A lick of paint is the one DIY job that is inexpensive and quick enough to transform a room over a bank holiday weekend. You don’t need to be an expert decorator to do a quick make over and if the worst comes to the worst and you hate it, you can just paint it back. Here are ten quick DIY paint jobs for a bank holiday weekend.

Paint the side of your bath

If you have a boxed in bath with a bath panel, it’s quick and easy to give it a coat of paint and refresh the whole room. If you have a freestanding bathtub, painting the side a bold colour can make a real statement like this gorgeous blue hue.

Make your kitchen island a feature

A big trend at the moment is to have a kitchen island in a contrasting shade to the rest of your kitchen. You can indulge your love of a bright colour without committing your whole kitchen to your favourite deep rhubarb or azure blue.

Create a statement staircase 

Many houses in the UK have wooden staircases. Pull up the carpet and give the stairs a lick of paint. You can even paint a runner up the middle if you don’t want to commit to painting the whole staircase. You can make a real statement by painting your stairs a beautiful bright colour like this pink staircase from Zoe at Oh Hi Home.

Define with a border

Wallpaper borders are making a comeback and so are painted borders. Paint around doors or window frames or make a feature of a fireplace or simply create a painted dado rail to add interest to a plain wall or go crazy with a scalloped design like this one from @2LG.

Jazz up an interior door

Painting just one side of a door can lift an otherwise boring room. Or how about just painting the edge of your door a gorgeous coral colour for a subtle take on the look? That must be the quickest DIY job for a weekend!

Paint the inside of cupboards

One trick I love is to paint the insides of display cabinets or cupboards a different colour to the doors. In a display cabinet a dark tone can really set off some of your favourite glasses and china. A bright colour inside a cupboard, can elevate your kitchen storage.  

Revamp your outdoor furniture

Give your outdoor furniture a lick of paint and create a whole new look to your outside space. I love a brightly coloured bistro set or a pretty blue and white seaside inspired look to transport me to sunnier climes. 

Upcycle an old cupboard

We all have old cupboards or chests around the house. Reimagine them with a new coat of paint and a new function. An old pine cupboard can become a kitchen larder, or an ugly melamine display cabinet can hold all your favourite toiletries in the bathroom.

Make your fireplace a focal point

Painting your fireplace a contrasting colour can really make a statement in any room, but it works particularly well in small rooms like bedrooms or studies where you can really have fun with colour. This bright yellow fireplace is a dramatic statement, but it works in a neutral room.

Paint your floorboards

If you have old floorboards which aren’t in good enough shape to stain, why not paint them? White- or pastel-coloured floorboards look pretty in bedrooms and can just be repainted when they get dirty. Black or dark grey floorboards look chic when varnished to give them a sophisticated look. You do need to sand your floorboards to prep them but after that it’s an easy job.

So, there you go! Ten fun ways to get out a paint brush this bank holiday. For bigger interior paint jobs, you need to use an interior designer to help with paint choices and a professional painter and decorator to get a polished finish.