When it comes to decorating, the possibilities for creating your own designs and décor are really endless. But DIY isn’t always necessarily the best choice. Some items are much more difficult and expensive to make yourself than others. Here’s a little guide to help you decide what types of items might make good DIY projects and which ones might be better to just buy.

Furniture

When it comes to furniture, you don’t have to be a master carpenter to find some doable DIY projects. Painting and refinishing tables, chair and couch legs, and bookcases can be tackled easily. Even reupholstering couches and chairs can prove to be easier and cheaper than buying new. However, if you’re looking for a whole new style of couch, chair, or tables, buying new is likely the way to go. Save the DIYing for smaller details.

Lighting

There are so many different ways to spruce up your light fixtures on your own. Making and decorating lampshades or light covers can prove to be much easier than actually creating large light covers or chandeliers using glass or other metals.

Flooring

Flooring is one area where it is often more valuable to buy new or hire a professional than it would be to try and do anything yourself. A few DIY flooring projects that might be worth your time include painting cement floors and creating small rugs using latch hook or crochet techniques. However, leave refinishing wood floors or statement rugs to the professionals.

Wall Art

On the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of different ways to create your own wall art. Of course, this depends on everyone’s individual artistic abilities, but there are plenty of easy ways for you to create simple pieces of wall art using geometric elements or even incorporating your own personal photos. Very large statement pieces, including professional paintings, photos or sculptures, are pretty much the only things you would be better of buying than DIYing.

DIY projects can be fun and fulfilling, in addition to saving you time and money. But there are some projects that just aren’t worth it. When choosing which projects you can handle yourself, just consider your own individual abilities and the difficulty of each project. Then you can find a nice balance between pieces you’ve made or decorated yourself and pieces that are professionally crafted by others.

Pictures: 1,2,3,4and 5.