We’re in the middle of making over our spare room this week so while Hubs is up to his elbows in paint and wallpaper I thought I’d share some of my top tips for making a big difference on a small budget.
- Work with what you’ve got – Before you do anything, have a good look at the room and see what you might be able to keep. Can some things be cleaned up or mended? As they say, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
- Think outside the room – Are their things elsewhere in the house that can be liberated to use in this room? Ornaments, furniture or previously used curtains can get a new lease of life in a new room.
- Change from the bottom up – A new carpet can make so much difference to a room but can also eat up the budget so if you really need a new one check out the reduced off-cuts found in most big carpet shops and try to keep your old underlay. If you think your old carpet is salvageable, have a go at it with some carpet cleaner which can make a world difference and if all else fails go for a cheap rug to cover up any stains. Sacramento carpet cleaning uses environmentally friendly and patented Powered Water™,which thoroughly cleans, eliminates bacteria and mold, and keeps your carpet fibers amazingly soft. If you need carpet cleaning services click here to ejoy the best results.
- Don’t fall for the label – You can spend hours sifting through dozens of near identical paint samples that differ widely in price. Save yourself the time and money by limiting yourself to the ‘own brand’ paint ranges on the major DIY stores. Chances are they will have something that will work for the room, often at less than half the price of some of the designer brands.
- Plan ahead to save – If you know which rooms you are planing on decorating over the next twelve months or so then it is easy to search the sales when they occur for reduced items and put them away.
- Own brand paint will always be a cheaper option than most wallpaper but if you really want that look consider going for just one ‘feature wall’ instead and don’t forget to search in store for end of line rolls.
- Clean all your paint trays and tools straight away so they can be reused.
- Many of the big DIY stores now have loyalty cards or participate in a wider points scheme like Nectar so don’t forget to make the most of any points you can earn. The Quidco app is another great money saver.
- Less is more – A few carefully chosen pictures or accessories will look much nicer that too much clutter so be selective.
So those are my top tips. I’d love to hear what you do to keep costs down when you are decorating so do leave me your ideas in a comment.
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