Making your house feel like a home by embarking on DIY projects is a brilliant pastime. The number of searches for #DIYhacks on TikTok demonstrates this. In fact, reports show that one in four households are looking to make improvements to their homes where possible, including painting and redesigning to increase the value of their home. Seeking budget-friendly alternatives is a priority for many homeowners given the current climate. Here are some pointers to get you started.
DIY tips: Sand down wooden items
If your wooden furniture is looking dreary, set aside some time to sand down and re-varnish those items. Grab yourself a cabinet scraper or chisel and get to work, smoothing down the object ready for varnishing. When it comes to varnishing, let the first layer dry before applying another – be sure to lightly sand this new layer down. Softwood usually needs around five coats to get the desired look.
Spruce up your bedroom headboard
Every room needs a statement piece, so why not make it your headboard? Whip out the old toolbox and get to work on pulling together your new headboard design, by working with the foundations of your existing headboard. Whether you upgrade it using rattan or fabric, there are lots of ways you can get creative without breaking the bank. Once you have the materials, it’s a case of using the right tools, from glue guns to drills, to pull everything together.
Photo by WaiYung Tseng on Unsplash
Switch up your door handles
Updating your door handles might not have crossed your mind before, but it can be a nifty, cost-effective way to freshen up your space. There are plenty of unique designs knocking around on second-hand selling platforms, from eBay to Facebook Marketplace. Then, it tends to take only a screwdriver to fix them into place.
DIY tips: Update old cabinets
Don’t waste money buying new cabinets – use a little skill and creative flair to breathe new life into the ones you already own. Think about how you can utilise your tools. For example, you might use a jigsaw to trim curved legs into straight ones. If you want to change the colour or finish, consider whether you can coordinate the outcome to match existing furniture using paint. Alternatively, you can add or remove shelves within the cabinet or swap them out for drawers instead.
Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash
Refresh old tile grout
Dirty or worn grout in your kitchen or bathroom can make a big difference to the look of a room and luckily, cleaning it up isn’t complicated. You can freshen up grout using a grout reviver, which tends to be very cheap to buy. Add in mould treatment and you’ll have vibrant grouting once again. It’s that simple and will only need an afternoon’s work.
Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash
