50 DIY Home Improvement Projects to Tackle This Weekend

The front door is usually the first thing people see when entering your home. Make a great impression with a bright, welcoming front door color. Not sure what hue to choose? Take our quiz, then follow the step-by-step instructions below for a total entry overhaul.

Carriage house garage doors are highly sought after in home design and renovation, but these charming additions quickly add up in cost. One carriage-style garage door can run upward of $1,400. Luckily there’s a budget-friendly alternative: these magnetic hinges and handles will take your door from drab to fab instantly for just $20 — no hardware required.

Do you love the look of old shiplap walls and ceilings, but live in a new(ish) home? Add a gorgeous shiplap accent wall in any space for $50 or less by trimming down plywood into planks, then attaching the boards to your wall using construction adhesive and nails. Finish it off by painting the panels, and admire your DIY shiplap on a dime.

Hung over a patio, porch or backyard, globe cafe lights instantly turn any outdoor space into a gathering spot, increasing your usable square footage. This extra “room” comes in handy when entertaining or in the summer months when warm evenings are best spent outdoors, drink in hand. No fence or pergola to hang your lights from?

Brighten up your kitchen and put that gorgeous wedding china on display by replacing interior wood cabinet panels with inexpensive glass sheets. Not brave enough to go totally open with your cabinetry? Try this project on just the set of cabinets flanking your stove or the cabinet over the coffee counter.

Has your concrete patio seen better days? You could cover it with an outdoor rug or try this long-lasting DIY. With a can of concrete stain, a plastic stencil, a high-quality stencil brush and a few hours of work, you can totally transform the look of a porch, sidewalk or patio with a stylish, custom tile design.

Make a worn dining table or old countertops look luxurious by transforming them into chic (faux) marble focal pieces. This unique and crafty DIY combines leftover project paint, ultra high-gloss epoxy and basic craft supplies to recreate the veining lines and texture found in real marble. Patience and a designated project day will save you anywhere from $500 to $3,000 when dreaming of your very own marble furniture piece.

Want to go bold without the risk? Peel-and-stick wallpaper is a temporary way to add a burst of vibrant color or pattern to a room without tearing up the walls. To keep this project affordable and doable, try papering a focal wall or a small, low-humidity space like a powder room or closet. Find our favorite, trendy removable wallpaper patterns here, then check out the link below for installation tips and tricks.

Make your home look bigger and instantly more luxurious by hanging floor-length drapes 6″ to 12″ above the window frame or all the way to the ceiling, and extending your curtain rod out 3″ to 6″ on each side. For a pro look, curtains should puddle slightly or just kiss the floor.

Do you hate the look of your popcorn ceilings? Not only are they unsightly, but they’re also unsanitary — a veritable landing pad for dust, dirt and cobwebs. Luckily, they’re easily removed with the help of a wet/dry vac and a drywall knife. Note: If your home was built before 1979, test for lead and asbestos before starting this project.

Give outdated floors a refresh with our step-by-step guide to painting and stenciling ceramic tile. All you need are a few basic supplies and a free weekend to totally transform the look of a laundry room, bathroom or anywhere in your home that’s plagued by old or dirty tile. The best part? You can do it all for less than $50 and with no special equipment.

Is your home plagued by dated doorknobs? While swapping them out for new might be tempting, it can add up quickly — especially when one oil-rubbed bronze knob costs around $30 a piece. And that’s not to mention the matching hinges and door latches. If you’re looking for a cheap, long-lasting alternative, consider painting the knobs in your house for the cost of a can of spray paint and a weekend’s worth of work.

A simple white kitchen is made instantly glamorous by the addition of brushed gold knobs and pulls. Pro tip: Measure the width of your existing cabinet pulls before ordering. Also, be prepared to sand and touch up small dings and scratches that may occur while removing old hardware.

Make a small bedroom look larger by adding mirrors to plain closet doors or the back of a bedroom door. Simply pick up a couple of cheap, framed floor-length mirrors for less than $10 at your local big-box store, then paint the frame to match your space. Attach to your closet door with construction adhesive for a permanent look or use removable picture-hanging strips if you’re renting. Feeling extra crafty? Glue thin trim pieces to the mirrors for a high-end look.