Whether you’ve just found a great deal on your first home or you’ve lived in your current home for years, there’s a better than decent chance that somewhere along the line, you’re going to find something that needs a little TLC in your home. Maybe it’s the moldings around the windows or the baseboards that line the rooms, or maybe it’s the paneling and bar tops that showcase a once beautiful bar in the basement?

All of these aspects of a home have a single variable in common: they’re all made with wood! This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, however—most of the beautiful, essential parts of your home are comprised of wood and if they’re left without the care and attention they need for years and years, there’s no doubt they’re going to start to show signs of wear of abuse.

So, how do you go about breathing new life back into the old essentials of your home? Well, the first step should be for you to visit a lumber store in Houston, where you’ll find all sorts of wood products and services to help you get your home back on track to looking its best, regardless of its age. Take a look at a few essentials you should be looking to inquire about:

Know what types of woods are in your home and if you want to keep these woods or upgrade to something else. The best way to do this is to bring a sample chunk of wood into a lumber store in Houston and have a professional identify it—they’ll almost certainly be able to. From there, you’ll unlock a whole world of possibilities, including different types of complimentary woods, prices and more.
Talk with a professional about exactly what wood applications you’ll be looking to upgrade in your home. There are a myriad of services that a lumber store will be able to provide if they know what your end goal is. Moldings can be custom milled to fit with your existing installations, for example, while baseboards can be cut in accordance with your rooms to ensure a snug fit that’s perfect! But, these things can only be accomplished if you’re upfront with a professional about what you’re seeking to accomplish.
Don’t be afraid to talk to a professional about what types of wood may benefit your home and in which ways these benefits may come about. Knowing the difference between a higher value wood and a lower value one, one that can be stained versus one that should be untreated, versus which woods are most appealing for which application are all topics of conversation that you can and should have.

At the end of the day, any home improvement project that involves wood—whether it’s restoring an old glimmer of sophistication or implementing a new sense of prestige in your home—should start with a trip to a lumber store in Houston.