The cordless drill is one of the most useful tools for all of those little jobs around the house. Because it doesn’t need to be plugged in it can be used in hard to reach places or outside, and modern battery packs mean you’re not plugging it in every five minutes to recharge it. However, if all you use your cordless drill for is DIY then you could be missing out.

Mixing Things

Don’t worry, we’re not recommending that you chuck the kitchen mixer in the bin and start to make cakes using your drill instead. But if you’ve ever struggled to mix up a pot of paint which has been sitting in the garage for a couple of years, your cordless drill will do the job far better than an old stick.

Most DIY stores sell special “mixing bits” which are designed to attach to nearly all models of cordless drill. These will mix up your paint, glue or other liquids far more efficiently – just remember to use your drill on the slowest setting to avoid paint being splattered everywhere when you turn the drill on. You can also get special mixing attachments which allow you to mix mortar or grout.

Flat Pack Furniture

If you own a cordless electric screwdriver already, then it’s probably not worth spending the extra on the special flathead and Phillips screwdriver bits to convert your cordless drill. If you are struggling with manual screwdrivers, spending a few pounds on special drill bits can transform the way you do small repairs around the house and put together larger items like flat pack furniture. These sorts of drill bits often cost less than buying a decent set of screwdrivers, and are definitely well worth the investment.

Remember also that you can just put your drill into reverse and remove any screws which you have put in the wrong place.

Cleaning Burned Pans

We’ve all had disasters in the kitchen which have left our best saucepans burned, and however much you scrub at them it can be impossible to get them clean. You can use the wire wool or light sanding attachment on your cordless drill to make short work of this, as long as you are careful and work with the drill on the slowest setting.

Your drill can also be used to remove rust from pans, leaving them looking as good as new. Take your time start off slowly and keep the drill moving around the surface of the pan so that you are not making the pan thinner in one area. Always make sure you clean your pans thoroughly before you use them again and remember that this cleaning method only works on solid metal pans, don’t try it on anything with a non-stick coating.

Pepper Grinding

It’s not going to save you money, but you can use your cordless drill in a standard pepper grinder to grind up peppercorns much more quickly than you could by hand. Just unscrew the top of the pepper grinder and fit the drill carefully onto the shaft inside. Slowly squeeze the handle to start the drill working and catch the pepper as it falls out of the bottom of the grinder. It goes without saying that this method of grinding pepper isn’t really something which you should let the children attempt.

Get Arty

There are some projects which you can get the children involved in, although it’s never wise to set them loose with power tools. Paper plates work well for this project, and begin by attaching them to the centre of the drill. As the drill moves, the plate will rotate slowly. Get an adult to use the drill, and allow the kids to use crayons, coloured pencils or felt tip pens to decorate the plates as they rotate. Hold the pen in the same place as the plate spins to make circles, or use a selection of different colours to make a striped pattern.

Paper plates are so cheap to buy that you can allow the kids to experiment with lots of different ideas. Once the plates have been decorated, they can be used in lots of different types of artwork and collage – search online for inspiration.

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Ant Langston

Ant Langston is a content writer for the Online Home Retail Network and covers a variety of topics from Plumbing, DIY and Gardening, to Recipes and Barbecues.

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The post 5 Unusual Uses For Your Cordless Drill appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.

We are fortunate in the UK in that we do not have venomous spiders as they do in other parts of the world, but fear of spiders is one of the most common phobias around. Few of us like to see a spider crawling over the floor or the walls, but if you are too squeamish to squash them or scoop them up with a glass to throw out of the window, there are some other ways of getting rid of spiders, or of encouraging them not to come into the house in the first place.

Seal Up Your Home

Spiders have to get into your house somewhere, and you can prevent them from entering by looking around the house for any small gaps under doors, around windows or where cables go through walls. Using fillers such as caulk or silicone which are easily found in any DIY store, go around the house methodically filling in any small gaps you find. This will not only keep the creepy crawlies out, it will make your house more draught proof and keep you all warmer too.

If you have a particularly bad spider infestation, consider installing mesh insect screens across all wall vents, air bricks and chimneys in the home.

Remove Plants

Spiders like to have lots of plants and shrubs to hide and shelter in. If you have a lot of vegetation around the walls of your house, consider digging them up and moving them to another part of the garden. Always sweep up leaves into piles away from the house rather than putting them against the wall, and move any bricks or stones away from the house too.

After you have cleared everything away from the perimeter of the home, make sure to keep up the maintenance and stop the spiders from finding a hiding place again in the future.

