Nobody Is Born A DIY Artist
All the joys and challenges of being a homeowner could be summed up in one question only: How good are you at repairing things? Indeed, homeownership is all about looking after and maintaining your property. It doesn’t matter how careful you are. Things break, wear off, or age. As a consequence, you will spend a lot of weekends kneeling under the sink, painting walls, and taking the lead in a variety of DIY projects. Now the truth about DIY is that it never comes naturally. Nobody was born the perfect wall tiler, for instance. DIY skills are to be learned. In other words, the fact that you don’t know today how to fix a leaking tap doesn’t mean that you can’t improve your skills.
Learn how to boost your DIY skills
They learn by observing the pros
The first rule of DIY is: Never attempt anything that you haven’t seen done before. More often than not, enthusiastic DIY-crafters started their journey after observing professionals working on the plumbing or painting jobs in their homes. You can learn a lot just by watching what experts are doing. Admittedly, you need to make sure you’ve got the right tools at hand, and the task is safe, but copying the gestures you’ve seen from others is an excellent way to boost your DIY knowledge.
They rely on tutorials
Learning from the pros implies that you get in touch with experts to book repair services. What if you can’t afford to hire a contractor and want to do it all by yourself? You have to be careful about the kind of jobs you want to take – complex projects are best left to experienced DIY-ers. But you can start with simple tasks and make the most of YouTube tutorials to learn the basics. From knowing how to use a hammer to discovering how to best handle plaster, glue, and paint, improving your DIY basics can make a significant difference to your projects around the house.
They sign up to a class
Online tutorials can show you what to know, but they can’t answer your questions. If you prefer an interactive learning environment, you should get in touch with your local hardware store to find out about their classes and workshops. Most stores run DIY 101 courses that can help you to learn new skills at your pace and with the support of a professional. It’s a good idea to book a few courses ahead of a big renovation project! Besides, you might even get a discount when you purchase your equipment.
They learn from their mistakes
Last, but not least, everybody makes mistakes. You’ll screw things up as you tackle new and challenging projects. And you know what? It’s okay. Every DIY-newbie will fall in the typical beginner’s trap, from not leaving room for error when you purchase material to working without measuring. At the end of the day, you might need to start again from scratch. But, at least, you’ve learned something new, and it’s a mistake you won’t make again.
It’s easy to find yourself daydreaming of renovating the home like some of the most inspiring DIY projects you’ve seen in magazines and online. Don’t worry that you haven’t got the skills yet. The DIY artists you admire were not born with the skills either. They learned as they went, and so can you!