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I’ve just had MDF under-stairs cupboards built, but when they went to paint the door, they’ve been finding that tiny bubbles are appearing as it dries. It’s Ronseal water-based Satin paint, and it’s being used all over the house (including similar MDF) and everywhere else it is fine. They have...

I’m painting a wall with vinyl matt emulsion (Covaplus) but at the edges some of the woodwork paint (water-based white satin) has overlapped onto the wall slightly. It’s fractionally onto the wall (half a cm at most). If I simply paint over this sliver when cutting in, will the vinyl matt...

I have a radiator which regularly needs bleeding and I’d like to check whether the gas coming out is hydrogen. Is there a safe way of doing this (i.e. that doesn’t involve setting fire to it)?

I bought Zinsser Perma White because I needed to paint a flat in a hurry and it advertises that it’s for both walls and woodwork, and is self-priming so it can be painted over old gloss/semi-gloss paints without a separate primer, saving a coat. I properly prepped/cleaned/sanded the first door...

I applied silicone around my new kitchen tiles yesterday, and this morning I realised I had accidentally used Dow Corning 791 instead of 785 (i.e. a weatherproofing sealant instead of a sanitary sealant). Is this a disaster?

I’ve got some Wedi backer board for tiling a kitchen Splashback, but I can’t get hold of Wedi Joint Reinforcement Tape as quickly as I’d like. I can get Dukka Waterproof Tape - I take it this would be a suitable alternative? Also, can I take straight over the tape without priming? Thanks

Zinsser’s primers (BIN, 123 and Cover Stain) all say in their technical docs that they can be painted over with any water-based or solvent-based topcoat. But they never actually use the word “undercoat”; they only describe themselves as primers. I’ve already primed a new wooden door with...

We moved into a house a year ago with a lovely 100-year-old bay window. The paint on it was a few years old but otherwise it seemed in good condition. We had decorators in right away who, amongst other things, painted the window. Last night I noticed that substantial cracks have appeared in the...

I've just finished stripping an old plaster wall, and it's a real nightmare to get the final remnants of wallpaper paste off - it feels pretty smooth to the touch, but if I wet the wall with hot water and run a scraper over it, it picks up a small amount of gunk. However much I go over it, I...

What is this vertical line of calk between two new-build attached houses - does it go all the way through between 2 separate walls? Can it tell me anything about how the dividing wall is constructed and whether it's likely to have good sound insulation? Thanks.

My sink makes a noise when the toilet is flushed - see video below. The bathroom is newly installed. Any idea what's causing this? Is it likely to cause any damage and is there an easy fix? http://youtu.be/w2nWi7sUmb4

My new bathroom has a Crosswater fixed shower head. When I turn it on a little jet of water shoots out of what looks like a screw hole above the head (picture attached). Any idea what this is?