This is a backdated DIY project I did sometime back before several home improvements were done.

There are quite a few things in my place which look kinda worn down and needed some sprucing up, or I could go an easier way; replacement. But the former is more fun.

One of the affected items were my showers.

I really didn't like the cheesy looking white as everything looked so 'plasticky'. And the casing has started turning yellowish due to aging and constant exposure to the bathroom moisture rich environment. So I took it off to work on it.

First thing to do was to scrub and clean the casing as best as you can. Remove every bit of grime and stain which you can see if possible.  I used some Dynamo for this purpose. This would ensure the paint will adhere to the surface properly. Also remove any decals which may impair the finish.

Next, mask off the places you do not wish to paint with some celophane tape and cut off the excess with a boxcutter. You can easily peel it off at the end of the DIY, leaving a neat clean unpainted region.

Once all the prep is done, get a can of spraypaint for primer. I use the el-cheapo Anchor spraypaint (White : Product Code: 47802) for this purpose. A light thin coat would be sufficient. Let it dry before moving on to the next stage.

Once that is done, get a can of decorative chrome spraypaint (Product Code: 467018) and start working on the finish of the casing. I sprayed a total of 5 thin coats. Leaving each coat to dry for about half an hour. This will give the casing a nice shiny metallic finish. Make sure that you leave the casing to dry over night before you touch the surface.

Once everything is done, you can peel off the celophane tape and everything is ready to be placed back. Total amount spent for the chroming DIY? About 12 bucks for the 2 cans of paint.

Another simple DIY which you can do is to recycle bottles. I started using glass bottles to store water after hearing all the hoo-haas about the dangers of re-using plastic bottles.

How to do this? Get a few large bottles (champagne or sparkling juice bottles would do just fine). Soak the bottles overnight to remove the labels. Then go to your friendly neighbourhood hypermarket and get a few nice looking wine stoppers. Pop these onto the bottles and you get a pair of nice looking water containers.

Simple no?