Recent content by Therms

I got down to cleaning my garden furniture for the first time this year. It really needed it; there was mould growing on it and it was in a real mess. A good scrub-up and it looked great. It had lost the orange colour that I’m not keen on and gone a lovely dark gray. I then drenched it...

Morning all, I’ve got some kitchen lights that look something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Bright-Bullet-Bar-Spotlight/dp/B000MRYDTU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=lighting&qid=1274682991&sr=8-1 They’ve been up for about ten years and need cleaning. It’s not just a dusting they’re...

Jonny, I’m sorry to come onto your thread with no advice about your actual question, but… I had some left over oak boards and a bathroom that needed something on the floor, so I laid them. They really looked fantastic. I was truly delighted with the result. Now it’s a year later and I...

Four months is a long time for a smell to hang around, which suggests it’s something leaking because a dead animal would have long since decomposed. It’s unlikely to be the fridge because this would have emptied itself by now - although a leak from this is a very chemical small. Sewage...

Morning Adam, Firstly a disclaimer - I am not a professional, but a DIYer and here’s my 2p worth. You will almost definitely want reclaimed floorboards from the same era as your house not only for taking the stain, but looking warn and being the right thickness. New wood will stand out a...

Far be it from me to disagree with the wise and the good of this board, but I disagree with the advice you’ve been given :) You’ve just moved in on your own. You’re skint and have a huge learning curve about DIY. Buy cheap tools to learn what you can and can’t do. As you pick up skills...

What are 'tiger stripes'? I've googled, but can't fond anything to show me.

I think it’s all straightforward. The opening is going to have to be a lot bigger than it is now, so I know I have to cut back some joists. I will also have to move the light, but no problems there I’m sure. Thanks for you help.

Ok, so it’s stupid question time: I get the idea of having to secure the cut joists to a length of 2x4 and secure this to the existing and uncut joists to carry the load. Is it really as easy as that? Measure the rectangle, add 2” all round, cut a hole, fix new 2x4, fix casing…

I’ve painted a concrete garage floor before and jolly nice it looked to. I used a garage floor sealant that I bought from a DIY shed and after the correct amount of drying time I applied the garage floor paint paint. I bought a cheap roller and tray to apply it with and threw them away...

Firstly, I’m not a pedant and this is not the place to be pedantic, but silicon is not rubber; it’s silicon. I’m not an expert, but until one comes along I’ll post my view. I wouldn't do it. The expansion gap is there for the boards to expand into. If you fill it with something, even...

Morning all, You were all so helpful when I came here for advice about laying my oak floor that I thought I’d come back and pester you all again. This time I’m going to fit a loft ladder with the ultimate aim of boarding the loft for easy storage. B&Q do a nice wooden ladder that comes...

Thanks all. sage advice as ever. Well, it looks like I can just skim over the top, which is good news.

Thanks for the reply TMonkey, So I am right that I am just covering up gone-off plaster that will cause me no end of problems and this needs to come off and start again. Can I ask - will a skim coat just crack if I put it over bad plaster? What’s the life of plaster. I assume 80 years...

Morning useful sages, I’ve a question, actually I’m going to try and get my money worth and ask a couple of questions in one post. Cheeky I know, but that’s me. First a little background: I live in a 1930s house. Through necessity I’ve tough myself to skim. I got fed up with putting...