20 Home Improvement Projects to Do Before the Holidays

When your guests arrive for your long-awaited holiday party, you'll be at ease knowing your house is in great shape thanks to this checklist. From simple tasks like decluttering and styling your kitchen shelves to more involved projects like re-caulking your bathroom and DIYing a board-and-batten wall, this list of 20 projects to do before the holidays covers absolutely everything.

Replacing your kitchen cabinets with custom cabinets could cost over $1,200 per linear foot. However, putting a custom spin on your cabinets with brand-new hardware is a fraction of the cost. Whether you choose something modern and sleek or a more ornate option, new cabinet hardware can make all the difference in your kitchen's aesthetic.

Stair runners are back. Not only are they practical, preventing scuffs and quieting loud stairs, but they also lend an unmatched elegance to your stairway. This simple upgrade could be completed in a day, maybe even an afternoon, giving you more time to move on to the rest of your to-do list.

Have a blank wall and no idea how to fill it? The answer is simple: Put up a gallery wall. You don't have to have a massive blank wall to install a quality gallery wall. In fact, some of our favorite gallery walls use a small amount of space to make a big visual impact.

If your home has a powder room or guest bathroom, be sure to give it the same level of beautification as the rest of your home. Swap out hardware, pull in beautiful new soap dishes or dispensers and consider hanging a fun wallpaper that distinguishes the space.

Have guests staying the night? Give them the luxury hotel treatment right in the comfort of your home by turning your guest bedroom into a retreat. Trade hand-me-down bed sheets for something luxe and cozy, paint the walls a serene shade and stock the room with everything they'll need to feel right at home.

Dining chairs see a lot of use from food spills to general wear and tear. The good thing is re-covering chair cushions is an easy and inexpensive DIY. But, whether you take them to a professional or do the job yourself, reupholstering your dining chairs is a guaranteed way to breathe life into your dining area.

It's time to address those dingy caulk lines throughout your bathroom. More than just an eyesore, old, stained caulk makes your bathroom feel dirty. The results may surprise you so much that you might forget you wanted a full bathroom reno.

Before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season arrives, take time to declutter your home. Organize built-in shelves, put away toys and sort through that pile of mail on the counter. Oh, and don't forget to clean out the fridge. Giving yourself the gift of a decluttered space may be the best thing you receive this holiday season.

Rugs and carpets get dingy over time, but you may not notice when you see them every day. Even carpet stains begin to go unnoticed. However, a guest's fresh set of eyes may notice things you've become blind to. Take time to clean your carpet and rugs ahead of time. We think you'll be shocked at the results.

A beautiful backsplash is the cherry on top of a stylish kitchen. And you don't have to spend thousands to get one. Instead, consider a budget-friendly backsplash option. Whether you choose one of our budget backsplash projects or come up with your own, it's guaranteed to level up your kitchen.

Your home's entryway is the very first thing your holiday guests see when they walk through the front door. So, you'll want to make sure it has the visual impact you intend. Use your entryway design as a way to set the tone for your home by choosing a style that encompasses your home's aura.

While open shelving doesn't have the same storage capability as closed kitchen cabinetry, it's a styling opportunity full of design potential. Use open shelves to bring in a pop of color to a white kitchen or keep things neutral and turn up the textures.

We get it — a full kitchen renovation isn't always in the cards, especially right before the holidays. Instead of ripping everything out, dress up your builder-grade cabinets. Something as simple as painting your cabinets can totally transform your kitchen.

You don't have to wallpaper a whole room to make a major statement. In fact, using wallpaper to highlight a certain architectural detail or as a background for a furniture vignette can have an even bigger visual impact.

If you're fortunate enough to have a grand staircase in your entry or anywhere else in your entertaining space, use it as a holiday focal point to take advantage of its massive design potential.

Amp up your curb appeal and greet your guests with a stylishly painted front door. Painting your front door can greatly affect your home's overall look. Take a page out of Ben and Erin Napier's design book and paint the trim around the door to match the shutters.

If you're still rocking the basic hardware store light fixtures that were in your home when you moved in, you're missing out on loads of style potential. Swapping light fixtures is an easy way to upgrade a room's style and you likely won't even have to call an electrician.

Is your living room lacking flow? Bringing in several holiday guests will only exacerbate the issue. Take a look at your living room furniture and see if there are any ways you can rearrange it to better serve the space.

Here's something super easy to do that can transform the look and functionality of your kitchen: Install a new faucet. Just like other design trends, faucet design is ever-evolving. New materials and finishes, shapes and features are arriving every day.