Sep 02
We’ve found some great ideas on the web for upcycling an old ladder via scraphacker.com. They can be left to just lean against a wall, used as shelving or suspended from ceilings. Take a look and be inspired!
In the bedroom, you could transform a simple wooden ladder into a clothes rack and shelf just by using a couple of brackets and some paint:
Or turn a wooden ladder into a shoe rack!
You can use a ladder as a towel rail in the bathroom or as a hanging rack in the kitchen. There are so many possiblities….
Aug 31
With only four weeks to go until the start of The National Home Improvement Show, we thought we should give you the low-down on what DIY Doctor will be up to during the show.
DIY Doctor will be hosting the Tricks of the Trade Theatre for the three days (28th – 30th September) and the timetable of presentations by the DIY Doctor himself, Mike Edwards, for each day is:
11.00 – 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.
12.30 – 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
14.00 – 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.
15.30 – 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.
Don’t forget you can get two FREE TICKETS to the show, being held at Olympia, just by clicking here or on the banner below!
Aug 25
Following yesterdays blog about how to lay out tiles, we are continuing the series with this video project which includes a review of the Suretile Tiletracker system which you will find makes your tiling project easy to complete.
Mike Edwards talks you through the process and you can watch the video here.
Did we mention that DIY Doctor has lots of projects and tile review videos in You Tube? Visit the DIY Doctor You Tube Channel here.
Aug 24
DIY Doctor’s Mike Edwards has been busy filming more video projects and product reviews.
One of the most popular DIY projects is how to tile a bathroom, and in this video we go through the fundamental process of how to set out the tiles correctly.
By following this process you will get a professional looking finish every time, it will also make it easier to cut tiles, by ensuring you do not get left with awkward small strips to fit with tiles.
If you are planning a tiling project you might be interested in the products offered by Suretile. In this video review Mike shows how the products work.
Find out more about tiling and other projects in our project pages such as grouting wall and floor tiles.
Visit our You Tube channel for more how to and product review videos.
Aug 21
We thought today we would focus on one of our project pages which affects everyone at some point – how to unblock toilets, sinks and drains. It may not be the nicest topic, or indeed the nicest job to do, but there are some simple DIY steps you can do to help with blockages.
As the project states, the first thing to do is don some decent rubber gloves – you really need to be aware of hygeine when dealing with waste pipes etc.
Now if you are trying to clear a sink, basin, bath or shower tray you will need a plunger, so that the pressure built up by the suction of the plunger will dilodge the blockage. There are several types of plunger available, simple rubber plungers, power plungers and sink and bath plungers which uses water injected through it.
Finally, if it is a blockage in your toilet and you think it is in in the U-bend, you can use one of the ordinary rubber plungers, but if you think the block is further down the pipework, it takes a bit more work. You will need to work out which manhole relates to your foul water. The project page guides you through instructions for this and then gives step by step guide to using drain rods so you should be able to shift the blockage. Safety is important if you are dealing with manholes due to the potential height and also the gasses which may be present and can be dangerous.
If however, the blockage appears to be in the soil and vent pipe, you may decide you need to call in a professional plumber as this job can turn tricky and messy. If you need to find a plumber, you can go to our Find a Trademan page which will help you to find reliable, trustworthy tradesmen in your area.
