Search results

Hi, We had a Ecofit Vaillant Combi boiler fitted a couple of years ago. We live in a flat and the flue is about 60 away from our neighbour's window.They insist we get a deflector fitted so that the plumes are emitted as far away as possible from their flat. Would it be safe to have a 3 metre...

Hello, I've removed an old lockshield cap to replace for a new one and have found condensation within the old cap and on the lockshield. Is this normal? Thank you.

Hi, I want to paint three walls off white and the fourth a stronger colour, but I'm wondering how easy it is to do that. As I've lined all the walls with lining paper, the corners no longer have a sharp angle, making it a little more difficult to cut in with an angle brush. I'm trying to avoid...

Hi, When I open the cold water tap from the sink in the bathroom, the pipe vibrates under the bath and it sounds like a drill perforating through a wall. The pipe feeds the toilet, then the bath (no problem with these two) and finally feeds the tap in the sink and I don't know why I'm getting...

Hi, I bought a very thick paint to go over 1400 grade lining paper but I find it dries within seconds making it difficult to spread properly and creating different patches. What can i do to make it less absorbent, shall I paint the walls first with a different cheap paint as a base or should I...

Hi, Would anybody know if there is a difference between Matt Emulsion and Vinyl Matt Emulsion paints? I bought some Wickes Vinyl Matt Emulsion but wonder why all other makes that I have seen such as Dulux for example are Matt Emulsion? Could it be than a Vinyl Matt Emulsion paint is less...

Hi, Walking through the doorway, the window will be to the right, therefore I may need to start to lay the first board of laminate from one door frame/architrave to the other. I've cut the very bottom of the architraves with a saw. Will I need to apply wood glue to join the second board or...

Hi, My overflow pipe is broken and all the joints are coming apart. From the picture, the 21.5mm overflow pipe D is loose where it meets nut C; should solvent cement have been originally applied in that area? What is nut C for? Should I unscrew nut C while holding nut A with a second spanner...

Hello, I need to join two white 22mm UPVC pipes together by means of a 90 degree white plastic elbow. What kind of glue could I use? I only need a bit of it, could I use PVA? Thank you.

Hello, I have been wet sanding for an hour and a half an internal door and it's frame. I could have saved myself a bit of time when I realised I was also using the wrong side of the paper. It's a very tough old gloss paint and still is a bit shiny. Will that do or does it need to go completely...

Hi, Simple question: I've tiled part of a floor. Does it matter if I put the grout between the tiles one week later? Thank you.

Hi, I've build a hearth that fills the base of the recess of my fireplace and the front of the chimney breast. I've put a Formwork around the front of the chimney breat, then used Damp Proof Paint, grit and sharp sand/cement 3:1, plasticiser, SBR and water, cement slurry on top, back buttered...

Hi, I've got builders to do some work around the house. I noticed a couple of bags of cement have been lying on the ground for a few days, so after work I removed them and noticed a few hard lumps on one side of the bags. The bags are unopened, waterproof and their use by date is at the end...

Hi, I'm planning to fit a socket on the side of the cooker and an extractor hood above it. I want to connect a 2.5 mm cable from what was the immersion heater switch to a 1 gang socket and from there run a 1.5 mm cable horizontally and then vertically behind the cooker and up to the hood. I...

Hi, I've taken an old lino in my kitchen to restore the original quarry tiles underneath it. The problem is the adhesive is very hard to remove. It is of a grey texture, probably cement based. I used a scraper but it takes absolutely ages to remove the hard stuff. Any tricks of the trade on...

Hi, I want to skim over two of my artex ceilings. From what I've read, there is a possibility the artex contains asbestos, so I rather be on the safe side. I'm thinking of spraying the ceiling with a water spray and scrape off all the spikes thus possibly avoiding dust. There are loads of...

Hi, Just wondering if I can replace an air vent with an extractor fan having a 9" x 6" teracota ordinary air brick on the outside of the wall? Should that be enough for the air to be expelled properly or would I need to replace it with something else? Thank you.

Hi, We have a large double glazed window which has condensation trapped inside between the two sealed panes of glass. Rain water must be finding its way somewhere through the top and it has been getting worse this year after all the rain we had last winter. It is more visible on sunny days...

I've stripped some plaster to bare brick and noticed a few black blocks at the base of the brickwork on the inner leaf of the outside walls. They don't feel very strong (I can drill trough far easier than in bricks), so out of interest how can they be so strong as to support the weight of all...

Hi, Probably a simple question. I have a concrete solid floor from where I have removed a carpet in order to lay a laminate flooring. By removing the wooden tack strip grippers which were nailed to the floor by the skirting boards, parts of the old brown Marley vinyl tiles broke (these...