Projects you can finish in a weekend

A finished home DIY or makeover project done well is a very satisfying thing that makes your house look great and you feel good. But it doesn’t need to be all or nothing.

You may want to completely redo a bedroom, but if time and budget don’t allow, a repaint of the skirting or a piece of furniture will give the space a dramatic lift and can be done easily in a day or two. There are other projects, from quick maintenance to creative builds that are small enough to knock off in a weekend but big enough to make a big impact on how you view and use your home.

Paint - and wallpaper - can often be your best friend here as it can offer dramatic change for minimal effort, at a comparatively low cost.

Here’s a list of projects you can start without fear they’ll be hanging over your head for weeks.

Paint the front door

A bold-coloured front door is a simple way to add dramatic appeal to your house. Doors in bright, saturated hues such as orange Resene Trinidad, Resene Guardsman Red or Resene Buttercup yellow are all the rage and will really pop against trim in a bright white such as Resene Alabaster. Or go deep with charcoal Resene Dune or deep green Resene Zuccini.

Take the door off its hinges and give it a good clean. Fill any holes and sand. Wipe away any dust with a damp cloth then prime with Resene Quick Dry. Paint with two coats of your chosen colour, allowing two hours for paint to dry between coats. Once the second coat is dry, rehang the door.

Use a gloss paint, such as Resene Enamacryl, to really make the front door colour pop.

Resene Turbo gives this front door just the boost it needs to be an eye-catching entrance. The exterior weatherboards are Resene Triple Concrete. The door trim is Resene Black White and the bench is Resene Tuna. The pots are, from left, Resene Silver Chalice and Resene Nocturnal and the house number is Resene Silver Chalice. The doormat has been painted with a pattern in Resene Tuna. Project by Vanessa Nouwens. Image by Bryce Carleton.

Make an entrance

A grand entranceway isn’t always feasible in our townhouses, apartments and bungalows, with exterior doors that tend to open directly into hallways and even living areas. However, with some creative use of paint, you can create a corner or even a simple section of wall to bring order to coats, umbrellas and muddy shoes that tend to congregate at entranceways.

Paint out a corner of the room by your entrance, either the back or front door will work, in a contrasting colour to the rest of the space - or in a few shades darker or lighter than your main colour. Add some coat hooks, a shelf or two, and a shoe rack or box.

If your exterior door is at the end of the long hallway, you could paint out the whole metre or so of both walls, floor and even ceiling around the door to give the illusion of a foyer. Add plants, a mat as well as storage for all those items of clothing that are last on and first off when you’re coming in or out.

Paint planters in bold colours using Resene testpots to add some eye-catching colour. If you’re painting terracotta pots, seal them inside and out in Resene Aquapel & Terracotta Sealer before painting – this will help to protect the paintwork from the water.

If you don’t have the space inside, see if you can find the space outside in a sheltered spot on the front porch.

It’s a practical project that can bring some order to an often chaotic space, as well as add some character and style to your entrance way.

The addition of a bold table on Resene Jailbreak and some practical hooks painted in Resene Wishing Well, Resene Noir and Resene Japonica turn this hallway into a practical, eye-catching entranceway. The walls are Resene Bluetooth and the floor is Resene Alabaster. The vase and bowl are Resene Wishing Well, small tealight holder in Resene Bluetooth and hexagon pattern vase painted in Resene Japonica. Project by Vanessa Nouwen. Image by Melanie Jenkins.

Paint the kitchen cabinets

With a bit of prep, re-painting kitchen cupboards - even those coated in melamine - can give your kitchen a new lease of life in a couple of days. Plus it’s much cheaper and more sustainable than a full kitchen re-fit.

Remove doors and drawer fronts you’re repainting, then remove any handles. Prep the surface then apply two coats of Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel, allowing to dry between coats. If you have melamine cupboards and drawers, apply Resene Waterborne Smooth Sealer Surface after cleaning. This will help the topcoats to stick to the smooth surface.

Create a feature wall

If painting a whole room feels a bit daunting for a weekend project, how about adding a feature wall?

Feature walls can be a simple way to add real interest and texture to a room, or to showcase a particular piece of art or furniture. They’re also a great way to experiment with bold colours and patterns without overwhelming a room.

Choose a wall that is going to draw the eye when you walk into it; it might be behind the bed or couch, or surrounding a feature window, for example.

A wallpapered feature wall can be a fast way to add a bold design or even a theme to an otherwise simply decorated space. For a Bridgerton-style stately home effect try a bold floral like Resene Pip Studio 5 Wallpaper Collection E300114 or a mid-century modern geometric Resene Bold Wallpaper Collection E395806.

Keep in mind that one wall in a bold pattern in a small room can make it feel smaller, however, one wall in a plain darker colour can make it feel larger.

Wallpapering is much easier than it used to be. Many Resene wallpapers are now paste the wall, so you simply apply the paste then add the wallpaper. And if you decide you want to change the wallpaper in the future, it’s easier to remove too.

A simple contrasting shape on the wall is a fast way to turn a plain corner into a space worthy of attention. Walls painted in Resene Seachange while the arch and shelves are in Resene Awash. The floor is Resene Breathless and the pot is Resene Rhino with triangles in Resene Awash and a top lip in Resene Breathless. Small vase (on shelf, with bar tools) in Resene Breathless. Project by Melle Van Sambeek. Image by Bryce Carleton.

Create a wall feature

If you like the colour scheme of your room but wonder if it needs a little something extra, how about painting an eye-catching design or geometric pattern on the walls?

If you’re not confident in your artistic ability, start with straight lines and straight-edge shapes that you can pencil on the wall with a ruler, then mask up with tape.

To draw circles, find a piece of string the length of your circle radius, then tie a pencil at each end. Have someone hold one pencil at the centre of your circle, extend the string to its full length and draw the circle or a curve - outline with the other pencil. If it’s easier, use the same method to trace your circle on a piece of card, then Blu-Tack it to the wall and trace your outline.

For more organic shapes, experiment on paper first then trace your outline on the wall or cut out stencils. Adding stencil shapes that are painted out in Resene FX Blackboard Paint, or Resene FX Chalkboard Paint is a quick project to liven up a kid’s bedroom or even a home office.

To add texture rather than just colour to the walls, you could add painted battens, or even panels of ply or mdf cut to geometric shapes.

To liven up a bedroom, consider painting the shape of a bedhead on the wall behind your bed. Be imaginative with your shape and use a colour that complements the rest of the room, while using it as an excuse to add some bold design. Add a shelf or two in the same colour to give your bed head illusion a 3D quality.

Painting a bed head can be a quick job that adds real design flair and depth to a bedroom. This one gives this room a chilled deco feel with shades in (from left) Resene Tide, Resene Tussock, Resene Nepal, Resene Americano and Resene Smooth Operator. The walls are Resene Triple Merino and the floor is Resene Merino. The bedside tables are, from left, Resene Tide and Resene Nepal. Project by Vanessa Nouwens. Image by Melanie Jenkins.

Other quick weekend DIY projects:

Paint your mailbox a bold colour

Paint a piece of furniture - upcycled from a second-hand shop or renovate a piece you own. Shelves, desks, chairs, stools and drawers are all easy to paint, and can add personality and bursts of colour to any room.

Repaint window sashes and skirting boards. It’s amazing how a refresh of trims in a room can give it new life.

Create a gallery wall. Repaint some old picture or mirror frames in a mix of shapes and sizes using Resene testpots and hang a collection of your favourite art, or photos.

See the Resene DIY projects gallery for more project ideas, www.resene.co.nz/projects, and visit your local Resene ColorShop for everything you need to get your DIY project underway.