DIY Articles Index

Index of all articles

Ball valves (as fitted to WC cisterns and water tanks):
- Slide and Diaphragm ball valves explained.
- Slider type ball valve washer replacement - an illustrated step by step guide.
Books for DIY'ers
- Construction books.
- DVDs - How to DIY series
- Eco-friendly diy books.
- Electrics books.
- Gardening books
- Garden Design - Books & CDs.
- Plumbing books.
- Property development etc.

Carpentry - Glossary of carpentry and wood working terms explained. .
Ceramic tiling:
1. Ceramic tiles - basic styles - The basic shapes and tile types explained.
2. Estimating wall tiles - A guide to working out how many tiles are required for a tiling job.
3. Estimating tile finishing strip - A guide to working out how many finishing strips are required for a tiling job and how to cut it to get the most out of it.
4. Preparing surfaces for ceramic wall tiles - A guide to preparing the surface whether wallpaper, paint, tile or timber.
5. Setting out ceramic wall tiles - A guide to making the job look professional.
6. Fixing ceramic wall tiles - A guide to fixing ceramic wall tiles.
7. Cutting ceramic tiles - A guide to cutting ceramic wall tiles.
8. Grouting wall tiles - A guide.
Cladding - external timber and uPVC plank cladding explained
Concrete
- Concrete design - a guide to the thickness, sub-base, slope etc required for different uses.
- Concrete mixing - a guide to mixing concrete by hand, using a cement mixer or using Ready mix.
- Metric calculator - for concrete volumes - squares, rectangles, circles and triangles.
- Metric calculator - for working out the quantities of cement, sand, gravel or all-in ballast required for a volume.
- Imperial calculator - for concrete volumes - squares, rectangles, circles and triangles.
- Imperial calculator - for working out the quantities of cement, sand, gravel or all-in ballast required for a volume.
Dado rails - a step by step guide to putting up dado rails.
Decorating - Glossary of decorating terms.
DVDs - How to DIY series
Electrical work and Building Regulations - how Building Regulations Part P (Electrical Safety) affect DIY in England and Wales
Electrical Terms - glossary.
Euro Cylinder door lock replacement - step by step guide to removing and refitting a euro cylinder type lock.
Fixings for different types of walls - how to make strong fixings to brick, block, stud, plasterboard, lathe and plaster, and dry lined walls
Flooring:
- Timber floor finishes - varnish, oils and waxes explained.
- Removing old finishes - a guide to removing paint, varnish, oil wax and polishes from timber floorboards.
- Sanding wooden floooring - a guide to applying stain to timber floorboards.
- Staining wooden floors
- Varnishing wooden floorboards - a guide to varnishing timber floorboards.
Garden arch - plans and instructions for building your own garden arch.
Garden Decking:
- Building simple low level decking
- Planning garden decking
Glossaries:
- Carpentry and woodworking
- Decorating
- Electrics
- General Building
- Plumbing
- Roofing
- Staircase
Lavatories:
- Cistern - modern direct action (syphon) lavatory cistern
- Cistern - modern flap flush valve lavatory cistern - how they work
- Cistern - old style Burlington Bell type lavatory cistern
- Common problems with lavatory cisterns
- Replacing a flap valve in a direct action cistern
Laying paving blocks - a step by step illustrated guide to laying pavers.
Lock - Euro Cylinder door lock replacement - step by step guide to removing and refitting a euro cylinder type lock.
Lock - Mortise - a step by step guide to fitting a mortise lock.
Lock - latch - a step by step guide to changing the latch on a mortise lock.
Lock - Rim - a step by step guide to fitting a rim lock.
Painting
- Painting flush wooden doors - a step by step illustrated guide.
- Painting wooden panel doors - a step by step illustrated guide.
- Painting wooden casement windows - a step by step illustrated guide.
- Painting wooden sash windows - a step by step illustrated guide.
- Preparing walls and ceilings - a guide to preparing for painting.
- Preparing wooden doors and windows - a guide to preparing for repainting.
- Using a paint roller - the technique explained.
Paving blocks - a step by step illustrated guide to laying pavers.
Picture rails - a step by step guide to putting up picture rails
Plans (FREE woodworking plans)
- For the Children - toys and things
- For the bedroom
- For the garden and outdoors
- For the kitchen
- For the workshop
Plasterboard:
- Types of plasterboard explained.
- Cutting and fixing plasterboard - cutting straight line and cutouts, fixing with nails and screws.
- Filling plasterboard joints - finishing the joints with tape and filler.
