The Reno Race Rookies, Dan and Claire took on their living space renovation focussed on three mains projects. The first project was the preparation and painting of the walls, trims and ceilings. The second project was restoring the original hardwood flooring that were covered by the carpet. And finally upgrading the lighting plan and installing blinds. Within these three projects, the living space went from “outdated with a whole lot of flower power”, to three defined spaces that are modern and on trend.

Removing wallpaper was no small feat or investment. The rookies (and their helpers) would have spent around 250 hours scraping, sanding and sealing the walls before a plasterer skim coated every wall in the house. It was a full month of preparation before any paint went on the walls - if you have this task on your reno list, check out our HOW TO blog. But as soon as there was paint on the walls – it was all worth it. The rookies selected Dulux Colours of NZ Te Apiti, a white with a grey undertone for the walls and Okarito for the ceiling and trims. The space is now modern, contemporary and has made the unit feel spacious and light.

The next task was restoring the original wooden floor. Underneath the carpet we found Tawa timber – a light toned hardwood. Dan and Claire have removed a lot of the original feature of the house, so restoring the original flooring means they will keep an element of the old house. Wood feels amazing underfoot, it gives a natural and calming effect to the room and brings warmth with its colour tome. The team at Active Flooring Services sanded back the wood and filled the nail holes. Then they water popped the surface, which is a treatment that draws the grain out of the wood. Finally, they coated the floors with oil – for more information check out our blog.

The final task was made easy for the rookies. The rookies got a free onsite lighting consult and then had a 3D lighting design plan from Lighting Direct. They recommended downlights for their lounge and hallway, which is exactly what they got! With the blinds, due to the size of the windows in the lounge, the rookies went for roller blinds from Bargain Blinds. From the samples decided on white block out curtains. They measured up, ordered the blinds all online and it was delivered to their door, for more info see our HOW TO blog. Both their choices are compact and don’t dominate the space, so it has visually created the space for 3 defined areas in one room, the entrance, the dining and the lounge.

Cost Break Down

Flooring Original Tawa Hardwood Floors Sanded and Oiled by Active Floor Sanding $1,288

Lighting LEDlux Moda Downlights from Lighting Direct $108

Paint (including plastering and wallpaper removal) | Ceiling:  Ceiling Paint Flat in Okarito Dulux Colours of NZ. Windows, Doors and Trims: Aquanamel Semi Gloss in Okarito Dulux Colours of NZ. Walls: Low Sheen Wash&Wear in Te Apiti Dulux Colours of NZ $2,000

Blinds White Blackout Roller Blinds by Bargain Blinds $374

Total Cost: $3,770