11 DIY Projects That Make Your Home Look Cheaper

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DIY projects are great for the bringing personal style into your home and making it feel special to you. Not all DIY ideas are going to do your space justice. There are projects that, even with the best intentions can leave your home looking less polished. Whether it’s over the top paint jobs or DIY décor that fails to achieve the desired result, there are a few common missteps that can prevent your home from being as perfect as it could ever be.

The DIY approach can be fun and budget friendly, but there are certain projects that just diminish a room. So let’s look at some of these ‘style offenders’ so that your home looks classy and welcoming, not a little too ‘DIY gone wrong’.

Wallpaper Borders

Surprising Items Interior Designers Say You Need to Ditch ASAP!
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Carpets with colorful wallpaper borders were very trendy in the ’80s but ’90s, and now they just give you a sense of the 90s. Usually located at the top of walls, borders can peel or fade over the course of time leaving a messy, unfinished look. Instead of wallpaper borders, why not paint an accent wall, or add wainscoting for a more modern and polished look?

Fake Brick Panels

Red Concrete Brick
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The rustically cool vibe of exposed brick is a great idea but faux or stick-on brick panels usually miss the mark. Sometimes these panels look cheap and are easily recognizable as fakes. In lieu of that, I suggest adding some texture with paint effects or going for a simple high quality wallpaper with a stone pattern to get the feel without the faux.

Cheap Cabinet Hardware

Cheap Things That'll Help Your Entire Home Look Fancier Than It Really Is
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Upgrading your cabinets knobs and handles may seem like an easy swap, but low budget hardware could have the opposite effect. Cabinets that feel tacky instead of trendy have lightweight or flimsy knobs. Cleaning and repainting your existing handles, or investing a little more in solid, stylish hardware is definitely worth it.

Peel-and-Stick Tiles

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Although peel and stick tiles are tempting because they are so easy to use, the reality is that they tend to look cheap and break down quickly. They peel especially at the edges, particularly in humid places like kitchens and bathrooms. If you’re game for it, go for a smaller real tile project, or see about getting good quality vinyl flooring as an easy upgrade that will last.

DIY Pallet Furniture

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Pallet furniture it seems is the current trend in DIY culture as you transform pallets into coffee tables, bed frames and even sofas. This is good for an outdoor patio but in your home, it can end up looking unfinished and too much of a rustic feel. If you’re a fan of the rustic, reclaimed wood look you can sand, stain, and seal it to get a more high polished look.

Excessive Use of Stencils

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Stenciled accent walls or floors can help enliven a space, but if you use too many of them in the same room, you’ll end up with a chaotic, over patterned look instead. Stenciling furniture or walls just adds your personal taste to a space, but if used too much, it can make a room look cluttered and busy. When it comes to stenciling, less is definitely more.

Fake Plants That Look Fake

Surprising Items Interior Designers Say You Need to Ditch ASAP!
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Not all faux greenery is equal. As far as artificial plants go some of them are quite realistic, but the cheap ones stick out badly. Bad quality fake plants do not have an organic shine and color, that can spoil the whole vibe of a room. If there aren’t real plants available to you, then you want to look for high quality faux plants with a matte finish to bring some life into your space.

Painting Everything White

Surprising Items Interior Designers Say You Need to Ditch ASAP!
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A new coat of white paint will pep up a room, but if you paint all the walls, the trim, and even the doors white, you’ll give your space a sterile and uninspiring feel. White that is too much can be bland and without personality. You should try using warm tones or some simple colors to add a bit of coziness to your home and keep it from being so flat and boring looking.

DIY Farmhouse Signs

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The farmhouse signs with sayings like “Live Laugh Love” or even “Home Sweet Home” can be cute — but they can also be overwhelming in their cliché. These signs don’t bring that much character or individuality to your space. If you’re into DIY wall art, spend a few hours of your time creating something personal and meaningful, like a custom family name sign or even your favorite quote because it has so much meaning to you.

Mason Jar Overload

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Aside from being used as vases, candle holders, Mason jars have become a fixture for DIY fans, used as storage containers. Since they work well for some things, too many mason jars in your decor can feel tacky and too rustic and repetitive. Mason jars can be used sparingly, or mixed with other decorative items to give it a balanced look.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.

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