How to Improve Your DIY Skills
In this week’s community article, we’ve done a roundup of some of the best DIY tutorials, blogs, and social accounts online.
If you’ve got wonky shelves or pictures that you keep meaning to put up but haven’t got around to doing, are your DIY skills holding you back? Can’t tell a drill bit from a screwdriver head? We feel your pain.
Knowing how to do basic DIY is a huge help, especially if you’re about to move home or you’ve been avoiding certain tasks for ages.
Before you start anything, it’s important to have the right tools. Get yourself to a local hardware store and speak to an expert about what you need (try not to get upsold fancy equipment you’re never likely to use). Also, DO NOT attempt any electrical or plumbing work – those are jobs for professionals.
Ready to get drilling? In this quick read, we look at some of the best DIY tips and tutorials the Internet has to offer.
The Carpenter’s Daughter
Run by Vikkie Lee, her blog and YouTube channel are dedicated to all things DIY. Her website offers everything from fitting blinds, fixing kitchen door hinges and (errr) restoring a narrowboat. Her work is great for beginners and for those of you more established with a glue gun and saw.
DIY Basics
This YouTube Channel is dedicated to beginner DIY projects and offers numerous videos advising which tools you will need, how to paint your front door and how to repair and clean grout. It’s a goldmine of info for a novice and worth scrolling through.
DIY Doctor
Run by tradespeople, this site offers lots of tips and tricks about home projects you can do yourself. It’s not the easiest site to navigate but keep digging and you’ll find nuggets on subjects like carpentry, kitchen fitting and ways to tackle damp and mould.
DIY Fans (Facebook Group)
If you prefer a more interactive approach to your DIY woes, get onto Facebook and search for “DIY Tips”. You’ll find loads of groups where members share their projects and advice on how to get those home projects underway. DIY Fans is a great group with daily updates.
Upcycling
If you are looking to brighten up old pieces of furniture or add some wow to boring flatpack buys, then Instagram is the place to go. There are thousands of home renovation accounts that you can get inspiration from. Some great ones to look at include @our_bears_home, @ikeapaxhacks and @joannecondon.
Have you got a favourite DIY hack? We’d love to know how you’ve improved your home.