Turn the Lights Off

Cobwebs are a nuisance when it comes to cleaning.

Spiders like to feed on flies and other flying insects which are often attracted by light. Switching off your lights outside so as not to attract insects in the first place can make your home much less attractive to spiders and prevent them from coming into the house. If you want to have exterior security lights, make sure they are the type of light which switches off and on rather than being switched on permanently.

Keep it Clean and Tidy

It’s not surprising that spiders like to live down the back of cupboards and under the sofa, as these places are full of dust, crumbs and other bits and pieces which provide not only a food source but somewhere to hide too. Keeping on top of the dusting and making sure you hoover up the crumbs when you drop them will give them fewer places to hide. Piles of stuff lying around on the floor should also be kept to the minimum so pick things up and keep clutter levels low. Keep things in plastic crates and boxes rather than allowing them to pile up on the floors or shelves.

Deal With the Webs

As well as providing a way of catching food, webs also provide somewhere for spiders to lay eggs. Always deal with webs as soon as you see them by attacking them with the vacuum cleaner if they are inside the home, and with a long handled brush if they are outside the home. Empty your vacuum cleaner as soon as you have got rid of all of the webs, and repeat as soon as you see any new webs appearing.

You can also use a balloon to get rid of spider webs. Yes, really!

Insecticide and Traps

If you have tried all of the less intrusive methods of getting rid of spiders but are still having problems with them coming into the house, the last thing to try is an insecticide or pest control product. Sticky traps can be put in places where spiders are often found and will trap them as they pass, or you can buy an aerosol can full of insecticide to spray on spiders when you see them. These sorts of sprays often have chemicals in them, and have to be used with care around children and pets. Keep an eye open for natural sprays to prevent spiders, using peppermint or tea tree oil as these are kinder on the environment, if not on the spiders.

Here’s a way to make a natural spider repellent.

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Scott Morris

Scott Morris is Head of Marketing and Content specialist for the Online Home Retail Network, he has passion for music and fast cars

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More of us than ever are switching to wood burners and solid fuel stoves as a way of heating our home. A wood burner provides a great focal point, is eco-friendly and will work out cheaper than using gas or electricity. Many modern stoves are very clean and produce only small quantities of wood ashes, but if you usually throw what little is produced straight in the bin, there are a lot more interesting things that you could be doing with it.

Use It as Fertiliser

Wood ash is full of potassium and this is one of the main components of commercial fertilisers, so wood ash can be used directly on your garden in the same way. Dig it in around the base of your plants to feed them.

The beauty of this sort of fertiliser is that it is free of chemicals and completely organic too. Ash is slightly alkaline in nature so is good to balance out acidity in the soil. It can be used on nearly all of your garden’s plants, with the exception of potatoes as the ash can alter the balance of the soil and encourage potato attacking pests and fungus. Ash can also be added to the compost heap for an extra boost of nutrients.  While we’re on this subject, here’s 10 more things you didn’t know you could compost.

Clean With It

While ash can clean silver such as this candelabra, be careful not to scrub too hard as you could scratch it.

It may sound odd to use something we think of as dirty as a cleaning remedy, but if you mix up ash with a little water to form a paste, you can use it to clean a multitude of surfaces around the home. It’s ideal for taking ring marks off your wooden furniture and cleaning silver items.

Ash paste is slightly abrasive, so work carefully as scrubbing too energetically could scratch your silver candelabra or oak dining table.

Clear Ice off Your Drive

Ash is alkaline which means it starts to melt away ice and snow when it is spread on top. It works even better on a sunny day, when the dark coloured ash absorbs the sunlight and speeds up the melting process. It’s safe and eco-friendly to use on pavements and your driveway, and will also help to make the surface less slippery for passers-by.

Stockpile ashes in an old dustbin over the year to use when the weather turns icy.

By the way; if you’re having to shovel snow away first, be sure to read this guide on how to do it properly.

Make Soap With It

Once you know how to make soap, you can start adding colours.

The two basic ingredients in soap are lye and fat, and lye is found in wood ash. Boil up some wood ash in water for about half an hour. Rainwater is best to use as it has not been through water treatment and filtering. Skim the lye off the top of your pan, and repeat every day until you have enough to fill a small pan. Boil the lye to reduce it to a thicker consistency, and then add in fats such as lard, cooking oil or grease saved from cooking. Boil it all up until it thickens, pour it into a greaseproof paper lined tray, and leave to cool.

Once you’ve mastered the technique, you can experiment with adding colours and perfume to your soap.

