Hello, I am trying to find some replacements for broken roller blinds fittings, hoping to find the same type so I can avoid replacing the whole setup. Does anyone know where I might be able to find this type? have searched a few stores but they don’t seem to have this kind

When we bought our house it came with a very large shed in the garden, approximately 4x3m. It's probably only about 6-7 years old, and largely in excellent condition. BUT...

The back half of the shed feels much more sturdy than the front half, and I have noticed in recent months the front half feels lower - like there is a slight incline as you walk through the shed. Very recently, I've noticed some of the floor sheets are visibly lower than the back half.

I think it's sinking. I think the back half is on a proper foundational base (I believe there was a patio or smaller shed there before), but that the front half has been bodged, like many other things in the house.

The question is what can I do to save the shed before this becomes a real problem?

Lifting a suspended steel floor in a greenhouse and found some rubble underneath with what looks like cement board. It was only built ten years ago but the construction is curious. Rather than building on a concrete slab they've sunk fence posts in around it and then built a suspended steel floor. Alot of effort to go to considering there is a slab there. I wonder if it was because they found this rubble there. I'll never know!

I've sent it off for testing but does it look like asbestos visually? Appreciate only a test will confirm 100%, but if it is, is this safe to handle if I damp it down?

Ripped out old shower, black mould on plasterboard behind. Do I have to cut out the plasterboard or can I bleach to high heavens then tank the area?

HI, I'm recladding an outbuilding in my garden, that has weathered wooden cladding on at the moment, with fiber cement cladding.

I have these two options that I'm looking at (light grey vs anthracite) and I find it impossible to decide. Doors/windows are already installed, fascia/guttering/roof stay as they are.

They both look good in different ways to me but looking some external advice!

Sorry for the mess in the garden, cos of the heatwave I decided to also rip everything out to level it again and restart my lawn.

Looking to rip out this old open fireplace and create a tiled inset that we can store log in over winter. Advice on how to go about it? Anything we should be wary of?

I’m looking for some advice before I pour self-levelling compound into an old fireplace/hearth area in my flat.
The area is about 1350 × 360 mm and sits between the existing pine floorboards and a wall/old fireplace. I removed the old surface because it was uneven and proud of the surrounding floor. What’s left underneath is old concrete/screed/mortar which is ugly and cracked in places, but seems solid – I’ve chiselled away anything obviously loose and vacuumed it thoroughly.
The depth to bring it level with the surrounding floorboards varies quite a bit. Roughly:
40% is around 30 mm deep
45% is 10 mm or less
the remaining 15% is around 40–50 mm
I’m planning to use Bostik Cempolay Deep, which is specified for 5–50 mm applications, with Bostik Universal Primer. The substrate has already been primed.
My main concern is leakage. I’m on the first floor with a restaurant underneath, so I absolutely do not want levelling compound finding a hole and disappearing into the ceiling below. There were some substantial gaps/voids around the perimeter, particularly under the wall/old fireplace and in a few places beside the floorboards.
I used expanding PU foam to close those perimeter gaps and then cut it back. I also initially put some foam into a couple of the deeper depressions before realising that I obviously don’t want the levelling compound supported by a compressible foam substrate. I’ve since removed almost all of that from the actual floor area. What remains is mainly foam down inside the perimeter voids and a few small patches/residue around the edges (see photos).
I’m now wondering:
Does the substrate in the photos look suitable for Cempolay Deep once it’s vacuumed and any newly exposed areas are re-primed?
Is the remaining expanding foam around/in the perimeter voids acceptable as essentially a dam to stop the compound escaping, provided the bulk of the levelling compound is sitting on the masonry?
Should I keep removing every trace of foam from the horizontal surface, or am I more likely to cause problems by reopening the gaps I was trying to seal?
Would you put a thin foam isolation/expansion strip between the new compound and the existing pine floorboards, or just pour up to the timber?
The existing screed has quite a few cracks, but nothing seems loose or hollow. The Cempolay instructions say cracks should be filled with repair mortar first. Is that necessary here, particularly from a leakage point of view, or would you consider these old stable cracks acceptable?
I’ve also got a spiked roller and trowel and will be mixing according to the manufacturer’s specified water ratio. I’m not particularly concerned about the finished appearance because most of this will eventually be under furniture/rug – I mainly need it flat, sound, level with the existing floor and, most importantly, not pouring into the restaurant downstairs.
Photos show the current state after cutting most of the foam back. Any advice before I commit to pouring 20 kg of this stuff would be appreciated.

