A mum who managed to transform her entire home while on furlough has revealed her secrets - including her unusual living room makeover for just £20.
Clare Jordan, 44, from Liverpool, decided to take a risk and paint her front room wall black to give the space a new lease of life, after she was left out of work in March.
"I took up DIY while in lockdown," Clare, a housekeeping manager, told money-saving community LatestDeals.
"I did the entire house - and then one day I suddenly decided to paint a feature wall in the living room," she added.
"After following lots of home decor pages on Instagram, I decided to take the plunge.
"I always liked plain but bold decor and colours and I've always had wallpaper in the past, so at 6am one day, I stripped the old wallpaper and went in with the paint."
Claire said she knew she wanted one colour - and her default, it if all went wrong, was to turn the wall forest green.
"I used a water spray gun and a scraper to remove the old wallpaper, and masking tape was a must for achieving straight and perfect lines," she explained.
“I also used a sponge roller, a good cutting in brush and lots of dust sheets.
"The paint cost £11 and was a well-known brand, Johnstone’s Paint, in a matte base, as I didn't want a shiny or glossy look.
"There’s no need to spend a stupid amount on expensive paint as to me it all looks the same."
To create the look, she said all you need is a good masking tape, a cutting in brush and patience.
"The step-by-step way to achieve this matte wall effect is to firstly make sure that after stripping the old paper, the wall is sanded down and filler used to fill any holes in the wall.
"The masking tape around the ends of the wall has to be perfect (this did take a few attempts) to achieve the perfect lines.
"I painted the black matte paint around the ends of the wall first, then used a large roller.
"The roller has to be used in an up and down motion, otherwise you will see different stroke marks."
The entire wall took two coats and once it was dry, Claire quickly touched up any imperfections.
"The scary part is taking off the masking tape to have that perfect line and to make sure that no paint is bleeding on the white walls.
"The total transformation cost £20 for the paint and masking tape and roller set."
Clare was delighted with the dramatic new look of her room, and surprised herself with her DIY prowess during the lockdown.
"Projects like this helped me a great deal as I was furloughed for four months from my job,” Clare adds.
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"Being sat at home on my own, I was determined not to waste time sitting around and being bored.
"I've actually shocked myself with my DIY skills, to be honest.
"I tackled every room in my house and all on a very low budget using either paints or buying second-hand furniture and upcycling.
"All the supplies were ordered online from retailers such as eBay, or bought in-store from B&M.
"Now it's done I totally love it. I can't believe the difference a simple black wall makes and it now makes my room look much bigger."
