Manchester mum saved over £500 with DIY panel wall that cost less than £100

Nicole's biggest challenge as a mum-of-two was carrying out the project while managing her chronic disorder

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Feature walls are exploding in popularity right now, and social media is full of people sharing their panel wall projects. Over on TikTok, the hashtag #panelwall currently has 8.8 million views as they become one of the biggest interior trends.

And one mum-of-two, from Manchester, thought she would have to spend hundreds to jazz up her bedroom wall, but after going DIY she was surprised to discover she only paid a fraction of the price.

Nicole McShane, 34, was bored of her plain white bedroom walls, and wanted to upgrade them to give the room a more ‘interesting feel’.

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The team leader told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I was browsing interior design posts on social media, and I saw a lot of people creating panel walls on TikTok. When I saw a particularly impressive before-and-after I couldn't stop looking at the photo and decided I wanted to create a similar effect.

"Initially, my husband was going to do this project as he's great at DIY, but he was put off as he thought it would cost a lot of money. Plus, one of my friends got wall panelling done professionally and she paid around £600! However, I have managed to create my own panel wall and it only cost me £99."

The first step Nicole took was measuring up, drawing up a plan and marking the walls before heading to B&Q for supplies. She selected MDF board for £27, using the high street retailer's cutting service to divide it into strips. She added: "The service was free for the first 5 cuts, then 50p per cut after that - so it came to £8 in total.

"Next I got a tube of No More Nails, followed by some wood filler, sandpaper and caulk, for a total of £12. Finally, I picked up some paint - I went for the Farrow & Ball brand in the shade Manor House Gray. This was the most expensive item as it was £52, but well worth it as the coverage is great.

"This was all I had to buy, as my husband had everything else at home - glue guns, paint brushes, a paint roller, nails, a hammer, a spirit level and a tape measure. At this point I was ready to start creating the panels."

Nicole used the No More Nails to stick the first, longer piece of MDF to the wall, ensuring accuracy with a spirit level, pinning it in place with some small tacks while the glue was drying.

She continued: "I was then able to start applying the smaller pieces, following the same process until it was all laid out. I only needed wood filler for two of the pieces as my wall was slightly uneven in that area. I sanded the filler down when it was dry.

"After that, I used the caulk to go around the edges of all the squares to make sure there were no gaps. Then I sanded the entire wall to make sure there were no bumps from previous paint. Finally, I wiped it down with a damp cloth as there was a lot of dust left over."

Two licks of paint, and the job was done, with Nicole saying the ‘biggest challenge’ was completing it while managing her fibromyalgia - a condition that causes widespread pain and extreme tiredness.

The 34-year-old added: "The condition means I have a lot of pain and my body seizes up. I also struggle to lift things and have problems with my strength, so I had to pace myself. The measuring in particular was difficult for me because it was vital to get it right before I started work.

"I’m really pleased with how the wall looks now and I’ve received plenty of compliments from family and friends!"

Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: "Nicole has made an impressive saving with this project. She could easily have spent £600 like her friend, but by spending just £99 she's saved so much money that she could use the cash to go on holiday instead!"

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