The living quarters are made up of rooms. Each of them is important. Many people during the renovation pay more attention to the bedroom, living room, kitchen, completely forgetting about the hallway. But it is in this room that the owners meet guests.
This room is the first thing a person sees when they come after a hard day's work. Based on this, it is important to treat the repair in the corridor very carefully. It must be done last. Why exactly? The reason is as follows - during construction work, all the garbage is carried out through this room, dust and dirt also settle in it, which naturally spoils the new finish.
Even with the fact that the entrance hall is the "face" of the house, everyone can make repairs in it. For this, you do not need to invite qualified specialists. All you need is hands, desire and time. In technical terms, construction work is simple, and with the right approach, repairs will be quite inexpensive.
It should be understood that the involvement of craftsmen will increase costs by approximately 50%. And since it is quite rarethere are communications in the hallway, a person with basic knowledge can handle the decoration of walls, ceiling and floor. For those who do not have them, this article will help.
Important points
Before you start repairing the corridor with your own hands, professionals advise you to listen to the recommendations. In most cases, the hallways in the apartments are very small. They have no windows, but doorways are plentiful, making decorating this room much more difficult.
When choosing a design, you must take into account the lack of natural light. Also high demands are placed on the floor material. Everyone should understand that when a person comes home, it is in the corridor that he ends up in shoes. And this, accordingly, is dirt. Resistance to mechanical damage must also be taken into account. Some women prefer stilettos, which are so thin that they can easily damage the floor.
Wall decoration is an important nuance of repair. And we are talking about literally everything: material, colors, placement of accents. Everyone wants their hallway to be bright, clean and beautiful, and this can only be achieved through the right finish.
There are a lot of such nuances. Therefore, it is recommended that all repair work be carried out only according to a clear plan. How to compose it and what exactly should be provided for in it, we will tell below.
Making a plan
Repairing a corridor in a house or apartment should not be done spontaneously. The fact is that it is this room that can deliver a lothassle for the owners. Most often, the hallway space is not large, and also does not always have the correct layout, so during the repair it will be necessary to provide for many nuances. To do this, it is recommended to draw up an action plan for which repairs will be carried out. Professionals recommend to distribute the stages as follows.
- Lighting comes first. Sometimes it may be necessary to carry out new wiring, install a lamp or an additional outlet, so this should be done at the very beginning of the repair.
- The second stage is the organization of space. It is not recommended to skip this item, since it directly affects the final result.
- The third stage is finishing. The ceiling, walls and floor must be properly decorated, focusing not only on the design, but also on the properties of the selected materials.
- Final stage - furnishing. It will help to give the room comfort and coziness.
When drawing up a plan, it is important to calculate the financial costs in advance. This can only be done after all the above points have already been approved. It is recommended to set aside an amount for repairs that will be at least 30% higher than the planned expenses. After all, it often happens that under the old finish, homeowners expect such surprises that simply could not be foreseen.
Varieties of hallways
What else do you need to know before making repairs in the hallway? Design ideas, of course, may be different, but withchoosing a design should take into account the layout of the room. And only then it will be possible to achieve harmony. In panel houses, the entrance hall can be of different types. Let's look at the features of each of them:
- The shape of the box. This layout is found, most often, in Khrushchev. The dimensions are small - approximately 4 m2. On this small square there are doors to the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and there is also another one - the entrance. The hallway-box is also found in modern houses, as well as in "Stalinka". Professionals believe that repairs in a room with such a layout are easy to make. The only thing that can cause complications is with the furniture. The fact is that almost all the walls have doorways that make it difficult to place furniture.
- Hallway-corridor. This type of layout has a special form. The room is quite long but narrow. Here it is necessary to organize the space. This type of layout is used in a panel house. Repairing the corridor will be more difficult than in the first case.
- The most unfortunate type of layout is “burrow with a hole”. That's what they jokingly call the corridors in block Khrushchevs. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that the narrow part of the room runs from the front door to the living room, and from it there is still a layer that leads to the kitchen. Not everyone can organize the right space in such a hallway. The room is very cramped, the shape is uncomfortable, so it is recommended to listen to the advice of professionals.
- The hallway compartment has a rather complex shape. It is found mainly in new buildings. In some cases, the owners themselves demolish the interior partitions, thus obtaining a similar layout. A room of this type can have many branches, bends. It is worth noting that with the proper organization of space, it will not be difficult to decorate the room beautifully.
Renovation in the corridor: ideas for decorating the ceiling
There are quite a few ideas for finishing the ceiling. When choosing a particular design, it is necessary to take into account the style in which the entire room will be decorated. If desired, stretch ceilings, plasterboard structures are perfect, and the latter can be done in several levels. As for the choice of material for finishing, water-based paint is most often used.
If the owner does not want to do complex work, then you can always buy ceiling tiles. Its advantage is that for its gluing there is no need to level the surface. If the room is very dark and small, designers recommend choosing a mirrored tile. Its installation, of course, is more difficult, but the end result will be stunning.
