Ten best DIY tips to give your home a lift



The bank holiday is upon us, you know what that means, time to get out your screwdrivers and paintbrushes out and get your DIY on!

It’s that time of year, we want to make our homes look nice, we’ve done our spring cleaning and now it’s time to do the more practical tasks around the house to get it spruced up and looking tip-top. A few little jobs around the home will instantly give the place a lift, and at the same time, raise your spirits – there is nothing like the sense of achievement after completing jobs around the home, especially when you can sit back and relax in the warm and comforting environment that you created.

Here are our top ten DIY tips for you to try out:

1. Turn shabby into chic

Got any old furniture that is looking a bit worse for wear and could do with a face lift? Transform old dressing tables, chests of drawers and wooden chairs into beautiful shabby-chic numbers with a lick of paint and some sandpaper. Firstly, sand them so the undercoat will stick, then apply the undercoat and let it dry. Next pick a contrasting colour and add a coat of that. Once dry, sand any areas that would wear, such as edges, with a fine grain sandpaper. Voila! A new lease of life for your furniture and your home. Try painting drawer handles a different colour for an extra flourish.

2. Revive your tiles

Replacing tiles can be a very costly and difficult job. As long as they are not damaged, you can make your tiles look like new simply by re-grouting them. This is fairly quick and easy to do, and a really cheap way of refreshing your tiles. Use a silicone gun and a cup of water – the water is to dip your finger in and then wipe it over the silicone to smooth it out – this will give you a lovely professional finish.

3. Rip it up and start again

Actually you don’t have to! If your kitchen cabinets are looking past their best you don’t have to go out and spend money on a new kitchen. Instead, simply remove the doors, sand them down and give them a coat of paint. Now you have a fantastic looking kitchen without the expense.

4. The devil is in the detail

Little things can make a big difference. Try replacing your plastic light switch covers with metal ones. The result is classy and they can be easily screwed or clipped on. You can do the same thing with things like door handles. Replace them with new ones, especially your front door, it will make all the difference to refreshing your home.

5. Sticking points

Transform a room quickly and easily with a stick-on wall mural. This is especially good if you are in a rented property as it allows you to decorate without decorating, and makes neutral walls more interesting.

6. Throw some light on things

Tidy up the garden. Cut back any large overgrown tress and be amazed at the extra light this lets in to your home.

7. The walls have it

Decorate the walls and you will instantly feel like you have a new house! Refresh a room with a new lick of paint or maybe even brave some wallpaper – perhaps for a feature wall. People tend to be afraid of wallpapering but it’s not as hard as you think. One great tip is to water down the wallpaper paste and apply a coat to the wall before you apply it to the back of the wallpaper. This makes it easier to move the paper around on the wall to make sure it’s straight.

8. Mirror mirror

If you have a small lounge you can hang mirrors opposite each other to instantly make the room seem bigger.

9. Update the throne

Perhaps your bathroom is looking a bit tired? Never fear, a great and cheap way of giving it a lift is simply to buy a new loo seat. These are relatively cheap and easy to install.

10. Front of house

Don’t forget to give the outside of your house a bit of love too. Paint your front door and windows, but don’t just paint over old paint, remember to sand it first, then prime, paint on undercoat and leave to dry for 24 hours before putting the topcoat on. Don’t be tempted to skip any steps here or you will have to redo it before long. If the paint work is OK then just a wash with some sugar soap water and rinse, leaving it looking shiny and new.