10 Easy DIY Indoor Home Improvement Ideas

PEGBOARDS

These are a classic, and for good reason! Pegboards are ideal for storing handsaws, screwdrivers, tape, scissors, manual staplers, blades, rulers, tape measures, and other fairly light gear — although, with the proper hooks, they can even provide storage for drills and other heavy tools.

Some folks like to outline the shape of key items so it’s easy where everything goes, while others prefer the freedom to move things around on the board as needed. Looking to try something fancier? Our friends at Makita built an incredible powertool wall out of foam, where each tool has its own custom slot to fit into for safe storage.

DRILL HANGERS

While it’s fine to line your drills up in a row on your workbench, they topple over easily and take up a ton of room. Many savvy builders are creating hanging stations where they can keep their drills up and out of the way. This system is easy to build out of scrap wood, with either cubbies that fit each drill or a rounded cut-out that’s just the right size for it to balance snugly.

TUBE STORAGE

For long, awkward items — like clamps and metresticks — try securing them within PVC pipes screwed into the wall or ceiling. Once they have their own slot, it’s easy to put them away until you need them again.

PVC pipes also come in handy for storing tubes of caulking. You can cut the tubes to form storage cups and screw them into the wall for drop-and-go storage. Or you can buy smaller piping and cut half-moon sections snug enough to clamp onto each tube, holding it in place.

MASON JARS

Start saving empty pasta sauce jars and jam jars, and soon you’ll find yourself with a ton of great (free) storage for nails, screws, nuts, and bolts. Screw the metal lid into the bottom of a shelf or workbench, and then the jar hangs below — displaying the contents through the clear glass.

Choose the best possible room in your home.

If you’re planning to record in a room with windows facing a busy street, you might want to rethink that. The ideal home recording studio location is in the quietest spot in your home, far away from loud appliances and banging exterior doors. Small rooms are better than large rooms, too, because you can better control the sound.

Fill the walls with sound-absorbing insulation.

Sound Transmission Class (STC) rates how well a building partition reduces airborne sound, and QuietZone® PINK® Fiberglas® Acoustic Batt Insulation is powerful enough to improve a room’s STC ratings by 4-10 decibels. It’s designed to absorb sound vibrations transmitted through walls, floors, and ceilings.

While this insulation is popular for podcast studios and home offices, it’s also used quite often in home theatres, bedrooms, and even laundry rooms and kitchens (to muffle the noise from noisy appliances, like dishwashers, washers and dryers).

Decorate with all things “soft.”

Hard surfaces like wood, glass, and tile are terrible for audio quality. That’s why so many recording studios have walls covered with textured foam (or egg cartons). Carpets, rugs, and thick curtains can help give you a similar effect at home.

Create a pre-recording checklist.

Even though you want your podcast recording studio to be as quiet as possible, the reality is that you still need to live in (and enjoy) your home. So make a list of how you can improve the sound quality only for your recording sessions – like switching off air conditioners, putting a sign on the door, turning off phone ringers, maybe even turning off your fridge or freezer temporarily. (If you mess with your fridge or freezer, be sure to set a reminder so you don’t leave it off too long and let everything melt and spoil.)

1. Decide how you’ll use your accent area.

If it’s going to display photo frames or other decorative pieces (like a mirror or painting), you’ll want to take that into consideration when planning the size. Spread out the items on the floor and determine how much “white space” (painted space) should be around them.

2. Tape off the area you want to highlight.

Rectangular accent areas tend to be the most popular, but choose what works best in your space. The beauty of painter’s tape is that you can easily test out a few shapes and sizes to see what you like.

3. Paint the area inside the painter’s tape.

Since your edges will be covered up by moulding, there’s no need to worry about a slight bleed under the tape — totally liberating! Remember that darker colours may require an extra coat or two, and priming first might be helpful, depending on your original wall colour. Remove your painter’s tape while the final coat is still wet.

4. Measure, cut, and paint your moulding.

You’ll want your corners to be mitred (45-degree angles) for the tidiest look, so measure carefully and cut the pieces you need to fit neatly around the painted area. Hold them up to make sure they’re the right size (and connect properly at the corners) and then it’s time to paint them. Much easier to do that now, rather than once they’re installed. Maybe a nice crisp white or warm cream, to contrast against your colourful painted area?