Planning a home project? Make sure you can do it
Painting, floor tiles rated among leading failures
Feeling handy in 2019? Pick your project carefully, and do your homework.
If you’ve ever attempted a DIY project at home, only to be disappointed by the results, you’ve got lots of company. That’s the takeaway from a survey by Improvenet.com, which recently queried 2,000 Americans about their DIY experiences.
From sloppy paint jobs to crooked tile, almost two-thirds of homeowners say they regret tackling at least one DIY project. And one-third have called in a pro to redo their amateurish work.
About half of homeowners said projects were harder and more time-consuming than they’d anticipated. No surprise there.
But some DIYers reported more serious consequences: eight per cent caused damage to their homes, and six per cent were injured on the job.
It’s not that DIYers aren’t doing their homework — the average time spent doing research before and during a project was six hours.
Interior painting was the most popular DIY project (40 per cent), followed by adding trees and shrubs, and installing floor tiles (both at 20 per cent).
At the other end of the difficulty spectrum, only two per cent of homeowners surveyed had attempted to install a fireplace themselves.
Regrettable DIY projects were tracked in several categories. The projects most likely to disappoint because they “didn’t look good” were interior painting, installing floor tiles and installing hardwood floors.
DIY projects that “didn’t function well” were led by installing kitchen/bath fixtures, installing electrical elements and installing doors. Projects that “didn’t hold up over time” included installing floor tiles, installing carpet and adding trees/shrubs.
Before you pick up that tool — or hand off your honey-do list — consider checking out the complete survey at improvenet.com.