100
1 Add carved corbels
under your breakfast bar.
Check salvage yards for
E YOUR
SAV Victorian-era ones with patina.
$
Two 30-inch-high-by-19-inch-
deep Queen Annestyle corbels,
$95; capitolsalvage.com
MON E Y
EO
SAV UR
2 Plant an evergreen
screen on the north side
of your house to block winter
winds. Arborvitae Green
DIY
Giant can climb 3 feet in
RE
S O U R CE S one year, $92 for two;
jacksonandperkins.com
PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) KELLER & KELLER; BETH SINGER; ELLEN M C DERMOTT. STYLING: (PUT UP A CHANDELIER) ROSEALEE MARTINEZ; (HANG A BAMBOO SHADE) ANNIE KLEENE
UPGRADES
FOR UNDER
$100
Invest a little and get a
big improvement in how 3 Suspend a chandelier
in the laundry room for
your home looks and feels.
a bit of sophistication in an
unexpected place. White Capiz
The editors at This Old House pendant with cord kit, similar
to shown above, $80;
give you their top tips worldmarket.com
4 Wall-mount a row of
hooks above your
kitchen counter to keep dish
towels and measuring cups at
100 THISOLDHOUSE.COM October 2009
the ready. Polished chrome
Alno utility hooks, $8 each;
knobsandhardware.com
5 Fit an undermount sink
with a cutting board for
more prep space. Measure the
length and width of the basin,
adding 12 inch to each side. Trim
a piece of butcher block to size
with a jigsaw. Then create a lip
around its underside so that it
will rest on the edge of the
counter. 18-by-12-inch maple
block, $86; butcherblockco.com
3 13
PUT UP A
CHANDELIER
6 Display your flat-screen
TV on a tabletop easel with
adjustable clamps. Academy
Deluxe Table Top Easel, $80;
madisonartshop.com
7 Wallpaper a door. Use
paper and paste left over
from a big job to dress up door
panels, letting stiles and rails
frame the decoration. For slab
doors, trace a shape on the
back of the paper, cut it out,
and center it on the door.
No cost
8
HANG A
BAMBOO
SHADE
8 Hang natural fiber
shades to highlight the
transition between indoors and
outdoors and help insulate
windows. 23-by-72-inch
Bamboo Roman Shade,
similar to shown at right,
$26; target.com
9
Turn a closet into a home
office. Unhinge the door and
trade hanging rods for shelves
a deep one for the desktop and Polish up an entry hall
two shallow ones above for with a dirt-grabbing
storage. One 20-by-24-by- 34 - doormat to protect the finish on
inch and two 12-by-24-by- 34- wood floors. Chilewich woven
inch white melamine shelves, vinyl mats wash out in the sink.
metal standards, and shelf $50; crateandbarrel.com
brackets, all by Elfa, $95;
containerstore.com
14 Flank your sofa with
matching pendants to
10 Remove the doors
on a bank of upper
cabinets, then paint the
open up space on end tables.
Two Eden pendant lamps with
drum-style fabric shades,
interiors for instant open $99.90; cb2.com
shelving. 1 gallon of Elements
Zero VOC 100 percent acrylic
15 Tone down brassy
paint with a washable hardware. 8-ounce
semigloss sheen, $35; bottle of Brass Antiquing
californiapaints.com Solution, $7; constantines.com
11 Create cubbies in a
bookcase. Cut vertical
dividers to the depth of the
16 Add a shelf above a
doorway, paint it to
match the trim, then use it to
unit minus 34 inch, and secure display pottery. 40-inch-long
them in place with glue and 1x6 red oak shelf and two 7-inch
finish nails. Face dividers Classic Oak Brackets, $32;
with 1x1 trim flush with the rockler.com
shelf fronts. One sheet
of 34-inch plywood and
three 1x1 strips,$26; 17 Build in
a soap
homedepot.com dispenser beside
the kitchen faucet
12 Install
a new
to keep that
Palmolive bottle
doorbell.
The Lighted
out of sight.
