67 Photos Of Top-Tier DIY Home Improvements That You Might Want To Copy Immediately

You don’t need to be a professional woodworker, painter, or crafter to improve your home. However, few people choose to rely on a completely DIY approach for home projects. According to a recent YouGov poll, only 14% of homeowners rely on a completely DIY approach. 28% DIY as much as they can, then leave the hard stuff to the professionals.

Men do slightly more DIY projects on their own than women (16% vs. 12%), but both often rely on family members or friends for help. Those living in rural areas are also more likely to do projects and do them on their own. However, city slickers do home improvements too. For example, they do the most kitchen renovations among suburban, rural, and town-dwellers.

Those who have experience with DIY home projects know the feeling you get when you’re done with a project. The sense of pride and accomplishment can be monumental, especially if you undertake a project as big as DIYing your entire apartment or a room, or building a pantry cabinet from scratch.

Interestingly, this sense of achievement can be disproportionate to the actual value we’re creating with our DIYs. Experts call this the “IKEA effect”: the phenomenon that people tend to look at objects they’ve assembled themselves and put effort into more than the stuff they only pay for or get installed by others.

It’s called the “IKEA effect” because most of the furniture we get at IKEA has to be assembled by us. We’re not making the object from scratch, but the assembly process assuages the guilt of not contributing enough, so we still feel like we’ve achieved something and done at least a little bit of DIY.

The term applies to other areas, not just home projects. When manufacturers introduced cake mixes in the 1950s, they weren’t immediately popular. Only when they excluded eggs as an ingredient, and people had to add them themselves, did the cake mix take off. Basically, it gives people the illusion that they’re making it themselves by contributing at least a little.

We talk a lot about fast fashion, but fast furniture is a thing too. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), global annual furniture waste now exceeds 12.1 million tons. Restoring an old piece of furniture is not just about the feel-good factor — it’s also good for the environment. It’s also cheaper: according to estimations, thrifting an old, sturdy dresser can save you $650-$1,200 compared to buying a new solid-wood one.

There are many ways to upcycle furniture, and you don’t have to be a professional to do it. Sideboards are a solid choice to get at a thrift store, as older ones tend to be sturdy and high quality. It doesn’t take a professional to sand and repaint them, and personalizing them can be a lot of fun. There is decal application, stenciling, and painting patterns for the more artistically inclined.

What are your current DIY home projects, Pandas? Share them with us in the comments, and don’t forget to add photos! If this list got you in the mood for your next DIY project, check out what kind of stunning thrift store finds people have recently shared and learn from others’ mistakes by checking out this list of horrendous DIY projects from the “That’s It, I’m Craft Shaming!” group.