Simple DIY Jobs

It is typically the season where people start focussing on making improvements to their homes in preparation for either a sale, or simply to upgrade their homes. With longer evenings and warmer weather on the horizon, MOLLY MAID, the experts in domestic cleaning, recommend trying some of the below quick and simple DIY jobs, which could make all the difference to your home living.

A stylish floating shelf

Floating shelves are a great way to get more storage for your money and can be tucked just about anywhere. They can even replace bedside tables if space around the bed is tricky, but remember to take wires and the need for nearby plugs into consideration.

Just grab a drill, a tape measure to assess the space between shelves, and then line up your chosen shelves with a spirit level (do be careful not to drill through any water pipes or wires that may be inside the wall). Once they’re installed, you can fill them with your favourite objects, photo frames or books.

Bike stand

Fed up of your bikes collapsing on top of each other and making the shed look untidy? Source a couple of old wooden pallets. Lay one pallet on the floor and lean the other pallet against a wall. Make sure the opening slats between the top and bottom slats are aligned and then attach the bottom of the pallet to the other pallet with cable ties (this way they can be stacked when not in use) The slats in the pallets provide the space in which to stand your bike.

Fire pit

Instead of spending a load of money on an expensive fire pit, why not get the family involved by helping to build one out of bricks, which can even be spray painted in different colours for a more original feel.

• Decide where it will be safe to have a fire and bear in mind the surroundings such as trees, sheds and so on if the wind were to blow flames around.
• Make sure the base of the fire is on suitable ground such as grass and use sand as the base.
• Buy sufficient fire resistant bricks and then if using colours, spray paint the bricks with fire and heat resistant paints.
• Lay the first layer of bricks (a square or rectangle are the easiest shapes) and make sure this layer is as solid and stable as it can be.
• Then stack the second layer making sure every brick on this layer straddles the two bricks underneath it (i.e. so the joins do not line up) and continue for a few layers. By not cementing together, you can dismantle over the winter if so desired.

Instant headboard

Instead of buying an expensive designed headboard for your bed, why not try to do your bit and recycle a wooden pallet and turn it into an imaginative piece?

• The beauty of using upcycled wooden pallets is that you can transform an otherwise plain product into a personally designed and unique item with stencils, paint, or other creative touches.
• Do make sure you measure your pallets as you may need to attach two together using a drill and screws.
• Decorate as desired with unique designs using stencils, fabric, or a collage or paint.
• Then attached to the wall behind the bed if there is nowhere else for it to be attached to the bed.

Make a chair bench

Do you need a bench to seat children or fit more people around a table, or to provide seating in a restricted space, then we have another simple DIY job for you. Why not try and make a bench out of 3 chairs?

• Find 3 unwanted, but matching armless chairs.
• Unscrew the seats from the chairs and save the screws.
• Line up the chairs side by side, with a few inches between each. Measure the distance from one end of the row to the other, and add four inches to that number. Then measure the depth (from front to back) of one of the seats you just removed. Cut a wood plank with those dimensions and sand its edges. Paint or stain the plank as desired.
• Once dried, place it onto the chairs, centre it, and use a pencil to mark where it meets the screw holes in the armatures and the backs of the chairs. (It may require some fiddling.) Remove the plank and drill small pilot holes at each marked point. Put the plank back on top of the chairs, align the pilot holes, and mark where each front chair leg meets the underside of the plank, tracing all the way around the tip of the leg (known as the dowel). Remove the plank. Then, using a drill bit that corresponds to the size of the dowel, bore a 1/2-inch-deep indentation within your pencil marking, being careful not to drill all the way through the plank.
• Then, Apply wood glue to the dowels, position the plank on top of the chairs and press the bored holes down on the dowels. Screw the back of the plank to the chair backs and reattach the armatures with the screws you removed earlier. Place a weight on the plank and let dry overnight; then sit back and relax.

Cheap and easy coffee table

For upcycled glamour and in the spirit of doing the right thing for our environment, why not consider a wooden pallet as a coffee table? By simply painting or sanding down a pallet and attaching castors (wheels) on each corner of the pallet you can create a moveable coffee table ideal for a snug or even an outside space. For a more sophisticated look, source some glass to go over the top of it.

We hope that some of these simple DIY jobs will inspire you get busy with your tools.

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