Common DIY Problems and How to Fix Them

DIY is a love-hate venture. When things go smoothly and turn out the way you want them then you love the entire process, however the second things start to go wrong then suddenly it isn’t so great anymore. Many of these problems can easily be avoided with just a little bit of knowledge and preparation.

Here’s how you can avoid some of the most common DIY problems:

Damaging/ Marking Walls

It can be far too easy to mark your walls when working in the house and just a minor lapse in concentration can cause serious damage to your walls. If this has happened to you then don’t worry, repairing walls is relatively quick and easy to do (depending on the level of damage).

Here is a complete tutorial, with pictures, to help you repair damaged walls: eHow.

Broken/ Leaking Pipe

Maybe a pipe has been fitted incorrectly, it’s been knocked out of place or you’ve accidentally drilled or put a nail through it. A broken pipe can be a potentially huge problem, especially if it isn’t dealt with in the fastest possible time. There are quick, temporary fixes for this and some more permanent jobs that will require a bit more experience – either way, make sure the mains water is turned off ASAP!

Follow these two guides to know what to do under these circumstances:

Quick fixesPermanent fix

Removing Painted Over/ Rounded Screws

It happens all too often, you paint door frame and walls without removing any of the screws – it’s a bit lazy but it does save you a lot of time in the short run. However, after doing this a few times it becomes very, very tricky to get these screws out when you need to. Luckily however this doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with those screws forever, here’s how to remove them: removing painted and stripped screws.

Replacing Broken Tiles

There’s nothing more annoying than having a single broken tile in your house, it can ruin the aesthetics of the entire room. Replacing all the tiles can be expensive and time consuming, so simply replacing the broken ones is the best solution. This is a very simple solution that almost anyone will be able to do! Here’s an easy to follow video to let you know exactly what to do:

Squeaky Floorboards

It could be that the floorboards you’ve put down are squeaky or it could be an issue with an old house, either way this is one of the easiest DIY fixes in the house. There are slightly different techniques depending on the type of floor material and whether it is on the stairs or landing/ room. To cover you fully on this problem, check out this guide.

Wonky Doors

Hanging doors is something that isn’t quite as easy as it first looks. There’s so much to get right, from hinge placement to cutting the door to the exact size needed. This means that there are lots of potential problems that can arise when working with doors, here is a handy guide to fixing the majority of issues that you may have with internal doors: fixing doors.

Drooping/ Cracked Guttering

Time can be very unkind to your guttering, resulting in drooping, leaky or cracked gutters. This is less than ideal and can cause some serious problems if it is left unaddressed. Water running down the side of your home can cause dampness, mould and worse, but fixing this issue only takes a few minutes and is extremely cheap. Here’s a handy guide for replacing your guttering and downpipes.