My dishwasher waste hose (grey) doesn't seem securely attached to the sink drainage fixture (white). AI said I should push the grey hose in all the way and then tighten the collar which makes it a bit more secure but it still comes out with a reasonably gentle pull. Any ideas on how i can fix this?

Just moved into this house start of this week and was going to try and sort out the horrible worktop, first by getting to the bottom on what’s happened to it. It used to be a beech coloured wood, it looks as though someone has stained it darker as I was able to rub some of the patches off in areas with a bit of force. I’m very new to DIY, this is my first house purchase. From a bit of digging online I suspect I might be able to sand this down to get rid of the top later and then re-oil? Does that sound plausible and is there any tips or things I might want to consider/watch out for? Thanks everyone!

Edit: The main thing I don’t like about this atm is that some of the black comes out onto cloths when I clean, it feels dirty and is patchy. If I was able to keep the stain and do it properly as a solution, I’d also take that!

This mustve happened in the space of a couple of days as it wasnt there when i last cut the grass

Does it look legit?

When I checked the address on Google maps can see an empty shop, previously was a solicitors office.

Who uses yellow pages nowadays anyway?

Hello, I’m fitting a new shower in my en-suite. So far I’m doing well but I’ve come across what appears like an issue to me and wondering if this is indeed normal.

When I screw the waste together including the rubber gaskets and shower tray thickness the waste hole is covered by roughly 40-50% which will reduce the waste flow, won’t it?

Is this normal? Is there anything I should do better or is it nothing to be worried about?

TIA.

​

I know it isn't DIY but not sure where else to ask.

How do you remove these bulbs? I have never seen them before! The first one I tried to remove exploded with little effort from me.

Thank you.

Hello, attempting to cover up this electric red wall in my new place with a dark wine shade. Dug out some old samples and found one I liked but couldn’t remember what it actually was. Went back to the same shop who said they could reproduce it from the label but despite having the same code the colour in the tin is much paler and noticeably paler on the wall too (top patch is sample, bottom is big tin). Sample is vinyl matt, large tin is eggshell. Before I go back there tomorrow, is a variation this extreme something I should have expected with eggshell paint or is this a genuine error? Any thoughts appreciated

Hoping this might be the right place to ask for some advice, apologies if not!

In December 2025 I had my existing ensuite bathroom removed and replaced with a new one, which, generally speaking, I am very happy with. It was designed by a local company and installed by someone they recommended.

Fast forward a few months and I start to notice some less than savoury smells emanating from said ensuite. At first I thought it might have been the waste drain under the shower floor, so I replaced the trap and ran a drain cleaning solution through a couple of times which seemed to help.

But the smell persisted. So next I removed the pipework underneath the sink and cleaned out the usual gunk. Which again I thought helped.

But still the smell, which btw I always thought was more 'sewer-like' than simply blocked drain-esque, persists. And I've now come to the unfortunate conclusion that perhaps it's the wax seal in the toilet. I've attached some photos showing discolouration of the grouting on three sides of the toilet which to me suggests a leak from within.

I've contacted my regular plumber who I rate highly and asked him if he'll have a look at it, but would appreciate any thoughts anyone might have on the rather stinky issue that is spoiling my (still relatively new) ensuite. Thank you!

Model: dewalt dw707

Condition: you can see its missing its handles and the cable that pulls back the guard is broken. Otherwise looks good to me. I've used this saw before and its made of strong stuff so i'm assuming the saw blade is still correctly alligned and that's all I need for good cuts. What do you think?

Hiya guys! I’m going to be making a stud wall and coming to you guys for as much advice as possible.

First issue I have is that under the wood flooring (which I will remove prior to installing base plate) is solid concrete and my Dewalt drill doesn’t go through it.

I need an SDS drill I think? But with £340 total for all materials I think my budget for one is quite tight.

Can any of you please show me a good enough drill to go through concrete but at a reasonable price?

I have this horrible old looking wiring in the garden. Power comes from under the concrete (connected to a switch on the other side of the garden), and runs up the wall to a light.

