A woman who got a £7,500 quote for a whole new bathroom was so horrified that she decided to scale the whole thing back - and managed to transform it herself - for just £33.50. Victoria Taylor, 42 also took the risky decision to paint a wall black - but is delighted at how it all came out.
Rather than get professionals in Victoria, a Marketing and Communications Manager from Redcar decided to go to B&Q and Ikea instead - and ended up doing the job at a fraction of the cost. She said: “We got quoted £7,500 for a new bathroom, with a new suite, including shower. This was a complete job, including tiling, flooring etc. The quote was outside of our budget so I decided to go DIY.”
She explained that the decision to ‘go black’ was based on other designs which she was a fan of: “The offices I work in have recently been refurbished and some areas have dark grey and black ceilings. We had recently painted our skirting boards black and liked how it looked. I want to make the ceiling in my living room black, which is a big risk for a big room.
“So I thought we could try a smaller room on one wall to see if we liked it. We knew if it didn’t look great we could soon paint over it!”
The transformation was done mostly from B&Q. Mum-of-one Victoria used GoodHome Durable Liberty Matt Emulsion paint, 2.5L, £20, and GoodHome Liberty Matt Furniture paint for the skirting boards, priced at £11.
She explained: “I also got GoodHome Longford Flat matt Furniture paint for £11. However we saved £10 on the paint as there was a 3 for 2 offer on. So we paid £31 in total instead of £41.
“After that I picked up plastic liners for the paint tray for £2.50, and I was done. We already had everything else we needed - rollers, brushes and left over white emulsion from previous projects.
“I also reused the mirror we already had for the project. It had been stood up leaning against the wall, but I decided to hang it on the wall horizontally. “This project was also a good excuse to use a large shelf I had bought from the IKEA bargain basement a few months prior. I hadn’t used it yet, and I also had a smaller shelf to go with it.”
She also scoured the internet for advice, using TikTok tips for how to paint the ceiling. She added: “After that I took the bath legs off to give them a good clean. I was able to get the bath fully painted by taking this step.
”Once all the painting was done I put the mirror and shelves up and tidied up. I was finished! The project wasn’t all plain sailing though - there were a few obstacles. For example, getting the tape straight when cutting the colours in and getting the legs off the bath to clean them. It also took a little time to decide where to put the mirror and shelves. Now that the project is finished, I love it!”
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: “Victoria’s decision to go DIY for her bathroom renovation paid off, saving her a whopping £7,466.50! With some smart bargain shopping from B&Q and IKEA, and a little bit of creativity, she was able to transform her bathroom on a shoestring budget.
“By taking on this project herself, Victoria not only saved a lot of money but also gained a great sense of satisfaction from completing it. And with the success of this bathroom renovation, who knows what DIY project she might tackle next?”
