How do I undercut a door frame so the flooring runs under it?
Setting the cut height from a board offcut, using the right saw, and why running the floor underneath is better than scribing round.
beginner45 min4 min read
Repairs
Fixing the things that break — taps, handles, holes, hinges.
553 guides in Home & DIY
How thick is the plaster on my wall, and why does it matter?
Plaster is two coats doing two jobs, and the total varies from 3mm to 25mm depending on what is underneath. Why the depth decides fixing length, patch method and whether filler will ever look right.
beginner10 min3 min readWhat is the difference between an espagnolette and a cockspur window handle?
How to tell at a glance which of the two handle systems your windows use, what you need to measure for each, and why one of them is handed and the other is not.
beginner12 min3 min readWhat is the difference between side-mounted and undermount drawer runners?
Three runner systems compared on what they cost, what they carry, what they demand of the drawer box, and which of them you can actually retrofit.
beginner10 min4 min readWhat is two-part filler and when do I actually need it?
A chemically cured filler that sets in minutes, does not shrink, can be drilled and shaped, and survives outdoors — and the three ways people get it wrong.
intermediate30 min5 min readWhy does glue squeeze-out show through my stain or varnish?
Dried glue seals the grain so nothing soaks in, and the pale ghost only appears once the stain goes on — how to prevent it, and what can be done afterwards.
intermediate25 min4 min readWhy does my outside light come on in daylight or stay on all night?
How a PIR sensor and a dusk sensor actually decide, the six things that make them decide wrongly, and the adjustments that fix nearly all of it without replacing anything.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy has my new concrete cracked?
Shrinkage, drying too fast, no joints and too much water — how to read a crack in new concrete and what to do differently next time.
intermediate30 min4 min readWhy have small round bumps and cracks appeared over my plasterboard fixings?
Nail pops are the board moving relative to the timber behind it. Why they appear, why filling them alone brings them back, and the repair that holds.
beginner45 min4 min readWhy is my plaster full of trowel marks and ridges?
Lines, ridges and chatter in a skimmed surface come from four separate causes, and three of them are about when you trowelled rather than how. How to read the marks and what can still be rescued.
intermediate30 min4 min readWhy is my screw standing proud instead of sitting flush?
Six reasons a screw head stops short of the surface, how to tell them apart in ten seconds, and which ones you must not solve by turning harder.
beginner10 min3 min readWhy will my bath pop-up plug not open or hold water?
How a cable-operated bath pop-up differs from a basin one, the three adjustments that fix most of them, and why hair is nearly always involved.
beginner40 min4 min readWhy will my roller blind not roll up properly?
Diagnosing a roller blind that hangs crooked, jams, tracks sideways off the tube or will not retract, and the levelling error behind most of it.
beginner30 min5 min readWhy will my washing machine valve not turn off?
The small lever valve behind a washing machine seizes, passes or snaps, and each of those needs a different response. What to try, and what not to force.
beginner25 min5 min readHow do I fit a bathroom lock or a privacy bolt?
The two ways to lock a bathroom door, why both must open from outside in an emergency, and the fitting details that stop a privacy bolt jamming.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I repair a shed wall that has rotted at the bottom?
Cutting out the decayed bottom rail and cladding without dropping the wall, splicing in treated timber, and fixing the splash and ground contact that caused it.
intermediate5 hr5 min readHow do I break up a concrete slab or base safely?
Working out what is under the slab before you start, choosing between a sledge, a breaker and a saw, the sequence that makes it far less work, and getting rid of the rubble.
advanced4 hr5 min readHow do I cut skirting for a corner that is not square?
Scribing handles any internal corner without measuring an angle at all, and external corners get a mitre cut to the true angle rather than an assumed forty-five degrees.
intermediate1 hr5 min readHow do I fit a hollow wall anchor properly?
The metal anchor with folding legs that stays in the wall when you take the screw out — how to set one without a special tool, and the two things that ruin it.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I fit a shower riser rail, and what if the bracket keeps slipping?
Setting the height so the tallest user clears the head, drilling into tile without cracking it, and fixing a slipping handset bracket properly.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I fix an integrated appliance door that drags or has come loose?
The two fixing systems used to hang a cabinet door on a dishwasher, fridge or washing machine, and how to reset one so the door lines up with the rest of the kitchen.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I fix into a hollow or perforated brick?
Modern bricks are often half void. How to recognise one while you are drilling, why ordinary plugs fail in them, and the two fixings that work.
intermediate40 min3 min readHow do I get at the waste and trap under a shower tray?
Working out whether your tray has access at all, the three routes to a trap that is buried, and the removable-waste designs that avoid the problem entirely.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I level kitchen units on their adjustable legs?
Working from the high point of the floor, why every unit is set to the worktop line rather than to the floor, and how to stop a unit rocking for good.
beginner1 hr4 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.