How do I apply Danish oil or tung oil properly?
Thin coats wiped on and wiped back, why the excess must come off, and how many coats a hard-wearing surface really needs.
beginner1 hr4 min read
Decorating
Painting, filling, finishing — how to get a tidy result.
191 guides in Home & DIY
How do I fit a glass or acrylic splashback?
Templating so the factory cuts the holes in the right place, why the wall has to be flat, and fixing with silicone rather than screws.
intermediate2 hr4 min readHow do I fit flooring around a bay window or a curved wall?
Scribing a plank to a curve or an angled bay so the gap behind is consistent, the expansion gap survives, and the beading covers what it needs to.
advanced2 hr3 min readHow do I patch damaged wallpaper invisibly?
The double-cut patch and the torn-edge patch, matching the pattern, and dealing with paper that has faded since it was hung.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I stagger the end joints in a laminate or wood floor?
Why the offset pattern matters mechanically as well as visually, the two patterns to avoid, and the cutting plan that gets a good stagger out of offcuts.
beginner30 min4 min readShould I fit a curtain pole or a track?
The practical differences between poles and tracks, and which suits bay windows, heavy curtains and blackout.
beginner20 min2 min readWhy is my varnish still tacky and not drying?
Cold, damp, thick coats, contaminated timber and old stock — the five reasons a clear finish stays sticky, and which of them can be rescued.
beginner30 min3 min readDo I need to PVA a wall before plastering?
What PVA actually does under plaster, why it is the right answer sometimes and the wrong one often, and the alternatives that do the job better.
beginner20 min4 min readShould flooring run straight through a doorway into the next room?
Continuous flooring looks better and makes a house feel bigger, but a floating floor has limits on how far it can run in one piece, and doorways are where those limits get tested.
intermediate30 min5 min readWhat is different about laying large format tiles?
Substrate flatness, bed thickness, offset, handling and cutting all change with tile size, and the tolerance for error shrinks as the tile grows.
advanced4 hr5 min readHow do I punch and fill nail heads in trim so they disappear?
Choosing the punch size, how deep to set the head, and the filling and priming sequence that keeps the repair invisible under paint.
beginner25 min3 min readHow long should new render or mortar dry before I paint it?
Why fresh cement-based surfaces destroy ordinary paint, what governs the waiting time, and the test that tells you whether the wall is genuinely ready.
beginner8 min3 min readCan I skim over a painted wall, or does the paint have to come off?
The paint types that can be skimmed over safely, the ones that guarantee a failure, and how to decide when the wall should be re-boarded instead.
intermediate40 min4 min readHow do I fit a plaster ceiling rose?
Centring it properly in a room that is not square, fixing a heavy plaster moulding to a ceiling so it stays up, and getting the light fitting back through the middle without cracking it.
intermediate2 hr4 min readHow do I lay the first row of flooring against a wall that is not straight?
Scribing the first row to the wall so the floor is straight even though the wall is not — and why laying the first row to the wall is the mistake.
intermediate1 hr5 min readWhich tile layout pattern wastes the fewest tiles?
Straight, brick bond, herringbone and diagonal compared on cutting, waste, difficulty and how forgiving each is of a room that is not square.
intermediate25 min4 min readHow do I tile a window reveal so the cuts look right?
How the reveal relates to the main wall's setting out, which edge takes the cut, and the order that stops the return tiles sliding off.
intermediate2 hr5 min readHow is carpet fitted with gripper rods?
What gripper does, where it goes relative to the skirting, how the carpet is stretched onto it, and the parts of the job that genuinely need a fitter.
intermediate3 hr4 min readWhy is my new paint cracking and crazing?
Fine crazing, alligatoring and cracks that follow the surface below are three different faults — one is in the paint film, one is in the layers under it, and one is in the substrate.
beginner45 min5 min readHow long should I wait before tiling a newly plastered wall?
Why fresh plaster and tile adhesive are a bad combination, how long is long enough, and the cases where the skim should never have been there at all.
beginner15 min4 min readTile trim or a mitred edge — which should I use on an external corner?
What each option demands in tools and accuracy, where each looks right, and the third option people forget.
intermediate20 min4 min readScrim tape or paper tape — which should I use on a joint?
Self-adhesive mesh and bedded paper tape behave differently in a joint, and each has places it is clearly the right choice — including the corners, where neither is enough on its own.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I hang pictures from a picture rail?
Choosing hooks, cords and chains for the weight, hanging straight and level with no holes at all, and checking a rail is still fixed to something before trusting it.
beginner30 min5 min read
Going deeper: Renovation Calculator
Room-by-room material quantities, wastage allowances and project cost estimates.