Bank holiday weekends are a great time to get stuck into those jobs you've been putting off.
Painting, cleaning your carpets or creating a gallery wall are just some of the jobs you can easily tackle in a weekend.
But before you dive in, check you're confident that you can complete the project safely. Take care when undertaking jobs involving tall ladders or power tools, and it's best to leave any job involving gas or electrics to a professional. If you need skilled assistance, we can help you find a reputable trader.
Before you dive in, discover the best stores for DIY, decorating and furniture according thousands of shoppers.
Be inspired to make home improvements. Sign up for our Home newsletter – it's free monthly
1. Paint a room
Repainting will give any room an instant lift, whether it's refreshing tired walls or transforming your space with a completely different colour. Tiled bathrooms with relatively few painted surfaces are quicker to do (but more fiddly) than rooms with large expanses of wall space.
Consider the paint you choose depending on the room. For example, you can buy special mould-resistant emulsions for bathrooms, or harder-wearing emulsions for heavily used rooms, such as hallways. Discover the best washable paint for kids' rooms and messy kitchens.
Allow enough time to prep your room before you start painting. Ensuring any holes are filled, and walls sanded and washed down, will make a big difference to how neat the completed job looks.
Follow expert tips from Which? Trusted Traders to get started with decorating:
- How to paint a ceiling
- How to paint corners and edges
- How to prepare and paint interior woodwork
- How to clean paint brushes and rollers
2. Put up some shelves
Shelves are a great way to use the vertical space in your home, creating space for books and displays of wall art, treasured vases, heirlooms and knick-knacks.
Options range from picture shelves, which include a lip to keep your prints from slipping, to corner shelves, floating shelves, shelves with brackets, decorative shelving and wall-mounted units.
Decide what you wish to display before choosing your shelves – if you have lots of heavy books to display, opt for shelves with brackets, which will bear heavier loads than floating shelves.
Make sure you have the appropriate fixtures for the type of wall too, ie plasterboard, brick or concrete. Seek advice from staff at your local DIY store if you're not sure.
Do you need to upgrade your toolbox? Read our guide to the best cordless drills
3. Put up new curtains or blinds
Controlling the level of light in different rooms is important for ensuring comfort for sleeping and using computer screens. If too much light enters your home at night from streetlights or other sources, curtains with blackout lining will reduce the light, making sleep easier.
Measure carefully to ensure new curtains or blinds will fit correctly. You can find measuring guides on websites like Blinds Direct. You can even get no-drill blinds from online retailers like Blinds2Go.
Decide if you want eyelet curtains on a pole or a curtain track that uses hooks, or alternatively blinds, or a mixture depending on the rooms. New blinds for a bathroom can be moisture proof to ensure they don't suffer from damp.
Does your toolkit need an upgrade? Discover theessential tools for every homeowner
4. Deal with damp
While it might not sound like the most exciting task to tackle, getting to the bottom of problem damp or condensation in your home should be satisfying – and might help save you money in the long term.
The worse the situation gets, the more time, effort and money it is likely to take to resolve in future.
The three main types of damp:
- Condensation
- Rising damp
- Penetrating damp
The first step is to work out what kind of damp is affecting your home.
Condensation is the most common type of damp. It occurs when warm moist air condenses on cool walls or windows. It's common in rooms where lots of moisture is produced, usually bathrooms and kitchens, and tends to be more of a problem in winter.
If you notice water droplets on your windows or walls, dark mould near windows and a mouldy smell, this is probably what you are dealing with.
Wipe up condensation with a cloth in the first instance. If lack of ventilation is the problem, make sure that you open windows or use an extractor fan where possible. A dehumidifier can help in some situations.
Read how to stop condensation and how to get rid of damp for further advice
5. Draughtproof your home
Draughtproofing doors and windows is a quick, cheap way to make your home feel cosier and cut your heating bills – by around £20 per year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Start by looking for the source of the draughts, which are usually windows, doors, keyholes, letterboxes, chimneys, fireplaces and loft hatches.
Once you've found them, draughtproofing is fairly straightforward. Depending on where your draughts are coming from, you have various options including:
- Sash windows Sealants and metallic or plastic brush strips can help fill gaps around windows.
- External doors Fit a weather bar or door brush strip, or use a draught excluder.
- Letterboxes Draught excluders or plates cover the opening without blocking your post.
- Keyhole cover Stops draughts, and slides to the side when you insert your key.
- Loft hatch Foam strips around the edge of the hatch can help block draughts.
- Chimneys and fireplaces If you don't use the fireplace, you could fit a chimney draught excluder.
Products are available from most DIY shops.
Find out more about how to draughtproof your home, including when to call in a professional
6. Clean and regrout your bathroom
Limescale, grime and mould building up over time can make your bathroom look grubby and tired.
