Savvy Mum Creates Stunning Mountain Mural For Under £50 After Being Quoted £800

• Kayleigh Howard, 34, was quoted £800 for a mountain mural
• She used B&Q paints and Poundland paintbrushes to create the artwork herself
• The project took Kayleigh two days and saved her £750

Many of us have had a dream for our home, but have given up at the first hurdle when we’ve received an extortionate quote from a decorator.

Kayleigh Howard, a funeral arranger and mum of five boys from Hemel Hempstead, was quoted £800 to create a mountain mural in her son’s bedroom.

But Kayleigh didn’t let that stop her. Arming herself with B&Q paints and Poundland paintbrushes, she managed to pull off her dream mural for under £50.

Kayleigh, 34, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I wanted to challenge myself to something different. We have had all the cars, superheroes and football-themed bedrooms so I wanted something different that they would not grow out of very quickly.

"I had done frog taping before in another bedroom but in a different style, so I thought I would give it a go.

"I painted all the walls white because the whole bedroom was black when we moved in including the ceilings.

"I started from my white base. I used blue tape so I could see the lines and I just made the shapes freehand and went with it.

"I used B&Q's own range paint which was two pots for £30 and I had a spare grey pot at home which I used up.

"For anyone doing this, I would suggest they take the tape off whilst the paint is still slightly wet otherwise it rips the paint when fully dry and you should also make sure you use good quality tape.

"I used a tape called Gorilla Tape from B&Q for £4.99.

"I then accessorised the bedroom with wooden flooring, a light-up moon for the walls and a night light and camper-style bunk beds from Amazon.

“I saved money by mixing old paints together.

"I bought paint rollers from Poundland so I could just throw them away after using them.

"I also used old brushes and rollers I already had from previous decorating so I saved money there too.

“Doing it myself saved me lots of money.

"I already had the grey paint so for the darker and lighter grey paint I just added some white paint into it to make the lighter shade to save money.

"So all in all it only cost £33.58 but if you include the grey pot of paint it would have been £47.50.

"I was quoted £800 plus materials to do the mural by a professional.

"All the paint was from B&Q and I did the wooden flooring myself with the flooring I had left over from another bedroom, which was also really cheap.

"I did the wooden floor by measuring and cutting it to the room.

“It was left over from another bedroom I had done for my son so it saved me money by not having to repurchase new flooring.

“By cutting, measuring and glueing it all down by myself with help from my neighbour's power tools I was able to do it within a day.

“I was so proud of myself as I have never laid flooring before but I was willing to give it a go as it was just spare flooring.

“My thinking was if I messed it up it wouldn’t matter as it didn’t cost me anything

“I got a few different quotes for the mural but I just couldn’t afford the £800 upfront for materials and labour as I had just had a baby and was on maternity leave.

“When I thought about how I could do it I just went for it and thought 'if I ruin it I'll just paint over it’.

“That’s why I didn’t use wallpaper and just went with paint as it’s affordable and quick and easy to do.

“Everyone was so complimentary on it as it’s different and it really gives the room some character.

“It still feels like a big spacious room and it’s not overcrowded by all the different colours.

“Having a white wall as a starting point helped it to stand out because of the lines, so I recommend always starting on a white wall.

“It took me two days to complete start to finish.

"I have so many projects I have done at home all on a budget.

"I do it all myself and try to keep the cost down to a minimum as I have five boys who are always changing their minds.

“It felt great saving so much money, meaning I could use it for other things for the kids as I had just had a baby and was on maternity leave.”

Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “A standout bedroom is such a special thing for a child to have, but creating it can feel out of reach financially for many families.

“With five boys, Kayleigh must constantly be having to change up the themes of her home’s bedrooms - so she’s got redecorating on a shoestring down to a fine art.

“This beautiful mountain bedroom looks super professional - and, amazingly, she’s managed to do it for under £50 after being quoted £800 by a decorator.

“It just shows what you can do when you put your mind to it and think creatively!”