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Money-Saving DIYer Quoted £400 For New Kitchen Does It Herself For Just £40

  • Jade Shand, 32, was quoted £400 for a new kitchen
  • She decided to transform it herself, spending just £40
  • Jade used budget materials and paint from Wilko and B&Q
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Kitchen renovations are notoriously expensive, but one savvy DIYer has managed to transform her kitchen from drab to fab on a budget.

Jade Shand, 32, a customer service supervisor from Edinburgh, longed for a new kitchen, but when she was quoted £400 by a decorator, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Stocking up on paint and supplies from Wilko and B&Q, Jade transformed her kitchen from a dull room into an on-trend sage green space, saving £360 in the process.

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Jade told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "When designing my kitchen I didn’t have the money to completely re-do it.

“On Facebook, I saw that a few people had renovated their kitchens using paints and I couldn’t believe how amazing and fresh they looked.

"I have been renovating my living room with off white walls and bringing colour into the room, so once this was nearly done, the cream kitchen didn’t flow with the rest of the décor.

"I knew I wanted to keep the off white colour from the living room going into the kitchen.

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“The flooring that was there was only installed a couple of months ago so I knew I wanted to keep the grey theme, but to try and add a bit of colour and warmth to the kitchen.

"I had a decorator come up and give me a quote at £400 for the kitchen and cupboards to be painted.

"This was way too much so after doing some research, I decided to try it myself.

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"Being quoted £400 and being told it would take a couple of days because the cupboards needed to be sanded actually pushed me to do it myself.

"I used Wilko Quick Dry Furniture Paint in English Sage, which cost £10 for 750ml.

"I used one and a half of these for my cupboards, so spent £20.

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"I bought a small brush for £1.60 from Wilko, a small roller set for £1.50, and a four-inch Functional Mini Roller and Tray from Wilko.

“I also bought two tins of paint from B&Q for the walls and ceiling.

"When painting the cupboards, first I used the thin brush to do the dents in the cupboard design and made sure there were no drip marks.

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"I then used the small roller to cover the cupboards to keep an even look, because brush strokes would have looked too uneven.

"The paint does have a strong odour so the windows definitely need to be opened.

"It took and hour or two to dry so I then did a second coating.

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"The paint does dry quite sticky at first and takes three days to fully harden, so you need to be careful, but I've had no chips so I’m keeping my fingers crossed it stays that way.

“I am still debating whether to spray the cupboard handles black and I will be changing the rose gold appliances to silver ones.

"It was a complete spur of the moment in choosing the colour.

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“My brother and I were out shopping and we passed a Wilko, so I thought I'd go in and see what paint they had.

"Thankfully my brother was there as he helped me decide on whether to go for Navy Blue or the English Sage.

"I didn’t prime or sand down the cabinets, I just went for it to see what happened – probably not the best idea but it worked for me!

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“The whole kitchen cost me around £40 altogether."

Jade is over the moon with the finished result, and says if she can do it, anyone can.

"I feel so proud of myself for doing this, as I am so bad at DIY and never have the courage to try something so drastic,” she adds.

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"There is no way I could afford to get it done professionally and now I feel so proud of myself for doing it.

"I am so glad I didn't put myself in debt trying to decorate my kitchen.

"After the first cupboard was done I was like ‘Yes Jade, you can do this!’

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"It makes it feel more like my home knowing I was the one who painted it.

"Knowing how much money I have saved is just unbelievable.

"When I walk into my kitchen now it makes me smile knowing it was me who painted it.

“There will be parts I could have probably done better, but to me I think it looks great.

"I have a real sense of achievement.

"I honestly cannot believe how positive a response I have received from posting it online, and it’s the reactions and helpful suggestions from other people that gave me the confidence to do it.

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“The sense of achievement you feel after it's done is the best feeling ever. It's 100% worth doing yourself!”

Tom Church, founder of the money-saving Black Friday app, commented: “Kitchen renovations can cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds to pull off, which is why many of us think they’re unaffordable.

“However, Jade has proved that with affordable materials, patience and creativity, you can overhaul your home yourself on a budget.

“Who would have thought that a lick of paint would make such a drastic difference?

“She’s saved a lot of money and got a brand new kitchen - hats off to her!”

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