How do I clamp a mitre joint so it does not slide?
Why glue makes mitres slip, and the band clamps, corner blocks and pinning methods that hold a 45 degree joint closed.
intermediate30 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 clean light fittings?
Cleaning shades, pendants and bulbs safely, and why dusty fittings make a noticeable difference to how bright a room feels.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I cut a circle in wood?
Four methods by size and finish required — hole saw, jigsaw and pivot, router and trammel, and the cut-slightly-oversize-and-sand approach.
intermediate40 min4 min readHow do I cut a letterplate opening into a door?
Choosing the position on a rail rather than a joint, setting out an aperture that is not the same size as the plate, and the finishing that stops a letterplate becoming the coldest hole in the house.
intermediate1 hr 15 min4 min readHow do I fill a large hole in a brick wall?
The difference between a hole that needs mortar and one that needs a brick, cutting back to a sound square opening, and getting a patch that does not read as a patch.
intermediate1 hr3 min readHow do I find out where my drains run?
Working out a drain layout from the covers, the fittings on the walls and the water company's map, before you dig, build or lay anything over it.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fit a shower curtain rail that actually keeps water in?
Getting the rail long enough and high enough, fixing into tile properly, and the two habits that stop a curtain letting water past at the ends.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I fit flat-pack drawers so they run smoothly and sit level?
Getting runners parallel and at matching heights, why a square carcass decides everything, and how to set drawer fronts with even gaps.
beginner1 hr 15 min5 min readHow do I fit guttering to a shed?
Why an ungutted shed rots at the bottom of its walls, and fitting a small gutter with the fall, the brackets and the outlet in the right places.
beginner2 hr5 min readHow do I get plasterboard home and store it without breaking it?
Why plasterboard needs different handling from every other sheet, the carry that does not break it, and the storage that keeps the edges intact.
beginner25 min5 min readHow do I glue end grain so the joint actually holds?
Why end grain sucks a joint dry, the sizing technique that fixes it, and the reinforcement any loaded end grain joint really needs.
intermediate25 min3 min readHow do I light a workshop or garage so I can actually see what I am doing?
Why one bright ceiling light is the worst possible arrangement, how much light a workspace actually needs, why colour temperature and rendering matter for finishing work, and the shadow problem that only a second light solves.
beginner1 hr5 min readHow do I look after a ceramic or Belfast sink?
Removing the grey metal marks that are not scratches, dealing with limescale on glaze, and the honest position on chips.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I make a garden gate close by itself?
Spring closers, hydraulic closers and rising butt hinges compared, and the setting-up that stops a self-closer slamming or stalling short of the latch.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I protect electronics from a power surge?
Most damaging surges come from lightning nearby, faults on the network and heavy appliances in the house. Layered protection — at the board and at the socket — costs far less than the equipment it protects.
beginner45 min5 min readHow do I remove architrave without wrecking the plaster?
Cutting the paint line first, levering against the frame rather than the wall, and dealing with pins that stay behind in the timber.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I remove uPVC glazing beads without breaking them?
The order beads come out in, where to lever, and why the short beads always go first.
intermediate30 min3 min readHow do I repair a chipped or missing section of plaster cornice?
Cleaning off a century of paint, patching small losses by hand, and taking a mould from a sound section to reproduce a missing run — plus when to hand it to a fibrous plasterer.
advanced4 hr5 min readHow do I sharpen a spade, hoe or axe?
Garden and forestry edges are sharpened differently from woodworking tools — a coarser edge at a steeper angle, from one side or both depending on the tool, and a file rather than a stone.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I stop a bolt spinning when I cannot get at the other end?
Eight ways to hold a nut, a captive fitting or a carriage bolt that has started to turn — from the simple to the last resort.
beginner25 min3 min readHow do I stop draughts, water and leaves coming under a garage door?
Why the gap exists, the seal types that suit an uneven floor, and dealing with water that is arriving because of the ground outside rather than the door.
beginner2 hr6 min readHow do I store photographs, negatives and slides so they last?
The materials that quietly destroy photographic prints, the conditions that preserve them, and why the album your parents used is the most damaging thing in the box.
beginner2 hr4 min readHow do I use a router template and a guide bush?
Guide bush versus bearing-guided bit, the offset calculation that makes a template the wrong size on purpose, and the routine for making identical parts.
advanced45 min4 min readHow do I work out what size a bolt or machine screw is?
Measuring diameter, pitch and length, telling metric from imperial, and reading the M-number system that most household fasteners use.
beginner15 min3 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.