In a recent survey of home owners who were making major home improvements to their home, there was only one improvement that was found to always improve the value of the home – the front door. If you put in new carpet, you will be lucky if it adds 50 percent of its price to the value of your home, and things like custom faucets or special tiles add even less. But when you add a new front door along with decorative door kick plates, you will get more than your money’s worth.
Especially if you are trying to sell your home in today’s economy, making a good first impression is vital, and one way of doing that is by going outside and taking a good look at your door. If your door looks ragged and there are scuff marks all along the bottom, then you need to do something about it. Luckily, you can fix this without buying an entirely new door, and just by installing decorative door kick plates, you can.
Installing one of these onto your door is not difficult, and if you have a drill and a screwdriver, then you have all you need to get it done.
1. First, you will need to determine the correct size for your decorative door kick plates. If you are buying ones that are already made, such as those in a home improvement store, then you will have a limit to the sizes available to you. However, you should still measure to be sure.
2. The width of your kick plate should be an inch or two narrower than your door. In other words, when your door is closed, the kick plate should not interfere or even touch the door frame, or you will have trouble later on down the road.
3. The kick plate should be on the side of the door that is most often kicked, which means that it will be on the side that is pushed, rather than pulled.
4. In order to install kick plates, all you really need to do is make sure that your door is clean and free from grease or debris and then hold the kick plate up to the door. There will be pre-cut holes that you can use as your template for drilling holes.
5. The screws that you use should have a flat surface on top, and they should also be the same color and material as the kick plate. If not, they may stand out. Finally, just attach the plate with the screws and make sure that they are all very tight.
It is not unusual to have to tighten the screws on a kick plate every now and then, especially if it is getting a lot of action. If it starts to feel loose, just use a screwdriver to tighten them.
With new decorative door kick plates on your door, your door will look brand new, and your home will have a much more elegant and cleaner look that prospective buyers will notice immediately.
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