How I did repairs in the apartment with my own hands

At that time, when we just started dating my husband, I had been living in my apartment for 8 years, and it was in need of alteration. We decided this: a new life - a new apartment. And we decided to make repairs on our own. I hope that our experience will be useful or inspire someone to also improve their living space with minimal cost. I will tell you step by step how we started, what difficulties we encountered, what stages we divided the work into and how we tried to save money.

We decided to start by replacing old windows with new plastic double-glazed windows. Initially, there were terrible wooden frames - crooked, dry and not keeping warm (which was frankly frustrating in winter). Since the renovation was undertaken on a global scale, everything was changed at once - in the room, in the kitchen and on the balcony. It turned out, of course, on a non-budgetary basis. However, in any case, it is cheaper than renovating each room separately, because firms, as a rule, give big discounts on large orders. Replacing windows with plastic ones is a rather dirty and dusty business (in fact, this is the main reason why we started with glazing).

My admiration for the workers - they got all the work done in a little over a day. On the first day, they came at 10 am, dismantled everything (the balcony, by the way, was also glazed before that), put new windows, finished by about 20 pm. The next day, one worker came and in 2 hours put the slopes, window sills and putty everything. In the remaining time we did the cleaning and took out the old windows (because I was frankly greedy to pay for garbage collection).

Then we took up the kitchen. Unfortunately, there are no “Before” photos. But there is a photo "in time" - just in the process of replacing windows.

My old kitchen was such a rosy girl.

We mercilessly dismantled and threw out all the kitchen furniture (including the stove, hood and sink). Do not throw slippers at me - it was all in such a state that it was really embarrassing to give it to someone (the stove was ordered to be completely broken two days before the start of the repair).

Next, we removed the old linoleum and started laying the floor tiles ourselves. We did all this on our own, because initially the budget for the renovation was limited, and there was a lot to do.

It's good when a husband’s hands grow from where it is necessary. And not simple, but gold!

Tip: if you want to repeat our "feat", please note that the repair is done from top to bottom, not bottom to top (as we did out of inexperience). That is, if you plan to change absolutely everything, then start from the ceiling, then move on to the walls (chipping channels for sockets, plaster, putty, etc.). Only the wallpaper, I would probably advise to glue it last, that is, after you make the floor.

• Tile adhesive
• Primer
• Tile cutter
• Notched trowel (selected according to tile size)
• Normal trowel 50-80mm
• Construction mixer
• Drill
• Seam crosses (the size of the crosses depends on how wide the seam you want to make between the tiles)
• Rubber trowel + special trowel for seams (it usually comes in packages with grout)
• Level
• Bucket about 8-12L (for mixture)
• Water (dilute the mixture and grout)
• Rags
• Marker (for marking)

First, we check if the floor needs leveling. This is done using the usual building level. If the difference is small, 2-7 mm, this will easily fix the tile adhesive during installation.But if you are unlucky, and the height difference is more than 1 cm, you will have to look for an equalizer or use a special tile glue, which removes irregularities up to 3 cm, but costs many times more. Since we did not level the floor in the kitchen, I will tell you in detail about leveling when I describe the repair in the room.

Next, we prime the floor with an impregnating primer. If the floor surface is loose (crumbles, crumbles, etc.), then apply a strengthening soil. This is done for better adhesion of the glue to the surface. Approximate holding time from 30 minutes to 6 hours, depending on the substrate (see packaging).

The next step is choosing a tile adhesive. What are the criteria for choosing tile adhesive: base, room humidity, location (inside / outside the room), type of tile. For example, you need to put ceramic tiles on the floor in the kitchen, in the hallway, in the room - the simplest and cheapest glue will do. If you need to glue the tiles on the wall, then glue is needed, let's say, of the middle category (if you don't want the tiles to slide over time). In our case, the glue was of the middle category, because we installed porcelain stoneware, which is heavier than conventional ceramic tiles.

Average consumption of glue up to 8 sq. from a bag of 25 kg.

