DIYer Transforms Plain Kitchen Into Green Sanctuary For £30

• Heidi, 30, wanted to freshen up her discoloured kitchen cupboards
• She only paid £30 for the project, using mostly supplies she already had at home
• Bargain buys came from B&M, with items priced as low as £7

It can be easy to leave a kitchen to become dated or worn over time, especially when professional improvements are often expensive - which is why one woman decided to give her space a makeover on the cheap.

Heidi Vanacore, 30, a primary school teacher from Middlesbrough, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘Some of my kitchen cupboards were discoloured- I’m assuming from sunlight over time - so I wanted to change them, so they were all the same colour. I had previously used Frenchic paint to up-cycle an old kitchen table and that worked well.

‘I had also seen a lot of people changing their cabinets with either vinyl or paint. The idea of painting seemed much easier to complete myself. I think I would’ve needed someone to come and help me to lay vinyl on properly without getting any bubbles or creases.

It was easy for Heidi to come up with her design inspiration. ‘I have always loved the colour green. My mum’s kitchen walls are currently a dark green and I love it. I liked the idea of having green cabinets as that colour is rarely seen. I was fed up with seeing lots of grey and neutral rooms! I like lots of unique designs too and don’t like following what lots of other people have. I do tend to choose having white walls and accessorizing with colour as I find it easier when redecorating.

‘Before moving into my first home, I upcycled a kitchen table using white Frenchic paint and covered the seats with a green leaf design material. This inspired me to choose the colour green too. I love all the botanical designs at the moment. As my kitchen is small, I thought keeping it minimalistic was the best idea. While I do prefer more unique designs, this one suited the style of cabinets that were already installed.

Gathering supplies was the next step, and Heidi managed to do this on the cheap as she already had most of what she needed. ‘I had previously used Dulux Silk Emulsion in my bedroom when I did some paneling. I had lots left over so used this for my kitchen walls. At the time, I purchased the paint for £20 from B&M.

‘I got the Frenchic paint from a nearby supplier called ‘Junk4Joy’. In the end I purchased a 750ml and a 250ml tin of the paint, which cost me £29.90 in total. I used some sugar soap which I had previously purchased from B&M when I upcycled my table, and I borrowed my dad’s electric sander to help sand the large areas. I used sandpaper from B&M as well for the smaller areas. I already had a Frenchic brush and purchased some foam rollers from B&M too for £7 a set.

The overall process was relatively simple. ‘First I painted my kitchen walls pure white as they were previously off white and they needed a refresh. The following week I painted my cabinets. I did this by removing a few cabinet doors from their hinges and taking off the handles.

‘I cleaned the doors using sugar soap and then sanded them down until they had more of a matte look - as they were previously high shine gloss. I then applied 4 layers of paint to everything. Between each coat, I waited 2 hours before applying the next one.

The project wasn’t all plain sailing. ‘One challenge I faced was having the space to lay out all of the doors. As it started to rain, I couldn’t leave any of them outside to dry. This meant it took longer than expected. I could only remove up to 3 doors at a time. Luckily, the drawers could be painted whilst still attached to their fittings.

‘Another challenge was getting the integrated fridge and freezer doors back on in the correct position! Luckily my mum and dad came to help me with this bit!

‘Overall, I don’t think there would have been anything that I could have done differently. I didn’t get a professional quote beforehand. As I love creating things myself, I loved the idea of changing the colour of my kitchen. I have done lots of budget DIY projects such as painting my door, paneling and upcycling furniture.

Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Heidi’s kitchen transformation will no doubt be an inspiration for those who want to freshen up their cabinets, doors and drawers on the cheap. It’s great how a few coats of paint can completely change a room!’

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