Got a spare weekend and want to do some DIY but don’t have the cash to splash?
Not a problem. Balustrade Components have come up with 10 budget friendly ideas for rooms across the home…
3d Tile Layers
A box of white tiles and tiling adhesive, and a small pot of tiling grout will set you back only a few pounds but the results you can create are stunning.
White, square tiles in the bathroom or the kitchen can look a little flat and tired, so pep them up by creating an overlay of off-set tiles. Simply clean the bottom layer of tile, and using tile adhesive, place a tile on top but offset from the original, a bit like you do when building a Lego house!
For added interest, use a tile cutter to create shaped tiles. Once you have everything in place, grout the tiles where you can and enjoy the raised effect.
Update a dresser or chest drawers with gift wrap
Yes, you read that right. However, don’t use any old gift wrap but one that is of high quality and that doesn’t tear too easily. Remove the top drawers of the chest of drawers, make sure the top is clean and grease free.
Paint on a light layer of glue – PVA glue can work or use wallpaper paste – but don’t over wet the top. Lay the layer of gift wrap on top and gently smooth to a flat finish. Take care around the edge making sure they are well glued down. Allow to dry completely before replacing the top drawers.
Typographic art
You will need coloured paper and white printer paper, a printer and laptop, and a sharp craft knife.
Print the same words or quote using a boxy print on both the coloured piece of paper and the white piece of paper. Cut out the letter from the white piece of paper (or vice versa) and lay that sheet over the coloured paper sheet. Put in a frame and admire your art work!
Reupholster a chair
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You may think this will take oodles of time and skill, as well as expensive equipment but with not more than a metre of fabric (depending on chair size) and a staple gun, layering new upholstery on a chair is within your budget.
Cut the fabric to size leaving a generous edge to work with and take care to make sure the top layer stays smooth and the corners gathered, staple into place.
If the arms and legs are wooden, you could sand them down removing traces of varnish and use either interior gloss or furniture paint to revamp them too.
Paint your front or back door
If you have uPVC front or back doors then this won’t work but if one or both of your exterior doors are wooden, then spending £20 to £30 on sandpaper, primer and a tin of brightly coloured exterior gloss paint is the ideal way of breathing new life into the exterior of your home.
Choose from a range of colours, including sunshine yellow and pillar box red!
Decorate the smallest room in the house with old books sheets!
Don’t hop on down to your library and start ripping pages out but rather give money to charity and buy a whole load of old books from the local thrift or charity store. Using wallpaper paste, decorate the smallest room in the house with pages from romantic novels and horror stories!
Create chalk boards
Again, the chalk board paint is under £10 and all you need is this, a paint brush and a few chalks for when the paint is dry.
Create your own chalk board on a cupboard door or on the back of a door. Sand down the door and paint with several layers of the black chalk board paint, making sure you let each layer dry. When dry, start leaving to do messages or create shopping lists.
Wallpaper without the wallpaper
Sounds crazy but take yourself off to a craft shop and buy a patterned, embossed paint roller and a tray, along with emulsion paint in a colour of your choice. Making sure you evenly coat the roller, start at the bottom of the wall and slowly roll it up the wall to leave behind a pretty wallpaper pattern – without the wallpaper.
Coat hanger tree
When autumn gales arrive, there are some trees that don’t survive the wind. Rather than chopping for logs on the fire, bring in and allow the tree to dry out. Paint generously with gloss paint and when dry, hang hats of its branches.
Bookcase makeover
Have a tired bookcase that needs pepping up? Remove the shelves and sand down with sandpaper. Prime the shelving and bookcase with a suitable wood primer and then paint with furniture paint in a colour of your choice. When dry, wallpaper the back of the bookcase so when the shelves are placed back in, there is a pretty backdrop for your books and ornaments.
Which of these ideas will you try?
With all kinds of possible DIY projects across the house, Balustrade Components are specialist online retailers for any component to do with glass installations. From staircase balustrades to Juliet balconies, they are the people to turn to.
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