Building Like a Pro: Your Complete Guide to Dazzling DIY

For some, DIY is a hobby. For others it’s a passion – something that you don’t just do when there’s a fault in your home, but you actively undertake to improve your home with new features, furniture and furnishings. As you perform more and more DIY tasks, you’ll get better and better at it, slowly gaining in confidence and broadening in your skillset. In this article, we’ll take a look at the key ways in which you can perfect your DIY skills, becoming a pro DIYer with the skills to take on any renovation project put in front of you.

Better Tools

One of the key differentiators between the hobbyist builder and the pro builder are their tools. If you’re building and crafting things every couple of months, it’s likely that you’ve invested in a decent array of tools. You might have a handful of power tools under your belt, and some high-quality manual tools hanging off it. But if you’re looking to produce perfect finishes and even neater work, better tools is one way to get you there. If you can’t justify the expense of a new tool, try the second-hand marketplace to see if you can find yourself a great deal on a tool you’ve been longing for.

Reliable Materials

There’s nothing worse than completing an arduous DIY project, doing everything right in terms of your application, only for it to fall apart after a matter of months because the materials were substandard. This happens surprisingly often, considering how there’s often low quality-control for the cheaper materials builders can come to use for their projects. Avoiding this eventuality is an important step for the pro builder. You’ll get there by shopping only on reliable, trusted online stores such as Tradefix Direct, and by making sure all the materials you buy are specified as appropriate for your project in the online description.

Online Guides

Now we come to technique. Most experienced builders may be a little reticent about improving their technique – and that’s understandable. You’ve worked on several successful projects, so you’re justified in feeling that you don’t have much left to learn about building. But it’s worth checking online, because master builders – people who’ve had building in the family for generations, for instance – usually will have a tip or two you can bring in to your repertoire. Before you start your next project, have a quick browse on Google and YouTube to see if you can glean any tips that’ll save you time and hone your technique.

Classes

Another way to improve as a builder is to go to classes dedicated to teaching you more complex building skills. These exist everywhere, and are often run in community colleges where you’ll have access to workstations and a wide variety of tools. These classes are run by experts in their fields, and you’ll meet like-minded people there who may well become friends or co-creators in the future. Just being among people who share your passion will help you discuss the best way to address your next exciting DIY project. Find these courses online and sign yourself up to become part of the local building or crafting community.

Selling Labor

There are only so many ways in which you can refurbish and renovate your own home. If you’re a DIY enthusiast looking to improve your skills fast, you may have to turn to other people’s homes to keep building on your skills and your passion. You can start with friends and family, asking if they have any jobs they’d like you to do. Or, if you’re confident enough in your skills, you can draw up a quick advertisement and post it online or in your neighborhood offering your services as a laborer, builder or craftsperson. You’ll be surprised how much interest you can generate, and how you’ll amass referrals through word-of-mouth alone.

Finishing Touches

The best DIY projects always come together in the final few touches to look immaculate. This is how you truly dazzle with your DIY: take the time not only to make and fix things, but also to make your projects look fantastic and visually appealing. You’ll achieve that with the likes of a sanding machine, a delicate varnish, or a smooth, well-applied lick of paint. These final touches require patience and love, but they can really set off any project and can often make your projects look like the work of a professional rather than a hobbyist.

Sharing Online

Finally, if your DIY hobby is producing better and better end products, and you’d love to share what you’re up to with friends and family, you should certainly consider sharing pictures online. Instagram is a brilliant place to share photos of your work, and is yet another way to find yourself introduced to potential customers and other makers who will admire your work and share tips with you.

The above tips are all about moving you from an amateur DIY enthusiast to a pro builder, and someone who can take great pride in the wonderful projects they complete.