Kitchens are often one of the most expensive parts of a home to renovate.
But one money-saving mum has revealed how she managed to save thousands by sprucing up her kitchen herself.
Instead of paying for a whole new kitchen, 32-year-old Laura Hammerton transformed her space on a strict budget of less than £200.
Buying budget supplies from Wilko, Amazon and eBay the DIYer has created a modern navy kitchen that's unrecognisable from its former self.
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"I’d recently joined some DIY groups on Facebook. I saw lots of amazing transformations including kitchens, so I decided to go for it," Laura told money-saving community LatestDeals.
"I purchased materials from my local Wilko, including foam rollers, masking tape, sugar soap and sanding paper.
"The paint I used was Frenchic in the colour Hornblower. It is amazing to work with and a little goes a long way, a 750ml tin completed my kitchen."
The savvy mum-of-one then explained how she went about transforming her kitchen: "The process started by using the sugar soap to clean all the cupboards and surfaces and allowing them to dry.
“All cupboards and drawers were then removed and lightly sanded down.
"I painted each drawer and cupboard using the Frenchic brush with two coats and a further one or two coats with the foam roller for a smoother finish.
"I then came up with the idea to use my clothes airer to lay the cupboard doors on to dry."
Laura then bought some additional materials to modernise her existing kitchen.
"I purchased rose gold handles from Amazon for each cupboard door and drawer," she said.
"I painted all my tiles around the kitchen using a roller and white tile paint from Wilko. The walls I painted in grey whisper Johnstone paint also from Amazon.
"Our floor lino was replaced with a grey laminate wood effect lino purchased from eBay. The work surfaces were revamped using DC Fix also from Wilko.
The healthcare assistant then added the finishing touches to her project, which cost her less than £200.
"Once the painting was done, I purchased the little added extras such as a shelf, artificial plants and photos for the finishing touches," Laura said.
"All this work was done on a budget. The lino cost £100 with fitting, the Frenchic paint and brush cost £30, the Johnstone paint cost £16, the tile paint cost £10, the rose gold handles cost £23 and the DC Fix cost £18.
“It cost £197 in total and it took me about two weeks to complete."
Laura is thrilled with the outcome of her kitchen, and has been flooded with praise since posting it on social media.
"I posted before and after pictures on social media and the feedback was amazing,” Laura adds.
"I couldn’t believe the comments and likes I was receiving.
"My advice to anyone debating a transformation is to do it. As long as you take your time and don’t rush you will be happy with your result and the money you will save.
"It would have cost up to £2,000 if I’d have bought a whole new kitchen instead of painting it myself."