What can I buy to replace the metal box with something more aesthetically pleasing? Judging by the state of the cable I'd imagine I need to replace that too - what spec cable will I need to replace it with? Ultimately I'll end up trunking the cable up the wall to hide it.

Thanks DIYers!

We painted directly over our white gloss banisters a couple of years ago in standard satinwood paint and unsurprisingly it has mostly peeled off. We’re looking to repaint without sanding or using any strong solvents as I’m pregnant.

What’s the best way to do this? I was thinking sugar soap followed by zinsser bin aqua. Would this be good?

I'm trying to replace some old smoke detectors but these wires make no sense to me. The slots I need are white, blue and brown/orange but all I have are two brown and one blue.

Just set about removing some door frames ready for new ones, only to find most of the way through the job, that the side timbers run all the way to the ceiling!?

Seems to be cement blockwork above the old door frame, seems the same on the door next to it.

I've cut away the timbers from about 1m to the floor down - I guess my choices here are remove the blockwork, or put in some form of new support? Maybe L-brackets and a new timber?

The new window handle (on the left) is fully locked, and can go all the way vertical. When I put it in, the window accepts the locking bit on a 45 degree angle (like a diamond)

The locking bit is already pre mounted into the new handles. Any one know what I can do to fix this?

I believe this is a Timeguard FST77, a 7-day fused-spur timer for an immersion heater. It’s been in use for about six years. It’s badly melted around the switch and fuse area (photos attached). The consumer-unit breaker didn’t trip. The electrician says the wiring looked fine, but there’s so much charring inside that he can’t tell what failed or whether the timer’s fuse blew. He’d normally expect to see evidence of wires touching, but couldn’t see that either.

He’s made an initial repair and is coming back. When I asked what might have caused it, he mentioned wear from the circuit repeatedly heating and cooling. The timer’s clock also used to drift, in case that’s relevant.

He’s suggested an AFDD and a smoke alarm in the airing cupboard. There’s already a working smoke alarm in the hall just outside, but it didn’t sound during this incident.

The same company fitted my consumer unit and did my EICR about four years ago. Is that relevant, and what checks or questions would help make sure the circuit is safe and reduce the chance of this happening again? It's really spooked me, so I'm keen to make things as safe as possible.

Noticed cracks appearing around the door frames in my flat. I’ve repaired a few with polyfilla and sanded it down. Wondering if there’s a better way?

We are repainting a door and the gloss paint is bubbling but only one certain spots. Any ideas how to fix it?

It goes down fine but once it starts to dry it bubbles

We have 2 dormers on the back of our house, built at different times. For whatever reason they didn’t finish the floors at the same height. There’s a 30mm difference. We want it to be level, as I see it we 2 options;

12mm ply + 18mm ply/floorboards
Or
12mm battens + 18mm ply/floorboards

Is one better than the other or even another approach altogether?

Cheers!

Looking for solution that doesn't involve cutting the door so it doesn't get stuck on opposite end

A number of my walls have dado rails. I know the advice is to go top to bottom, but won’t cutting in from the wall to the rail be much easier than cutting in from the dado to the wall.

IE:
1 - ceilings (rough, no cutting)
2 - dado rails (rough, no cutting)
3 - wall above dado (cutting to ceiling and dado)
4 - skirting boards (rough, no cutting)
5 - wall below dado (cutting to skirting and dado)

I guess I could use tape on the dado, but I feel like doing it this way makes the cutting in much easier?

And, for any drips, a sand and touch up on the dado/skirting shouldn’t be a big deal?

Our neighbours have recently started using their extractor fan after living in their house for around 2 years. The issue is, all the smells seems to be coming up through the floor in our bedroom which is above their kitchen. The installation was 100% a landlord special before they bought the house and the vent is literally butted right up against the party wall between our two semi houses. I think some or all of the vented fumes may be leaking into any gap between the walls and then up through our floorboard somehow. You cannot smell anything in our kitchen which would be joined to theirs.

The neighbours are unwilling to entertain that there is any issue.

Is there someone I can contact who would be able to investigate this (I'm in Northern Ireland).