What's your favorite cheap update? (floors, counters, paint, ceiling)

[mamaecho]

I would have to say my favorite thing so far:

Painting our cabinets. Turned blah, boring and dark into light, airy and interesting Cost was the sand paper and paint

Using drop cloths as window treatments. 9 bucks a window cannot be beat and they look far more expensive

Pulling up carpet, we revealed some gorgeous wood floors.. so that was free!

And yours?

[AnotherBravesFan]

My LEAST favorite improvement to do, but I think it makes a room look so much better (cleaner and brighter). Runners up: changing out old doorknobs and light fixtures. Agree with you on how new window treatments can revive a room, too. Hadn't thought of dropcloths... You used the muslin-colored canvas ones? Did you use clips and rings to attach them to a rod or ???

[exit82]

I just installed a bunch of oil rubbed bronze wall switch and plug plates throughout my house- looks so much better than those builders plastic plates. -

[sanrene]

Installing crown, wainscoting and trim. Doing it ourselves saved oodles of bucks.

[kshe95girl]

Paint is the cheapest, easiest facelift for a room.
It always kills me when I speak to prospective clients that are afraid of color.....

[fallingwater]

Paint and odd ball buys from thrift stores are my favorites. I love color but actually went the bland route and finally fixed something that has been bugging me since I moved into my house last year. The previous owner painted one wall in the kitchen red. I can see why she wanted to do this, however I do not think she thought about how that red would relate to the other colors in the room. Also she was a horrible painter. She slopped red on the plaster ceiling, electrical plugs and so forth. The paint finish was too shiny and it just always looked dirty. My floors are a gray/blue, counters are brown and the cabinets are a distressed creme with a brown glaze. The red just didn't seem to fit in my opinion. So for some reason, I just couldn't take it anymore today and painted the wall.

Here is a before and after picture. The first picture is when we moved in so we did make some changes as the stove died and we replaced it as well as the microwave. We also got a new faucet but I wanted to show the paint changes. After I get through Christmas I will be looking for accessories to add some pop. I did get the baskets on top of the cabinets for a quarter each at the goodwill store.

Attachment 72775 Attachment 72776

[elnina]

The "before" looks bad because you didn't turn the lights on, so is really hard to compare the two pictures...
I bet that with lights on the "before" would not look so bad..

Send us the "after" picture with lights off, then we can talk

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by elnina

The "before" looks bad because you didn't turn the lights on, so is really hard to compare the two pictures...
I bet that with lights on the "before" would not look so bad..

Send us the "after" picture with lights off, then we can talk

Wow, really? I think it is pretty obvious how horrible this red is in relation to the brown counters. You can also see in the photo how horribly it was painted. The brush marks are quite obvious especially above the stove. Maybe she had a glass of wine before she started painting. If I get a chance I will take a picture tomorrow during the day and try to mimic the same lighting as the first photo. The lighter paint color brighten things up with or without lights.

[Cattknap]

fallingwater - changing out that red paint made a nice difference - updated the kitchen, brightened it. I agree with kshe95girl - the right paint colors can make the most dramatic (and inexpensive) difference to a home.

[Donna-501]

I think paint is the cheapest way to get a new look. It isn't easy to paint (at least for me anymore) but it can change the whole attitude of a room.