LAYING FLAGS OR DECORATIVE PAVING

Screed levelling

Tools required :- Spade / shovel, spot board, trowel, 1000 / 600mm spirit level, tape measure, wood saw, rubber mallet and plate vibrator (whacker plate). There are two common ways DIYers lay flags, the first is the spot method where five dollops of mortar are put on the ground and the flag is positioned level on top. This method, which is used a great deal usually leads to problems with the paving / patios after a few months. The flags are not fully supported and may be prone to breaks if any load is placed on them, also water underneath the flags can cause them to start to rock and … [Read more...]

RADIATORS ARE NOT GETTING HOT AT THE TOP

Radiator air bleed key

Tools required :- Radiator bleed key and an old towel or cloth. If you find that the top half of a radiator is not as hot as the bottom, the cause is most likely to be trapped air in the heating system. This can be easily remedied by bleeding the air from the radiator. First of all, turn off the central heating system, you will need a radiator air bleeding key, which are available at  DIY stores such as B & Q, Focus, etc and an old towel or absorbent cloth. Locate the air bleed valve at the top end of the radiator and hold the towel / cloth just beneath … [Read more...]

FITTING A NEW KITCHEN – 3 Preparation

p1020304

The first step towards fitting your new kitchen is removing the old one. Wear the appropriate safety equipment, gloves, goggles, etc. Remove all the doors, drawers and shelves first, then remove any screws that are fixing the worktop(s) to the base units. If the worktop edges are under tiles you may have to remove some, if not all of them to 'free up' the worktop. Some old kitchens have the worktop glued to the base units so the only removal solution may be a lump hammer and crowbar. The units themselves should be relatively easy to remove and come apart fairly easily, especially with … [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...]