HOW TO HANG LINING PAPER BEFORE WALLPAPERING

fig 1

The way you hang lining paper is really down to your own personal choice. Lining paper can be hung horizontally so that there is no risk of the joints lining up with your wallpaper joints, I prefer to hang the lining paper vertically as it is much easier to do and have never had a problem with the two sets of joints in the lining paper and wallpaper overlapping, they are usually a slightly different width and you can always stagger the joints of your wallpaper so they don't overlap the ones below in the lining paper. To achieve a good wall surface on which to hang the lining paper, fill … [Read more...]

USING LINING PAPER

Achieving a good paint finish on a bare wall using filler and sandpaper is a lot easier said than done, I decided to to remove the wallpaper from various walls in my home, then fill any holes or cracks and sand the walls to obtain what I thought appeared to be a smooth surface ready for painting, but as soon as I started to apply the paint it became evident that the finished look was, for want of a better word, terrible. I overcame this problem by using lining paper on every wall and I was very pleased with the results. Lining paper is relatively inexpensive and can be obtained from … [Read more...]

WINTER HOME MAINTENANCE

A little bit of home maintenance before winter sets in can save a lot of unecessary repair costs so its worth spending a few hours checking over your home to see if anything requires attention. Outside the home : - Remove all debris and leaves from gutters, downspouts and grids. Check paving and driveways for cracks and repair as necessary to avoid frost causing more damage. Clean paving and driveways of leaves and moss to prevent slips and falls. Check fencing panels and posts are in good condition and have been treated with a wood preserve. Repair any loose or missing pointing … [Read more...]

HOW TO FIT A PLUG TOP

Handtools

  Tools required :-  Side cutters (snips), a medium posi and flat screwdriver depending on the plug top, a Stanley knife and if you have them a pair of wire strippers. Remove approximately 5cm of outer sheath from the flex, to do this score around the flex with your knife taking care not to cut into the conductors inside, just bend the flex at the score mark once or twice and it should pull off (fig1).   Prepare the plug top by unscrewing the top and loosening the cable grip inside. Now place the flex where the cable grip will hold it in place and mark the live conductor … [Read more...]

FUSE RATINGS IN PLUG TOPS

3, 5, 13 amp fuses

All electrical items in the home should have a plug top fitted with the appropriate fuse rating, the load (amps) of electrical equipment and appliances can be calculated thus :- WATTS ÷ VOLTS = AMPS 1 KILOWATT = 1000 WATTS                  VOLTS = 240v So if you have a 240 volt heater rated at 3 KW (3000 watts) it will have a load of 12·5 amps, therefore it requires a fuse rated at 13 amps. Fuses rated at 3, 5 and 13 amps are easily purchased from most DIY stores, fuses rated at 2 and 10 amp are more difficult to purchase unless you go to an electrical … [Read more...]