Bank holiday DIY ideas and tips
Thursday, 21 April 2011 5:23 PM
Come rain or shine, if you're not headed to the coast over the coming long weekends you're likely to be looking for something to do – and if sprucing up the house sounds appealing, Bob Bardsley's got a few ideas to get you started.
Should the curse of British bank holidays strike and rain pour from the sky, turn your hand to one of the indoor projects we've listed below. If the sun breaks through the clouds, meanwhile, we've got some outdoor ideas too – so take your pick.
Indoor home improvement projects for a rainy day
Decorating
If you're painting, use a roller for large areas and a sponge-tipped brush to avoid bristle marks in the fine details. Dust sheets will help if you don't want to move furniture out of the room. If you're wallpapering, however, start in the middle of the wall to avoid an eye-catching seam there. Remember to smooth any air bubbles and excess paste out from under each piece.
Insulating
The weather's getting warmer, but it's the perfect time to insulate your home as lower heating bills in the summer help pay for the materials. You might even find your house is cooler in heat waves with insulation fitted, as it helps to keep the heat out when you don't want it and in when you do.
Putting up shelves
The classic DIY project and a great one for beginners: if you're fixing your shelf to masonry, get out your measuring tape, spirit level and hammer drill. Be sure that you use a strong enough support for the shelf to take more weight than you expect it ever to need to handle – just to be on the safe side.
IKEA is a good place to start when you're shopping for shelves.
Wall-mount a TV
Vesa mounts allow your TV to be flush to the wall, or to swivel if you need it to. If your sleek set is still perching atop a bulky, impractical media stand, this is the job for you.
Build some flat-pack furniture
You can never have enough storage, so put up a new bookcase, wardrobe or set of drawers and you'll have somewhere to tidy things to during your spring clean.
Outdoor DIY ideas for when the sun shines
Build a shed
Not too challenging with a kit from a garden centre, this will give you somewhere to keep your tools without cluttering up the garage. Just make sure the hinges, locks and windows are all secure to keep the thieves out.
Homebase has some great offers on sheds and greenhouses – including bases for if you're building from scratch and just need a solid foundation.
Lay decking or a patio
Spend less time mowing the lawn by paving or decking part of it. This can be partway down your garden, with a path leading to it, to add an architectural touch to your outside space.
B&Q has free in-store demonstrations of this kind of project – in fact it's running a decking masterclass on May 7th-8th.
Spruce up your fence
You can get spray kits that make painting a fence easy – and this is the chance to get rid of any moss or mildew from the wetter winter months and make sure your panels are still standing by autumn. Cuprinol has a fab range of colours and stains.
Build a pond
Deep in the middle with a couple of shallow areas around the edge is the way to go. You can get pre-shaped hard plastic liners, or if you're using a waterproof membrane put down a layer of sand first to protect against any sharp stones in the freshly dug earth.
Install lighting
The sun has to set some time, so put outdoor lighting in place and you can keep those evening barbecues going long into the night.
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Tags:
- decorating ,
- diy ,
- diy tips ,
- home improvement
