Nearly half of people have attempted a home improvement job knowing they had the wrong tools for the job, while more than a quarter have damaged walls trying to put a picture up.
A study of 2,000 people by Draper Tools also found that three in 10 have tackled dangerous electrical or plumbing jobs with the wrong equipment and confessed to having "no idea" how to do the task.

Four in 10 struggle with painting walls or applying wallpaper, while the thought of bleeding a radiator or removing it from the wall is a fearsome prospect.

And previous experiences can live long in the memory: more than half of those polled said they dislike carrying out any sort of home improvement now.

However, the research also found that the average person does start to get the hang of home improvements by the age of 29.

The jobs most struggled with are:

1. Removing a radiator
2. Fixing a leaky tap
3. Replacing cracked tiles
4. Changing a light fixture
5. Hanging wallpaper
6. Changing a tyre
7. Painting the exterior of your house
8. Patching a hole in the wall
9. Putting up a shelf or wardrobe
10. Basic bicycle repairs
11. Bleeding a radiator
12. Wiring a plug
13. Checking tyre pressure and tread depth
14. Filling in the cracks or chips in a wall
15. Pruning the right plants in the garden

The Draper Tools study also found that millions of Brits still turn to other people for odd jobs rather than trying to fix the problem themselves - a fifth admit their dad is still the first person they call if they need something done.

However, 50% turn to how-to videos on the web in order to get by, with the internet easily the place people are most likely to go to for advice.