My council house is a dive & smells like a damp ashtray – I need to fix the floors, people say a Pound Shop buy’s a must
AFTER recently moving into a council house, one woman noticed the work is required.
People suggested she make use of a Poundland buy to revamp the floors.
In a post on Mumsnet, the unnamed user explained the “awful” state of the home.
She revealed that she was offered a three-bedroom council house and accepted before viewing it.
“I’m due to move in [soon] and I was only given the chance to view it today and it’s an absolute dive,” the poster said.
“It smells like a damp ash tray, the walls are ripped, cupboards and doors are chipped, and the tile floor in the kitchen has cracks in it.”
The mum-of-three explained that she was responsible for carpeting the whole house.
“I have a five-year-old, a one-year-old, and a four-month-old, I don’t have much money to spare,” she said.
Despite her financial issues, the Mumsnet user said she needed to get the home safe for her children.
While the woman said she was “not very thrifty or creative” she revealed she was inspired by “many beautiful council homes.”
Other Mumsnet users shared their top tips for turning the “dump into a lovely home.”
“First get some sugar soap and clean everything in sight with it, it’ll get any fag leftovers off,” advised one reader.
A lock of paint will freshen rooms up. Paint doesn’t have to be expensive.
“Floors you’ll have to do as you go, you can get cheaper off-cuts if you go into the shops and put the feelers out for carpet fitters.
“Have a look in pound shops and B&M, our B&M do the packs of floor tiles for a couple of quid and pound shops sometimes get them in.
“You need a bit of extra glue but they go down OK.”
You can pick up a three-pack of Tiletastic Wood Adhesive Vinyl Floor Tiles for £3 from Poundland.
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
The commenter also suggested adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls to spruce up the place.
Another person agreed that vinyl flooring would be a smart move for the home.
“I’d look at thick vinyl flooring in the kitchen,” the Mumsnet user wrote.
“We got old lino for the kitchen until we could afford some nice tiles,” said a third person.
“Our council house was in quite a state when we got it, each and every room desperately needed painting or wallpaper stripped.
“The walls were yellow with nicotine stains, it was disgusting but it’s lovely now.”