A DAD-OF-ONE has shared how he transformed his kitchen with a budget makeover – using nothing but basic tools and a few hundred quid, saying “anyone” can do the same.
Martin Gregory, an electrical engineer, was first inspired to redo the space after spotting TikToks of others sprucing up their homes – and fancied trying his hand at a spot of DIY.
The savvy dad from South Shields budgeted £500 to change his “‘absolutely awful” cream tiles and did it all himself, with the help of his partner, Courtney, 28.
And the results are astounding, with the 33-year-old’s humble project having racked up over 8,000 views and 66 likes online (@martindiy).
“Anyone could do this with some basic tools,” he told NeedToKnow.co.uk. “I had seen a load of people on TikTok using vinyl and paint to overhaul their kitchens and wanted to give it a try.
“It seemed a nice cost-friendly way to make the worktops look fresh and offer a different look entirely.
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“Courtney and I completed the renovations over around three weekends, so we would have a working kitchen in between on the weekdays.”
The dad scoured Facebook Marketplace for bargain buys to spruce up the heart of his home.
He even managed to score some items for free, with generous people not expecting any dough in return for quality goods.
Martin said: “Some items we got for free from Facebook Marketplace.
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“They were getting new kitchens and were getting rid of materials such as the worktops, extractor unit, and oven.
“[After] some thorough cleaning and we were happy to have them installed, [the] worktop colour didn't matter with us wrapping it all.”
The biggest dent in the piggy bank was for a new hob, which accounted for a quarter of the budget at £159.
Clearance sales and discounted offers proved to be quite a success with B&Q coming out on top.
Martin said: “Most of the other items we got from B&Q.
“Some of this was on clearance, such as the grey metallic tile grout.
“The likes of cupboard door handles can be expensive and we found the brushed stainless ones cheap on Amazon.”
Despite finding most of the DIY to be a piece of cake, Martin was left dumbfounded by the vinyl wrapping.
He said: “The vinyl wrapping is definitely a skill that takes some practice, getting it straight at the start is the key.
“The only setback was the lack of skills tiling.
“Took some time to figure out the best way to do it but was fairly straightforward once you get in the swing of it.
Breakdown of Cost
- Grey vinyl for cupboards – £30, B&Q
- Black vinyl for worktops – £36 Studio
- Tiles – £56, B&Q
- Tile adhesive – £18, B&Q
- Grout – £18, B&Q
- New electric hob – £159, Very
- Kickboard – £8 Wickes
- Lights – £40, Screwfix
- Flooring stick on vinyl – £60, B&Q
- Door handles – £36, Amazon
The following items were sourced for free through Facebook Marketplace:
- Worktop
- Oven unit and oven
- Extractor unit
TOTAL: £461
“I absolutely loved doing it [the DIY].
“It's nice to see something that stems from a single idea come to fruition..
“The previous kitchen look was absolutely awful, the cream tiles and door design just weren't to our liking.
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“[We] feel much happier with the finished result and it was 100% worth all the effort.
“It's also nice to know if we want to change it around we can remove the vinyl and use a different colour or design in a single weekend.”
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