How much clamping pressure does a glue joint need?
Why clamps close a joint rather than squeeze glue out of it, how many to use and how far apart, and the signs of both too much and too little.
intermediate20 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
Is a steam oven or a combination steam oven worth buying?
The three quite different appliances sold under the word steam, what each is genuinely good at, and the maintenance nobody mentions before purchase.
beginner30 min4 min readWhat do the letters and numbers on a bag of cement mean?
CEM I, CEM II, 32,5, 42,5, R and N decoded — what each part of the marking changes in practice, and the two situations where a general-purpose bag is the wrong bag.
beginner8 min3 min readWhat is a pressure reducing valve and do I need one?
What a PRV does, the symptoms of mains pressure that is too high, and where one is required rather than optional.
intermediate15 min4 min readWhat is formwork, and why does concrete need it?
Formwork is the temporary mould that holds concrete in shape until it can hold itself. Why the pressure of wet concrete is the whole design problem, and what makes a home-made form fail.
intermediate8 min4 min readWhat is the difference between a self-tapping and a self-drilling screw?
One cuts a thread in a hole you made; the other drills the hole as well. How to tell them apart, and what each will and will not go through.
beginner10 min3 min readWhat moisture content should timber be before I use it indoors?
Equilibrium moisture content, the figures for heated and unheated rooms, and why acclimatising matters more than the number on the invoice.
intermediate15 min4 min readWhat should I do if my heating oil or LPG runs out in cold weather?
Running out is uncomfortable but manageable. The order is: emergency delivery, safe temporary heat, protect the pipes, and then get the system restarted properly.
beginner30 min6 min readWhat tools do I actually need to plaster a patch?
The short list that genuinely matters, what each tool does, the two where quality changes the result, and the ones sold in plastering kits that you can ignore.
beginner20 min4 min readWhen is it worth ordering ready-mixed concrete instead of mixing it myself?
The volume at which a truck beats a mixer, the questions the supplier will ask you, and the extra charges that catch people out on a domestic delivery.
intermediate15 min5 min readWhich tile layout pattern wastes the fewest tiles?
Straight, brick bond, herringbone and diagonal compared on cutting, waste, difficulty and how forgiving each is of a room that is not square.
intermediate25 min4 min readWhy does my bath go cold so quickly?
Where the heat in a bath actually goes, why the material matters less than people think, and the changes that genuinely extend a soak.
beginner15 min3 min readWhy has my deck frame rotted at the posts, and can I repair it?
Why deck posts rot at the ground line and not elsewhere, how to judge whether a post is repairable, and propping and replacing one without dismantling the deck.
advanced8 hr5 min readWhy is there white powder on my new paving?
What the white bloom actually is, why it appears on new paving and then stops, and why the cure is usually patience rather than chemicals.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy should I mark with a knife instead of a pencil?
Line width, severed fibres and a physical wall for the tool — what a knife line does that a pencil line cannot, and when a pencil is still right.
beginner12 min3 min readAre scaffold boards any good for shelves and furniture?
What a scaffold board actually is, what it can and cannot span, the preparation nobody mentions, and why new boards are usually the better buy.
beginner30 min5 min readCan I fix into the mortar joint instead of the brick?
Sometimes it is the right answer and usually it is not — how to judge which by the mortar, the load and whether the fixing will ever come out.
beginner12 min3 min readCan I move a light switch myself?
Why moving a switch is a different job from replacing one, the alternatives that avoid opening a wall, and what to ask an electrician for.
beginner10 min4 min readCan I use my phone as a stud finder?
What a phone magnetometer can genuinely do, what it definitely cannot, and why a two-pound magnet outperforms it — plus the situations where the app is actually the convenient answer.
beginner10 min4 min readDo radiator reflectors actually work?
A small but real effect on uninsulated external walls, and close to nothing anywhere else.
beginner30 min2 min readDoes acoustic plasterboard actually work?
What the dense board really does, why it disappoints people who fit it on its own, and the three things that matter more than the board choice.
intermediate10 min5 min readDoes anti-condensation paint actually work?
What the insulating additive in the paint does to a surface temperature, the situations where it genuinely helps, and why it cannot beat a serious cold bridge.
beginner20 min3 min readDoes the flimsy back panel on flat-pack furniture actually matter?
Why a 3mm sheet of hardboard is the structural heart of a flat-pack carcass, how to fix it so it does that job, and what to use when it is missing or ruined.
beginner40 min4 min readHow do I build steps down from a deck?
Working out equal risers from the total drop, cutting or buying stringers, and founding and fixing the flight so it cannot move.
intermediate5 hr6 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.