We lay the tiles. We dilute the tile glue (according to the instructions on the package) in small pieces, about 5-7 kg each. The mixture is diluted with a construction mixer and a drill (if you dilute in large portions, the drill will most likely burn out). After mixing the mixture, let it stand for 5-10 minutes and stir again.

• make markings around the room and accurately calculate the tiles so that the same number of tiles lie from the center (this method will require certain work skills);
• start from one wall and go to the other (here it turns out that one wall will have a solid tile, and the opposite one may have scraps).

In the first option, the tiles will be sawn near each wall. We adhered to the second option - simple, fast and convenient. Then everything is easy: take a diluted building mixture and use a notched trowel to apply it to the floor (you can apply it on the tile itself or on the floor and tiles, they do everything differently, but we applied only to the floor). When you have applied the glue, wipe off the dust with a slightly damp cloth before gluing the tiles. At first, it is better to make a small indent from the wall (about 1 cm), later it will be closed with a plinth, and there it will be possible to lay a wire, if necessary. The indent is done so that there are no drops if the wall is not completely flat. When laying tiles, do not forget about crosses so that the seams are even and neat. And most importantly, lay the tiles in rows, and not randomly. As you started, you move.

Be sure to let the tile adhesive dry and do not walk on the tile! It takes at least a day.

After that, start to process the tile joints with a special grout. In principle, you can wipe the seams with tile glue, but then you will be very limited in color. It is necessary to dilute the grout strictly according to the instructions. You can rub in any direction, as it is convenient, use a rubber spatula for this. There is also a special trowel for grouting - it looks like a piece of wire, you use it to make the seam as neat as possible. By the way, if you don't have a special spatula, you can just take a piece of wire. When finished, let the grout dry for 6 hours or better all day.

Then we clean the tiles with a damp cloth, it is advisable not to touch the seams too much.

Further, according to the plan, it was to make grooves and move the sockets, since the original location of the sockets did not suit us categorically.

To begin with, they removed the old wallpaper. Now there are a lot of special liquids for removing wallpaper. But we are saving, do you remember? Therefore, we took ordinary water, diluted a little soap in it and poured it into a spray bottle.Everything is simple here - you process a part of the wall, let the liquid soak into the wallpaper (2-3 minutes), and then remove it with an ordinary spatula. True, this method works only with paper wallpaper and paper-based wallpaper, you will first have to remove the top layer, and only then remove the paper from the walls using the method described above.

After that, we made markings for the sockets and slightly hammered the wall (hello, neighbors!) In order to protect the new floor, we used old linoleum.

Then, when all the grooves were done, we moved the sockets and carefully plastered and putty everything.

• Wallpaper (it is better to take vinyl or non-woven wallpaper to the kitchen, as they can be wiped clean, and some can even be washed)
• Wallpaper glue (depends on the type of wallpaper)
• Wallpaper smoothing spatula (it is plastic)
• Maklovitsa (this is a large brush for glue. Simply, if you apply glue with a roller, it dries quickly, which increases its consumption)
• Stationery knife
• Pencil
• Bucket 5 l
• Scissors

We begin to glue the wallpaper. If the wallpaper is vinyl, then the glue is applied to the wall and wallpaper, and if it is non-woven, only to the wall.

Actually, there is nothing difficult about gluing wallpaper. If you have plain wallpaper or the pattern is not clearly traced, then you can cut several strips of the required length at once and get to work. If the wallpaper has a pattern, then you will have to adjust it when gluing, so that as a result everything looks like a single canvas, and picky critics were looking for where the seam is hidden here.

Our wallpaper did not have a clear pattern, but there was a certain pattern in the arrangement of decorative elements, so we decided to adjust them "by eye". First, we pasted one canvas (the first is always the easiest). And then they applied the canvas to the already glued end-to-end, adjusted it according to the decor and only then cut it off from the roll.

When the wallpaper was done, we ordered a new kitchen. They did not pay for the assembly of the kitchen (except for savings, there was another reason - we wanted to install sockets in the countertop, but were not sure that the assemblers would agree at all and would be able to do this). At first, everything was simple - the frames were assembled quickly using the instructions.

