The lockdown DIY bug has bitten the best of us over this past year.
Regardless of whether home improvements were on your mind prior to last March or not, there’s just been something about having to stay inside our own four walls, accompanied by having more time on our hands than ever before, that seems to have turned the nation into DIY fanatics.
Who would’ve thought?
And with social media platforms flooded with people showing off everything from just a simple lick of paint or change of wallpaper, to their ingenious furniture upcycling creations, their at-home bars built out of pallets, and even their more ambitious garden pub makeovers, we’ve really seen it all too.
Now though, there’s a new DIY trend that’s undeniably taking over England’s third national lockdown, and people all across the country are having a crack at it.
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It’s something that fills the Pinterest boards and Instagram feeds of interior design lovers, something that the ever-popular Facebook group DIY On A Budget Official – which currently has over 2.1 million active members – sees numerous posts about on the daily, and even something which saw a search increase of over 250%, according to data from Google Trends.
So, we really weren’t kidding when we said it was taking over.
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But, what is this trend then?
Well, it seems that pretty much everyone has been trying their hand at DIY wall panelling with MDF wood as their latest lockdown project in a bid to add texture to their tired rooms, and some of the transformations are nearly unrecognisable too.
Pinterest / Champions (UK) PLC
Acting as a fresh take on the feature wall phenomenon from the last decade, panelling can add warmth, depth and character to any space, no matter the size, and appears to be especially popular in the hallways, bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms of DIY fans.
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Styles of panelling include mouldings with grand period designs, tongue and groove, traditional shaker-style, Jacobean-style grid, or dado style.
And it’s actually fairly simple to achieve for yourself too, hence the popularity.
While it’s advised by interior design experts and stylists that you do a bit of research into what style of panelling is likely to suit your home best before you roll up your sleeves and get stuck into it, you shouldn’t be put off if you’ve never done it before.
Despite how tricky it may look to start with, even just a little know-how means you can make decorative wall panels easily and quickly, and achieve great results.
Fancy giving it a go then?
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Before you begin, the essentials you’ll need for this include – MDF wood panelling, a spirit level, No Nails Glue (or a similar brand), decorator’s caulk, a saw or cutter, a notebook and pen to jot down sizes, your choice of paint, sandpaper or an electric sander, a hammer, pins, and a tape measure.
Firstly, you’ll want to have a bit of fun planning your styles of panelling and seeking out inspiration online to get a feel for what will look best in your home, before you begin the important measuring process, which requires you to decide how many panels you want, and then use your tape measure to work out the full width and height of the wall you are deciding to panel.
Then it’s time to cut the panels, which you can either enlist the help of a professional for, or do yourself by using a saw and mitre box at a 90-degree angle, carefully cutting the panels that will be horizontally placed according to the measurements, repeating this process for all of the vertical panels and lightly sanding the ends until smooth.
You’ll want to spend some time sanding and smooth down the rest of your walls next, either with sandpaper or an electric sander if you have one to hand.
Now it’s the crucial process of applying the panels to your wall, where it’s advised to start by adding the frame – first with the base panels, followed by the top – then placing your panel onto the marked wall and using a laser level to ensure the panel is straight, before applying a strong adhesive to the back, sticking it to the wall, and being sure to press down firmly.
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It’s best to add the vertical panels first, followed by the horizontal panels.
Then finally, once you have applied the panels to your walls, you’ll need to go over them with decorator’s caulk to patch up any unsightly gaps, cracks or holes and wait for it to fully dry, before sanding down to complete the look and finishing off with your choice of paint.
And you’re done.
If you need a little more guidance, just remember that social media is your best friend for this, and you can also find further information about achieving your own DIY panelling here.
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Rúben Amorim outlines the three key things Manchester United need to work on
Danny Jones
Rúben Amorim has conducted his first full press conference as Manchester United manager and has outlined the three key things he wants to address when it comes to his new team.
Amorim officially joined Man United on Monday, 11 November after being given a ‘now or never’ which meant he had to leave his former club Sporting CP in the middle of the season.
Replacing Erik ten Hag, who was sacked less than 24 hours after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham and had overseen a run of bad results, the contract extension he was given in the summer ultimately proved obsolete and now the Portuguese head coach must lift his new side from a measly 13th in the table.
That being said, speaking to the media in his first full pre-match presser ahead of his maiden Premier League outing against Ipswich Town this weekend, Amorim has already highlighted three key areas in which he wants United to improve as a matter of priority.
"I truly believe that I'm the right guy in the right moment" 👊
Ruben Amorim says he does not think managing Manchester United is the impossible job.#MUFC#bbcfootball 🇵🇹
What did Amorim say in his first full Man United press conference?
