3 Cheap and Easy Home Staging Projects

If you are preparing your home for sale you are likely discovering how quickly the costs can add up to replace things liked outdated brass doorpulls, lamps and furniture.

A reader shared with me that she had a budget in mind to use for staging her home for sale and took it as a challenge to keep her costs as low as possible. Here are three projects she said I could share that look great but cost very little.

For all 3 projects, spray paint was her friend... but she found out quickly that spray paint creates spatter. So... she created a temporary 'paint room' in her basement by covering the floor and hanging a plastic dropcloth. She also used a mask to protect herself from the fumes. Be sure to thoroughly clean and lightly sand and/or apply primer to prepare the surfaces you are painting so the paint adheres properly.

1. Outdated brass drawer pulls

If you have any older pieces of furniture there is a good chance you have some brass handles or drawer pulls. Cost to replace them can add up quickly, but brass is not currently in fashion so they tend to call attention to themselves and make buyers think 'outdated'... translating  to 'this home is in need of updating'. 

Removing the pulls and painting them transformed the look of this bedroom chest so it doesn't stand out. Instead, it becomes one of the props in creating the backdrop for the room.

2. Outdated lamps and lamp shades

Most of us have some outdated lamps and lamp shades tucked into some corner somewhere in our homes. Here is one that was completely transformed with textured stone spray paint and tea bags.

She painted the base transforming it from shiny to textured stone, then soaked tea bags in boiling water and used them to 'paint' the lamp shade... an amazing transformation!

3. Outdated dining room set

Their formal dining set was 'old style' and really made the dining room feel outdated. They weren't planning to take them with them so had no qualms about simply painting them black and recovering the chair cushions. They now just fade into the background so you notice the room rather than the furniture.

This is a prime example of how staging is different from decorating. If they were re-decorating to continue living there they likely would have purchased new furniture, but staging it to sell is simply setting the stage to help people visualize their own furnishings in the space. The point is for the furnishing to virtually 'disappear' while suggesting how to use the space.

Thank you, Wendy, for sharing some of your projects... they are awesome!!

Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - Home Staging Tips