But I had to tinker with the countertop, since its length was 3 m long and 6 cm thick, and this at a solid weight. The tabletop was to be sawn into 2 parts. We did it with a jigsaw.

Actually, the photo shows how we coped. The next step: cut out a place for the sink and hob. This is done very simply, the main thing is not to make mistakes when marking up. What does that require:

• Drill
• Drill 10 mm for wood
• Jigsaw with a saw for wood
• Attentiveness
• Once again mindfulness
• And again attentiveness! (Measure 7 times!)

Having made the markings for the hob, drill holes with a diameter of 10 mm in each corner (this is necessary so that the file from the jigsaw can easily enter there). Next, take a jigsaw and carefully cut it out along the markings. After all the sections are treated with sanitary silicone sealant and the hob is installed. Done, you can connect.

Now washing. You also make markings and carefully make 10 mm holes around the perimeter. Like that:

And just cut it out neatly. Further, you process all the sections with the same sealant and install the sink, to which it remains to attach the pipes.

In absolutely the same way, we installed the sockets in the countertop. Since we laid the wiring in advance, there were no problems with the connection.

After everything was installed, we connected the hob, oven, installed the mixer in the sink and connected all the pipes to it. By the way, if you are not sure that you can handle the pipes, it is still better to call a professional plumber.

The wall in the area of ​​the “apron” was painted with oil paint, so it had to be primed with a special primer Betonkontakt (blue in the photo). If we had not done this, but started gluing the tiles directly onto the paint, then the glue would very quickly move away from the surface and fall off along with the tiles.

When the soil was dry, we proceeded to the tiling. The glue was used in the middle category, since the surface is vertical, and in some places even with high humidity (in the area of ​​\ u200b \ u200bthe sink).

We were looking for a grout of the desired shade for a long time. Not found. As a result, we bought a yellow grout and added a green color scheme to it. We took risks, of course, but everything turned out just fine! When the grout was dry, the seams were treated with a special moisture-proof impregnation. Then they made a neat edging using simple plastic corners:

There was no more strength left on the ceiling, so they simply glued the ceiling tile made of foam. The option is simple, but outwardly quite attractive, especially when ceiling plinths have taken their place.

Hello to all. My name is Tucha, and today I will tell you all how I helped to make repairs to my owners.
It all started with an approved mortgage from Sberbank

And so we bought an apartment, if I knew what I was about to, I would run away during the move

These are the gray and sad walls

but such a boring and gray door, remember it

here the owner puts the plumbing. i like to swim

here he is. Name is Andrey

well, now after installing the bathtub and toilet, you can move

we begin to unload our modest belongings acquired in 2 years of their life together with the hostess.

a lot of work, but they plan to make repairs in 2 months ... goofs)

and here is my mistress Tanya. this is our first day at the apartment and we are celebrating housewarming

and here they are going to sleep. I'm shocked

Well, the repair has begun. we demolish the walls, work with a grinder and a punch

we combine a bath with a toilet

everything is destroyed and we begin to build

do not forget to put the invisible hatch

put the bath under the tap, washed, cleaned. eerie sight

and since blogs absorb moisture well, we plastered them with a cement-polymer composition.

and now a new bath has arrived. the owner installed it for 6 hours. equalized and tried)

and then the owner took the tile cutter in his hands for the first time and began to lay tiles

and here we level the floor. and why didn't they make it heated ((

ahh…. where is the toilet ?? I drink water from there!

well, it seems so fun it turns out. guess where you got the fan from

and here they have already begun to make the ceiling.

yes, three months have already passed and then I was sad in full

Well, the bathroom is ready. then I'll show you how beautiful it looks.

and here we begin to make a dressing room.

a piece was torn from the room

the dressing room is ready and immediately some rubbish began to accumulate in it

and this is the hostess pretending to be gluing the wallpaper.

and immediately we laid the laminate flooring and now we will make shelves

sheets purchased at leroy merlin

Here's a dressing room turned out. and not expensive.

