Search results

thanks Mike. I'll know better than to try that on a dry joint from now on!

Hi. I'm repointing a brick path and on a little bit of it thought I'd try brushing the mortar mix dry into the spaces between the bricks, to then water....and have a cup of tea and relax while it all went perfectly.:whistle: Only when the dry mix got on the brick faces it stained them white from...

Hi. I want to fix a key storage box to a steel support holding up a carport roof. I assume the best way is to use self-tappers. Is it just any or are there special ones for steel (can't be big screwheads as they'll need to fit inside the little MasterKey-type thing). And is the best way to drill...

Hi. My youngest has a second-hand Polo. It's telling him it needs an oil top up - he can't find out what type or grade of oil was used before, but can be pretty sure it wasn't done by a VW dealer so may not be the recommended one. I assume I shouldn't take a punt on grade and just top up with eg...

Thanks Madrab, I'll check those things. :)

Good tip, thanks! I'd have gone ahead and assumed that domestic wiring would cope with a domestic shower....and then maybe regretted it later when I thought about it and realised that not all domestic wiring is to the same standard. Cheers just pumps.

Hi. I have a couple of questions about some things I inherited in a bathroom. First there's some boxing-in done with faced chipboard, but the fixings won't come loose - see pic below. I always thought you just turned these but they're solid and I don't know how you guys deal with them. Do I just...

rock-solid fixing

Thanks Andy. Turns out I was a useless numpty. You were right - I'd made a poor connection. On top of that I dropped part of the new light, breaking it & had to buy another. Hey ho. Thanks again.

Hi. Have been changing an old outside-wall bulkhead as the casing had cracked, with a new one. The old one was earthed (the earth cable I found was wrapped around a screw which fitted it to the wall). The new one is for low-energy bulbs to 23 watt, double insulated. There is a choc block...

Thats interesting Tony - forgive me for being dim but 'letting some out' - is that out of the drain/lockshield that polesapart described?

Good advice polesapart - thanks!

Thanks guys. Can see no pipes coming out of the walls, and the CH isn't original to the flat so it's unlikely the neighbours would have had the same system or installer when mine was changed. S cratching head time!

Hi. I have a microbore CH system in my flat with an 'old-style' non-condensing boiler which seems to have no drain valve. I've looked at the radiators and at all the pipework I can find above the floorboards around the boiler/pump/cylinder etc and there isn't one. I want to add a flusher for a...

Hi. I'm about to put some mosaic travertine above a wash hand basin as a splashback. I found some old references to this on the site...but the links in it were out of date and there was no explanation of the links so I can't tell what they were referring to. So apologies for asking a question...

Thanks guys. Always helpful, I'm glad to say (saving us from constantly having to recover problems). Joe - I used easi-filler, for some reason almost the same name as easi-fill but a different product. This ones a low-slump low-shrink filler that can be used on deeper holes. Tho this time it's...

Hi. I've slapped a fair bit of Gyproc Easi-filler on a wall and want to put lining paper on top. The data sheets only mention preparing it for paint, to wallpaper over it do you experts think that just sizing it would be enough? Thanks for your guidance!

Hi. I'm boxing in some pipes in a toilet, and will use some light plywood - at each side this'll butt against a newly plastered wall. The walls & the plywood will get painted when I'm finished. Because I might want to get at the pipework again I want to screw the plywood sheeting to the battens...

Thanks both - it's probably not the solution for me then. I appreciate the info you've given.