Rise in lockdown DIY as we finally spot all jobs that need doing

DIY is on the increase as Britons stuck at home at last notice work that needs doing.

More than half of us have cracked on with tasks during the coronavirus lockdown, with an average of four jobs being completed.

Doing DIY has helped more than two-thirds combat boredom, while one in three said it means he or she will have something to show for his or her time at home.

The study of 2,000 adults found more than half have noticed faults which need fixing, or cosmetic damage they previously took no notice of, due to being stuck at home.

The research, commissioned by Ronseal wood coatings via OnePoll, found two in five feel satisfied as a

Alice Hughes

result of doing DIY. Almost a fifth find it relaxing.

For almost three-quarters, completing home improvements has been good for their wellbeing, with 10 per cent feeling “stess-free”.

Daunting

The most popular jobs have been painting walls, which 31 per cent have done, and working on fences, a job taken on by 23 per cent.

Three in five respondents admitted they usually forgot about home improvements when they were out of the house.

Fortuy-four per cent did not even realise how many projects were required until now. Rob Green, from Ronseal, said: “A lack of time and knowledge can make DIY a daunting prospect and as a result many put off the little jobs that need doing, even though most will be a simple fix.

“But, after a while, you become so used to seeing the problems around the home that you don’t even notice them anymore, especially when you are busy going in and out all of the time.

“This is changing now we are all spending so much more time at home.

“When you are at home 24/7, it becomes much harder to turn a blind eye to that bit of scuffed paintwork or the cracks in the walls you are now spending so much time looking at.”