Tips & Tricks for an affordable home makeover

[Kalika]

Does anybody have any? We are in the process of buying a townhome (yeah!!), and I want to decorate, but don't have a ton of cash, what with the down payment, bills, saving for the baby, etc...

Any "tips & tricks" for do it yourself type decorating would be appreciated!!

[tygherrayn]

Paint is generally a good way to change the look of a place. I think we bought about 10 gallons, tops, for a 6-room townhome. In a couple different colors, to keep in interesting. We keep meaning to do the bathrooms, but never seem to have the time. We'll get there.

If you're good with a sewing machine, you can make your own drapes and throw pillows too. Change them around by buying fabric on sale. I would actually like to get some inexpensive muslin and make my own drapes for the living area. Pillows are generally easy too, since you can buy pillow forms and not have to deal with stuffing them yourself. Or recover some you already have!

[Faeawyn]

I agree with Tygher.....I always recommend paint first to my clients. It's the best and least expensive way to effect change. Draping fabric over rods gives you a nice look, and you can pick up fabric for $1 a yard at Walmart. Furniture finds at garage sales can be spruced up with a nice coat of paint in a coordinating color. Green plants are a must....they add warmth and life to a room. Up-lights behind your plants add nice shadows on the walls and ceiling...and you can pick up some inexpensive candle sconces just about anywhere. You really can decorate an entire house from Walmart and make it look like it's professionally decorated :)

[Elfa Wylde]

In the kitchen... if you like the general colour enough... use Contact paper (pretty cheap... fairly durable and EASY to install) on the wall over the counter/sink. You can get it in SO many patterns... I change mine every year!! put it up like wallpaper only less messy! and it peels right off when you want to change it. I spent $10 (on two rolls) to do my kitchen.....

next up.. i'm using paint to change the general colour (pale pale yellow with kinf od a toasted almond trim) then changing the contact paper on the fourth wall to something a little more creamy looking... maybe marble print. What'll i have? a total kitchen makeover for less than $50!!

[Kalika]

:)

Thanks everyone!!

I can't paint at the moment... but I plan to eventually. :p

The contact paper idea is a neat one, and not something I would have thought of!!

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

Another idea is to find a fabric you like and soak it in liqued starch. Stick it to the wall and voila you have new walls, and it comes down very easily.

[Faeawyn]

Another idea is to find a fabric you like and soak it in liqued starch. Stick it to the wall and voila you have new walls, and it comes down very easily.
She stole the words right out of my mouth :lol: It does work wonderfully...and just peels off then you want to change it.

[samiaminsane]

Start checking out the clearance sections of craft stores... One thing I love (and am making a ton of for Samhain) are mulberry paper candleholders. They're pretty inexpensive. Just take mulberry paper and tear it into strips, then paint both sides with mod podge and attach them to various sized glass candleholders. I just bought supplies to make 8 of them for under $10. They're beautiful when done, and they act like a luminary, with the light showing through the paper on the outside. You can also use banana paper, but it's thicker and doesn't turn out as well. Also, don't forget about rummage sales and flea markets. You can buy just about anything and re-finish it.

[Cev'aq]

Another idea is to find a fabric you like and soak it in liqued starch. Stick it to the wall and voila you have new walls, and it comes down very easily.
Does this work on cheap panelling? :lol: And is the cleanup easy after you take it all down? *doesn't know a thing about liquid starch*

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

Never tried it on panelling, but I would imagine that it should. And the clean up is very easy. The liquid starch you put in the bucket (or whatever you soaked fabric in) just needs to be poured down the drain. I don't know about actually reusing it for laundry. Haven't really thought about doing that.

The best thing about this, is you can change the walls with your moods, with the season, or just for the heck of it.

[Aowyn]

I have seen alot of great redecorating done just by moving items from one room to another and re arranging the furniture. It is possible to give a room a whole new feel just by shifting around the focal point and removing and adding items from various other parts of the house.

This is the cheapest thing I can think of but I love the other suggestions here especially the contac paper...I think I will use that on some second hand shelves I have in the kitchen. They are plastic and I have cleaned them but they are so old that there are some stains that just wont come off.

[sarahjess]

I was wondering about the starching things on your walls...

has anyone tried starching pictures to your walls? it can be done im just wondering if it ruins the pictures. Im 16 yrs old and had to take all my posters and stuff down cuz my mom and dad are breaking up and my mom doesnt want this house so we are moving so i had to take the pictures down but she hasnt found a house yet and my room just doesnt feel comfortable to me with out the pictures and i thought that since its easier to take fabric that is starched on the walls off if it is also easy to take the pictures off.

