When we think of interior design and home decor, our minds usually jump straight to fancy, chic furniture stores. However, with a bit of creativity and the help of Kmart, you can find even more cost-effective ways to freshen up your home.

Take one Kmart DIY enthusiast, for example. In search of upgrades for her home, she fell in love with a $7,400 heater at Harvey Norman, but rather than splurge on the extravagant piece, she put her skills to the test and gave her existing $2,500 heater a makeover. And boy, did it work!

Taking to the Kmart Hacks & Décor group on social media, the proud DIYer posted stunning photos of her new look heater.

'The makeover cost less than $150.00 (not including the heater of course) and I am super proud of my first hack that wasn’t a total fail,' she said happily.

The heater that inspired the hack (left) and the end result of the DIY (right). Credit: Kmart Hacks & Decor/Facebook

In the comments, she also shared the creative process: hot gluing the individual stones to plywood to form the border of the heater, and then painting a marble-look section around the appliance to add a rustic touch.

While the DIY is not yet complete–the stones still need to be grouted–it does look quite impressive.

The stones used in the makeover cost just $29 for a pack of four with a plastic base to hold the tiles in place, making them easy to slot together and create removable flooring and stone-look tabletops.

4 Pack Light Stone Decking Tiles @ $ 29, Kmart. Credit: Kmart

However, the question remains: is it safe to cover a heater up in such an ornamental fashion? Thankfully, our DIYer was one step ahead of us.

'It’s an electric heater, so the heater is built in and protected so no heat transmits to the surround. Heat blows out with fan at the front only,’ she said confidently.

I put candles on the top just to test this though, and so far, no melted candles…all good.'

This particular Kmart tip is one of many! Every day more and more savvy shoppers are using this cheap product to create stunning features for their homes and gardens, like stone-look flooring and tabletop features.

One customer shared their bathroom flooring using this product, saying it's ‘just so beautiful’.

Another customer shared their DIY project using this product. Credit: Kmart

Their comment said ‘Have had so many compliments on these tiles. Could have laid them slightly differently so the edges weren’t obvious but it still looks fantastic. Great quality.’

Key Takeaways

• A woman made significant savings by using a $29 Kmart product to modify a $2,500 heater instead of purchasing a $7,400 model from Harvey Norman.
• She shared her project on the Kmart Hacks & Décor group on social media, detailing how she attached individual stone tiles to plywood to give the heater a rustic appearance.
• Questions over the safety of the DIY renovation were addressed by the shopper, who assured fellow DIY enthusiasts that no heat transmits to the surrounding area.
• The stone tiles used in the project, sold in packs for $29 at Kmart, have become popular for various DIY projects, including flooring and table tops.

But remember, dear members, if you are interested in doing DIY projects involving your electricity, we recommend you contact an electrician for a risk assessment, as they will need to wire the enclosure into your home’s power source.

DIY projects are fun to do as long as you’re staying safe in the process!

Are you willing to give this DIY project a try? What other DIY projects are you excited about? Share them in the comments below!

 

[Gaena]

Yay thank you for that article around a do it yourself surround for a free standing heater. I also saw the expensive original in Harvey Norman however the price was $1,800 which I thought was still way over the top, husband loves the look of an open flame, so I must admit to being tempted. This can be his next around the house project done in summer for the next winter. I just need to work out where to put it!