Whitehauss
Visitors Button
shown at right will
Beluga Soap/Lotion
Dispenser in polished
impress your guests. 12 nickel, $90;
$70; rejuvenation.com Add a doorbell kitchensource.com
 100
UPGRADES
18 Install a vintage-look
ceiling fan to recirculate
warmed air in winter. Reverse
the blades spin to lower summer
cooling costs. 52-inch Energy
Star Capri with tarnished
oiled-bronze finish, shown at
right, $90; lampsplus.com
19 Plant a mass of bulbs
with grasslike foliage in
your lawn. Early-spring bloomers
will be ready to mow when your
turf perks up. 100 scilla siberica
bulbs, similar to shown below,
under $20; johnscheepers.com
20 Add floating wall-
mount shelves in place
of a bookcase to free up valuable
floor real estate. The shelves
hidden hardware gives them a
sleek, airy look. 3-foot-long wood
Chunky Wall Shelf, $34 each;
westelm.com
19
PLANT A
BULB
MEADOW
21 Hideathrough-wallair
conditioner inside a
stock kitchen cabinet you can
close when the units not in use.
Paint the cabinet the same color
as your walls so itll disappear,
or choose wood-veneer doors to
mimic a pricey built-in. 36-by-18-
inch Akurum fan cabinet with
oak-veneer doors, $88; ikea.com
22 Adhere rubber floor
tiles to the wall for a
lively waterproof backsplash in
a kids bathroom. Coat the tile
backs with adhesive and stick
them up. BR Profile Studded
Tiles in 20 colors, $4.25 per
square foot; rubberfloors.com
23 Make small windows
look larger by hanging
drapes at ceiling height. Pair of
108-inch Brimfield 4-in-1 Panel
Drapes in Carafe, $70;
jcpenney.com
24
Paint your front door
a vibrant color, such
as a rich red, for a more
welcoming entry. 1 gallon of
RedSeal Exterior Latex
Eggshell House & Trim paint,
$25; prattandlambert.com
25 Swap out a plain
powder room
doorknob for a vintage glass
sparkler. Leave the hallway-
facing knob in place for a unified
look with the rest of your doors.
Multifaceted 1900s glass knob
with a brass shank that fits most
spindles, $38; lahardware.com
26 Use a louvered
shutter to sort mail.
Mount it on the wall, stick
letters and bills in the slots.
Unfinished 12-by-41-inch
Western red cedar
39
ARRAY
TOWELS ON
A LADDER
18
Install a fan
with patina
below, $89; theweather
vanefactory.com
tub claw-foot, as bookends.
Salvaged tub foot; $20;
oldhouseparts.com
36 Put a trellis over an
exterior window for
clematis to climb on. Coat
fixed-louver shutter, decorative wood brackets with
$91; shuttercraft.com primer, then paint and secure
27 Hide home office
wiring behind a
them to the studs on either side
of the window with deck screws.
For the top, rip a piece of 54x6
beadboard panel in the knee-
hole at the back of your desk.
Velcro the panel to blocking
red cedar decking into three
strips, space them evenly
across the brackets, and secure
31
mounted on the rear legs or Put a with trim-head screws. Two
sides of your desk so that you
can pop it off to access the
outlet. 4-by-8-foot sheet of
weather vane
on your
roof
Victorian wood brackets, $38;
premierwood.com. Deck board,
fasteners, preservative, and
39 Use a ladder as a
bath-towel rack. Lean
it against a wall and sling bath
41 Paint worn vinyl
flooring to look like
stone tile. Use two similar colors
plywood beadboard, paint, $42; doitbest.com sheets and washcloths over for the stones and white paint
$20; lowes.com its rungs. The white metal to create faux grout lines. Seal
28 Cover a scuffed
kitchen toekick with 32 Trim out your
staircase with
37 Lower your art to eye
level, about 64 inches
from the floor. Reposition
ladder shown above is new.
