When you have a bit more time over the summer holidays or are able to work outside, many people reserve some DIY jobs for the summer months and the home improvement bug certainly hits when the weather improves and we see our home in a different light, literally. For some this might mean fitting a new kitchen if you are ambitious, super handy and multi-skilled, while the popularity of installing a hot tub at home is definitely catching on with those who like a bit of luxury, but for many a simple bit of painting and decorating is sufficient.
If you have an older, more traditional property, however, a great DIY job can be restoring your period features, or where necessary replacing them. A period property is a wonderful thing, often resplendent in elegant, quality-made and original features, but they can sometimes show the true passing of time and can deteriorate in structure and appearance even if they were ‘built to last’ much better than such features are today.
Popular home DIY jobs for period properties
Popular home DIY jobs for period properties include restoring a feature fireplace in a living room, drawing room or dining room, or revealing and restoring parquet flooring that has been hidden underneath carpet for years. It is also quite a task to sand and restore a staircase with elegant bannisters and spindles, which can often extend over three storeys.
These are all jobs which require some research before you even start, so that you ensure you are using the right sanding materials and the right brushes, stains, varnishes and paints to revive, restore or change the colours you want to see. Most woods can be sanded and recovered quite easily, but only if you use the right materials will that coating look its best, withstand damage and maintain its appearance long term.
You should apply these same thought processes to other period features in the home. Internal doors are just as visible as fireplaces, floors and staircases, but perhaps less attention is paid to features such as architrave, skirting boards, rails or mouldings. These might be considered peripheral features, but restore or replace them badly and you will notice it every day and even by the end of summer you’ll be regretting your DIY naivety.
How to restore period features
Colour schemes are important in terms of making rooms and corridors flow into each other, while you can have subtle or bold contrasts depending on your tastes. And if you are looking to replace your skirtings or architraves, it is important to be consistent. These kind of features catch the eye more than you think, so if you have Victorian features, but replace them with Edwardian, for example – with different profiles and thicknesses – you will notice straight away, and so will everyone else.
So it is important to choose the right design period and to be consistent in how you install replacement mouldings, so that rooms have flow and are easy on the eye. However skilled you are at DIY, the old adage that the key is in the preparation is very much appropriate when talking about restoring or replacing period features. So you can choose replacement architrave, skirting, rails or mouldings from our range here at Period Mouldings, but you can also call our expert sales team for advice on your home DIY project and what materials you should use. We are only too happy to help, so get in touch today.