Decorating can be expensive, especially if you need to get someone in to do the work. So, today, I thought we would look at some of the projects most people do not tackle. Either because they think they would be too expensive or too difficult to do.
As you will see, that is not always the case. Provided you take the right approach, you can often do these things yourself.
Replacing your skirting boards
Hiring a carpenter is expensive – very expensive. So, any carpentry jobs you can do yourself will save you a lot of money.
For example, buying yourself some skirtings r us skirting board and fitting it. Don’t be daunted by this task. If you want to, you can order it in custom lengths, which means fewer cuts.Â
Just sit down and watch a few how-to videos before deciding whether it is something you can tackle. But do try to get a friend to help you. This job is far easier when done with two rather than one pair of hands.
Plastering
Plasterers are crazy expensive and with good reason. It is not an easy skill for everyone to learn. But some people are naturally good at it. The thing is you will never know until you try.Â
If the walls in your garage are currently bare, why not give plastering them yourself a try. They will look so much better and that is more than enough surface to enable you to get quite good at it. When you have finished you will know for sure if you are ready to plaster the walls of your home.Â
This in-depth guide tells you everything you need to know. But if someone in your family or circle of friends is already good at plastering a better approach would be to ask them to help you to learn this new skill.
Tiling
Tiling is another example of a skill you can soon learn. Virtually anyone can tile a wall.Â
The trick is to plan things out in advance. You need to think about where a line of tiles will finish so that when you enter the room you are looking at full-sized tiles. It is also very important to use a guide to get the first row straight. Once you have done that and have them in place. From that point on, you just need to use spacers to keep things straight. It is easy to learn how to do all these things online.Â
If you are particularly worried about cutting the tiles to go around awkward shapes like your toilet u-bent, this excellent video is what you need. It really does show you how to deal with any tile cutting scenario.
Don’t be afraid to fail
Now, no one is saying that learning new skills will always be easy. But it’s interesting and often turns out to be fun. You just need to be able to take the rough with the smooth. Occasionally, especially in the early days, you are going to get things wrong. Don’t let that stop you. Remember that once you have mastered that skill you will be able to use it throughout your lifetime and be able to save yourself a lot of money.
