Last Updated on 15 July 2025 by Maelle
When you think of the word “DIY,” you probably imagine making and building things yourself, like decor or shelves. But DIY goes far beyond home improvement. It’s not so much a practical skill as a mindset.
And while we might think of it as a 20th-century movement, the roots of DIY actually go back much further. DIY is traditionally thought of as having its roots in the 1950s and 1960s, and many factors coincided to make this a very active time for DIY.
But DIY was by no means a new phenomenon.
DIY in the 19th Century
In 19th-century society, there was a strong moral incentive to be helpful.
In 1859, Samuel Smiles’ book “Self Help; With Illustrations of Character and Conduct” was a bestseller. He described how learning was one of humankind’s greatest pleasures, and that it was everyone’s duty to educate themselves in lieu of being taught by others.
Gradually, the workplace ethos spread into homes, and “productive leisure” boomed. However, making things for oneself was a necessity rather than a luxury for many. The 19th century saw a population explosion, with a considerable increase in the number of children. Since toys were expensive to buy, they were often made at home, marking the beginning of a lasting trend: the invention of tinkering. The hardships and wars of the 20th century provided fertile ground for DIY. The economic disasters of the 1920s and 1930s encouraged many people to take up DIY, to keep up appearances as their incomes dwindled. The Second World War brought self-reliance to the forefront. “Dig For Victory,” “Make Do and Mend,” “Grow Your Own Food,” and other wartime slogans emphasized the importance of practical work at home. Rationing of food and materials continued into the 1950s and was only belatedly followed by an economic recovery. Finally, people’s DIY talents could be fully exploited.The DIY Boom of the 1950s
In the 1950s and 1960s, many long-established patterns in people’s daily lives were uprooted and changed. The shorter workweek allowed people more time for family life and domestic projects. Home ownership was also on the rise, and better wages and longer vacations also contributed. This development followed a period during and after the Second World War when many necessities were strictly rationed and skilled labor to complete projects was scarce. The boom in DIY from the 1950s onward was fueled by new media. On television, Barry Bucknell’s TV series attracted over five million viewers, who sent him 40,000 letters a week. Bucknell was a hero to post-war women. Her frank and direct nature appealed to many, many of whom had difficult experiences in wartime factories and manufacturing. Those who watched Bucknell on television could pursue their interest in new do-it-yourself magazines like Practical Householder. Up to two-thirds of each article was filled with advertisements for DIY products, from wallpaper to power tools. At first, the magazines focused on the basics, such as masonry or wallpapering. But over time, they expanded to cover topics such as furniture and interior design. This reflected the broadening skills and interests of the nation’s DIY enthusiasts.
Tools for the Job
To do DIY, you had to learn how to use the tools you needed. The electric drill was the first of these tools. It was first manufactured by Wolf, or Black & Decker, which advertised “easy-to-use power tools.” They quickly became versatile tools. Practical Householder, in December 1955, advertised a “Complete Home Workshop” for just 20 shillings (about £22 today), which made “tedious manual work a thing of the past! A complete set of POWER tools for drilling, sawing, polishing, sanding, turning, and removing paint and rust.”
Power drills were joined by a range of new tools, often manufactured more cheaply than professional tools, for less frequent use around the home. This was the era of new DIY stores such as B&Q, founded in 1969 by Richard Block and David Quayle in Southampton.
Along with new tools, new glues, paints, plywood, and other materials appeared, sold directly to consumers rather than to specialized craftsmen. Hardboard made from compressed wood particles found new uses, notably for covering old doors with a smooth finish. It’s often frowned upon today to disguise ornate doors, but at the time, this material was popular for its clean, modern lines, which banished dust and dirty corners.
DIY Brings Us Together
Although DIY is often thought of as a male-dominated hobby, its foundations in the 1950s were broad.
Many advertisements from the period show men and women working together, although men tended toward tasks such as sanding or woodworking, and women toward making curtains or soft furnishings. These are stereotypical roles within the family, but the overall effect is to bring husbands home from pubs and other “masculine” activities and encourage them to spend time with their families. Moreover, DIY hobbies such as model railroading foster close bonds between fathers and children, previously torn apart by the burden of full-time work and even the dislocation of war.
