There are a wide variety of hinges suited to specific DIY purposes, from heavy duty gate hinges to piano lid hinges.With such a wide range of different applications relying on hinges to function correctly, we take a look at some of the many hinge types you’re likely to come across throughout the … [Read more...] about 6 Common Type of Hinge You’ll Find in Your Home
DIY TIPS: Home Improvement and DIY Guides, Tips and Advice
How to Lay Laminate Flooring
In this guide, we'll be looking at how to lay laminate flooring. Further on in the article, you'll find a list of tools you need to do the job and a couple of videos so you can see the process in action.If it's your first time laying laminate flooring, I highly recommend you spend a bit of … [Read more...] about How to Lay Laminate Flooring
New Boiler Installation: Important Info and Helpful Tips
If you’re in the midst of shopping for a new boiler, you’ll appreciate it can be an expensive purchase. With many aspects to consider, including the price, energy efficiency, safety features and more, it’s important to get it right.Here, we look at how the UK government’s strategy to tackle … [Read more...] about New Boiler Installation: Important Info and Helpful Tips
How to Convert a Loft – Conversion Guide for Beginners
In this article, we'll be looking at everything you need to take into consideration when converting a loft or attic space into a room you can actually use. Typical examples include an extra bedroom, hobby room or a home office.Converting a loft isn't a simple DIY job you could do in a few hours … [Read more...] about How to Convert a Loft – Conversion Guide for Beginners
DIY Dry Rot Treatment: How To Treat Dry Rot Yourself
Every year, many homeowners face the problem of dry rot, leaving them to spend a considerable amount of money on home renovations and dry rot treatments.Meticulous homeowners stay on the lookout for all kinds of structural problems such as water damage, plumbing, or a foundation problem. Some … [Read more...] about DIY Dry Rot Treatment: How To Treat Dry Rot Yourself
Building a House Extension: A Step by Step Guide
Building an extension on your house is an excellent way to improve your home. You'll gain light, space and comfort.When moving house means hassle and costs, from stamp duty to legal fees, extending your house sounds an excellent alternative.This guide will help you:Understand all the … [Read more...] about Building a House Extension: A Step by Step Guide
How to Board Your Loft Whilst Achieving Good Insulation
In this article I'll explain how to board your loft the correct way, whilst achieving the recommended insulation thickness.Boarding out a loft helps increase the amount of storage space within your home. It's the ideal place to store items you do not need regularly, such as Christmas … [Read more...] about How to Board Your Loft Whilst Achieving Good Insulation
Electric Radiators: The Pros and Cons
Home heating systems play a pivotal role in your home, and there’s plenty to consider when you’re trying to compare the options.In this article we'll be looking at the pros and cons of electric radiators to give you everything you need to decide if it’s the right heating solution for … [Read more...] about Electric Radiators: The Pros and Cons
Different Types of Damp and How to Treat Them
The appearance of damp in your property isn’t always caused by neglect or falling behind on household maintenance jobs. It can occur from external issues out of your control.For example, damage that occurs to property exteriors from high winds or flying debris can quickly lead to a damp problem … [Read more...] about Different Types of Damp and How to Treat Them
How to Revive Tile Grout
Remember when you first tiled your bathroom or added a neat kitchen backsplash? The gleaming white grout looked great, didn't it? Now though, after a couple of years of daily showers or washing dishes, it's starting to look far less attractive. It's likely pink in some places, black in others and … [Read more...] about How to Revive Tile Grout
15 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Building Contractor
This is a guest post by Grant Findley.Choosing and hiring the right building contractor for your latest home project is no easy task.The last thing you want to do is hire a cowboy builder or con artist, so you’ll need a way of vetting potential contractors until you’re feeling confident and … [Read more...] about 15 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Building Contractor
How to Drain a Pressurised Central Heating System
This guide explains the process of draining down a sealed or unvented (pressurised) central heating system, so you can carry out repairs or maintenance – like replacing radiators or fixing pipework - without worry.This could save you a good wedge of cash if you know how to do it properly, but if … [Read more...] about How to Drain a Pressurised Central Heating System
Which Door Handles are Best for You?
It may seem like a simple decision to make at first, but once you start looking for internal door handles you’ll soon realise, like with many products, there’s much more to door furniture than meets the eye!All of a sudden you’ll find out that there’s quite literally hundreds of models, styles … [Read more...] about Which Door Handles are Best for You?
