How do I fix a slow-draining bath?
Clearing the hair and soap blockage in a bath waste, including the pop-up mechanism that traps most of it.
beginner45 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 remove a stripped screw?
Escalating methods for a screw whose head has rounded out, from a rubber band to a screw extractor.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I ventilate my home properly?
Balancing warmth against moisture, and the specific ventilation that prevents damp without wasting heat.
beginner30 min2 min readShould I restore my original floorboards or cover them?
Bare boards are cheap, characterful, cold, noisy and draughty; a covering is warm and quiet and hides everything below it. The five tests that decide which one your floor is actually suited to.
beginner40 min4 min readWhat should I use to lubricate a lock, and why not WD-40?
Which lubricant belongs on a cylinder, a mechanism, a hinge and a rubber seal — and why the aerosol most people reach for is the wrong answer for exactly one of them.
beginner10 min4 min readWhere is my boiler filling loop and what does it look like?
Three completely different arrangements go by the same name, which is why people are told to top up their boiler and cannot find anything to top it up with.
beginner15 min5 min readWhich flooring is best with dogs?
Dogs test a floor in four specific ways — claws, water, accidents and grip — and the material that wins on scratches often loses on the one that actually matters for the dog.
beginner20 min4 min readWhich front door material should I choose?
How uPVC, composite, timber and aluminium front doors actually differ in security, thermal performance, maintenance and how they age — and which house suits which.
beginner20 min4 min readWho is allowed to install my kitchen appliance, and what can I do myself?
Where the legal line falls for gas, fixed electrical and plug-in appliances in a UK kitchen — and why the paperwork matters as much as the safety.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy does my touched-up paint always show?
A touch-up shows because of sheen, thickness and age, not usually colour. Knowing which of the three is betraying you decides whether a better technique will work or the wall needs recoating.
beginner20 min2 min readWhy does my washing machine smell of burning?
This is the one laundry fault that is not a diagnose-and-continue problem: isolate it, stop using it, and get it looked at, because the plausible causes are all electrical or mechanical heat.
beginner15 min5 min readWhy is cold air blowing in through my extractor fan?
A fan that lets cold air in has a backdraught shutter that is not closing, and the fix is usually the shutter rather than the fan.
beginner25 min2 min readWhy is the wall wet at the bottom of my downpipe?
Water leaving a downpipe at ground level either goes into a drain or onto the ground. When it hits a hard surface it splashes back onto the wall, repeatedly, in exactly one place.
beginner25 min2 min readWhy is water coming into my house when it rains?
Water appearing inside during rain has three completely different causes — an external leak, a plumbing leak and condensation — and they look identical on a wall. Telling them apart before ringing anyone saves the most money.
beginner1 hr6 min readWhy will my laminate planks not click together properly?
A joint that will not close, or opens again as soon as you move on, has a short list of causes — and almost none of them are the plank you are holding.
beginner30 min3 min readWhy will my pressure cooker not come up to pressure?
Six checks in the order that finds it fastest, starting with where the steam is escaping — and the release-and-lid rules that apply throughout.
beginner20 min5 min readAre smart appliances actually useful?
A short list of features that genuinely earn their place, a longer list that does not, and the question nobody asks at the shop — what happens to a twelve-year appliance when its app is discontinued after four.
beginner20 min5 min readBuilding notice or full plans — which application should I use?
The two routes into building control in England and Wales, what each gives you, and why anything structural or being borrowed against should use full plans.
intermediate20 min3 min readCan I change a single socket to a double socket myself?
The one accessory swap that genuinely sits at owner level, the back box depth problem that stops most attempts, and the three findings that mean you must stop and call someone.
intermediate45 min5 min readCan I move a fridge freezer on its side?
Upright is always correct. If it must go on its side, which side matters, and standing it upright again for long enough before switching on matters more.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readCan I paint melamine or laminate furniture?
Melamine is a cured plastic film with nothing for paint to grip. The preparation and primer that make it hold, and the honest limits on where it will survive.
intermediate1 hr4 min readCan I paint plasterboard without plastering it first?
Painting straight onto taped and jointed board is normal practice — but board paper and jointing compound absorb at completely different rates, and that is what gives the patchy result.
intermediate2 hr4 min readCan I screw straight into brick or concrete without a wall plug?
Concrete screws cut their own thread into masonry with no plug at all — what they do well, where they are the wrong choice, and the sizing that decides whether they hold.
beginner15 min4 min readCan I tile straight onto plasterboard in a shower?
What plasterboard can and cannot carry in a wet area, the boards that are suitable, and the weight limits that decide the answer.
intermediate30 min3 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.