The economic downturn has left homeowners struggling with unmanageable bills, and many have had to forget their plans for expensive spring upgrades. If this sounds like you, our home improvement expert has some cheap and easy home decorating and remodeling ideas that can drastically enhance the look of your apartment or house.

What to do with Floors?

According to our in-house home improvement expert, Jim Dugan, homeowners can drastically change the look of a house by altering the color of their floors.

“Many people don’t have the money to afford new carpet or hardwood floors,” he said. “If you’ve got old tile or cement floors, you can spice them up by adding the right indoor decorative concrete coatings.”

Dugan says even inexperienced do-it-yourselfers should be able to apply acrylic floor paint or epoxy floor coatings without the help of a professional; however, he does offer an important warning.

“Homeowners are usually shocked when they see what an epoxy or acrylic coating can do for their houses,” he said. “When applied properly, you’ll get a durable, glossy finish that looks just about as good as a show-room floor. Unfortunately, if you don’t properly prepare the surface first, you will get flaking; so it’s critical that you research the best way to encourage adhesion before you get started.”

Before you try this type of easy home decorating project, check out Dugan’s instructables to find out the best way to go about it.

Other Cheap Remodeling Ideas

Dugan says thrifty homeowners can also make a big impact on their home decor by buying new lighting and bathroom fixtures.

“If you don’t want to spend the money on these, you can even paint your metal fixtures with a glossy enamel,” he said. “That said, you need to research how to paint metal, or you are likely to end up with finish failure.”

According to Dugan, homeowners can also drastically change the look of their houses by refinishing the furniture.

“Refinishing is an easy home decorating strategy almost anyone can perform,” he said. “When most people think about refinishing, they picture wood stain; however, a good glossy, acrylic paint can add some real pop to a drab room. Again, though, it’s important that you know how to paint furniture, or adhesion problems may lead you to ruin the very piece of furniture you are trying to enhance.”