Be inspired by this easy kitchen cupboard makeover

Re-decorating a kitchen can set you back a fortune, however, this savvy DIY-er transformed his for just £91 with an easy kitchen cupboard makeover.

Calum Bulter, 23, from Aberaeron in Wales wanted to drag his dark and dated kitchen into the 21st Century. However, when searching around for a tradesperson he was quoted £900 to renovate the kitchen.

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before and after image of kitchen makeover with tiled flooring

'I came up with the idea because we didn't like our kitchen when we moved into our new home as it was too dark and outdated,' Calum shared on LatestDeal.co.uk.

'I got quoted £900 from a local hand painter, but I decided against going with him because I did some research on the products that I would need and found that I could save myself £810 by doing it myself,' he adds.

Calum settled on giving his kitchen cupboards a makeover with Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell in Shadow White, and spray painting the handles in black. A mini luxury kitchen makeover that would only cost him £91.

Easy kitchen cupboard makeover

white kitchen with cabinets and dining table

'To start, I removed all the handles from the cupboards,' explains Calum. 'I then cleaned the cupboards using sugar soap and then buffed the cupboards using a sanding block to remove any grease left behind.'

Before going in with the Farrow & Ball paint, Calum gave the cupboards a base coat using Zinsser 123 Bulls Eye Primer-Sealer. He left this to dry for an hour before applying the first coat of paint on all the cupboards and plinths.

'While these were drying I took the time to spray paint our cupboard handles with Colour It spray paint in Satin Black,' says Calum. 'The next day I painted the second coat onto the cupboards and plinths and left it to dry for the rest of the day.'

white kitchen with cupboard and black worktop

'Once the cupboards were touch dry, which took about five hours, I reattached the handles.'

The entire makeover project came to a total of £91.46. Calum used two pots of paint cost £54, one pot of primer costing £15.99 and four cans of spray paint costing £9.99.

'I feel over the moon with the results, I couldn't imagine it turning out any better!' he says. 'It's totally transformed the kitchen! It feels like a new kitchen. I also got great satisfaction knowing I completed it by myself.'

Rebecca Knight has been the Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2025; previously, she was the Deputy Digital Editor from 2022. She has a Master's degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London and has been writing about homes and interiors for 7 years. Her expertise lies in DIY projects, home decor trends and spotting the latest high street homeware buys that are about to go viral. She bought her first home in London last year and is currently renovating it (on a budget).