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Hello. Any ideas on how I can clean the metal threshold on our front doorstep? I think it's original 1930s and is very badly tarnished - dirty green marks. I've tried sanding and metal and copper cleaners but nothing touches it. I'm at the stage of thinking I'll just have to paint over it...

Hi Our 30-odd year old Potterton Netaheat boiler has stopped working (fan works but it's not firing). I've decided not to bother throwing good money after bad and paying someone to come and look at it having cancelled British Gas Homecare some years ago. I've done some research and it seems...

My daughter's bathroom tiler cannot remove the mosaic wall tiles after working on them with a jackhammer all day. He says they've been individually fixed and has asked if they can be tiled over. She's really not happy about this but said he's tried very hard. Is there any way of removing them...

Hi. I'm looking for a simple device that would hold my uPVC french door ajar just a few inches for fresh air but not allowing my cats to get through. I really want to avoid more holes in the doors as I've already got hooks to hold them fully open. I've been searching online and my head's in a...

We have to replace one ceramic floor tile. I'm loathe to pay £13 for a bag of floor tile adhesive when I only need a few spoonfuls. Is there anything similar I can use? The sub-floor is wood so I know it should be flexible. I realise the real thing is probably the best but it's quite an old...

Does anyone have any knowledge about sound reverberating through floors within blocks. We have a problem with hearing loud walking around which is not coming from the flat above (they are experiencing the same problem as us) but very possibly from the flat above them. Is this a possibility? Can...

I've seen a few posts but as they're all rather old thought I'd try and get an update. We have three misted/blown double glazed panes to replace. Does anyone have any online companies to recommend? Is it more expensive to go to a physical glazing supplier? I feel a bit nervous about the...

We have to remove some very rickety old paving slab steps up a small slope between levels in our patio garden. We're trying to do a very basic DIY job ourselves. I've seen lots of suitable slabs but have no idea how to secure them to the soil without hopefully having to use concrete, ties etc...

We have just sanded our original 1930s oak floorboards in our living room. They are now a very light wood colour. They will need to be returned to a light oak shade then finished. Can anyone recommend the easiest and/or least expensive way of doing this? I've read reviews and there seem to...

We employed painters to paint our whole flat in Dulux Brilliant White only to find the finished result came out as cream. We don't live at the property so didn't see a problem until the job was finished. The painters were foreign and just did as they were asked, painted the walls. Dulux have...

I've been quoted for bedrooms and stair carpet from two companies. The amount of carpet quoted is nearly 20% higher for the company supplying my preferred carpet. They insist the amount is correct. Presumably the shop with lower calculation wouldn't turn up with insufficient carpet and try and...

I’ve been quoted £1600 (fitted) for a new composite front door, nothing fancy, plain white with large glass panel. It has a side light and top light which bumped the cost up by £400. I’ve been to two local double glazing shops and think that’s the going price. It needs to be measured and...

Is there such a thing as a flexible exterior paint that will cover cracks?

Our builder has positioned our L-shaped kitchen sections together such that there is a gap between them. He intended to disguise this with an ugly metal joining bar but this shouldn't be necessary. I imagine the runs need to be pulled together to close the gap but could someone let me know if...

Hi Could someone tell me where to get advice on heating and providing hot water (no gas) for a small 2-bed top floor conversion. What size tank would I be looking at? Can they go in a cupboard?

We need to replace an old 700mm x 700mm radiator with a more efficient one. Trying to avoid replacing pipework so are restricted to 700mm wide. However the maximum height for standard radiators seems to also be 700mm. The BTUs quoted are too low for the size of our room. I imagine the double...

Hi I wish to matt paint over intact, low sheen, plain, vinyl wallpaper. What is the best way of preparing the paper to enable the paint to adhere? (I'm sure this is not Ideal but I can't cope with stripping the paper and relining it!) Thanks for any help.

Hi We've installed a new shower enclosure with Clearshield glass protection. It is advised to only use soapy water to clean it. Even with the protection the glass already has mild water marks and soap definitely doesn't remove limescale from the frame. The manufacturer only recomends Ritec...

Hi We've recently had a small basin vanity cupboard unit fitted in our new cloakroom. It's developing black mould under the basin and the cupboard smells very musty. There're no leaks. The cupboard has no ventilation which is presumably the problem. Do you think cutting a hole in the base of...

I'm trying to find suitable doors in 1930s style. I want prefinished doors in either white or oak finish. Does anyone know where I can find these at a reasonable price as I can only find raw oak or pine? I just don't want the work of finishing them, especially as it's for all 7 doors off our...