Mum Saves £300 Creating Stunning Rainbow Mural With Leftover Paint & String

14 December 2021 at 4:00 pm

Claire, 42, created a unique half rainbow wall mural for free
She used leftover paint and a pencil trick for the design
Professional mural designs and painting costs can come to over £300

Finding a design for your child’s bedroom can be difficult enough as it is, but when you begin calculating the costs for supplies the whole experience becomes thoroughly stressful. However, one savvy mum of 2 has demonstrated that it’s possible to create stunning themed bedrooms without spending a lot of money - with the end result looking like a professional job.

Claire Vernon, 42 from Teddington, Greater London who has two children aged 3 and 7 and posts on Instagram as @housekidscats, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘My little girl’s room had plain walls and I wanted to create something colourful and cheerful for her that wouldn’t cost too much. My little girl had enjoyed painting rainbow pictures to put up in our window to show support for the NHS during the pandemic, so we thought it would be a nice idea to do a mural in her bedroom. She’s always loved rainbow colours so it seemed like the perfect plan.

‘Although I use a lot of colour in the house, I tend to prefer more muted tones, rather than bright primary colours. So I knew this bedroom design would have to be in a similar palette. Then I had the idea of using leftover paint, to save money and tie in with the other rooms in the house.

‘I had pink, gold, green, black, white and blue paint from other decorating projects so I was able to create the mural without spending any money. I had used the dark blue on painting one of my bedroom walls, the pink was used to paint my bathtub, the muted green shade went in my hallway, the black was used for my fireplace and the white went on some cabinets. The gold paint was originally bought for my toilet cistern!

‘In terms of the actual design, in the end we decided to go for a half rainbow. I tied a pencil to the end of a piece of string and used that to mark out the arches. We then got the leftover paints out and I let my little girl do the painting, which she loved! For the black spots on the second arch she used her fingers.

‘The gold paint was a bit tricky to work with, as it was metal paint and not designed for walls, but I persevered and got the result I wanted. Even though I ended up having to go over it to get an even finish, it was worth it as the gold really makes the mural stand out.

‘My daughter absolutely loved the end result and it’s definitely the best room in the house. I’m jealous of how good her bedroom looks compared to mine! If you wanted to create your own, you could just buy tester pots, which would also be a cheap way to create a mural.’

Tom Church, Co-Founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Claire has proven that you don’t have to get a professional in to create a stunning wall mural. What’s more, she has likely saved hundreds of pounds. According to CheckATrade, the average cost for a design fee and materials is £150, while a mural painter costs around £190 per day.

‘There are many ways to create an arch on your wall using the pencil and string trick Claire mentioned. Here’s one of them:

‘1. Cut a length of string and attach a set of keys to the end.

‘2. Tape the string to the wall and mark the line with a piece of chalk.

‘3. Repeat this process further along the wall, where you want the other side of the arch to be.

‘4. Measure the distance between the two lines and mark the space in the middle.

‘5. Attach a pencil to the end of a length of string.

‘6. Pin the string to the middle point. Ensure the pencil on the other end reaches both edges of the arch.