How to Avoid Painting, Art Hanging, and Other DIY Disasters

Boredom during home isolation can manifest itself in strange ways.

For some, it is having the courage to cut their hair. For others, like me, it’s feeling pressured to take on housekeeping with little or no work experience.

I removed scuff marks from the walls, tightened a loose toilet roll holder, and spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning my oven.

These little domestic victories made me thirst for more. I want to raise the bar and get on with some of the most important household chores I’ve put off.

I’m also still recovering from that time when I tried to fix my washing machine while watching YouTube tutorials.

So in an effort to avoid yet another DIY disaster, I sought professional advice.

Start with simple, straightforward tasks

Carpenter Patrick Dunn recommends DIY beginners choose their battles carefully.

“The reason people go to restaurants is because they can’t cook the meal that the chef can cook for them. And it’s the same when you hire a craftsman; should be the one fixing it, ”he said.

If a job requires you to meddle with electrical, plumbing, or structural changes, then that is not possible.

In our effort not to end up in the hospital with stitches or worse, he suggests that beginners stick to simple, straightforward tasks.

Now is not the time to renovate the bathroom without professional supervision.

But it’s not all paperwork, no entry.

“Some DIY projects don’t need much to get good results. If a door is no longer on its hinges, try fixing it,” he says.

“If you want to paint a wall, hang a picture, or make a desk, go ahead. But don’t start without knowing how you’re going to end.”

How to prepare to paint

When it comes to DIY, Patrick recommends researching the process involved as there is no undo button in the construction world.

“Everything has to be done in order to work well. Seeking your local hardware store for advice is a good place to start,” he says.

So before opening a can of paint, know that “the paint is 90% preparation”.

Cabinetmaker and cabinetmaker Dustin Fritsche agrees: “You have to have tarps, and baseboards and doorknobs have to be taped. [with painter’s tape]. “

Patrick says not to jump any holes in the wall either.

“If you go to any shared house, there have been 15 shady attempts to have people hanging picture frames on the walls and holes all over the place. You can’t just paint on it and hope it goes away – you have to. stick them and sand on them [so the surface is flat]. “

Also, if you have any leftover paint and plan to use it for the picket fence outside, don’t.

“It may all look like paint, but they all have specific uses. Interior paint cannot be used outdoors, there is even paint specifically for the ceiling, so be sure to use the right one, ”explains Patrick.

Tips for hanging photos and artwork

Hanging pictures is next on my to-do list, but I was still warned to think before I act.

When deciding where to hang the pictures, Dustin suggests masking the wall at your picture size with duct tape first.

“This will give you a good indication of size and positioning, and you’ll be able to tell if you’re happy with it before you commit to putting a nail in the wall,” he says.

This process is also useful if you plan to hang multiple gallery-style artwork on the wall.

Hanging a painting on a brick or plaster wall? Different walls require different hanging applications.

“The 3M sticky hook you place on the back of the bathroom door might not fit the photo you hang,” says Patrick.

“Plaster is not particularly strong, so you need to make sure you have the right attachment to support what you want to hang.”

To avoid a hole in the wall or your favorite frame shattered into pieces, look for the right fastener: do you need a nail, a removable hook, or do you use guardrails with wire?

“If you’re putting something in an exposed brick wall… you’ll have to use power tools with a very specific type of screw. ”

Before you start, make sure there is no gas, plumbing, or electrical wiring hidden behind the wall.

Finally, while Dustin is a professional cabinet maker and cabinet maker, he finds “simple DIY is very rewarding and low risk.”