Woman Quoted £1,000 For New Kitchen Floor Revamps It Herself For £100
- Charlie-Anne Bradburn, 23, rescued her kitchen floor tiles that were “ready for the bin” with a DIY paint job
- Saved a cool £900 with her budget-friendly solution, compared to splashing out on new tiles, and says that patience is key for getting a great result
- Is full of praise for her hardwearing floor upgrade, which remains chip-free despite her accidentally dropping pans on it
The kitchen is the heart of the home and it’s important to love your space.
Charlie-Anne Bradburn, 23, from Nuneaton, wasted no time switching up her inherited galley kitchen in order to give it some character.
“When we bought the house, the kitchen was outdated and falling apart. I can only imagine how old the floor tiles were, but I thought they were ready for the bin,” she told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk.
“My vision for the kitchen was to create a modern vintage style look, with a touch of quirkiness. I didn’t want an all-white kitchen that was too clinical looking, as I do like patterns. But I also didn’t want to add anything too dark to the floor either.”
Charlie-Anne, who's a military student nurse, had already upgraded the space with brand new cabinets, wall tiles and an over-the-sink drainer, but her budget was squeezed when it came to sorting out the flooring.
“I was quoted over £1,000 to replace the old tiles, as the floor would have needed re-leveling,” she says.
Reluctant to pay that much, Charlie-Anne started searching for online cheaper alternatives, such as stick-on tiles. Her research led her to a Dizzy Duck Designs fan group on social media that shares tips and inspiration for using tile stencils. The discovery was a light-bulb moment for a way forward.
“I decided that painting my tiles would be the cheapest way to give them a new lease of life,” she says. “The bonus was that it would be a fraction of the cost of getting new tiles laid.”
Charlie-Anne spent around £100 on her floor tile makeover kit, choosing the beautiful Morello Tile Stencil (£37.98 for 2 x single stencils measuring 17.5”/444mm); paint from the Frenchic Al Fresco range in Dazzle Me! for the base and Swanky Pants for the design (both £17.95 for 750ml); and a bottle of Polyvine Heavy Duty Extreme Dead Flat Varnish (£28.58 + VAT for 1 litre) to seal her handiwork.
“Firstly, I filled-in all the chips in the tiles with some grout that I sourced from a family friend for free,” she says. “It was nothing special and I winged this part to be completely honest but it worked out fine.
“The next day I sanded down the filled parts to give it a smooth finish and even it out. I then deep cleaned the whole floor, including the grout, with sugar soup using a scrubbing brush to ensure I had a clean surface to work from.
“Once this step was complete, I lightly sanded down the entire floor again to help prepare it for the paint.”
Charlie-Anne added four coats of Dazzle Me!, leaving two hours in-between each coat for the paint to dry.
“About two days later, I started stenciling using the Swanky Pants shade of paint,” she says. “The hardest part was cleaning the stencils between applications. This should be done after every third or fourth time it’s used so there isn't any paint build-up. This helps to keep the design nice and crisp and prevents any bleeding.”
Despite the regular cleaning breaks, the process went smoothly. Charlie-Anne left her design to dry for a full two weeks before sealing it a professional quality interior varnish to help protect it from colour fade, as well as mildew, mould and fungus.
“I'm so pleased that I chose to do this,” she says. “Frenchic paint is fabulous. It’s proving to be very hardwearing. I applied three coats of varnish and so far – three weeks later – I’ve had no chips, even though I've accidentally dropped pans and all sorts on it.
“My top tip would be to just be patient and enjoy the process – it's totally worth the end results,” she adds. “I wanted to elevate the room and the floor did just that. It has saved me a fortune and it only took me seven days, doing it little by little with amazing results."
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk comments: “It's always worth checking if there is a way to upcycle things around the home before relegating them to the bin.
“Charlie-Anne saved £900 compared to splashing out on new tiles to be fitted, which is a great result.
“When carrying out DIY, make sure you invest some time researching tips and tricks for ensuring your handiwork stands the test of time. This way, it’s even better value for money.”
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