You can buy specialist limescale-shifting and mould-removal products from supermarkets and DIY stores. If those don't do the trick, try an anti-mould grout-reviving pen. They come in different colours to match the colour of your grout (or the colour you'd like it to be).
If you have more time on your hands, you could redo the grouting entirely. Look for a product that will help prevent staining and mould growth in future, so your bathroom looks its best for longer.
For more ideas on how to improve your bathroom, read our guide to updating a bathroom on a budget
7. Clean your carpet
Buying a carpet cleaner might not be the right option for you – they're not cheap and you might not have space to store one alongside your vacuum cleaner and other appliances. You can often hire them from larger DIY stores and some supermarkets, though.
You can usually tackle small stains with a good carpet stain remover.
To avoid a stain ruining your carpet, act fast. The sooner you tackle it, the better the chance of removing it. Follow these steps:
- Scrape, remove and blot as much of the stain or spill as you can.
- Test any carpet shampoo or stain remover on an inconspicuous area first to check it won't damage or discolour your carpet.
- Avoid using hot water, as it can make some stains worse.
- Don't rub too hard, as this can damage the carpet fibres.
Read how to clean a carpet for further advice, including how to fizzy drinks, mud, coffee and wine stains
8. Create a gallery wall
A gallery wall is a collection of framed pictures, artwork, prints and posters that cover an expanse of wall. Gathering enough suitable pieces and framing them is a small investment of time and money, but its a great way to show off your favourite prints and holiday photos. It's also easier to update than wallpaper.
Arrange your collection on the floor to figure out the best configuration – a mix of large and small pictures in landscape and portrait usually works best. Try to keep the distances between the frames consistent for a professional finish. It's up to you whether you want matching, coordinated or an eclectic collection of frames.
Hanging them requires time and patience. You could create a paper template. Otherwise, start from the centre, marking the top corners of the frames on the wall with a light pencil mark, add a mark where you want the nail hole to go, then hammer in the nails or picture hooks.
You can also buy a curated set of wall art prints so you don't have to spend ages building a collection and working out where to hang each piece.
Discover thebest online photo printing services
9. Improve your wi-fi signal and speed
Slow or patchy wi-fi can be incredibly frustrating. If yours frequently lets you down during video calls or when streaming the latest boxset, it's time to boost your connection.
The solution could be as simple as moving your wi-fi router to a more central, unobstructed position in your home. Read our guide for tips on improving and extending your wi-fi signal.
If you need a bigger performance boost, consider buying an upgraded router or a wi-fi extender.
Discover our Best Buy wi-fi routers and extenders
10. Boost your bathroom storage
Bathrooms can overflow with bottles, containers and toothbrushes. Improving your bathroom storage will help free you from the clutter. Keeping surfaces clear can also help you spot mould, so you can tackle it quickly.
Freestanding cabinets and shelving units are usually easy to assemble and slot into any gaps, whereas wall-mounted cabinets require a bit more planning and effort to hang, but will keep your floorspace free. A vanity unit that fits around the base of the sink is an efficient way to use this tricky space.
There are plenty of smart shower storage solutions available that hang over a shower screen, attach to bathroom tiles via suction cups, or corner shelves mounted on a spring-loaded pole that slots into a shower cubicle. Towel racks can be hung over the bathroom door.
Read ourchoosing the best bathroom furniture and storage
11. Paint kitchen cupboards and cabinets
If your kitchen cupboards and cabinets have seen better days, try reinvigorating them with a new coat of paint.
Cabinets will need several coats of paint, plus you'll need to prepare them beforehand (usually by sanding them down, washing to remove dust and grime, and then using a primer or undercoat).
Check the type of paint you use is suitable for kitchen cabinets, and that it's the correct paint for the material.
You can even use vinyl wallpaper or vinyl wrap to give tired old kitchen appliances a new lease of life in keeping with your freshly painted cabinets.
For more ways to update your kitchen without spending a fortune, read 'Budget kitchen remodel: 8 ideas to refresh your space'
12. Convert your shed into a pub shed
Pub sheds became a popular trend on social media during lockdown. Some conversions include a full corner bar with working taps and optics.
But it doesn't have to be a drinking den – shed conversions can create space for an art studio, workshop, reading nook, yoga studio, meditation space, or simply a resting spot for busy gardeners.
Those feeling particularly inspired could enter Readershed's Shed of the Year competition, which has been recognising impressive shed conversions since 2007.
If you don't have a shed but love the idea of a pub shed, read our guide to buying the best shed
Find a reliable tradesperson
If you decide you'd rather hire a professional, or your DIY project doesn't go to plan, use our Which? Trusted Traders tool below to find a reliable professional near you.
