24 May, 2024
renovation
Are you dreaming of refreshing the look of your apartment, but even the initial plan of renovation tasks gives you a headache? Check out our ideas for affordable apartment renovation and do a quick kitchen or bathroom renovation on your own. The results will enchant you.
If you don't yet need a full apartment renovation but feel it's high time to make some changes, you'll definitely need to reach into your pocket, but not too deeply. Certain expenses will be necessary, although sometimes just a few cents can yield great results.
First, a few general tips that will always come in handy, regardless of which of our ideas you decide to implement:
These few good practices will allow you to optimize costs because you'll have renovation materials and work under control.
Every apartment is different and requires something different to highlight its strengths. However, it's worth ensuring that your renovation goal includes the walls and floors. These elements usually define the entire space, and completely avoiding intervention in them during renovation simply isn't advisable.
A spectacular and inexpensive apartment renovation always involves painting walls. If they are suitable for a quick coat of paint, there's no need to hesitate.
Painting walls is best done using one of the most popular types of paint on the market:
Painting and wallpapering – these two things are usually paired together as great alternatives, and rightly so. Especially since we now have a whole bunch of exciting wallpapers to choose from, so if painting seems problematic to you or you simply prefer wallpapers, go for them.
There are many types of wallpapers. If you want to save on renovation and choose materials that will be optimal, pay attention to:
An apartment with new wallpaper will be completely different, and if you additionally choose a type of wallpaper that can be painted, the next apartment refresh will be even faster. You'll find out if the wallpaper can be painted from the description of the product.
If you want to optimize costs, tile replacement is probably not an option. Fortunately, you can do many other things to achieve great results and not buy expensive building materials. It's easiest to start with grout.
Over time, grout between tiles loses its shine. It can become dusty, fade, and in humid rooms, black, repulsive mold can sometimes appear on it. That's why grout is a good first target for home renovation.
First, decide whether you want to replace or cover the grout. A good plan is essential.
Covering them is easiest. You can find special grout markers in stores, white or colored, with which you can effortlessly paint the spaces between the tiles. It only requires a little time and meticulousness.
Replacing grout is more difficult. It may be necessary if mold develops in it or you expect a spectacular effect. Just remember to plan the apartment renovation properly if mold appears. An additional step of work involving the application of an antifungal agent is needed then. Such preparations usually require waiting before further work can be done.
How to remove old grout? Usually, a putty knife, flathead screwdriver, or similar tool is sufficient. Grout is delicate. Avoid using power tools. Instead of saving on renovation, you might incur costs due to tile damage.
How to choose grout? Everything depends on real needs and your ingenuity. Ask at the store what type of grout is needed for your tiles. Do this, of course, before removing the old one. You'll have a lot of colors to choose from, grout with glitter, color pearls, and you can even think about LED strips that can be embedded between the tiles.
If everything is fine with the grout, you can think about painting the tiles. Many modern paints can easily bond to their surface. Just remember a few things:
Painting tiles is really easy, and the results can be staggering.
Whenever your goal is to minimize costs, you must choose cheaper materials and often forego replacing some things during renovation that might seem necessary to replace.
But pause for a moment. Do you want to replace something because you really need something new, or is there something wrong with the old one? Most of the time, your dissatisfaction stems from the fact that the old equipment is worn out, but instead of replacing it, repair or partial replacement may suffice.
Do you have wooden windows in your apartment? That's great. Once a year, you need to maintain them to maximize their durability. At the same time, you can also change their aesthetics.
You have two options here:
The second option is radical because the paint will completely cover the natural grain of the wood, and many people don't even consider it. However, it works quite well in modern interiors, guarantees a stunning effect, and applying enamel is very easy.
Using colored wood protection products usually requires removing old layers of varnish. However, a slight change in shade, achieved by applying a new layer of varnish over the original matte layer, is not a big challenge and doesn't require excessive effort. It's important, though, that the windows aren't excessively damaged before taking on such a challenge.
