DIY Book Recommendations

Nikumba

Nikumba

Nikumba

Soldato
Joined
4 Dec 2002
Posts
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Location
Bourne, Lincs
Hi,

Looking for some recommendations for DIY books, I know youtube, internet has a lot of info but having a book is handy.

My Dad is my usual goto for DIY advice, but be nice to do some things on my own, and its not always convenient to have a digital device nearby when doing DIY

Thanks

Kimbie
 
Readers digest do a pretty comprehensive one but I wouldn’t rely on it. YouTube may well have more ‘life like’ scenarios you can refer to.
 
Nikumba said:
Hi,

Looking for some recommendations for DIY books, I know youtube, internet has a lot of info but having a book is handy.

My Dad is my usual goto for DIY advice, but be nice to do some things on my own, and its not always convenient to have a digital device nearby when doing DIY

Thanks

Kimbie
Click to expand...

you don't own a smartphone, tablet or a laptop?

you don't have wi-fi in your house?

well i would get both of the above first before doing any DIY then just use youtube
 
Collins DIY Manual I have this book and I'm quite handy at DIY and still found it very helpful and easy to read. Easily worth a tenner.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Co...7&sr=8-1&keywords=collins+diy+complete+manual

The internet is great but being able to flick through a book with subjects in order helps you understand what you are actually looking for and what things are called. It can be frustrating looking on the internet when you don't have the right words to return a useful search. Especially so when looking for parts on screwfix etc. Also many YouTibe videos are yank orientated and don't reflect normal UK practice.
 
Nikumba said:
Pretty sure DIY is a subject, hence the many books on the subject
Click to expand...

Its really not.

Plumbing?
Painting and decorating?
Plastering?
Electrical?
Joinery?
Car maintenance?

The list goes on and on. What are you looking to learn more about. Or do you mean the crap books that teach you how to change a fuse in a plug or change a bulb.
 
As already said too wide a subject, so you will end up with very general and unlikely useful books, or very specialised books e.g. plumbing.

Majority of household DIY is 90% common sense, it's easier to youtube the what you need to do (e.g. how to put up a shelf). or ask on here or similar for advice.
 
ttaskmaster said:
It's a concept, covering many different subjects.
If you think it's as simple as grabbing a few tools and setting to, you're just falling for the marketing ploy that retail empires are built upon.
Read a woodworking forum on how many methods there are just to build a simple workbench....

There will be a hundred different books (and two hundred different methods) for very basic entry level tasks like laying patio slabs, putting up a generic shelf, etc...
B&Q sell books like that.
But each situation is different and the one method in each book will rarely work for many situations.

So.... what sort of things will you be DIYing?
Click to expand...
I've already tried pointing that out. Asks for advice then doesn't want it.
 
I'd say learn specifics to the job you want to do. As you do more jobs your research and knowledge will acquire.

It's hard to just learn "DIY", you need to read specifically about the options available to solve a problem and weigh them against each other with cost/time/effort involved to make your call.
 
my dad got me a B&Q DIY book that covered everything from wiring a plug to building a wall. It was about 6 years ago when we got our first house but i would think they still do them
 
I had a DIY book when bought my first house - was very handy because there was no internet in those day - you could do your own wiring and everything else - as the years past I had mates who were plumbers and sparkies so picked their brains - Most of the stuff is common sense and now a days youtube is your friend along with forums -

Plastering and bricking were my bogey jobs

One thing I found is reading a book is so much better than squinting at a 4" phone.
 
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