Two-thirds of men don't know how to use their tools

Two-thirds of men (63%) do not know how to use the tools in their tool box when it comes to DIY - just under half (49%) feel bullied into carrying out home repairs by their partners.

These are the findings of research from online service Rated Tradesmen which matches tradesmen to customer-submitted jobs.

The survey questioned 2,300 homeowners to get an insight into the nation’s DITY habits.

In the UK £318m is spent a year on tools with 35% of men admitting to never using them; 22% revealed that they have never used a screwdriver and 19% have also never raised a hammer in anger.

Rated Tradesmen revealed that London men head the ‘DIY dunces’ league with three-quarters (74%) not knowing what tools they have or how to use them. They are then closely followed by men from the Midlands (71%). Scottish men are the most DIY competent.

Andrew Skipwith, founder of Rated Tradesmen, said: “There’s a lot of pressure on blokes to be jack-of-all-trades when it comes to DIY.  While they may have all the latest gadgets and tools, unfortunately they don¹t have the know-how to use them, often paying a tradesman to come in and correct their botched job. 

“They’d be better off downing their tools and letting skill come before ego by getting a decent tradesmen in to do the job correctly first time, which would save them time, money and the embarrassment of a DIY disaster.”