Free ideas for home decorating

DIY really doesn't have to cost a fortune. In fact with a little effort you can decorate for free.

There are a vast range of websites offering sound advice for nothing.

Next, there are cost free alternatives you can use rather than buying tools and materials.

Some of the old fashioned ways of doing things fell out of fashion because nobody could make money from them, so people stopped talking about them and the ideas were forgotten.. almost. Let us show you some free decorating ideas.

Move it around

Sometimes, just moving items (mirrors, paintings, furniture, novelty wooden giraffes) from one room to another is enough to really give a house a facelift. The whole tone of a room can be altered by taking something from place A to place B.

Repaint something

Our kitchen/diner was looking a bit dark and dingy. All it took to revamp the room was to paint the chairs and wooden table with white paint. A lick or two of varnish over the top and we had transformed our kitchen for practically nothing.

Other people's rubbish

Look out for things that people throw into skips. Wooden furniture is a prime example. Alongside shoddy chipboard rubbish, people throw ancient oak sideboards without realising the value of these beautiful objects.

Sandpaper is brilliant

If you have dark wooden solid furniture, you can resand it and revarnish it. You will literally not recognise the items once complete.

Strip panel doors

Both sides of many panel doors were covered over with plywood in the 1950 and 60s, so tap your doors to see if there are hidden panels behind. If you find them, strip off the plywood covers and reveal the delights beneath. You will probably want to get the doors taken away and professionally stripped, but when they come back you will have lovely doors that fit your house but make it look so much better.

Light up your life

Lamp stands are expensive but new lampshades are cheap. Get a big selection of shapes, colours and designs and swap them regularly to refresh the look of a room. You can keep a stack in storage (buy from thrift and charity stores) and change the look of a lamp whenever you feel the urge. Alternatively make your own lampshades. In my local library there are three books on this topic alone and a web search reveals millions of websites for making a lampshade.