- Finishing plasterboard corners with metal plasterboard corner strips.
Plaster ceilings - lath & plaster and plasterboard construction explained.
Plaster walls - lath & plaster, straight plaster, stud walling and dry lining construction explained.
Plaster repairs:
- Lath and plaster wall repairs - step by step guide to repairing holes in lath and plaster walls.
- Plaster wall repairs (large) - step by step guide to repairing large areas in plastered walls.
- Plaster wall repairs (small) - step by step guide to repairing cracks in plastered walls and external plaster corners.
- Repairing large holes in stud walls or ceilings - step by step guide to repairing large holes in plasterboard stud partition walls and ceilings.
- Repairing small holes in stud walls - step by step guide to repairing small holes in plasterboard stud partition walls.
Plumbing - glossary of terms.
Removing old finishes from floorboards - a guide to removing paint, varnish, oil wax and polishes from timber floorboards.
Roofing:
- Felting and battening - a step by step guide to putting on the felt and battens for a slate or tile roof.
- Glossary of roofing terms
- Repairing plain tile roofs - a guide to the practical aspects of repairing plain tile roofs.
- Repairing slate roofs - a guide to the practical aspects of repairing slate roofs.
- Replacing ridge tiles - a guide to replacing loose and dislodged ridge tiles on the roof.
- Using interlocking tiles - a guide to the practical aspects of roofing with interlocking tiles with side overlaps.
- Using plain roofing tiles - a guide to the practical aspects of roofing using plain tiles.
- Using ridge tiles - a guide to the practical aspects of fixing ridge tiles to slate and tile roofs.
- Using slates - a guide to the practical aspects of roofing with slates.
Sanding wooden floors - a step by step guide.
Shelving
- Types of shelving to choose.
- Fitting long shelving with brackets - an illustrated step by step guide.
- Fitting short shelving with brackets - an illustrated step by step guide.
- Fitting shelving to an alcove - a step by step guide.
- Fitting shelving to a corner - a step by step guide.
- Materials explained - solid timber, chipwood, mdf, blockboard, plywood etc.
Staining wooden flooring - a guide to applying stain to timber floorboards.
Staircases explained will illustrations and glossary plus repairing staircases.
Stripping wallpaper - a step by step guide to stripping different types of wall paper.
Taps:
- Connecting ½ and ¾ inch taps for baths, hand basins and sinks.
- Fitting ½ and ¾ inch taps to baths, hand basins and sinks.
- Fitting Mono-block (single hole) mixer taps - an illustrated, step by step how-to guide.
Tiling:
1. Ceramic wall tiles - basic styles - The basic shapes and tile types explained.
2. Estimating wall tiles - A guide to working out how many tiles are required for a tiling job.
3. Estimating tile finishing strip - A guide to working out how many finishing strips are required for a tiling job and how to cut it to get the most out of it.
4. Preparing surfaces for ceramic wall tiles - A guide to preparing the surface whether wallpaper, paint, tile or timber.
5. Setting out ceramic wall tiles - A guide to making the job look professional.
6. Fixing ceramic wall tiles - A guide to fixing ceramic wall tiles.
7. Cutting ceramic wall tiles - A guide to cutting ceramic wall tiles.
8. Grouting wall tiles - A guide.
Varnishing wooden floorboards - a guide to varnishing timber floorboards.
Wallpapering:
- Types of Wallpaper - the different types explained.
- Symbols on labels - the symbols on wallpaper labels explained.
- How many rolls? - Calulate how many rools of wall paper you will require.
- Stripping wallpaper - a step by step guide to stripping different types of wall paper.
- Preparing different surfaces for hanging wallpaper - new and old plasterboard and plaster walls etc.
- Cutting and pasting wallpaper - a guide to setting out the start lines, cutting and pasting the wallpaper.
- Hanging wallpaper - a step by step guide to hanging wallpaper.
- Hanging wallpaper around architrave.
- Hanging wallpaper around electrical fittings.
- Hanging wallpaper around a recess at door and window surrounds.
Waste water fittings for:
- Baths - an illustrated guide to the various types of waste fitted for baths.
- Hand basins - an illustrated guide to fitting waste outlets for hand basins.
- Sinks - an illustrated guide to fitting waste outlets for sinks.
Waste water traps - different types of waste water traps explained and illustrated.
Woodworking plans:
- For Children (toys and things)
- For the bedroom
- For the garden and outdoors
- For the kitchen
- For the workshop