Well, since we cut off a piece from the room, now we need to break the balcony.

here everything is just blackened. glue the insulation to the foam, and then plaster these sheets)

and yes, there are never too many outlets.

insulation is also placed on the floor, it is also glued to the foam. and then plywood is glued to it. and we are already putting laminate on the plywood

Well, if you say a lot, it means a decrease. here we align the walls

well, one room is ready for wallpapering

after a hard day, you can watch TV

there is no way without a washing machine. even jump into it yourself

well, the room was also plastered and wiped down. move on to the living room. she is both the hall and the kitchen

well, who will be the first to find a cat?

to say p… .ts is to say nothing.

we begin to make a box. They did not want to do it, but the wiring in the apartment had no voltage in the sockets. fake wiring. I had to hide all the wires in the box.

poor neighbors. 250 holes in the ceiling in one evening.

and the wall is perfectly smooth. I had to smear it with concrete contact and make badges, otherwise the tile just slipped

this is a flower for mistress Tanya

and I also had to put 4 bags of plaster on the ceiling. 4 see slab drop

and this is my favorite closet. it has a lot of goodies for me.

and here the ceiling is already painted. the kitchen was brought in, but they still had no horse lying around

Well, it's already more decent than it was.there is hope

like this. the owner is glad. now he can eat even more

and this is electrical wiring, we decided not to cut the walls, but just glue the cables to the wall, and then put a couple of cm of plaster

we spent the whole day with the flap and ended up lighting up our phones

I can see well, but for some reason the owner is swearing

Here you go. everything is ready and hasn't even killed anyone.

network wires hang from below. there is a hub under the flap. each room has 2 power outlets. and yes, they all came in handy.

and here the projector will hang.

how i love the warmth intel i7

the owner puts the hood in one mug. says I only get in the way

our kitchen is located in the place where the hall should be. and that is why they set up such a shaitan machine. for pumping water. 4 years normal flight

move on to the second balcony. the principle is the same. see the photo

there are already plastered sheets of insulation. we glue plastic panels on it

well, let's see what happened. exactly two years have passed

bathtub and sink made of cast marble of Russian production.

already in the eyes of the first time rippled

problems with white plumbing. there is a white tap, there is no white soul. we buy everything in parts. what we find white - we buy.

and this is the master's bedroom, they won't let me there

the battery on the balcony, of course this is not correct, but we do not tell anyone. and the balcony is well insulated

the owner sewed the curtains himself. and I helped him to put puffs, but he did not check it out

dressing room is a good thing

while this is my room. no one lives here yet

The curtain is made of a bar and painted with acrylic varnish.

the machine is in the room. later there will be a large wardrobe.

remember the front door? its owner trimmed with bamboo and painted. built a lock on the remote control and decided not to change it))

but this joke I like the most

nush favorite site) but mostly movies. sorry 3d glasses won't fit on me (((fall off

the sofa was specially taken based on its weight, so that with a slight movement of the hand it turns into a cinema seat

and this is such a loop to the TV and audio system. so you can move)

and this we tried the oven, which the owner put on) I have everything, now the owner will write a few more words, and I say goodbye to you. all meow

well, I hope you enjoyed the report. everything that you saw everything was done by me personally. photographed for themselves. just now decided to share with you. about 1.3 million were spent on repairs, but I think this with furniture, appliances and even curtains. And I also want to say thank you to my beloved wife, who steadfastly withstood the entire repair and helped me do it.

a motorized screen hangs behind the box. it is black and opaque. and yes, 2 balconies.

For a long time I wanted to buy a duplex apartment in the Loft style. It was a kind of obsessive dream and fantasy. I spent a lot of time and effort to find the best option for the ratio of area and price. And at the end of last year, an ideal option was found with a total area of ​​about 400 m2. (with 2 private terraces). Before buying, I immediately took a designer (designer) with me in order to assess the scale of the upcoming tragedy in terms of resources.

A month later, an approximate layout / project was ready. Based on the current layout and possible additional manipulations with the walls, it was decided to make 2 bedrooms (1st and 2nd floor), 3 bathrooms (1st floor: guest and bathroom, 2nd floor: bathroom with shower), kitchen-dining room on the 1st floor , a living room with a staircase, a dressing room on the 2nd floor, a work area (analogous to an office), 2 terraces (one with access to the roof from the bedroom, the second from the “study”).

