“We’re going to start by learning how to put a silicone joint, in general it’s a lot of fun because we all have moldy joints to replace at home. » Jean-Pierre, graying hair and glasses at the end of his nose, leads a DIY workshop at the Leroy Merlin store in Madeleine, in the 8e district of Paris. Doria is coming for the first time: “My level of DIY? I’m at the stage where I know how to change a siphon and a bulb,” she bluntly admits.
That day, Doria is the only student in the class. An unusual fact. “After the Covid, we saw an increase in attendance, we are at 60% course fill rate”notes Estelle Beauvois, head of customer service at Leroy Merlin. People have spent a lot of time at home, so they have become aware of the importance of being well there and of things to improve. »
In fact, the workshop, located in the basement of the store, attracts the curious. “Excuse me sir, where can I find the class schedule?” », asks a young man who has just stuck his head through the half-open door. ” On the Internet “, answers Jean-Pierre, tired of these incessant irruptions. At €25 for three hours, the course “Doing the basics of DIY” is the most popular.
“I was tired of having to call people”
Armed with her silicone gun, Doria applies herself to redoing the joint of a false wall. “I have work to do at home and I was tired of having to call people or jobbers (Editor’s note: handymen paid by the task at a private home) to help me. It’s expensive and then it doesn’t seem so complicated, and I wanted to be independent “, explains the thirty-something. Often, participants come with a DIY project in mind and ask Jean-Pierre for advice, “but the lesson shouldn’t revolve around that, otherwise the others will get bored”he warns.
For the instructor, it is sometimes difficult to juggle between the different levels of the participants. “During carpentry lessons, I have to teach people who have never done it how to saw. It takes a bit of time, so I try to give others another activity. But you still have to be careful with everyone: once, I had a participant who cut his finger slightly because he hadn’t listened to me! »says the professor who, since then, never leaves the participants unsupervised.
Doria continues the practical work: dismantling a socket, stripping electrical wires, recognizing the right plug depending on the type of wall… The three hours of lessons are coming to an end but Jean-Pierre is inexhaustible: “Do you have five minutes?” I can show you how to unclog a sink. Once, a lady said to me: “Ah, but that’s just unclogging a sink? I called a plumber, he took me 130 €.” » Before concluding : “I will save you hundreds of euros. »