Patio Stain Remover

Wood ashes can successfully tackle oil stains like these.

Ash makes the ideal thing to use as a stain remover on your drive or patio if someone spills engine oil or something else greasy. Sprinkle the ash generously all over the stain and rub the ash in. Sweep up the ash and repeat as many times as is necessary to clean the slabs. Once the ash has absorbed most of the oil or grease, detergent can used to clean the area.

Get Rid of Garden Pests

Slugs and other creepy crawlies can be the bane of a keen gardener’s life and can easily wreck a carefully tended crop in a few days. Slugs don’t like crawling through ash as the composition irritates their slimy bodies. Carefully sprinkle a layer of ash around your plants which seem to be particularly attractive to the slugs and it should deter them completely.

This is a particularly good method of pest control for homes with pets and small children, where putting down poisonous slug pellets is inappropriate. Just remember that you have to replace the ashes after every heavy shower of rain.

Author information

Ant Langston

Ant Langston is a content writer for the Online Home Retail Network and covers a variety of topics from Plumbing, DIY and Gardening, to Recipes and Barbecues.

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The post 6 Things To Do With Your Wood Ashes appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.

Designed by Creative Home Engineering.

Anyone who ever read Famous Five books as a kid or watched Scooby Doo on television will have dreamed about owning a home with secret rooms or hidden passages. It’s not just the huge stately homes and castles which haves secret rooms though, as more and more normal UK households are designing ways of incorporating a hidden space into the home.

Why have a secret room?

There are two main reasons for wanting to have secret rooms in the home.

The first is security. Although crime figures are at a 33 year low, the public perception is that burglary is a bigger problem than ever, and it’s certainly true that the stress and upset of being broken into is considerable. Having a secure, hidden place within the house where you can keep all of your jewellery, artwork or other valuables is therefore very appealing to many people.

The other main reason for wanting a secret room is to provide a space where you can close the door and forget about it completely. A secret room can be used as a home office where you can shut yourself away to work and remain undisturbed by the rest of the family, or as something like a cinema room or a sauna. A secret room is also the ideal playroom for children.

Where To Add a Secret Room?

A secret room obviously has to be secret, and is generally fairly small in size. Some places, like basements or attics, lend themselves to secret spaces more easily than other areas of the house. It is easier to hide the entrance to an existing room than it is to create a secret room from scratch. Think about hiding away the entrance to your en-suite bathroom, or putting the entrance to your basement man-cave.

Older houses are often better places to hide away secret rooms and doorways as they are more likely to have peculiar angles, nook and crannies than modern houses, which are more about straight lines and rectangular rooms.

Bookcases

Source: Stashvault.com

One of the most popular and easiest ways to hide a secret room in your house is with a bookcase, which swings outwards from the wall to reveal the entrance way to the secret room beyond. The most effective way of doing this is by having a row of bookcases, all identical in size and finish, only one of which is the entrance to your secret room.

A good joiner will be able to make you something to fit perfectly, or add hinges to an off the shelf bookcase to allow it to open. The whole idea of a secret room is to hide it from view completely, so take time to research companies and joiners to assure yourself about the quality of their work.

Stairs

These stairs lift up to reveal an entire room, although that might be going a little too far!

Using the space under the stairs for a cupboard is not a new concept, but traditional under the stairs cupboards are accessed from the side. There are stairs on the market which are hinged completely from the top, and which can be pulled open to reveal the space underneath. This can then be used as a den for child, or more commonly for storage.

Something like this is definitely easier to do than the above.

The space underneath the stairs can be used for storing shoes, jackets and other outdoor clothing, or even larger items like kids’ toys, scooters or even bikes. There are lots of different websites which will give ideas, inspiration and pictures showing what other homeowners have done in their houses.

Fireplace

The benefit of using a bookshelf or a shelving unit to cover the entrance to your secret room is that they provide a doorway big enough to walk straight through. If you are creating your secret room as a store space for valuables, or as a playroom for children, having to crawl or stoop to get through a smaller space may not be as much of an issue.

Fireplaces provide a good focal point for the room, and can easily be fitted with a sliding or push panel which can swing back to reveal the secret room beyond. If you want to disguise the entrance to the room even further, then place a large potted plant or ornament in front of the fireplace.

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Thomas Mulrooney

Marketing Assistant and Content Writer at Online Home Retail

Thomas Mulrooney works in marketing and content creation for Online Home Retail. There was once a time when he couldn't even hammer a nail in, but these days he comes armed with enough DIY knowledge to at least ensure that his house doesn't fall apart around him.

