Cost-cutting improvements abound
About a year ago, my husband and I bought our first home. This was both a scary and exciting time for us; we were no longer renters but homeowners. Once the dust settled and the busyness of moving calmed a bit, I started looking around our new place, trying to decide how to make it “our own.”
Our home was new to me, but it was not a new home. Built in the early ’80s, our home is nestled amongst other older homes with large mature trees shading front yards. The neighborhood is calm and inviting.
Updating can be costly, and let’s face it, most of us just don’t have the budget to make all the desired updates at once.
Upon moving into our new space, my head started buzzing with so many ideas. I wanted to redo the kitchen, and the garden outside needed work, a few light fixtures could use an upgrade, and the tile in the bathroom could be redone. There was just so much we “had” to do.
One easy, relatively inexpensive project my husband and I quickly agreed upon was updating our existing bathroom mirrors. The mirrors in both the master and guest bath are large and outdated. They both cover the entire wall behind the sinks and are constantly getting smudged and dirty with water spots. Instead of removing the mirrors and purchasing different ones, we decided to frame the mirror with a simple, white door trim; baseboards work as well. This can be found in the lumber department at any local hardware store.
I purchased our trim from Home Depot. It was primed with white paint already, but I spray-painted them white again to give them a glossy, more finished look. I measured the mirror and made straight instead of diagonal cuts on the trim. (When you make diagonal cuts, you have to make sure they line up just right when you frame your mirror; thus, straight cuts equals less measuring and frustration.) I then glued them directly onto the mirror using “Strong Stik” by Dap. If you need a little help getting the trim to initially stick, you can use painter’s tape to hold it down. The tape will not leave any sticky residue on your walls, trim or mirrors.
Because I made straight cuts instead of diagonal, I needed something to fill in the corners. I used four decorative wood medallions (also found in the lumber aisle, near trim) in the corners of the mirror. I also spray painted these the same white as my trim. Home Depot and Lowe’s will allow you to cut trim yourself in their stores, too. This is nice because they have the space and a table to make the proper cuts. I do not have that at my home.
The finished product looks fresh and gives our mirrors a new updated look for less cost than installing new ones.
Not all updates to your home have to be expensive; with a little creativity, time and patience, you can change the look of something older and outdated in your home. There is also something deeply satisfying about finishing a project on your own instead of hiring outside help.
There are still a few big projects we have in mind for our new home like moving our water heater from the pantry to the garage and putting up a new fence in our backyard, so we will continue to save for these “big projects.”
In the meantime, the wheels will keep turning inside my head, and I’ll constantly be on the lookout for an affordable, easy upgrade.
