Search results

Hi, I've painted a wall which looks great when I stand in front of it, but when I stand on the side of it facing the light, I can see several shaded marks. I can't avoid looking from one side since that's where the entrance to the room is. I've added 12% water to the paint and painted 3 coats...

Hi, I noticed one end of these 8mm wall plugs is square; the total diameter is 11mm if we include the square sharp ends Would these wall plugs still make a clean hole into a masonry wall without damaging some of the finishing plaster around it? Many thanks.

Hi, A little while ago, when replacing carpet with laminate, I noticed a small gap all the way along the bottom of the wooden front door sill and the floor screed and my view was quite limited (with my head on the floor) to see what was supporting it. So the outside of the door sill rests on...

Hi, I need to replace one of my bath's tap gland as it takes too many turns just to open and close the tap, and sometimes it can make the pipe vibrate. My problem is, I can find plenty of 3/4" rubber washers on the market but no suitable tap glands. The external diameter of a so called 3/4"...

Hi, Can I replace my basin's threaded tap gland with a ceramic one instead? I can feel with my finger a small canal eroded on the seat but even when I re-grind, it is very difficult to make it disappear, so the seat won't be completely flat and smooth; but does it need to be, if I can replace...

Hi, I've just bought a kitchen mixer tap to replace two single taps on my kitchen sink, so it should a straightforward replacement. However, the instructions mention that I should have non return valves fitted to prevent water backflow. So I went ahead and bought a couple of them. Having...

Hello, I want to fit a mixer tap on the kitchen sink but the metal thread which goes through the sink tap holes are too long, therefore I will need to cut some pipe work to be able to fit it. 1. By hand, how do I undo the straight white plastic connector's top, clockwise or anti-clockwise and...

Hi, I have a problem with lining paper which I don't seem to be able to resolve every time I decorate a room. I use a 1400 grade and a strong paste (like for blown vinyl) but there are always areas where the butt joints lift away from the wall as it dries. There is enough paste on the edges but...

Hi, One of my radiator stays cold. I'm trying to undo the TRV, I managed to pull the retaining metal clip upwards, but cannot turn the plastic knob anticlockwise since the main metal body has 2 very small metal retainers that are lodged into the brown plastic grooves at the base of the handle...

Hi, After having taken the old thick wallpaper off the wall, some areas had peeling flaky paint on one wall. I've rubbed it all down and then lined the whole room with 1400 grade lining paper. Thinking it would cover those imperfections, the lining paper has molded through every nook and...

Hi, My WC overflow pipe on the ground floor has been damaged. I'm trying to get it replaced but not much luck from local plumbers, so I may have to do it myself. With so many angles, it looks a bit tricky. Any advice on how to go about it? Do I need to unscrew the stiff nut just below the WC...

Hi, I had to go away for a few days, so turned off the stock cock and opened the bath's cold water tap (to make sure water was off). On returning my bathroom carpet was soaked with water. I discovered the water was coming out of the toilet water cistern overflow and leaking onto the floor...

Hi, I am redecorating and will be laying down a laminate floor. My 15mm radiator pipes are located horizontally above the floor. When I was sanding the old paint on my radiator pipes, I noticed a small dent on one of them. It must have been caused several years ago when I had a cable...

Hi, I've got a few doors to paint. The white old gloss is now a bit yellowish . Could I use decorators caulk to fill in hairline cracks or is it best to use wood filler? Will an acrylic paint stick to these? I've sanded the doors down and want to apply an acrylic primer & undercoat just to...

Hi, I'm about to fit a weatherproof Enclosure. Should there be a washer to join the 20mm Male Comp Gland to the weatherproof Enclosure? I cannot find a 20mm washer anywhere. I could use some mastic but it could be tricky to apply in an awkward corner. Any advice? Many thanks.

Hi, When installing laminate flooring, are the spacers meant to be removed once the laminate is laid out? Thank you.

Hi, I've got a fairly large ceiling to plaster with a few cracks to mend. The instructions for PVA say to prime with PVA/Water 1:5, once dry apply a second coat 1:3 and then start plastering once it goes tacky. But by the time I would finish the second coat would be dry! Could it be a problem...

Hi, I'm about to lay a hearth made of thick quarry tiles L/W/H:150mm x 150mm x 15mm. As it is a fireplace recess (790mm wide), I need to start in the middle but that leaves me with a gap of 18mm each side at the front of the recess and 0.9mm each side at the back, less if I include the spacers...

Hi, I've re-rendered a section of an internal wall. I now want to skim it with plaster and will need to skim parts of the old wall as an overlap where the new plaster meets the old painted wall. I read Unibond PVA instructions and for some reason they say not to use it on painted walls (but it...

Hi, I've got a combi boiler with a syphon inside it and the condensate pipe is run internally to the waste pipe below the kitchen sink. The horizontal section slopes downward, however it then goes slightly upwards at an angle before it joins the grey waste pipe underneath it (please see pic)...