Decorating on A Budget
One of my pet hates (although I enjoy the programme) is Changing Rooms allowing £500+ for a room to be transformed.
For the price of a tin of paint and a few pieces of junk
you can decorate on a really tight budget.
My hall and landing was in a pretty poor state with cracked walls and ceiling.
I knew wallpapering would be a major job so purchased two tins of cheap terracotta
emulsion, one slightly darker than the other and decided to do a colour-washing
effect. Colour-washing leaves an all-over uneven, random effect which looks similar
to old plaster. I used the paler colour for the first coat then diluted the darker colour with water
to a fairly thin consistency. This is applied sparingly, with a large, soft
brush
in uneven strokes. This paint effect has the advantage of minimising any cracks in the walls.
The border was done on my computer.
I found a book of proverbs and using an "Olde English" style font with large size letters
I typed them out on ordinary A4 paper. Damp, cold teabags were used sparingly on the paper to "age" it.
You can age it even further by sprinkling with coffee powder to emulate fly droppings!
When dry,
cut roughly into strips and using wallpaper paste, glue to the walls.
A broom handle sprayed with Hammerite black paint was transformed into a "wrought iron" curtain pole,
with old wooden curtain rings given the same treatment.
The telephone table was purchased for £1 from a car boot sale and also sprayed with the black paint.
Old enamel tins/vases etc were given a crackle glaze finish, and
some curly willow begged from a neighbours garden stands in a family heirloom brass vase.
The whole hall/landing probably cost me about £20 to decorate.