How to Remove and Replace a Central Heating Radiator
There are several reasons why you might want to take a central heating radiator off the wall.Maybe you are fed up with struggling to wallpaper behind it or perhaps it is rusty, and you need to replace it. You might find that it no longer gets hot at the bottom even though you bleed it regularly. … [Read more...] about How to Remove and Replace a Central Heating Radiator
How to Fit a Bathroom Extractor Fan
Whenever you have a bath or shower, the steam generated from the hot water in your bathroom will eventually cause the moisture in the air to linger around and form a mist.And if you stay in the bathroom long enough your walls will start to “sweat” – even if you have a window or door in your … [Read more...] about How to Fit a Bathroom Extractor Fan
How to Clean and Maintain Cast Iron Gutters
Cast iron guttering is very popular, particularly for its endurance and traditional appearance. Older houses often have cast iron gutters, and will need painting every now and again as opposed to plastic or PVC gutters and downpipes.If cast iron gutters are maintained and cleaned properly and … [Read more...] about How to Clean and Maintain Cast Iron Gutters
Idiot’s Guide to Dry Lining
When it comes to DIY projects, dry lining is one of the most popular for homeowners to tackle on their own.Although you don’t need to be particularly skilled to install dry lining, it is however important that you have all the right materials, tools and knowledge, whilst working in a methodical … [Read more...] about Idiot’s Guide to Dry Lining
Fitting a Bath – How to Install a New Bathtub
Installing a bath isn’t a particularly difficult project; as long as you plan thoroughly and work in a methodical fashion you should be able to achieve a satisfactory end result. Here we work through the steps for installing a new bath in the order you are likely to encounter themThe first … [Read more...] about Fitting a Bath – How to Install a New Bathtub
How to Remove Wallpaper
Are you looking for a quick and easy way to remove wallpaper before redecorating? Sorry to burst your bubble but there isn’t one! Every method I know is messy and takes forever. With that said, there is one method that outshines the rest - using an electric steamer. These things make removing … [Read more...] about How to Remove Wallpaper
A Guide to Making Your Own Radiator Cover or Cabinet From Wood
How much time have you spent trying to find a radiator cover or cabinet that is the correct size for your needs, only to realise one of the measurements is not quite right or the finished colour doesn't match your existing furniture.If you are a … [Read more...] about A Guide to Making Your Own Radiator Cover or Cabinet From Wood
How to Remove Wall Tiles
In this article, we'll be covering the topic of how to remove wall tiles. But before we get to that section, a word about safety.Before you start removing wall tiles, you need to think about protection. Firstly, for yourself. Because tiles are hard-wearing, and removing them sometimes requires … [Read more...] about How to Remove Wall Tiles
16 Winter Home Maintenance Tips for Outside and Inside Your Home
Our homes can take a battering during the cold winter months. And because there aren't many daylight hours, doing DIY work around the home often takes a back seat between October through to about March.But if something goes wrong with your home during that time, you'll have to take steps to … [Read more...] about 16 Winter Home Maintenance Tips for Outside and Inside Your Home
Different Types of Fuse Ratings in Plugs
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 = AMPS1 KILOWATT = 1000 WATTS … [Read more...] about Different Types of Fuse Ratings in Plugs
How to Replace an Electrical Plug Socket (UK)
Replacing a damaged or faulty electrical socket-outlet should be a fairly straightforward task, but if you aren't completely confident in your ability then you should use the services of a qualified electrician.You must switch off the consumer unit and remove the appropriate circuit fuse / … [Read more...] about How to Replace an Electrical Plug Socket (UK)
Pointing Brickwork – How to Repoint a Brick Wall
The term ‘repointing brickwork’ refers to the practice of replacing, or repacking, the mortar that joins together the bricks in the walls of a building (or standalone wall). Over time, due to weather conditions, aging and sometimes the quality of the original mix, the mortar crumbles away … [Read more...] about Pointing Brickwork – How to Repoint a Brick Wall
How to Assemble Flat Pack Furniture Without the Headaches!
Assembling flat pack furniture can be a nightmare, but if you're methodical and yes, you follow the instructions, you should be able to build your typical flat pack furniture from IKEA and other stores without too much hassle.If you're able, especially if you're putting together a large item … [Read more...] about How to Assemble Flat Pack Furniture Without the Headaches!
