Where to Start with DIY

DIY is great. It is satisfying, creative and economical. But if just looking at a hammer and a few nails make your palms sweaty and tummy turn, don’t worry you’re not alone. Often times people tell us that they love the idea of DIY, but they just don’t know where to start and are often unsure whether they are even able to do it. Our local DIY expert, Elle Franco is here to prove that statement wrong and to prove you really can do it!

Like everything in life, first comes the crawling stage before the walking stage (with stumbles along the way.) But if you use these DIY tips and advice on how to get started with DIY, you will soon be on your way to wearing your DIY enthusiast badge proudly.

Don’t hold back:

First bit of advice I always give “wanna-be DIY’ers” is to let go of fear and grab onto confidence. People are generally scared of “messing” up or that their DIY project won’t turn out right. Yes that is a factor, but this attitude won’t get even the smallest DIY projects done.

You have to want to do DIY and have a self- belief that you can learn and you are able to complete a DIY task/project. Also, put any excuses in a box; you can’t keep making excuses such as don’t have the know-how or time to DIY, the know-how will come with each completed project and the time, we all know if you really want to do something you will always make time.

Once you have the right, positive attitude towards DIY the rest is in the bag… the tool box in this case.

Start small:

The best way to become a DIY’er is to start small. Don’t scare yourself off by trying to remodel a kitchen or bathroom on your first attempt as taking on such a large project to begin with will only frustrate you and leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Start with small, uncomplicated DIY projects. For example:

• Paint a wall/room
• Put up one simple shelf
• Mount a flat screen TV to a wall
• Hang a picture frame
• Fill and smooth out a wall cracks with polyfiller

Once you have tackled the smallest of DIY projects, that only leaves room to grow and progress to bigger projects successfully.

Resources and research:

Thanks to our modern world, there are many ways of learning how to do something and to look up how it is done, step by step. The internet is a world of endless knowledge. Never typed DIY in the search bar before? Well, give it a try.

Everything from how to correctly use a drill, to how to change/wire an electrical plug and how to tile and even plaster a wall is searchable at your finger tips. YouTube is your DIY friend.

Even if the internet is not your thing (I am not even going to ask why not!), but let’s just say it isn’t. There are countless DIY how-to books at the local library, in book stores and yes online. There are so many ways to gain DIY know-how: magazine articles, books, YouTube, videos, and more.

If you prefer human interaction and having someone explain to you in person, there are hundreds of DIY courses, workshops, and expos. You could even ask family and friends who have some DIY experience to show you a thing or two. You will be spending some quality bonding time with them too!

Before starting a DIY project, make sure you have reviewed all your resources, researched the project, tools, steps and safety thoroughly. Even if you think you have a good idea on how to tackle the project, you should still look at all the information available one more time.

If you are the type of person who throws the instructions leaflet out the box and dives right in, then by all means do so. But doing DIY research before starting a project will really help to make sure it is a safe, fun and a successful project.

Get involved and be inspired:

Once you have found your DIY footing, and you have a few successfully completed DIY projects under your tool belt, why not share your gained DIY knowledge and completed projects with “DIY wanna-be’s” just as you used to be.

There is a DIY community out there waiting to be found, and most of it can be found on social media!

Why don’t you share your successful DIY masterpieces, post it on Facebook, Instagram,  Pinterest and DIY websites/forums or start your very own blog. Sharing, commenting and getting feedback is an enjoyable part of DIY and you could learn a valuable tip when you start sharing your DIY posts with other DIY enthusiasts out there… it’s all for the greater good of the DIY world!

I hope I have inspired you to go DIY and hopefully you will inspire someone else.

As I always say if you can DIY, then why not!

Keep updated with Elle Franco’s DIY projects by following her on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.