,” says Shimek. He also advises replacing or repairing window screens during this time. 4. Gutter Repair and Installation Summer is a great time to repair, install, and clean out your gutters. “With less rain and

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    3 Things I Learned Hanging Grasscloth Wallpaperand 1 Big Mistake to Avoid

    ByLauren Bengtson

    Grasscloth wallpaper is notoriously difficult to install. Real grasscloth wallpaper is made from natural fibers like jute, hemp, arrowroot, or seagrass, which are handwoven and backed with paper. The organic construction is super fragile (it tears more easily than vinyl or synthetic papers), and the natural fibers actually absorb adhesive and moisture, which poses the risk of staining or warping. On top of that, grasscloth wallpaper is super difficult to trim because the natural fibers fray when cut, making clean edges very hard to achieve. You also only have one chance to apply it to the wall, as  repositioning can stretch or damage the delicate paper backing and fibers. Now, I have my fair share of experience installing wallpaper. That said: If you’re not experienced with wallpaper, definitely call a professional before attempting grasscloth. Call me crazy, but I actually love putting up wallpaper. I’ve installed almost every kind: ultra-patterned, textured vinyls, peel-and-stick—you name it. But I’ll admit, I was nervous to attempt grasscloth. I knew it can be finicky (and I can be a little clumsy) but I figured that I’m relatively experienced with wallpaper, so I’d give it a shot. Here are the top 3 things I learned—plus one huge mistake to avoid. Key Takeaways Real grasscloth wallpaper, made from natural fibers like jute or seagrass, is extremely fragile and sensitive to moisture, paste, and pressure. Prep and precision are everything: successful installation depends on meticulous preparation. Patience pays off (but it’s not for beginners). Even for an experienced wallpaperer, installing grasscloth was time-consuming and mentally taxing. Credit: David Tsay 1. Do: Paste the Paper and the Wall Most grasscloth wallpapers will call for the paste the paper method, where you apply the paste directly to the back of the wallpaper. Actually pasting the grasscloth is probably the stickiest part of the process, figuratively and literally. You need to find the sweet spot. Too much and you risk it seeping out the seams and staining the edges, but you need enough to make the wallpaper pliable and have it actually stick to the wall.  To get the right amount, I used a foam roller to apply the paste (I used Roman’s Ultra-Premium Clear Pro 880), then used a brush to do the edges. I made sure to apply enough that the wallpaper would actually stick to the wall, but not too much that would pool under the paper. Evenly spread coats are key; avoid leaving spots with excess, pooling paste. This will create problems later on. After I booked the panel (a common paste-the-paper step that allows the wallpaper to absorb the paste and expand before being hung on the wall) I used the roller to apply a small amount of paste (I’m talking an ultra-thin layer) to the wall. This way, I knew my seams would be well-covered and hopefully avoided the need to go back and re-paste the edges. It also gave me a little bit more “give”, letting me very gently slide the wallpaper in place without risking stretching or tearing it. Once its up, use a wallpaper roller (not a flat smoothing tool, which can damage the paper) to smooth it out. Cut the overage with a super sharp knife. If you have any paste that comes out of the sides, use a paper towel to wipe it out and away from the wallpaper. Do not let any paste touch the front of the paper as it’s impossible to remove. Related 2. Do: Cut Before You Paste Regular wallpaper (not grasscloth) is usually quite pliable and easy to cut. Grasscloth is not. It’s very (very, very) difficult to work around beams, doorways, and corners. That said: I recommend cutting the wallpaper panels to size before you paste them to the wall. This crucial step seems like a headache but will save you so much time in the long run. Use super sharp, clean scissors to cut the wallpaper panels, then use a very sharp knife to trim the edges once it’s up. If you’re working in an inside corner, cut two separate panels that join together. (However, if you’re wrapping around a corner, work with a single large panel.) Make sure your knife always stays sharp as you work. Dull knives risk damaging the paper and make for messy, frayed edges. 3. Do: Plan Panels Before You Start Unlike regular wallpaper, grasscloth is not all the same. Because its handmade from natural fibers, every single roll is different and color can vary from one roll to the next. That said, plan your roll transitions carefully. When you’re wallpapering a large focal wall, use as much of the same roll as you can, with the main panels coming from the same roll. If you were to use one panel from one roll and another from the next in the center of a focal wall, you risk a major color difference right in the middle of the room. While these natural imperfections and color variations are the draw, beauty, and charm of grasscloth, it’s still important to make sure the final look feels cohesive.  Try to plan your room so that you’re transitioning from roll to roll in inconspicuous areas like corners or behind curtains or pieces of furniture. That way, a major color difference or seam ins’t as noticeable. While we want to be able to see each individual panel and the natural changes, major variations