How do I cure concrete in hot or cold weather?
Why curing is about keeping water in rather than letting it dry, and the protection each temperature extreme needs.
intermediate30 min4 min read
Tools & Materials
What to buy, what to skip, and how to use it.
511 guides in Home & DIY
How do I cut through timber with nails or screws in it?
Which blades survive metal, why a carbide-tipped wood blade is exactly the wrong choice, and the alternative of removing the fixing first.
intermediate20 min3 min readHow do I deal with a cupped, bowed or twisted board?
Naming the four kinds of distortion, deciding which are worth correcting, and the machining and fixing tricks that use a bad board anyway.
intermediate30 min4 min readHow do I dig a post hole in hard or stony ground?
Getting a post hole into clay, stone, rubble or compacted ground with hand tools, and the point at which the tool has to change.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I finish the raw edge of a sheet of board?
Edge banding, solid lipping and sealing for paint — which to use where, how each is actually applied, and why the edge is the part of a board that fails first.
intermediate40 min5 min readHow do I get long timber home in a car?
The four ways to get lengths home, how to secure them so they cannot move, and the point at which having it cut or delivered is simply the right answer.
beginner20 min5 min readHow do I make a template for an awkward shape?
When a shape has too many angles to measure, copy it instead. Card and hardboard templates, the tick-stick method for a shape you cannot get a sheet into, and how to transfer the template without losing the accuracy you just gained.
intermediate45 min4 min readHow do I mix and use two-part epoxy properly?
Getting the ratio and mixing right, why pot life is not working time, and the surface preparation that decides whether epoxy holds.
intermediate25 min4 min readHow do I snap a chalk line straight?
The fastest way to mark a straight line over any distance. How to snap it without the line bowing, which chalk colour to use where, and the trick for a line longer than your reach.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I solder electronics without making a mess of it?
Tinning the tip, heating the joint rather than the solder, and recognising a cold joint. Plus lead-free, flux, extraction, and the handful of things that make the difference between a joint that lasts and one that fails intermittently.
intermediate10 min5 min readHow do I store timber so it does not warp?
Flat support, air on all faces, and matching the timber to the moisture of the room it will live in.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I use a belt sander without gouging the wood?
The tool that removes more material than any other hand-held sander, and the four habits — keep it moving, never tip it, work at an angle, finish elsewhere — that stop it wrecking the surface.
intermediate30 min4 min readHow do I use a speed square?
It is a saw guide first and a marking tool second. How the lipped fence turns a wobbly freehand crosscut into a square one, how to read the degree scale, and what the pivot point is for.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I use spray adhesive without it going everywhere?
The difference between the temporary and permanent grades, how to spray one face or two for different results, and how to contain the overspray that ruins everything nearby.
beginner20 min4 min readHow many metres does a cartridge of sealant or adhesive actually do?
Coverage is decided by the cross-section of the bead, which changes with the square of the nozzle size — which is why a slightly bigger nozzle halves the length you get.
beginner10 min3 min readHow tight should a bolt be, and how do I avoid over-tightening it?
A bolt is a stretched spring, not a clamp you squeeze harder. What tight actually means, how to judge it by feel, and where a torque figure is not optional.
beginner12 min3 min readWhat chisel sizes and types do I actually need?
Bevel-edge, firmer and mortise chisels, which four widths cover almost everything, and the honest answer about whether you can hit a chisel with a hammer.
beginner12 min4 min readWhat is insulated plasterboard, and is it worth it?
Thermal laminate board: what it is, where it genuinely helps, the two cold bridges that undo it, and the knock-on work nobody warns you about.
intermediate12 min5 min readWhat lengths does timber come in, and can I buy it cut to size?
The standard lengths a UK merchant stocks, why they are what they are, and the three different things a merchant means by cutting timber for you.
beginner7 min4 min readWhat size plasterboard should I buy?
The standard sheet sizes, why the small one exists, and how to choose between fewer joints and boards you can actually carry through the house.
beginner8 min4 min readWhat tools do I need for bricklaying and pointing?
The short list that covers laying and pointing properly, what each tool is actually for, and where buying cheap costs you a wall that is not straight.
beginner10 min4 min readWhich binoculars should I buy?
What the two numbers mean, why 8x42 suits most people, and the specifications that matter more than magnification.
beginner25 min3 min readWhich hand plane do I actually need?
What the numbers on a bench plane mean, what each length is genuinely for, and the honest answer for someone who wants one plane rather than a set.
beginner12 min4 min readWhich hardwood should I use — oak, ash, beech, iroko or poplar?
The character, cost and best use of the six hardwoods a UK merchant actually stocks, and the property that decides between them for each kind of job.
intermediate12 min5 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.