DIY Paint Makeovers: 10 Budget Friendly Ideas

Can’t afford to redecorate? DIY Paint makeovers are a budget friendly way to transform your home! 10 easy paint updates for tile, furniture, cabinets and more.

Paint is the best place to start when craving a room makeover and you don’t have a lot of money to spend. Tackling a DIY a paint makeover is not only budget friendly, but builds your confidence too!

In this guide, I’m sharing 10 DIY paint makeover ideas to try at your house. Learn how to paint cabinets, furniture, hardware, tile, fabric, and more!

This post is a paid collaboration with Lowe’s Home Improvement. All content and opinions are my own 🙂

My Favorite Paint by Project

My favorite paint retailer is Lowe’s – surprised? I spent many years working behind the paint desk teaching store associates about new paint and stain products.

Here is why I buy my paint at Lowe’s:

1. Order up to 10 paint chips for free (HGTV by Sherwin Williams and Sherwin Williams colors).
2. Paint samples ship to your home for FREE.
3. Order online and pick up in store.
   • Some stores offer same day delivery!
4. You can shop by paint color or paint project.
5. They have a free paint color room visualizer.
6. High quality paint at affordable prices.
7. Color match any brand (my tutorial)

I’ve written an in depth tutorial about a why I recommend certain paints by project.

For simplicity, I’ll provide you with the paints I use myself by project. All products can be purchased in the paint department at Lowe’s Home Improvement.

Now onto my 10 favorite DIY paint projects that will completely transform your home on a budget! I think you’ll be surprised by the wide variety of things you can paint.

DIY Paint Makeovers: 10 Ideas to Update Your Home

For each one of these projects I’ve linked tutorials you can follow! You’ll be surprised how easy it is to paint a wide variety of things around your home.

I’ve got projects that are as simple as painting a new color or as complex as creating a faux paint finish that mimics wood, stone or marble.

Frankly, there’s nothing I won’t or can’t paint! It all comes down to simple rules to follow.

By following these 5 rules, you’ll get a smooth professional paint finish that is durable and lasts!

Now onto ALL of the things you can paint and inexpensively makeover at your home.

Paint Everything in Your Bathroom

Did you know you can transform your bathroom with a budget-friendly paint makeover?

• $400 Beige Bathroom Paint Makeover: No Remodeling!

From shower tile, to walls and the vanity cabinets, a new color scheme can make your space feel like a luxury spa without spending a lot of money.

I made over my guest bedroom for under $500 without remodeling. The before and after is a MUST SEE. You won’t believe the shower and granite paint makeovers to look like marble!

Paint Outdated Cabinets a new color

If your painted cabinets are looking outdated, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered! YES, it’s easy to refinish your cabinets and paint them a fresh new color.

• Yes! You Can Refinish Painted Cabinets (here’s how)

In this post, I’ll walk you through the exact steps to prep and repaint cabinets like a pro, all while sharing my personal tips for a smooth finish.

With a little time and the right tools, you’ll have cabinets that look fresh and new without the cost of replacing them! See the before and after of my office cabinets in Sherwin Williams, Tradewind.

Paint Stained Wood Cabinets (without sanding the finish)

Maybe you have an outdated stain on your bathroom or kitchen cabinets. Did you know you don’t have to sand off the finish first?

If you’re looking for a lighter brighter feel, painting them is the most affordable option versus replacing or refacing them.

ALL of my stained wood cabinets have been painted using this method! With the right primer, you literally can paint over any stained wood.

• How-to Paint Cabinets Using a Paint Sprayer (for beginners)

The quickest and easiest way to get a smooth finish is with a paint sprayer. Don’t be scared…I’ll hold your hand and teach you how.

Paint Large Stained Furniture with a Paint Sprayer

One of the craziest things I’ve ever done is use a paint sprayer INSIDE my bedroom. I have a beautiful carved French armoire, but grew tired of the cherry wood stain finish.

• Yes! Use a Paint Sprayer INSIDE to Paint Furniture

The thought of having to hand paint it and all of the hours it would take made me come up with the idea to spray it. WOW! What a difference to see it paint and it was SO much easier than hand painting.

