The value of a home is enhanced when it appears well maintained.

The areas that are most thoroughly scrutinized are those that are readily visible during a quick walk-through.

The list of what to do to improve value is infinite, but refinishing a light fixture is one of the single most cost-effective home improvements you can do, and believe it or not, you can expect as much as a 1,000 percent (or more) return on your investment.

One of our readers recently reported that her two large entry light fixtures looked as if they were ready for light-fixture heaven and that replacement would cost a little more than $800.

She took our advice, and within four evenings (a few hours each sitting) and an investment of $35 in materials and equipment, made her old fixtures look brand-new.

Even the best light fixtures (made from solid brass) eventually corrode to a point where they completely lose their smooth, shiny, new-looking finish.

Reviving old, tattered brass is easy. Brass is a relatively soft metal, and even the most badly oxidized surface can be polished to its original sheen.

The steps are easy.

First disassemble the fixture to its smallest component. This will make working on ornate fixtures much simpler.

Even though the brass is tarnished, a thin protective coating (usually clear lacquer) must be completely removed.

Use paint remover to do this. Because the clear coating is almost invisible, there won't be much satisfaction in performing this step.

However, omitting this step will make the sanding and polishing steps far more difficult.

Once the clear, protective coating is removed, sandpaper is used to remove the oxidized surface layer of the brass -- including any pitting that may exist.

Yes, the sandpaper will scratch the surface, but a second sanding with a finer grit will bring you one step closer to the polishing phase where metal polish is used to remove all traces of the sandpapering phase and to once again bring the surface to a high sheen.

The grade of sandpaper required will depend on how badly corroded the surface is. Eighty-grit should be used for deeply pitted surfaces, 150-grit for moderately pitted surfaces and 200-grit for lightly pitted surfaces.

In every case, 400- to 600- grit wet and dry sandpaper dipped in water should be used for the final sanding.

Although hand polishing is acceptable, a polishing wheel is faster and easier to use.

You don't need to purchase a fancy bench grinder with a bunch of exotic polishing wheels.

All that's needed is a common household drill with a polishing pad attachment.

It can be mounted in a bench vice or clamped to a workbench or heavy piece of furniture (old furniture please -- the clamp may leave marks).

Polishing rouge comes in the form of a large crayon or stick and is applied to the polishing pad while it is rotating.

The brass surface is held against the spinning pad to remove scratches and buff the yellow metal to a bright, golden sheen.

Then, a coat or two of liquid brass polish such as Brasso or Flitz can be used to bring out the final luster of the metal and remove all traces of the polishing rouge.

Finally, spray on a new protective coating of clear lacquer or a clear polyurethane paint to seal the shiny brass and protect it against oxidation.

It is important not to touch the surface of the brass with bare hands between the polishing and protective coating stages.

The oil in your skin will cause the brass to rapidly discolor. Wear soft white cotton gloves during and after polishing.

If you aren't careful here, you may see your fingerprints on the surface within a few weeks.

Once the clear coating has had a chance to dry, reassemble and remount the fixture. Then count how much money you've saved.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.