For even more character, try a
colorful, vintage five-rung
the surface with three coats of
polyurethane. 2 quarts of
Valspar latex Porch and Floor
stainless-look peel-and-stick decorative brackets fastened to 17 pieces with the OOK wood ladder, $43; paint and 1 quart of Cabot Water
laminate strips. 6-inch-high the outside of the stringer just Valu-Pak Pro Hanging Kit. arusticgarden.com Based Polyurethane, $54;
PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) ELLEN MCDERMOTT; DAVID PRINCE; JASON BERNHAUT. STYLING: (ARRAY TOWELS ON A LADDER) MATTHEW MATTIELLO
toekick cover, $12 per linear below the treads. Paintable $9; ooks.com lowes.com. One 4-ounce tube of
foot; doors2me.com urethane foam scroll stair
brackets; $8 each;
38 Spruce up a home- 40 Build up a wimpy
entry door casing in
Pearl Acrylic Artist Paint for
grout, $3; pearlpaint.com
29 Organize workbench
clutter on a simple
architecturaldepot.com center ceiling fixture
by swapping out the generic
your foyer with applied
moldings to create a more
42 Wrap a pedestal sink
pegboard rack. DPIs 4-by-8-
foot white perforated pegboard
wall panel, $16; lowes.com.
33 Install a dimmer
switch in your dining
room to set the moodand
white globe for a colorful,
vintage-look schoolhouse
shade. 10-inch opal drum shade
substantial first impression of
your home. Four 6-foot-long-
by-3 34-inch-wide primed white
with a skirt and conceal
your waste bin and toiletries
below. Stick fabric to the basin
Crawfords 43-piece pegboard save energy. Lutrons Diva with a painted blue stripe, $62; miterless moldings, $80; edge with adhesive-backed
organizer with hooks, baskets, dimmer comes in colors to schoolhouseelectric.com vandykes.com Velcro. 60-by-32-inch white
and jars, $11; acehardware.com match your wall or trim paint. ruffled cotton sink skirt, $60;
Starting at $27, including a www.simplychicslipcovers.com
30 Brighten up a dark,
dated tile backsplash
switch cover; prolighting.com
43 Fasten a kickplate to
34
with cheery paint. Scuff Highlight the inside your front door as a
the surface with sandpaper of a glass-front traditional and stylish way
and apply two coats of cupboard by brushing on a bold to protect the bottom from
adhesion primer. Let dry hue, like the Aquarium Blue latex scuffs. 30-inch solid-brass
and roll on two coats of paint shown at right. $16 per kickplate, $64;
oil-based semigloss paint. quart; benjaminmoore.com signaturehardware.com
1 gallon each of Adhesion
PHOTO: (BOTTOM) KAREN BUSSOLINI
Primer and ProClassic Alkyd
Interior Enamel, $96;
sherwin-williams.com
35 Give bookshelves the
once-over. Group
hardcovers and paperbacks
44 Strip paint-caked
door hardware. Buy a
thrift-store Crock-Pot and fill
separately and sort them by it with water and 2 tablespoons
31
Crown your roofline size for a tidier look. Use heavy 34 of liquid laundry detergent.
Paint your
with a weather vane. decorative items, such as a cupboards Drop in hinges, knobs, and
Verdigris resin rooster, shown stone bowl or vintage cast-iron interior escutcheons. Heat on MEDIUM
October 2009 THISOLDHOUSE.COM 103

overnight. By morning, the paint
will be falling off the metal.
About $5 for the pot
45 Install new house
numbers. Arts and
Crafts 2 34-by-3 34-inch glazed
ceramic tiles, shown below,
$14 each; pewabic.com
45
Add eye-catching
house numbers
46 Top your newel with
a carved wood finial
for a more stately staircase.
Antique Ivory Knewl Post Finial,
$86; laylagrayce.com
47 Create a luxe-look
bathroom shelf using
a 4-inch-wide marble door
104 THISOLDHOUSE.COM October 2009
51
PUT YOUR
TABLE
ON WHEELS
threshold supported by
decorative metal brackets.
36-inch-long threshold,
about $28; at most flooring
retailers. Two Mini
Pennsylvania Dutch Motif
3-by-4-inch cast-iron
brackets, $11; hoah.biz
48 Tear out old carpet
on your stairs. Refinish
the treads and paint the risers
white. 1 gallon of white paint,
sandpaper, wood putty to fill
tack holes, 1 quart of stain, and
1 gallon of clear polyurethane,
$95; lowes.com
49 Add a stained-glass
window in your bath.
