Recent content by keenbutconfused

Some idiot once painted what I think is a slate fireplace with black gloss in my house. I'd really like to get it off but am not sure the best way to remove. Sanding would presumably damage the surface of the slate or can you repolish that afterwards. What would nitromors do? Any other...

I am decorating my hall. The existing skirting is just a square block. No bevelling or anything on the top. Where the skirting and wall meet is very rough and patchy. I am going to add some sort of moulding to the top so I get a clean edge with the wall. Can I get away with painting the...

Should have said that the kitchen below belongs to the flat downstairs. They have halogen lights. Are these likely to be letting through smells? My concern about sealing my floor with carpet and board etc is that if they continue to cook the steam will get under the floorboards and cause damp...

I have a 1st floor flat built in a georgian style terrace in 1830. The floor is currently carpeted. We often get the smell of the kitchen below in our flat. I intend to take up the carpet and wanted to seal the gaps in the floor boards, level the floor with some hardboard and then...

Is it OK to use the central heating if I have removed some radiators. It is a sealed system in a two bed flat with 5 radiators. I am assuming I some how need to check that each radiator is on its own loop, other wise by removing one I have in effect removed a part of the overall loop...

The door to my bathroom no longer shuts completely. I don't normally shut it completely except in winter when I shut it to stop drafts getting into the rest of the house. It seems to stick on the doorframe opposite the hinges. I can't see any sign of cracking in the paint or plaster on...

thin with water?

I have some Dulux Trade Quick Drying Wood Primer left over. I have some MDF that I want to paint. Will the above be OK on MDF or do I need to shell out for the MDF variety. Am I going to notice any major difference. Regards

I am painting some architrave that has some quite fine detailing on it. I am finding that some of that detail gets lost as I paint it. Is there a trick to doing this or is it just a matter of thinning the paint a bit.

I am attempting to put up some shutters. However, in the area where the hinges need to go there are quite a few screw holes. In some cases they are really close(ie a few mm away) to where the hinges should go. Consequently, I can't screw the hinges in in this area as the holesa re too big. Is...

I am about to paint my sash windows. Do I need to take them out of their frame to do this. I am looking at where the sash bit touches the frame and wondering how I can get a neat edge and not paint the windows shut. Any tips?

I know there has been a lot of talk about removing radiators on sealed systems before but I wanted to check one point that has confused me. I want to remove a radiator that has come loose from the wall so that I can reattach it firmly and also sort out the plaster work behind. Having...

Lambeth, London

Thanks for the advice. Believe it or not but I am rather sentimental about this. So might look into getting it replated.

I have an old/ antique toilet roll holder. It is chrome nad has gone a bit rusty. Is there a way of restoring it. Could I sand it down and then paint it with something? Any ideas of products that could help?