Although the 39-year-old coach – who is only three years older than resurgent centre-back Johnny Evans – started off by assuring that his main focus at its core is to win the next match (and the one after that, as the football cliché goes), he boiled the current squad issues down to a troublesome trio.
In his eyes, a lot of it just comes down to pure physical effort.
Improve possession
First and foremost, Amorim was quick to point out that United “lose the ball too often” and simply have to retain it more throughout the 90 minutes.
Although they have enjoyed spells of greater control in games, their average possessions stats in the Premier League not only under ten Hag but Ole Gunnar Solskjær and even short-lived interim boss Ralf Rangnick never flirted too far above 50-53%.
While that might sound like the signs of nothing more than a well-contested game, the club need to be looking at much higher numbers if they want to start being a dominant force again.
Track back more
The second area he said that the team desperately needs to improve in is the distances covered per match, especially when it comes to running back towards their own goal and tracking back during defensive phases.
Addressing it in a rather matter-of-fact manner, he told reporters: “We have to be better at running back, I think that is clear for everybody [to see].” He told Gary Neville something very similar in his other recent interview with Sky Sports.
"This is my place" ❤️
The smile on both Gary Neville and Ruben Amorim's face when the Manchester United head coach said this ☺ pic.twitter.com/dpKnnE69Nm
He said it with a smile on his face but it’s clear that he knows there is a narrative surrounding United in recent years that they just don’t work hard enough, both on and off the ball. Having played mainly in the middle of the park for Belenenses, Benfica and SC Braga, running is a non-negotiable.
Focus on the ‘details’ first
Lastly, Amorim said he believes one of the big things he can do for these players is to help them fine-tune the small things. He added that although there is a feeling that fans want there to be “a lot of change” and pressure to make “big” decisions, he reiterated that “it’s the small things.”
The former utility player knows a thing or two about playing in lots of positions and going back to the opening point of his press conference in which he discussed getting the team to believe in “one thing”, he believes that the minute differences can contribute to changing how they approach the game.
There is understandably lots of talk surrounding his trademark 3-4-3 formation and whether these details refer to tactical tweaks, we will see, but he insists that so long as they put in the effort and pay attention to the little stuff, those on the pitch will start to play in the same way that he wants them to.
You can watch his press conference ahead of the Ipswich away this Sunday in full down below:
Amorim was also happy to casually call out those who ‘don’t believe in’ his new players in his first press conference as Man United coach.
Featured Images — BeanymanSports (via YouTube screenshot)
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Posters around Manchester city centre spark serious rumours Charli XCX is set to headline Parklife 2025
Danny Jones
Some pretty big, green posters are popping up around town and, not to get ahead of ourselves, but it looks like they’re hinting at Charli XCX headlining Parklife 2025…
Feel free to lose your bratting minds.
A number of tall, let’s call it ‘apple’ green posters have been sighted in various places across Manchester city centre this Friday, 22 November and the last time we saw this slightly low-resolution, plain black Arial font and colour combo we got a reworked version of Charli XCX’s brat album.
Listen, all we can tell you is that this is almost exactly the same marketing and the letters on the poster simply read, “PL25”. Come on… you do the math(s).
Spotting at least two of the posters for ourselves around both Newton and Thomas Street in and around the Northern Quarter, plenty of people have been double-taking at the simple but bold and undeniably eye-catching portrait posters.
Trust us, we weren’t the only ones stopping to take a picture and frantically send them to half of our phonebook either.
Charli herself hasn’t given us any other clues on social media thus far – to be fair, this one feels fairly obvious to us – but it’s well worth keeping your eyes peeled on her stories as she did plenty of teasing before dropping Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.
Still can’t get over that actually being the title, by the way.
It’s also worth noting that Parklife themselves recently confirmed that festival fans can expect the 2025 lineup very soon. Check out that colour…
Oh, who are we kidding? That’s not apple green it’s straight-up BRAT green, b*tch. We’re fully getting carried away and you’ll just have to deal with it.
Even if it somehow turns out she’s not headlining it’s certainly looking like she’s going to be there and it wouldn’t be the first time.
Better yet, fans of the pop sensation won’t have to wait too long to see her right here in Greater Manchester because Charli is bringing her already smash-hit tour to Co-op Live next Wednesday, 27 November and in case you couldn’t tell by all the shouting in capitals, we’re very excited.
Roll on ‘PL25’. Other than Charli XCX, who else would you like to see Parklife next summer?
Emily Sergeant -
8th February 2021 