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The post Secret Rooms in The Home appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.

It’s lovely to be able to make the most of the British weather when we are lucky enough to get a warm spell. Although there’s nothing better than sitting out on a warm summer’s evening with a barbecue and a couple of glasses of wine, too often our outdoor spaces let us down. However nice your barbecue food, you’re not going to enjoy it if you are sitting on rickety old garden furniture, straining to see in the diminishing light and sitting right next to a compost bin.

Designing an outdoor living space doesn’t mean just rushing out to the garden centre and buying everything you can lay your hands on; it’s more to do with thinking about how you are planning to use the space and then shopping accordingly.

Entertaining or Relaxation?

Leaving children’s play areas to one side, most of us use any outdoor living area for relaxing, or for entertaining friends and family with a meal or drinks. Whatever you are going to be doing in your outside area, it’s worth looking for chairs, tables and other items which will work equally well when lounging around reading a book in the sunshine as they will when you get friends together for a meal.

Cheap, plastic garden furniture is just not going to cut it, and it is probably worth buying more expensive furniture which as well as being more durable, will be more comfortable too. Things like removable cushions will help you create a true outside living area.

Where to locate your outdoors space

There are two main factors to consider when thinking about where to locate your outdoors living area – sunlight and proximity. The sunniest spot in your garden might be right at the end furthest from the house, but this isn’t convenient if you have to go into the kitchen every few minutes to refill drinks. Conversely, the area right at the back door might not be the best space either, especially if it is permanently in shade.

If you are confused about the best place for an outdoor living space, look through pages of the glossy magazines or into other people’s gardens for inspiration (just don’t let them catch you peeking over their fence!).

Solid foundations

Anyone can throw a couple of deckchairs into the garden and call it an outdoor living area, but it’s far better to create a properly defined area with a permanent flooring area. Whether you use decking, slabs or even gravel is mainly a matter of personal choice, but it is important to get a level foundation and surface to put your table or chairs on.

This will require a fair amount of hard work, digging or moving earth around, and if you don’t want to do the work yourself, any landscape gardener will be happy to help you out. Think also about the size of your intended seating area in relation to the garden as a whole. If you are lucky enough to have a huge garden you can have whatever size of living area you like, but in smaller gardens, care must be taken to ensure the size of the seating area does not dominate the garden.

Lighting and heating for outdoors living spaces

If you are planning on using your outdoor living space year round, you are going to need some sort of heating for the winter months. A chimenea is probably the best and most eco-friendly solution, and you can use it to burn much of your garden rubbish. Alternatives include gas-powered outdoors heaters like the ones often found in pub beer gardens, but these can be expensive to run.

For the summer months, solar lights are probably the cheapest and most effective to use in an outside living area, and these can be strung up like fairy lights or sunk into the ground. Running wiring from the house to power standard outside lights is another, if expensive, option. Candles and lamps are also very good for creating lighting when eating or socialising with friends, and if you buy the right kind of candles, they have the added benefit of helping to keep the insects away.

For more outdoor living areas, take a look at these ’50 outdoor room design ideas’ from HouseBeautiful Magazine.

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Scott Morris

Scott Morris is Head of Marketing and Content specialist for the Online Home Retail Network, he has passion for music and fast cars

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The post Designing an Outdoor Living Space: The Basics appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.

Although the press reports seem to indicate that the economy is finally on the up again, the recent recession appears to have forever changed our attitudes towards getting tradespeople in to do some work. We’re more reluctant to pay people to take on the jobs we could easily do ourselves, and the more ambitious are turning their hands to plumbing and more extensive building work too.

Even if it’s not about the money, there is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from hanging your own wallpaper or carrying out your own minor repairs rather than paying someone else to do it. If you don’t have the basic DIY skills it can be hard to know how to get started, but luckily there are a few different avenues which you can explore.

DIY Shops

One of the best places to start for free, instant access advice is with the staff at your local DIY stores.

Many of the larger chains like B&Q actively seek to employ older people with lots of practical DIY experience and they can talk you through a job step by step, and help you choose the materials you will need too. Independent stores are often run by people who are passionate about DIY and they can also provide a wealth of information and practical tips.

Some of the larger stores also run workshops in a special area of the store where you can learn to use power tools, mend a dripping tap or insulate your loft. Workshops are usually free but booked on a first come, first served basis, so phone your local store and see what’s going on.

