Amelia Grant

Answer honestly, does your apartment have multi-layered false ceilings, elaborate arches and stucco with a ceiling height of 2.5m, washable wallpaper with complex patterns, relief ceiling tiles, and different floor coverings in every room? If at least once you answered “yes”, then you have every reason to start repairs. After all, time, like fashion, doesn’t stand still and every year there are not only new materials and colors but also trends, for example, environmental friendliness in the interior.

But it is not enough to get rid of obsolete details, they must be replaced with something modern and universal, something that will not lose its relevance in a few years. You can approach the question on your own or call a designer for help, who will help you understand all the intricacies of the aesthetics of the room. Here is a list of nine signs that it’s time to repair your apartment.

1. Problems with electricity
If electricity often disappears in your apartment, the problem may be in the wiring. It would be nice to have it resolved as soon as possible. But don’t rush to ditch the walls in order to replace all the wiring. To begin with, invite experts who will accurately answer the questions: what is to blame and what to do?

It is quite possible that everything will cost replacing the circuit breaker, but a more troublesome option is also possible - the wiring will be in a dangerous state and then a big repair can’t be avoided. Just don’t delay the check: a short circuit in the apartment is a very unpleasant phenomenon

2. Pipes are leaking
If the faucet in the bathroom is leaking, you can easily replace it on your own, but if the pipes begin to leak and you regularly flood your neighbors, then you are at risk of plumbing repairs. But it is not surprising, because everything has an expiration date! It may also be a matter of threaded pipe connections, rust from condensate, and salt deposits due to bad-quality water.

At a minimum, you are waiting for the dismantling of the old communication system and the installation of a new one, as well as updating the tiles on the walls and floor, because most likely it will suffer during the process of replacing pipes.

3. Mold on the walls
Another sign that it's time to make repairs is the appearance of dark spots of unknown origin on the wallpaper. Mold loves moisture. Hence, moisture is the main condition for the appearance of mold (as well as poor ventilation and uneven heating of the room). At the same time, it is not at all necessary that dampness reigns throughout your house, a damp wall or corner will be enough, and mold will grow there. Relative humidity above 65% is considered high.

You may start redecorating, completely unaware that sticking new wallpaper in such a situation is a completely useless event and after a while, the spots will reappear in the same places. Please don’t think that mold in an apartment is just a cosmetic defect that can be easily disguised. Mold spores, inhaled by humans, cause life-threatening diseases. 

If the mold has already given itself away, then its spores have managed to eat deep into the wall. to get rid of the misfortune, you need to wash the wall, knock down the plaster, and putty again. And also to revise the ventilation and heating system of the room.

4. The floor has creaked
If the floor creaks, it means that it was laid a very long time ago, and this is an occasion to carefully inspect the entire apartment. Most often, the problem is friction between the structural elements of the floor, a collapsing screed (or a poor-quality self-leveling floor that has cracked), as well as a floor covering that is not laid according to the technology.

Most likely, you will find swollen boards, worn out and even cracked islands on linoleum, and huge gaps that were never there before. And if you look under the flooring and baseboards, you will also find perennial dust deposits that give an unpleasant smell to the apartment. In general, it's time to change the floor! At the same time, if your floor is cold, you can insulate it, and, if necessary, soundproof it. Now you can silently and barefoot walk on the warm floor.

5. Drafts from the balcony and windows
If your repair is only a few years old, perhaps this problem can be solved by adjusting windows and balcony doors, replacing the seal, etc. But most often the reasons are as follows: a battery that does not work well or is blocked by a window sill, too powerful ventilation, drafts, a single-chamber double-glazed window without an energy-saving function, leaky processing of frame joints, etc.

In such cases, for the sake of your health and savings on utility bills, you should call the master, who will tell you what needs to be done. You can insulate the balcony and old windows all around but it would be much better to replace the windows at all. Indeed, it is a little more expensive, but the next 10-15 years will pass for you in comfort and warmth.

6. Natural wear
Everything has its own service life and the materials used in the apartment, are even more so.

For example, the service life of wallpaper is from 3 to 10 years; laminate - is from 3 years to 20 years; grout between seams is from 2 years and above!

Therefore, if your repair is already 5 years old or more, then try to take a closer look and you will see that the wallpaper, although intact, has faded in some places, and the pattern on them has worn out, the whitewash has most likely darkened and cracked in places, the wooden jambs have dried out, and the seams between the tiles turned yellow in the bathroom.

Each defect individually is a trifle, but everything in the complex gives the atmosphere of an old house. Most often, you can get by with a little blood and make cosmetic repairs. Sometimes this is enough to restore the former comfort. Touch up, trim and re-glue something, and voila, the apartment looks much fresher.

7. Insufficient lighting
Old chandeliers have long lost their relevance, and the only light bulb in the bathroom doesn’t allow you to see the bristles in the mirror. Now the trend is multifunctional spotlighting. The more light sources, the better! And its device requires modern ceiling decoration or redevelopment: division into zones, hanging elements, etc.

8. Waiting for a new family member
This is perhaps the most pleasant reason for a change of zoning, partial redevelopment, and repair in the future children's room. A child is not only a joy but also a reason to provide your future child with everything you need. The baby needs a lot of light and bright colors. They need an isolated, noiseless room where they can sleep peacefully. The kid’s room should be fresh and clean. Your child should feel calm in the new world, which will affect their development and worldview.

9. Lack of space for things
This problem can be solved by a competent approach to the ergonomics of the space, redevelopment, and installation of built-in elements, additional niches, or mezzanines, which will entail a change in the nearby decoration (walls, floor, ceiling).