Expert hits back at 'lost DIY skills' claims

A home improvement expert has hit back at claims that DIY skills handed down from fathers to their children, such as installing wood flooring, have become lost.

Writing in his Telegraph column, Jeff Howell noted that TV presenter James May has recently been stating that "dad skills" such as putting up shelves and wiring plugs have been abandoned by today's young men.

However, he claimed that despite gaining some basic manual skills from his father, he learned his trade through school and later at work on building sites.

Mr Howell also said that it was impossible to draw parallels between the 1950s and 1960s due to ever-changing technology.

"The technology has changed beyond recognition," he explained. "You need special tools to get the thing apart, because modern electrical goods are not held together with normal cross-head screws."

In a previous column, Mr Howell explained the difference between the types of timber used in wood flooring and noted that hardwood and softwood are simply a botanical classification and do not impact on a material's durability.

By Ellen Campbell
 

Date : 15/11/2010
Category: Flooring home improvement news