Mum Dodges £1000 Wardrobe Cost With Incredible £20 Makeover
- Lynda, 55, wanted to brighten up her room on a budget and decided to paint her furniture
- She was advised against using black paint but her friend encouraged her to go for it
- By using own-brand paint she spent just £20 painting furniture instead of getting a new £1000 wardrobe
- Other hacks include using banana boxes for storage and a clever ink pad trick to brighten up her wall clock
We all live busy lives and it can be difficult to find the time to spruce up a room. However, one clever DIYer managed to transform her bedroom on a strict budget, dodging a £1000 price tag for a new wardrobe by painting it for just £20.
Lynda Chadwick, 55 from York who is a mum of 3, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I struggled with illness for three years until I was diagnosed with a parathyroid tumour. Once I had it removed I began to get better so I decided it was time to sort my house out.
‘With help from my best friend Fiona, who I have known for 51 years, we started on my bedroom. It was a mess, and I had very little money as I couldn’t work due to my illness. My parents bought me a new bed as I had a king-size, and it was taking up a lot of space. I got a double instead and began thinking about ideas for the room.
‘I am part of the Facebook group DIY Homes On A Budget and I kept an eye on makeovers others were doing that I liked. I also love watching home makeovers on the TV so that also inspired me.
‘The first step we took was to strip the walls and put up backing paper. Then we painted it white until I decided what colour I wanted. I really wanted black solid wood furniture, but when I looked online I realised how expensive it was. It was £1000 just for a large wardrobe!
‘I began to think about how to get the effect I wanted on a budget, and came up with the solution - painting my wooden furniture, as it was solid pine. I did get several people warning me not to do it. They said black wasn’t the right colour, and I would ruin the room.
‘However, my friend Fiona said: ‘Lynda, if you think they will look OK then do it. You’re never wrong when it comes to how things will look.’ So, we did it. I went to B&Q and bought their own-brand black matte durable paint. It’s amazing - I only used one tin for all of the furniture, and it only cost £20. I had a solid chest of drawers that I painted as well as the wardrobe, and I also bought some tall, thin wardrobes from Facebook Marketplace for £15 to paint.
‘I finished the furniture off with wax. I only used half a tin, which cost me £12. Once I was done with that part of the project, I began thinking about how to change my clock without buying a new one. I’ve had it on the wall for years, but I didn’t like the colour of the face. It was a dark cream with Roman numerals, and I wanted something different.
‘I took the face off and painted it white, then bought some wooden numbers for £14. After that I painted them black and stuck them on the clock. The outer border of the clock is metal, and I wanted to brighten it up. I came up with the idea to get some ink pads for just £1 each. I used black ink first as a base, then I went over it lightly with a silver ink pad - it looks great now.
I wanted some nice boxes for the top of the wardrobe, but new ones were just too expensive. Instead, I went to the supermarket and got three banana boxes! Banana boxes are so thick and solid. They’re amazing. I bought a throw that matches the one on my bed and covered the boxes with it. The effect is great and it was so cheap to do.
‘As I surveyed the room with the black furniture, boxes on top of the wardrobe and the brightened-up clock I decided to leave the walls white as it all looked lovely together. I decided the finishing touch would be a nice new chair. New ones that I liked the look of cost about £350, so I looked on Facebook Marketplace instead and found a similar one for just £20.
‘Now the room is complete and feels so much better. It cost me hardly anything - I just recycled what I had, and bought second-hand bargains on Facebook. I’m glad I stuck to my idea of black paint for the furniture as I have managed to pull it off.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Lynda has come up with some really clever hacks to improve the look and feel of her bedroom. I always walk past banana boxes in the supermarket but I think next time I’ll pick some up and see if I can upcycle them - I’m feeling inspired!’
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