DIY Mum Transformed Kitchen From Drab To Fab For Just £350, Saving £8,000
- Stephanie McCormick, 33, was quoted £8,000 for a brand new kitchen
- She decided to transform her dated kitchen herself on a budget of £350
- Stephanie used Frenchic paint, Amazon handles and accessories from Dunelm, The Range and IKEA
Kitchen transformations are notoriously expensive, typically costing thousands of pounds.
But one mum was determined to get the kitchen of her dreams without spending a fortune.
Stephanie McCormick, 33, a mum of two and a complex needs assistant in an enhanced provision school from Scotland, decided to transform her dated kitchen herself on a budget.
Using Frenchic paint, Amazon handles and accessories from Dunelm, The Range and IKEA, she managed to pull off the stunning renovation for just £350 - a saving of £8,000 compared to the kitchen she had initially been looking at installing.
Stephanie told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK: "We made the leap onto the property ladder in October 2021 when we purchased a three-bedroom detached bungalow in the rural village of Clovenfords in the Scottish Borders.
"While the house was in a good state of repair, it needed bringing up to date and a bit of our own style splashed onto it!
"The kitchen in particular was your typical 15-year-old, light beech laminate look.
"But it was in great condition and the tiny pot of savings we had left over after purchasing the house certainly wouldn't stretch to the thousands we had been quoted for a re-fit.
"I had used Frenchic previously on wooden furniture that I'd bought on Marketplace and absolutely loved the finish, but I'll admit I was concerned about the longevity of the finish on laminate and in such a high-use area.
"We have two young kids, two large dogs and three kids so the units do take a battering.
"Nevertheless, the eyesore of the kitchen couldn't be made any worse so I had nothing to lose!
"We debated long and hard whether we should go for such a dark colour, but eventually decided that we would brighten it with light white walls, tiles and the blind.
"I love industrial chic so the dark grey shade Smudge from Frenchic teamed with copper T-bar handles from Amazon and accessories was a natural choice for me.
"I incorporated geometric shapes with the blind from English Blinds Online and the vinyl on the inside of the glass cupboard doors.
"The process started with removing all the cupboard doors. Be sure to number them so you can put them back in the right place!
"Everything was scrubbed with sugar soap and lightly sanded with 120 grit paper. I chose to paint the inside of the doors and the edges of the carcass for a more professional finish.
"The insides of the doors were given three coats, outsides of the doors and any more visible places were given four coats with two hours drying time between coats.
"I used a Frenchic oval brush. I didn't like the bobbly finish of a roller.
"As it's the Al Fresco range it doesn't need sealing and I love the matte finish. The tiles were scrubbed and lightly sanded and given three coats of Dazzle Me using a brush.
"The walls also had two coats of Dazzle Me. It makes for a beautiful contrast against Smudge and keeps the room lovely and bright.
"I purchased lots of trailing plants and trendy succulents from Dunelm, The Range and IKEA, and some geometric wall planters to accessorise.
"I also found some lovely bright copper utensils at Studio that look fab hung above the hob as a focal point.
"We decided not to change the floor tiles as the budget didn't allow for it. The grey grout ties in nicely though.
"We did change the sockets and downlighters for more modern black nickel ones which has given a lovely high end finish too from Screwfix.
"The kettle, toaster, mug tree and kitchen roll pole are from the Tower Cavalletto range. The are the perfect shade of grey with copper accents.
"The whole process took around two weeks, between working and parenting.
"The paint takes three weeks to cure so we tried to treat it gently in that time.
“Six months later and no chips or scratches! I can't believe it! It's perfectly scrubbable with warm soapy water too.
"We are absolutely delighted with the overall look and all on a budget of approximately £350.
"The slate grey kitchen that we originally liked was over £8,000 for the number of units we had, and that was the cheaper end of the scale.
"We are absolutely delighted to have made such a saving and also to have saved a perfectly good kitchen from landfill.
"The money we've saved means we have enough to redecorate the rest of the house now!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Stephanie’s transformation is incredible - I can’t believe it cost her just £350!
“It just shows that you really don’t need to fork out thousands of pounds to change the look of your home: budget materials, clever ideas and perseverance will do the job for a fraction of the price!"
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Well done Stephanie on transforming your kitchen. It looks fantastic and the accessories just finished it off. My kitchen badly needs updating and this gives me the push to get it sorted. Thanks for sharing 