Creative mum under lockdown totally revamps her stairs for just £10
- Claire Jackson, 40, transformed her stairs using leftover carpet and vinyl
- The project cost her just £10
- She bought extra supplies from Poundland and B&M
If a DIY project is all you need to stay busy and creative during lockdown, but you don’t have lots to spend, take inspiration from this creative mum.
Claire Jackson, 40, a mum of four from Kent who works in the care sector, decided to use the lockdown as an opportunity to overhaul her stairs - and the project cost her just £10 using bargain products from B&M and Poundland.
Claire told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “The idea originally came from my boyfriend Luke who said it would look good and stylish to paint the back bits of the stairs and carpet the treads.
"Once we moved into our new home via mutual exchange with the council, the lady who lived there before had left the lounge carpet so we decided to reuse that on the stairs.
“We had ordered some grey vinyl for the lounge that looks like wooden laminate, so now all I needed was some nice paint.
"Once the lounge flooring arrived, there was quite a bit of surplus left over and Luke said 'what about using that?' instead of painting it, which I thought was great.”
Claire found all she needed at bargain stores such as Poundland while shopping before the lockdown took hold.
"We went to Poundland and bought six tins of adhesive spray at £1 each and some carpet tacks for £2.99 from B&M and we were good to go,” she explains. “It ended up costing less than £10 using carpet and vinyl leftovers.
"The process took a maximum of two days. First I took up the old brown stripe carpet but left the underlay for comfort. I took off the gripper rods to the back of the stairs, then I pulled out any staples, filled the holes with all purpose filler and gave it a light sand.
“Next, I white glossed the sides of the stairs with gloss I already had.
"After this, I measured the bottom step for the carpet and cut it to size. I then laid it on top of the underlay banging on to the gripper and fixed with a couple of tacks, and a good spray of adhesive.
“A big staple gun probably would have worked better but due to the lockdown I just couldn't find one!
“After I'd secured the first carpet tread I then proceeded to do the next stair and the next and so on until all the stair treads were done in carpet.
"I then measured each step at the back, cut the vinyl to size just like I did with the carpet, and fixed it to the back of the stairs with adhesive spray.
"While I was doing this, Luke was up on the landing using the remainder of the carpet to fix on to the landing and the top step.”
“The materials I used were the carpet from the lounge, leftover vinyl, six tins of adhesive spray and carpet tacks, costing a total of around £10.”
Claire is delighted with how the project has turned out, and says doing projects like these is essential for her mental health during this unprecedented time.
"I absolutely love it now it's finished,” Claire adds. “My main tip would be to measure twice but cut once, especially if you have limited materials, and make sure you leave enough carpet to fold over the edge.
"These kind of projects during the lockdown are especially helpful to people because it keeps us busy, especially if we are used to a busy day.
“It keeps our minds going and at the same time gives us a beautiful home at the end of it all.
"DIY products are being classed as non-essential items, however I believe that for your mental wellbeing if doing these things keep you positive and stops depression, then these items should not be branded as non-essential, as these products are essential to our mental health!
“Redoing your stairs is a brilliant idea, really cheap for a tight budget and there are so many different designs available to suit every decor taste.
"As a couple, we have really good ideas and work really well together. I love a challenge, I like to move into a house that's a bit worse for wear and do it up.
"We have almost finished the entire house, and we’re now moving onto the garden with more good ideas on a budget."
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “There’s never been a better time to get stuck into a DIY project than now.
“We’re spending more time at home than ever, meaning those projects we’ve been putting off are staring us in the face!
“Order supplies online from the likes of ebay and Amazon, and get the kids involved to create fun family memories and transform your home at the same time."
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