Tips to prevent the DIY FAIL

August 3rd, 2012

*Reminder! The Lenox Quatrefoil Dish Giveaway ends Sunday, so don’t forget to enter HERE!*

[DIY = Do It Yourself]

I’ve been pretty lucky with my DIY projects so far, but that’s not to say I haven’t learned some important lessons along the way. So here I’d like to share with you my top 5 tips on how to prevent a big fat DIY FAIL!

1. Make sure it’s worth it.

I’m a sucker for DIY for two reasons. 1. I don’t like to spend a fortune on decor 2. I like to customize/give things my own twist. However sometimes DIY is not the solution, for it can often cost you more than buying the piece already made! Before you decide to DIY, ask yourself a few questions:

How much will the project cost?
Do I need to buy materials?
Do I have the time to work on this?
Can I do this alone, or will I need help?
Have I researched what’s involved?
Have I compared the DIY price to the already made price?

2. Plan ahead.

This is soooo not my style, as I am usually a “jump in and figure it out as we go along” kinda gal, but this can result in some costly mistakes, so it’s really important that you plan out your project from start to finish before jumping in. Do the research, evaluate what you need, buy everything in advance, and then take your time. This is coming from the least patient person on the planet, but trust me, it’s important!

3. Start easy.

If you are painting, staining, cutting or trimming something, it’s always safe to start with a small section, or an area that doesn’t get seen (i.e. backside or underside of furniture). This allows you to test things out with little risk. For example, in my bench project, I stained a section of the underside of the bench first, and then brought it up to the table to make sure the colors matched. Fortunately they did, but this little test would have saved me a lot of time, money, and head banging on the wall, if it didn’t!

4. Take pictures.

If your project involves taking apart a piece of furniture, as most refinishing projects do, make sure you take photos from a few angles before you disassemble it. Second hand pieces don’t come with assembly instructions, and this is especially important for Ikea products, which seriously take an engineer to figure out. Fortunately I got one of those on call, but seriously what is up with those complicated instructions? Anyway, these pictures also serve as great before and after shots which are just really fun to look at when the project is done.

5. Share your project!!!

I could not do most of my projects if it weren’t for the research, tutorials and advice that I have found online, especially on home decor and DIY blogs. THANK YOU BLOGLAND!!! If you don’t have a website or blog, share your project on someone else’s blog (like THIS one!!!!). Not only will you be helping out an incredibly grateful community, but you will then have a digital record of all of your hard work, that you can access for years to come! ***If you have a great DIY or refinishing project to share, send it over and I’d love to help you show off your handiwork!

So what tips do YOU have??? I’d love to hear how you have avoided the DIY fail, so please comment below!