I transformed my hallway with a £4 buy from B&M – not only is it stylish but it insulates the room in colder months too
A WOMAN has revealed just how she gave her hallway a mega makeover on a budget.
Keen to give her pad a glow up without breaking the bank, Laura Morrall stocked up on bargain buys from Amazon and B&M and was able to turn her space from drab to fab.
For just £36 in total, Laura, 32, from the UK, added style and glamour to her hallway – which many have described as ‘beautiful’.
Eager to show off her DIY transformation, the busy mum-of two took to social media to share a before and after look at her hallway, leaving many open-mouthed.
Posting on DIY On A Budget, a private Facebook group with 2.2 million members, Laura shared pictures of her chic hallway, which had been kitted out with gorgeous panelling.
Alongside the post, the DIY fan said: “I did the ‘draught excluder tape wall panelling’ hack, and it didn’t disappoint!
“It’s by no means perfect and I’ve got some slight adjustments to make and paint touch ups to do.
“Maybe move some pictures/mirrors around..and our floor is being changed from this horrible orange wood too eventually. I just couldn’t wait to share this with you…
“How this will hold up over time I don’t know. But I’ll probably be bored of it before it looks worse for wear anyway.
“Total cost for tape and paint for panels was £36.”
Social media users were gobsmacked by Laura’s glamorous hallway and many flocked to the comments to express this.
One person said: “Looks brilliant.”
Another added: “This is simply beautiful, well done. Your floor looks lovely too.”
A third commented: “Wow, it looks amazing.”
Whilst another DIY enthusiast beamed: “You have done a fantastic job.”
Meanwhile, at the same time, someone else penned: “This looks lovely…. First I have heard of this…
“I can’t panel my stairs because of the bends, so this will work! Thank you for sharing.”
A love of DIY
Now, nine months after her viral social media post, Laura told Fabulous all about her impressive DIY transformation, which thanks to the draught excluder tape, is sure to keep the cold out this winter.
Laura shared her love for decorating on a budget, as she beamed: “Myself and my fiancé bought our home five years ago, and I’ve redecorated more times than I care to admit!
“I work in an accounts office as my day job, it just pays the bills, childcare and feeds the kids and pets leaving not a lot to spare afterwards…hence my budget transformations.
It’s amazing what can be achieved with a little time, patience, research and some funds
Laura Morrall
“DIY, decorating, crafting, anything which engages my creative brain is where my true passion lies and what I actually ENJOY doing…always looking to make something or decorate and improve a space in our home.
“Whether it be craft activities with the children, furniture flipping, or a complete room decoration. I love to keep busy!
“I’ve always been a DIY fan, even when I was younger living at home with my parents…knowing that you’ve achieved something all by yourself brings a lot of satisfaction.
“I moved into my first home alone back in 2014 and have always tended to try and give things a go myself. It’s amazing what can be achieved with a little time, patience, research and some funds (regardless of how many pennies or pounds you have to spare).”
Popular panelling trend
The savvy mum explained that she spotted a video online of someone using draught excluder tape to panel their hallway, as she recognised: “Social media is absolutely packed full of wall panelling ideas – being one of the biggest home interior trends this year.”
Most popular DIY jobs homeowners love to do
- Paint walls
- New carpet
- Paint fence
- Paint ceilings
- Wallpapering
- Paint skirting boards
- New light fitting
- Re-grout/replace bathroom tiles
- Hang curtains/blinds
- Paint/oil interior doors
- Paint a shed
- Paint stairs
- New plug sockets
- New hard flooring
- New front door
- Update kitchen sink
- Replace kitchen worktops
- Hang shelves
- Change/update doorknobs
- Paint/upcycle garden furniture
She decided to do the same, as she added: “My first attempt at this was back in February… when I caught the tiniest snippet of a video on TikTok of a lady who had “panelled” her hallway really cheaply using tape, so no woodwork skills needed!
“Unfortunately I couldn’t find the video again… but watching once was enough to inspire me to give this a go.
“I had nothing to lose as our hallway stairs and landing walls were just plain white at the time and needed a little glow up!
“I shopped around to find the best prices on the items I needed.”
Stocked up on cheap supplies
At the time, Laura stocked up on draught excluder tape, which she used for the inner panels and nabbed from B&M for £4 for a pack of three rolls.
She also bought ‘D’ shape draught excluder tape from Amazon which acted as the Dado Rail and purchased Johnstone’s paint in the colour China Clay from B&M for £11.
I had nothing to lose as our hallway stairs and landing walls were just plain white at the time and needed a little glow up!
Laura Morrall
Laura revealed: “We already had the other tools and equipment at home so that wasn’t any extra expense.”
She used a “stanley knife, scissors, pencil, spirit level, tape measure and a long straight piece of wood to act as a marker template for the gaps between panels” and had “endless cups of tea” to keep her going throughout the project.
The process
Laura recalled the process of panelling the hallway, as she shared: “I started with an easy part… a small square section by the doorway so I could get the hang of things.
“I marked the dado rail first at one metre from the skirting board. Then marked 100mm from each of the four edges to place the inner beading.
“Once I was happy with the markings I proceeded to apply the tape. The tape itself is self adhesive so just literally peels and sticks to the wall.
“Once I’d decided on measurements of dado rail height and inner panels it was really easy to continue the rest. I just marked up as I did each section.
“The trickiest part was going up the stairway as our skirting board is curved there.
“I marked up along the curved bottom edge a metre up, moving the rule along slightly each time in a straight vertical line to form a kind of dot-to-dot before applying the tape along the dots.
“The tape is foam material so it formed the curve really easily – something I wouldn’t have been able to achieve with wood beading.”
Affordable and elegant
Thrilled with her hallway’s new look, Laura beamed: “Overall this project took me two full days and one evening after work to complete – with having to work around children and waiting for paint to dry between coats.
“Even my partner was quietly impressed with my work.
“It has been my absolute favourite home project to date.
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“I love how it gives an elegant feel to the home. And in total it cost me only £36!
“I shared this on my personal Facebook page as well as the DIY on a Budget page and I don’t think I received a single negative comment, only questioning how this would hold up over time.
“Now, nine months down the line, it’s as good as the day I did it (despite two toddlers, four cats, and a dog running around) although if I was to do it again I would just use a more durable paint.
“Following this I’ve since redecorated our kitchen, bedroom, lounge, utility room and daughter’s bedroom. I get bored of the decor too quickly!
“I hope this will inspire people to just give it a go if you have something in mind.
“You might be pleasantly surprised with your abilities. Happy DIY’ing!”