A mum who didn’t want to spend a fortune doing up her hallway managed to build her own panelling for less than £100.
Irene Wilson, 51, a nursery manager and mum of four from Glasgow, had been quoted £800 for professionals to complete the home makeover.
But she decided to take on the DIY job herself after being inspired by YouTube tutorials - and managed to save around £700 in the process.
Irene spent just £98 on her panelling after stocking up with supplies from Homebase and Screwfix.
She has since shared her transformation on social media, where it was a hit with fellow DIYers.
Irene told the Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK : “I came up with the idea to do my own panelling after seeing people on social media doing it, but I didn't want to try it in case I did it wrong.
“I had bought all the stuff and had it in my house for months, then I was too scared to start it. But then one day I got up and said: right, I'm doing this today.”
Irene started by watching a video on YouTube about how to panel walls to start with.
She then began drawing and measuring out the shape she wanted onto the walls.
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“Then I put my frame up and once I got started it actually didn't take that long to put up,” said Irene.
“The only tricky bit was cutting some of the wood at an angle, as stairs are a bit more difficult to do.
“Then once the adhesive was set, I started to fill in the gaps and then let it dry.”
After that, Irene sanded all the parts that were filled in and began to paint it.
The materials she used included shaker wall panels from Homebase. You get six in a pack and for the stairs, Irene used four packs which cost £11.50 a pack.
She also used five tubes of no-nonsense adhesive from Screwfix at £1.95 per tube. This also doubled up as a filler.
“The dado rails I used for the top of the panelling cost £8.97 each and I used three of them,” said Irene.
“Then I bought one tin of paint, which cost £15 from B&Q. It cost £98 in total.
"I was quoted £800 from professionals to do this, but I decided to do it myself and it cost me under £100.
"I am so pleased I went to do it. It just shows you if you put your mind to it then anything is possible to save yourself money.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: “While it might be simpler to hire a builder to carry out cosmetic works, it’s definitely more expensive than attempting it yourself.
“Well done to Irene for giving this a go herself. Her panelling looks fab, and she has saved over £700 by doing it herself.”
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