How do I stop a drill bit going deeper than I want?
Three ways to set a depth, how to measure it from the right end of the bit, and the situation where a depth stop protects nothing at all.
beginner8 min3 min read
Tools & Materials
What to buy, what to skip, and how to use it.
511 guides in Home & DIY
How do I stop plywood splintering when I cut it?
Which face tears with which saw, and the five things — blade, tape, scoring, support and face orientation — that between them give a clean edge.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I test a floor for damp before laying flooring?
The plastic sheet test, what a hygrometer reading means, and deciding whether a damp proof membrane is needed under a new floor.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow long should cordless tool batteries last?
Two clocks run on every lithium pack — cycles and calendar age — and for most home users it is the second one that kills it.
beginner10 min3 min readHow much weight will double-sided tape or mounting pads actually hold?
The figure on the pack is a shear rating measured on ideal glass, and almost nothing you mount at home is loaded in shear on ideal glass.
beginner12 min5 min readHow should I store a gas bottle in hot weather?
Pressure in an LPG cylinder rises with temperature, so summer storage is about shade, ventilation and keeping it upright and outdoors — not about how much is left in it.
beginner12 min5 min readIs a 20V battery more powerful than an 18V one?
Two numbers describing the same pack, why manufacturers choose different ones, and the voltages where the difference is real.
beginner8 min3 min readSheet vinyl or LVT — which should I choose?
Both are vinyl and both are waterproof, but one arrives as a continuous sheet and the other as pieces. That single difference decides wet rooms, repairability, subfloor demands and price.
beginner15 min3 min readShould I buy an acrylic, steel or cast iron bath?
How the three common bath materials behave in real use — warmth, noise, weight, scratching and what happens underneath the floor — and which one suits which bathroom.
beginner20 min4 min readStainless, composite or ceramic — which kitchen sink material should I choose?
What each material actually does when you drop a pan in it, spill red wine in it or leave a teabag overnight — and which marks come out.
beginner12 min4 min readWhat can I safely stand on indoors to reach something?
Which household objects are genuinely unsafe to stand on and exactly why, what a small step or hop-up costs, and the two-minute jobs that put more people in hospital than roofwork.
beginner10 min5 min readWhat do PAR, PSE and sawn mean on a timber price list?
The three surface finishes every merchant sells timber in, what each costs you in size and money, and which one each kind of job actually wants.
beginner8 min4 min readWhat is a wood router actually used for?
The one tool that shapes edges, cuts joints, copies parts and trims flush — what it does that nothing else does, and what it cannot do at all.
beginner12 min4 min readWhat is the difference between facing, common and engineering bricks?
The three categories by purpose, the four by manufacture, and the two situations where using the wrong one causes real damage rather than just looking wrong.
beginner10 min4 min readWhat timber size and stud spacing does a partition wall need?
Why partitions are built in specific sizes, what 400 versus 600mm centres actually changes, and the cases where the standard answer is not enough.
beginner15 min4 min readWhat weather is too cold, too wet or too hot to lay bricks or point?
The forecast that actually governs whether you can work — and why the overnight low for the next few nights matters far more than the temperature when you start.
beginner10 min4 min readWhich adhesive is safe to use on a mirror?
Ordinary bathroom silicone eats the silvering behind a mirror. Which products are safe, why the damage is permanent, and where adhesive alone is not enough.
beginner20 min4 min readWhich safety glasses or goggles do I need?
The three levels of eye protection and what each is for, what the impact markings on the frame and lens actually mean, why glasses fail against dust and chemicals, and how to stop them fogging so you keep them on.
beginner15 min5 min readWhich superglue should I use — thin, medium or gel?
Three viscosities, plus activator and rubber-toughened grades, doing genuinely different jobs — and the gap size that decides between them.
beginner12 min4 min readWhy does my drill trip the RCD or the breaker?
Telling an overload trip from an earth-leakage trip, the three usual causes on a power tool, and where the diagnosis stops being a DIY job.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy does wood shrink and swell?
Timber is hygroscopic and never stops responding to the air around it. What that means for width, thickness and length, and why almost every timber problem in a house traces back to it.
beginner10 min4 min readWhy has my masonry drill bit stopped cutting?
The four reasons a masonry bit stops making progress — blunt tip, hammer off, packed dust, or something in the wall it was never meant to cut.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I tell what my water pipes are made of and what size they are?
Copper, plastic, steel and lead all look different once you know what to look for, and pipe size in the UK is measured in a way that catches people out.
beginner20 min4 min readHow wide and deep should a sealant joint be?
A sealant joint has to be wide enough to stretch and shallow enough not to be over-restrained, and it must bond to two faces rather than three. Getting the shape wrong is why beads split.
intermediate15 min3 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.