The choice of colors must be approached seriously. Considering that the room is not lit by natural light, only light colors will be the best option. For example, white is suitable for high-tech style, gray or pale blue looks great in minimalism. For those who create a classic interior, it is recommended to take a beige shade. It will create an excellent base and focus on the woodenfurniture. In any case, only a light palette should be chosen for the ceiling.
Don't forget about lighting. Repair of the corridor in the apartment will not do without such work. But they don't cause much difficulty. The main thing - before you manipulate the wires, be sure to turn off the electricity. Now let's look at tips to help make the space cozy:
- In a small room, it is recommended to abandon the central chandelier. It will only visually reduce the space.
- If a two- or three-level structure is mounted on the ceiling, then beautiful compositions of small lamps are created in it. Thanks to diffused light, the corridor is immediately filled with a romantic atmosphere.
- If the ceiling has only one level, it is better to move the lamps to the walls.
Walls
Repairing a corridor in an apartment or house involves certain work with the walls. Before finishing them, you will need to putty the surfaces. In some cases (with large irregularities) you will even have to plaster. These processes for a person without certain skills will seem complicated, but if you wish, it is still possible to complete them yourself. The only thing you have to prepare for is a lot of dirt and dust.
Plaster is better on lighthouses. This will ensure that the surface is as flat as possible. Next, a layer of plaster is primed and covered with putty. The latter allows you to make the wall smooth. Now you canstart decorating. Professionals recommend once again treating the surface with a primer mixture, especially if wallpapering or painting is planned in the corridor. If the walls are decorated with panels, then the preparatory work can be omitted.
What color should I choose for the walls in the hallway? As in the case of the ceiling, it is better to give preference to light shades. They will help visually expand the space. Zoning is also used for these purposes, especially if the corridor in Khrushchev is being repaired. It is done by choosing finishes from different materials, for example, the upper part is covered with wallpaper, and the lower part is decorated with panels or brickwork.
When making repairs in the corridor, it is important to remember the following recommendations:
- The element that acts as a contrast must be visible from anywhere in the room.
- Warm and light colors visually expand the space.
- A dark color palette used in large quantities in a hallway will be depressing.
- Smooth color transitions look advantageous in a narrow and long room, if desired, you can use a stepped change.
- If there are dark stripes in the wall decoration, then they must be diluted with light inserts.
Dressing room
When making repairs in the corridor, you should immediately think about how to organize storage space in it. Not every room will fit a closet, so you can use the closet for this purpose. Forin order to convert it into a dressing room, you only need to order shelves in any furniture store. They are made to order, so there will be no problems with the size. To make the hallway look holistic, it is recommended to convert the doorway into an arch. This will help expand the room and make it lighter.
Selection of materials
When making repairs in the corridor, it is advisable not to save on materials. Given that the room has a small size, no special financial costs are required. Finishing materials must meet the following requirements:
- long service life;
- resistance to mechanical damage;
- not susceptible to moisture and dirt.
Walls are best suited for: liquid wallpaper, decorative plaster, ceramic or porcelain tiles, as well as lining, MDF panels.
Tools
What might be needed to make repairs yourself? Of course, the tools. These include: perforator, drill, spatula. If the owners decide to lay a new wiring, then they cannot do without a grinder.
Of course, a hammer, nails, self-tapping screws should always be at hand. When puttying or plastering walls, it is necessary to arm yourself with a level. If there are no such tools, then they can be rented or borrowed from friends, so it is not necessary to spend money on the purchase.
Repair of the corridor in Khrushchev
Living rooms in Khrushchevs are not the best layout. The corridor is no exception. Many people believe,that it is here that it is difficult to choose a design in order to achieve maximum comfort. But difficult does not mean impossible. What do the professionals offer?
- If the entrance hall has such a layout as a “burrow with a hole”, then it is recommended to replace all doors with sliding doors with a transparent canvas. This will not only help save space, but also visually expand the area.
- For the branch that leads to the kitchen, you can apply another design move - zoning. An overhead ceiling beam is perfect for this.
- The kitchen doorway uses the same finish as the kitchen.
- The elongated part will look original if you divide the solid wall into two planes: light colors are located closer to the hall, and dark colors are near the exit.
- The zoom effects are applied very carefully. If the expansion is carried out along, then you will have to refuse to visually raise the ceiling.
Magical properties of mirrors
Renovation of a narrow corridor should be planned in such a way that mirrors can fit into the space. It is they, subject to the correct location, that can expand the space of the room. For this purpose, finishing one of the walls with mirror tiles is suitable.
If the room is small, then the panel will fit perfectly. It will give originality and will fulfill the main purpose. For depth perception, you need to play with light. Wall sconces are suitable for this. As a rule, lamps with diffused light are attached near the mirrors.
In closing
As you can see from the presented material, making repairs in the corridor with your own hands is not a problem. By and large, complex technical actions are not necessary. The main thing is to choose the right design and organize the space, then the end result will be truly impressive.
