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Thanks, liking the idea of the dog clamp though they don't seem readily available other than in packs of several. And ill have to avoid smashing the sink if i hammer it in! Not sure a pin or screw would be aesthetically acceptable. Would there be any way of screwing a clamp or even a small block...

Thanks - no way of getting the worktop out, no way to clamp across its width and no access under it as the cupboards have their own "roof" that the worktop sits on. Is PVA glue better than epoxy glue or any of the many types of wood filler for this sort of thing? I probably won't get it in all...

A crack in our solid oak kitchen worktop, fitted around five years ago has just developed. It extends back around 12 inches from the Belfast sink, and the first 6 inches or so looks quite deep, whilst the rest is superficial but looks like it could open up further. It isn't a failure of stave...

No I don't, nor do I want to blow up the house! Is it just a fact of life that garden 12VAC transformers conk out and need replacing every few months? Reading some of the reviews I'm leaning towards "yes" but that just doesn't feel right. Are there any decent ones out there?

Thanks, I looked up the latest transformer's supplier as it may still be under warranty and was reading reviews last night. All very positive, yet several mentioning they had to regularly replace the transformers! What's up with these things, is low voltage garden lighting just impossible to...

I have a few 12V AC garden lights, wired in parallel to a 240V transformer which is plugged into a wireless-operated switch which is plugged into a standard plug socket in rhe garden shed. The shed is properly wired to the house (shielded cable, fitted by electrician etc) and a wireless switch...

Around 18 months ago I used Osmo Top Oil (couple of layers of Acacia colour to give a lovely deep honey coloured stain, then a layer of clear matt for additional protection) on the solid oak kitchen worktop. Due to standing water near the sink an area had started to become blackened, so I sanded...

Resurrecting an old thread I started... Under the lead flashing, the felt of the felt roof comes up about two inches and is firmly sealed against the wall. In the heaviest of rain it remains absolutely bone dry. However, I pinned down the source of the leak by hosing the wall down along the...

I rebuilt my garden shed around five years ago around the remains of an outhouse. It has brick walls to sides and back and waney edge larch panels on the front. Pent roof slopes down to the front wall at around 10 degrees. 2 by 6 treated beams run left to right about 0.5m apart and decking is...

I rebuilt my garden shed around five years ago around the remains of an outhouse. It has brick walls to sides and back and waney edge larch panels on the front. Pent roof slopes down to the front wall at around 10 degrees. 2 by 6 treated beams run left to right about 0.5m apart and decking is...

My second 12V AC, 60W garden lights transformer has just died. Both lasted around 6 months and were left running for 4-6 hours a day continuously plugged into a timer. Transformer itself plugged into 240V domestic supply in brick outhouse which is cold and damp but certainly not wet, thought the...

Hi would really appreciate advice on finding the source of and repairing a roof leak. Setting - Victorian terraced house. At some point kitchen had a single storey extension out at the back through removal of part of downstairs rear wall (above which the brickwork is supported by RSJ). The...

The stairs in my Victorian house from ground floor to first floor are very short and very steep. The staircase is in the form of two runs of six stairs, with a landing at 90 degrees. The height of each riser is 21cm and the nosing to nosing going is a mere 18cm (which is well short of the...

Having my hallway tiled, 10m long by 1m wide in a Victorian terraced house that originally had geometric tiled floor on compacted cinder but it subsided and cracked beyond repair. Had the whole lot dug out, joists inserted every 30cm so as to be super rigid for taking tiles, then 18mm plywood...

So would a primer like the Zinsser range work and if so what to get? Tried misting once before in another room and still the paint wouldn't bond properly so seems a lot of faff if it won't work and still have to try sometyhing else.

Advice appreciated for painting a small but awkward shaped under stairs cupboard in my Victorian terraced house. The plaster was probably reskimmed 50 years old and painted magnolia many years ago. I started putting on new Dulux matt white emulsion today with a roller and it's all peeled off...

Thanks, that's what I was looking for. Videos of folks in the USA doing it makes it look like a real alternative to removing plaster completely and starting afresh, but also is there something about them using horsehair in their plaster so it holds together better too? Sounds like best option...

Why not, what could go wrong?

I need to redecorate one of the bedrooms whilst we're in lockdown. It's a Victorian house, original plaster, thick heavy patterned wallpaper. Three walls have brick and plaster which seems sound, the fourth wall is lath and plaster but there are a few areas where the plaster has come loose from...

Yes I have - the thread of the "green" ring was obviously stripped and just wouldn't stay put on the bottom part of the lampholder (ie the bit with the external thread that screws onto the stem). So it's off to get a new lampholder, and I've spoken with a specialist lamp shop nearby who have the...