Giving your home a beautifully fresh face without paying a premium can be a difficult task, especially after a few good years have passed and the costs start to add up. We’ve all been there and know that pain so I’ve dedicated myself to find a solution and thankfully I’ve found the perfect one which is the core of every tip you’ll read below.
It’s simple – by focusing on impactful low-cost and high-reward renovations that you can do yourself you’ll be able to make your home look as good as new – or even better – without breaking the bank. Now without further ado, let’s dive in!
1 – Clean Your Indoor Walls and Ceilings
If you notice that the paint on your indoor walls and ceilings is starting to look dull, different from its original color or simply uneven (spots and other marks) then it’s time to give them the good ol’ “wax on, wax off” treatment. While most people go straight into painting, which can be expensive and time-consuming, the first thing you should do is try to simply clean them and you’ll most often than not be incredibly surprised at the results.
With time dust, smoke, humidity and other particles can get attached to painted surfaces and settle there for good, leading to discoloration and other unsightly marks but thankfully these can be completely eliminated, or very close, by cleaning them carefully but thoroughly with a damp cloth. Using a ladder is essential to reach the higher parts of the surfaces but to get those really hard-to-reach spots, simply wrap the cloth around a broom and you’ll be good to go.
I was doubtful of this myself before trying it on my smoke-stained walls (fireplaces can do a number on them!) but now that I have I couldn’t be happier – the results are unbelievable.
2 – Paint Your Outdoors
From your home’s walls and doors to the garden fences and everything in between, nothing comes close to the impact that a nice, fresh coat of paint has when it comes to your outdoors. Not only is it pretty easy and quick to do but you can turn it into a fun day with your family – get the kids to do the classic fence painting or the railings while you take on the house’s walls for example. Wait for a sunny week to come, dress up in your favorite DIY clothes and get to work! You’ll thank me, and yourself, when it’s all done and your home looks as good as new from the outside.
3 – Sand and Refinish Your Furniture
This is my favorite, as you’d expect. It’s what made me interested in woodworking in the first place – watching my dad turn beaten up old furniture we had to lay around into stunningly beautiful new pieces. It was like giving them a new life and the impact it has on your home is outstanding. By picking up a simple power sander you can start working on your pieces right away! I recommend the classic random orbital sanders as they’re not only super cheap but also foolproof (the random orbital motion prevents it from leaving marks and ensures a smooth finish) and versatile as well, being capable of taking on any task you throw at them. Start by cleaning the piece you want to work on and then proceed to give it a quick sanding with low grit paper to easily remove the old material – you can be quite rough and fast on this part. After this, give it another go with a higher grit sandpaper to further clean and smoothen the surface and finally you pick the highest grit you have and give the furniture piece a slow and careful pass to ensure that it’s perfectly smooth and ready to get finished. After you’re all done be sure to clean it again to remove any dust and debris. Now’s the fun part – choose your favorite paint/stain/finish and carefully start applying it on the piece until you achieve the desired look. You can go simple or bold – the sky’s the limit – or even leave it unfinished to get a unique appearance. Now that you’re done you can place it wherever you please and watch the jaws drop!
If you’ve got hardwood floors, don’t forget to do the same with them. Read this article to learn more about it.
4 – Get Bold Decoration Pieces
Nothing screams new and gorgeous like a strong piece of decoration. Be it a powerful indoor rug or a large floor mirror, it’ll give your rooms a striking new look that shakes things up for the better all while being affordable. As two great examples, I recommend that you use mirrors on smaller spaces to make them look much more spacious and use the rugs on larger rooms that need a strong, unique visual boost to set them apart with class.
5 – Set Up New Lighting
This is a fantastic trick that most people are unaware of. If you want to get a new ambiance that gives your home a unique touch, it’s time to set up some new lights. Quantity, position and especially the color/temperature are the key aspects to consider as they can dramatically alter your room’s look and feel – it’s that powerful. While getting a new chandelier, for example, is always a good idea (and ties perfectly to tip #4), the most important part is to alter the light sources you already have installed. Get an idea of what ambiance you want – warm and homey, dim and classy, bright and modern – and then change the lights to match it. If you want a warm and homey feel, for example, go for low light color temperatures (around 2500-3000K) and mellow brightness to give your room that familiar and super comfortable feel that we all love. For a more modern look, you’ll need a higher light color temperature (4000k and up) which results in a white to a blue presence, really giving the space a contemporary, nearly futuristic ambiance. You can drastically alter the positioning and the quantity as well in order to get a dramatic change, just play around with these options until you get the desired effect – it’s a lot of fun and best of all, inexpensive.
In Conclusion
By following these easy-to-do and super affordable tips, you can give your house a completely new look that’ll leave you and your guests in awe. The best part is that it’s all done by you, not only sparing you a lot of money but also giving your home a unique look that reflects your persona, and that’s priceless. Now go forth and get your DIY on, it’s time to make your home look better than new!
About the author
James Draper is a professional woodworker that got his passion for sanding passed down from his father. He loves to bring a new life to old, dusty furniture. You can find him on sanderscore.com where he shares his knowledge on sanding and craftsmanship with other people as best as he can.
