Here we are with part two of our amazing 42 best decorating tips of all time, so if you loved yesterday's installment, prepare to be overwhelmed by even more incredible ideas! You really can't ever have too many hints and hacks in your repertoire as your home design will always need decorating, freshening up or changing.
Just ask any interior designer and they'll tell you that very few people get to decorate once and never have anything to re-do, so we want to make this necessary evil a little less of a chore and a whole lot easier.
Let's get clued up on even more genius tips!
Don't throw out any old paint! Add a little bit of methylated spirits, pop the lid on and keep! You never know when a shabby chic project will tempt you!
Use sandbags to weigh down materials on uneven surfaces as any glue dries. Perfect for flooring!
Mount spring-loaded rodent traps (new ones!) on the back of doors that everyone always leaves open.
Your new clothing rails will get so full that anything at the edges will get a little crumpled. Stop this by wrapping an elastic band around the rail, an inch in from the end. Ahhh, breathing space!
When adding shelves in your kitchen for smaller items, such as spice jars, have an incline on them which gently slides breakables towards the wall rather than off and onto the floor!
Attach a C-clamp to a ladder you are using while decorating, so you can slip your hammer into it and keep it within easy reach.
We're not calling you dirty, but to help wood screws glide in more easily, rub the tips with soap before you tighten them.
If you're changing up your front door, add a keyhole guide plate, so even in the dark you get the key in straight away and don't scratch your new door!
If you fancy getting creative with plywood, perhaps by making some new furniture, apply masking tape and cut through it. This will minimise splintered edges!
For all you craft fans out there, make paper decorations less of a chore by using a potato to stick edges together! Paper chains are a great project to test this out with, so don't kick to stick, rub a fresh potato half over the self-stick edge!
Prevent ladders from leaving dirty marks on clean walls as you decorate, by slipping oven gloved over the tops!
Cutting wallpaper can seem like an exact science, but getting a straight cut is simple. Start the cut a few inches in from the edge and your Stanley knife will simply glide through, then snip the last part with sharp scissors!
If you need to remove a nail from a wall but don't want to end up with a dent where your hammer claw makes contact, bend a flexible putty knife underneath the claw itself. Simple!
Snip up an old hose and use differently-sized portions as cute open bottomed flower displays for your walls. So cute!
If you have old drawers that you don't want to replace, add a little strip of coloured electrical tape to the inside that tells you when you have opened it far enough and are about to encounter disaster!
It's a simple but effective tip this one! Tidy as you go. You'll save yourself SO much time at the end of a project when you simply want to stand back and admire your handiwork.
If you have a tree in your garden, tie an old belt around it and secure with a few tacks, then hang handy camping equipment from it! What a way to make al fresco dining more fun!
Have root around in your shed or garage to find forgotten vintage items that you can repurpose. Old wicker baskets are great! Add some castor wheels and bingo, you have a fabulous storage chest!
If you fancy decorating with some new house plants, before you put them into pretty pots, drop some old bottle caps in. They make fantastic and free drainage materials.
When lever arch files get old and tatty, remove the metal inner binding plate, attach to your office wall and you'll have a ready-made tool station where you can clip scissors and other handy items! just open the rings to release what you need!
This tip is genius, so we saved it for last! We all know the pain of screw holes that have widened out an are no longer usable, but next time you encounter one, snip the tip off a tube of toothpaste, press it into the hole and et voila! Your screws will have grip again!
For more DIY inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: 23 easy home DIY projects you can try this weekend.