Money-Saving DIYer Creates Striking Kitchen For Just £150, Saving £1000s
- Charlotte Johnstone, 25, wanted to breathe life into her dated kitchen
- She used bargain materials such as tile stickers, DC Fix and tile paint from B&M and B&Q
- She pulled off the dramatic transformation for just £150
If your kitchen is in need of an overhaul but you don’t have thousands to redo it, take inspiration from this striking transformation.
Charlotte Johnstone, 25, a psychology student and complaint handler from Fife, Scotland, disliked the dated look of her new kitchen.
However, she didn’t want to blow her budget redoing it.
Instead, she decided to stick with a simple black and white theme to transform it affordably.
Using bargain materials such as tile stickers, DC Fix and tile paint, she pulled off the dramatic transformation for just £150.
Charlotte told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK: “I moved into my first flat last May and the white goods were left. The washing machine and fridge were white but the cooker was black.
"I didn’t have money to replace them so I wanted a kitchen they’d all match in and with what it was before it really didn’t go.
“The previous owner was an older lady so the flat was pretty dated decor-wise.
“That’s how I came up with the black and white theme to match the white goods and give it a more modern fresh look!
"I started off by painting the cupboards white with B&Q metal and wood paint in the colour Brilliant White which was roughly £18.
"This took about five coats as painting darker things white is always a long process.
"I then replaced the handles as the previous ones were mostly broken and got black ones from Amazon which were £22.99.
"I really wasn’t a fan of the brick wallpaper so I painted over it with Johnstone's white wall and ceiling paint from B&M which was £9.99.
"I painted over the wallpaper because the flat is old and has concrete walls so I was worried if I took off the wallpaper what larger job I might land myself with and with a tight budget I didn’t want to risk it!
"I then painted the tiles with Johnstone's tile paint in white which was also from B&M for £14.99.
"I used two black grout pens from ebay for around £7.49 to break up all the white in the tiles, walls and cupboards.
"I then moved onto the self-adhesive DC Fix paper which was from B&Q for £6.50. I needed two rolls.
"This was probably the hardest part as I have quite a large worktop area so I actually worked in smaller sections and just slightly overlapped as I went along rather than doing one big bit at a time.
"I found this worked a lot easier!
"I just cleaned the area and stuck it down just using my bank card to flatten out any air bubbles.
"I did also use white sealant around the tiles and the inside border of the worktop to prevent the DC Fix from lifting and I used clear sealant around the sink area.
"I would recommend sealant around the sink as it stops any water from getting underneath which can cause it to lift.
"I didn’t have to buy any sealant because it was something I already had but it’s roughly £2.
"I then used self-adhesive tile stickers from B&M for the flooring which were £10 a packet. I’m sure it was six I needed in total.
"Again, like my walls the floor is concrete so I just stuck these tiles on top of the flooring that was there. The previous flooring was also sticky tiles.
"I did just glue spray called Stick2 Contact Adhesive from Tool Station which was £4.39.
"I would highly recommend this as it gives extra grip to make sure the tiles stay in place and don’t budge.
"I had some left over wood and metal paint so I used that to also paint round my window frame as this was brown previously.
"Most of my accessories, such as a kettle and toaster, I already had and they were all in black so that was another reason I went for the white and black theme.
"I was toying for ages whether or not to paint the cupboards black as I was scared there would be too much white but I thought it might make the room a bit dark so I went with the white and I’m so glad I did.
"I feel with the handles, grout, worktop, floor and accessories it really breaks it all up. And now I’m so happy because I don’t feel like the white goods stick out like a sore thumb!
“The total cost was just over £150.
“I’d always say to anyone looking to decorate to check your cupboards especially if you’ve done DIY in another room previously.
"You’d be amazed at what you already have and can use again.
"I’d also say places like Home Bargains and B&M are definitely your friend.
"I could’ve got all my materials from there but I opted for B&Q for a few things literally because I already had them from a voucher I had which I got when I moved in.
"I think my biggest recommendation would be to look at what you already have and what you want to keep.
"In my case, it was my white goods and accessories such as kettle and toaster, and just think what colour scheme would go.
"It’s so easy to go out and buy things you don’t end up using which lightens the purse.
"Once you know what your colour scheme is it’s easier to not panic buy.
"I’d also say shop around. Take some time to look online or a couple of shops to get the best deal.
"It can be time consuming but worth it when you’re on a budget.
"For example, I couldn’t find black grout pens in any shops near me so I looked online.
"On Amazon they were around £10 whereas ebay was £7 so I was able to save just by checking another site.
"I haven’t added any accessories into my cost but I did buy my chairs and table separately from marketplaces such as Facebook and Gumtree.
"I got my table for £18 when it’s retailing at £35 in IKEA and my chairs were £10 for both which were previously oak but I painted them last year with the same white wood and metal paint on the cupboards.
"My blind was £12 from Argos and my shelf was £8 from B&M.
"The three pictures I have on the wall cost me £1.50 as I got three frames for 50p in IKEA.
"I actually just did the prints on my computer and my sister in law was able to print them laminated at her work.
“So with all that included it’s roughly £199.98!
"My mum sadly passed away with liver cancer in December so I’ve been using DIY as something to try and keep myself busy and maybe as a coping mechanism if you’d call it that.
'I’m by no means any expert with DIY so it was literally using DIY pages and YouTube to help me along the way but I’m really happy with it's turned out.
"I honestly have no idea how much it would have cost do redo professionally, but definitely in the thousands when you consider new worktops, cupboards, flooring and labour!
"I honestly believe that if I can do it, anyone can!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Many of us would believe it would be a truly impossible task to pull off a whole kitchen renovation for £150.
“However, Charlotte has shown that with clever prioritising, budgeting and materials, you can absolutely do it.
“She has used some of my favourite money-saving materials, such as tile stickers, DC Fix and tile paint, to give her kitchen a whole new look for less!"
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