Do you have a pet at home? It probably chewed on some furniture. Do small children run around the apartment? There's no chance that they haven't scratched or banged something up. Do you often use a piece of furniture? It probably doesn't serve it well either. Items worn by time lose their luster. However, they also invite you to give them a second life.
Paint tables and chairs with alkyd paint. It dries for a long time, and its smell is specific, but it's very durable. For a dresser, acrylic paint is enough.
Keep in mind the stages of renovation. You can't just start painting furniture. First, sand down all the irregularities. Make sure nothing is peeling or flaking off. Before starting work, the furniture must also be degreased. This is done with mineral spirits. Also, prepare a place on the balcony or isolate one well-ventilated room from the rest of the apartment – there the paint will dry calmly and safely.
Is your old kitchen totally boring? Financing a renovation involving replacing kitchen furniture is an expense to avoid, so rather think about what really determines their appearance? The answer is simple: the fronts.
You'll be surprised how cheap this procedure is compared to replacing entire pieces of furniture. It's certainly not the cheapest of our fifteen suggestions, but it's worth considering due to the wealth of possibilities it brings.
Unscrew the old fronts and replace them with new ones. Now the kitchen looks new, and it smells new too.
In door replacement, the biggest costs are usually associated with door frames. Replacing them requires hiring a professional team and turns into a big project. You can save on renovation by focusing only on the door wing itself.
You have to make a small compromise here. Not everything will fit the current frame, but don't worry – there will be options. What's more, painting the frame a new color will open up more possibilities for you.
Think primarily about glazing. Professionals currently advise renovating with light. In practice, this means open spaces and glass wherever possible. Dream systems are, of course, sliding doors. Renovating the apartment on a budget will steer you towards doors with large windows. Opt for decorative glass that diffuses light, and you won't regret it.
Renovation after renovation, but what is the real purpose behind your renovation work? You want to live better and prettier! Consider whether building materials, wall painting, and all other "dirty" things are really necessary to achieve your goals. Often, it turns out they are not. Hence, our next ideas for inexpensive apartment renovation.
The floor in one place is already in poor condition? It would be best to replace it entirely. Only the costs of purchasing materials do not allow for it. Replacing some furniture that doesn't look its best, and simple painting won't help either, is also an expense that would be better to postpone. Part of the wall is damaged and not suitable for easy repair, but around it is not yet so bad?
All these problems have one, or rather two, common features: they are located in a small space, and... you can easily cover them with the right plant.
This idea is brilliant in its simplicity and very effective because inviting plants into interiors is always a good idea, and there's no room that wouldn't benefit from it. They fit into every interior and every style. Except maybe bathrooms without windows.
Here are a few recommended plants with very different characteristics:
If you feel that your surroundings require a more decisive intervention, consider climbers. There are many options to choose from, from aggressive and ubiquitous common ivy through demanding philodendrons to trendy golden pothos.
Combining the pleasant with the useful is always a cost that is easiest to justify. So store and decorate, meaning give your apartment a small renovation by adding elements suitable for storing other things.
Creative storage ideas are usually proposals related to how to cleverly use unusual spaces to hide various items. What you need is something else – accessories that will be elements changing the appearance of the space, proud and visible accessories.
The best here are various types of boxes. The choice is enormous. There are special options for children's rooms, bedrooms, universal options, and elements created as an integral part of a furniture set. Prices vary greatly, so choose carefully.
You can also transform rooms with various baskets, magazine racks, or shelves.
LED lighting is a total revolution in the apartment. It's definitely an investment because often cheaper materials in the overall calculation turn out to be more expensive, and the same goes for lighting. LED bulbs consume very little electricity and can shine for decades.
Lower electricity costs are just the cherry on top. The aesthetic effect will be more important. LED light is easier to control, and small diodes can be placed practically anywhere. Transform your furniture by attaching LED strips in various places. Old furniture and boring interiors suddenly look like the most expensive proposals in the most beautiful exhibitions.