[Rhianna813]

If you are interested in slipcovering your sofa or chairs check out SureFit Outlet on ebay. They are new (overstock not seconds) but you can bid on them. I bought a sofa sized one for $15! I would have paid $100 in a store. Here is the link:

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Sure-Fit-Outlet_W0QQsspagenameZl2QQtZkm

Also if you have larger pictures or artwork but no frames.... check out Goodwill. Many times people will donate an ugly picture but the frame is decent. You can buy the pic of pocket change and only use the frame. DH does this all the time and paints the frame to fix it up.

I also use the pictures in old calendars for artwork. I can change it out whenever i want to create a new look for free. Here is a link for 50 decorating looks under $50:

http://www.ivillage.com/home/howtoguide/decorate/articles/0,,167103_411084,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=2

Have fun!

Rhianna

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

I was wondering about the starching things on your walls...

has anyone tried starching pictures to your walls? it can be done im just wondering if it ruins the pictures. Im 16 yrs old and had to take all my posters and stuff down cuz my mom and dad are breaking up and my mom doesnt want this house so we are moving so i had to take the pictures down but she hasnt found a house yet and my room just doesnt feel comfortable to me with out the pictures and i thought that since its easier to take fabric that is starched on the walls off if it is also easy to take the pictures off.

I can't say I've ever tried using it on photos/posters. Sorry.

[banondraig]

starching posters will probably leave a film/and or water spots. rubber cement would be better.

[-Ember]

Dollar stores and other clearance type stores can sometimes be a better deal for pillows than pillow forms (I got floor pillows for $5 each verus about $15 for the forms) They recover just as easy.

Any thing in a frame=art. Again, dollar stores often have frames. A wall of small frames can look good. Either match frames or theme... too mixed looks odd. Sometimes they have pictures you can use, sometimes not. I just bought 6 (with mats) to frame out some notecards of some art I love... total cost about $12 for notecards+frames and I have a wonderful display. Works great instead of scrapbooking too... do a collage/scrapbook/shadowbox theme. Or for the more modern style: bright tissuepaper decoupaged on the back of the glass, maybe with words or black line images, no backerboards and matching (or at least similar style, shapes can vary and look good) frames. Use your imagination. Lots of frames (think about 9 1' square frames arranged in a square) make an impressive and interesting wall, even if each image in them is bland. Many also have mirrors... that can look good. Especially if you etch (the acid for that is availible at most craft stores... I recomend the paste) or use a spray frost paint or the faux stained glass paint. Big thing is to keep each image fairly simple and let the big image of all of them look complicated. Use your imagination. Fabric, doillies,newspaper cuttings, etc.

Also... for the floating look... one simple image glued on the glass, simple frame, no backer board.

[Lunamoth]

I was wondering about the starching things on your walls...

has anyone tried starching pictures to your walls? it can be done im just wondering if it ruins the pictures. Im 16 yrs old and had to take all my posters and stuff down cuz my mom and dad are breaking up and my mom doesnt want this house so we are moving so i had to take the pictures down but she hasnt found a house yet and my room just doesnt feel comfortable to me with out the pictures and i thought that since its easier to take fabric that is starched on the walls off if it is also easy to take the pictures off.

When I was a teen, I attached posters with a craft hotglue gun. To get the glue back off, heat it with a hairdryer.

As for decorating tips and tricks, well, I have one for messed up floors. The house we're renovating has linoleum tile all throughout and it's on a cement slab, so no subfloors. We can't afford hardwood and we don't like polyester carpeting. We're buying sheets of thin plywood (you can also use MDF - gives a different look but can give off a smell for some time) and staining them, sealing with varnish and glueing down with construction adhesive. You can also paint instead of staining them, and do all those neat paint effects like on a wall, before varnishing. The varnish is important though, since you're walking on them and shoes will scuff off any paint. Make sure you measure the room and cut exactly to size or there'll be gaps between boards and then you can't clean them properly.

[Sisqi]

A couple of things I like to do when I want to brighted up a room: hang holiday lights around where the ceiling and wall meet, I save beaded fringe etc off of things from the thrift store/garage sales and use to make again something to hang up like a molding where the ceiling and wall meet or use to make tassels for lamps or curtains/hanging decorations for around the curtain rods. Also, if you have a cement slab, you can use cement paint to paint directly on the floor without having to add plywood/varnish etc. Looks pretty wicked with stripes!

:tub: