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Several of our viewers recently attempted to DIY projects in their home – to disastrous results! HGTV’s “The Cousins” John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino stepped in and turned their nightmare into a dream!
Jessica of Fairfield, New Jersey, attempted to create a feature wall of photos and mementos in their home’s stairwell, but she missed the mark. Anthony gave her the following tips, and put them into practice, resulting in a beautiful and cohesive feature.
Tip 1: Keep Everything at Eye Level
2 Common DIY Disasters and How to Fix Them
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2 Common DIY Disasters and How to Fix Them
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Anthony recommends that when you’re hanging art in a stairwell, to follow the line of the stairs, so as you walk up the stairs, the artwork is continuously at eye level.
Tip 2: Group Your Items Together
Even if you have a big space to fill, Anthony recommends keeping everything grouped closely together, and adding new items in an outward direction as you get them. This way, it looks cohesive.
Tip 3: Use the Same Style Frames
If you use the same frames for all of your artwork and photos, it will bring the whole design together.
Meanwhile, Jessica’s husband Greg made a big DIY booboo by ripping out a cabinet, and not being able to find a replacement to match. John took on the task of solving the error, and shared the following advice.
Tip 4: Don’t Try to Match Cabinets
HGTV's 'The Cousins' Fix a DIY Nightmare
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HGTV's 'The Cousins' Fix a DIY Nightmare
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If you can’t find a matching cabinet, why not try something completely different, and make a focal point by using a different material?
Finally, two more viewers Skyped with us to show us their half-finished basement disaster, and “The Cousins” had lots of suggestions to improve their space.
Tip 5: Paint Basement Paneling to Brighten the Room
How to Make Over an Ugly Basement Yourself
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The cousins reveal that you don’t have to tear out ugly wood paneling – you can paint over it with a light-colored paint! They note that it’s important to sand the panels first so that the paint will adhere.
Tip 6: Install a Light-Colored Carpet in a Dimly Lit Room
The cousins recommend putting down a light carpet if you want the room to seem bigger and brighter.
Tip 7: Use a Spray Device to Paint the Ceiling
Even if you tear out your ceiling paneling, you don’t need to install a replacement, the cousins tell us. They suggest just spraying the beams with white paint!
What’s your biggest DIY disaster? How did you fix it? Share below.