When people have down time, first, they tend to relax and pursue any hobbies they have. A little time later they might decide to use their time to be a little more productive. DIY is usually up there on the list somewhere. With the extended downtime a lot of people are experiencing with coronavirus, DIY is becoming a regular passtime. Paint is selling out, as are tools and equipment. If you’ve managed to snag some you might be planning your next project to complete. Word of warning. Try not to undertake projects which would clearly require a professional to undertake. These usually include things like dabbling with the electrics, or the plumbing. You might have rudimentary knowledge, but for the main you should leave things like that or you could end up doing your property, or worse, yourself some damage. Like every project, research makes a huge difference to DIY. If you are well and truly prepared it’ll go well. Each project will need research far wider than this guide, but for general tips read on and good luck!
Safety Is Everything
Before you get started, make sure you’ve got the safety aspects under control. This means, for example, shutting off your electricity if you’re going to work with wires or lighting. If you’re going to be sawing, or hammering, it’s always good to have eye protection. If this is for a long period you might even need prescription safety glasses. If you’re using tools with high volume for a long period of time then you need to look at ear protection too. Even if you think the noise is alright you might need something to keep them from getting damaged. When carrying a lot of heavy items around, make sure you use shoes to protect your feet. Steel toe caps are the industry standard, but in a lot of cases a sturdy pair of boots or trainers will be enough, just make sure you take care. Remember there might be external factors which could threaten you too. If you’re working outside, scope the area out first. Make sure there isn’t an active bees or wasps nest. Once you’ve analysed the safety implications and are happy, you can get stuck in.
Get Painting
Painting is one of the easiest and most impactful things you can do to the home. Getting paint can be hard at the moment, so think about a colour which might be unpopular, but look great in your room and you might get lucky. Anyone can paint. But painting properly is another level up. Yet it’s really easy to do if you just put in some prior thought. There are a few schools of thought, but the most popular is to use masking tape at the edges, fill the middle with a roller then use a brush to cut in at the edges. Job done. Just be careful while cutting in. It’s good to get dust sheets too. These can be used to line the floor but also to throw over bits of furniture if you can’t move them out of the room. There are other ways to paint. You can get rollers which you can fill with paint, or spray systems to spray the wall. They’re quite messy though, so think about that before going ahead with anything you’d planned.
Tile The Bathroom
Tiling is finicky work. Whether in the kitchen or bathroom it can be quite a pain to get right and you need good quality equipment to ensure you get it right. But you can save a lot of money if you take this up yourself instead of paying someone to do it for you. You just have to get the adhesive down and press the tiles onto the wall. Easy. The tough parts come when you’re looking at the corners or have to fill small holes with the tiles you have. That’s when the tile cutter comes in. You have to ensure that you measure everything perfectly. Check and double check, otherwise you might find yourself having to need another pack of tiles if you’ve wasted the first. Depending on which kind of tile design you’re using, you may need to ensure they all match up nicely. For example, mosaic tiling can be a pain to match up so make sure you use the correct tiles.
Don’t Forget The Garden
DIY is often aligned with things being done and fixed up in the home. But you shouldn’t leave the garden out. There’s often a lot of things which need doing there just as much as the house, and as the weather improves the need to attack it gets greater. The basic stuff is easy, cutting the grass and just keeping things tidy. If you wanted to plant a tree, or something large then you’ll need to dig into your research. Trees grow. If you’ve got one too big it could easily become a problem down the line. Be careful. If you just wanted to spruce the garden up, think about painting the fence. It’s just as simple as painting the indoors. Albeit with a more powerful paint. Another way is by planting flowers and plants which flower at different times of the year, ensuring there is always a splash of colour in the garden.
Feeling Creative?
There are tons of smaller DIY projects you could get involved with or have a go at. Especially if you’re in lockdown or bored. Think about making your own bird feeder if you wanted to give wildlife a helping hand. Maybe even fairy lights using old jars for the garden. Your own design on a tea or coffee mug. The possibilities are endless. You can get some more inspiration here. They’re a great way to include the kids in something and to get their creative juices flowing. Just remember to keep an eye on them if you’re using any materials which could potentially be hazardous. DIY can be messy and sometimes dangerous, but it can also be fun and leave you with a full sense of pride and accomplishment if safe and properly researched.
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