The Great DIY Beginners Support Group

[SunnieShine]

OK, so there seems to be a few of us who need to get jobs done at home - but don't know where to start/how to do it/need a confidence boost and some accountability.

I have a hunch we are all FAR more capable than we think we are.

So let's "buddy up" and start working through that list, one job at a time .

Who's with me? 😀

@DownNative thank you!

Fab thread! I’ve got myself into a DIY streak this week. I’ve finish painting all the wood work and doors in dc bedrooms. I stripped three windows, sanded and filled, painted them. I’m so pleased with how it looks, it was such an easy job, no idea why I didn’t do it sooner.

One bathroom down and one more to go, then the guest bedroom and window. Then at some point I’ll tackle the kitchen and utility room. And I need to sort out storage. Anyone have any tips for putting up alcove shelves? I’m petrified of drilling and piercing a pipe or something behind the wall.

Join away @chocciecake. 😀 I've put jobs off for at least that long, it's never too late

YouTube videos are great for increasing knowledge and building confidence, and very inspiring.

Which room do you need to paint?

An amazing thread – please count me in!

We moved into our doer-upper just over three years ago. Fortunately, there’s nothing wrong with the house structurally, so mostly it's just a cosmetic updating but it’s been slow going. Had some electrics and plumbing done by professionals, DIY-ing the redecoration (a bit of tiling, a bit of walls skimming, painting of course). Upstairs is finally done; hoped to finish the downstairs by the end of summer and host a small reveal BBQ party for family and friends, but for some reason feel really deflated and haven’t done much for the whole of July, and now realise we're running out of time!😭

@Straysocks - is it the 'full monty' plastering from bare brick or just skimming over?

@PureBlackVoid - could you post a picture of the skirting board gap conundrum? You mention looking for a 'flat beading' - perhaps look at what's usually sold as 'stripwood' (basically, just small thin flat pieces of timber, comes in various sizes)? With regards to trying to match your existing floors, most likely you'll have to to stain and/or varnish the new wood to achieve the look.

I'm a fallen DIYer, I'm afraid. Old family friend has magically reappeared and taken up the challenge. If it helps to know, the 'skim' quickly became bare brick as the current plaster is so brittle it can't adhere to anything. It's not even adhering to the wall, like a limbo between 9000 layers of wallpaper and some wattle. There's plaster over wallpaper over plaster.

@Straysocks sounds like a nightmare of the old plaster! There is no shame in calling someone more competent if you're out of your depth, it's common sense. DIY is great and has it's place, but we shouldn't bodge things just for the sake of DIY!😁

@NoIdeasForWittyNickname That's the nature of the beast, I think. Especially if you have work/other commitments, it's a big ask to add DIY to your To Do list.

I'm literally talking out loud to myself today, reminding myself how great it will be when its all done and I can crack out the new autumn duvet set I treated myself too.

Plan a final "party-ready" push - the weather is getting better. Remind yourself how fab it will look when it's done. 😁

@Straysocks Very sensible, I'm not going to attempt everything myself, that's unrealistic.

But there is still plenty we can do. 🤓

And this thread is for DIY BEGINNERS, not experts. ✔

It sounds like a freaking nightmare summary volunteer to do mine for me, and I’ve politely declined.

I was in Wicks and I found the green spongy stuff like Oasis in Flowers. Anyway plywood is out the fucking window I’m not using that again I’ve nearly lost and I and several fingers with a jigsaw. This green spongy underlay is absolutely marvellous 28 quid for a huge packet. And you can cut through it with a Stanley knife like butter

The last while I've been teaching myself how to plaster walls. First three walls weren't great so required sanding.

Last wall was actually pretty good and much flatter/smoother on the wall!

But, like @Horriblewoman DH found, I NEVER want to sand walls ever again! Absolutely not as it's a nightmare!

I'd plaster again though as I can get the plaster quite smooth. Might use what decorators call "mud" in future though. But it's a big job, so not for the fainthearted!😱

@DownNative I'd love to have a go at plastering. Not sure I'm up to a whole room though!

Does anyone have any clue how to dismantle the backs from ikea wardrobes? I'm moving soon and I'll never get the wardrobes out of the bedroom so need to take them apart in situ. How do I get the nails out cleanly? I've found youtube videos that say you need to dig them out and then pry them off but I feel like I'm causing too much damage and they may become unusable.

We had textured blown vinyl paper over plaster over textured wallpaper in one bit of our house, it's a right pain to get it off. What idiot puts plaster over wallpaper?
Under the bay, we took it back to the brick in the end, as the plaster there was a right mess of patchwork. Having it done properly in lime next month (this house really should be lime plaster on the ground floor).
I dare not remove the wallpaper form the ceiling, we have lath and plaster, and with that I take the view that it's best left undisturbed. But as one ceiling was textured paper with pink paint,😬 I did repaint that with a very matt white.

Well done you! plastering is one job I refuse to tackle, though I will do most things.

What exactly is mud may I ask?

Joint compound.

It's white and can also be sanded. Usually, it's applied to drywall plasterboard as is and can be bought ready mixed. Less faff, apparently.

I really recommend getting adhesive plastic sheets for floors. Comes in carpet and hard surface types. I also put it on a wardrobe to protect it plus the door.

Works well and you can pull it all off with mess on it to reveal clean flooring underneath!

Use it for painting and any messy DIY project. I will be!

Great idea for a thread. I've always been told that I have no common sense, I think that kind of thing sticks. My Dad is very good at DIY, practical things, so it's weird that I listen to the bad things, rather than thinking that I might have inherited some practical skills? I'm going to start really small and see how I get on...agree, all likely way more capable than we think!

Generally people with little/ no common sense are not very good at practical tasks , it’s not the persons fault is just how their brain works Not always but it’s true in general.

I would say that people CAN learn to be very good at DIY whether they're practical or not. It is mostly a learned skill which you practice over time.

I’ve just started on my DIY journey and have a tip for anyone needing to paint over old wallpaper- walls or ceilings. We had lining paper in the bedroom on one wall and the ceiling that was bubbling and gapping at the seams. I feared I would be opening a can of worms if I tried to remove the paper! I stuck it back down at the seams with child’s PVA glue using a scraper to lift it up and a tiny brush. Then once it dried out a coat of Zinsser Gardz all over the wall and repainted with matt emulsion.
The Gardz is a bit pricey but a little goes a long way and you don’t get any show-through from the glue after painting.

I'm with you! I'm an engineer so can advise you on anything electrical, plumbing and general building wise. Only thing I can't help with is gas...

I know what you mean re being oractical/common sense..I think there are people who have a natural flair for DIY, but I think some of the more basic things can be learnt. I gave myself a week to paint a really tiny room, did loads of research, wrote a list of the order things needed to be done in, and did a step a day. I really took my time, and it was slow progress but it turned out pretty well, tho not perfect. I've kept a list of things I learned as i went along, so next time I'll have reminder of what did and didnt work. I suppose each time you tackle something you learn a bit more.

I have prepped my bedroom ready to start painting tomorrow. Used filler for the first time (our previous house was a new build so decorating was easy!) and that seems to have gone OK.

Still haven't got around to using my mouse sander. Need to stop being scared of ruining things, really.