Study Shows Brits Most Nervous About Fixing Plumbing Issues

• Over a quarter of Brits are nervous about fixing plumbing problems, with tiling a kitchen or bathroom and electrical tasks ranking highly.
  
  
• Brits are most confident about cleaning or treating exterior brickwork or render, as well as replacing door handles or locks.
  
  
• Double the amount of Brits claimed they are confident carrying out DIY tasks compared to those that stated they are nervous, with women not as confident as men.
  
  
• Geordies are the least confident carrying out DIY jobs, with nearly a quarter (24%) admitting they are not confident.
  
  
• Brits are more confident about painting the exterior of their home compared to painting interior walls or ceilings.

New data has revealed the DIY jobs that Brits are the most nervous about getting wrong, with plumbing issues, such as fixing leaky taps, ranking on top.

Exterior paint specialists, Emperor Paint, commissioned a survey of over 2,000 Brits to find out which DIY jobs they feel the least confident carrying out.

The data shows that rectifying plumbing issues, such as fixing a leaky tap, made over a quarter of Brits nervous (26%).

Ranking in joint second is tiling a kitchen or bathroom and electrical tasks, such as changing a light fixture or switch, with a quarter of Brits (25%) nervous about getting these jobs done incorrectly.

The DIY jobs Brits are most nervous about getting wrong

When it comes to carrying out DIY jobs, Brits are feeling more nervous than confident in their abilities.

More than double responded that they are not confident doing any DIY (15%) compared to those which said that they feel confident doing most DIY tasks (7%).

The DIY jobs Brits are least nervous about getting wrong

Brits are the most confident about cleaning or treating exterior brickwork or render, as well as replacing door handles or locks, with just 4% nervous about getting it wrong.

How nervous are men and women when it comes to DIY mistakes?

Overall, nearly double as many women, compared to men, admitted that they do not feel confident carrying out any DIY (19% vs 10%).

Whilst men were the most worried about making mistakes when dealing with plumbing issues (28%), women were the most concerned about tiling a kitchen or bathroom (27%).

How do confidence levels in DIY jobs vary by city?

Geordies are the least confident at carrying out DIY jobs, with nearly a quarter (24%) admitting that they are not confident doing any DIY.

How do Brits feel about painting their home?

When it comes to painting the home, Brits are more confident about painting the exterior of their home, with 1 in 10 nervous (10%), compared to 14% who are nervous when it comes to painting interior walls or ceilings.

Whilst 25-34 year olds were the least confident about painting interior walls or ceilings (26%), 18-24 year olds were the least confident about painting the exterior of their home, with nearly a quarter (23%) nervous about getting it wrong.

Brits’ painting mishaps include:

• Painting a room a colour that they didn’t like when it dried

• A messy gloss paint job resulting in a lot of clearing up needed

• Spilling a large tin of white paint on a new dark carpet and spending hours trying to fix it

Commenting on the findings, Jack Reading from Emperor Paint said:

“With more people investing in their homes, we’re seeing a shift towards tackling bigger, more impactful projects. Exterior painting is an achievable way to completely transform the look of your home.”

“Our data shows that exterior painting is one of the DIY jobs that Brits feel the most confident about. With room for less precision, compared to interior painting, and a more focused selection of exterior paint colours to choose from, this can help to prevent any regrets regarding colour selection or painting technique.”

“However, if you can relate to 1 in 10 Brits which are nervous about making mistakes, there are a number of things can you do to make the task less daunting:

• Check permissions first – check if your home is listed, rented or in a conservation area

• Use the right paint – make sure it’s designed for the material you’re painting

• Invest in your masonry paint – choosing a masonry paint with a lifetime guarantee means you can take your time to get it right first time round

• Protect surfaces – cover windows, doors, and plants with dust sheets to avoid splashes

• Test colour first – paint small patches on the wall and check them at different times of day

Plan for the weather – choose a dry, mild spell with no risk of rain to give yourself one less thing to think about.”

Emperor Paint has shared the DIY jobs Brits are most nervous about getting wrong. For full tips on preparing, priming and painting the exterior of your home, check out the Emperor Paint complete guide on exterior house painting.

Source : Emperor Paint

Image : Sinenkiy / iStock / 1501145625

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