With the bank holiday this weekend (27.08.12), many people will be thinking about tackling those DIY projects they've had at the back of their minds for months. Female First caught up with TV personality Tommy Walsh, to find out his top tips for any potential DIY-ers.
Home and Garden on Female First
It can be daunting for anyone taking on a DIY project for the first time, but according to TV builder and DIY expert Tommy Walsh, people can set themselves up to fail, because they don't plan correctly.
Tommy said: "It's essential that they make a list of all the tools that they'll need for whatever task they decide to do."
He added: "You'll have to have a bit of a plan of how you intend to approach it: whether you're going to do it on your own, whether your partner's going to assist or you need other help.
Don't be overly ambitious within the plan of trying to do too much in not enough time".
For anyone who's never done DIY before, Tommy says that a great first job is painting your front door "to show your character, because everyone who comes to your house or property will make a conscious or unconscious appraisal of the people who live there by looking at their door.
"To make it easy, you should have a palm sander, or an electric sanding machine. You plug that in to your Kärcher Man Vac, and then every time you turn the sander on, the vacuum cleaner turns on, so when you're sanding down the door, it's actually sucking up the mess. You've got to remember this: less mess means less stress".
The next step is to wipe the door down with some white spirit, to remove the dust and to help prime it, then paint on the undercoat. The next day, you should sand it lightly with flour paper - a fine sandpaper - to remove any nibs, wipe it down with white spirit again, and then you can finally paint on the top coat.
"A good tip as well is to try and apply the paint in the morning, so then the door's got all day to go off when it's ajar, so that when you're going to go to bed, you can then shut the door without the paint sticking to the frame and ruining all your good work", said Tommy.
Tommy says that this DIY job will improve your confidence and frame of mind. "That's your first DIY job, and every time you come home from work, or from the pub, or from sport, and you look at that door, you're inspired because that's your first DIY task".
Being good at DIY also means knowing when to ask help from the experts. Tommy said that people shouldn't attempt electrical work, plumbing, or roof repairs on their own. "If you are going to call in experts, it's facilitating the space for them: making sure that they're there for the shortest amount of time, and that will save you money".
Tommy Walsh recommends the Kärcher DIY multi-purpose vac available at all good hardware stores. For more info visit www.karcher.co.uk
Tagged in Home DIY decorating tips