How do I remove paint from a brick wall?
Whether the paint should come off at all, the four removal methods ranked by how much brick they take with them, and why a whole house is a specialist job.
advanced5 hr4 min read
Repairs
Fixing the things that break — taps, handles, holes, hinges.
553 guides in Home & DIY
How do I repair a hole in a hollow core door?
Filling a hole in a door with nothing behind it, using expanding foam as a backing, and being honest about when replacement is cheaper.
intermediate2 hr4 min readHow do I replace a broken pane of greenhouse glass?
Getting the old glass and the clips out safely, measuring for a replacement, and refitting so the pane sits square and the overlap sheds water.
intermediate1 hr6 min readHow do I seal where bathroom wall panelling meets a bath or shower tray?
Why a panelled wall behaves differently from tiles at the bottom edge, the end profiles and trims that belong in that joint, and getting the sequence right so water cannot get behind the panel.
intermediate45 min4 min readHow do I stop a wooden gate warping?
Why a gate twists or sags, the difference between a racked frame and a warped board, and the brace direction that actually resists it.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I take flat-pack furniture apart without wrecking it?
The order that keeps chipboard intact, how to release cams and back panels without tearing them, and an honest view of what survives a second assembly.
beginner1 hr5 min readWhat is self-amalgamating tape and how do I use it?
A tape with no adhesive at all that fuses to itself into a solid rubber sleeve — the stretch and overlap that make it work, and where it genuinely belongs.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy did my self-levelling compound crack, lift or stay powdery?
Almost every levelling compound failure is a bond failure at the bottom, and the causes are dust, no primer, wrong water ratio, or a floor that moves.
intermediate45 min5 min readWhy does my nut and bolt keep working loose?
Vibration, embedment and insufficient clamping force — the three real causes — and the locking methods that address each.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy does my plug fall out of the socket?
How to tell a worn socket from a worn plug in thirty seconds, what a loose grip actually means electrically, and why it is a replace rather than a fix.
beginner10 min4 min readWhy does the sand keep washing out of my block paving?
Why joints empty, why refilling them never lasts, and the three genuine fixes — refill properly, seal, or accept a jointing compound instead.
beginner2 hr5 min readWhy has my soft close toilet seat stopped closing slowly?
What is inside a soft close hinge, why cleaning products kill them, and which failures are fixable with a clean and which need a new hinge.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy have my galvanised screws gone rusty?
The four ways a zinc coating stops protecting — thickness, damage, treated timber and contact with another metal — and what to specify next time.
beginner12 min3 min readWhy have my screws stained the wood black around them?
Iron reacting with tannin makes a permanent black stain in oak, cedar and chestnut — why it happens, which timbers do it, and how to lift the marks that are already there.
beginner30 min3 min readWood filler or wood stopping — which do I need?
Two products with almost the same name doing different jobs: one is for repairs that will be painted, the other for small defects in wood that will be stained or varnished.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I fix a gate that drags or will not shut?
Diagnosing whether a gate has dropped, the post has moved, or the timber has swollen — and fixing each.
intermediate1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I glue rubber so the repair does not just peel off?
Rubber flexes, and every ordinary adhesive is at its weakest in peel — which is why a rubber repair that looks perfect lifts at one corner a week later.
intermediate30 min5 min readHow do I lift a stuck manhole cover?
Freeing a cover that has been sealed by rust, mortar or paint, without breaking it or the frame, and putting it back so it lifts next time.
beginner45 min5 min readHow do I make an access hatch in a floor for pipes or cables?
A permanent, screwed-down access panel over a stop valve, a leaking joint or a junction, cut so the deck around it is not weakened and the panel does not rock or creak.
intermediate1 hr 15 min3 min readHow do I pull nails out without damaging the timber?
Levering against a block, rolling rather than pulling, and the punch-through method for nails whose heads have gone.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I replace a spiral balance on a sash window?
Telling a spiral balance sash from a corded one, matching a replacement on length and load, and winding the new one to the right tension so the sash stays where you put it.
intermediate1 hr 15 min4 min readHow do I take a uPVC or composite door off its hinges?
Identifying which of the three hinge types you have, releasing each one correctly, and marking the adjustment settings so the door goes back exactly where it was.
intermediate30 min4 min readWhy has my deck frame rotted at the posts, and can I repair it?
Why deck posts rot at the ground line and not elsewhere, how to judge whether a post is repairable, and propping and replacing one without dismantling the deck.
advanced8 hr5 min readDoes the flimsy back panel on flat-pack furniture actually matter?
Why a 3mm sheet of hardboard is the structural heart of a flat-pack carcass, how to fix it so it does that job, and what to use when it is missing or ruined.
beginner40 min4 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.