In the game of DIY home improvement, everyone is fair game and being a man does not assure success. In fact in Britain alone, Easter signals the beginning of DIY projects being led by women.



DIY is for women, too!

Women in Britain have taken to handling sledgehammers to obliterate old kitchens and ugly old rooms. According to June Tweddle, a carrer-woman in Britain who has carved a career out of DIY:

"I get a great amount of satisfaction from taking a sledgehammer and knocking out the interiors of properties. You also get a real buzz when you see the finished result. It's the bit in-between, when the house is a shell and worth less than when you bought it, that is slightly daunting.”

She continues with:

"DIY was always something I was interested in. From about the age of 11, I used to help my dad to lag pipes, pull up floorboards, and paint. When my husband and I divorced a number of years ago, I bought a property which needed a lot of work and I had to the majority of it myself."

Hanging a frame or a new mirror

Before you go to heavier DIY projects, try your hand first with hanging a picture or a new mirror on your own wall. It might sound simple, but a true DIY weekend warrior knows how small details are important.

You just don't bang at a wall with a concrete nail and a hammer. You take your time, measuring and buying the right kinds of implements for the project. If every DIY weekend warrior does this, every DIY would be successful.

Here's how you can begin:

1. First off, select the exact location where you want the mirror or picture to be placed. If you want it somewhere where there are object such as pots or chairs already, try relocating these objects first. You can always bring them back.

2. To secure the hook, you can use high quality adhesive tape just below where you placed your pencil mark. You should then proceed to hammer in the nail through the hook.

Don't just hit in the nail, make sure that you achieve a 45 degree angle when you put in the nail.

3. The third step is to finally hang the object of your desire- may it be a picture or a new mirror. Use a sturdy metal wire to hang your desired object. Don't be daunted by mistakes- adjust and readjust if needed.

If you don't have a spotter to help you level the picture or the mirror, you can easily use a spirit level. A spirit level will tell you just how straight or skewed your frame is.

Importance of mistakes

Mistakes might be discouraging, but they tell you one important thing: this particular way does not work. Which is why you should discover other ways to make a step or project work for you.