How to Hang a New Internal Door
From this post you will learn how to hang a new internal door to an existing frame. There's a short video at the end of the post, which shows you exactly how to hang a new interior wooden door. If you prefer watching over reading, scroll down to watch it.When you have your new internal door … [Read more...] about How to Hang a New Internal Door
How to Fit Door Handles and Latch to Interior Doors
From this post, you will learn how to fit the latch, latch plate and door handles to a new door and door frame.First of all, decide on an appropriate height for the door handles and mark the centre of the door handle on the edge of the door with a pencil.Using a square, mark this centre … [Read more...] about How to Fit Door Handles and Latch to Interior Doors
How to Repair Cracked or Damaged Plaster on Internal Walls
Should you discover cracks or patches of loose plaster on the internal walls of your home (usually found when you redecorate), you will have to repair the walls before painting or wallpapering.Small cracks can be repaired using an appropriate flexible filler, then sanded to a smooth … [Read more...] about How to Repair Cracked or Damaged Plaster on Internal Walls
How to Fit Security Lights to Protect Your Home
Making your home more secure to deter burglars doesn't have to cost a fortune.Fitting a security light is a great deterrent against burglars and can be very handy as the winter nights draw in. You don't need a mega-wattage fitting that will scorch the grass from 10 metres, a 150 watt halogen … [Read more...] about How to Fit Security Lights to Protect Your Home
How to Tile a Wall
Before you start tiling a wall, you'll need get it ready for the new tiles. The first job to do is to remove any existing tiles from the wall. This can be done using a hammer and bolster chisel. I strongly urge you to wear safety goggles and gloves when removing tiles from a wall (or ceiling) as … [Read more...] about How to Tile a Wall
How to Install PVC Gutters and Downpipes
Do you need to install a PVC gutter or downpipe? Read on. This article is for you.Start by measuring the length of guttering and downpipe you need for the project.Make a list of any connectors, stop ends, set angle pieces of gutter, gutter outlets, clips/brackets (usually spaced around 30" … [Read more...] about How to Install PVC Gutters and Downpipes
How to Lay Bricks: Bricklaying Tips for Beginners
In this article, we'll be looking at how to lay bricks.If you've never laid bricks before it's good practice to build a small sample wall first. A four brick course (row), three bricks high is sufficient. The bricks can always be cleaned and reused later. When you are happy with your … [Read more...] about How to Lay Bricks: Bricklaying Tips for Beginners
One-Way Lighting Circuit Modified for Two-Way Switching
Here are some helpful diagrams that show how lighting operating on a one-way switch can be changed relatively easily for two-way switch operation.Turn off the consumer unit and remove the appropriate circuit fuse / miniature circuit breaker first before working on any electrical … [Read more...] about One-Way Lighting Circuit Modified for Two-Way Switching
How to Fit a Dado Rail
First of all you will have to decide on a suitable height for the dado rail, it doesn't want to be either too high or too low, as an example, on a recent project the dado rail was fitted at a height of 37 1/2" (950mm) to the top edge with a room ceiling height of 116 … [Read more...] about How to Fit a Dado Rail
3 Easy Ways to Draught-Proof Doors
Draughty doors are a nuisance. They make your home colder and increase your energy bills. But there are several ways you can draught-proof doors so you feel more comfortable and keep more money in your pocket.The good news is that these methods don’t cost at a lot to implement and they provide … [Read more...] about 3 Easy Ways to Draught-Proof Doors
How to Mix Concrete or Mortar by Hand
Knowing how to mix concrete or mortar is a useful skill to have when you do a lot of outside DIY jobs around the home. A few examples include when you're building a brick barbecue, repointing walls and building walls from scratch.The methods for mixing mortar and cement by hand are basically the … [Read more...] about How to Mix Concrete or Mortar by Hand
How to Lay Flags or Decorative Paving
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 … [Read more...] about How to Lay Flags or Decorative Paving
Which Screws do I Use?
If you are fixing something to a wall the first thing you must do is to ascertain how heavy it is and what is the wall made of, eg brick, plasterboard, thermal block etc. Experience does go a long way to help you decide what size / type of screw and plastic rawlplug you should need … [Read more...] about Which Screws do I Use?
How to Replace a Ceiling Rose
Replacing a ceiling rose is a job that can be carried out by a competent DIYer, but as always, if you're not confident working with electricity you should use the services of a reliable electrician.The best way to find a decent electrician is by asking your friends (Facebook is perfect). Failing … [Read more...] about How to Replace a Ceiling Rose
How to Fit a Kitchen
Are you wondering how to fit a kitchen? In this article I'll tell you about the process I used for fitting a new kitchen in my mum's home. You can see the before and after pictures below.The cost of bringing in a contractor to fit a new kitchen could run into several thousands of pounds. … [Read more...] about How to Fit a Kitchen
How to Stop Pipes from Freezing
If a water pipe freezes and bursts inside your home, it could cause a terrible mess and leave you with a large repair bill. It's highly likely going to be a terrible experience for you and your family given that water pipes only freeze when the outside temperature drops below zero. So, in this case, … [Read more...] about How to Stop Pipes from Freezing