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Come and see DIY Doctor live at The Southern Homebuilding and Renovating Show. 

Mike Edwards from DIYDoctor

If you are wondering what to do on this wet weekend then come and see us at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show at Sandown Park Racecourse in Surrey. Just down the road from Hampton Court Palace it offers plenty of easy parking, and a warm welcome from DIY Doctor. Open today and tomorrow 30th June 10am-5pm and 1st July 10am-4.30pm

Let’s face it, it isn’t gardening weather and unless your DIY project is an indoor one then it is not going to get done today, so come and get some inspiration from approximately 300 stands. Follow the show on Twitter @HBRShow #homebuilding

Mike Edwards will be on stage in the Tricks of The Trade Theatre demonstrating how to skim plaster, how to tile a bathroom and how to avoid cowboy builders.

As you can see from the photo he is also able to make tea, but sadly once his public arrive he is likely to be too busy to keep up his catering skills.

If you can’t make it to the show in person then our video demonstrations are available to view online from the comfort of your own home.

Plastering videos

Plastering project

Bathroom videos

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The Southern Homebuilding and Renovating Show opens tomorrow and this is your final reminder that you can get your FREE TICKETS here!

Just click on the banner on the right and register for 2 free tickets , making a saving of £16!

DIY Doctor will be hosting the Tricks of the Trade area and this is our timetable of events for the weekend:

11am – How to skim plaster your walls
This presentation takes you through preparing the wall for plastering, mixing and applying the plaster and finally how to get it flat and smooth. You will also find out how to mend holes in plasterboard.

12.30pm – How to avoid cowboy builders
There is a lot of news in the media about ‘Cowboy Builders’ and how they ruin lives – but there is very little advice given to help you avoid them. This presentation will give advice on how to find reliable tradesmen and cover how to make sure
    · you obtain accurate references
    · your builder is adequately insured during the work
    · you are covered against accidents
    · the finished work is satisfactory
    · follow-up snagging is completed

2pm – How to skim plaster your walls
This presentation takes you through preparing the wall for plastering, mixing and applying the plaster and finally how to get it flat and smooth. You will also find out how to mend holes in plasterboard.

3.30pm – How to tile your bathroom
Often the smallest room in the house but the most difficult to decorate! Learn how to get tiles to fit perfectly around toilet, basin and bath with minimum wastage and maximum effect.

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Batteries of the future could be slimmer and lighter; in fact they could be as thin as a layer of paint.

We are always keen to hear of new developments in the scientific world that could impact on the future of DIY. So we were intrigued to read about research at RICE University in Houston, USA who are creating a ‘paint on’ battery.

Where most batteries are made up of two halves one positive(cathode) and one negative (anode) with a separator between them, this new battery is created using layers of paint which consist of a cathode, anode and 2 current collectors with a polymer separator.

The battery has been successfully bonded onto ceramic tiles, metal and plastic, and the inventors foresee that they will integrate well with sprayable solar cells which have already been developed.

You may have to wait a while for these to be available on the open market, so in the mean time visit our DIY Tool Store.

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The DIY Doctor team have packed up and are on the road to Sandown Park Racecourse for the Southern Homebuilding and Renovating Show this weekend! The show is open on Saturday from 10am until 5pm and Sunday 10am until 4.30pm, and you can get your FREE TICKETS here!

DIY Doctor are hosting the Tricks of the Stage area at the show, so come along and learn how to tile a bathrrom, how to skim plaster a wall and how to avoid cowboy builders, all presented by our very own Mike Edwards AKA the DIY Doctor!

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There are many ways to find tradesmen, and one of the ways that is increasing is lead generation. This is where you go online to fill in the details of your job, you then get contacted by usually between three and five tradesmen in your area who will quote for you. But with such a choice how do you know that what you are getting is what you need to avoid the cowboy?

DIY Doctor has reviewed the vetting procedures of many of these companies and has concluded that the best source for finding tradespeople is through TrustMark. The following points are why we have reached this conclusion:

TrustMarkwas launched in 2006, and it is the Government endorsed not-for-profit quality mark for tradesmen.

It has over 20,000 licenced trades throughout the UK.

It is a free service to householders which allows them to select a tradesman in the knowledge that the firms’ competence and fair trading practices have been independently checked.

Firms are vetted and registered via Scheme Operators. 

They sign up to a carefully-monitored and audited code of practice that includes insurance, good health and safety practices, and customer care.

TrustMark is the only scheme requiring onsite inspections carried out by independent, qualified inspectors.

The firms work to Government endorsed standards. They offer insurance  backed warranties and deposit protection, and a simple complaints procedure. 

TrustMark aims to achieve the right balance between consumer protection, industry practicalities and costs.

Complaints regarding TrustMark and the compliance of Scheme Operators are extremely low, the latest figures show one complaint per 9,500 jobs done.

For more information on finding a good tradesman and avoiding the cowboy – click here to find out about our Home Improver Protection Solution.

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