If you cant find an exact fit
to replace your existing
window, simply hang one from
chains in front of it. eBay
store Bell Antique Mall has Art
Deco windows similar to shown
at right, starting at $69;
ebay.com
50 Refinish a dull mirror
frame with glossy paint
for an upscale look. 13-ounce
can of Mohawk Colored
Lacquer Enamel, $6;
pondcovepaint.com
51 Put casters on a table
for a dual-purpose
dining and food-prep surface
in a small kitchen. Four Waxman
swivel casters with brakes,
similar to shown at left, $15;
lowes.com
52 Retool your fireplace
for spring with a
screen made from a salvaged
section of iron fence. Get one
thats slightly larger than
your firebox opening so that you
can secure it to the surround.
Add hook-on hangers to hold
potted blooms. One 50-inch-
wide-by-36-inch-tall iron
section with a fleur-de-lis detail,
$75; sarasotasalvage.com. Ace
flowerpot holders, $9 each;
acehardware.com
53 Brighten countertops
instantly with battery-
powered LED undercabinet
puck lighting. Four adhesive-
backed Bell & Howell
Mini Power Pods, $20;
survivalstore.com
100
UPGRADES
54 Make candlesticks
from wood spindles.
Use a spade bit to form a
60
Put new
Victorian-style cast-iron
decorative bin pulls will outfit
10 windows in first-floor rooms,
69 Give one wall a
glimmering two-tone
effect. Roll stripes of shiny
recess in the tops for the handles on where guests are more likely to glaze over a wall painted with a
your island
candle. Group sticks of varying see them. $82; hoah.biz solid matte finish. 1 quart of
heights for a stunning tabletop Studio Finishes latex glaze,
display. Two 12-inch and
two 7 12-inch turned
on the floor first to limit nail
holes. No cost
shown above, $26 for both;
anthropologie.com 67 Paint your porch
ceiling sky blue to
$9; benjaminmoore.com
redwood spindles, $9;
vintagewoodworks.com
58 Plant low-growing
English thyme to 61 Run rope lighting
along the bathroom
create a more spacious feeling.
1 gallon of Behr Premium Plus
Ultra Exterior paint in Niagara
70 Hang a wall-mount
cup and toothbrush
holder in the bathroom to
55 Unify unmatched
bedroom furniture by
prevent weeds from sprouting
between pavers. Just sow
vanity toekick for a soft
ambient night-light.
Falls, similar to shown below,
$36; behr.com
declutter the sink deck.
Banner Concave Design
painting pieces the same hue.
1 gallon of eco-friendly Inside
seeds in early spring so that
theyll sprout as the
SuperBrights 2-foot strand,
$8; lampsplus.com
67
Palette acrylic paint, $45; temperature rises. 400-seed
62
yolocolorhouse.com packet, $2; dianeseeds.com Build a wall-mount
bedside table with
56 Get a stenciled look
in your kids room
with stick-on decals in fun
59 Brush on a welcome
mat. Make this
diamond-patterened ruglike
wood corbels topped by a
slate roof shingle. Two 6-inch
oak Legacy hand-carved
TURN
YOUR
PORCH
CEILING
animal shapes. 22-by-30-inch mat (below) on your stoop by corbels, $80; vandykes.com. BLUE
PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) ROGER DAVIES; DEBORAH WHITLAW LLEWELLYN; ELLEN M C DERMOTT. STYLING: (INSTALL STAINED GLASS) BRIAN CARTER
elephant design, $25; mapping the design with 7-by-13-inch salvaged shingle,
janeymacpress.etsy.com painters tape and using a
roller to put colors in their
$5; recyclingthepast.com
57 63
PHOTOS: (BOTTOM LEFT) DEANNA DRAFTS; (BOTTOM RIGHT) HELEN NORMAN. STYLING: (TURN YOUR PORCH CEILING BLUE) MATTHEW MATTIELLO
Group small prints, places. 2 quarts of Valspar Swap in a cross-
photos, and vintage latex Porch and Floor paint, handle faucet to warm
plates and hang them together $24; valspar.com up a bathroom. A compact,
for the look of a large, expensive
piece of art. Arrange the display
centerset designfor basins
with holes spaced 4 inches
apartpreserves sinktop
space. Randolph Morris 4-inch
centerset bathroom faucet in
chrome, $84; vintagetub.com
64 Top stock kitchen
cabinets with crown
molding for the look of custom
casework. 32 feet of crown to
trim out the average kitchen.
