Planning Is Key When Doing DIY

When starting any DIY project in the home or garden, one aspect that is often overlooked is the very first stage of the process – the planning.

Good preparation is always essential, and part of this should include having an outline plan of what you are aiming for.

If you are refurbishing one room or the whole house, it is a good idea to consider how everything will link together to give a ‘joined up’ feel to your home.

It may sound a little odd, but why not make up a ‘storyboard’ for each room? This is just a matter of collecting samples of what you are about to use and putting them all together in one place. A largish piece of cardboard is ideal.

Colour charts for paints are readily available, but why not take that one step further and get a sample of the tiles or wallpaper to see how it will all work together. Many stores and online suppliers will happily oblige with an odd tile or have a roll of paper open for this purpose.

Consider the flooring too – if you cant take a sample book home, you can take your storyboard to the shop to assist with choosing the right pattern or shade of carpet or flooring.

It sounds a little obvious, but measure the walls and floor of the room before you purchase anything. If wallpapering using a patterned paper, look out for the ‘pattern repeat’ and make sure you buy enough rolls to allow for this. There is always a certain amount of wastage when wallpapering, and it’s always a good idea to have a spare roll if you need to replace any damaged paper in the future. Most importantly, check the batch numbers of the rolls all match before you buy them.

If you are putting up coving or a dado rail, allow for wastage for the mitred cuts around corners. Buying an extra length of coving or rail to practice cutting before you start would be money well spent too.

The paint tins will have the average coverage on, but if you are painting on a newly plastered wall or painting over a strong colour it may need more than one coat of paint.

Once you are ready to start, ensure you have all the tools and equipment you need in one place. There’s nothing worse than starting a job and finding you are missing something vital!

If you prefer not to DIY, then go to our Find A Tradesman section to get up to 5 free, no obligation quotes from qualified, insured tradesmen in your area.