8 Mini Makeovers To Maximise Your Tax Refund

If there’s one upside to the chore of lodging a tax return, it’s that nice little windfall that hopefully lands in your account as a refund.  

Most people wouldn’t think to reinvest their tax refund into something that can make them money. Yes, I’m hinting at small and achievable updates to your home, guaranteed to up your property value. Depending on how much you get back, a little can go a long way! 

$500 Tax Refund

Even if the tax man isn’t particularly generous this year, $500 can transform any room in your home with a new paint job. Include a bold-coloured feature wall for extra personality.

Living Room Makeover 

Paint is so versatile you can effectively camouflage any surface, from open-face brick to these ‘70s wood panels that lined the walls of this old-style living room. You just need good surface preparation, one coat of undercoat, followed by two coats of your favourite wall colour.

Feature Wall Wow Factor 

For this living room below, I deliberately choose a striking, bold colour as a feature wall. The chocolate tones of Taubmans Star Anise mesh perfectly with the furniture in this room.

Cherie-Barber_Renovating-For-Profit_Mini-Makeovers_Birchgrove-Living-After

Bathroom Beauty

Sometimes it’s just dated tiles and an ugly vanity that let a bathroom down. Rather than ripping out the tiles and laying new ones at great expense, simply paint over them with White Knight primer and tile paint, as I’ve done here. For the walls, I chose Taubmans Pink Dust to complement the original bath.

$1,000 refund

Lucky you! With more money in your kitty, you can afford to be more ambitious with your painting projects.

Kitchen Mini Makeover

This was a very large kitchen, so a full kitchen replacement would have cost a bomb. Instead, I used White Knight laminate paint, tinted to Taubmans Salinger, to transform the original timber cupboards. I painted over the tiles with White Knight tile paint, refreshed the benchtops with White Knight laminate paint and then finished with Taubmans Bench Top protective coating, which provides bullet-proof protection.

 

Tween Dream

Kids are fun, so their bedrooms should be, too! Don’t be afraid of punchy colours, like this beautiful teal, punctuated by bright yellow and pink. White Knight’s craft and decorative paint range provides plenty of creative options for you to experiment with. Here, I used White Knight’s spray paint, Squirts, to jazz up the swirly metal bedhead, desktop and lounging chair. I didn’t need to undercoat as it’s a 2-in-1 product. Time saver! Then I finished with Chalkboard paint on the desk wall.

 

$2,000 Refund

Hey Big Spender! On this kind of budget, you can combine paint (which I call “liquid gold” for renovators) with some other key updates to really change the look of an entire room.

Kitchen splendour

This old kitchen really was past its prime, but on a strict $2,000 budget, I had to be strategic with this makeover. I used laminate paint, tinted to Taubmans Sussex, to transform the cupboards. Taubmans Crisp White was used for the benchtop and tiles. I reshuffled the furniture, added new blinds and a pantry, decluttered – and hey presto, a kitchen that looks cute and modern!

 

Bedroom Romance 

The owners of this bleak bedroom were keen for a “Boho Scandi” makeover to up the romance factor. The restful tones of Taubmans Sprig of Ivy for the panelled feature wall behind the bedhead, together with Taubmans Cotton Sheets for the remaining walls, injected instant calm. Then it was just a matter of adding texture and boho style, through elements like the blonde timber furnishings, jute rug, pendant lights and dreamy, sheer curtains.

 

Blockbuster Balcony

Lashings of beautiful timber decking boards tipped this makeover just beyond $2,000, but you can certainly take key elements and create your own twist on the theme for less. Paving paint would instantly lift that bare concrete slab, and can be tinted to virtually any colour. Vertical gardens are a clever way to dress up a wall and maximise space in a small courtyard. Paint pots in bright colours with White Knights Squirts for fast and easy application.

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