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Painting over painted internal brick wall.
I'm wanting to paint the internal brick walls in my utility room which the previous owners have painted orange. As I'm not painting onto bare bricks do I need to use masonery paint or will normal emulsion do? Thanks
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Plumbing problem?
Had new wc and sink installed in downstairs cloakroom. My washing machine is located in cupboard next to this room and takes hot/cold water from same pipes. Waste is also attached on. Since this work my washing comes out boiling hot and a bit tight! The plumber is on holiday and dont really want to hire (and pay) another…
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Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate
Hi all, I've recently had some electrical work done on my house and asked that I received a Domestic Electrical 'Periodic Inspection Report' be produced. What I've been given is a "Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate"! I notice that on the certificate that there is a section for 'Schedule of Items Inspected'. The…
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Neighbour drilling into my external wall!
I own (well mostly the bank does) a small terraced house. Next door property is owned by a landlord and rented to tenants. The current tenants are polish. When I came back from abroad last time i noticed that they have put up a corrugated covering in their garden in the space between their bathroom and the edge of their…
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Recoating keep for plug in Bath
Please does anyone know whether it is possible to recoat the silver round bit on a bath that the plug goes in. Mine has lost some of its coating, it was like that when we moved in and I would like to smarten it up if possible. the other possibility is to replace that part, but when I mentioned it to my husband he said it…
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Digging Spike
I once borrowed a heavy metal bar about 5ft long with a spike at one end and a chisel at the other for breaking up the ground before sinking fence posts. It was also great for levering out roots. I have no idea what it is called and I would like to buy one. Anyone point me in the right direction?
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Wardrobe doors
We have wardrobes that have been built into the space at the side of the chimney breast. They were built by the previous owner. The doors are 1985mm high x 765mm wide, with a cupboard above for which the doors are 605mm high x 765mm wide. Previously these have just been painted with gloss paint but they look quite odd due…
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loft conversion
Looking at a complete loft conversion with 2 beds and a bath in our 3 bed semi. Rear dormer needed but roof already has gable end. It will be about 7.5m by 5.5m. New corridor and staircase installed etc. We are in herts/north london area and wondered where i could perhaps "save" money i could do most the work myself…
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Haberdashery/craft
Hey, I'm thinking of ways to add some colour to my walls. And i've come up with an idea involving canvas boards, ribbons and other bits and bobs Do you guys have any idea where i could get cheap materials from. I'd love to use all the stuff John lewis sells, but i'm not rich. Cheers Fran xx
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Flaky Paint
My external walls have a serious problem with flaking paint.The walls are I believe flop dashed with coats of paint on top, The paint in lots of places has completely peeled back or lifted the stones exposing the concrete behind. When I remove the peeling or lifted paint I remove the stones as well so I will have some…
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What is likely to be under laminate flooring?
Hi all we're moving into our new property in a couple of weeks which has artificial laminate flooring in the lounge, hall and kitchen. It's pretty cheap. we were hoping to pull it up and reveal the original floor boards underneath. are these likely to still be there? would they be really damaged from the laminate flooring?…
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New carpet - it has lines - is this to be 'expected'? (carpet newbie)
I just had a new carpet fitted this morning. I've come home and noticed two lines running down the carpet. They run length to length (wall to wall) if that makes sense about 1 metre apart (the carpet is a 5m width). The carpet is a Victoria Carpets, twist. I've tried brushing the pile with my hand and hoovering the carpet…
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Tricky plumbing situation
Hi all, I'm wondering if people might be able to advise about an issue we are having with a shower cubicle in our bathroom. A few months ago we noticed there seemed to be a slow dripping leak coming through our living room ceiling which seemed to be coming from the shower cubicle above it upstairs. After a number of…
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Building a desk above a radiator?? (picture added)
Hullo!! I am going to be working from home starting in September. YEY! So i need to rearrange our home office / junk room to accommodate my working space. The ideal place to put a desk is under the window and i can get some ikea worktop for £20 that is pretty much perfect! I just need to get some legs and voila! Only thing…
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Survey says rising damp - what next?
Before purchasing our house (Victorian terrace) we had a full structural survey done. The report contained the following: "Testing for dampness was undertaken in selected locations throughout the property, using an electric moisture meter. On the ground floor, positive readings of dampness were obtained at the base of the…
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Cheap building materials for my home renovation
Hi I am posting this as we are having difficulty in completing our home renovation. We had to renovate the whole house as it was in a poor state when we moved in. Being on one income (I am a full-time mum, it was not worth me going back to work due to the fact I would not have any money left after childcare costs), it has…
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Appliances Online offering "lifetime warranty"
Hi, I bought a Bosch fridge freezer 12 months ago from Appliances Online, after my 2 year old Samsung broke down and couldn't be repaired. I've just received a call from Appliances Online offering a lifetime warranty for £1.38 a week, with no fixed/minimum term or contract. If the fridge-freezer breaks down from wear and…
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Wooden Bathroom door is sticking when closing
Hi, Just looking for a little advice really, heres the background. We moved into a property a month ago (was sitting idle for 2 months) and wooden doors shut fine. The bathroom door started to stick on closing at the bottom half of vertical side, I sanded this down and it was closing perfect, but the prob has come back…
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Good water based white gloss paint, if any
Is there a good water based white paint for woodwork? Doing a Google suggests that a lot of professionals decorators do not like it because it does not go on so well. But from what I have read, all oil based white gloss paint will go yellow in a few years, especially in dark areas, and I do not want that. (My boss had his…
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Plastering around fireplace
Currently redecorating a room and removed the old 70's style fireplace which used to (not by me) house a dog grate and an open fire. I have started to get the room ready for plastering and not sure what to ask the plasterer what to do with the fireplace. After removing the fireplace, a solid reinforced concreted tiled…
