Can I use another brand's battery on my power tool?
Why packs do not swap between brands, what cross-brand adaptors actually do to your warranty and your safety, and when a third-party pack is a reasonable risk.
beginner10 min3 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
Can I water down paint, and by how much?
Thinning is right for a mist coat and for spraying, and wrong almost everywhere else. What water actually removes from a tin, and the limits worth knowing.
beginner8 min4 min readDo I need a power flush, or will a chemical flush do?
Two very different treatments sold under similar names, what each actually removes, and how to decide which your system needs without paying for the wrong one.
intermediate20 min5 min readDo I need a shower pump?
Whether weak flow is a pump problem at all, the system types that can and cannot be pumped, and what to check before spending anything.
beginner20 min3 min readDo I need an SDS drill or will a combi hammer drill do?
The mechanical difference between a rattling combi drill and a piston-driven SDS, and the jobs where only one of them will finish.
beginner15 min3 min readDo I need impact-rated driver bits, and why do bits wear out so fast?
What impact rating actually changes about the steel, the wear you cannot see until it strips a screw, and the habits that triple bit life.
beginner10 min3 min readDoes insulation in a stud wall actually reduce noise?
Mineral wool in a partition genuinely helps, but not for the reason most people think, and not by as much as they hope — what it actually does, which product to use, and what has to accompany it.
beginner15 min4 min readDoes new plasterboard have to be skimmed, or can I just tape it?
Two entirely different ways of finishing a boarded wall, what each one costs in money, time and skill, and the surfaces where one of them is clearly wrong.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I apply hardwax oil without patches and streaks?
Hardwax oil fails when it is treated like an ordinary oil. Why the coats have to be so thin, and the wipe-back that decides how the finish looks.
intermediate1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I choose a kettle, and does it affect my bills?
Why kettle wattage does not change the cost of a boil, what actually does, and the features that matter in a hard-water household.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I clean a mattress?
Vacuuming, deodorising and spot-treating a mattress without soaking it, plus what actually reduces dust mites.
beginner2 hr2 min readHow do I clean a stone or quartz worktop?
Which stone you have decides everything — the acid test, the daily method that suits all of them, and sealing natural stone properly.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I clean brass, copper and pewter?
Identifying the metal first, the mild acid method that works on brass and copper, and why pewter and lacquered pieces need something different.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I clean painted woodwork without stripping the paint?
Matching the method to the paint finish, the sugar soap question, and getting scuffs off without leaving shiny patches.
beginner45 min5 min readHow do I clear a blocked outside drain?
Clearing a drain or gully that is backing up outside, and knowing when it becomes the water company's problem.
intermediate1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I cut a large hole in tile for a pipe or a tap?
Diamond core drilling through glazed tile and porcelain without cracking it, chipping the glaze or burning the core.
intermediate30 min4 min readHow do I drill or drive a screw where the drill will not fit?
Five ways to get a turning bit into a space shorter than the tool, ranked by what they cost and what they give up.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I drill overhead into a ceiling safely?
The access, the eye protection and the two-stage technique that make overhead drilling controllable rather than a shower of grit.
intermediate25 min4 min readHow do I fill and sand a wall so the repair does not show?
Proud filling, thin coats and sanding beyond the edges — the technique that makes a repair invisible under paint.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I fill the gaps in my staircase?
Gaps on a staircase open and close as the timber moves and as the stair flexes underfoot, so rigid filler in them cracks. What you fill with matters more than how neatly you fill it.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I find a spare part for an appliance?
Start from the exact model number, use an exploded parts diagram to get the part number, and check the part number against alternatives — because the same component is often sold at three very different prices.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I fit a cat flap in a door?
Choosing the position and the height, what each door material demands, and the cutting sequence that avoids splitting the panel.
intermediate2 hr5 min readHow do I fit concrete posts and slotted fence panels?
Setting concrete posts to a string line, getting the spacing exactly right for slotted panels, and why the spacing has no tolerance.
intermediate5 hr3 min readHow do I fit kitchen cabinet handles so they all line up?
Using a template rather than a tape measure, the scrap block that stops breakout on the face you look at, and the setting-out decisions that make a run look deliberate.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 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.