DIY experts warn against attempting these 5 projects on your own this bank holiday weekend

Are you planning on doing some DIY over this bank holiday weekend? Given the generally warm and favourable end-of-May weather, the three-day break is one of the prime times for giving your home and garden a little update. But according to experts, there are a few DIY projects you should think twice about before attempting this May bank holiday weekend.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t take on any home improvements. On the contrary, quick and easy DIY projects are perfect to get done at this time of year. ‘If you normally struggle to find the time to do DIY, the bank holiday can be a good time to undertake a project,’ says Thomas Goodman, property and construction expert at MyJobQuote.co.uk.

‘If your schedule’s clear, it gives you three consecutive days to do the work. This should be enough time to finish a small project in one go, so you’re not repeatedly getting tools and materials out and don’t need to live with a mess for weeks on end.’

But while mini bank holiday DIY tasks are welcome, anything on a bigger scale is best avoided, even with three days to hand.

‘With just a three-day window and typical spring conditions in the UK, including unpredictable weather and moderate humidity, it’s wise to avoid projects that are time-sensitive, prone to delays or could cause more disruption than you can comfortably fix over a long weekend,’ warns Violeta Stoyanova, Fantastic Handyman's renovation specialist.

‘If a task could leave you without a usable room, it depends on perfect conditions or requires more than basic tools, save it for summer or when you have at least a full week and a backup plan.’

1. Whole room refurbishments

As you may have guessed, refurbishing entire rooms is not the best bank holiday weekend task to take on – even painting a whole room, unless it’s a very small one, should be avoided as you likely won’t have enough time to complete it.

‘Bigger jobs, such as whole room refurbs, tend to need longer than three days. If there’s a lot of ripping out to do first, this can take a day or two in itself. Should you need to take waste materials to the recycling centre, this will add to the time too, as these places tend to be busy on bank holidays,’ Thomas at MyJobQuote.co.uk says.

2. Extensive outdoor paint jobs

I know this might sound like I'm contradicting myself since I’ve suggested painting the fence as one of the best bank holiday DIY tasks to tackle this long weekend here. But any other large-scale outdoor paint jobs are not the best to get into due to the temperamental weather. Even giving the fence a new coat of paint should be done only after consulting the weather forecast.

‘The weather at this time of year can be unpredictable, and although it might look like a good day for painting a shed, a front door, or garden furniture in the morning, it can quickly turn in the afternoon and spoil your hard work,’ says Adam Brown, director of operations at Nationwide Supplies.

Violeta at Fantastic Handyman adds, ‘Even one unexpected shower can ruin paintwork or cause streaking. Masonry paints usually need the surface to be completely dry, which often takes 24 to 48 hours before and after painting, and overnight dew can interfere with curing. This way, you can waste expensive paint or have to redo patches, leading to a streaky or uneven finish.’

3. Installing plumbing and simple electrics

While most of us - myself included - would likely leave any plumbing and electrical jobs around the house to the pros, some DIY enthusiasts might want to tackle them on their own. But the bank holiday weekend is not the ideal time for those, just in case anything goes south.

‘Installing plumbing or simple electrics are definitely doable as a DIYer, especially with three days to play with – but if things go wrong and you need professional support it’s going to be trickier to get hold of a professional over the bank holiday weekend,’ warns Anna Moynihan, TaskHer’s founder.

But it might just be easier to call in the professionals from the likes of TaskHer and Taskrabbit from the get go in order to avoid any disasters.

4. Laying new flooring

Installing any of your fresh bedroom, living room or kitchen flooring ideas is also likely going to be too time-consuming of a job to get done over the three days with ease. Especially as there are several things that can go wrong.

‘Especially laminate or solid wood flooring,’ Violeta at Fantastic Handyman specifies. ‘Flooring needs time to acclimate to the room’s temperature and humidity, usually 48 to 72 hours before installation.

'Subfloor prep can also reveal unexpected issues, such as damp patches or uneven surfaces. Because of that, once you start, you can’t easily pause without leaving the space unusable. The risk you take is that you might end up with warped boards or gapping later on, or worse, a half-finished floor you can’t walk on.’

But if you're not happy with your flooring and you're struggling to bear the sight of it, you can go for a more temporary fix like a rug or self-adhesive vinyl stickers.

5. Installing a new patio or paving

If you’re planning on making your new patio ideas a reality sometime soon, it’s best to pick a time in the summer rather than the May bank holiday week to install a brand new patio. And that goes for paving as well, largely due to the state of the ground during this time of year.

‘The ground in spring is often still soft or waterlogged from winter rains, meaning poor stability. Proper patio installation needs a solid base, which involves digging out, compacting hardcore, laying sand and levelling. This takes time and precision. In addition, rain delays and curing time for mortar or resin compounds can drag the job well past three days. This way, you might end up with uneven slabs, sinking spots or patchy joints,’ Violeta at Fantastic Handyman says.

But there are many quicker and easier indoor paint ideas, upcycling projects and maintenance tasks that need doing and are perfect for this time of year instead.