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Or vertical, thus creating a compound angle. Consider angle trim (chrome maybe) not quadrant trim.

Solid walls: Tradition skirting fixing (Victorian & earlier) = timber wedges driven into brickwork perks (the narrow vertical gaps) then skirts nailed with cut clasp nails into the timber wedges ... these wedges approx 1 yard apart. Often additional cut clasp nails were toenailed through the...

shaw - if the room is empty of units then lift the existing f/bds and secret nail the new directly to the joists. However, if your new stuff contains loads of small lengths and most of the packed 'solid' stuff from the sheds do, then fix these over the old boards (or ply replacement) ... but...

sun - consider using the services of a specialist piano moving company as they'll have done this type of thing many times before. Get them to attend the site so they can survey the issues and quote. You don't say if it's a grand or upright.

ra - back when I was converting old houses in London to flats and apartments we often had this problem. Do a survey to discover just how many are loose by gently tapping with a metal rod (a 6" nail will do) and listen for hollow and solid reports. If the problem is widespread then you'll...

Banger guns ... ball bearing bunged-up the stopped end of a two-penny banger, placed in a tube with a block of wood between tube and body, bang!!! - I once 'shot' a brewery delivery driver who was unloading beer from the back of his lorry ... I don't know to this day if it was the banger going...

x - mas'g tiles have ribbed backs so to ensure complete contact with adhesive when in situ these ribs must be filled with adhesive BEFORE the tiles are pressed into position. Failure to butter the backs of the tiles might (will) allow only the tops of the ribs to touch the adhesive spead on the...

ginger - maybe it's just a metal wall hook for some former use - S&M den perhaps (shackles?). If it had been hollow then could have been former water or gas pipe.

mag - don't forget to 'butter' the backs of the tiles.

Vic - you say you want to fit spindles ... where are these going to be fixed at their bases as you seem to be positioning the handrails 'beyond' the staircase width. Most bannister/spindle combos are usually within the the width of the staircase. If you do this then fit the handrail to the...

kid - I've only ever used impact screwdrivers on cars and motorbikes where the item being attended to is held in a solid frame or block of some discription. When the driver is struck the force isn't disapated by the 'background' holding the screw/bolt sort of bouncing. Oh, and you have to give...

Bud, what's the colour of this 'mould'? Pressure-treated timber (the stuff your builder should be using if it's going to be fixed to masonry) often has greenish surface deposits (residue of the preservative) which might look like mould to the untrained eye. Mould tend to be blackish or greyish...

Garden path project. I need to get the 10m power lead from my sump pump (dirty water pump) to the outside wall socket. I've laid all my channel drainage system, sump chamber, etc. and now need to install the pump. It has a sealed integral power lead that I have to get to the other side of...

Thanks Bernard for the safety advice ... thankfully Mrs Symptoms was warned in the early days by me, as I outlined in my original post ("techniques/safety"), to follow the procedure you outlined in the event of snipping the lead. She does follow the correct switching off procedure ... shame she...

My CU is a Memera 2000 loaded with fuse carriers ... so no MCBs and the outside socket is a spur off one of the downstairs ring mains on a 30amp fuse in the CU. So the only thing preventing fried Mrs Symptoms is the 13amp fuse in the hedge trimmer's plug. As I've got to replace the cable...

Mrs Symptoms has her own hedge trimmer ... an electric jobby; my petrol one is too heavy for her to use. However, even after warnings about technique/safety, she has chopped through to cable twice and I've had to make repairs. It's happened again but instead of connecting the original...

masona - go for it but check-out what airline connectors you need. Get PCL stuff if you can (easily obtainable everwhere) and invest in a RUBBER hose as this is much more easy and less of a struggle to use as they're nice and 'soft' flexy to use - plakka and those coil plakka hoses leave you...

Yep, whip-out the bog and tile under, however, take note (BEFORE you remove the bog) of soil pipe/bog pan spigot height from floor. Why? The floor height will be increased by the thickness of the tiles/adhesive (and any ply you may lay) and so the bog spigot may not line-up with the soil pipe...

Just been to Lidl this morning to get a loaf of bread (pumpkin seed, yum!) and spotted that they're doing a compressor for £89 and an air stapler for £20. Now, for a DIY set-up that's a good start. By the way that's Lidl Northern Ireland ... I don't know if the same tackle is available in...

Jibbs - trouble with that are the sections of new trim which are meant to go behind the tiles ... they couldn't be fitted in without lifting off the top row of tiles or trying to scrape-out about 20+mm behind the top tiles. Many pros would omit the horizontal trim and just fill/paint top edge...