DIY mom creates her own kitchen island for just £33 – using old changing table

Nikki Dixon decided to build her own kitchen island from an old changing table she bought on Facebook Marketplace for £20. The transformation only cost her £32.99

You don’t have to spend hundreds of pounds to renovate your home – as one mum found out when remodeling her kitchen.

Upcycling and reusing items you already own is one way to save hundreds of dollars by doing a bit of DIY.

Rather than spend £600 on a new kitchen island, Nikki Dixon decided to make her own from an old changing table she bought on Facebook Marketplace for £20.

Nikki, 43, a mother of three and carer from Cardiff, managed to fit the changing table perfectly into her kitchen.

Her transformation only cost her £32.99.

Nikki told the DIY On A Budget UK money-saving Facebook group: “I have three kids who call me the DIY Queen – they never know what they’re going to come home to.

“I’m just tearing out my chimney wall and refinishing it to have a wood stove installed. I will try everything.

Have you renovated your home cheaply and would like to share your experiences? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

“I’ve been looking for a kitchen island for a long time and it was either expensive or too big for the space I had in my kitchen.

“I wanted more counter space in my kitchen, so I bought kitchen islands from a few local stores and online and they cost hundreds of dollars.”

Nikki wanted to be able to move the island so she went to The Range and picked up a pack of four swivel wheels for £6.99.

Then she removed the original legs and drilled these to the base.

“I had recently been using Ribbeck Oak Fablon to cover my kitchen worktops so I bought another roll of this from B&M for £6 and reupholstered the top to make it a perfect fit,” said Nikki.

“I painted the rest of the unit with crisp white furniture paint I had left over from another project and changed the handles to match my kitchen cabinets.

“I converted the device for a total cost of £32.99. It was an absolute steal and only took two hours of my time.”

Other DIY transformations we’ve covered at The Mirror include a mum who spent just £100 renovating her kitchen.

Melissa Preston used inexpensive paint and vinyl from B&Q to complete her makeover and even made a breakfast bar out of an old closet.

The Northampton mum of two says it would have cost £6,000 to have the room professionally renovated – so she decided to take on the project herself.

Another DIY fan, grandmother Carol Fortescue managed to completely transform the look of her kitchen for just £76 using B&Q paint.