Do you do your own diy and decorating?

[PollyPelargonium52]

Has anybody learned to do the above because although I have bee n raising my boy alone since d's waa five months and he is now 15, I have thusfar always paid for help. Now he is much older I am intending to take on the more simple di y and decorating tasks. The reason being it will save me a packet. I work part time on health grounds and believe this will be very empowering. Does anybody have any comments or di y breakthroughs they have learned alone? I am so tired of an unfinished home and May to September are the ideal months daylight wise.Am going to start with a bit of bathroom touching up today then paint my garden fencing shed and gate in green. Then do the five radiators in the home. Start small then go from there.Any thoughts?

This is my down fall I can decorate. But not very good. And I was fortunate enough that the last time this was done we paid someone to do it. So mine does look rubbish.

Local colleges do DIY courses. So that might be worth a look when they open again.

I should try to be more practical. But physically as I get older I'm not as capable as I was.

DIY s mostly straightforward - or rather it needn't be complicated.

There are loads of videos and tutorials online now. My dad taught me most things and I think I picked up the "you can do it" Attitude from watching him as I grew up.

There are some things I wouldn't attempt (plastering for example!) and others that I'm not really physically able to do (paving) but I'd have a go at most things.

Heartening replies. Yes am knocking on a bit myself so will stay away from ceilings and pelmets. I think I would go dizzy (age 56). Unless I discover a latent talent (unlikely lol)!

It's worth paying just to have someone do all the boring bits of the preparation and clearing away IMO.

Good prep is key, but boring. In our house you can tell which bits we did and which bits we paid to have done.

Of course I do. I simply can’t afford to pay anyone.

I can't afford to either so hence my desire to learn.

The solution is YouTube! You can see instructions for most things DIY based (and for cars etc) and it makes it so much easier. For decorating you need to spend the most time doing prep (washing, filling, sanding etc) and then the painting goes fine. Can't say I've tried wallpaper though!

Wallpapering is pretty straightforward if you approach it methodically.

Wallpaper sounds really complicated.Luckily I prefer painted walls.

Wallpaper is actually way easier than I thought it would be. Better to get paste the wall.

I love DIY!
I don't even care if it sometimes looks a bit rubbish. It's my house, and I enjoy decorating. 😂 Done a fair amount of DIY and gardening jobs during this lockdown period.
My dad is a very practical man, used to be builder and i was often around when practical jobs were being done, so majority of jobs I have an idea of how to or at least where to start!
If in doubt, google or YouTube how to - there are plenty of good videos that explain it all. If you do it wrong, you can always do it again and fix it. Don't mess with the electrics and don't drill or saw into walls without checking first, as you could drill into an electric cable or a water pipe! But again, just google how to - and normally it will also explain what to look out for and what not to do!

Absolutely! Although I did a lot of it when married too eg painting, tiling, build flat pack. However I can now wallpaper, take apart the kitchen sink, troubleshoot error codes on the washing machine and loads of other odd jobs. It's empowering to only have to rely on yourself.

Another vote for YouTube here. Its very informative, depends if you're prepared to live with a-less-than-professional finish.

Yes have done for 30 years. There are tutorials for everything on youtube.
As everyone else said the key is preparation which is tedious but essential.
I'm just about to sand down the stair rails before painting them again.

I do lots of my own diy. Painting and wallpapering, drilling holes (and filling them) no problem. Luckily my dad showed me how to do lots of things. I do find it frustrating that there are things i cant physically do as they're too heavy.
I'm lucky as my brother lives near me and pre corona would help me out with bits like that.

You tube has lots of helpful videos or try and find a friend who you can sound out ideas before you try them. Good luck!

Yes I do everything I physically can do myself. I have painted (including the prep and gloss work), done wall papering, changed locks and hung doors, mitred skirting boards and fixed them, run wiring and fitted electrical switches, constructed and fitted kitchen cabinets, etc. The on,y things I haven't done are those which I think I don't have the skills for or that require a professional. So I had a plumber install the plumbing for the sink and dishwasher and washing machine and he also cut out and installed the worktop on the sink side of the kitchen as I didn't have a powerful enough jigsaw and didn't want to get it wrong and have to buy another length of worktop. I also had an electrician come and connect all the new wiring up to the mains board and sign off all of the electrical work. I have even designed a full set of turned stairs including doing all the measuring to make sure they were the correct size to fit the space but a local joiner constructed them and fitted them with the help of friends as labour.

