I often find that a lot people feel they are far too busy to repaint or redecorate a room in their home. The truth of the matter is that you can transform an entire room in just one weekend. The key to doing this successfully is to plan ahead and ensure that you have all of your materials purchased in advance.

The first step is to choose the room you want to makeover, the bedroom or the living/dining room are both good starting points. After you have chosen your room sit down and plan what you would like to do. Map out what features you want to change and the elements that you intend leave untouched.  Make sure you have a clear idea in your mind before you start and use colour cards or pictures from magazines or catalogues to get ideas.

Once you have decided on how you want your room to look, the fun part begins – redecorating! I have a few tips for undertaking a swift redecorating project that will allow things to run as smoothly as possible.

If you are repainting a room move all of the furniture into the middle of the room and cover with dust sheets or old bed sheets to avoid damaging the furniture. If your room is small, paint the entire room the one colour as this gives the appearance of a wider room. On the other hand if your room is larger you will have more opportunity to introduce colour by having a feature wall or using stencils.

Instead of throwing out your existing furniture why not try reviving a piece by repainting it a new colour. Coffee tables, bookshelves and sideboards can be given a new lease of life and it doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Crown has a great product called Grip Extreme which when applied allows a top coat to adhere to wood surfaces, saving you time and effort as you won’t need to sand down the wood. You can then apply the top coat with a satin or gloss paint depending on the finish you want for your furniture. 

A simple lick of paint can really bring a piece of furniture back to life and can change the atmosphere in a room very quickly. Brighten up darker woods with white for the bedroom or introduce colour to your living room by painting your skirting, moulding or doors.

Finally, if you still have time left in your weekend a clean out is always worthwhile. De-cluttering a space of excess furniture or unwanted accessories will breathe life back into the room. This will allow more light into the area so that you can enjoy your freshly painted room and relax after all your hard work. The overall result will be a rejuvenated room that you can be proud of.

(Photos from Designspongeonline)

Happy decorating,

Neville