Your walls need a coat of paint but your wallet is groaning with all the other household expenses? Here are 7 ideas to help you update your walls on a shoestring budget but still look like you spent a fortune!
Your walls need a coat of paint but your wallet is groaning with all the other household expenses? Here are 7 ideas to help you update your walls on a shoestring budget but still look like you spent a fortune!
A new coat of color can make all the difference
Image - Sevacall.com
1. Check If Your Painter Can Procure Paint At A Discount
Your painter, can save you money! Ask him if he is able to source leftover paint from his previous painting job or paint at at discount from the paint store. If not, he will at t he very least be able to advise you about the brands that offer paints that are the same quality as mainstream brands but available at a fraction of the cost.
Ask for leftover paint from a friend or neighbor
Image - Goodhousekeeping.com
2. Leftover Paint
Have a friend, or neighbor, who has just re-painted her home? Ask her if she has any leftover paint to get rid of. Most people usually buy extra paint to make sure they don't run out during the course of a paint job and will gladly hand it over instead of stockpiling it, or worse, throwing it out out.
3. Be Best Buddies With The Paint Store Owner
Swinging by your local paint or hardware store often may be a great idea! You'll develop a rapport with the store owner, who in turn will be able to recommend painters and products that will save you money and time and you'll find an efficient painter "connection" to boot!
3. Buy Better Paint
Better equals more expensive, and I know it sounds backwards to spend more when you are trying to save, but high-end paints actually cover better, which means you use less paint and buying quality paints means your paint job is a lot more durable and lasts longer.
4. Never Skip Primer
When painting for the first time or even when re-painting wood, walls, stained or rough surfaces, you need to use primer. If you've picked a dark color or changed the color of your walls dramatically, primer will help paint cover better, so you'll end up using less paint. A coat of primer and a single coat of paint will cost less, and cover more, than using paint alone where you'll need two or three coats to cover the same surface area.
Primer being applied to a wallImage - Askourpainters.com
5. Buy Bulk
Buying paint in bulk is cheaper than buying it in 1 liter cans. Typically, a 5 liter bucket of paint will cost about the same as four 1 liter cans or thereabouts – so you'll actually get an entire liter of paint absolutely free!
Commit to a color, or two in this case, to use throughout the houseImage- Thedecorista.com
6.Commit To A Color
Love 'a' particular color? Commit to it by painting most of the walls in your home in one color! This is a continuation of the "buying paint in bulk" idea, because using one color means you are buying only that color of paint and can negotiate a discount when you purchase it which will in turn translate to mega savings!
Paint only half the wall for a dramatic transformatiomnImage - Purodeco.com
7.Paint Half
You are going to wonder why someone hasn't whispered this little gem of a hack in your ears before you went gray worrying about paint costs? Obviously the best way to save money is to buy less paint, and the best way to buy less paint is to paint less area, right? So true! Now,if you give your walls the once over you will realize that only the lower half to 3/4ths actually needs re-painting! So we recommend that that is all you paint! Pick a color that complements or contrasts the previous color and you'll be truly surprised with the results. The color-combo will look intentional and fabulous and not a money saving hack at all!
Paint a pattern on only one accent wallImage - Pippapatchwork.com
On a really tight and tiny budget? Opt for an accent wall in high impact areas like the living room instead of painting your whole house, check out how to here. Happy painting!