May 02
Despite her earlier comments regarding decorating over the long weekend, Karen was caught up in the excitement of the Royal Wedding and not a brush stroke was made on Friday!
As you may see from the images in the blogs below, the undercoat had been applied ready for the next step. However, the overall look of the door was fine from across the road, but on closer inspection it was very apparent that it was less than perfect. Karen made the difficult decision to strip the door again – this time all the way back to bare wood.
This took quite some time as rather than cover the whole door with the eco friendly paint stripper, Karen worked in smaller sections. This enabled her to concentrate on the fiddly bits of the panelling to ensure all traces of the previous paint were removed.
After carefully washing the door with a weak solution of sugar soap and rinsed with fresh water, the door was left overnight to dry out. The following morning it was ready for sanding down. Karen started with a coarse grain or grade paper, then a medium grade was used and finally a fine grade to finish. Have a look at our project on preparing woodwork for more information.
We think you will agree that the door now looks much better and will provide a far smoother surface for repainting.
After a final wipe down to remove all traces of dust Karen is now ready for the next step – undercoat again!
Apr 26
After a couple of days work on her front door, it seems like Karen took us at our word – and spent the last two days of the Easter Bank holiday weekend on the beach!
Well, not on the beach exactly, but family commitments meant that Karen was unable to complete her project of stripping and repainting the front door in the original timescale.
Luckily, thanks to the wedding of a certain young Prince on Friday, and May Day we have another 4 day weekend coming up.
A recent survey showed that although most of the working population are grateful to have an extra day off because of the Royal Wedding, DIY is not top of their list of things to do. This is not true for Karen however, as she has promised to leave the TV switched off until after the final brush stroke!
Did you have any unfinished DIY jobs from the weekend? Taken on too much? If so, just click here to get a local tradesman to come and finish the job so you can watch the Royal Wedding!
Apr 21
Here at DIY Doctor, we like to practise what we preach – and Do It Ourselves! New Sales Manager Karen Arter, who joined us at the beginning of April, has taken on her own DIY challenge for the upcoming Easter bank holiday weekend.
First impressions count, and as the front door to Karen’s house is looking very tired and faded, with several layers of chipped paint, stripping and repainting the door is the task to be undertaken.
Preparation is the key with this type of job, and stripping the door will provide a sound base to work from. Karen has purchased an eco friendly paint stripper as suggested on our stripping paint project, thereby avoiding the need to rub down the door manually and wearing herself out at the first stage!
Here in the office we hope the weather stays good – for Karen to complete her door and for the rest of us to enjoy a relaxing weekend! Let us know what DIY projects you are planning this weekend.
Karen has identified several projects around her house that need attention so keep an eye on the blog as she works her way through the list over the coming months.
Does your door need painting? You can get free no-obligation quotes for all your home improvement projects from reliable and insured tradesmen in your local area. Simply click here and choose your category.
Dec 17
Maybe your refurbishing your home? Or you’d just like to find some unique and original door hardware, and at an affordable price too? Or perhaps your business premises need to be brought up to date? Take a look at online store, Love Handles. Love Handles are suppliers in the best of architectural door hardware-that’s door handles, door locks and any other door fittings to me and you!
All of Love Handles employees are trained through the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers Education system, meaning if you have a query, they’ll be able to help you, whether your unsure which lock would provide you with the most security for your home or perhaps you need to know more about the legislation that you will be required to meet if you are purchasing door hardware for a business, the Love Handles team will ensure you get the right product.
Due to the diverse client base that Love Handles has, stretching from private home owners to large companies, our product range is sourced from all around the world and all in a huge variety of styles. So, whatever your needs-Love Handles has the solution.
As well as providing products for the house owner, they also have a number of business clients, too. The New Hilton Hotel in Liverpool and the ubiquitous Urban Splash development-Chimney Pot Park in Manchester are just two of the projects that have the Love Handles mark on them!
If you don’t need any advice and you’d just like to buy online, go ahead! Next day delivery is free and this covers the whole of the UK. However, if you’d like to speak to an assistant about a particular query, head across to their Design Centre in Liverpool where they will be more than happy to help.
Visit the Door Handle Shop now!
Dec 03
Fitting a door handle is one of those things that many of us believe we won’t be able to do, however, it is an easy job that will only take you an hour if you have a few simple tools. Today, most door handles come complete with all of the needed screws, but if you are unsure, it’s wise to go into a DIY shop and speak to an assistant who would be more than happy to help and provide you with the correct screws.
Step 1. You must first insert the square spindle through the sashlock/latch. If the spindle is slotted you must make sure that the slot is facing downwards.
Step 2. Slide the handle backplate or the rose onto the spindle and fasten it to your doors with the screws.
Step 3. Slide the handle or knob tightly onto the spindle. Fix it into place with the grub screw provided (again, if you are not sure if you have one of these, speak to an assistant in your local DIY shop, they will be able to advise you).
Step 4. To fit an escutcheon (the metal part that surrounds the keyhole), align the backing plate with the slot in the case and fix into place with the screws.
Step 5. Now all you have to do is either push or screw on the escutcheon cover, simple!
Step 6. For the finishing touches, clean your new door handle or door knob with a soft clean cloth. Never use harsh cleaners or solvents. To protect your door handle, apply a small amount of beeswax.
Hopefully this easy guide has shown you just how simple it is to fit a door handle. The only tricky part is finding the perfect door handle or knob to match your interior. You could take a look at online shop, LoveHandles.uk.com, as they have a huge range of door handles and door knobs from all across the world.