Local Colleges

Colleges up and down the country run all manner of courses with a DIY slant. Some are aimed firmly at the professionals like plumbers studying for City and Guilds, so look out for the ‘Lifestyle’ or ‘Leisure’ section on the college website to see what is available. Some courses cover many different aspects of DIY, others specialise on a skill such as bricklaying or plastering. Shop around to see what is available in your area.

Classes generally run in the evenings in blocks of 8 to 10 weeks at a time, and there is often a reduction on class fees for those claiming certain Benefits. Demand for places is high, and although they won’t ask to see your school exam certificates, courses fill up quickly so don’t hesitate when you find the perfect one for you.

Crash Courses

If signing up for evenings at the local college isn’t your sort of thing, there are shorter “crash courses” running at various locations countrywide. These are generally more expensive than publically supported local colleges, but have the advantage of teaching you everything you need to know in a very short period of time.

As the courses are aimed firmly at the amateur, the focus is on practical skills to tackle repairs and projects around the house rather than the skills needed for a career in the industry. Take a friend, have fun, meet some new people and come away with all the experience and skills you’ll need.

Online

There is so much information on the internet that it can be hard to know where to start. When searching online it is best to restrict the sites you look at to UK only (like this blog, *hint hint*). Many of the “how to” videos and websites are North American, and the different terminology and construction methods in the USA will just confuse a beginner. YouTube is one of the best sites to find project guides and videos of other people doing DIY jobs, but it can take some time to find the perfect video to guide you through. Many DIY stores and manufacturers have videos on their own websites showing you how to use their products and tackle projects, but remember that these are a sales tool and they are hoping you’ll rush out and buy lots of products from them.

Remember too that there are laws around what work you can and cannot do yourself, and unless you are confident in DIY, don’t take on the more complex and potentially dangerous work such as plumbing or electrics.

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Ant Langston

Ant Langston is a content writer for the Online Home Retail Network and covers a variety of topics from Plumbing, DIY and Gardening, to Recipes and Barbecues.

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The post Learning to be Handy appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.

If your home is a gloomier place to live in rather than being bright and cheerful, it can drag the mood of the whole house down. There are radical ways of increasing light in the home such as installing roof lights or knocking walls down, but there are lots of other ways to make your rooms feel brighter which are worth trying before getting the sledgehammer out.

Maximise Natural Light

Image credit: Cassandra Lavalle

It sounds obvious, but many of us block out natural light from our homes with blinds, curtains, voile panels or by placing furniture in front of windows. Draw back curtains as fully as you can, ditch the net curtains or venetian blinds, swap heavy, dark coloured curtains for lighter weight ones and move heavy furniture away from the window wherever possible.

Ditch the swags, tails and heavy pelmets, and put up a simple roller or Roman blind instead. If privacy is a concern, think about using net or voile panels which obscure the bottom half of the window pane only, still allowing plenty of natural light in from the top half of the window.

Paint Choices

We all know that light colours can make a room feel brighter and dark paints can make things feel cosier and more closed in, so the first thing to think about is painting your dingy room a nice light shade.

When shopping for paint it’s important also to think about the type of finish – a matt paint will suck in the light, but a soft sheen or silk paint will bounce the light off the walls and make the room brighter. There’s a balance to be struck between getting a paint which reflects enough light and paint which is too shiny, so play around with different tester pots until you get a shade and finish which you are comfortable with.

For a deeper look at painting walls, have a look at our comprehensive guide to painting walls.

Mirrors

It might be an interior design classic, but putting a large mirror up in the room will reflect light around. Don’t just choose any old mirror, take your time to find something which you really like and will fit in well with the rest of the design in the room. Position the mirror, where possible, on the wall opposite the window to help reflect the most light.

If you already have a mirror, swap it for a larger one, or buy a mirrored coffee table or sideboard to maximise the reflective effect. Make your mirrors even more effective by putting a lamp or light on a table close to the mirror.

Clean the Windows

When was the last time you cleaned the windows? It’s amazing how quickly the grime can build up on the outside of the windows, especially if you live on a busy road, or during a period of bad weather. Get into the routine of cleaning the windows at least once a month, or get a window cleaner to call regularly to do the job for you. Remember to clean the inside of the windows as well.

Here’s a great video which shows you how to keep your windows clean yourself:

Additional Lighting

If all you have to light the room is a central pendant light, then you can make it feel a lot cosier and lighter by buying some additional lights to use around the room. Mix and match different table lamps, tall standard lamps, candles and wall lamps to give you a flexible lighting scheme where you can switch lights on and off when they are needed. Choose light coloured shades where possible, and look out for mirrored or reflective light bases and shades which will help things seem even brighter.

