How do I lay a simple path?
The base is the whole job — depth, compaction and fall — and the falls that stop water running towards the house.
intermediate10 hr2 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 lay gravel so it stays put?
Depth, edging, membrane and grid systems — why loose gravel migrates and what actually stops it, especially on a drive.
beginner5 hr3 min readHow do I lay laminate or click flooring?
Acclimatising the boards, leaving the expansion gap, and staggering the joints — the three things that decide whether it lasts.
intermediate8 hr3 min readHow do I look after a cordless vacuum battery so it lasts?
Docked-on-charge is the habit that quietly kills a cordless vacuum, and boost mode is what makes the run time collapse. Both are fixable, and a replaceable pack changes the whole economics of the machine.
beginner10 min6 min readHow do I make a fence survive high winds?
Why posts fail rather than panels, the depth and concrete detail that keep them standing, and the panel choices that reduce wind load in the first place.
intermediate5 hr4 min readHow do I make good the plaster around new windows and doors?
Repairing the damaged band around a new frame — how to get a straight, square reveal, whether to plaster or board it, and the detail at the frame edge that stops the crack coming back.
intermediate5 hr5 min readHow do I measure the water flow rate at my taps?
The jug-and-stopwatch test that gives you the single number every combi boiler, shower and unvented cylinder specification is written around.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I pack out a door hinge to stop it binding?
The card-behind-the-hinge fix for a door that binds on the hinge side or sits crooked in the frame, and how to know which hinge to pack.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I paint behind a radiator?
The three options — long-reach roller, part-removal or full removal — and how to judge which the gap you have actually allows.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I paint plywood so the grain does not show through?
Plywood telegraphs its grain and its joints through paint unless the face is filled and sealed first. The preparation decides the result far more than the paint does.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I protect the rest of the house during building work?
The barrier, the airflow that makes it work, and the protection that goes down before anything else. Plus what to do about the vents, the flue and the carpets you are keeping.
intermediate10 min5 min readHow do I re-felt a shed roof?
Stripping the old covering, checking the boards underneath, and laying new felt with the laps, the ridge and the edges detailed so it does not lift.
intermediate4 hr6 min readHow do I re-oil a wooden floor that has gone dull and patchy?
An oiled floor is maintained rather than refinished — but only if you catch it before the timber is exposed. How to tell which you have and what each needs.
intermediate4 hr5 min readHow do I remove permanent marker?
Permanent marker is dye in an alcohol carrier, so alcohol is the answer on hard surfaces — but the right solvent depends entirely on what is underneath.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I remove sticky label residue?
How to shift adhesive residue from glass, plastic, wood and painted surfaces without damaging what's underneath.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I repair a screw hole in wood that has stripped?
Four repairs in order of strength, from a quick glue-and-toothpick fix to a properly plugged hole that is stronger than the original.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I replace a basin waste?
Choosing between slotted and unslotted, getting the sealing washer stack the right way round, and freeing a backnut that has not moved in years.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I replace a bath tap without taking the bath out?
Getting access behind a bath, dealing with backnuts you cannot see, and why flexible tails and isolating valves are what make this possible.
intermediate2 hr3 min readHow do I replace a rotten decking board?
Getting one board out without damaging its neighbours, checking the joist beneath, and matching a weathered board so the repair does not shout.
beginner1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I stop MDF edges soaking up paint?
The faces of MDF are pressed and nearly sealed; the cut edges are open fibre. Why edges drink paint and go fuzzy, and the sealing sequence that fixes both.
beginner40 min4 min readHow do I stop a door catching on the carpet?
Four answers in order of effort — from rising butt hinges that need no cutting, to trimming the leaf — and how much clearance a carpet actually needs.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow 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 readHow do I stop a garden room or shed office overheating?
A lightweight building with a large glazed front, a thin roof and no thermal mass behaves like a parked car. The four things that actually bring one down, in the order that pays.
intermediate30 min5 min readHow do I stop foxes coming into my garden?
Removing the food, closing the shelter and making the garden dull, because those are the only three things that reliably change fox behaviour.
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.