Some Of The Different DIY Skills People Learnt During Lockdown

During the Covid lockdowns of 2020 in the UK, many people were put on furlough, which meant they did not have to work and had lots of free time on their hands. Many people got tired of their homes after spending so much time in them with nothing to do, and many turned to DIY to help them pass the time and better their homes. As people did not have to rush and could take their time, many tested their DIY skills, pushed the boundaries with the projects they tried, and learned new skills. Below are some areas where people excelled during lockdown, learning new skills, and transforming their homes while they waited for restrictions to be lifted.

Tiling & Flooring

The home DIY industry saw a boom during the lockdowns, and one skill that people turned their hands to was tiling and flooring in their homes. Many people discovered how satisfying it is to transform your home by adding tiles or a new floor and pushing their skills to the limit. You can find countless videos online showing tutorials on tiling or installing various flooring materials, which makes it much easier for people and gives them the confidence to tackle the job. It is safe to say that during lockdown, many UK homes saw an upgrade in their tiling, flooring, and many other aspects of their home.

Plumbing

During the lockdown, services like plumbing were under incredible pressure due to demand and restrictions. Many people who had nonurgent plumbing issues decided to try tackling the job themselves during lockdown and took on various projects that involved plumbing. From installing a new tap to moving a radiator, there were many plumbing jobs completed by DIY enthusiasts during lockdown to varying degrees of success. As with most other DIY skills, you can find a wealth of information and tutorial videos online to help make various plumbing tasks much easier and less daunting.

Painting

There was a lot of paint bought throughout the lockdown, with many people deciding to give their homes a makeover with so much free time on their hands. Having so much time allowed people to take their time doing the painting in their homes rather than trying to rush through it over a weekend before going back to work. Many people’s home décor standards significantly improved during the lockdown. As people were not socialising, it also gave some the confidence to try bold things with their decorating, safe in the knowledge that they could change it if they did not like it, and nobody would know. Many homes had a complete makeover during this time, resulting in paint sales surging in 2020.

Wallpapering

Another home decorating type which saw a surge in 2020 was people buying wallpaper. Wallpapering can be time-consuming if you are not a professional and having so much time available encouraged people to try hanging wallpaper instead of painting their walls during the lockdown. Social media platforms saw many pictures and videos of the fabulously decorated homes of people during 2020, as people showcased their newly found wallpapering skills.

Plastering

Many people also decided to pick up their trowels and try their hands at plastering during the lockdowns in 2020, learning a skill that we have used for thousands of years. Remodelling your home and using traditional wet plaster was not something many would normally consider without the necessary skills. However, the time people could put into their projects encouraged them to push the boundaries and tackle plastering. There were some mistakes, and some people may have had to call in an expert, but many completed their projects and did an excellent job.

Carpentry

Another area of DIY that saw a massive surge in popularity is carpentry, with people using the skill for various projects around their homes. From building decking in their garden to creating homemade furniture, there are many uses for carpentry skills. People made bookshelves, benches, decorative items, and many more projects, and some achieved spectacular results. With their new carpentry skills, people made a lasting personal mark on their homes, giving many of them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. When you have carpentry skills, it also opens up many possibilities of different projects you can do around your home, and it is an excellent skill to have.

Gardening & Landscaping

The lockdown of 2020 also saw many people spending a lot of time in their gardens with the weather being so nice that year. As such, many people used their free time to transform their gardens. Using a mixture of pruning, planting, and hard landscaping, people created spectacular spaces in their gardens, with some being like extensions of their homes. You also saw many people converting sheds into home pubs, trying to make up for the lack of socialising during the lockdown periods and creating comfortable garden spaces. The average British garden in 2020 never looked so good, and many people were starting to grow food in their gardens rather than just having bushes and flowers.

Sewing & Upholstery

Another resurgence during the lockdown was people’s sewing and upholstery skills, with many people learning the skill or picking it back up. You saw people making cushions, blankets, curtains, tapestries, reupholstering furniture, and many other things for their homes. There was a sharp increase in arts and crafts during 2020, which includes sewing and upholstery, as people looked for ways to put their time to good use.

Home Maintenance & Repair

Many people also put their general DIY skills to the test and tackled maintenance and repair jobs around their homes. It does not matter what you want to do; if you need tips and pointers, you can find a YouTube video explaining what you need to do. Many people throughout the UK spent their time bettering their homes in many different ways and fixing broken things.

Hopefully, we will not have to go through similar times that we saw in 2020, but one good thing about it is the many skills people learned from having so much free time on their hands.