You’d be surprised with some easy prep of your space, it’s easy to makeover a large piece of furniture with paint. Plus you DON’T have to sand off stained wood finish first.

A paint sprayer will always provide the smoothest finish. It also save you a TON of time. I will teach you exactly how to set up your room to spray inside.

Spray Paint Cabinet Hardware

I LOVE cabinet hardware and was a VP of Marketing and Sales for the brand Amerock. I know a lot about cabinet hardware, but more importantly how expensive it can be to replace knobs and pulls.

• Yes! You Can Spray Paint Cabinet Hardware

So I developed an affordable update for cabinet hardware using spray paint!

All you need is to clean the hardware to degrease it, apply primer, and then your favorite color of metallic spray paint. It’s a cheap quick fix that will last for years!

I’ll guide you through the best colors of spray paint to use from gold, matte black and bronze.

Paint Upholstery Fabric

OK this may feel a little crazy to you, but the office chair I am sitting in right now and use every day, I painted.

Yes, you can transform upholstery fabric with paint and it will be soft enough to sit on it!

• YES! Paint Upholstery and Furniture Fabric: How-to with Pictures

Perfect for dining room chair seats or an old outdated lounge chair. I show you how to protect the painted surface from spills.

I wouldn’t recommend painting an antique or heirloom, but if you have a cheap piece of furniture or a flea market find why not?

Update Picture Frames with Spray Paint

One of my FAVORITE cheap and easy updates is spray painting picture frames. Plus filling them with printable digital artwork.

• Easily Update Picture Frames with Spray Paint!

I’ve painted the picture frames in my bedroom to create a large gallery wall, the guest bedroom for color variety, and in the family room so all of the golds matched.

Once you see how easy it is to change the finish of a picture frame, you’ll save a fortune by DIYing the makeover.

The spray paint finish LASTS too and you can easily paint them a new color any time.

Transform Your Stairs with Paint

Painting over stain and polyurethane by using my method on stained wood stair risers and treads too!

What a game changer painting the large set of stairs in my foyer. By just painting the treads a bright white, it completely modernized my entire entryway.

• How-To Prep and Paint Stained Stairs White

In this tutorial, I show you the best method to get long lasting durable results. My painted staircase has stood the test of time and looks just as good 5 years later!

The paint is so durable that I can scrub off scuffs with a heavy duty Magic Eraser. For lighter scuffs I use plain old baby wipes 🙂

Alright, I’ve given you enough ideas to update the inside of your home (there are more here). It’s time to look at updating your outdoor furniture.

Outdoor DIY Paint Updates on a Budget

Spray Paint Outdoor Wicker Furniture

What? You can paint outdoor resin wicker or plastic furniture? You bet! This is one of my favorite problem solving makeovers.

• How-to Spray Paint Outdoor Resin Wicker Furniture!

Tired of your dark brown outdoor wicker? Paint it to look like driftwood or more like a natural wicker finish.

In just a few steps that include cleaning and priming, you can spray paint your outdoor furniture a new color. Use this tutorial for plastic outdoor furniture too.

Choose any color you like, but make sure to follow my tutorial so it lasts as long as possible! Have

Refresh Outdoor Metal Furniture with Spray Paint

This honestly is a paint makeover I use just about every spring. I like to change the color of my outdoor furniture.

• Paint Outdoor Metal Furniture: Easy DIY

These 20 year old metal chairs got a big refresh this past spring. They are now bright white and not faded black.

The biggest benefit (which I didn’t anticipate) is the metal stays cool to the touch on the sunniest days in Charlotte, NC.

They have held up through the seasons changing too and still look perfect. No peeling or chipping after full sun exposure and temperature extremes.

Affordable Paint Updates for EVERY ROOM

Tell me in the comments, which project surprised you the most? I’m still in awe of my beige tile painted to look like marble.

My office chair is still comfortable to sit in and I was happy to say goodbye to the gray! Now I get a smile every day because it’s a happy shade of pink.

Let me know what DIY paint update you are planning next. Or ask me about painting anything and I’ll let you know if it’s possible…it probably is 🙂