DIY GARDEN PLANTERS

fig 1

Tools required :-  Wood saw, tape measure, square, pencil, battery drill / driver, drill bits, medium screwdriver. Garden planters can add colour to a  patio or grassed area without costing a fortune, you can also build them to the size and shape you require rather than 'making do' with whats available at the local garden centre or DIY store and you can of course move them around to suit your preferred layout. They can be built using basic tools (as listed above) and can made from a variety of timbers, then finished with coloured / clear wood preserve, paint, or varnish, it … [Read more...]

ADDING A WALLPAPER BORDER.

Adding a border to your freshly decorated room can be done quite easily, a lot of wallpaper manufacturers also produce borders to compliment their range of wallpapers and a border can enhance even a very plain decorated wall. First decide on a suitable height for the border and mark this measurement around the room using either a tape measure and a long spirit level, or if you have one a laser level, any height levels should be marked in pencil so that they can be easily removed later if necessary.  The strip of border on each wall should if possible be in one complete length to save … [Read more...]

FITTING ARCHITRAVE AROUND A DOOR CASING

fig 2

Tools required :- Tape measure, wood saw, mitre box or mitre saw, hammer and nail punch. To fit architrave around a door you will have to cut four mitres, two in the head (top) piece and one in each of the two side pieces. Architrave is normally set back around 1/4" (5mm) from the edge of the door casing, (see fig 1). This is done so the architrave doesn't impede the fitting of the door hinges.      Mark the 1/4" (5mm) line around the edge of the door casing first, now cut the head piece with two mitres to length allowing for the additional 1/4" (5mm) each end, (see fig … [Read more...]

FITTING A NEW KITCHEN – 1 What you need

kitchen

To completely fit a new kitchen you need to be a competent DIYer, with good skills in carpentry and a good knowledge of electrical and plumbing work. If some of the work needs to be carried out by a plumber, (Gas Safe registered for gas work) joiner or an electrician then these are costs that need to be considered. Even with these costs you can save a lot of money fitting the kitchen units yourself. I was recently quoted around £1500 to fit a basic kitchen and the quote excluded plumbing and electrical work so there are great savings to be made with DIY.     Fitting a new … [Read more...]