In several posts I will try to tell and show what has been done.

View from the 2nd floor. Even with the old glazing from the developer. The cracks are visible. Bevelled ceiling, ceiling height 6-7m.

The first step is to install a counter.

A normal door is installed.

Building materials were delivered for the first stages.

Divided the apartment into rooms.

The scaffolding that lay in the office warehouse fell to the spot.

One of the terraces had no access to the roof. I had to do it (the wall is not capital).

The living room and kitchen were divided into 2 parts.

The usual everyday business: the apartment clearly needs repair, but there is little money. How to make an inexpensive do-it-yourself apartment renovation? It seems to be the simplest, obvious way: superficial cosmetic repairs. That is, plywood wallpaper, ceiling whitewash, painting, fixing squeaky floors; possibly - replacement of windows.

However, if we calculate the labor costs and the consumption of materials, it turns out that by increasing the labor costs by half, and the expenditure of money by a quarter, you can give the apartment a completely different look, and for a long time. How much you need to invest specifically depends on the prices in the region, but the general methods by which you can make an apartment cozy and elegant inexpensively are the same.

Saving money when repairing an apartment with your own hands costs, like the Earth in ancient legends, on three whales and a slowly hurrying turtle under them:

1. We are not afraid of work. Nothing happens out of nothing. Or money or labor.
2. Wherever possible, we do not change the old, which has lost its appearance, but renew it.
3. We attribute the maximum savings to the place where it will not affect the quality of work and will not be visible.
4. We distribute the costs of labor and money in time: having conceived repairs in the summer or autumn, we spend a year on preparation, and then we pile up and quickly do everything. To lay out 200-300 thousand rubles at once is a problem, but breaking them up in parts for a year is quite possible. In addition, there will be time for seven times measure - cut once.

The only area where you will have to invite a specialist is alteration and strengthening of electrical wiring, if it is old and weak. Here, the only way to save money is to negotiate with the DEZ electrician. He will do the work in pieces, in his free time, but the likelihood of hack-work will be even less than that of "branded" specialists: after all, he will then serve all this.

It is better not to save on electrics and wiring, but some points, such as installing sockets, can be done independently.

A good specialized tool makes the job much easier and cheaper. But buying it is expensive. Therefore, it is better to rent a tool as needed. In terms of costs, it will come out a little if you decide in advance on the design and draw up an approximate plan for the production of work for yourself.

The best time of the year for self-repairing an apartment is early and mid-autumn. It's still warm, you can do outdoor work, and indoor work with open windows. And at the same time, prices for building materials will already fall significantly on the eve of the winter calm. Savings without loss of quality can be up to 15% in the sale of summer illiquid assets. If, for example, 200 thousand are postponed for repairs, then the savings will amount to 30 thousand, and this - a hallway or a bathroom - "candy".

Special mention should be made of non-liquid assets. A significant share of the cost of repairs will be spent on finishing materials: plaster, putty, floor leveler, assembly glue, sealant. All of them have a limited shelf life, so construction companies, which obviously do not have leftovers from the season to spring, are selling them at a bargain price. Therefore, look everywhere in advance for advertisements on the sale of building materials. Professionals do not need 50 kg of Aquaslay for leveling the walls, which expires in a month, but they will be enough for two rooms for you. The savings will be 70-80 rubles. everything, but the hen pecks by the grain.

Find more ideas on how to save on building materials here.

A sore point for cheap self-repair is the replacement of plumbing. If it is still "alive", only filthy, then it can be cleaned and painted. How to do this will be described below. But if there are chips and cracks, then whether you want it or not, you need to change it.

For such a case, here is information for you: new settlers, especially in houses above the budget category, often immediately start major repairs at the entrance, and excellent, completely new faience and cast-iron plumbing ends up in a landfill.Landfill operators (simply landfill scavengers) have long turned this circumstance into a profitable business.