$80; lowes.com
65 Mount a new mailbox
by your front door. A
59 bold-colored locking model will
Brush on a doormat make your entry more eye-
49
INSTALL
STAINED
60 Change the hardware
on your kitchen
island to give it the look of
catchingand protect your
privacy. Priority Mailbox in red,
$58; chiasso.com 68 Put turned wood
corner moldings
on the outside corners of foyer
Porcelain Toothbrush &
Tumbler Holder in chrome,
$23; vintagetub.com
66
GLASS custom furniture. Leave the Use bin pulls as sash walls to protect paint and add
existing knobs and handles
on the cabinets alone. Melon
Knob and Melon Handle,
lifts on double-hung
windows to keep frames free
from fingerprints. Twenty
architectural detail. Traditional
22-inch cherry Corner Guard,
$15 each; vandykes.com
71 Transform an
unadorned mirror by
wrapping it in wood molding.

A simple frame kit containing
four mitered Pemaquid Slim
molding strips in a distressed
silver finish, the clips and glue
to secure it together, and
hardware to mount it, $97;
mirrormate.com
72 Drop in a floor
receptacle so that you
dont have to string long cords
between table lamps and wall
outlets. Carlon Drop-In Floor
Box, $58; tselectronic.com
73 Dress up your entry
door with a handsome
knocker. Colonial-style bronze
door knocker, shown below,
$50; restorationhardware.com
73
Spruce up your
door with
a knocker
74 Install a chair rail in
your bedroom and
paint the wall below a serene
accent color. Enough red oak
Colonial-style moldings to wrap
the walls of an 8-by-10-foot
room, $75; bairdbrothers.com
75
Flank your front door
with sconces. Try
barn-style caged lights to
accent a traditional entry, then
screw in outdoor-rated CFLs
to save on your energy bills.
Two cast aluminum
106 THISOLDHOUSE.COM October 2009
vapor-tight lights,
$99.60; warehouse-
lighting.com
76 Connect two
rooms with a
pass-through carved
out in a nonload-
bearing wall. Frame the
opening with 2x4s,
cover with drywall, and
finish the edges with
corner beading.
Lumber, sheet of
drywall, beading, and
5-gallon bucket of joint
compound to coat it all in mud,
about $55; doitbest.com
77 Design a mudroom
area rug with stick-
down carpet tiles. Use six tiles
for a runner or nine for a square.
Mix and match colors for a
custom pattern. Six Favorite
Jeans 20-by-20-inch textured
tiles, $54; flor.com
78 Fit a window seat in
an alcove. Support a
4-inch plywood seat deck
3
on 2x6 hanging strips anchored
into the side and back walls.
To form the cubbies, glue
and nail in place two plywood
dividers. Face the unit with
1x4 poplar. Materials for
a seat, similar to shown at
right, about $60; at lumber
yards. 16-by-26-inch Gripper
Sensations Microsuede
Window Seat Cushion, $30;
jcpenney.com
79 Make your house easy
to find at night with
solar-powered LED numbers.
Matterincs aluminum address
placards, $19 each; target.com
80
Add a ceiling
medallion to highlight
a hanging light fixture. Paintable
18-inch polyurethane medallion
100
UPGRADES
80
PUT UP A
CEILING
Frame the box with balusters,
then clad the sides and
Shinto Screen, $99.99;
worldmarket.com 95 Banish flat-screen
TV wires using a 98 Trim the wood vent
hood cover above your
MEDALLION bottom with cut boards. Drop recessed outlet and an range with a tile border.
in a plastic liner to hold the
soil and protect the wood from
rot. Square liner, $15; lowes.com
86 Swap in an insulated
mail slot to keep out
weather and muffle noise.
