I live in a council house but you’d never know it – my upcycling hack cost £37 and made a huge difference
A DIY fan has revealed an upcycling hack which only cost £37 and has made a huge difference to her council home.
Mrs Clarkes recently completed her transformation and took to TikTok to share a video of her work – which has since had over 90,000 views.
She explained that using an upcycling trick managed to change the entire look of her hallway and bedrooms.
Mrs Clarkes, who is known as @mrsclarkescleaning on TikTok, captioned the video: “Upcycling my old council house door using a £37 tool.”
The video first shows plain white doors, with a silver handle, which appeared to go into a bedroom upstairs.
Mrs Clarkes starts off by unscrewing the inside of the door before taking it off, and laying it outside in her garden.
She then unscrews the door handle and separates them from the door.
The DIY fan then gets black spray paint, and sprays the door handles whilst they lay on cardboard.
Then, heading back to the doors – Mrs Clarkes, measures straight lines from the top to the bottom off her door, with an equal width apart.
She then gets a £37 wood router, which she bought from Amazon, and marks a line down the door but ensures she has not cut all the way through the door.
The council house tenant then gets quick dry white gloss paint, and gives her doors a fresh lick of paint before allowing it to dry and screwing the doors back up.
Her video gained a lot of attention with many interior fans rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One wrote: “They look amazing, my council doors are cardboard, they would fall apart if I used this tool.”
But Mrs Clarke replied: “These are hollow too, just make sure you don’t go too deep.”
Another added: “G’won girl. I was going to have a quick trip to B&Q tomorrow for all new black handles, never even thought of spraying them!!”
Someone else asked: “I have just bought sandpaper, primer, matte black spray and sealant.
“Do I need all of that or can I just spray straight onto chrome? Mine aren’t stainless.”
Mrs Clarkes replied: “I always sand them to give the spray something to grip onto, it doesn’t hurt doing it your way and will probably last longer that way too.”
Another DIY fan asked: “I like to do this with my doors.
“They are the sort with brown fake wood look. Would this still work?”
Mrs Clarkes replied: “I would maybe try it on the inside if one that’s facing into a cupboard that’s what I did on my airing cupboard door, this also helped to practise my depth I wanted to go.”
How can I get a council house?
To apply for a council home, you need to fill out and hand in an application to your local authority.
To find your local authority, simply use the Government’s council locator tool on its website.
Once you have access to your local council’s website, it should offer you guidelines on how to complete your application.
After applying, you’ll most likely have to join a waiting list.
Bear in mind, even if you are put on a waiting list, this doesn’t guarantee you a council house offer.
Your council should also offer you advice on how to stay in your current home and solve any issues you might have, such as problems with a private landlord or mortgage.
You are eligible to apply for council housing if you are a British citizen living in the UK providing have not lived abroad recently.
Each council has its own local rules about who qualifies to go on the housing register in its area, but it is based on “points” or a “banding” system.
For example, you’re likely to be offered housing first if you:
- are homeless
- live in cramped conditions
- have a medical condition made worse by your current home
- are seeking to escape domestic violence
Once you are high enough on a council’s waiting list, it will contact you when a property is available.
Some councils let people apply at the age of 18, while others let you apply even sooner at 16-year-olds.
EU workers and their families and refugees may also be eligible.
A council house is reached through a points system, so depending on your housing needs, you may be considered low priority.
The council will contact you about any available property once you are high enough on the waiting list.
There is no limit on how long you can expect to be on the waiting list.