We start with the best intentions but sometimes it goes a little array, a new study has revealed that Brits believe they're good at DIY but often, they're not.
Home and Garden on Female First
The study found that as a nation of deluded DIY-ers we've wasted billions of pounds each year on an endless list of decorating disasters.
Six out of 10 adults insist they are good or very good at home maintenance, while only seven per cent rate their skills as very bad.
However, the research by leading home and garden retailer, Wilko’s, revealed the average annual cost of DIY blunders is £138.70 per household, which equates to £3.05 billion annually across the UK.
Almost a quarter of Brits admit to experiencing a DIY disaster, ranging from collapsing shelves and spilt paint, to more extreme mishaps including, drilling through a neighbour’s water pipe, falling through a ceiling and being hospitalised for ten days with a skin infection after misusing a DIY product.
The cost of damage caused by ‘deluded DIY-ers’ is not solely financial either. Thirty per cent of men surveyed admit to feeling like less of a man because their DIY skills are not up to scratch. Almost half of women argue with their partners over DIY, while four out of 10 women admit that they get annoyed because their partner is not good at home maintenance.
Over half of women claimed to enjoy DIY and more than a third insist they are as good as or better than their partners at it.
And the research shows this belief may not be unfounded, because men are four times more likely than women to experience a DIY disaster.
Speaking about the results of the study, Wilko’s DIY expert, Karen Jefferys, said: “It’s fantastic that so many people, in particular women, are having a go at home improvements, either as a hobby or to save money.
“Undertaking simple home improvements, such as wallpapering, painting or putting up new shelves, is ideal when working to a tight budget. It also provides a sense of satisfaction that you have made a house your home and put your own mark on it.
"Problems seem to arise when people over-complicate simple tasks or lack the correct tools for the job. Trying to follow complex ‘expert’ advice or overloading on the excessive amounts of information – often conflicting – that can be found online can be counterintuitive.
“Home maintenance is much simpler than most of us think and simply following step-by-step instructions on good quality, great value products is the best way to achieve fantastic DIY results - without the need for professional advice.
“We fully understand how daunting DIY can be for beginners and even those who are more experienced, but it should be a pleasure, not a chore which causes arguments and expensive mistakes."
The living room and kitchen received the most TLC, being redecorated more than anywhere else and almost a quarter of adults said they cared more about their home looking good than they did about their own appearance or health.
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