How do I drill a tap hole in a laminate or wooden worktop?
Cutting a clean unchipped hole through laminate and sealing the core so the top does not blow up around the tap in a year.
intermediate40 min4 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 drill into render or pebbledash without cracking it?
Render is a brittle shell over the wall, and the drilling technique that works in brick is exactly what cracks it — the two-stage method that does not.
intermediate20 min4 min readHow do I find my damp proof course and check it is working?
Where the damp proof course sits in a UK wall, how to spot it from outside, and the checks that tell you whether it has failed or simply been bridged.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I find out how hard my water is?
Three ways to establish your water hardness, what the different units mean, and why the number matters for appliances, heating and every descaling decision you will make.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I fit a door chain or viewer safely?
Where to position each, getting the fixings into solid timber rather than the lining, and why a chain alone is not security.
beginner1 hr5 min readHow do I fit a kitchen sink into a worktop?
Assembling the tap and waste before the sink goes in, sealing the cut edge, and why the clips compress the bead rather than replacing it.
intermediate2 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fit a new mortice lock into an old mortice?
Measuring the lock you already have so the replacement drops straight in, and the three ways an almost-right lock leaves visible damage on a door.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I fix a drawer or cupboard that will not shut?
Kitchen hinges adjust in three directions — most misaligned doors are a screwdriver turn away from right.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I fix a leak between the toilet cistern and the pan?
Telling the doughnut washer from the flush valve backnut, taking a close-coupled cistern off without breaking anything, and rebuilding the joint so it seals with almost no force.
intermediate1 hr 15 min5 min readHow do I fix a letterbox that is loose or draughty?
Tightening the bolts that have worked loose, replacing a sprung flap, and the internal brush that stops the draught for a few pounds.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I fix a radiator to a plasterboard stud wall?
Why cavity fixings are the wrong tool for a radiator, and the two ways to get timber behind the board — before boarding, and afterwards.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I fix a rocking paving slab?
Why a slab rocks even when it looks level, the quick stabilisation that is worth doing, and the point at which it has to come up.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I fix a shelf that has already sagged?
Whether the sag is the board, the spacing or the fixings, and the four repairs in order of effort — from a front lipping to replacing the board.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I fix a shower door that drags or will not close?
Rollers, hinge pivots and a frame that has moved — how to tell which is causing a dragging shower door, and the adjustment that fixes each.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I fix a squeaky door?
How to silence a squeaking hinge properly, and what to do when the noise is the door binding rather than the hinge.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I get a broken key out of a lock?
The extraction methods that work, in order of how likely they are to succeed without damage — and the point at which the honest answer is a locksmith.
intermediate25 min4 min readHow do I get a white mark or water stain out of a wooden floor?
A white cloudy mark is trapped moisture inside the finish and usually comes out. A black mark has reached the timber and is a different, harder problem.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I get cigarette smoke smell out of a room?
Smoke leaves a sticky tar film on every surface including the ceiling, so this is a washing job rather than a deodorising one — and paint alone will not seal it.
intermediate4 hr4 min readHow do I get out a screw that has snapped off?
Six methods in escalating order for a screw whose head has gone, from gripping the stub with pliers to drilling it out and plugging the hole.
intermediate45 min4 min readHow do I get rid of the hard limescale ring in the toilet?
Why the ring is below the water line and normal cleaning never touches it, how to lower the water to attack it directly, and the pumice technique for a ring that has been there for years.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I hack off blown plaster safely?
Establishing the extent, protecting the room properly, and taking failed plaster off back to a straight sound edge without wrecking the brickwork, the services or the rest of the house.
intermediate3 hr5 min readHow do I insulate a solid wall?
Why solid walls are different, internal against external, and the moisture problem that makes this a specialist job.
advanced1 hr2 min readHow do I keep dust and bits out of a paint or varnish finish?
Every nib in a gloss or varnish finish came from somewhere identifiable — the room, the tin, the brush or the surface. How to eliminate each one, and how to remove the ones that got through.
intermediate30 min4 min readHow do I keep sanding dust out of the rest of the house?
Extraction at the tool, containment of the room, and the ventilation that decides whether fine dust settles or circulates for days — in the order that actually reduces exposure.
beginner30 min4 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.