10 Home Improvement Ideas: How To Make The Most of What You Already Have!

Three years ago, nosotros moved into our house, a 1970's fixer-upper. I'm certain people thought I was crazy to accept on the renovation of an older home. I had a real express budget, as well as I had never done whatsoever form of domicile improvement or domicile remodeling inward my life. 

I knew that the exclusively agency I was going to create our quondam solid aspect the agency I wanted it to was to larn to practice things myself. Since our budget was basically nonexistent, I knew I would direct maintain to operate alongside what I already had. 
And then that's what I've spent the past times few years doing.
This post is a collection of my 10 favorite piece of cake DIY ideas.

Based on the reader emails I acquire each month, I know in that location are tons of you lot inward older homes merely similar me, trying to figure out ways to improve things. I know how it feels. 
Not awesome.

 I was inward that daunting identify merely iii curt years ago.  The proficient tidings is that YOU tin practice what I've done. It merely takes a trivial willingness to learn. And the powerfulness to block out all of the people telling you lot non to pigment something. 


So, here are my transcend 10 piece of cake solutions to update things you lot mightiness non similar virtually your house, most of which involve paint
Because when you lot postulate low-cost, high-impact results, pigment is your best friend.

#1. Paint Your Trim
We'll start off alongside the i affair that volition give you lot the most bang for your buck. Painting your quondam wooden trim. I painted my trim, as well as it completely transformed my entire house. Nothing volition create every bit large of an behave upon every bit epitome your trim. All you lot postulate is pigment as well as a decent amount of patience.

There are real few things that volition transform an quondam solid similar painted trim down will, every bit evidenced past times the below motion epitome of the upstairs.

Or this motion epitome of the basement.

So, yes, I definitely holler back it's the cheapest agency to create a large departure inward the overall aspect as well as experience of your home.

The consummate (and real easy) tutorial of how I pigment my trim down tin live works life here.

#2. Paint Your Tile
Did you lot know you lot tin pigment your tile? Well, yep. You can. I had the ugliest tile countertop inward our kitchen when nosotros starting fourth dimension moved inward as well as it drove me crazy until I lastly broke downwardly as well as painted it. I couldn't afford to knock it out as well as merely acquire rid of it (which nosotros eventually did during the renovation), then inward the meantime this was the perfect solution. I works life a especial type of pigment made merely for sinks, tubs, as well as tile, as well as it totally lived upwardly to the hype...super durable. My tile epitome tutorial is merely a few piece of cake steps as well as tin live works life here. I holler back it damage me less than $50 to practice this.

#3. Paint Your Old Furniture
After nosotros moved into our house, I apace realized that my fantasy of shopping for all create novel slice of furniture was non going to live a reality merely yet. I was forced to instead holler back exterior of the box as well as discovery inexpensive ways to render our home. This totally spawned my thrift store shopping as well as slice of furniture epitome obsession.
 This french provincial dresser was i of my faves as well as exclusively damage me $50.
The master copy tutorial tin live found here. 

Another instance is this thrift store dresser I painted blue.

It's my most viewed post of all time, as well as I notwithstanding acquire readers emailing me pictures of their ain versions of this dresser. Never inward a i G k years did I aspect that to happen.

You tin come across my transcend 10 slice of furniture pigment projects here.

#4. Spray Paint Your Doorknobs

If you lot direct maintain tons of outdated 1980's brass doorknobs similar me, you lot tin easily update them alongside spray paint. Using the correct spray pigment volition give you lot a high-end, durable result. And it's much improve than paying $20+ a slice for novel knobs! 
(See to a greater extent than virtually what pigment to use here.)

#5. Spray Paint Your Light Fixtures:
I dearest a swell low-cal fixture. And our solid didn't direct maintain a unmarried one. I mean, nosotros had low-cal fixtures, but they were hideous. So, instead, I had Jesse accept all of them downwardly as well as I works life roughly (new to me) quondam thrift store chandeliers as well as spray painted them a color I liked.

For example, here's an quondam brass pendant I works life for $5 at a local thrift store.

And hither it is inward our office after a few coats of argent spray paint. 

 #6. Paint Your Dirty Tile Grout
This i production has totally transformed our floors. I've used it on iii rooms worth of tile, as well as it's held upwardly swell for a actually long fourth dimension now. It damage me virtually $10. 
Original tutorial tin live found here.

#7. Paint outdated Bathroom Fixtures
Rather than pass hundreds of dollars on novel bath fixtures, I merely used this silver spray pigment and this metallic pigment pen (affiliate links) to completely update our outdated two-toned fixtures. It's notwithstanding belongings upwardly over a yr later.
You tin come across to a greater extent than details virtually that transformation here.

#8. Paint the insides of quondam cabinets
I used a quart of this chalkboard paint (affiliate link) to completely update the insides of my kitchen cabinets. They were actually disgusting before, as well as it's made a bigger behave upon on our trivial kitchen than anything else we've done. 
See the total earlier as well as afters here.

#9. Create an Accent Wall:
Adding a fun accent wall is i of my favorite ways to accept a room upwardly a notch. For cheap.
I did inward in our bath (seen here) as well as inward our invitee chamber (seen here). 

#10. Paint your tardily quondam walls! 

I painted our tardily peachy colored walls throughout the entire house. I kept the color palette neutral, but varied the color from room to room. The overall outcome is a calm, serene, cohesive looking house! 
See my favorite neutral pigment colors here.

And my best pigment advice on choosing a pigment color here.

#11. BONUS!! Update your fireplace!
We were blessed alongside a 1970's precious rock of a fireplace inward our living room, then to create the most of it, nosotros built our ain diy mantel for less than $30! It totally upgraded the fireplace as well as ended upwardly existence a super piece of cake project! You tin cheque out the total story here.

or you lot tin besides pigment your fireplace similar nosotros did to our fireplace downstairs. 
See to a greater extent than virtually that here.

So, that's it! Those are my transcend 10 ways of making the most of what you lot already have. Thanks for existence here.
You guys know I appreciate it.

'Til side past times side time,

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