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Hi, My lawn has started to thin a bit and has a few brown patches. I've noticed along edges where the lawn meets the flowerbed that the grass there grows really thick and healthy. It seems that the exposed edges grow much better. Is this just a lack of food? Or do I need to aerate or...

Excellent! Thats exactly what I was after. Thanks Alan

Hi, I have a wall switch that has 2 dimmers on it. Like this... http://screwfix.com/prods/93514/Electrical/Switches-Sockets/Dimmers/Dimmer-2G-2W-2-x-40-250w One for the wall lights and one for the ceiling light. I'd like to replace the switch with one that has a dimmer and a plain...

Hi, Now that spring is here I'd like to give my sandstone patio a clean. I've read about using sand to scrub it, but should I use any cleaning liquids? eg Jeyes, washing up liquid etc? I'm worried about staining it with cleaning liquids. I dont have a pressure washer so I'll be doing it...

Thanks for the quick reply. I cant remove the rad without draining the whole system. The valve only shuts off the flow, and not the return. It doesnt have the little cap with the screw to shut off the return. Next time I drain the system I'll install a new valve with the screw to shut off the...

One of my large rads under a bay window is not getting hot these days. Its warm at the top, but the bottom half in the middle is always cold. The warm parts are not as warm as other rads in the system. The valve and pipes into the valve do feel properly hot. Last week I drained the system...

Hi, Our water butt is filled from water running off of an asbestos garage roof. Its an old but sturdy garage. Is it safe to use that water for watering plants that will be eaten? Thanks Alan

Current running total for my garden project is just under£4k, off my head here are a few costs... £1400 for 50m2 of stonemarket paving and walling £150 for installation of the external socket £140 for the lights ~£350 for 3 skips Equipement hire was the other big cost, dont use HSS...

I've just got some hardwood teak stuff for the garden. Is teak oil fine for that? Or anything else I should use on it? Also, how tough is teak? After treating it can I just leave it outside? Or will I need to store it in the shed etc over winter? Thanks Alan

Thanks, they look promising.

They can be locked using a tiny allen key. HOwever, some in the house just dont lock at all and they are very fiddley to lock. We just want something more secure to reaplce these catches. I'll probably end up replaceing all of them round the house, so a different style isnt a problem.

Hi, I would like to replace the locks on our double glazed windows with some more secure locking ones. Is it possible to just unscrew and replace them? If so can any one tell me what kind of locks I need to buy? There seems to be a wide choice. I guess I just need some that match the screw...

In the middle of laying a path using sandstone. Its a random pattern. What is the best way to curve the path? Is it to twist some slabs slightly to make the curve? Or stagger the wors to the side then cut them to a curve? Thanks Alan

HOw wet should the mix be? We are laying some stones now and are using a mix that is just damp rather than properly wet. We are finding that there is little movement when whacking the slabs down with the rubber mallet. Are we using a mix thats too dry???

Hi, I need to cut some 100mm holes in sandstone paving for some lights. I've got an SDS drill and a 100mm core drill. Any tips for using this? Should the drill be on hammer action or just drilling? Had a quick gothis morning and hardly scratched the surface! The pilot bit went through...

Thanks for that fast reply! Thats made things much more clear. Alan

Hi, Been reading the patio threads and pavingexpert.com to prepare for our new patio. We now have the sandstone ready and the ground prepared. Going to lay them on a full bed of mortar. This stuff... http://www.stonemarket.co.uk/marketstone.asp I've got a couple questions to answer before...

Thanks everyone. I think that Adaptaflex stuff is what I need. The connectors should fit through it ok. Screwfix sell something that looks the same so I'll get down to my local tradecounter for a look. Thanks again Alan

The lights are going to be embedded in the patio. Round uplighter things. SO I need to drill a hole in the slab and the light sits in the hole. Like this... http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/Products/size_3/MLP50.JPG

Hi, I'm about to lay a new patio onto a full bed of mortar. We have some new low voltage LED lights to install in the patio. I'm unsure of how to protect the wire under the patio. I thought about running tube conduit under the mortar to each light. However, the connectors for the lighting...