Smart home is not just a song of the future but the present. Get a few modern Wi-Fi-controlled light bulbs and adjust precisely how they will shine. It turns out that arrangements full of random shadows suddenly become bright and cheerful or, on the contrary, you can efficiently divide rooms into zones and additionally aesthetically hide those places you don't want to show.
Finally, colors. This is the result of the previous two slogans because LED gives us access to color changes, and smart home facilitates their control. Illuminate your furniture with colors, complement the interior with subtly colored light, also control its color, and in a simple way, the apartment will look like renovated.
Don't worry, it's not about VAT invoices that you'll have to pay. Our idea for you is to renovate the interior by introducing fabrics that offer a completely new look.
Do you have ordinary curtains at home now? Replace them with longer ones and add heavy curtains in intense colors. Your sofa has seen a lot? Let it not see anything more – give it a throw with large tassels that will attract the attention of guests and household members. The throw can also appear on the bed in the bedroom.
Thinking along these lines, you can achieve a lot. Small runners and rugs in various rooms, attractive colors, unusual textures, maybe a bit of natural leather? You know the direction, so experiment.
Other ideas to save on renovation suggest replacing the renovation plan with a renovation schedule involving the introduction of entirely new items into the interior. Importantly, these items don't have to be expensive because your great ally here will be various flea markets, thrift shops, and of course, the internet. There, everything costs pennies, and the search itself is a great adventure.
Do you have sculptures in your apartment? And why not? After all, there's nothing stopping a large plaster structure or something made of steel from becoming an important element of the space. Invite something in your style and see how much the interior changes with such an addition.
Art can also be a way to cover up many things. A large reproduction of a painting in a frame will turn any interior into modern and dynamic.
You don't have to paint or wallpaper a large, boring wall. Instead, apply a large decal specially designed for wall placement. The effect is striking and allows you to cover various larger and smaller flaws. In acrylic versions, they can hide really serious defects while delighting with rich and vibrant colors.
How to organize all this? Take a look at art galleries. Their goal is to exhibit art, and if you think it would be better to draw guests' attention to something other than the outdated arrangement of your apartment, you'll instantly pick up many effective tricks.
A stone wall in an ordinary apartment is the dream of a madman. Similarly, a brick wall in a panel building or wooden beams in the middle of the city. Just remember that appearances are often more important in apartment renovations.
In this case, appearances mean claddings that you can use on walls. Building supply stores are full of various coverings presenting stone, concrete, wood, and many other materials. There are many technologies here. The simplest ones are usually in the form of lightweight tiles that you simply stick to the wall and enjoy the stunning effect.
The last idea we've prepared for you in our fifteen is both extravagant and actually very simple. It concerns the bathroom, specifically the bathtub.
Elements of the bathroom renovation schedule can be costly, but they don't have to be. Certainly not when you want to replace the bathtub, because you can achieve the desired effect without replacing it. You can fit a new one into the old tub. How is that possible?
Bathroom equipment manufacturers have anticipated the situation where replacing a bathtub is a huge investment requiring a tremendous amount of work. They have created special inserts that are placed in the old bathtub, covering it and giving it a completely new look. This is incomparably easier and cheaper than a classic renovation, which also requires creating a new waterproofing layer.
Our 15 ideas for a budget-friendly apartment renovation are proposals that touch upon very diverse concepts. Sometimes you'll change something, sometimes you'll add something, and other times you'll hide something and discover that you can still renovate in this way. Just remember that the ideas presented by us are not compromises, but rather smart ways to achieve something that many people accomplish with a large financial outlay.
With that in mind, don't completely rule out larger expenses for renovation. If your old windows are in a deplorable state, it's not just an aesthetic problem. New PVC windows offer an attractive appearance and, more importantly, significantly better thermal parameters. The same goes for aluminum or wooden windows in a new edition. And besides, you can also think about window coverings. Interior blinds can do a lot, but top-mounted blinds can do more. Similarly, interesting facade blinds. Don't be afraid to look for bold proposals.
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