How do I paint timber windows so they do not stick shut?
Where paint should and should not go on an opening window, the order of work, and the trick that stops a freshly painted casement bonding to its frame.
intermediate5 hr4 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 protect a floor from furniture marks?
The right pad for each floor type, why castors do more damage than legs, and preventing dents before they happen.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I put a doorway in a stud wall?
Framing a new opening, or forming one in an existing partition, so the door hangs square and the wall around it does not crack — plus the checks that have to happen before you cut.
advanced6 hr5 min readHow do I re-point the joints in a patio?
Choosing between dry mortar, wet mortar and resin jointing compounds, and the preparation that decides whether the joints last two years or twenty.
intermediate5 hr4 min readHow do I read a tape measure accurately?
Why the hook moves on purpose, reading the small marks confidently, and the habits that stop cumulative error.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I remove a fixing without damaging the wall?
Getting plugs and anchors out without tearing plaster, and when to leave one in place instead.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I remove expanding foam from skin, clothes and surfaces?
Uncured foam wipes off with the right solvent and cured foam does not come off at all — which makes the first ten minutes the whole of the job.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I remove hair dye stains?
Permanent dye is designed to bond irreversibly, so speed matters more than product: on hard surfaces it is a two-minute job, and after an hour it may be permanent.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I repair a broken ceramic or glass item?
Dry-fitting before any adhesive touches it, choosing between superglue and epoxy, and accepting what a repair can and cannot be.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I repair a burn or hole in a carpet?
The plug repair for a small hole, where to take the donor piece from, and matching the pile direction so the patch disappears.
intermediate1 hr3 min readHow do I repair a tear, gouge or bubble in vinyl flooring?
The double-cut patch that makes a repair almost invisible, the syringe method for bubbles, and when a repair is not worth attempting.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I repair broken plastic so it actually holds?
Reinforcing rather than merely rejoining, the mesh-and-epoxy method that gives a broken tab real strength, and when a plastic part is simply finished.
intermediate1 hr5 min readHow do I repair dot-and-dab plasterboard that has come loose?
A dry-lined wall that drums, flexes or has cracked along a board joint has lost some of its adhesive dabs. How to find the extent, refix it mechanically, and when the boards have to come off.
intermediate2 hr4 min readHow do I replace a broken sash cord?
Taking the window apart in the right order, matching the weight to the sash, and tying the knot that will not pull through.
intermediate3 hr4 min readHow do I replace a door hinge without taking the door off?
Swapping one hinge at a time so the door stays hung and aligned, and how to match a replacement to an existing recess.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I replace a rotten shed floor?
Getting the old deck out, dealing with the bearers and the base underneath, and building the new floor so it does not rot again.
intermediate5 hr4 min readHow do I round over or chamfer an edge with a router?
The easiest routing job there is, and the four details that separate a crisp professional edge from a wavy one with burn marks and a step at each end.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I scribe a board to fit an uneven wall?
Setting compasses to the widest gap, tracing the wall's shape onto the board, and the back-bevel that makes the front edge close tight.
intermediate40 min4 min readHow do I seal the gap between the worktop and the wall?
Measuring the gap along the whole run before choosing anything, why silicone fails in a gap that varies, and the three options that work where it does.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I service uPVC windows once a year?
The twenty-minute-per-window routine that stops stays, gearboxes and gaskets failing early, and the two lubricants to use and to avoid.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I set out a square base or a right angle on the ground?
Establishing a baseline, turning a right angle off it with a 3-4-5 triangle, proving the rectangle with its diagonals, and putting the whole setting-out onto profile boards so it survives the digging.
intermediate1 hr5 min readHow do I set up a hobby space at home?
Setting up so it does not need packing away, getting the light and the surface right, and working with the space you actually have.
beginner2 hr4 min readHow do I set up a workspace for a DIY job?
Protecting the room in the right order, dust control that actually works, and setting up so you are not walking about looking for things.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I set up outdoor lighting?
Solar, low-voltage and mains — which is which, what you can install yourself, and how to avoid a garden that looks like a runway.
beginner2 hr2 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.