diy advice

Hi Guys, Recently my gearbox within my composite door broke. I broke the euro cylinder to get to the mechanism as instructed. I could not move the locking mechanism and eventually resorted to forcing the handle down. This sheered a loose piece of metal out of the gearbox but at least I could...

Hi all, so have an issue where the waste main down-pipe that runs through the centre of the house can often give off bad smell. We think we’ve sourced the problem (see image). What I’m not sure about, is if I cut and remove the copper pipe (we know this isn’t connected to anything) what kind...

Hi All West Midlands based and looking for someone to tell me if I’m going down the right path. Just finished putting up 8x2 joists for a new master bedroom above my garage and looking to install insulation. Am I on the right path with the below and should I be worried about significant heat...

What are the essential tools every aspiring DIYer should invest in? I'm just getting started, so any recommendations on must-have tools would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I'm trying to replace a toilet seat but the fixings are hidden by a plastic panel with no visible way of releasing it. The panel only moves slides slightly forwards&back and side to side. See attached photos of the top and each side. There is a small loose bolt in there from when I removed the...

Hello, So i have this old (unuseable)fireplace in the middle of my livingroom. It is quite nice so we dont just want to destroy it. But our tv is where the fireplace is... And i want to build a casing around it on which i can wallmount my 74" tv. As you can see in the images i have it a bit...

Hi all, Sure this is a standard-practice bit of info but I’m at a loss after searching online and YouTube for exactly what I need. We have a corner in a room that’s out by anything between 5-10cm, and we’ll soon be installing some base units against one of those walls. The dishwasher needs to...

I have spent the last 2 years replacing all skirting in my house to use ogee 18mm x 169mm. The only place I’ve not touched is on the stairs. My problem is the existing exposed staircase stringer varies in thickness, see pictures. It goes from almost nothing to up to 30mm. We are getting our...

I'm not expert - but tried to mockup my garage conversion. I'm going to get a sparky in to do some electrics, but ideally don't want to move the fusebox or change much if possible. I was going to do the work first before he comes, but getting a bit stuck around the plans for studding above...

Hi- we recently replaced our kitchen doors to give the old kitchen a refresh, and replaced the stainless steel sink with a Belfast sink to match the new style. The sink we bought was the same dimension as the old one, but as it’s curved it doesn’t fit the space. Annoyingly the plumber broke the...

Could anyone please identify where the DPC is on this wall from attached image? Mid terraced Kent victorian 3 bed 1897.

Hi! I’ve been decorating our lounge the past 5 days, we cleared cracks in the plaster out, filled with polyfilla, and caulked with “soudal decorators caulk” in the corners of the walls, and around skirting and dado rails. This morning I’ve noticed that the paint is looking a different colour and...

Hi all, I've been using the site for advice while planning my new patio and surrounding wall build. It's been very helpful, thank you all. One thing I'm still unsure about is how to extend my step down onto my patio, I'd like it to be full length, rather than the existing. My question is can I...

Hi all, I've recently had a new kitchen extractor fan fitted as the last one was ancient. However the fan was too small for the hole and had to be fitted to one side, leaving a large gap on the other. What would be the best way to fill this gap? The person who fitted recommended filling...

Hello, We had out kitchen fitted last November, and as the year has gone on we've spotted several issues. The worst (or the one that seems to be driving my wife crazy) is that the worktop joints aren't level. It's a U shaped kitchen and both connecting joints seems to be raised. Is this an...

I have a painted picture rail in one room but to match the look of the room I would love for them to be plain wood In terms of removing the picture rail - am I making a HUGE mistake to remove and just refit plain picture rails with an adhesive over nails? Then I could just stain them rather...

Been cleaning/restoring our uPVC window frames. Noticed that the sill was loose so removed it to give it a proper clean. Underneath is a gap in the capping whcih doesn’t look right to me. Imagined that this should run right underneath. The seams of the window frames/seals were sealed with...

I’ve just purchased a house and have stripped the wallpaper to find this grainy material. From a quick google search it seems to be lime plaster?? Do you agree? If so how easy is it to remove so I can re-plaster? Thanks

Hi Guys, my names John and I enjoy doing DIY (when I get round to it) and for a long time I have been putting off finishing/fixing this issue with the pictured part of the stairs to my attic. All we want is for it to be tidy and neat but can’t for the life of me figure out what’s best to do...

Hi, I’ve recently moved into a property where VELUX Low Pitch Roof Windows have been installed. I can’t for the life of me get them to open! It’s driving me mad. I’ve tried for a month to get them open but can’t. I’m hoping somebody can help. I’ve attached photos of them and have tried locking...