A little bit of DIY is a great way to elevate your home while saving yourself some money. But it’s only saving money if you get it right. DIY gone wrong can end up costing you more to fix, which can put some people off attempting it. There’s no need to be afraid of DIY, though. There are plenty of things you can try that don’t require a lot of skill or prior knowledge. In fact, some tasks are almost impossible to mess up. And once you start with some basic DIY, you can build your confidence and soon start doing some things that are a bit more complicated.
Refresh Your Stairs
Stairs see a lot of foot traffic and they can start to look tired after a while. Giving them a refresh can make them look a lot more interesting, so you’re not bored of looking at them anymore. If you have exposed wooden stairs, repainting them is a simple job that’s pretty difficult to get wrong. You might also want to try installing a new runner, which is an excellent way to uplift your staircase and give it a more exciting look. There are plenty of easy projects for refreshing your staircase that you might want to explore.
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Hang Your Own Blinds or Curtains
Getting a professional to hang your blinds or curtains can save you time, but doing it yourself is definitely within the bounds of possibility. You don’t need to be a DIY expert to get a curtain rail installed straight or to put up some new blinds. To make it even easier, look for brands like Half Price Blinds with products that are designed for DIY installation. Start by getting your measurements right, and everything should be fairly straightforward from there. You’ll only need some basic tools and you can immediately transform any room.
Make an Ottoman
You might look at making furniture as something that you need years of experience to do successfully. But you don’t need to be an expert woodworker to create something usable. In fact, there are projects you can work on that don’t require any woodworking skills at all. One of them is making your own ottoman, which you can do with some basic sewing skills. You can make your ottoman in a basic shape, and then you just need to be able to stuff it. This will be easiest to do if you have a sewing machine, which you could rent or borrow, or buy a basic one for a low price.
Create a Gallery Wall
Gallery walls are simple to put together and can be really effective. They might consist of your favourite family photos, but they could also include anything from paintings and posters to embroidery hoops or other arts and crafts. Before you hang anything, consider using paper to cut out the shapes you want to hang and test their positioning. Just tape or tack them to the wall, moving them until you’re happy, then mark where you want to put the real thing. Remember to check for any pipes or cables before you hang anything and use a spirit level to keep everything straight.
Decorate Some Basic Vases or Tealights
If you want to do something creative, painting or decorating existing objects is an easy task anyone can do. There’s no need to become a glass blower or potter to create some unique home accessories. One of the simplest options is to paint some glass or ceramic vases, or other items like tea lights and candle holders. Choose the right paint for the material you’re working with and add whatever designs you want.
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Make Pillow Covers
Pillow covers are another simple item you can sew if you have a basic sewing machine, or even if you’re willing to spend the time doing it by hand. A pillow cover is just a basic square, and you can choose what type of fastening you want to use so you can remove and wash the cover when you want. But if you don’t want to sew anything, you can also easily customise an existing cushion cover. Use fabric paint and mark out your design using masking tape or by first drawing it onto the fabric. Or just go freestyle and paint whatever comes to you in the moment.
Make a Simple Table
Even making a table doesn’t require you to have woodworking tools or skills. If you get creative with materials, you can create a usable table that looks great too. Copper piping is one example of a material you can use to create the base of your table, and you can then choose from a variety of materials to become the tabletop. You can also buy a readymade set of metal table legs and attach them to the tabletop of your choice.
Spruce Up a Framed Mirror
Mirrors can be great for making a room look lighter and bigger. But an old-fashioned mirror might not have the effect that you really want. If you want to bring a mirror up to date, decorating the frame is an effective way to do it. You could simply paint the frame, which gives you a choice of lots of colours or maybe patterns you want to add. Another option could be covering it in gold, silver or maybe copper leaf, adding some beautiful shininess and a luxury touch. It’s a good way to rescue an old mirror and save yourself some money.
Repaint
People often choose to hire painters and decorators when they want to repaint at home. It’s certainly a good way to get professional results and save yourself some time. But in many cases, you can do a great job yourself. If you take the time to prepare adequately, choose the right paint, and give it a couple of coats, you can do your own painting. It might not be perfect, but you can certainly get close.
DIY doesn’t have to be intimidating. A few basic skills and materials can get you far and deliver excellent results.
