We are all wanting to make improvements to our homes. But they can be so expensive! Of course we still want high quality when it comes to our homes. But are there less expensive options that will make it more possible for us to be able to actually afford these home improvements that we’ve been wanting to do for so long?

Well you’re in luck! There are definitely some fake out materials that you can use in your home. These are less expensive options, but they will still give you the quality you need to show the pride you take in your home.

Here are 4 less expensive material choices for your home improvement projects:

1. Real Wood Instead of Trex

For Your: Deck

Trex is a great, high quality, long lasting material for decks. It is water resistant, fade resistant, stain resistant, insect resistant, splinter resistant, etc. But it is also very expensive (almost double of plain wood). Instead of saving up for years to be able to afford a deck made out of trex, instead make your deck out of wood.

Yes, some of the downsides to wood are true: it can fade, splinter, rot, etc. But if you make sure to take care of it you should be safe from those potential downsides. Just purchase a high quality wood, and make sure to seal it every couple years, and you should be good to go.

2. Faux Wood Blinds Instead of Real Wood

For Your: Window Coverings

We all love the look and feel of wood blinds in our homes. Real wood blinds are beautiful. They come in a large variety of colors, they are sturdy, and they create a great warmth in your home. But, just like other premium material options, they can be expensive. That is where faux wood blinds come in. Faux wood blinds, sometimes also known as “alternative wood blinds,” are a great alternative to real wood blinds. Unlike many other “cheap” material substitutions for different areas of your home, faux wood blinds absolutely don’t look cheap. In fact, they are a very high quality looking substitution.

And not only are faux wood blinds less expensive than real wood blinds, but they also resist moisture much better than real wood blinds. So you not only get the money savings associated with purchasing the faux wood instead of real wood blinds, but the can also last longer.

3. Engineered Hardwood Flooring Instead of Solid Hardwood

For Your: Flooring

Hardwood flooring instantly makes a home look elegant and classy. But there are certain drawbacks to solid hardwood. For one, you guessed it, it’s expensive. On top of that, it is bad for our environment. There are unnecessarily large amounts of timber that are wasted in the production of solid wood flooring.

With the more premium brands of engineered hardwood flooring, you can still get the quality look and feel of solid hardwood flooring, but for less than you would expect to pay. And because of how some of these cross-engineered floors are created, there is a lot less waste associated in creating this flooring option. On top of that, this flooring is also stronger and lasts longer than traditional solid hardwood.

4. Corian Instead of Granite

For Your: Counters

Believe it or not, granite counters didn’t gain their popularity until around 10 years ago. Before that, Corian was the most commonly used material for countertops. Of course granite has gained popularity in homes, especially high quality custom homes. But Corian absolutely shouldn’t be counted out. It is still a great, very nice looking option for countertops… but it comes at a fraction of the cost of granite.

Corian is quite a bit less expensive than granite. But that is not the only upside to this material. It can be seamed invisibly, it comes in a large variety of colors, and you have much more shaping and styling options than you have with granite.

If you are used to granite counters do keep in mind that you must treat Corian a bit differently than granite. You can’t cut directly on Corian, can’t put hot pots and pans directly on it, etc. But if you are willing to make the few adjustments, this is a great (much less expensive) alternative you should look into.

Nicole is a writer for Lifewood floors. They are a company that offers engineered hardwood flooring with style, quality and sustainability.