How to give your room a facelift
You are lounging on your couch, idly flipping through TV channels until home flipping shows on HGTV captivate your attention. You then start daydreaming about the possibility of residing in a space tailored precisely to your tastes. However, the harsh reality of financial constraints rudely jolts you awake, echoing like a “cha-ching” alarm clock. Swiftly banishing your dreams to the depths of your subconscious. The daunting truth is that most of these DIY room upgrade projects aren’t that affordable. They demand both money and time, leaving you feeling compelled to save up before taking any meaningful steps. It’s the one trigger you can’t seem to pull.
Don’t despair, let’s me share a few affordable DIY room upgrade tips from my own experience with you. You don’t have to break your bank, and it won’t take you weeks and months for these DIY projects. Once you understand these principles, together with your creativity, you can turn every room into, what we call in fashion, a couture!
An Easy DIY accent wall can make a difference!
Let’s not jump ahead of yourself. It’s an overwhelming thought that you have to paint all walls in the room. Unless the paint on all your walls is noticeably old, dirty, or in an unconventional color, I recommend minimizing your effort for maximum impact – this is where the accent comes into play. Pick ONE wall to want be an accent.
An accent wall serves to enhance the room’s ambiance and can even establish a focal point if none exists. Typically, it’s the wall that immediately captures your attention upon entering, such as the one behind your bed or office desk. Think of it like selecting a canvas for a painting. You wouldn’t opt for a canvas with a large hole in the middle unless it’s intentional in the design. If the chosen wall includes an opening like a window, consider how curtains or window treatments will complement the accent. Keep in mind that room design has no strict rules; prioritize what resonates with you since you’ll be spending considerable time in the space.
The affordable DIY Room upgrade
The most straight forward approach is to choose an accent color and paint it. Most people go for this because it would be easy to “revert” the wall back to the original. It is also most affordable DIY room renovation to do in maybe just a weekend. All you need is a bucket of paint, paint roller, some brushes and masking tape. Depends on the wall condition, you may or may not need a primer for the new paint.
If you feel a little more creative, different elements such as pattern/textured wallpaper, pebbles, veneer stones etc. can be used to give the wall some definition.
Here is a small affordable DIY facelift I did in my bathroom that cost me less than $100. I am upgrading only half the wall next to the tub with a towel rack on. For such a small area, I decided to challenge myself with a little more complicated design than just painting it a different color. I went to Dollar Tree to find these colored marbles. Since I’ve already have decided a color scheme (I have a different post talking about colors!), so the challenge is half overcome. I got a few bags for each color. Then I headed to Home Depot for wall adhesives for tiles and grout, some tools to work with like trowel, sponge, plastic coverings (for keeping other place clean) etc. Finally, I need a piece of trim to finish the edge of the marbled wall.
How to create a marbled wall
- Determine the size of the wall you want to work on. Prepare the wall so it is flat and even. Use a trowel to spread some wall adhesive on, work in sessions. When you spread on the adhesive across and do not work fast enough, the adhesive will dry out and lose adhesiveness. It will also make the wall uneven to work with later.
- Adhere the marbles when the adhesive is still wet. Unless you have a specific design in mind, otherwise, your colors can be randomly arranged. I mixed all my marbles together and did it the random way. It was actually therapeutic for me!
- Don’t expect to finish it all it one day, take you time and enjoy the process! I did it for a few evenings (there were trial and errors) and the grand finale on the weekend. Account for drying time as well. However, at least finish placing marbles to cover all adhesive on the wall each time.
- It’s time to seal the deal! Once I’ve filled the designated project area, I proceed to grout them to give them a polished finish. Don’t fret about the grout overlapping and covering the marbles; in fact, it’s essential for achieving an even look. It can be cleaned up easily later. I also understood that with such random pattern, achieving a perfect alignment of the top edge can be challenging. However, nothing the grout can’t fix. It’s crucial to ensure a straight edge is paved, regardless of how the marbles are distributed. Allow the grout to extend beyond the top edge to create a straight edge for the trim.
- Before the grout completely dries, use a wet sponge to wipe away any excess grout that spilled over the marbles earlier. This not only cleans the marbles but also ensures that the grout fills the gaps between the marbles uniformly.
- Last but not least, cut the trim to the desired length. Take the wall adhesive again and spread it over the trim. Place the trim against the straight edge paved by grout, press it firmly. If you want extra security, you can nail the trim in place with small nails. Lastly, paint or stain the trim in your favorite color.
Turn your room from builder grade into a “couture”
And voilà! You’ve just completed an affordable DIY room renovation project for under $100, and it only took about a week from start to finish. It’s tailored to your impeccable taste and is a testament to your creativity. Start small and watch your confidence in the project’s success grow. Consider inviting a family member or friend to join you—it’s a fun way to bond while tackling a project together! I’d like to hear about your creative ideas on these affordable DIY projects!