I’m a savvy mum & I saved £587 transforming my dull staircase with Wilko & B&M buys…not everyone’s keen but I don’t care
IF your stairs look a little worse when worn, fear not – you’ve come to the right place.
Especially if you don’t have a lot of cash to splurge on (because really, who does?), you’ll need to listen.
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A savvy mother-of-three shared how she turned her simple staircase into a big change while saving her budget.
Joanna Osieglewska, 28, from Northampton, a mother of two daughters and a son aged 4, 1 and 3, tells the community to save money Latest Deals.co.uk: “After living in so many rental houses that are often painted magnolia, I can’t stand that color.
“My current stairs are painted glossy white, which I never liked. So I decided to choose something completely different and really found myself.
“I debated a lot about color schemes and considered very unusual options like pink stair. However, in the end I decided to go with black, switching to a color called Intense Blueberry.
Joanna explained that people told her not to do the project, but she desperately wanted to finish it herself.
She added: “I was told over and over again not to do it. People say I shouldn’t paint my radiator or stairs, especially not in unusual colors.
“But in the end I decided that it was my home and I needed to do whatever makes me happy – after all, I’m the one who lives here!
“To paint it professionally I had to pay £700 plus materials and I’m not willing to spend that money.”
This savvy mom explains that she used bargains from Wilko and B&M to keep costs low.
She continued: “As a single mother of three young children, I wanted to save a budget, so I went to Wilko and opted for their durable and washable paint in the Intense Blueberry shade with price 15 pounds. This wall paint is really durable – I love it because it’s so easy to clean.
“Since my walls are very high and I don’t have a ladder, I improvised and attached a brush to a piece of leftover wood, then painted it carefully.
“I also opted for Wilkos Quick Dry Interior Wood in Warm Mineral Satin for £15 and Dulux Satinwood in Black for £19.
“Then I bought electrical tape for £1 and Wilkos washable soft tape for £15 before moving on to B&M.
“There I bought 2x2m vinyl flooring for £40 and silicone flooring for £8. In total I spent £113, saving only almost £600 compared to hiring a professional painter!
“Had to apply two coats to get good coverage. The whole process is really quick; I’m working around my kids but I think I can get it done within a day.
“I painted Satinwood on the railing. Although it gives off a bit of light, you can’t see the marks from the fingertips after they touch it!”
Reflecting on the DIY work, Joanna explains: “In this project, I made some mistakes. As a beginner, I spent hours trying to remove old paint with a heat gun and paint remover.
“It didn’t work well, so I used an electric polisher instead. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that old paint can contain lead, which made me really sick on my birthday.
“As a result, I cannot stress enough how important PPE and good preparation are.
“Another mistake I made was not sanding the balustrade well enough to make the black paint look horrible.
“I had to sand down some layers of black paint again and paint again.
“If I were to do this project again, I would definitely take my time and make sure I prepare the surface a lot better. I’m new to DIY so it’s easy to make mistakes.
“If I had to give advice to anyone new to DIY, I would say – don’t be too hard on yourself! You learn from mistakes and you can always fix it later.
“I have received mixed reviews about my new corridor. However, I am the one who lives here and I love it.
“It is my home and my children will have many happy memories of helping me paint. They hope to learn skills that they can use in future.”
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