Thrifty DIY Mum Creates Stunning Bedroom Panelling For Under £6
- Joanne Mccabe, 45, wanted panelling in her home but couldn't afford to buy the wood needed
- She was given wood destined for the tip by her neighbour, and created stunning panelling for under £6
- Joanne used paint, a sander, wood filler, a hand saw and two tubes of No Nails glue
If you’ve always loved the look of panelling, but haven’t got hundreds to spend creating it in your home, we’ve got the perfect DIY inspo for you.
Joanne Mccabe, 45, a mum of three from Swansea, loved the on-trend panelling look, but couldn’t afford to buy the wood.
However, when she was gifted a load of wood by a neighbour that would have otherwise ended up in the tip, she knew she had to create the panelled look she loved in her own bedroom.
Joanne already had paint, a sander, wood filler and a hand saw sitting in her shed, so all she needed to buy were two tubes of No NailsGlue totalling £5.98.
Joanne told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I came up with the idea because as a single parent, money can be tight and I have always loved the look of panelling but never had the money to afford to buy the wood.
“Then last year a neighbour across the road gave me some wood he was going to take to the tip and asked if I wanted it.
“It sat in my garden for months then I thought 'why not give it a go? If it doesn't work I've wasted no money!’
“All I had was a sander, wood filler and a hand saw, and the paint was a mixture of paint from my shed, so literally all I had to buy were two tubes of No NailsGlue totalling £5.98.
"I didn't have a design in mind so I worked it around the socket on my wall so that I wasn't left with little cuts.
"The first thing I did was measure the middle of my wall and propped a length of wood against the wall.
“Then I got more wood and started to lean them up against the wall.
“This meant I could work out my design before making any cuts so once I worked out where I wanted the wood to go, I stuck the wood to the wall.
"I did the bottom first, then the sides, then the top so it looked like one giant square.
“Then I glued my long middle sections to the wall and from there that's where I worked out how big I wanted my squares.
“In the in-between sections I went for two smaller squares and one larger square just to be a bit different as in most panelling I have seen, all the squares are the same size.
"The only bit I didn't enjoy was sanding each bit of wood to make it smooth, because it was time-consuming, not like going to the shop and buying MDF all smooth!
"I attached all the wood to the wall using the No Nails glue, then used wood filler for the joints, then sanded them back.
"I then got some really dark navy paint out of my shed and mixed it with white emulsion to give me a lighter colour as I didn't want to have to spend money on buying paint.
“It only took two coats to cover the wood and the wall.
"I figured out what to do as just by looking at panelling you can get the gist of what you need to do.
“My attitude was 'if it doesn't work then I haven't wasted any money’, that's why I didn't mind giving such a big project a go.
“After doing the panelling, I tackled the flooring.
"I didn't have money for a carpet so I hand-sanded the floor and bought two tins of white chalk paint and a tub of wax - so my flooring cost £28!
"I'm really proud of myself for taking on such a big project and achieving the look I was going for.
"I love going into my bedroom now - it feels really cosy and classy and the best bit is it cost less than £6.
“Something like this would typically have cost hundreds, which is way out of my budget.
"I say if anyone is thinking of giving it a go, just go for it!
“If I can do it with no joinery skills, I'm sure there are others that can achieve the same results.
"I still have plenty of wood left over so I'm thinking of doing my sitting room next!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Joanne’s panelling looks like it cost hundreds - certainly not a mere £6!
“While not all of us have such generous neighbours, that’s not to say you can’t find free materials if you want to transform your home.
“Download FreeCycle and Olio to find locals giving away free things they don’t need, from musical instruments to furniture - and you should also regularly browse Facebook Marketplace too.
“From pallets to paint, there’s a world of freebies waiting to help you turn your home into a Pinterest-worthy space on a shoestring budget!"
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