As any property owner would testify, a never-ending list of tasks awaits them – be it mending a dripping faucet, renewing bathroom tiles or giving the lounge a fresh coat of paint.
In an ideal scenario, we’d either have the time to handle these home improvement tasks personally, or the funds to hire a professional. However, reality is often different, and we regularly find ourselves starting a task we are poorly equipped, lack the skills or simply do not have the time to complete effectively.
Sharon Kenny has been a devout home improvement enthusiast for a long time.
“I’ve always had a fondness for DIY and previously lived in a period home where I undertook tasks ranging from tiling to wallpapering, due to the satisfaction I derived from it,” she recalls. “I once painted a roughly 70ft high wall of that house using a cherry picker. I knew I was secure as I was fastened properly, which allowed me to save about €6,000.”
Despite her enthusiasm, Kenny confesses she has picked up lessons the hard way by making her own home improvement blunders, such as “spoiling a brightly lit room with overly dark paint”. She has now learned to take the time to strategise any decorating projects, avoid overly complex ones, and to seek the right professional help when a task is beyond her ability.
“The best suggestion I can give regarding DIY is not to skimp on buying the right product. If you opt for something cheap, you will find yourself repeating the work before long, thereby wasting both time and money,” advises the mother of three who manages The Matchmaker, a dating agency.
“Also, although I’m more courageous than ever when it comes to home improvements, I am aware of my limitations. So my suggestion would be to play it safe and leave the more difficult parts to a trained professional and obtain at least two price quotes.”
Nonetheless, she warns that even professional help does not guarantee success; there have been instances where Kenny had to step in to rectify a professional’s mistake.
Two years ago, she opted to bring in a professional to paint her newly-built contemporary home, shelling out €4,000 for the job. However, the craftsman made the blunder of using the incorrect filler for the wooden frame of the house. He used a material that expands and contracts with temperature fluctuations, which led to the formation of more cracks in the paintwork. Despite attempts to get in touch with him about the job’s substandard outcome, especially on the upper section of the house, she never saw him again. Making the best out of a bad situation, she decided to fix it herself, focusing on the lower part of the structure. She painstakingly scraped out the wrong filler, re-did it correctly and then re-painted. The end result was not only satisfactory, it also saved her an impressive €2,000.
Calling it a ‘bungled job’ wouldn’t be wrong. Kevin and Oonagh O’Sullivan are no strangers to the essentiality of a job well done. To save cash, they made the decision to renovate their bathroom themselves, despite a poor history in DIY projects.
Kevin, a Dublin native, confesses his lack of prowess in DIY work. Although he can handle painting tasks, hanging picture frames or curtain rails, anything beyond these poses a challenge. His wife shares the same lack of skill, evidenced by her failed attempt to paint the kitchen years ago which resulted in a prominent grease stain. The wall eventually had to be re-painted in a darker shade to conceal the stain. However, they had a bathroom overdue for a refurbishment, ignored for years due to their children’s tendency to leave it disorganised. Upon their youngest child’s exit to college last September, they saw it fit to finally give the bathroom an overhaul. Kevin, an accountant by profession, managed to hire a professional but his wife insisted that it was an unnecessary expense and that both could accomplish it together.
“However, their original blueprint didn’t materialise as expected, and they miscalculated the level of prowess needed. This led to the couple footing the bill for an expert to rectify their flawed efforts to spruce up their space.
[‘My spouse’s endeavour was catastrophic’: Women taking home repairs into their own hands]
“Oonagh held the belief that by merely watching a how-to guide on YouTube, we could acquire the knowhow for bathroom tiling,” he recounts. “She maintained that the saved funds could be used for an enjoyable holiday. While I was skeptical of our capabilities, she was unwavering in her belief that we could pull it off, and I complied.
“The bathroom wasn’t crowded with tiles, so their removal was not overly complicated. We were quite chuffed when we initiated the next stage. The larger tiles on the main wall were pretty straightforward to install. However, we didn’t pick up on the fact that a number of them were not in alignment. Keeping them straight was a tough task. Nevertheless, we had no choice but to keep going.”
Their most significant hurdle arose when they sought to tile behind the bath and the shower.
“We lacked the skill to cut the tiles ourselves, so we had them cut at the shop. Regrettably, our measurements must have been inaccurate since some tiles were too short and others too long. Despite realizing this, we pressed on and created a mismatched pattern if I’m perfectly candid, the final effect was dreadful. What’s worse, I stood atop a ladder attempting to reach the upper wall while tiling the shower, causing a crack in the shower tray. It was nothing short of a calamity.”
To resolve the issue, they bore costs exceeding the initial projected figures. They had to cover the expenses of redoing the tiles and replacing the cracked shower tray, which would have cost less if hired a professional tiler from the beginning.
Kevin expressed his regret over carrying out home renovations himself, confirming that he would not venture into decoration tasks in the future. He compared it to a professional decorator or tiler not wanting to take on his occupation. His experience taught him that it’s not worth the ensuing problems.
Contrarily, Kristine Hayes, an interior designer, believes that most people can successfully paint their homes without a professional’s help. She encouraged homeowners to use this as an opportunity to be creative and experiment with colour, as repainting is always possible if the result is not satisfactory. Her tips for an effective and clean painting process include using water-based paint and a wax-coated drip cloth to guard against paint droplets, and a combination of different rollers and brushes.
Tammy Lane, another interior expert, advised on ways to avoid common DIY mistakes. She emphasised the importance of safety and the use of appropriate, fully functional tools. According to Lane, more dangerous or complex tasks such as electrical repairs or demolishing a wall should be assigned to professionals. Furthermore, she suggested the use of peel-and-stick samples from reputable paint companies to ensure that the paint colour is perfect. These samples should be left up for a couple of weeks to understand how different light influences the colour perception.
Before you commence painting, it’s essential to thoroughly clean the walls and woodwork to remove any dirt or grime that may hinder the adhesion of the paint. Always use pristine brushes and rollers, and rid new rollers of any loose lint or hairs by wrapping them in masking tape and then removing it. This will ensure a more polished finish.
The specialist, located in Kildare, emphasises that a proper preparation is crucial for all DIY tasks and stresses on the importance of having the right instruments and accurate measurements before the initiation of the project.
Irrespective of what you’re working with – be it wood, wallpaper, or carpet, always affirm every measurement before making a cut. The expert suggests that it’s more wise to cut off a bit more later than waste time, resources and notably, money by cutting too short. Hence, the preferred method is to measure twice and cut once.
When fitting shelves, level them using a spirit level and when installing curtain rails, use plenty of supports. The competence of the job relies entirely on how well the curtain rail has been fastened to the wall, as it must bear the weight of the curtains. Thus, always ensure that they’re securely anchored into the studwork or use the appropriate cavity fixings.
If you’re unsure about any aspect, the pro recommends asking for guidance from the staff at the DIY store or curtain shop.