Even small changes can help combat cabin fever

As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining.

For area homeowners, being forced to stay at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, brings with it the silver lining of finally having time to catch up on all those home improvement projects that people have been meaning to get done. In addition to clearing out the items on honey- do lists, area residents are also looking to the future and planning summertime projects ranging from new decks to renovating rooms.

Tim Klingbeil of Klingbeil Lumber in Medford said the number of people looking ahead to summertime projects always picks up in the springtime, but this year they have seen an especially big bump in people planning upcoming work.

Beyond that, however, he said the biggest home improvement trend going on right now is people actually getting around to doing those small projects that they have never found the time to do.

With no sporting events to serve as an excuse, Klingbeil said people are getting around to installing those last pieces of trim from when they moved in 10 years ago, or patching the hole in the drywall.

Klingbeil said that by far the most popular project people are undertaking while home under the Safer at Home order is painting.

Tina Nelson of Fourmen’s Farm Home agreed and said there is a very good reason for it.

“Improving your surroundings is good for your mental health,” she said, noting that even something relatively small as painting an accent wall in a room can have a dramatic impact on the feel of the space. She said even just freshening up the space with the same color paint can greatly improve the feel.

She noted that many people are spending their time home during the COVID-19 pandemic cleaning and organizing their homes. She said it is logical extension of this to want to make sure everything is fresh and new, including the paint job.

Nelson said she spends a lot of time talking to her customers to help them select the proper paint for their project. She noted there are paints for every application from painting the inside of your back closet to what you might use in your living room.

Part of her job is matching how people want to use the paint, with what they need as far as supplies, noting that a quality roller can make a major difference in a project.

Painting can be an inexpensive way to make a major boost to a room’s visual feel and appeal. Nelson noted that it doesn’t just have to be walls that can help make a visual statement in a room, and help turn a bland space fresh.

Nelson said painting chairs or other smaller DIY painting projects can make a huge difference in a space with less investment in time and equipment.