Jul 29
In an earlier post we looked at workboots and now we are moving up to trousers.
Our CEO Mike Edwards can’t claim to be the Gok Wan of the Home Improvement world, but he can say whether it is worthwhile buying specialist workwear. Obviously these items are made from durable materials and often include extra pockets, double stitching and padded knees. Also if you have dedicated work clothes you wont ruin your everyday clothes when you are DIYing.
We can’t promise these trousers won’t give you a builders-bum, but hopefully you are less likely to suffer in these than in your trendy jeans (which seem to include waistbands halfway down your buttocks before you even start wriggling into awkward spaces!).
See the full review here.
See reviews on other products here.
To have your product reviewed click here
Jul 14
The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) is trying to raise awareness of electrical safety in the home among new parents.
This prompted us at DIY Doctor to join our voice to that of the ESC, and MumsNet, who are also concerned about this problem. In the UK each year there are approximately 350,000 electrical related accidents in their homes and sadly around 50 of these are fatal. In addition to direct injury the fire brigade report that 50% of household fires are caused by electrical faults.
New parents are understandably anxious to protect their children and spend lots of money on safety devices such as socket covers, but what they are not considering is whether their system is as safe as it could be.
‘If your wiring is unsafe, buying such localised protection is like putting a sticking plaster on the problem,’ explains Mike Edwards CEO of DIY Doctor ‘I am not saying parents shouldn’t use these safety devices on sockets, but they should not feel that it is a failsafe method of avoiding electrocution’. He believes that many householders are not aware of the benefit of getting a Residual Current Device (RCD) installed by a qualified electrician. RCD’s are designed to trip if there is any fault or short circuit. So if you mistakenly damage a cable while drilling into walls, or a child pokes something into a socket, the RCD will shut off the electric supply to that area. Read more about RCD’s in our Consumer Unit Project.
Consumer Unit showing an RCD (E)
What can you do?
Have your system checked by a qualified electrician and invest in an RCD if you don’t already have one. Having made sure the system is safe don’t do anything that may damage it. When you are drilling into walls make sure you avoid any cables by searching for them before you drill using a cable detector.
Don’t forget, all but the most basic electrical work should be carried out by a qualified electrician. This follows an amendment to the building regulations and is covered in greater detail in our Part P Project.
Jul 06
DIYDoctor’s Mike Edwards has been busy trying out a host of Home Improvement products, from Ladders to drills, screws to shoes and everything in between.
There are hundreds of tool reviews coming over the next few months
These are being loaded onto the website now and we hope they prove an invaluable resource to all our visitors.
Each page has a video showing the item being used and discussing its merits and any downsides. There is also an overview and rating from the Doc, a list of the features, a note of what you get for your money ‘what’s in the box’ and a link to read more reviews from customers who have already bought the product.
If you like what you see you can simply click on the buy button to have it delivered direct to you.
Find all our videos by clicking on the Video Tool Review button to the left hand side of our home page.
Find tool reviews under the 'Video Tool Reviews' button on the site
Click here to visit the main page and have a look around the reviews http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/product-reviews/, don’t forget to keep coming back as we will be uploading more videos in the coming weeks.
We would also love to get feedback from you, so let us know what you think, and if you have any suggestions about other products to feature, or details you would like to see included, then please leave your comments on this page.
Jun 27
If you feel like being a bit creative and you’ve got some small pieces of furniture or picture frames you’d like to give a new lease of life to, you could try the art of decoupage.
Decoupage involves applying a collage of images to the surface of an object and is very effective on items such as boxes, frames, trays or small tables. Our new project on decoupage tells you all you need to know, from collecting your images and deciding how you want to decorate your item, to preparing the surface and actually applying the pictures. It talks you through what glues and varnishes to use and how to get a good finish to your piece.
Decoupage is great fun and is an easy way to transform accessories for the home or to give as presents, and you don’t have to be artistic to have a go!
May 21
Buying a new cast iron fireplace is a costly purchase but we have a new project on the website which gives help and advice if you are restoring a cast iron fireplace. If you already have an old fireplace in your home you may be thinking about trying to revive it or maybe you are planning to buy an old cast iron fireplace from a reclamation yard to ‘do up’.
The project gives advice on stripping and cleaning your fireplace and what to use to get rid of old paint and rust. Depending on the finish you want for your fireplace, you can then decide what sort of product to use on the clened surface – it maybe that you just want to polish it or you may choose to paint it. Whichever you choose, it will be time well spent restoring your cast iron fireplace as they are great features in a house and a good investment!
