Study Reveals the DIY Projects Britons Are Googling the Most

Rather than breaking the bank and relying on professional services, homeowners in the UK are showing great interest in acquiring the necessary skills to complete their own home renovation projects. A new study has revealed the most searched-for DIY projects in the UK, where plumbing takes the top spot. 

This study was conducted by the research team at Advanced Damp, a leading property care & damp proofing company, who used Google search data to reveal the most frequent type of DIY projects people in the UK are more likely to undertake. 

Britons seem most interested in plumbing projects, with a monthly average of 472,850 searches. This huge interest is a clear indication of how frequently homeowners face plumbing issues. Among all plumbing-related searches, people sought the most help with topics such as ‘how to fix a leaky faucet’, ‘how to unclog a toilet’, or ‘how to install a toilet’.

Through heat waves and blizzards, keeping the right home temperature is a must. Searches for Heating/Cooling DIYs reached a total of 260,740 monthly searches and experienced surges mostly during summer and winter. Homeowners showed a great interest in heating systems and how to take care of them, ranging from radiators, AC units, underfloor heating, and many others. 

Gardening projects are third on this list with 178,390 monthly searches in total. As we head towards warmer months, homeowners start shifting their attention to their gardens. Although one would expect summer to have the biggest surge in DIY gardening project searches, this surge comes just a little bit earlier in April. ‘How to build a shed’, ‘diy patio furniture’, ‘diy raised garden bed’, are some of the search terms that sparked the most interest.

Out of all types of furniture, Bed DIYs were the most searched-for, reaching 146,740 monthly searches and fourth place on the list. As they frequently search terms like ‘diy bed frame’, ‘diy wall bed’, to ‘bed frame from pallets’, homeowners seem to be putting more effort towards creating a more suitable sleeping environment for themselves. 

While it can prove to be a very difficult task, homeowners seem to not be afraid of installing their own floors. Flooring DIY projects ranked fifth in this list with 140,610 average monthly searches. Some of the most frequent searches included: ‘diy hardwood floor refinishing’, ‘diy carpet laying’, ‘sanding hardwood floors diy’.

Tiling is next on the list in sixth place with 137,580 monthly searches. Tiling requires great precision and many homeowners prefer to rely on professionals. However, there is a growing trend of people getting interested in the art of tiling, searching basic tiling techniques to advanced bathroom renovations like ‘how to cut cement backer board’, ‘how to tile a shower’ or ‘how to do grouting’.

Britons average 106,210 monthly searches for Electricity-related DIYs, placing these types of home projects seventh on the list. Electricity is an extremely vital component of our daily lives, so it is no wonder why people would want any electrical issues fixed as soon as they happen, even if they have to do it themselves. Some of the most frequent searches involved: ‘how to wire a light switch’, ‘how to wire a plug’, ‘how do i wire a 3 way switch’.

With a total of 96,090 monthly searches, Shelving DIYs ranks ninth on the list. It is common for people to slowly collect different items to later realize they do not have enough space. It would seem Britons could be experiencing something similar and are looking for even more ways to expand their storage room through searches such as: ‘diy floating shelves’, ‘diy bookshelf’, ‘diy shoe shelf’.

Wall Decor is tenth on the list with 93,730 monthly searches, with ‘how to hang a mirror on the wall, ‘how to hang on wall tapestry’, ‘how to decorate a large wall’ being the most frequently searched terms. A well-decorated wall can help liven up spaces that would otherwise look empty, so homeowners are clearly trying to create a perfect living space.

Here’s the full list: 

Rank	DIY Project Type	Total Monthly Avg.	Most Frequently Searched Terms
1	Plumbing	472,850	how to unclog a toilet, how to fix a leaky faucet, how to install a toilet, how to fix a running toilet
2	Heating/Cooling	260,740	how do you bleed a radiator, heat pump how to install, diy repair ac fan,
3	Gardening	178,390	diy raised garden bed, how to build a shed, diy outdoor furniture
4	Beds	146,740	diy bed frame, diy wall bed, bed frame from pallets, diy loft bed
5	Flooring	140,610	diy hardwood floor refinishing, diy carpet laying, sanding hardwood floors diy
6	Tiling	137,580	how to tile a wall, how to cut cement backer board, how to tile a shower
7	Electricity	106,210	how to wire a light switch, how to wire a plug, how do i wire a 3 way switch, ac outlet wiring
8	Cabinets	102,330	diy bathroom cabinet, how do I paint cabinets, how to refinish kitchen cabinets
9	Shelves	96,090	diy floating shelves, diy bookshelf,diy shoe shelf, diy garage shelves
10	Wall Decor	93,730	how to hang a mirror on the wall, tapestry to hang on wall, how to decorate a large wall, how to hang plates on the wall
11	Roofing	88,630	how to put coving up, how to install metal roofing, how to shingle a roof
12	Doors	86,690	diy barn door, diy sliding door, diy security mesh
13	Wall Painting	76,010	how do you paint a wall, how to paint a painted wall, diy wall art, how to get paint off brickwork, how to paint a wall with a roller
14	Tables	60,380	diy coffee table, diy cocktail table, diy dining table, diy sofa table,
15	Lamps	59,980	diy lampshade, diy lava lamp, how to mount a ceiling light
16	Benches	58,930	diy benchtop, diy storage bench, bench with pallets diy, build a picnic bench
17	Curtains	55,170	how to hang curtains, how do you measure for curtains, how do you hang drapes, how do you make roman shades
18	Sofas	34,840	how to clean fabric couch, diy couch sofa, building your own sofa, how to clean leather sofa
19	Rugs	33,370	how to make rugs, diy carpet rug, diy staircase runner, diy braided rug
20	Desks	32,450	diy standing desk, make vanity desk, diy desk corner, diy desk ideas
21	Chairs	19,080	how to re fabric a chair, how to make a beanbag, wood stools diy, chairs from pallets

A spokesperson from Advanced Damp commented on the findings:

”DIY projects are great alternatives for those seeking cost-efficient solutions to their problems, as labour costs are increasing. They also provide new insights and inspiration for those seeking a brand new look for their homes, which is why their popularity keeps on rising every day.

A great number of homeowners decide to take a DIY approach to their renovations just to include their own personal touches. It is the little details that matter, and obviously, no one knows their property and style better than the owners themselves.”

Methodology

The study analysed the total number of home-related searches using keywords such as “DIY” or “how to”, and ranked DIY projects based on the total number of searches. The team analysed over 1,500 DIY-related search terms for each of the categories listed to see the most frequently asked questions or problems homeowners faced this past year.

Sources

Google Search Data