DIY’ers Favorite “Bang for Buck” {and Effort} Projects…

 

Happy Friday friends and welcome to Friday Favorites!!

Someone asked me this week what DIY projects I thought had the most bang for the buck {and effort}.  The friend who asked me has almost no time whatsoever and has never done any DIY projects before {yay, a newbie!!}. She recently moved into a new home and says she wants to “cautiously” venture into the DIY waters {come on in, the water’s warm!}…

I certainly have my opinions {and gave her my list} but I was thinking later about how many times I meet people or receive emails, like my friend, who have never done any DIY projects before or have done DIY in the past, but have very little time and are looking to focus on DIY projects with the most bang for the buck and effort.  Asking a DIY’er what project has the most bang, is like asking a fisherman in the water where’s the best spot to fish.

So this week I compiled a “collective” favorites list this week from some of the most experienced fishermen in the waters and enlisted the help of some of blogland’s top DIY bloggers.  I asked the bloggers that I have gone to for years for DIY inspiration and instruction, what DIY project they each felt had the most bang for the buck {and effort}.  All of these projects would be excellent first time projects to get your toes wet or projects to do if you have little time.

So let’s get to our list:

1)      Old Furniture Revamps with Spray Paint 

 

 

I have to start with spray paint revamps because almost all of the bloggers that I talked to mentioned spray painted revamps as one of their favorite’s.   It has all of the elements we’re looking for including instant gratification, instant gratification, instant gratification, and cheap!  At $4.00 a can and in 60 seconds, you can seriously transform just about anything in no time flat.

 

 

There are however a couple things you need to know for spray painting.  Nothing major, just some helpful hints to make sure that what you spray paint will stick and look good. All of the DIY bloggers mentioned today have done spray painting tutorials, so you can look at any of their blogs for inspiration and help if you want to learn more.

DIY blogger Kate with the blog Centsational Girl has a very special attachment to spray painting and seriously has Toulene and Xylene flowing through her bloodstream!  Kate has done one of the best blog posts I have ever read on all things spray paint.  Her tips include  what can and can’t be spray painted and what to prime and what not to prime.  Kate’s post is a great place to get started:

 

 

 

2) Thrift Store/ Flea Market Finds and Transformations

 

 

 

Thrift store and flea market finds and transformation are really at the top of this DIY list. This was Michael from Inspired By Charm’s favorite “Bang for Buck” DIY project.  I love these projects too because revamping and transforming inexpensive thrift store treasures can take little effort, little money and often time the hardest DIY part is digging through the store, barn, garage, ect…

Whether you’re looking for large furniture thrift store finds like this amazing Goodwill revamp from Amanda Carol:

 

 

Or thinking outside of the box and using a junk store find for something completely unexpected like using this old chicken feed bucket as a beautiful flower planter created by Michael from Inspired by Charm:

 

 

Most DIY bloggers have thrift store treasure revamps that you can find on their blogs for inspiration including Michael from Inspired by Charm, Amanda from Amanda Carol Home and Donna from Funky Junky Interiors.

My adrenaline really starts pumping when I see these Goodwill/ thrift store revamps.  It really is one of the greatest and most satisfying DIY “Bang for Buck” projects!!

3) Make your own wall art

 

 

This is another good DIY project with huge impact for little dollars.  This is also one of the most enjoyable projects to do yourself or with someone else.  Kristi with Addicted to Decorating told me that making wall art was one of her favorite bang for buck DIY projects and after seeing this amazing chrysanthemum mirror that Kristi made with plastic spoons, you can see why:

 

 

Kristi from Addicted to Decorating has tons of excellent projects galleries on her website for ideas and tutorials including a gallery for DIY wall art projects that you can find here if you’re think about these DIY projects.

4) Painting a Wall/Room or Large Furniture Pieces

 

 

 

I separated general painting and spray painting into two categories because they are really two different type DIY projects with different applications but both are huge bang for buck and effort projects.  Diane with In My Own Style told me that her favorite bang for buck DIY project would be any kind of painting- brush-on or spray paint because it instantly transforms anything!

 

 

 

Diane has an excellent point and mentioned that with modern science, the formulas keep getting better and better making it not only easier, but providing a perfect finish on everything you paint from walls, wood furniture, plastic, or metal. In other words, if you haven’t painted anything in a few years, you will be amazed by how the formulas have really evolved over the last couple of years, making paint projects so much easier.  In fact, some of the paints today come with primer and paint mixed together, eliminating the first step altogether!

Kate with Centsational Girl has written an extensive tutorial found here on how to best paint furniture and what paints to use.  It’s a great resources and great place to start if you’re looking to paint furniture:

 

 

5) DIY Projects with Reclaimed Lumber

 

 

 

 

This another fantastic “Bang for Buck” project working with old reclaimed lumber and pallets and transforming them into furniture, wall ideas and decor.  I wasn’t surprised in the least when super Donna from the blog Funky Junk Interiors told me that working with reclaimed lumber was her favorite “Bang for Buck” project because this is truly her area of expertise!

 

 

DIY projects with old reclaimed lumber and pallets have become extremely popular over the last year and I think it’s because you can pretty much find old lumber and pallets for free and it really is so amazing all of the various projects that can done with them. Everytime I look through Pinterest, I see tons of awesome pallet projects.  Donna from Funky Junk Interiors has done tons of these transformations and this is a great DIY project to do because not only is it inexpensive/free, it’s fantastic way to start learn about working with tools if you have never done so before.

Donna has written an excellent post called all you ever wanted to know about pallet wood which she shares hints and tricks for working and doing DIY projects with pallet wood if you’re interested in learning more.

 

 

6) DIY Projects Using Fabrics

 

 

 

 

DIY projects with fabric are really one of the best ways to transform a space instantly and in a really big way.  Both Kate from Centsational Girl and Amanda Carol from Amanda Carol Home quickly came back with DIY fabric projects as one of the favorite “Bang for Buck” projects.  Not surprised, both of these ladies have always used fabulous fabrics to transform spaces in their homes:

 

 

 

There a so many amazing DIY projects throughout Blogland for working with fabric.  Many of the projects are “No-Sew”, so if you don’t sew, no worries!  Also, as Kate pointed out, you don’t have to spend a fortune on fantastic bold fabrics and she sent over a link to a post that she did sharing great online sources for inexpensive fabrics if you want to know where and how to find fabric online:

 

 

Well friends, I think we got a nice little list started for those of you looking to venture into the DIY waters or if you’re looking for maximum impact with the least amount of dollars and effort. It would be interesting to keep this conversation going in the comment section and I would love to hear your thoughts on your favorite “Bang for Buck” project if it wasn’t listed. Also, if you’re new to DIY or looking for other ideas, let us know what you’re looking for or wanting to try and we’ll help you by pointing you in a good place to start.

Thank you so much to all of the DIY bloggers that helped me out by responding so quickly to my last minute email. I really appreciate all of your help and each of these bloggers is a great place to visit for additional DIY inspiration and tutorials!

Thank you for hanging out with me today and if you missed last week’s Friday Favorites ” Five Gorgeous Wall Paper Trends”, you can go to it by clicking the image below:

 

If you live in the Houston area, tomorrow morning I am sharing a fun tutorial with host Sally MacDonald on the new Fox 26 Houston Weekend Morning news debuting tomorrow! The show is on 5:00 am-8:00 am on Saturdays.  This will be the first of several projects that I will be sharing periodically on the program.  The segment recaps will be posted on the Fox 26 website after they air as well.  A big thank you to Sally and Fox 26 Houston for giving me this wonderful opportunity!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Cheers!
Cyndy