How do I fit a gate latch and lock?
Choosing between a thumb latch, an automatic gravity latch and a lockable bolt, and fitting one so it still catches after the timber has moved.
beginner45 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 fit beading or a threshold strip?
Covering the expansion gap without pinning the floor down, choosing the right threshold for a height difference, and mitring neatly.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I fit cupboard locks and safety catches?
Choosing and fitting catches for cupboards, drawers and appliances, and which ones are worth the effort.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I fit under-cabinet lighting in a kitchen?
Choosing between strip, puck and bar fittings, getting the light in front of you rather than in your eyes, and where the plug-in boundary sits.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fix a carpet seam that is lifting or fraying?
Why seams fail, the difference between a seam that has come unstuck and one that was never right, and the repair that holds.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I fix a corner bead that has cracked?
Telling a knock from rust, cutting out only the damaged section, and rebuilding the arris straight.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I fix a stiff or noisy tap?
Servicing a tap that has become stiff, squeaks, or judders — usually limescale, a worn washer or a perished cartridge.
intermediate1 hr2 min readHow do I fix a threshold strip that keeps coming loose?
Why threshold strips work loose, choosing the right profile and fixing method for the floors it joins, and the one thing that must never be screwed through.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I fix into a concrete floor?
Choosing between concrete screws, expansion anchors and resin, how deep to go without breaching the membrane, and finding out what is in the slab first.
intermediate40 min4 min readHow do I fix something to a metal stud wall?
Steel framing is thin, springy and full of service holes. What holds in it, what does not, and why anything heavy needs a pattress rather than a bigger screw.
intermediate40 min4 min readHow do I get a flat-pack unit square, and what if it is already built wrong?
Using the diagonals to measure squareness in ten seconds, why the back panel is what locks it in, and how to pull a built carcass back true without taking it apart.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I get a scratch out of an acrylic bath?
The fingernail test that tells you whether a scratch will sand out, the grit sequence that removes it without leaving a hollow, and when to stop.
intermediate45 min4 min readHow do I get rid of large items and household waste?
The options for disposing of furniture, appliances, DIY waste and hazardous items — and the legal duty most people don't know about.
beginner1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I glue metal to metal without welding?
What a bonded metal joint can and cannot do, the preparation each metal needs, and the loading direction that decides whether it holds at all.
intermediate40 min5 min readHow do I hang a frameless mirror safely?
The four ways a frameless mirror is fixed, how to choose between them by weight and wall, and the mistakes that break glass or drop it.
intermediate1 hr 30 min6 min readHow do I hang lining paper on a poor wall?
Choosing a grade, hanging horizontally or vertically, and why lining paper hides small defects and highlights large ones.
intermediate5 hr4 min readHow do I look after a drive or hard surface?
Cleaning, weed control and the small repairs that stop a surface deteriorating.
beginner2 hr2 min readHow do I look after a septic tank?
How the system actually works, the general binding rules you have to meet, and what destroys the bacteria it depends on.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I look after a tiled floor?
Knowing whether the tile is porous, the routine that keeps grout looking new, and the cleaners that damage stone.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I make a straightedge guide for a circular saw?
Building a self-aligning saw guide from two pieces of sheet material so you line the edge up with the cut line rather than measuring an offset.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I make an access panel to get at the plumbing under a bath or shower?
Where an access hatch belongs, how to cut one into tiled or boarded boxing without wrecking it, and the removable fixings that keep it usable.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I mark out repeated spacings without the error building up?
Why the last mark in a run is always the wrong one, the running-dimension habit that fixes it, and the two tools that remove the tape from the job entirely.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I match new mortar to the existing colour?
Colour comes from the sand, not the cement — how to find the right sand, why test panels are non-negotiable, and the drying trap that makes every fresh match look wrong.
intermediate45 min4 min readHow do I organise a food cupboard so nothing gets wasted?
Grouping by how you cook rather than by what things are, keeping the back row visible, and the pest and moisture problems that decide what gets decanted.
beginner1 hr 30 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.