Replacing cupboard door handles and giving them a new paint job

A good clean and sometimes just updating fixtures in the bathroom or kitchen make a huge difference. Buying lots of indoors plants can give a place a fresh new look.

Don’t paint over tiles in the kitchen or bathroom as a cheap workaround, it peels off and looks awful!

Just declutter and I think you’ll surprise yourself how different the place looks. Rearrange furniture, and you’ll have a completely new room! Also clean, thoroughly clean everything from air-conditioner vents to corners you never see! I think that makes the biggest difference. Unless you have something ‘structurally’ wrong or potentially damaging to the house (think broken wall tiles, cracked walls, mold on bathroom ceiling etc.) then DIY isn’t often worth doing. paint (especially an average DIY job) doesn’t make too much difference at all without the de-clutter, cleaning and fixing any visible damage first

If you have any screws on your door handles/window latches that look old and rusted, replace them and give your door handles and windows a scrub. You’ll be amazed. I recently painted all my window sills, and door and skirting boards and then scrubbed and polished all the window latches and door handles and replaced with new screws. huge difference. I also have replaced my hanging ceiling lights with updated ones… also makes a huge difference. Simple things can make a massive change.

Oh i think just refreshing the colours of the house would make a big difference

A good paint job!

I was hoping for some more substantial answers and ideas rather than just painting from the ladies on here. Have done the paint part and want to freshen up the kitchen which is starting to look shabby after 25 years. That time it coast a small fortune with us doing the work ourselves and we aren’t up to that now. The marble top pain job sounds interesting – will have to google that up and see what’s involved. Thanks for the idea.

If you go to the paint section at Bunnings and they have tins that either had the wrong colour they call miss tints and see if they have a colour you could use in your house. The price is usually half of what it normally is and I have saved so much and sometimes I’ve bought two cans of great colours and I have a real old house and it makes so much of a difference. I have been to a few garage sales and bought some nice curtains and it makes a difference to a room just with paint and curtains. So if you look you can pick up bargains and people advertise kitchens that are in good condition and sometimes you get sinks stoves and taps included. But if your house is old you don’t want new and you just want to make it better for you.

Start off by painting and accessorising. Good luck, hope all goes well.

Try the easy jobs first like kit kitchens and auction sites for bathroom fitting

Beside painting, rearranging the living room with new curtains, pillows and accessories will give a total fresh look.

DIY kitchens – a big project, but I gather they’ve gotten easier. A new kitchen makes a huge difference.

I wish you lots of luck!

Painting always makes the room look fresh and it doesnt cost much

I agree; paint woodwork, walls, ceilings, tiles and floors. It can be easily done and really gives a fresh look

Do what you really need to spend the money.

Painting always helps to lift a room and it’s relatively inexpensive and simple to do yourself. Or you can do wallpaper. Tiling can be relatively simple too and cheap styles can be bought at Bunnings.

I agree with everyone else – Paint. Bunnings sells a 4lt tin of internal paint called ‘Spring’ for $23. It’s probably the cheapest paint you can get. Not the best for quality, but great for a freshen up until you can do a bigger renovation.

I’ve seen a few home Reno shows and they do a lot of just adding accessories. Eg pictures, cushions, couch covers etc

If you want to change the appearance of your kitchen benches there is a special paint you can use that makes it look like marble. I’m not sure what the preparation work is. I saw it on a TV show awhile ago and it looked fantastic. There is probably a variety of colours. The one I saw they did the splash back too. The floors I would use laminated timber not floating floors. They are supposed to be treated and resurfaced every year. Apparently the smell from it is pretty bad. Floating floors and laminated floors both scratch if you drag anything on them. I’m not sure if laminated floors are supposed to have ongoing treatment or not. I know somebody who has had one for a few years and never had anything done to it and it still looks like new.