11 Ways to Update Your Home Using Only Paint to Make It Feel Brand New

Update your home on a budget and make it look and feel sparkling, trendy, and brand new with just a can of paint with these 11 simple ideas.

11 Home Updates Using Paint

Is your home looking a little sad and outdated? There is no better time to make your house the home of your dreams than right now!

You might think that the only way to fix this is to pour massive amounts of money into it, but there are simple updates you can do around the home using just a little paint.

When we first moved in to our old farmhouse, it needed A LOT of work. More work than we had money to do all at once. So we decided to spend the first summer we were there doing some inexpensive painting updates while we saved money for the big renovations.

You’ll be amazed at how easy it can be to get a new look with just a brush and some paint!

11 Ways to Update Your Home Using Only Paint

1. Walls – This one seems obvious, but sometimes the simplest things have the biggest impact. Changing the wall color can change the entire look and feel of the room. Try a pretty neutral gray, beige, greige, or white/cream color. They’re very trendy right now, and will brighten the room instantly.

2. Baseboards and trim – Overtime, trim and baseboards can start to look worn, scratched, and banged up. A fresh coat of paint can help! Take the time every few years to clean and paint the trim and baseboards so that the home looks fresh and well taken care of.

3. Doors – Interior doors, like baseboards and trim, get worn out and scratched up over time. That’s doubly so if you have any children. My kids once decided to label every door in our house with pen. 🤯🤦‍♀️ Keep your interior doors simple with white paint. Exterior doors need the same care, but you can play with fun, bright colors. We have a white house and red door. Be sure whichever color you choose complements your house color.

4. Mailbox – Whether it’s attached to the house like ours, or out at the street, add a pop of color and personality to your home by painting the mailbox. Consider painting it to match the door to provide some consistency.

5. Shutters – My hubby made some really simple and pretty homemade shutters a few years ago. We painted them a deep blue. Partly because I’m still in love with The Notebook all these years later, and partly because we live in a very small town in a very old farmhouse and the Americana look really works for us. Again, make sure your shutters complement your home’s exterior and doesn’t clash with the door col

6. Furniture – You can give any piece of wood furniture a new look with a fresh coat of paint. Flip an old coffee table, hutch, vanity, mirror, end table, dresser, you name it! Start with a quick sanding and a coat of primer, and finish with the color of your choice. This is also a great way to get cheap furniture from a garage sale or Facebook Marketplace and make it look nice and new.

7. Fireplace – Is your fireplace looking outdated? You can pant right over it. Whether it be brick or wood, a simple coat of primer and color can make a huge difference. You can even use heat resistant paint on fireplace doors and hardware for a clean and modern look.

8. Cabinets – This is one of the first projects we did when we moved in. Our cabinets were teal! New cabinets can cost thousands of dollars. So we decided why not paint them instead?! We chose brown (though I wish we had chosen white). Choose from numerous colors and give your cabinets new life in just a weekend. It is much cheaper than replacing them.

9. Old light fixtures – Instead of replacing perfectly working old light fixtures that may just look a little out of date, consider getting a paint that you can use to modernize them. You can get paint in rubbed bronze or hammered copper if you’d like to keep the metal look. Of course, if your light fixture is so old that it’s no longer safe, replace it ASAP.

10. Brick – Brick walls or other accents can be modernized with a fresh coat of paint. Choose a color you love because once you paint, you can’t go back to the original color! If you watch Fixer Upper, then you know that you can even paint the entire exterior of a brick house instead of replace it!

11. Porch or deck – Sprucing up a deck or porch can give your house instant curb appeal. Everyone loves a beautiful outdoor getaway, so put a fresh coat of paint or stain on your outdoor space for an easy way to make the whole home look better.

Are you ready to start painting? I hope these simple ideas inspire you to spruce up your house!