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I've done quite a bit of floor tiling in my time, always successfully but I've just had a complete disaster with Unibond Tile on Walls. I'd done the floor, using BAL, which doesn't require you to prep ply before tiling. There was a bit of boxing in of the pipes, to do, too and as I wanted to...

Does anyone know how long a 'normal' programme on a Neff dishwasher should take? I have a Neff integrated model S44E43NOGB and the thing seems to run for hours before finishing. I've had a Neff before and I don't think it took this long. I don't want to ask for a service visit if there's...

Here's a little tip for those of you having bathroom installations done. (I've just had one done and feel I could write a whole article about how to ensure it runs more smoothly next time.) When baths - and shower trays - are delivered, they usually come with a protective plastic film. In my...

Was out in the garden today for the first time this year and found that someone had fly-tipped a metal headboard over my back fence. At present, I have no lights or cctv in the back garden and am wondering what the best solution might be to deter people from doing this again. I can't have a...

This is really an electrical and plumbing question combined but since the electrical side is what I really want to know about, hope this is the right section. I've recentlty had a new kitchen installed (bought from John Lewis who also arranged the fitting.) Came home today and found a pool of...

This is a plastering story but it's relevant for anyone who uses dustsheets. A friend was having their ground floor kitchen replastered. The friend's wife was working in the home office upstairs and thought she could smell gas. She went downstairs to investigate and found the plasterer's lad...

At the top of some stairs, I have a wall on which the external corner has been chipped and damaged, probably caused by furniture banging against it during delivery and removals over the years. I could put on a metal corner strip to repair and protect the edge from future damage, but then I'd...

I found this bathroom basin and pedestal online: http://www.ukbathroominteriors.com/rangecode_product.asp?RangeCode=43&Manufacturer=Vitra%20Essentials I like it but . . . the pedestal fits close to the wall so I'm wondering how it's possible to reach the trap if it clogs up? Is this a...

I just found this site http://ratemds.com/social/?q=node/8521 It allows you to rate your doctor or dentist. It's a U.S. site but there's a UK section - only 71 doctors/dentists listed at the moment - but if more people add to it, it could be an excellent resource. You can put in details...

Having read the posts on putting wood flooring on stairs, I am naturally a touch apprehensive, so you can imagine my delight when I came across the following product: www.stairmakeover.com It sounds great and being anti-slip it answers my main concern. The only problem is the price. It...

I need some wardrobes built into two alcoves in a bedroom. All the off-the-peg companies (hammonds, mfi, etc) have standard height doors, but my ceiling is very high (255 cms) and I don't want to lose that space. Since I don't need any fancy fittings and I want very plain doors suitable for...

Having had three quotes from kitchen companies, it is rapidly becoming plain that the modern combi boiler is too large to fit into a standard wall cabinet. B & Q just shrugged, Magnet suggested a tambour unit which would look good but would not work because the boiler would interfere with the...

Forgive me if this is a silly question but I'm thinking of completely tiling a second floor bathroom - that is wall tiles, floor tiles, even tiles instead of a bath panel. The floor is wooden, not concrete. Is there any danger that tiling throughout might too heavy for the structure to bear...

Does anyone know where I can find the tiles shown in the kitchen picture of this property? I have the same ones in my flat and need to match some after boiler replacement. Many thanks. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-9351300.rsp?pa_n=2&tr_t=buy

Here's something to make you laugh. I decided to have the 'Bee and Queue' people quote for a new kitchen in the house I'm renovating. Nice chap came around and after measuring up printed me off a list of stuff plus costs. As I looked through, I found an unexpected item: £8.98 for an E cloth...

In the 1970s house I'm renovating, the internal doors are all varnished ply. Instead of buying new doors, I thought I'd paint the existing ones and put on new handles. I've done one (two coats water-based primer plus acrylic top coat) but it doesn't look great. I'm now wondering whether this...

In another thread, some of us were talking about a long-handled razor- edge scraper that's great for scraping the high points off artex, stripping loose paint , wallpaper, etc. I've only recently bought one of these and it's one of those tools I wonder how I've managed without for so long...

Last year, I had two quotes to fit a new boiler in a first floor flat I own. One plumber (Corgi registered) said I could have a combi but British Gas claimed that the diameter of the incoming pipe to the building was too small. As this is just a flat, I can't replace the main supply pipe but...

You may have seen tv commercials (Claudia Schiffer?) and posters urging us all to be ecological and reduce our wash temperature to 30 degrees. I have mixed feelings about this and would welcome comments. My concern is the problem of black mould in the machine. According to one...

During a recent conversation (with British Gas actually, but that's probably irrelevant) I was told that the most important thing to remember when having people in to do work in a house is to provide plenty of biscuits. In fact, I always do provide some, but I'm not a great biscuit-eater...