Want to DIY Your Home? Do Not Touch ANYTHING Until You’ve Heard These Expert Tips

With so many home improvement shows on the air these days, it’s hard not to get the itch to DIY the heck outta your home. But before you take the plunge, make sure you watch these videos first!

HGTV’s The Cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri have expert tips on how YOU could shop the big home improvement stores just like a contractor so you can stay on time and on budget.

LEAVE WIGGLE ROOM IN YOUR BUDGET
“Add a 20% contingency fee to your overall budget for any possible overages,” says Anthony.

In addition, John says to factor in at least 15% extra materials for your project. “If you have a lot of cuts, if you’re doing grout with tile, you want to make sure you have enough materials for the waste so you don’t run out and it’s a fast job!”

ORDER MATERIALS ONLINE TO SAVE TIME
You want it to be a fast job because time is money! John recommends ordering your materials online so you can pick them up directly from the store. They’ll be ready and waiting when you need them instead of you having to waste time searching through the aisles.

“Don’t forget, when you do have to have something delivered to double-check those delivery times to make sure you’re keeping your project on track,” says Anthony.

TRY “OOPS” PAINT TO SAVE $
Yes, it’s called “oops” paint, but there’s nothing wrong with it! It’s just been mixed the wrong color or has been returned and is now being sold at a steep discount.

“You know [paint] is usually around $37 a gallon,” says Anthony. So getting lucky in the “oops” paint aisle is like finding gold. They found a can of paint for just $5! Can’t beat that!

And don’t worry if there’s only one gallon of the color you found -- just take it to the paint counter and they’ll color-match it for you so you can buy another gallon.

WATCH: Clever Design Ideas From HGTV’s ‘The Cousins’ Star Anthony Carrino

HOW TO DIY A PATTERNED BACKSPLASH FOR $10

Using that $5 can of “oops” paint, they were able to create this gorgeous kitchen backsplash for less than $10!

First they primed the tile and let that dry. Next they created a design on the backsplash using painter’s tape. Then they painted over the design using the “oops” paint (which is regular latex paint). Once the paint dried, they peeled off the tape to reveal a pretty (and inexpensive) backsplash!

Protect your masterpiece by adding a final coat of an oil-based polyurethane. Anthony says it’ll take a little longer to dry, but it’s durable so you can scrub it down and disinfect it to get it clean without ruining the paint.

WATCH: Inside HGTV’s ‘The Cousins’ Star John Colaneri’s Eclectic Home

HOW TO DIY A RECLAIMED WOOD HEADBOARD

Want a new headboard but don’t feel like dropping hundreds of bucks on a new one?

DON’T BLAME YA!

Here’s a gorgeous headboard that YOU can make yourself on the cheap.

Get yourself some reclaimed wood (or if you can’t get it buy some 1x6-inch wood and either stain or paint it. Get a piece of plywood the exact size you want your new headboard to be (since it’s going to be the base that you’re working off), and then paint it black. Why?

“Wood expands and contracts,” says John. “It depends on your home -- if you have a lot of humidity, it’s going to move.”

If you don’t paint it, you’ll see the plywood underneath. So once you’ve got it painted, lay the wood planks on it in a herringbone pattern until you get it just right -- then nail away!

Note: this isn’t going to be attached to your bedframe -- it’s going to hang on the wall behind it like a picture frame.

“It’s a piece of art!” says John.

Now DIY away!

READ: Creative Ideas for Entertaining in a Small Space (Think DIY Doughnut Wall)