Everybody wants a glorious home that they can show off and enjoy. However, not everybody is as good at DIY as they would like to be which in turn, puts them off making any major home improvements. However, DIY doesn’t have to be as difficult as you may think, so take a look at these 4 DIY hacks that you wish you’d have known sooner!
Painting
One of the biggest jobs that people shy away from is painting. This is because it’s too easy to make a massive mess of paint drips around your home. However, take a look at these hacks to make your life easier:
- Pop an elastic band over your paint tin to wipe off excess from your paintbrush. It prevents you from having to use the edge of the tin and risking any drips making their way down the outside of your tin.
- Wrap foil or cling film around your entire paint tray. It makes for a quick and easy clean up and you’ve still got a perfectly good (and clean) tray to use for your next paint job.
- If you do manage to get paint onto yourself, you can use baby oil to remove it, leaving you with soft hands that won’t be affected by the chemicals in the paint. We do of course, recommend that you cover your hands while painting with gloves!
Building
Another blunder that people run into when doing up their homes is struggling to mount anything on their walls. Perhaps you’re building some extra storage in your bedroom, and you’re struggling to keep the frame on the wall so that you can drill it in? A product like CT1 adhesive and sealants are your best friends in this kind of situation, as you can quickly glue the frame to the wall and then drill it in after for extra security. Wood adhesives generally work quickly, so will save you a lot of time in the long run and add extra strength to your frame!
Hammering
When you’re fixing a picture to the wall or adding some strength to something, it’s likely that you’re going to have to do some hammering. Many people hate the idea of hammering because of the risk of accidentally hitting their fingers with the hammer. Abolish this worry by holding the nail with a fine tooth comb so that if there are any slip ups, the hammer isn’t heading straight for your fingers!
Drilling
Finally, drilling is messy, loud, and quite frankly daunting for many people, so take a look at these hacks to make drilling that little bit easier for you:
- Pop a sticky note underneath the hole you’re drilling for a mess free job.
- Use a rubber band (they’re very useful in DIY) to help unscrew a stripped screw. Simply place it over the screw and use your drill to help loosen it up.
- Put a small magnet on the side of your drill for easy access to screws!
- Confirm the cable location by using a Cable Avoidance Tool (CAT)
- Look for electrical wires, cables and equipment near to where you are going to work and check for warning signs and any other hazards
Every year, people are killed or seriously injured when they come into contact with high voltage electricity. You can download your free safety leaflet for working around electricity in your home provided by UK Power Networks Be Bright Stay Safe campaign here:
https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/safety/
As you can see, DIY doesn’t have to be difficult, and with a little clever input you can soon transform your home into the home of your dreams!