Pinterest is full of photos of beautiful and functional homes and DIY projects on how to improve your house. However, most of the projects can be expensive and a hard task for the not so handy people.
Small changes can still improve the look of your home without costing you a fortune. Here are some of my favourite DIY projects that are easy and cheap!
Update the tiles with tile stickers
If you?re bored with the plain splashback tiles, you can easily transform the look of your kitchen by adding tile stickers. You can pick from different colours, patterns and styles. They come in bold or pale colours, small geometrical patterns or large illustrations. The tile stickers are very easy to stick on the wall. Make sure that the surface is clean and dry, peel the back of the stickers and adhere them to the wall, forming your own style.
Tile stickers can also work great in bathrooms. However, you should make sure that they?re waterproofed. If you live in a rental place, adding tile stickers is the easiest way to put some colour on the walls. To remove the stickers, you’ll need to apply some heat with a hairdryer and peel them off. They should come off really easy.
Use mason jars for storage
You don?t have to buy fancy storage boxes and stands for everything around your house. Old mason jars can become a beautiful and personalized storage space for utensils, makeup brushes, spices, sauces, washi tape, pens, pencils and much, much more.
You can paint the jars in your favourite colour and add labels. You can glue some lace, small artificial flowers or cute buttons. You can use mason jars to create your own body scrub, which is also a great idea for DIY gifts. Use them to create a beautiful indoor garden by planting your favourite spices in them. My favourite idea is to premix dry ingredients for recipes you cook often such as pancakes or biscuits. Put a label with the recipe in the front of the jar and the quantity of the products inside.
Use wooden crates to create a small bookshelf
If you have some empty wooden crates laying around your house, don?t throw them away! You can easily create a small bookshelf or any other type of shelving using them. You can customize the size and the shape of the shelf, depending on your space and sense of style.
The project is really easy. All you have to do is pick some sturdy wooden crates and clean their surfaces. Sand them using sanding paper and paint or stain them in a colour of your choice. Leave them to dry and apply a second coat of paint if necessary.
Stack the crates together in a way that forms a shelf and fits your storage needs. Secure them together by drilling holes and nailing together the pieces. Start from the bottom and drill holes on the four angles of the crates, Put the nails and you?re done.
Create a side table from wire basket
If you need to add a side table to your living room, here is a great idea to create your own without using any power tools.
Choose a round wire basket and spray paint it in a colour of your choice. Wait for the paint to dry and the base of the table is ready. For the top, you can use a round wooden panel. Sand it with sanding paper, stain it and leave it to dry.
After the base and the top are dry, you need to attach them to one another. Flip the table upside down (you?ll need to attach the wood panel on the bottom of the basket), and nail cable staplers with a hammer.
You can use this table outdoors or in your living room to put the book you read and a cup of coffee.
Transform the light switches
If you want to add colour to any room, you can decorate the light switch plates with washi tape. Choose one or more types of washi tape that you like.
Remove the light switch plate from the wall and clean thoroughly the surface and leave it to dry. Start sticking the washi tape from a corner and create a pattern of your choice. Stick the parts of tape next to each other until the whole plate is covered. Use scissors and trim the excess tape from the edges and cut out a hole for the switch. Re-attach the switch on the wall and you?re done.
Starting to upgrade your house with small projects will completely transform the look of your home over time, so don?t hesitate. Which of these projects, you?re starting next?
My name is Eva Bowker and I?m home improvement coordinator at Fantastic Handyman Australia. My passion is to help people build the home of their dreams by sharing home renovation and interior design tips with them. I love to think out of the box in order to create lovely spaces.