Create a Fresh Look for Your Home

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Oct 16, 2012, 05:20 ET

PARKERSBURG, W.Va., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MS -- Before the holidays bring family celebrations and visiting friends to your home, create a new look and improve its comfort level. Check out the suggestions below, make your project list, and then go to Woodcraft for the tools and accessories to get the job done.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121016/NY91721 )

"Put safety first," cautions Scott Phillips, host of The American Woodshop. "Before you begin your first project, make sure you have eye, ear and breathing protection available and then follow the manufacturer's directions for all the tools and products you use. Have a first-aid kit and a phone handy, and enlist help for the heavy-duty work."

Entrance & Windows — Give your entrance an easy update with a new door or add color and new hardware to an existing one. Install new windows that are attractive, reduce heating and cooling costs, and are easy to maintain.

Kitchen & Dining Areas — Apply stain or color to your kitchen cabinets and replace hinges and pulls or knobs to brighten your "home cafe." If your cabinets have seen better days, install new ones — either store-bought or ones you build. For wood furniture, consider using a stain or topcoat to change the room's decor.

Shelving & Lighting — Add shelving to help control clutter (bedroom/bathroom closets) and provide more display space for photos and collectibles (living room/ family room/kitchen). Enhance cabinets and furniture with LED lighting.

Living/Family Room — Arranging furniture into "areas" will allow for varied activities simultaneously. Use plants, a bookcase or a divider to separate areas. Paint walls, hang pictures or stain wood furniture to add color.

Handy Helpers from Woodcraft

Rockwell's 3RILL 12V Lithium-Ion Cordless Drill is perfect for the drilling and driving tasks required to install doors, windows, floors, cabinets, and shelving, as well as your building projects.
General Finishes HP Polyurethane is the preferred choice for finishing floors. It is quick curing, UV resistant and urethane tough.
The Little Hand provides a support, brace or clamp whenever you need an extra hand. Use it to mount wall cabinets above a counter or bench.
General Finishes Gel Stain, available in several colors, combines gel and stain in one easy-to-apply product that can be used over new wood or existing finishes as a glaze or to change or update the look of kitchen cabinets.
The Kreg Jig K4 Master System makes building a breeze. Using the jig, a saw and a drill, you can quickly make strong pocket-hole joints for all of your projects.
General Finishes Milk Paint is popular for furniture and crafts and comes in a variety of colors.
The Laurey Windsor line offers attractive knobs and pulls for cabinets and drawers.
The Woodpeckers Combo Shelf Pin Template makes drilling holes for shelf pins easy.
Hafele's 12V LED Flexible Strip Light and 12V LED Puck Down Light Kits include the essentials to light almost any cabinet or piece of furniture.