Thrifty DIYer Created Stunning Stair Runner For Just £170, Saving £500
- Jo Saddik was determined not to let rising prices put her off her ideal runner
- She decided to install the jute stair runner of her dreams herself using supplies from Dunelm and B&Q
- The transformation cost her £170, and she estimates she saved a whopping £500 by doing the labour herself
If you’ve ever looked into getting a runner for your stairs, you’ll have realised how expensive they are to supply and install.
But Jo Saddik, a self-employed nail technician from Glasgow, was determined not to let rising prices put her off.
Instead, she decided to install the jute stair runner of her dreams herself using supplies from Dunelm and B&Q.
The transformation cost her £170, and she estimates she saved a whopping £500 by doing the labour herself.
Jo, who shares her transformations on Instagram at @athomewithjojo31, told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK: “The idea for my stair transformation was generally from Instagram inspiration.
“There are various accounts that I follow that are done in a bit of a boho style and used the jute rugs.
"I went for the runner although initially, I wanted to do a hard floor type thing because I own four furry pets and thought it will be easier to keep it clean. That’s why I got rid of the original carpet flooring in the first place.
"When I first moved into my new build, I only had two cats, as time went by I ended up with three plus a dog.
"I looked around for a jute-type runner for a good while, but they mostly were very expensive and calculated by the steps, so I would probably end up paying £300 or more instead.
"So I waited and last week I went onto Dunelm’s website to see they had those beautiful herringbone jute runners with the border for £99 for six metres long!
"I was a bit sceptical to start with as I thought it's too good to be true, however it turned out to be amazing.
“After ripping out the carpets, the stairs needed filling after nails and staples so I used a wood filler from B&Q.
“Then all of it needed sanding down so I brought a Black and Decker mouse sander for £22 that had six sanding papers included.
"After that, I washed everything with soapy water and began painting.
"That's where I made a mistake, as the staircase was pretty much untreated MDF.
"I should have used primer, but instead I went straight with the paint, which was Leyland satin quick dry for £14.
“Because of that, I needed three coats of paint to make sure everything was covered.
"I calculated how much of a gap I need on each side and I marked one on each step so I would make sure I kept my runner in a straight line.
"I decided to put laminate underlay first to cushion the runner a bit and keep it in place.
"I already had it from laying the floor down and used about 4 sheets.
“I measured the width of the runner and the step and cut the underlay about 1.5 inches smaller on each side so it would not be visible.
“Then I centred it and stapled it to the steps.
“I bought the stapling gun at Argos for £22 and more staples at B&Q for about £18.
"Then the next day I started with the runner.
"I cut off the border as it wasn't needed, and I stapled as close to the border as possible to conceal the staples.
“Then at the edge of the next step, I made sure I pulled it up towards the next step so there wasn’t any loose material, and then just under the nosing of the next step, I repeated 12 times.
"When I reached the top I only cut the excess when I was more or less finished.
“I cut it off, and stapled the edge as close as possible to the hard floor so the nosing would cover it.
“It was gold nosing from B&Q for £8. I bought two, one for the top, and one at the bottom, but the bottom one I had to flip, so I screwed it in from the inside part.
"You could add the rods but for me, it would have been too busy looking.
"I like more airy spaces, and also I'd need to match it to the gold of the nosing that I already had and they're really pricey so it was a no for me, but have seen others doing it and it looks great.
“It all came out dirt cheap, with plenty of hard work and even more patience.
"I love how it looks, especially because I did it myself, even though it's not perfect I'm so proud of myself that I went for it and completed it!
“I had and still have a few more projects to do so the sander and stapler are great to have in my toolbox.
“Including the new tools which I obviously will use again, the whole project cost me about £170.
“It took me two days all in.
"My advice would be to look up the ideas, then do the research for how it's done, so you can avoid expensive mistakes.
"And definitely wait for the stuff you really want - there's always some bargain waiting.
"And also don't be scared, we all learn from the mistakes we do, but they're fixable! Just use your imagination.
"I would say doing it myself probably saved me about £500 including labour and the more expensive runner price, maybe even more considering the rates they're charging now, which is amazing.
“Nowadays money is so tight and with rising prices not many people can afford tradesmen, so it's extremely important that we can do stuff ourselves!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Stair runners can cost several hundreds or even thousands of pounds to supply and install, so good on Jo for taking the time, effort and energy to supply and fit her own.
“Taking on DIY projects like these saves so much money, and leaves you with a huge sense of achievement too!”
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