It’s time to start thinking of home improvement projects for the coming year. Like most Americans, you may be struggling with finding the money to accomplish major home improvements. You may have researched ways to get financing, like through Hearth, and while you’ll probably be able to do those major projects, you’d like to have a few projects that will make you feel as if you’ve got a new home without breaking the bank to do it.
Here are a few inexpensive home improvement hacks that will get you jump-started on those renovation projects.
1. Update your Door Knobs
Many homes still have the original knobs on their cabinets and doors. It’s a good idea to go through your home and update your door knobs. The bathroom cabinets could be switched out to have barn style handles and knobs in a brushed brass finish to add value to your home.
The bedroom doors could use new, easy to open handles rather than the old cheap door knobs that no longer lock and are loose. Updating the knobs and handles in your home will be a noticeable change in your home. You’ll be sure to get questions about your new cabinets, and only you have to live with the knowledge you only replaced the handles and added a fresh coat of paint.
2. Pegboard is your Friend
It used the be that pegboard was only used by industrial businesses and Dad’s workbench in the garage to hold tools. That may still be true in some cases, but the pegboard in the home is a growing trend for cooking supplies. If you have a blank wall in your house, you could put it to good use with pegboard.
Nowadays, pegboard has migrated inside. Kitchens can be brightened and organized with painted pegboard and beautifully accented hangers. You can create a welcome child’s room by hanging color pegboard blocks and assigning space on the walls for beloved toys and clothes.
3. Create the illusion of space.
Mirrors do amazing things with small spaces. There are many ways to create the illusion of space and one of those is to strategically install mirrors in small spaces. You can glue mirrors inside deep cabinet doors in a bathroom to give the illusion of more space. In a child’s bedroom, you can install mirrored sliding doors on the closet to help the room “open up.”
The small living room can feel spacious if you add large hanging mirrored picture frames. You can even add a mirrored backsplash to your kitchen. Mirrored tiles go a long way toward accomplishing this effect and relatively inexpensive.
4. Fresh Paint Does Wonders
There is something about repainting parts of your home that makes you feel as if you’ve gotten a new home improvement project completed. You could even take an old single-color area rug and create a patterned masterpiece with a little paint and tape.
Kitchen and washroom vinyl floors can be repainted to freshen up their feel. Just be sure to cover the new floor with a clear polyurethane coat to keep it new and water and peel resistant. Don’t forget your entryway, either. Repainting your front door in bold colors can help you stand out from the neighborhood and help the taxi driver find your house after your long evening.
If you are looking to create more illusion of space, try repainting 3 walls one color and the 4th wall white. The white wall will help the room feel bigger than it is.
5. The Trim Effect
Trim isn’t just for baseboards anymore. Trim can be used on cabinet doors to give a 3D effect. You can also update the trim in your home and add deeper color. Adding trim to ceilings will also create a classic look if you’re wanting to update a kitchen or dining room. Children’s bedrooms can be updated with trim to create baseboards that are durable and water resistant. Bathroom trim can be updated for the same reason.
6. Framing isn’t just for Carpenters
Speaking of trim, creating frames around large areas can give the illusion of comfort and inviting atmosphere. If you have a large living room wall space that has a flat screen television, you use trim to create frames around it and refresh your viewing entertainment.
If you have a large bathroom mirror that covers the whole wall above a two-sink vanity, you may consider using trim to section off the areas above each sink. It will also add personality and classic beauty to your bathroom.
7. Wooden Flooring isn’t just for Floors
Many home improvement projects include using wooden slats or flooring to refinish a floor, but if you have extra wooden slats or flooring, you may consider updating one wall with the slats. Even well-preserved palletsor tongue and groove slats work well. It creates that natural feel to any room. There are many walls and cabinets that are refreshed and updated using wooden materials.
Conclusion
These home improvement hacks will help you get a jump-start on your year of improvement. It will improve the value of your home and won’t break the bank in the process.
Do you have any budget home improvement tricks? How did you refresh your home without zeroing out your bank account? Share your stories in the comments below.
