How do I choose the right paint?
Matching finish and type to the surface and the room, and why the cheapest tin is often the most expensive choice.
beginner30 min2 min read
Home & DIY
Practical answers for repairs, cleaning, decorating and the household problems that turn up whether you planned for them or not. Written so you can start with what you already own.
2,154 guides
How do I clean a fridge properly?
A full fridge clean including the parts people miss — the drain channel, the door seal and the coils at the back.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I clean a patio?
How to remove algae, moss and dirt from paving without damaging it, and whether a pressure washer is the right tool.
beginner3 hr3 min readHow do I clean up mouse or rat droppings safely?
The damp-first method that avoids making dust, what to do with contaminated food and surfaces, and how to handle a loft or a cupboard full of it.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I clean up vomit properly?
Two separate jobs: lifting the material without spreading it, and disinfecting properly afterwards, because the virus is what makes the rest of the household ill.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I clear gutters safely?
How to clear and check gutters and downpipes without taking unnecessary risks, and how to tell when it's a job to pay someone for.
intermediate2 hr3 min readHow do I cut a straight line in wood?
Marking, supporting and guiding — the three things that turn a wandering cut into a straight one.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I drill without filling the room with dust?
Four methods from a folded paper shelf to on-tool extraction, what each actually catches, and why the invisible fraction is the one that matters.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I fill nail holes so they do not show?
Small holes show after painting for two reasons: they were filled proud and sanded into a halo, or they were not sealed. Both are easy to avoid once you know they are the causes.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I fit a double bed in a small bedroom and still have it work?
The real dimensions of a UK double, which walls it can go against, where the storage has to go instead, and the trade-offs worth making.
beginner1 hr5 min readHow do I fit a gravel board under a fence?
Why the bottom board is the part that rots, and how to fit a timber or concrete gravel board so the panel never touches the soil again.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I fix a bath that leaks only when it is full?
A leak that only appears at high water level is almost always the overflow, not the waste — how to find it and what to replace.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I fix a compression joint that weeps?
Why the olive is doing all the work, the one quarter turn that usually cures a weep, and how to redo a joint that will not seal.
intermediate45 min3 min readHow do I fix a door that will not shut properly?
Finding whether the door has dropped, the frame has moved or the strike plate is misaligned — and fixing each.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I fix a fridge that is not cooling?
The checks that solve most fridge cooling problems — airflow, door seal, coils and thermostat — before calling an engineer.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I fix the crack where the wall meets the ceiling?
The junction crack that always comes back, why rigid filler cannot work there, and the two repairs that do.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I hang a picture straight?
How to hang pictures at the right height, get them level first time, and space a group of frames so it looks deliberate.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I keep my house cool in a heatwave?
Keeping heat out during the day and letting it out at night — the opposite of what most people do.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I know if my permitted development rights have been removed?
The four ways a house loses rights it appears to have on paper — and the two searches that find all of them in an afternoon.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I lay block paving?
The sub-base, laying course and edge restraints that make block paving work, and the compaction and jointing that finish it.
advanced20 hr4 min readHow do I make a side gate actually secure?
The gate that closes off the back of a house is the highest-value single measure most homes can take, and the hardware rather than the timber is what decides whether it works.
intermediate2 hr5 min readHow do I make a small outdoor space usable?
Zoning, vertical space and the few decisions that turn a yard or balcony into somewhere you actually sit.
beginner4 hr2 min readHow do I make patio and French doors secure?
Why sliding and French doors are the weak pair on most houses, and the specific additions — sash jammers, shoot bolts, laminated glazing, anti-lift adjustment — that close each gap.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I mount a TV on a wall?
Mounting a television safely — finding structure, choosing the right bracket, and getting the height right.
intermediate2 hr2 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.
MaterialWorld is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.