12 Cheap Home Improvements That Make a Big Difference (Inexpensive ways to update your home)
When we first moved into our current home, I thought all I had to do was give these walls a fresh coat of paint and I’d be happy and done with updating our home.
But then I started to get the itch to do more
And more…
And more…
But my funds were low…
And low…
And low…
So I started a blog and started doing some projects around the house all while blogging.
And here we are 6 years later.
Sprucing up your home without breaking the bank or losing your sanity is really not a hard task. It does take time but it doesn’t have to take all of your money.
There are simple and inexpensive ways to update your home….and I have done them all.
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Updating Your Home with Paint
This is a no brainerr. I say it all of the time and I will say it again, the power of paint is real.
If you are on any kind of tight budget and want to update your home with the biggest bang for your buck, go grab a can of paint.
And it doesn’t have to be an expensive can of paint. I get all of my paint from Behr at Home Depot. They can color match Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paint colors.
I even had them color match a few Farrow and Ball colors…and I saved myself lots of money going with Behr.
The paint color above is Light Blue by Farrow and Ball and yes, it was color matched at Behr.
Paint Your Cabinets
On the subject of paint, painting your cabinets can make such a huge difference in your home.
I painted our kitchen cabinets in our old house.
In our current home, I painted the vanity in my kids’ bathroom
Painting your cabinets is not hard, it is very time consuming but well worth it.
Add Molding to Your Walls
Molding can really elevate any wall in your home and surprisingly it is so easy to do with a few hacks.
I added box molding to my dining room and it still amazes me how just a few pieces of wood can make such a big difference.
I added board and batten to my hall entryway and once again, I was amazed
And then I added floor to ceiling batten to our master bedroom. That might have been the easiest project I’ve ever done
Add Wallpaper To Your Walls
Wallpaper is making it’s way back into our homes with a vengeance. It is trending hard right now.
The trend right now is to wallpaper your whole room, not just an accent wall.
But I didn’t follow that trend and I wallpapered an accent wall in my daughter’s bedroom
My most favorite wallpaper to use is beadboard wallpaper
If you’re not really interested in pulling out any power tools and want the look of wall molding, then beadboard wallpaper is your friend.
This wallpaper is so easy to work with. I’ve wallpapered plenty of things in our old house with this wallpaper.
In our current home, I added beadboard wallpaper to our mudroom. I was living on the wild side and applied the wallpaper horizontally.
Add Faux Shiplap (aka Shiplap “sharpie”)
The easiest way to add faux molding to your wall is by using a sharpie…but don’t really use a sharpie. Use a pencil.
I added this faux shiplap to my mudroom many years ago. (I think this was one of my earlier blog posts).
This is the easiest DIY project you will ever do. It’s so easy that I just drew lines to the back of my built-ins just for fun one afternoon
I even did this project with a crazy lunatic puppy running around and chewing my coffee table.
(Actually she chewed the beadboard wallpaper I was going to use to add to the back of these built-ins)
I highly recommend using a regular pencil or a black colored pencil because when you get sick of seeing shiplap you can easily paint over your lines
If you use a sharpie, you will hate yourself when you have to paint over the lines. Take my advice
Update outlet covers
I’ve been working at a snail’s pace to update all of the outlets in my house.
I started in the kitchen
My outlet covers aren’t anything fancy or expensive but they sure do make a world of difference (in my opinion) for under $10
Update Your Hardware
Another easy and inexpensive upgrade is to switch out any hardware in your home…from cabinet knobs to door knobs.
Which I just did in my home
Again, a very inexpensive and easy upgrade that makes a big difference.
Update Your Lighting
I cannot say enough about how important lighting is.
Table lamps, floor lamps, chandeliers, and pendants are all important to a well decorated and updated home.
I personally believe there is no such thing as having too many lamps . This is also coming from someone that has a severe table lamp addiction.
Another source of lighting I am sprinkling around my house is sconces…and the fake kind.
If you want the look of sconces but cannot hardwire them into your wall then you just install the sconces to your wall and throw in a rechargeable light bulb or puck light.
You see more about my fake sconces here
My fireplace sconces are currently completely only used for looks at the moment. I switched our the shades on the sconces I had installed years ago and now I am having a hard time finding a wireless light that can fit that itty bitty shade.
But sometimes you just do something for looks.
Peel and stick tile
Another thing I did just for looks at first was adding peel and stick tile to my mantel surround
This DIY project was so easy and supposedly was only going to be temporary but here we are 5 years later and these stickers are still holding strong on my mantel surround.
You can see how I added these peel and stick tiles to my mantel surround here and if you really just want the link to the tiles you can find them here
Paint Your Old Tile
Another thing I did to my fireplace was that I painted the tile on the floor around my fireplace to look like marble. This was easier than I ever thought it would be. I was pleasantly surprised with this project
The paint on these tiles is holding up great…also surprisingly.
You can do this technique to your counters as well.
I loved this project.
Paint Your Old Linoleum Flooring
And if you don’t have any tile to paint you can paint right over linoleum or vinyl flooring too.
I still can’t believe I painted my mudroom floors in one day and without warning my husband. I was sneaky back in the day
Add Window Coverings
We can stop talking about floors and move onto our windows now.
Curtains (or other window coverings) can make such a huge difference and make any space elevated.
But please make sure to hang those curtains high and wide. The biggest mistake one can make is hanging curtains to close to the window.
Here’s a cheat sheet for you.
I have a whole blog post on where I love to find my curtains. IKEA and Amazon are some of my top picks.
If you want to take it one step farther, hang your curtains with a pinch pleat.
These pinch pleat curtains are my absolute favorite curtains.
Hanging your curtains with a pinch pleat can really make your room look more polished.
If you cannot find curtains you love with a pinch pleat then pleat those curtains yourself.
I spent some time and pinch pleated most of the curtains in my house and I just love how they look.
Wasting a day pinch pleating my curtains is how I love to spend my days.
I will always and forever be decorating and updating my home.
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Looking to refresh your space on a budget? Discover cheap ways to update your home with DIY house updates and easy home improvement projects. From cheap and easy home improvements to simple DIY home updates, these easy home upgrades will transform your space without breaking the bank. Explore aesthetic interior design ideas and clever design hacks to elevate your home’s look and feel. Whether you’re tackling small changes or big impact projects, these tips offer affordable ways to create a stylish, refreshed space!