Recent content by Haggy

Going back to the original question. There is a issue with wiring in domestic electrics and alarm systems in that the cables should not run closer than 10 cms (I think, anyway not next to each other) and should cross any mains cables at a right angle. I have DIY installed a wired auto-dialler...

Ok so having tried out various methods I have resolved never to use varnish again. :wink: Aside from that, standard brushes (of any quality) are really hard to get a good finish with; at least of my standard of painting . Trying to get an even finish when the varnish goes off so quickly is a...

I replaced some blocks in a parquet floor we have where the old fireplace had been but the concrete was left. Like you I got some matching blocks and bedded them into some really nasty black gunge (I am pretty sure that it was liquid damp proof course) it actually said on the tin that you could...

Often it is not worth mentioning to your insurers that you have an alarm. The discounts are usually minimal, and if you did by chance pop round to the shops without setting the alarm and someone turned your house over then they would cut the payout by a given percentage.

One of the future DIY projects of mine is to add an en-suite to the main bedroom. Now I'm fine with the electrics, plumbing and such like but I thought the addition of a small obscured glass window would be really nice. This would go into a standard cavity wall at first floor level. Not that...

As a follow up to the thread on stripping varnish. I was wondering whether anyone had any good tips on getting a good finish with varnish. I have looked round lots of sites but information is few and far between (varnish seems not to be fashionable at the moment). Would one of the mini...

All the ceilings in our house are plaster over a metal mesh. And they have been there since 1921. Incidentally does anyone know why they used this method as opposed to traditional lath and plaster? My father who has worked on many, many houses and buildings as a heating engineer says he has...

Thought I'd give you a little light relief at my expense. The story so far.... The wife hates the kitchen in the house we have just moved to, but I can see it being a very expensive project - hence it isn't at the top of my list. In particular she hates the lino but despite being told that...

Hi I had a smiliar problem when we first moved. The radiators would be bled and then seem to fill back up with air very quickly. The problem was a sticking ball valve in the header tank, which instead of being full of water was empty. Wiggling the arm around a bit freed it back up and...