They do not make direct contact with strangers by office phone, but it is quite possible to reach them using word of mouth methods. The rate is from one third to one half of the factory price for a household item. And do not think that you will be taken to the dump and shown where it lies. In the back room you will be offered a choice of clean, carefully washed products, which you can sit on even right away.

The next sore point is the removal of construction waste. The operation is not cheap and requires a lot of paperwork. Exit: a basement, a barn, a summer residence or a closet and a few used bags of plastic sackcloth, bought for a penny. Construction waste does not sour and does not rot, it can then be poured into a container in a house trash can. There is nothing illegal in this.

For lathing, various ancillary work and sewing large surfaces, you will need wooden battens and plywood. You can buy slats not planed, but a slab - waste from sawing industrial wood. The croaker is on sale raw, but if it is purchased in advance, in March-April, and kept in a dry room until autumn, it will not be inferior to edged timber in terms of the quality of wood.

As for plywood, waste packaging plywood from disassembled used containers can be turned into water-resistant in the following way:

• We buy a 10 l canister or two PVA putties; it looks like a very liquid PVA glue and is cheap.
• We cover the floor in the country house, in the shed, in the attic or in some other non-residential premises with plastic wrap. The air temperature is not lower than +13 degrees.
• We lay a sheet of plywood on the floor, pour a puddle of putty on the center of it and disperse it with a brush.
• We cover the plywood with plastic, lay the next sheet, putty in the same way, etc.
• We put heavier oppression on the plywood soaked in PVA; better - dispersed over the area: bricks, pieces of metal, concrete, old TV, etc.
• After a week, we repeat the procedure, turning each sheet over.
• After another two weeks, the smooth, waterproof plywood is ready for use. Additional exposure under pressure will improve its quality.

Boards and large pieces of thick timber can also be obtained from used containers - pallets for cargo. Advertisements for their sale are not uncommon.

A very economical repair option - sheathing the walls and ceiling of living rooms with laminate; for thrifty owners richer - MDF. When cladding on a wooden lathing from a slab, in 80% of cases, alignment of walls and ceilings is not required, which already excludes large expenditures of labor and money.

You can save even more by sheathing the walls up to your waist or up to your chest, and pasting them up to the ceiling with non-woven wallpaper. The work is simplified and cheaper, and the bottom of the walls, which breaks and gets dirty the most, will be reliably protected by resistant material.

The most economical flooring option is marmoleum. Floor preparation for it is not required in 90% of cases. But marmoleum is not suitable for a bathroom and toilet; here you will have to fork out for tiles, especially since you will need a little of it.

If you want to have a plank-like floor in the rooms, then laminate flooring will not be much more expensive, but the floor may need to be leveled.

The walls in the bathroom can be covered with laminated hardboard instead of tiles - it is hygroscopic and does not require surface preparation.

If you intend to glaze and insulate the balcony, then it is better to do it separately from everything else and in advance: from the end of March to the beginning of May. Outside, the balcony is decorated with siding, but inside it, instead of traditional MDF or lining, you can sew it up with plywood, pasting it with self-adhesive film.

When deciding how to make an apartment renovation economically, you need to pay special attention to windows and doors: they account for a significant share of the costs. As for windows, here is the most economical option: self-installation of wooden window frames.It is more expedient to buy them in March-April, when prices for commercial timber fall, and to put them in late spring - early summer, when the tree dries out and shrinks properly. The technology of installing wooden windows into openings is quite affordable for an average home craftsman.

It would be better to update the doors. Remember your homemade waterproof plywood? Here it is sheathed both sides of the door, on mounting glue, laying the door removed from the hinges on a plastic mat and under oppression. At the same time, at the same time, you can cover the window in the interior door, if it is not needed.

This will make the door thicker. Two options are possible here:

1. Reinstalling the hinges is not the best way for the lazy.
2. Remove the old lining from the door; it is most often made of building cardboard or thin fiberboard, and put on a new, plywood frame. In this case, the chipped corners immediately "go away".

