Elizabeth Berrett
DIY has long been the place where optimism goes to test itself against wonky walls, missing screws and instructions apparently written by a man trapped inside a flat-pack wardrobe. But new research suggests those long-avoided home improvement jobs may do more than improve the house — they can also burn a surprising number of calories.
From sanding and carpentry to gardening, shelving and wallpapering, MyJobQuote.co.uk set out to find which household tasks demand the most physical effort.
The results were measured using Fitbit data from three men of average weight, 84.9kg, and three women of average weight, 72.8kg, over a 15-day period.
Each task was performed for around 20 minutes, with the results multiplied by three to estimate calorie burn per hour.
Sanding Comes Out Swinging
At the top of the DIY calorie-burning leaderboard is sanding, which burned 456 calories per hour for men and 392 calories per hour for women.
That makes it the most physically demanding task in the study, which will come as little surprise to anyone who has ever tried sanding a staircase and emerged looking like they have been lightly flour-dusted for a bakery window.
Kane Hughes, DIY expert from MyJobQuote, said: “Sanding is something most people can DIY. If you’re sanding furniture, such as tables and chairs, this can usually be done with sandpaper and can take half a day for a whole dining room set”.
That is the friendly version. The full-house version is rather less forgiving.
“Sanding a hallway with a staircase, doorframes and skirting boards to re-gloss is best left to the professionals and can take up to a week to complete with a belt sander.
Carpentry Is Not Far Behind
Carpentry came second, with men burning 438 calories per hour and women burning 383 calories per hour.
It is another high-intensity DIY task, partly because it mixes strength, balance, measuring, lifting and the sort of concentration usually reserved for a three-foot putt with your reputation hanging from it.
Hughes advised: “To hang a door takes about twenty minutes to an hour and installing a door frame will take around the same amount of time. Skirting boards are a bit more complicated and to fit correctly in a room may take half a day”.
He added: “With carpentry, hanging doors and installing door frames is best left to a professional carpenter as it has to be done correctly and measured perfectly, to ensure your doors open properly. To hang a door takes about twenty minutes to an hour and installing door frame will take around the same amount of time.
Gardening Delivers A Proper Workout
Gardening was the first moderate-intensity task in the findings, but there is nothing especially soft about it.
Men burned 337 calories per hour, while women burned 306 calories per hour. Digging, planting, weeding, clearing grass and shifting soil all add up. It may look genteel from the kitchen window, but gardening can quickly become a full-body workout in muddy shoes.
Hughes explained: “In regards to Gardening, weeding is easy to complete yourself and can take a couple of hours a month. Something more technical, like tree trimming or removing a tree stump, it’s better to hire a contractor as it’s safer for them to complete as they know what they’re doing (and may need the use of power tools) and shouldn’t take more than a day to complete.”
That is sensible advice. There is a difference between tidying borders and wrestling a tree stump like it owes you money.
Shelving Burns More Than You Might Expect
Putting up shelves was classed as a low-intensity DIY job, but it still made a decent dent in the calorie count.
Men burned 291 calories per hour, while women burned 249 calories per hour.
Of course, the real test with shelving is not always physical. It is emotional. One minute you are calmly holding a spirit level, the next you are questioning the structural integrity of the wall, the drill, the bracket, and possibly yourself.
Still, as a home improvement task, shelving works the arms, shoulders and core more than many people realise, especially when measuring, lifting and securing heavier units.
Wallpapering Burns The Least Calories
At the bottom of the DIY calorie chart was wallpapering.
Men burned 217 calories per hour, while women burned 180 calories per hour. That makes it the lowest calorie-burning task in the study, although anyone who has ever tried matching patterns around a plug socket may argue that mental calories should count for something.
Wallpapering is less about brute force and more about patience, precision and not panicking when one strip decides to fold itself in half like a damp newspaper.
It may not be the most athletic DIY job, but it is still a skill-heavy home improvement task that rewards a steady hand and a cool head.
DIY Calorie Burn: The Results
What The Findings Really Mean
The biggest takeaway is not that DIY should replace structured exercise, but that physical activity does not always need a gym membership, Lycra wardrobe or playlist called “Beast Mode.”
A long afternoon sanding furniture, digging in the garden or fitting skirting boards can involve sustained movement, muscle engagement and a fair bit of sweat.
The calorie burn also depends on body weight, pace, technique, rest periods and how ambitious the job becomes. There is a world of difference between sanding a chair leg and tackling a hallway with stairs, doorframes and skirting boards.
The Verdict
For anyone looking to get fitter while finally tackling that neglected corner of the house, DIY offers a useful bonus: practical movement with a visible result at the end.
Sanding is the clear calorie-burning champion, carpentry follows closely, and gardening remains one of the most underrated ways to work up a sweat without ever formally calling it exercise.
Wallpapering may sit at the bottom of the physical effort table, but it wins handsomely in the category of testing one’s nerves.
So, the next time a home improvement job is staring at you from the to-do list, remember this: it may improve the room, burn calories and give your Fitbit something to gossip about. Just measure twice, drill once, and never underestimate the cardio potential of a badly behaved skirting board.