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Hello everyone Can you tell me what these white spots are , on these two areas of brickwork, please, and how to remove it? It's around 20 years old , so thinking it's possibly some kind of lichen , rather than efflorescence? Just trying to decide if I can clean up the area in the bottom picture...

Hi folks . My neighbor has a roof tile with a large chunk missing from it . She's tried sourcing a replacement, but no luck as they're 50 years old . Even looked on ebay , but not much on there I think they're made from concrete with a stone speckled finish . Just wondering if it's possible to...

Hi Folks , I have an outdoor RCD socket , like this one...

Hello Folks Apologies if this subject has been covered before , I did have a look , but couldn't find too much info . A couple of years ago I repaired some cracks in my plasterboard ceiling . I think when the house was built some 40 years ago , the plasterboard edges weren't lined up with the...

Just had one of my double glazed units replaced due to the seal failing and condensation getting in . Unfortunately , when the fitters replaced the unit , they`ve managed to crack the beading - forming two 4 inch long cracks . Theyre , hopefully , going to put it right with a repair , as the...

Hi Folks I`m replacing the ceiling in my Dads spare room . To save on cost , I`m hoping to do it without skimming the plasterbord . Two questions . First , if I use the bevel edge boards , whats the best way to fill the gaps to obtain a smoooth joint , and what is the best filler ...

I`m just about to replace a radiator in my hallway , but not sure which pipe is flow , and which is return . The current rad has 2 identical valves , with no thermostat . Ive tried holding the pipes when the heating kicks in to see which heats up first , but there doesn`t seem to be much...

Hello folks , I have an underfloor heating mat system in my bathroom . It has worked fine for 10 years with no problems , but has recently stopped working . The display on the thermostat is still there , but the current temperature is shown as 15 degrees , no matter how high I set the...

I`ve just had a concrete base laid for a pond and am going to render it for a smooth finish prior to painting . Is it advisable to prime it with PVA or similar first to aid bonding ? and should I use a bonding agent in my rendrer mix

I`m currently building a concrete block pond . I`ll be rendering the internal walls next , prior to painting . Just wondered if its possible to use 1 coat of render as long as the walls are flat , or does it have to be 2 coats . Also , what is the minimum thickness required ? Any...

Hi Folks , Next year , I`ll be constructing a larger pond . I`ll be having a concrete base which I plan to do myself using a mixer . (As the rest of the garden is finished - I want to do as much as I can myself to keep the mess to a minimum ). Rather than lay the whole slab in one go ...

Hi Folks , I need to cut out a section of my concrete garage floor , to house a filter for my pond . The hole will need to be around 2ft square x 2ft deep . I think the concrete base is around a foot thick . Whats the best method , and what tools do I...

Hello Folks , This year , I`m hoping to extend my pond . It will be made from concrete blocks on a base of about 8" . I`m wondering if I can lay the base myself , rather than have ready-mix delivered . Ive done some rough calculations , and reckon I`m going to need about 1 cubic meter ...

Hi Folks , I`m thinking of making some raised borders for my front garden . I thought , rather than use railway sleepers , (which I used in the back)which I think might be a bit bulky , as I only have a small garden , I`d use something like 8" x 3" redwood sawn timber . Just...

I am fitting a new stone resin based shower tray onto existing porcelain floor tiles ( I cant remove the tiles , as it would affect the underfloor heating . Would I be ok fitting directly onto them with tile adhesive - possibly scouring the surface of the tiles to aid bonding ?? Or should...

Hello Folks , I have an acrylic/stone resin shower tray which is four years old . Ive noticed several hairline cracks appearing in the internal corners of the surface . Theyre barely noticable at the moment , but Im sure they`ll get worse . To remove the tray...

I`m currently installing a new filter for my garden pond . I`m using grey solvent weld pressure pipe to make all the conncetions . Ive cut most of the pipework and fitted it "dry" to make sure Its all in the right place Ect . The jointss seem very tight when I assemble them and its...

Hello Folks , I recently bought a wooden corner seat/arbour for my garden . My idea was to treat it using liberon decking oil - as Ive used on my decking . However , when i started staining it , I can still see the green spots coming through in places caused by the tanalith . I tried...

Hello Folks , Last year I laid a patio and path in my back garden using indian sandstone . I laid them on a 4" sub base (crush n run) and 1" 1/2 mortar bed . Everythings fine , except a couple of them have come loose in one area , and the mortar joint has cracked . Whats...

Hello Folks , I have some raised borders in my garden made from railway sleepers . I want to put some flush fitting lights in the top , so need to drill a hole around 45 mm diameter x 30mm deep . I notice the flat type wood drills dont go that big - so...