None of it is difficult it is just a case of doing enough research so you know what you have to do and take your time. It helps if you are a patient sort of person who will take the time to do the preparation properly.

I do think it helps massively that my Dad was always into doing DIY and encouraged us to help and I always enjoyed helping him.

I do all my own diy and decorating. My dad taught me some, I google/YouTube things and my sister bought me a fabulous diy book. I’ve painted, wallpapered, plastered, plumbed washing machine, replaced fascia board, fitted Lino, built flat pack wardrobes/drawers etc, insulated and boarded my loft, repointed the bricks, fit shelves, new bath panel, curtain poles and much more. Most of it is common sense. The only things I don’t do is any main electric problems or fitting new radiators/repair boiler. I love doing it. My sister says it’s like having a brother and sister in one. Research before you do it, most things are simple in theory.

Wow there are such talented and enterprising women out there! I take my hat off to all of you lol. Very inspiring and more importantly saves money!

Yes, I learnt quite a bit anyway from ex, but since he left my brother brought me a drill and I practised and have now got blinds and curtain poles etc. I have always been fine painting and enjoyed decorating.

I don't think I could tile or wallpaper but again if I practised perhaps possibly but I rent so never been the need to!

I do my own painting and I find it therapeutic tbh also it gives me a buzz knowing I’ve done it myself. I do the gardening (basic). Also I do things like putting beds together and so on. As time goes on I feel you have to learn to do some things unless I tried and I was struggling to complete building something I would pay someone or if it’s a time factor I can understand why some people would pay.

Before being a lone parent I struggled to change a light bulb, now I have my own small set of tools and can fix most things, put the kids equipment and basic flat pack together, do some DIY bits. I would love to get to the point I can do everything myself. Certainly I have managed to accomplish far more than I ever thought I could and it has given me confidence. Unlike the men in my life, I actually read instructions and do things properly, so when things come out right it's because they were done right not because I guessed right! They used to get to the end of something and have bits left. They don't tend to give you random bits, so if you've missed bits then you've done it wrong! I enjoy taking things apart and putting them together and working out how things work. I also quite tech savvy now and help other people with their issues instead of asking for help. I didn't think I was practical, but having had to have a go at fixing everything form basic electrics to plumbing I have surprised myself (and anyone else I've ever met!) and those skills now spill over into me feeling like a more helpful person in general. A lot of my family are health professionals so I always felt totally inadequate medically, so learning other ways to be helpful and a use to others has been brilliant for me

Dh is fantastic. There is nothing he can't do. He can fix cars, build walls. He can't wallpaper. That's ok, because I don't like wallpaper. All our walks are painted white.

When we've had work done, we scrub, move, take it to the dump.

But finish to me is everything. We paid a tiler to tile the bathroom, because he's a professional and the finish was amazing.

I think people are very stupid and a lot of DIY looks of a very poor standard. I can tell when someone's had someone professional do it because the finish is in a class of its own.

it's a bit different putting up a shelf or fixing the lawnmower. with YouTube videos these days there's not much you can't do. but you still can't account for someone being professional and having the right skills to make the finished look fantastic.

Obolmov, did you not stop and think before posting that? This is the lone parents board and your telling us about your fantastic husband and ability to pay a professional? Do you think that these posters trying to improve their homes are not aware that a professional would do a better job?

Anyway, crack on, women! Except with electricity and plumbing. Do not crack on there.

Except with electricity and plumbing. Do not crack on there

There's nothing difficult about basic plumbing. I can fix a dripping tap (assuming I have the strength to undo the damn thing!) and I've fitted an isolation valve on a pipe. I'm happy to change a light fitting and light switch too but only because I've been shown how to do it.

Sorry. Apologies. Thought it was chat. Didn't realise it was lone parents board. Sorry.