Archive for the 'Home Improvements' Category

Fitting Floating Shelves

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Floating shelves are so named because they appear to float on the wall. This effect is due to the hidden mounting bracket behind the shelf. These shelves are easy for a novice to install and require only basic tools. Decide where on the wall you wish to place the shelf. Hold the mounting bracket against [...]

Learning to Tile a Wall the Simple Way

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Although tiling may look complicated, once you learn the basics you can become accomplished in next to no time, providing you take care and plan ahead. For tiling walls in a bathroom or kitchen, you will need the following pieces of equipment: •    Tiles•    Tile Adhesive•    Grout•    Tile Spacers•    Grouting Float•    Serrated Adhesive Trowel•    Tile [...]

Working From Home

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

A quick internet search will show that one of the major growth sectors of the UK economy is that of the home worker.  Traditionally this exercise was the preserve of writers, artists or those who could sew clothing or address envelopes.  The 21st century has created a huge change in UK working practices and over [...]

Stopping Water Hammer

Monday, February 27th, 2012

When shock waves pass through the water in the domestic system as the flow is turned off and on, this may cause a distinctive and irritating sound known as water hammer.  It can be caused by a number of things, including the water flowing too fast in the system, worn jumper units in taps or [...]

Dividing Walls for the Garden

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

It might on the face of it seem like a difficult job to build a garden wall, but in fact it is simply a series of small and simple tasks stuck together. The majority of brick walls are constructed with the header or stretcher face of the bricks on view. The rows of bricks are [...]

Use Blinds to Create an Illusion of Darkness

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

Blinds can be effectively used to block out all natural light in a room, thus creating an illusion of night.  However, not all blinds can be used for this purpose.  Many homeowners share a common misconception that the darker the colour of the blinds, the more the light that will be blocked out.  The truth [...]

All about Dado rails

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Dado rails are an attractive interior feature that originally separated the upper and lower sections of walls. The area below the Dado was often covered with wood panelling, and the rail itself helped protect the wall from marks, particularly from the backs of chairs. To install wooden Dado rails in a room, you need to [...]

Hardboard, MDF and chipboard

Monday, February 20th, 2012

These are three great DIY materials listed below that are made from waste wood and some form of resin or glue, and then pressed to make dense products with a variety of uses. The key attributes of these products are their structural qualities, setting them apart from natural wood for the DIY practitioner. Hardboard, also [...]

Choosing Curtains and Blinds for Bay Windows

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

Dressing a bay window can seem like a daunting task but it can also be a very exciting project as it offers such a wide range of options and the results can be very rewarding. One option for a bay window is to dress it with a single pair of curtains. Flexible curtain poles made [...]

What is a Garden Room?

Friday, February 17th, 2012

What is a garden room?  Essentially, it is a glass-walled living room situated in the garden, physically separate from the house, though connected to the power, and often water supplies, coming into the house.  Although similar to a conservatory, it is not an extension of the house and is often marketed as a solid-roof conservatory [...]