DO TRY THIS AT HOME | DIY PAINT PROJECTS YOU’LL LOVE
We love nothing better than witnessing the power of paint when it comes to transforming a home or piece of furniture. It’s quick, easy and gives maximum bang for buck!
PAINT YOUR POTS
Large white pots are often hard to come by and when you do, they can be pricey! To save some $, you can buy a few well-priced terracotta pots or find any others you’ve got laying around the garden to paint.
Here’s how we do it:
1. Pick your pots – you can either use ones you’ve got at home or whatever you can source at the moment.
2. Prep your pots – if you’re upcycling old pots, give them a good spray down with the hose to wash off any dirt and debris, you might need a brush if they’re really dirty. Let them dry.
3. Paint your pots – we keep things simple by using the same paint as we’re painting our houses, but if you’re not mid-reno, just grab a small pot from your local paint shop. Brush on two coats, allowing drying time in-between.
4. Place your pots – once your ‘new’ old pots are dry, move them into place before you fill them with soil so they’re not too heavy to carry. Throw in some greenery (or leave them empty) and voila! It’s that simple.
SPRAY YOUR BRICKS
So many people went CRAZY for this during COVID lockdown and we know why… the transformation is not only quick and easy to DIY but the finished product looks AMAZING too! When you’re renovating with Champagne taste on a beer budget, something’s always got to give and spraying old brickwork is our favorite reno hack that won’t pinch your pennies.
Here’s how it’s done:
1. Clean down bricks with a pressure hose or broom. Make sure the bricks are totally dry before you begin.
2. Tape up any windows and doors that you don’t want to paint. This usually takes the most amount of time but you’ll want to do it right to make sure you don’t get any rogue paint.
3. Set up the spray gun with your tin of paint. You don’t need special paint for this, just good quality exterior paint. We do recommend acrylic primer before spraying to ensure a great seal and bond.
4. Spray your bricks, moving the gun from left to right to ensure even coverage over the bricks and mortar (Warning: this is really fun – it could cause fights in the family over who gets to hold the spray gun!) Apply two coats.
5. Step back and marvel at the transformation.
MIRROR MAKEOVER
Gold arch mirrors usually come with a price tag, so we thought all our Christmases had come at once when we found this sweet little Arch Mirror for only $40 at Kmart. The shape (and price!) was exactly what we needed for our budget bathroom makeover but the color wasn’t quite right. Hello, spray can!
Here’s how we did it in our cost-saving bathroom makeover:
1. Prep – Mask up! Both yourself and your mirror!
2. Prime – we use Rust-Oleum Professional Primer, it comes in a spray can so it’s easy to use, no brushes required.
3. Paint – for this mirror we used a gold spray paint. Shake it within an inch of its life and then spray. Try to keep it even and don’t forget the sides!
4. Dry – when it’s fully dry, peel the tape and protective covering off.
5. Hang and admire!
