HOME IMPROVEMENT AND DIY TIPS
 TIP
- Maximise space when entering the room
Often the door leading into a small room obstructs or
takes up space. One way of maximising space within a
small room, hallway and especially bathrooms and small
kitchens, is to simply re-hang the door to the opposite
swing. This can create more space.
TIP
- Door planing
When trimming off surplus from the top and bottom of
doors, ensure you plane from both ends towards the
middle, so as to avoid splitting the end grain.
TIP
- Driving screws into awkward spaces
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to drive a
screw into an awkward space and the screw falling to the
floor before you get a grip. Those of you who happen not
to have a magnetic tipped screw driver or times where
the magnetic tipped screw driver becomes useless because
you are using stainless steel or brass screws. Try
placing a little blue tack on the screw head allowing
the screw to remain attached to the end of your
screwdriver while you position it and start screwing it
into place.
TIP - Levelling tip!
When levelling something using a spirit level, always
check the level by testing your spirit level both
way. This method avoids any discrepancy in the spirit
level and ensures an accurate level especially on a long
run.
TIP
- Positioning brackets to a shelf
If you are looking to put up a wide shelf, there is
nothing more frustrating than discovering a bow in the
middle due to the brackets being too far apart. You can
test whether your shelf may bow or sag by placing it on
the floor, resting on some timber or bricks in same the
position where you plan to space your brackets. Put the
items you intend to display on the shelf when mounted,
then place a straight edge along it. If it bows bring
the bricks closer together until it is straight, then
mark the shelf for your brackets. If the brackets can
not be positioned that close, you may need to consider
more brackets or thicker material for your shelf.
TIP
- Flat pack layout!
It is always a good idea to lay out all the parts to
your flat pack before starting, so you can see more
clearly how they will fit together. Always check you
have all the parts including fittings before you start.
TIP - Wallpaper!
If your rolls of wallpaper don’t have exactly the same
batch code number on them, then there may possibly be
slight differences in shade, as they will have been
printed at different times. Buy your paper all from the
same batch if at all possible. No harm to have a roll or
two left over in case you need to do a repair.
TIP
- Wallpapering behind radiators!
If you don’t want the hassle of doing it the
professional way by removing the radiator, trying to
wallpaper behind with the radiator in situ, is a fiddly
job. To ensure a smooth finish, try using a clean dry
radiator paint roller to guide, push and smooth the
wallpaper into place. Remember to first vacuum out any
dust or cobwebs.
TIP
- Keeping wallpaper scissors clean!
Scissors can become less effective when clogged up with
wallpaper paste. Simply place them in a jar of warm
water between use, which will prevent build up of paste.
TIP
- Removing Silicone!
If you are resealing your bath or the back of your work
top, you can remove the majority of silicone by scoring
carefully with a sharp craft knife. However the residue
remains stubborn to get off. Try using nail varnish
remover ! This is a strong solvent and is more effective
than mentholated spirit which is typically used.
TIP - Mildew / Mould!
Remove mildew with a 50:50 mixture of bleach and warm
water. Mildew needs moisture to survive, so identify and
fix the moisture problem before redecorating. A common cause of mildew is insufficient ventilation,
bad insulation and/or lack of heating. To prevent the
mildew or mould coming back, just prime the effected
area with a fungicidal paint primer to help prevent a
return of the problem.
TIP - Is that wet wall
damp or is it condensation?
Not sure if your wall is letting in damp or if it’s condensation?
Cut out about 50 square cm of household cooking silver foil and tape
it to the wall with good quality masking tape. If it’s damp coming in,
the inside of the foil will gather drops of water after a time. If it’s
condensation, it will remain dry on the inside.
TIP - Filler sanding!
If you apply too much filler, it makes the task harder,
as much time may be spent sanding in order to attain a
smooth finish. After applying filler, smooth it off with
a damp sponge or wet brush to remove the sharp edges.
Some powder fillers (Polyfilla for example) and most
ready-mixed fillers dry very hard so apply as smoothly
as possible and save yourself the grief.
TIP -
Adhesion of fillers!
If you are mixing your filler from a powder, you could
add a small amount of PVA glue to the mix. This gives
you a smooth but sticky paste, especially useful where
some fillers don’t adhere so well on bare surfaces.
TIP - Greasy walls and ceilings!
Painting kitchen areas can often be tricky due to all the greasy deposits on the walls and ceiling.
Paint as we all know will not stick to that, and one good solution is to wash thoroughly with sugar soap & warm water
and allow to dry prior to any painting.
TIP
- Repairing wood - DIY wood filler
As a cheap and effective way of filling holes in wood,
rather than using wood fillers where there is never a
guarantee that the pre-mixed wood filler will be a
perfect colour match, especially if the wood is to be
waxed or varnished, Try making your own wood filler by
using PVA glue (which dries hard and transparent) mixed
with saw dust from the wood you are repairing. When dry,
will be a perfect colour match.
Tip - To remove dents in bare wood!
Cover with a wet cloth and hold a warm iron on the dent. It’s remarkable how the dent disappears when the steam
swells the fibres.
NB. This method should not be used on finished wood
i.e. polished or varnished surfaces.
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Refresh offers furniture restoration services, including: French polishing
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Liability Disclaimer
The DIY tips and advice given on this
website are provided in good faith. Use of any tip is
entirely at your own risk and Refresh Interiors will not
accept responsibility for any damage or personal injury
caused regardless of circumstances. If in doubt call
Refresh for professional advice.
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