Carrying out DIY tasks can be very tempting when you’re trying to save money and breathe new life into your space. However, if the task in question requires the skills of a professional, you may find yourself quickly regretting your decision. What’s more is that you may also need to pay out vast sums to put things right. Studies have found that DIY jobs that should have been left to the professionals can cost thousands to repair. Let’s take a look at some of the most common DIY mistakes and how to avoid them right now.
Shelves
It should only take around five minutes to put up a shelf, but if you don’t use a spirit level your precious items could fall off it. A spirit level only costs around £10 and can help you avoid seeing your most treasured goods fall to the floor.
Hiding watermarks
Many people have run into problems after using water-based emulsion to cover up watermarks but failing to use a primer beforehand. However, it’s likely that you will continue to see the stain no matter how many coats you add. An oil-based primer can seal the stain before you cover it up with paint.
Wooden doors
Wet weather can cause wooden doors to swell up and stick in the frame. You can plane the wood to solve the issue, but it’s always best to paint over the exposed edges using an oil-based primer beforehand. If you do not seal the wood, it will carry on absorbing the moisture. This means you’ll have to repeat the job.
Brushes
Using budget brushes for paint jobs rarely ends well. These brushes don’t have as many bristles, which means you’re likely to face an untidy finish. They also tend to moult more, which means you’ll most likely find yourself pulling bristles from out of your paintwork.
Drying
Before you start painting, it’s essential to clean your walls and skirting boards. You should also vacuum the area instead of merely sweeping it. If dust is left to float around, it’s likely to stick to your wet paint. Don’t remove any dust sheets that you have laid down until you’re certain that your paint has dried.
Heating appliances
It’s incredibly dangerous to carry out any installation or repair jobs on certain heating appliances that you might have in your home such as your boiler. These jobs need to be carried out by a Gas Safe engineer with sufficient experience. If you do carry out this work yourself, the results could be catastrophic or even fatal. At Ability, we can undertake a wide range of heating and plumbing jobs.
Contact us
Why wait any longer to get in touch if you do need help with a boiler repair or installation? You can reach us today by completing the form on our site, by sending an email to info@ability.uk.com or by giving us a call on info@ability.uk.com. We’ll get back to you as soon as we possibly can.
