Painting is always a great way to change the look of a home. When most people think of painting, they simply think of the walls in a house. For this reason, I’m not even going to put painting the walls on my list because you’ve all thought of that already. Below, I’ve outlined the best DIY painting projects that you might not have thought of.
Doors and trim work
Sometimes the doors and woodwork in a home can look quite dated. By giving them a fresh coat of paint, it can totally transform the look of your home. So what’s included in this paint job?
Generally, if you’re going to tackle the doors and woodwork, you would want to paint all of the following: interior doors, door frames, trim work around the doors and windows (casings), and baseboards.
Now, these jobs won’t necessarily take a lot of paint, but it will be time-consuming because of all of the edging. Make sure you have good painter’s tape for this project.
Paint the outside of your home
There are many types of siding, brick, and stucco that take the paint really well and look much better after a new paint job.
Redoing the exterior of a home can be extremely expensive. So if you can, get away with painting it instead. You’ll save a ton of money and still get that new look that you’re after. Any brick or stucco exteriors will require a really plush roller to get the paint into every nook and cranny.
Paint the ceiling of an unfinished basement
This looks so good when it’s done and really gives the basement a nice feel. For this job, I would recommend renting a sprayer from Home Depot or any other tool rental place. Doing so will save you so much time and create a much more even coat. In my first house it took me half an hour to spray the whole ceiling with primer, let it dry and then I did one more good coat of paint which also only took half an hour and I was done. Basically, you just want to spray every part of the ceiling white. This is a lot cheaper than finishing the basement with a drywall or drop ceiling.
The joist work, the underside of the floor plywood, electrical wires, ductwork, everything except the light fixtures. I’d definitely recommend white paint for this. When you walk into a basement that has this done, you often don’t even realize that the ceiling is not actually finished. Your eye isn’t drawn to the ceiling, and it’s all white like any other finished ceiling.
It’s a great way to get a finished look on a budget. You’re going to want to make sure you have some plastic sheets to hang on the walls and drop sheets or plastic to put on the floor to make sure that you’re only getting paint where you want it.
(Ready to tackle a renovation? Use our free home renovation budget template to see what it will cost you)
Install/paint a feature wall:
This is an easy fix and one that can really make a room pop. Simply pick a wall that you want to draw attention to, and paint it a bold color. That’s it, you now have a feature wall. How bold you want to go is up to you. You can do something that is super dramatic or stick with something more subtle.
Either way this can add a really great dimension to the rooms in your house. You can also consider using barn board or some other type of material, depending on the look you’re after.
If you’re painting the wall, one tool that’s a lifesaver, for this or pretty much any paint job is the Shur-line edging tool. Its designed to make a perfect straight edge when going up against the ceiling, other walls or trim work.
Paint the kitchen cabinets
This one’s fairly involved if you really want to do a nice job.
To do this properly, you should pull out all the drawers, take the doors off the hinges and remove the hardware. This will allow for a much cleaner paint job and a more professional look when it’s finished.
Painting your kitchen cabinets is a great (and economical!) way to have that ‘new kitchen look’ without the cost of all new cabinets or a full renovation.
Related: Will Home Depot Cut Wood for You?
Which of these Best DIY Painting Projects Will You Choose?
Completing one or more of these projects will make a huge difference aesthetically and increase the value of your home. So go pick some colours and get painting!
Tools for your Painting Job
Screwdriver (for kitchen hardware)
