Recent content by allanmartin

Hi I realise that I have not been totally clear... sorry about that. Its not a wooden shed, its a brick work shed. So there is a foundation and block walls. The middle is just gravel and I would like to tidy that up. Its not warm yet, but its totally isolated and will store my hotwater tank. I...

Hi I have an outside shed which is insulated and quite warm (in case this is relevant). It has a floor of gravel directly laid on the earth. I would like to make this a concrete floor but just wanted to check if I can buy just regular cement, mix it and pour it out. Do I need to use self...

Hello DIYers I have a spiral staircase which needs an edging placed between the roof panels and the inner edge. (Photo attached). I cannot find anything... does anyone have advice? Open to creative ideas.... Thick rope? Al

Thanks John for that. Yeah, I will have wooden support along all sides and back. Its just the front. So you think that even a 40mm x 40mm box would bend? Al

Hi All I would like to put a desk in this space. Its quite long (3meters) and i really would like to avoid a let to support it. I went to a steel shop and angle iron is still bendy at that length unless I go very thick, but wondered if anyone could suggest or advise if a box length of...

Morning All I have a very uneven wooden floor in my old tired house and I would like to put a carpet down, but first level it. Can anyone suggest the best way to do this? I was thinking somehow with plywood, or would I use a self leveling compound (which is very permanent) Any advise...

Hello All We have a chimney in the middle of our house which is exposed (see photo). The bricks are quite dirty and the lime/cement morter rubs on on clothes etc when touched. As a test, I put a little clear varnish on a part of the chimney and that sorted the problem. Is there an...

Hi Everyone You will see in this photo that we get a lot of water building up here. The ground is VERY hard. Has anyone got some advice how to solve this? If I dug a huge hole where the water builds up and filled it with stones and then covered it, out the grass back it would help...

Thanks very much everyone. I am going to try a energy bulb as they are colder and see if the stain comes back. I will tell the landlord (who will do nothing) that the lamp is too close... Thanks again everyone.

Hello I live in a rented house and there is some sort of white residue apearing on a wooden beam next to a light bulb. I cleaned it away, but it came back quite quickly. Any clues as to what it may be? Al

but do you know what the differences are? one is a 'cut in' and the other is a 'constant differential'.... i am clueless ;-) Cheers Al

Dear All, I am getting a little confused. The thermostat on my unit is a K57. But when I phone a parts supplier they are telling me that a K59 will be fine. However, one guy (who has a very good price for the K57) said that they are different and I should go for the K59. They look they same...

Dear All I have an old fridge which is always running and is frosting up at the back. My thinking is that it is the thermostat? Does anyone agree with me? The next question is, do you know if I can replace it with any thermostat, or must it be the same model as the one already in place? It...

I finally found the solution that works for me. IKEA!! They are not expensive and the system works well. You can have as many as you want, and they do stack one high. They come with attachments to screw them to the wall for safety. And, if you have a few of them, you could put a good worktop...