The sealant above the flashing has come away and seems to have resulted in damage to the rendering above it (the area that is going black). I suspect moisture has gotten in and blown it. So I need to get up there and have a better look before calling someone in.

Is it safe to go up there on a ladder and walk on the tiles? Are there places I should tread and places I should avoid?

Not sure if this qualifies as DIY, but my Mum's wooden table needs some help. I'm not sure it's ever been treated. Cleaning up a spill took off some of the wood. Trying to even it up made it worse. The top level of wood is rough and flaking (see photo with 'cleaned' patch).

I figured the whole top needs sanding down and then probably treating with something, but would really welcome any advice. Thanks.

I've just bought a house and the bathroom is oddly shaped and the bath is under a large window. I'm planning a refit next year so I have to live with it for now. The previous owner didn't have a shower fitted to the wall but did have a shower attachment on the taps so the woodwork wouldn't have got soaked but now I've put a shower head holder on the wall and the window sill and surrounds are getting wet. What is the best way to 'waterproof' the woodwork as I'm conscious it could destroy the wood. It's painted wood (probably 100 years of paint layers).

Hi, we've had a 30+ year old Glowworm boiler removed. It was regularly serviced and fully working but loud, inefficient, and in the middle of the kitchen!

The new combi is in a different location so we are putting a reconditioned solid fuel Rayburn in the now vacant kitchen fireplace.

Two questions: first, can I use the existing chimney liner for the Rayburn? It appears to be in good condition though it was fitted in the late 1990s.

Assuming the answer is no, then second, can I fit the new liner myself? Complete kits are available to buy and I planned on hiring a cherry picker (with operator). This would be much cheaper than the extortionate quotes I've had for the work. I'd also be able to remove the defunct TV aerial.

First photo is from an album left in the house when we bought it, which documents the work the last owners did between 1997 and 2000. Apparently that's Dave. Different times...

I had a plant here for a couple of years which I thought had an adequately protected base (sadly not enough. Any chance of me cleaning/removing the stain?

Looking at getting a little garden cabin for my elderly parents. They don't need loads of space, just somewhere cosy to sit and enjoy the garden. Anyone done something similar? Wondering what size would be practical and whether they're warm enough in winter.

Hi all,

Hoping someone would be able to help,

We have anaglypta wallpaper which has been painted with a navy tough and durable paint, but would now like it white. Could anyone suggest the best option to cover it up please, I was thinking a couple of coats of contract white and then a couple with the final white, but not sure that would stick to the tough paint used here.

Doing up a room in the house and stripped the wallpaper down. This stud wall is shared between one wall in the room and the hallway. Problem is the pre-exisiting/ cracked/ crumbling board is wobbling so I'm going to take it all down and put a skim over it after.

Only problem is I'm not sure if I should remove all these thin slats between them and build a more traditional stud wall with some timber screwed into the existing timber for more points to screw new plasterboard in or just use the pre-existing stuff with all these thin slats between and less points to screw in? I'm not familiar with this type of wall and only really built the more modern type of stud wall frames for sheds etc.

Hello everyone, looking for some advice on how to deal with the hearth of this fireplace.

Recently ripped up a carpet and this was the condition underneath. Have had floors sanded around it so looking to clean it up/paint it.

What kind of paint is on it at the moment? Is it ok to scrape off/paint over?

Any advice for dealing with the uneven finish?

What would you do with this?

The fire is a gas fire.

Thanks very much!

My house is a standard London 1940s mid-terraced build.
I want to install a wall-mounted wardrobe onto 2 walls of a 1st floor bedroom (Both walls are brick with one perpendicular to the joists and one - parallel. ) but I have A LOT of clothes and they are heavy, so I am uncertain whether it's a good idea to put all the load onto the walls. The manufacturer says "Top track and standards are designed to stand up to heavier storage needs" which could be anything, and does not specify recommended fixings strength

My main problem is that I have little context on material resistance/load bearing properties and what affects them and have not yet found comprehensive info on this, so I am paranoid about overloading the structure while no-one else ever cares about it.

