Inexpensive Home Decor Project - New Rug(s)

One of our favorite home decorating techniques that can be accomplished for minimal cost is adding or changing out your ornamental rug(s). When you change a large feature of a room, it impacts the rest of the room. An ornamental rug is such a feature. Changing the color of an area rug and perhaps some pillows or other accent items, you can create a whole new look for the room for very little cost. And if you happen to find a nice area rug at a flea market, consignment shop or yard sale you can even get a better price.

It is always a good idea to have a used rug professionally cleaned before introducing it into your home. Pets and other factors can be a good reason to have this service performed. Having the rug professionally cleaned will ensure that the colors will be vibrant and achieve your intended purpose - livening up the room.

As we've seen over the course of the last couple of weeks, achieving a new look or refreshing a room in your home can be accomplished for very little cost. It just takes a bit of creativity and little some 'elbow grease' to give your room a makeover.

Beware of Unscrupulous Sales Tactics

A while back I wrote a blog post discussing three reasons you should not choose carpet cleaners on price alone and one of those reasons was the topic we are hear discussing. Bait and switch tactics consist of different specifics, but no matter how they vary, each has a common purpose - lure you in with a low price and change the details implied to increase the cost of your bill.

Cheap Carpet Cleaning Comes at a Price

We have all seen the ads or coupons in newspapers or magazines offering a great deal on carpet cleaning. In fact, some of those specials appear to be too good to be true. This article is meant to point to out a specific tactic that unscrupulous carpet cleaners use that make their offers 'to good to be true'.

How this tactic works is the customer schedules an appointment to have the carpet cleaned for the advertised price. However once the 'service technician' arrives, the customer discovers that the coupon does not apply to their specific job. That is when the selling starts based on different rates. these charge can climb rather quickly to a price that is very different from the price you originally saw advertised.

Services do vary and it is possible that you could prefer services in addition to the ones that come with an advertised price, but be on the lookout for a ridiculously low price in an ad. Many of those ads advertise prices that simply cannot be met if a carpet is cleaned appropriately.

So if you want a professional carpet cleaning service and you live in the Branson or Kimberling City area, contact Lakes Area Carpet Care for more information.

Inexpensive Home Decor Project - Rearrange

Perhaps one of the least expensive home improvements that can be made is the re-purposing of current furniture. With just a little creativity, you can change the presentation of your home simply by moving the items around or changing the functionality of one item into that of another item all-together.

For example, one person that had an old wooden bench that was being used outside for seating grew tired of it serving as a bench. They decided that they would move it into the house and use it for a decorative piece to add to the appearance.

Some furniture may not need to have its purpose changed, it might just need to be relocated. By placing furniture in a certain arrangement, you can create the impression of more or less space. It is even possible to make one area into two areas without the need for walls. Moving your furniture around regularly has another benefit. If you  have carpeting, moving the furniture will allow your carpeting to wear more evenly and you may even lengthen its life. Incidentally, if you are rearranging the furniture in your home, that would be the perfect time to have your home's carpet cleaned.

By using this technique of changing your home's appearance, or by combining it with one or more of the other ideas we've mentioned in previous posts like adding crown molding or painting, you can give your home a makeover for a really low price.

Inexpensive Home Decor Project - New Fixtures

Another inexpensive home decor project that can add to the appearance of your home is adding new fixtures or updating the exiting fixtures.

Can you improve the quality of the lighting fixtures? Many times a new home will have bargain priced lighting. Whether this is because people do not notice or they do not want to spring for the added fees, the light fixtures in a home can have an impact on the room.

What about adding ceiling fans? Ceiling fans also can add to a room's overall appearance. Additionally, ceiling fans can contribute to other aspects of the homes appearance and operating costs. Utilizing fans can keep the temperature in the room stable by circulating cool or warm air. The temperature of the room contributes to the room's 'appearance'. And who knows, maybe you will even save a few bucks on energy costs as well.

So keep your eyes open for a great deal on home fixtures. If you can get your hands on lighting that is on clearance, it can be translated into a home decor project for cheap.

Inexpensive Home Decor Project - Crown Molding

The first post in our series covering inexpensive home decor projects that we wanted to share is one that can truly make a difference in the appearance of your home without requiring special knowledge or extensive experience as a carpenter.

Crown Molding

This home decor technique is simple, yet effective and can create a dramatic change in the appearance of the room in which it is installed. Crown molding enables one's eye to clearly distinguish the borders where ceilings and walls may be similar in color. In rooms where the walls contrast with the ceiling, crown molding bridges the gap between the two and adds a complimentary piece of decor to the room.

Crown molding comes in a variety of materials and an array of designs. It can be purchased in strips and with a few tools that many home already have, can be installed relatively easily with very basic skills.

Further more, it is fairly easy to find instructions for installing it by browsing the internet. In fact, one set of such instructions can be found here:

http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/walls/trim/how-to-transform-a-room-with-crown-molding/

Inexpensive Home Decor Project - Painting

Another great, inexpensive home decor project is painting. Applying a fresh coat of paint to the walls can really renew the appearance of the home. Fresh paint covers up hand prints, smudges and small chips in the paint. While these blemishes might not draw attention individually, they can collectively make an impression without being readily noticeable.

Painting Techniques

Just adding a new coat of paint can make a difference, but there are also other painting techniques that can improve your home's appearance. Some of these techniques include:

• Murals - if you have an artistic side, this one might appeal to you
• Faux Painting - this is the technique of painting that appears to be a texture
• Stencils - this technique can be great for kids rooms or inspirational messages in strategic locations

You might be saying to yourself, "I don't know anything about painting". Take heart! You can get a lot of tutoring online in the form of how to paint web pages and even videos. And if you are willing to splurge, you can always pay someone else to do the actual work.

Whatever the case, painting can be an inexpensive home decor project that can improve your home's appearance.

Inexpensive Home Decor Project - Wall Tile Decor

One inexpensive method for decorating your home is tile. Although tile is an excellent material for use as a floor covering, it also is a great way to decorate your walls as well as other areas of the house. Using a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors you can create a nice accent in a kitchen, bathroom, or other location where a hard surface and some color can jazz up the space.

Using tiling as a back splash is an inexpensive way to create interest. And while bright colors might be right up your alley, the tiling does not have to be strong, primary colors to add beauty to a kitchen.

Another space that might benefit from tile as a decorative solution is the fireplace. often times fireplaces are already constructed using tile or stone. Just because the fireplace was built using stone or tile does not mean that you cannot add some color or texture to breath some life into the room.

So whether you are in the market for a kitchen update or getting ideas for a fireplace hearth, tiles can be an inexpensive and lean option.

Inexpensive Home Decor Projects Series

We realize that carpet and upholstery cleaning is only a small part of all that goes into keeping your home feeling like a true home. That's one reason why we decided on the following topic for our LACC blog:

Throughout the rest of the month of August, we will be briefly sharing some ideas for doing some simple decor in the home that are effective and inexpensive.

These home decor techniques are not extensive, involved tasks that require a great deal of skill and/or experience. So keep an eye out for each of these techniques and we hope you will see one that you can use to freshen up your home.