Mrs Hinch Fan Saves £100s Transforming Kitchen Using FREE Marketplace Bargain
- Eleanor, 28, wanted to upgrade her kitchen on a budget
- Instead of spending £100s on professionals, she wrapped it
- By purchasing D-C-Fix from B&Q she got the job done for £70
- She even created shelves with spare wood and added strip lights
![Image](https://images.latestdeals.co.uk/c-C0GvsVXY6.jpg)
Making our kitchens look inviting can be difficult, especially if it never feels like we have the time to think about it - or the money to get a professional in.
However, one savvy mum has managed to transform her space using B&Q bargains and a freebie from Facebook Marketplace.
Eleanor Bromley, a 28-year-old single mum from Farnham, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I follow lots of home Instagram accounts and I am inspired by women such as Mrs Hinch and Stacey Solomon. I am a member of various groups on Facebook related to home improvements so being surrounded by these influences led me to come up with the idea.
![Image](https://images.latestdeals.co.uk/c-0Qot0Gi6l.jpg)
‘My lounge has got lots of neutral, earthly tones and the kitchen is attached. I tried to keep the style flowing through to the kitchen. Before, I had cabinets and drawers with a pine wood effect and grey countertops.
‘I wanted to make it look a little different by giving the counters that wooden feel and turning the cabinets white to make the space look bigger. I had seen people using vinyl wrap in their kitchens and I realised I could save a lot of money by doing this myself.
‘I bought most of the supplies from B&Q and the total price was around £70. My first purchase was D-C-Fix Whitewood Gloss White Wood Effect Self-Adhesive Film. This was £6.50 per roll and I bought 7 rolls after measuring out how much I needed for the cabinets and drawers.
![Image](https://images.latestdeals.co.uk/c-dJXT7ii0O.jpg)
‘The wrap I chose for the counters was D-C-Fix Woodgrain Artisan Oak Self Adhesive Vinyl Wrap Film. This was slightly more expensive at £7 per roll but I only needed 3 rolls for this part of the project. I also picked up a D-C-Fix Self-Adhesive Film Decorator Knife Set for £3.50.
‘I knew that getting the wrapping job to look professional would take thorough cleaning, time and patience. To get started, I watched some helpful videos on YouTube to ensure I had a good overview of the process.
‘Then the cleaning stage began. I made sure every surface was scrubbed clean and then I dried it thoroughly. Some people use sugar soap for this stage but I just used plain soap and water.
![Image](https://images.latestdeals.co.uk/c-c7q6RSljk.jpg)
‘After that, I lined up the paper on the surface I was covering and cut away any excess. Then I very slowly peeled away a couple of inches at a time and smoothed it down with a special tool using the Decorator Knife Set.
‘My kitchen has very strange angles and it made it tricky to line up the D-C-Fix. Bubbles under the paper were another issue, and you must be extremely slow and patient. If you notice a bubble under the paper you have to peel it back and redo the section all over again!
‘On many YouTube videos, I saw that they had removed the cupboard doors so that they could cover it while sitting on the floor. Quite a few of the screws were threaded, so I wasn’t able to remove them. I decided to just work directly onto the cupboard fronts while they were still attached. I didn’t find it too bad, other than straining my arms and neck a little more than I would have.
![Image](https://images.latestdeals.co.uk/c-KV8GmhkqJ.jpg)
‘I wanted to make the space look more decorative as well, so I collected a free extractor fan from somebody on Facebook Marketplace and I had help with putting it onto the wall securely.
‘I also had some spare wood lying around so I sawed it down to make some shelves. I hated that the tiles finished directly below the cupboards as it really highlighted the gap between the cupboards. So I figured that adding the shelves would tie it together better.
‘I then wrapped the wood with some leftover vinyl to match the worktops. I used some brackets to attach them to the wall. After that, I already had some LED strip lights from Amazon and used them underneath the central shelves. I wish I’d bought one with a dimmer on it so I could choose how bright to have it.
![Image](https://images.latestdeals.co.uk/c-FULwLLWkz.jpg)
‘I am so pleased with the outcome. It was a lot of work - over 20 hours on my own, mostly after my 2-year-old went to sleep! - but it feels worth all my efforts after seeing the results.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Eleanor has done a great job transforming her kitchen on a budget. Getting new countertops and a professional paint or wrapping job would have cost £100s more than the £70 she spent, and I’m also impressed she was able to do it in such a short amount of time!’
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