open-back wall plate to route
wires behind the wall. Vanco
Rapid Link Power Dual
6-by-6-inch Interceramic
Antique Metals Hammered
Ceramic Tiles in bronze,
Polished aluminum Draft Recessed Outlet Flat Panel TV $10 each; artofceramic.com
83 Create an instant
collection by massing
like objectsvases, candle-
Dodger insulated mail slot, $45;
dhdtvspecialtyhardwarestore.ca
Power Kit w/Romex and
Signal Cable Wall Plates,
$66; amazon.com 99 Add a stainless
backsplash behind
sticks, bowlsand displaying
them together. Follow the
designers rule of thumb and
87 Affix mirrored tiles
to the soffit above
kitchen cabinets. The
91
Use an amber
96 Roll out a seagrass
hallway runner. Itll
your stove. Nail an easy-to-
clean panel on the wall or right
over tired tile. 1 12-by-4-foot
lamp shade
group items in odd numbers for reflective surface will bounce to cast a stand up to heavy foot traffic stamped Design 204 panel,
a look thats more pleasing to light around the room, making warm glow and make your house smell $70; classicceilings.com
with floral-and-leaf pattern,
the eye. No cost it appear bigger and brighter.
Twenty 4-by-4-inch peel-and-
beachy. 2 14-by-7 12-foot
basket-weave seagrass runner,
100 Get Fidos bed off
similar to shown above, $57;
creativetrim.com 84 Paint trim lighter or
darker than walls,
stick tiles, $10; amazon.com $60; overstock.com the floor by creating
a crawl space in an existing
81 Change out the plastic
switchplate cover in
rather than bright white, for a
more subtle contrast. 1 gallon
of Farrow & Balls Water Based
88 Hang an oval-shaped
mirror like a pendant
from a decorative chain for an
97 Clear counter clutter
by installing a pop-out
appliance lift in a base kitchen
built-in. Remove lower cabinet
doors or place his cushion
below a window seat or on the
your dining room with an Eggshell yields a saturated elegant look in a bath, bedroom,
91 Cap lamps with cabinet. Heavy-duty mixer lift, bottom shelf of a bookcase, as
PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) ELLEN M C DERMOTT; WENDELL T. WEBBER; ERIK JOHNSON; (THIS PAGE, BOTTOM LEFT) ELLEN M C DERMOTT;
embossed metal one. Single- color and a slight sheen. or foyer. Frameless oval mirror, colored shades to $99.99; rockler.com shown below. No cost
(BOTTOM RIGHT) DOMINIQUE VORILLON. STYLING: (BUILD A WINDOW SEAT) NAZ FREIDOUNI; (CARVE OUT A PET BED CUBBY) SUNDAY HENDRICKSON
toggle, lead-free, pewter- $99; farrow-ball.com $84; bellacor.com change the quality of the
finished Lattice switchplate, light. The medium-size Mica
$65; eleekinc.com
85 Use a folding screen
in the corner of a small 89 Screw in vintage-
look sash locks for
drum shade shown above
creates a warm glow in any
82 Build a wood planter
from leftover deck
room to make the space appear
larger by blurring the line where
a tight seal between double-
hungs to prevent drafts.
room. $59; potterybarn.com
boards and railing balusters. walls come together. Espresso Bronze bamboo-pattern sash
92 Update an old fridge
window lock, shown below, with a faux stainless-
$13; hoah.biz steel painted finish. 1 quart of
Thomas Liquid Stainless Steel
TM Base Coat, $56;
liquidstainlesssteel.com
93
Mount flower boxes
planted with colorful
perennials to front-facing
windows to boost your homes
89 curb appeal. 18-inch cedar
Replace plain sash locks with window box with liner, $29;
stylish antique repros
hooksandlattice.com.
90 Create an accent wall
in the living room by
Flat of flowers, about $10; at
garden centers
78 94 100
papering the fireplace or sofa Whitewash interior
wall with grasscloth. Choose exposed brick. Brush
one with a tone that picks up on a tinted latex stain, wipe, and
the surrounding paint color. repeat until you achieve the CARVE OUT
BUILD A A PET BED
WINDOW Double roll of Oriental desired look. 1 gallon of Studio CUBBY
SEAT
Grasscloth Knot Textiles, $70; Finishes latex glaze, $23;
creativewallcovering.com benjaminmoore.com