DIY ideas: The most searched DIY questions in lockdown

As well as baking banana bread and buying home gym equipment, the coronavirus lockdown also sparked a huge number of Google searches on DIY projects.

Rather than sit around at home, it seems the British public saw lockdown as an opportunity to take on lingering DIY jobs or to learn a new skill.

We’ve analysed Google search data to reveal the most searched-for DIY questions during the lockdown and here are the results…

DIY garden ideas: The most searched-for ‘how to’ questions during lockdown

With the lockdown seeing the vast majority of us having to stay at home, outdoor space became even more important.

Indeed, a Rightmove survey in June revealed 63% of buyers were prioritising garden space when searching for their next home, such is the change in buyer mindset post-lockdown.

So, the huge increase in demand for online information on laying patios (124%), decking (174%) and building pergolas (238%) was potentially from homeowners looking to add value to their properties before selling in the future, as much as creating a nice garden space for their own use.

The most searched-for DIY plumbing questions during lockdown

Lockdown was the perfect opportunity to tackle some of those niggling DIY jobs that we all try to put off.

So, the huge rise in Google searches for unblocking sinks (83%), fixing dripping taps (83%) and unblocking drains (89%) should perhaps come as no surprise.

Interestingly, Bristol and Norwich dominated the search locations, perhaps suggesting that homeowners in those locations had put off those jobs more than most…

DIY ideas for the home: The most searched-for decorating questions

As well as garden revamps and exterior spruce-ups, lockdown also saw a large rise in searches for internal decorating tips as homeowners took the opportunity to give their properties a fresh lease of life.

How to wallpaper was one of the most searched-for DIY decorating tasks, with a 125% increase in May compared with the previous year.

And with painting high on most people’s lists of tasks, there was also a 313% increase in searches for information on cleaning paint brushes and a 125% rise in demand for tips on getting paint off clothing.

The most searched-for electrical questions

Rises in online questions about electrics also stood out, including reading gas (50%) and electric meters (52%) as people perhaps tried to ensure their utility bills were more accurate during the lockdown period, which hit many hard financially.

The biggest DIY trends during lockdown

Pizzas and a home bar – what’s not to love?

As well as a huge increase in plant-related searches (174% for flowers, 173% for plants and 173% for house plants) for a bit of lockdown tranquillity, searches on pizza ovens (397%) and how to build them (247%) soared.

However, the biggest DIY trend search increase was for DIY garden bars, which grew by a massive 1025% and was most searched-for in Liverpool.

The biggest lockdown DIY search increases

With more and more people working from home during the lockdown period, it was no surprise to see Google searches on making a home office rise by 800%.

Home cinema searches also increased by 550%, alongside hot tubs (319%) as homeowners looked to keep themselves entertained during the shutdown.

Further reading…

The property market has bounced back well since coronavirus restrictions were lifted during the summer – but is now a good time to buy a house? The stamp duty holiday has certainly been a boost for buyers and you can find out exactly how it could affect you here.

Methodology:We used Google Keyword Planner to pull the search volume for all DIY-related searches across five different categories. We then took the May 2019 volume as well as the May 2020 volume and worked out the increase or decrease to give us our percentages. For the regional data, we pulled the individual search volumes for our top 10 DIY terms for each category across the 18 biggest cities in the UK. We divided these numbers by the population of those cities in order to find who was searching for those terms the most per capita, which gave us our regional rankings.