Householders stuck at home are spotting a raft of DIY jobs which need doing – because they are now spending all day looking at them.
A study of 2,000 adults found more than half have noticed faults that need fixing or cosmetic damage they previously took no notice of, as they spend more time than ever at home.
More than half (56 percent) have cracked on with DIY during the lockdown, with an average of four jobs being completed – although they also have four tasks outstanding.
But the research, commissioned by Ronseal, found doing DIY has helped more than two-thirds combat boredom, while another one in three said it means they will have something to show for their time.
Two in five feel ‘satisfied’ as a result of doing DIY and almost a fifth feel ‘relaxed’.
For almost three quarters, completing home improvements has been positive for their wellbeing, with a tenth feeling ‘stress-free’ while 15 percent are ‘calmer’.
Many have been opting for painting jobs – including walls (31 percent), garden furniture (17 percent) and fences (23 percent).
A further sixth have filled in wall cracks and one in 10 have upcycled furniture.
But the lockdown has been a driver for many to tackle DIY jobs, as three in five admitted they usually forgot about improvements which needed doing when they were out of the house.
And 44 percent didn’t even realize how many projects were required until now.
Rob Green, from Ronseal, said: “A lack of time and knowledge can make DIY a daunting prospect, and as a result, many simply put off the little jobs that need doing, even though most will be a simple fix.
“But after a while, you become so used to seeing the problems around the home that you don’t even notice them anymore – especially when you are busy going in and out all of the time.
“This is changing now we are all spending so much more time at home.
“When you are at home 24/7, it becomes much harder to turn a blind eye to that bit of scuffed paintwork or the cracks in the walls you are now spending so much time looking at.”
The research also found DIY jobs are usually ignored for an average of eight weeks before finally being tackled, with a quarter admitting they caused more damage by leaving it untouched.
Barriers prior to lockdown included a lack of motivation (48 percent), time (43 percent) and confidence (27 percent).
But 57 per cent admitted they now have ‘no excuse’ not to crack on with home improvements.
Luckily, 57 percent of those polled, via OnePoll, were already equipped with the tools needed for manual tasks prior to lockdown.
More than a third have even managed to encourage other members of their family to get involved with DIY tasks around the house recently.
This includes two-thirds having the help of their partner or roping in their daughter (20 percent) or son (23 percent) to assist.
The research found the kitchen is considered the room which needs the most improvement, followed by the garden and bathroom.
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