When people think of DIY they may get nervous and go out of their way to avoid it. Paying for someone to come and do it for you can occasionally cost a crazy amount. Learning to DIY can really benefit you in the long run. You will have a great collection of DIY tools and will be able to do any job. So let us start with some of the easiest of tasks people will enjoy and find easy to do.
Putting up shelves
The basic tools you will need to put up a shelf or shelves are: a laser level to make sure they are straight, pencil to mark where to put screws and shelf, drill to make the holes, masonry or wood to fit the wall plugs, screwdriver and a straight wooden batten may come in useful. You will need brackets, screws, wall plugs, shelf and small screws to fix the shelf to the brackets. Before starting one of the most important actions is to check whether there are pipes or cables hidden behind the wall, use a detector that can find wires and pipe.
Hanging paintings and mirrors
Here are instructions on how to hang paintings and mirrors, (depending on the type of mirror). You need to know if your wall is hollow or solid as this will let you know which the best way to hang your items is. When hanging on hollow walls there are two steps you must take. The first step is to hold the picture in a position and against the wall you want. You then mark the top of the picture with a pencil. Using a tape measure support the picture with this, so you can now measure the distance from the top of your picture to where the hanging wire is when the picture is supported.
Drywalls are normally hollow unless you are lucky to find a stud where you want to hang your picture. A stud will make it so much easier to hang your picture. To find the “Stud” you can tap on the walls using your knuckles until you hear a solid thud of a stud. This is a very hit and miss method as if you do not get the nail correctly in the middle of the stud then the picture will most likely fall down. An actual stud finder will locate where the exact place to have the nail is.
If the position of the picture is not in line with the stud, then you can use a toggle bolt or an expanding toggle to adjust this problem. Drill the hole, place the toggle in the hole and tighten with a screwdriver. There are numerous hooks available which are suitable to use with toggle bolts. The job will be so much easier if you have the correct power tools and hand tools.
Especially with light paintings and images, you can use “picture hooks”. This is to allow you to hammer a smaller nail into the drywall at an angle which will work quite well just to hang.
A solid wall is classed as concrete, brick or concrete block.
When you have marked where you want your picture to hang (as told above), you then need to drill a hole. It will be a lot easier if you have a hammer drill but if not then you can still drill. The drill size and the plastic plug that is going to be inserted into the hole must be of the same size. For a variety of pictures a 6mm drill bit with a 6mm plug will be sufficient. If the picture is quite heavy or large then you may need two plugs. Space the plugs apart.
When hanging a heavy mirror, it will be better to use an 8mm drill bit with two 8mm plugs and have large picture hooks screwed into these.
Painting
When painting woodwork then you should make sure you have sufficiently sanded down the wood. This will give you a nicer finish. To make it easier for you then you can use an electric sander as this will most likely be faster and less hard work.
When painting walls make sure you clean any dirt or noticeable marks off with a damp cloth. Sugar soap or a suitable detergent is great to remove dust. Leave this to dry before painting over. It is best to start with the ceiling before the walls as it will make it a lot easier. You should remove all curtains, wall hangings, light fittings and all heavy furnishings from the room. If it is not possible to remove all the heavy furniture then push them into the middle of the room and cover with protective sheets, also cover the floor with sheets. Make sure you check the walls and ceiling for any cracks, loose plaster or holes. If there are small cracks use a fine filler, but for larger cracks or holes use a stronger more suitable filler. Try to leave a smooth finish, the best way to achieve this is to have the area slightly proud to the rest and then when dry sand down for a smooth finish.
After preparing the surface the first task is to cut-in the ceiling. Take a small paint brush and apply the paint so it comes only half way up the bristles, this will avoid overloading the brush. Start in a corner and use a diagonal tilt to the brush so you can get importance of equipment maintenance right into the crack. After that you then go over the paint again to even out the layer, use a more flat straight on angle to get the a wider stroke from the edge. You will find it easy to paint if you remove fittings rather than trying to paint around them.
Following painting the edges, fill your roller tray but so the paint won’t rise above the pile of the roller to prevent overloading. Distribute the paint evenly over the roller. Start in a corner and roll in smooth parallel actions. Try to work in a metre square section as it will be easier to keep the wet edges fresh. Coat the entire ceiling and allow the paint to dry fully. You can then apply the second coat in the same way after the first coat is dry.
Painting the walls are the same as painting the ceiling. You prepare the walls by removing any access wallpaper, dirt, cracks industrial machinery and equipment companies or holes. You then start with a brush going around the corners and edges. Then using a roller cover the rest of the walls.
It is vital to have the correct safety equipment when doing any DIY. For example you should wear masks and goggles when painting and putting up pictures.
Some other simple DIY you can do is to fix dripping taps, replace shower heads, fit blinds and curtains and lay vinyl.
As long as you have all the correct DIY tools then the job will be a lot easier on your behalf, if they are hand tools or power tools they will all be extremely helpful. Look online and in books if you are unsure on how to do things. There will be many good easy steps to follow, which will make your job a lot more fun and easy.
