Fix Things Up for Holiday Parties Now ~ DIY It with Blackhawk Hardware

If you’re jonesing for a renovation on your home, but can’t find the money to spend on something major right now (much less find a contractor to do the job), consider doing a little fixing up and sprucing up yourself with the help of Blackhawk Hardware in the PRSC.

There are quite a few easy upgrades to refresh and update your home. We reached out to Blackhawk Hardware and spoke with owner Andy Wilkerson about his reco’s on things to Do Yourself.

Hardware Upgrade or Change Out

Replace your door knobs, cabinet pulls, switchplates, etc. Shift from the lower end builder installs or an older home mish-mash to higher end fixtures that suit your personal style.

Door and cabinet knobs are a very cost effective and easiest way to update the look of cabinets and doors. (I can attest to this ~ we recently replaced every door knob in our entire 1940’s house with new ones by Emtek from Blackhawk, and honestly, it’s subtle but amazing. Pretty much everyone remarks on them).

What’s Trending in Hardware These Days?

Rose gold and brushed gold continue to gain popularity. Oiled rubbed bronze has been replaced by black, and brushed nickel is the default. Generally, Andy recommends you pick what you like that fits the style of your house. The only right choice is the one you like. 

Blackhawk has over 5,000 cabinet and door hardware styles on display and has the ability to order thousands of different ones. Andy says “We have the largest selection of Emtek door hardware in either North or South America (probably Europe and Asia as well, but Emtek isn’t 100% sure on it).”

DIY Tips

Hole spacing is important with cabinet pulls. You want to stick with the same hole spacing if you can– 3″, 3.5”, etc. If the cabinets are painted, it is less of a problem since you can fill the existing holes and repaint, but it still adds complexity to the project. 

Switch plates are another safe, easy and cost-efficient way to update or upgrade something you look at constantly. Clean, elegant switch plates are best. 

Andy’s main advice? “Don’t worry about what your neighbors think. Pick what you like. You want sparkly rainbow pulls? Then have fun and get sparkly rainbow pulls! People get overwhelmed and start stressing about what their neighbors will think of a “horrible” selection.”

“If you feel that panic happening, stop, take a breath, and try to describe in detail what your neighbor’s hardware looks like. I bet you can’t. So don’t worry about what they think of yours. Just because they don’t have the confidence to pull off sparkly rainbow pulls doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.“

Paint is Still the Easiest DIY for Bang for Your Buck

In the grand scheme of time = money, DIY painting saves you a lot of money because you provide the muscle. And in terms of a refresh ROI, a new coat of paint inside and/or outside your house will return tenfold in style and decor updating. Even if you are hiring a painter, be sure you pick out your colors from a high end brand, like Benjamin Moore. And be sure the paint your contractor buys is actually from that brand, and not a color-match in an inferior product.

Is high-end paint worth it? Why?

Andy explains that paint is a product where price is directly reflective of the quality. Expensive paints use more binders and pigments for better coverage and higher fade-resistance. The most expensive component of paint is titanium dioxide—the more titanium dioxide in the paint, the brighter and richer the color is.

Cheaper paints use either inferior pigments to substitute for titanium dioxide or just reduce the amount of titanium dioxide in their mix. More expensive paints require fewer coats, saving you time and money, plus they look more vibrant when applied. Andy says “Paint is something you see everyday for years. This is one area you don’t want to go cheap on.”

Blackhawk carries high-quality Benjamin Moore paint. Fun fact: Benjamin Moore is announced their 2023 Color of the Year and color trends. You can check them out here.

Blackhawk also carries Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines paint.

Upgrade Your Plumbing Fixtures – Faucets, Towel Racks, etc.

These are easy solutions for updating your bathroom. Price is a good indicator here. If it is more expensive, it probably means that it is more difficult to manufacture or the quality is higher. There are no secrets to casting metal pulls. This is triply true for plumbing fixtures. If it is cheap, it is cheap for a reason. Most of the time that reason is the quality of internal components. Moen and Delta brands are solid choices that deliver quality at a reasonable price.

DIY Tips

Hole size and spacing is everything with plumbing fixtures. The holes are hard to fix, so you want to stick with the same number of holes as your previous fixture.

Can You DIY These?

If people can teach themselves guitar and sign language on YouTube, you can probably watch and learn how to do most of these light & easy home fix-ups yourself. But if the DIY seems to challenging, a handy man can tackle these for you. Blackhawk recommends using a service like Angie’s List (now Angi) to find a local handyman, and we like Roby’s Handyman service, but there are many independent contractors to find by asking for reco’s on Next Door or from your friends & co-workers.

So SO Many Decorative Touches at Blackhawk

Too many to name or show, but don’t sleep on the lampshade aisle and the shower curtains.