Sprucing up a house doesn’t always mean spending thousands of dollars. Sometimes, the cheapest updates (like replacing your receptacles) can have the biggest impact.
When the budget is tight but you still have the urge to work on your home, try any of these cheap upgrades to make your home look better instantly.
1. Slap on a Fresh Coat of Paint
You see this advice everywhere, and for good reason—adding a new coat of paint to your walls is one of the least expensive and most effective ways to freshen or transform a room. A fresh coat of white paint will make your home appear cleaner, while darker shades create a dramatic effect.
To get more bang for your buck with paint, consider the year’s hottest paint trend: color drenching. This method involves painting all elements in the room in a single color. To prevent the room from falling flat, use flat or eggshell sheens on the ceiling and walls and satin or semigloss on the trim and doors.
2. Change out Receptacles and Outlet Covers
Old, yellowed receptacles can make any room look dingy. While you might have become blind to these eye sores, replacing them with bright white (or another room-coordinating color) goes a long way.
Receptacles and wall plates cost less than $1 a piece, and with some basic safety precautions, the right gear, and a little DIY experience, you can tackle the job yourself.
3. Update Your Cabinet Hardware
Hardware is the jewelry for your cabinets, and switching it out can change the look of your room. Replacing hardware on kitchen or bathroom cabinets that you don’t love is an inexpensive way to update them without doing something drastic like painting the cabinets.
Sleek matte black or gold knobs and pulls work for modern styles, while softer bronze, brass, or brushed nickel are well suited for more traditional homes. Another option is to try something neutral. In my house, I have a nice white ceramic knob on every cabinet in all bathrooms and the kitchen. It’s neutral and timeless and creates a unified look.
4. Replace a Faucet
Last year, I finally got around to replacing my standard stainless steel kitchen faucet with a matte black faucet with a pull-down sprayer, and I was amazed by how much it changed the look of my kitchen. The old faucet was one of the last outdated elements that I had been putting off changing. When I did update it, my sink became more of a focal point, and the faucet only cost around $60.
Replacing faucets doesn’t only apply to the kitchen, though —this easy home upgrade can also be employed in bathrooms.
5. Put Down a Layer of Fresh Mulch
Nothing boosts curb appeal like a fresh layer of mulch. This inexpensive ground covering not only helps prevent weeds in your flower bed but also accents the outside of your home.
While I always lay down a fresh coat of black mulch, it’s not your only option. Red mulch and pea gravel also work well for sprucing up flower beds.
6. Add Houseplants to Your Home
If the room you’re decorating feels “off,” but you can’t quite pinpoint the cause, try adding a houseplant. Houseplants improve the air, add texture to a space, and make a home feel more lively.
Those with a black thumb can try easy-to-care-for houseplants such as the snake plant, money tree, pothos, or Zz plant. Experienced indoor gardeners looking for a challenge can spend their money on the fiddle-leaf fig tree.
7. Switch Out Your Old Thermostat
Old thermostats, like receptacles, can make a home feel dingy. If your thermostat is from the 1980s or before, consider switching it out with a more modern digital option. Digital thermostats cost around $50 (except for smart thermostats, which are pretty expensive).
Switching a thermostat is a manageable DIY project if you take the proper safety precautions. But as always, if you feel uncomfortable taking on electrical jobs, hire this out or work on another item from this list.
8. Replace a Light Fixture
As hardware is jewelry for cabinets, light fixtures are jewelry for the ceiling. Spending $100 to replace old light fixtures is a good use of money. You can find many basic light fixtures for well under $100 and may be able to replace 2-3 depending on the room you’re working on.
Ceiling fans also fall into this category. Replace any non-working ceiling fans in your house or on your porch.
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