Painting On a Budget and Alternatives

Paint, Wallpaper, Molding Oh My!

When it is time to move there is almost always a wall or two that need a coat of paint. That is also the case when you buy a new home. There is usually a room or two that you envision being another color or style. Today we are going to go over just a few ideas of how to make that happen, easy, fast & on a budget. I am going to use the “half-bath” as a reference. In my opinion, it is the perfect room to go crazy and add some personality and fun to your home. 

Neutral for Them

The first question is: Are you painting for you or for someone else? If you are painting for someone else you have to unfortunately leave your funky style at the door. Sure, I LOVE Navy Blue cabinets or a deep green accent wall but the likelihood of the next person loving it is not as high as if we keep it neutral. When choosing paint colors for a home you are leaving make certain you stick to a neutral palette to maximize resale potential and the ease for the next person moving in. Painting is not difficult or that expensive but the last thing a new buyer wants to do is repaint the whole thing before they can feel like it is theirs. By choosing neutral colors the new owners may not LOVE the color but they won’t hate it so much that they keep house-hunting either.

Bling for You

Now, let’s chat about buying that new house with a very ordinary half bathroom that is just screaming for something awesome. An idea to spruce it up on a budget is to find a pretty stencil and scatter them over the walls or on just one feature wall. It gives the look of wallpaper without the task of actually hanging wallpaper. The bigger the stencil, the less time it takes. By stenciling, it also allows you to save money on paint because you only use a fraction of the amount you would use to do two coats on the whole room. Super budget friendly! Another tip for a penny pincher only needing one can of paint for project, is to check out the returned paint colors each time to visit the hardware store. I have found some beautiful colors for a fraction of the price just by checking occasionally. 

Wallpaper is your old, new friend! 

There are definitely differing opinions on wallpaper and I will not try to convince you one way or another. However I will say, “this ain’t your grandma’s wallpaper”. These days you can find and create just about anything you want with a little googling and some elbow grease. The peel and stick options range from modern to traditional to retro to well… cats in space. Peel and stick is a great product because it allows you to place and move without losing the “sticky”. This is super handy for those of you, like me, who have a touch of OCD. Speaking to those perfectionists out there: You may want to stay away from anything with lines in the pattern, otherwise you will turn full “Monk” in that half bath trying to ensure the line is 1000% straight….ask me how I know. 

Chair Rails are your Friend

If you are looking to spruce up a wall, adding a chair rail is one of the easiest and most impactful ways to do it. Depending on the style of your home, you can choose traditional molding or craftsman. Paint your molding first, mark a line 1/3 of the way up the wall, grab your nail gun and go to town on that bad boy. Once you have your chair rail installed you can touch up the paint and caulk the nail holes super fast. Then you have so many choices….leave just the rail, paint only above it, wallpaper below it or even add vertical wooden slats to give it the board and batten look. Wall molding steals my heart! I. Love. It!

Here is where a lot of bloggers would say, “Just go have a blast and get creative”. That one sentence puts a whole lot of pressure on people who are not naturally creative. Instead I will say, “Have a blast and get to googling!” You do NOT have to be design-talented or have a creative bone in your body to tackle a home project. The ideas, the videos, the tips, the tricks and the tools needed are out there just waiting on you to be inspired enough to duplicate it. After all, we are all just a bunch of copy cats anyway!

Here are a few examples of my own home projects, turning plain walls and rooms into OUR home! Enjoy & let us here at MHN see YOUR home paint projects!

Did you enjoy reading this article? Visit our blog page to read other similar articles.