IF your stairs are looking a bit worse for wear, fear not – you’ve come to the right place.
Particularly if you haven’t got a lot of cash to splash (because realistically, who does?), you’ll need to listen up.
One savvy mum-of-three has shared how she gave her plain staircase a mega makeover whilst on a budget.
Joanna Osieglewska, 28 from Northampton, who is mum to two daughters and a son aged 4, 1 and 3, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “After living in so many rental properties, which are usually painted in magnolia, I couldn't stand that colour.
“My current stairs had been painted in a glossy white, which I never liked the look of. So I decided to go with something completely different and really find myself.
“I debated colour schemes a lot and considered very unconventional choices such as pink stairs. However I settled on black in the end, going for a shade called Intense Blueberry.”
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Joanna explained that people told her not to do the project, but she was keen to get it done herself.
She added: “I was told over and over again not to do it. People said I shouldn’t paint my radiator or staircase, especially not in unusual colours.
“But in the end I decided that it's my house and I need to do whatever will make me happy – after all, it’s me who lives here!
“To have it painted professionally I would have had to pay £700 plus materials and I wasn't willing to spend that amount of money.”
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The savvy mum explained that she used bargain buys from Wilko and B&M to keep costs low.
She continued: “As a single mum to three young children I wanted to keep it low budget, so I went to Wilko and picked up their tough and washable paint in the shade Intense Blueberry for £15. This wall paint is really durable – I love it as it’s so easy to clean.
“As my walls are really tall and I didnt have a ladder I improvised and attached a brush to a leftover piece of wood, then painted it carefully.
“I also picked up Wilkos Quick Dry Interior Wood paint in the shade Warm Mineral Satin for £15 and Dulux Satinwood in black for £19.
“I then picked up electrical tape for £1 and Wilkos tough and washable gentle tape for £15 before moving on to B&M.
“There, I picked up 2x2m vinyl flooring for £40 and silicone for £8. In total I spent £113, saving just under £600 compared with getting a professional paint job!
“It took two coats of paint to get good coverage. The whole process was really quick; I was working around my kids but I think it would be possible to finish it within one day.
“I applied the Satinwood paint to the railing. While it gives off a slight sheen, you can't see marks from fingertips after they have touched it!”
Reflecting on the DIY job, Joanna explained: “During this project, I did make a few mistakes. When I first started I spent hours trying to remove old paint with a heat gun and paint stripper.
“It wasn’t working well, so I used an electric sander instead. Unfortunately I learned the hard way that old paint can be lead based, which made me really ill on my birthday.
“As a result, I can't stress enough how important PPE and good prep are.
“Another mistake that I made was not sanding the gloss paint from the bannister enough which made the black paint look horrible.
“I had to sand some of the black paint back down again and repaint.
“If I did this project again I would definitely take my time and make sure I prep the surfaces a lot better. I'm new to DIY, so it's easy to make mistakes.
“If I was to give advice to anyone who is new to DIY, I would say – don't be too hard on yourself! You learn from mistakes and you can always fix it up later.
“I’ve had mixed feedback about my new hallway. However, I’m the one who lives here and I love it.
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“It’s my home and my children will have many happy memories helping me with painting. They will hopefully be learning skills they can use in the future.”
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