In both cases, the new door is pasted over with self-adhesive wood or with a different texture and varnished. And you will be surprised (nicely, of course) with her new look. And the hard plywood cheeks will ensure the door's durability. It is better to cover the slopes of the doorway with doborks from the same plywood: it will come out cheaper and more beautiful than re-plastering.

Dirty plumbing, if intact, needs to be cleaned. The rather expensive active detergents recommended for this can be replaced with much cheaper table vinegar - after all, it is also a weak acid - with the subsequent washing off the sagging accumulations with the most common washing powder. Just do not use abrasive detergents - they will scratch the glaze and objects, especially the toilet, will get dirty very quickly.

For cleaning with vinegar, make kvash - a knob made of a rag on a stick. Vinegar is poured where it does not leak, or sauerkraut is dipped into it, and the drips are cleaned with circular motions with pressure. Particularly "stubborn" spots in the grooves are removed with small kvash and technical hydrochloric acid. All this, of course, is done with latex household gloves, a plastic apron and with doors and windows open. It is also advisable to wear a respirator, at least a cheap "petal".

Tiles that are not chipped or cracked can be restored using a method well known to motorists; they renew the worn-out plastic spoilers and bumpers in this way:

• The entire lined surface with my pemolux; it is impossible to use active acid detergents! For a bathroom in "Khrushchev", 1 liter is enough; on a larger - respectively more.
• After pemolux, we wipe it with a rag, abundantly moistened with the same table vinegar: pemolux is alkaline, and the vinegar neutralizes its residues.
• We wipe it several times with a wet cloth "to a clean cloth"; now we got rid of the dirt stuck into the surface.
• We glue the edges of the tiles with masking tape ("paper tape"), except for the seams.
• We paint the seams from a spray bottle with nitro paint in two layers; the second - after the first is completely dry.
• We remove the tape, splashes and drips of paint on the tiles are removed with a cotton swab moistened with solvent 646 or 647.
• We buy a can of liquid silicone grease at the car market or in a car shop, and properly spray the tiles with seams.
• If the grease is absorbed immediately, you will need to spray it again.
• If after 2-3 days silicone is still "taken" on the tile, wipe the surface with a rag moistened with vinegar.

The meaning of this treatment is that the silicone tightens microcracks and pores in which dirt accumulates. Processing is enough for 3-5 years, and then it can be repeated.

The cast iron capital bath can be repaired with epoxy or acrylic resin. Complaints about its fragility arise from a violation of the technology for preparing the coloring composition and its application. With strict adherence to the technology, the restored bath will serve for another 10-15 years.

It is not at all necessary to change it to an expensive stainless steel or brass and make a bypass (bypass) for it.The heated towel rail is cleaned to metal after cleaning the bathtub for painting with the same cord-brush in the drill chuck. If no fistula is found, it is painted with the remains of the compound from the bath painting. The look will be no worse than modern branded ones, and the durability is like a bathtub.

On fasteners during repairs, you can save up to 1000 rubles by using not galvanized or cadmium plated (shiny), but phosphated (black). The heads of self-tapping screws and dowel-nails still have to be repaired, and in the apartment there is no rain or frost.

To make cheap repairs, you first need to know what and how to do, how the apartment should look after renovation. Do not be lazy to confer with the whole family several times, see more pictures of ready-made apartments. Design is not something incomprehensibly sublime; artistic taste is endowed with most people. The professionalism of a designer in most cases comes down to understanding the client's taste and guessing what he wants. And you, since you are doing for yourself, you need to understand what you want. Up to 50% of the costs for self-repairs arise due to the fact that they start at random and then correct and redo along the way.

And, finally, carrying out the work in the correct sequence makes its share in the savings on repairs: we start from a distance from the front door, and in the course of work we gradually approach it. The living room, bedroom and nursery can be renovated in any order. Then comes the turn of the kitchen. We make the hallway the penultimate one, and complete the renovation with a bathroom. Savings are obtained on the amount of construction waste (and, after all, half of it is waste of materials for which it was paid) and on the alteration of the soiled and beaten with unreasonable organization of work.

Guided by the above, you can make a comprehensive renovation of an apartment with an original design, spending little more than a cosmetic repair.