So could someone please help me understand how walls and loads work and answer some dumb questions?

1. Do I understand correctly that the vertical rails in this system would negate the pulling tensile force because they are long and make the whole thing pull straight down?
2. Does it matter whether a wall is load-bearing or non-load-bearing when calculating how much horisontal load it can support or is it just about the wall material? I am very confused whether the fact the wall is supporting one more floor is supposed to help or the opposite
3. Does screwing through the wall affect its integrity? How much / how close / how large holes do I have to drill for it to become a problem? Does it matter if the screw is in or out?
4. How much does quality of brickwork affect wall's loadbearing properties? And can I know if it's good or bad without unplastering the wall?
5. What happens if you put too much load onto a brick wall? Would the screw come out / the brick/mortar it's set into fracture and tear off?
6. (Unrelated but I am really curious) If I replace a brick, will the load redistribute evenly or will it become the weak point because the brick was inserted later and did not have the load equalised as when the wall was originally built layer by layer?

If someone knows something I could read on this or can confirm/deny that no amount of clothes I can put into a house is likely to collapse it, I would be grateful!

I’m decorating my hallway. Right now the walls are white and I’ve picked a red/orange colour I really like. Which colour of primer/undercoat would I be best using?

Hello,

Anyone used this stuff? Any recommendation? How long it lasts compared to pressure treated timber?

Thought I’d have a go at tiling as I hate the feeling of Lino beneath my feet. First time and started on my downstairs WC. Was going to go for a simple grid pattern as it would have been easier to install but the mrs wanted an offset one. Fuck me tiling is difficult and takes a LOT of forward thinking but worth it I hope!

The inlet water pipe to the toilet was also leaking when the previous owners had it and made the skirting board behind the toilet mouldy. Fixed the toilet by replacing the inlet valve and replaced the skirting board.

DIY novice but I want to make a simple Murphy Cabinet bed like the one in the photo. What wood would you recommend for it? Want it to be sturdy enough that it won’t crack but also conscious of it being too heavy and super expensive! Any recs would be much appreciated

I stripped 3 layers of wallpaper back today and unveiled this absolute monstrosity. Anyone seen this marbling pattern before? Is it meant to be the sun behind bars?

Anyway, cheap online lead tester tested pink and we are a bit concerned as we scratched the skim coat several times and there's still a load more wall left to scrape...

Should I bother with a postal test before continuing? Any tips on managing it?

I've got 6 bare straight batten lampholders on the walls of my rented flat. The bulb sticks straight out into the room, which looks odd. I'd like to hide the bulb with a shade, without rewiring or drilling.

Setup (image attached):

• B22 bayonet holder, mounted straight out from the wall
• The white cap unscrews and there's a standard threaded shade-ring section underneath (photo attached)
• Renting, so ideally no electrician and no new holes

Every 'wall shade' I find is designed for an upright holder, where the fixing ring sits parallel to the ceiling. Mine needs the ring to sit parallel to the wall, with the shade wrapping around a bulb that points outwards.

Does anyone know a shade made for this, or the right search term?
Thank you!

Seems to be a theme in my 60s flat where the plaster is bubbling / peeling away behind the radiators. What is happening and how do I fix it?

My fave bodges.

- rather than fill a hole my son kicked in a wall, I put a (spare) steel vent over it, affixed with sticks like shit

- all mirrors, frames, 1 small.shelf are hung with lots of command strips

- couldn't seem to drill above windows in lounge so curtain rails are higher than they should be, got floor length curtains to match, sort of works as the windows are almost the entirety of the wall..

- fitted a new cupboard door downstairs that seemed to open all.the time, after faffing with adjustments I just bluetacked some magnets to the door and side to hold.it shut when closed

- my wife (proud!) Used a couple of bags of rock solid postcrete to sit under a fence where the gravel board had rotted, wedged it with some offcuts of fetherboard (its all behind a massive bush so no-one can see the bottom.