We’re spending more time planning design changes for our homes, so we’re more actively “curating,” a new survey by Better Homes and Gardens shows.

Curating means finding, organizing and taking care of stuff. I looked it up.

Anyway, the survey released last month shows that:

• We’re willing to spend more time looking for deals to get the most value for our money.

• We like multipurpose rooms and are losing interest in specialty spaces such as media rooms.

• When it comes to remodeling, we’re more taken with bathrooms than kitchens.

• Style is more important than storage. Interest in upgrades like countertops, flooring and faucets is up, while interest in more and better storage is flat.

• We’d rather get rid of excess stuff than spend more for a larger house with additional storage.

• Consumers surveyed by the magazine wished for a median house size of 1,791 square feet, down from 1,846 square feet the year before. “There’s more attention given towards the aesthetic and function of a space, rather than the amount of space,” the magazine’s Jill Waage said in a release.

Some parts of the survey ring true. Lots of us are spending time on networks such as Pinterest, daydreaming about new backsplashes. We’re all interested in stretching our budgets. Other parts? Well ...

If you put your home on the market, I guarantee that the first prospective buyer will ask about storage – because stuffing stuff into the attic or three-car garage is way easier than curating.

Wood hardeners

A reader asks a simple question: Does the wood hardener from Minwax really work? Here’s a simple answer: Yes.

I’ve used it over the years to restore rotten spots in window sills and the like. Just remove all the rotten wood you can manage. Rot usually means moisture in the wood, so you have to make sure the spot has dried. Coat the spot thoroughly with hardener – a disposable brush is a good idea – and let that dry.

Now you can fill the cavity with quality filler, sand, prime and paint. I’ve used the Minwax filler, but you don’t have to. (There’s a reason your home center stocks Bondo auto body filler in its house paint section.)

The longer answer to this question is a lot less simple. Others recommend alternatives to the Minwax hardener, including water-based and two-part products. Brand names include CPES, or Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer, and PC-Petrifier.

I don’t have any experience with those products or others, but will be glad to share advice from anyone who has. If you’ve used them, drop me an email.

Special to the Observer: homeinfo@charter.net