A more radical measure is to install a sun pipe which draws natural light in from outside and bounces it into the room through a series of mirrors. Expect to pay around £1000 for one of these to be installed.

Flooring

If you have dark carpet, vinyl or tiles on the floor, these can suck the light in too. Think about swapping your flooring for something brighter and lighter in colour, or cover up as much of the dark as you can with a bright rug. Remember that if you are replacing your flooring anyway, look for something slightly reflective to help maximise light, If you already have lots of reflective surfaces on walls, or lots of mirrors around, a shiny floor may be a step too far.

Author information

Thomas Mulrooney

Marketing Assistant and Content Writer at Online Home Retail

Thomas Mulrooney works in marketing and content creation for Online Home Retail. There was once a time when he couldn't even hammer a nail in, but these days he comes armed with enough DIY knowledge to at least ensure that his house doesn't fall apart around him.

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The post How Do You Make a Dark Room Feel Brighter? appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.

If you’ve ever tried to tiptoe out of a baby’s room after you’ve spent an hour trying to get them to sleep, or tried to sneak in after a late night out without disturbing your other half, you’ll know just how annoying and noisy squeaky stairs and floors can be. Creaking floors are particularly a problem in older properties, but can be an issue in newer homes too. Lots of us just put up with the creaks and squeaks, but there are things which can be done to either help absorb the noise, or cure it completely.

What are my stairs and floors made from?

The first thing you have to work out is what your flooring is made of, and how it has been put together. This isn’t as straightforward as it might first sound as your flooring is probably hidden under layers of carpet, underlay and paper. Try to peel up a corner to have a look. In an older property, floors and stairs are probably made from wood.

In recent decades, house builders have switched to using chipboard as it is cheaper and easier to work with. Chipboard is not as durable as wood and if it starts to sag, then it can cause the floor to become noisy.

Chipboard floors

If you live in a more modern property, or one which is older but has been renovated, then you probably have chipboard floors and stairs. Chipboard looks very different from wooden planks and comes in large rectangular panels rather than long, narrow boards, so it should be easy to identify. Chipboard floors become noisy when the panels shift or sag slightly and then start to rub against each other.

There are a couple of quick-fixes which can be used to temporarily sort out the problem, but most experts recommend that the only way to completely fix squeaky chipboard floors is to replace them completely with traditional wood. This is not a cheap option however and the work can be messy and disruptive too. One of the simplest ways to try to fix the problem is by using some chalk or talcum powder. Try to identify which panels are causing the noise, and then rub some talcum powder or chalk to stop the squeaks. This might work for a while, but you may find you have to keep adding more talcum powder or chalk when the squeak returns.

Wooden Floors

Timber floors are much more durable than chipboard floors, but as they get older, it is not unusual for them to develop creaks and squeaks too. Luckily, it’s usually easier to fix wooden floors and stairs than it is to fix chipboard.

This diagram isn’t brilliant but it gets the message across!

The first thing that you need to check is that all of the floorboards are attached to the joists. Joists run from side to side of the floor, and the floorboards are attached to them at right angles. Over time, the screws holding the boards to the joists can become loose. Sometimes all that is needed to stop the noises from the floor is to tighten up the screws again. If the hole into which the screw is placed has become too large, make another one. Use a drill to make a small pilot hole first so that you do not split the wood. Also make sure that wherever you decide to place the new screw you are screwing it directly into a joist, and not hitting electric cables or any pipes which run under the floor.

Wooden Staircases

Stairs are a little more complicated in that they are more difficult to get in at to investigate any loose spots. If you have access under the stairs into a cupboard, remember to look at the stairs from the underside too in an attempt to spot screws coming loose or joints which are rubbing. If there is nothing obvious causing the noises, the only option is to start removing the treads of the staircase in the area which is causing the noise, checking all of the joints and then replacing the treads with strong wood glue to hold everything in place. Don’t be tempted to pull out all of the treads at once rather than removing them one by one. It may be that the first tread you remove and then glue back in will solve your problem.

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Scott Morris

Scott Morris is Head of Marketing and Content specialist for the Online Home Retail Network, he has passion for music and fast cars

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The post How to Fix Creaking Floors and Stairs appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.

A garden shed is an essential to many of us, as it provides somewhere to store garden furniture and all of those other garden tools which there just isn’t room for in the house. Most of the garden sheds in the UK are made from wood, but there are also metal and plastic sheds on the market. Each of the different kinds of sheds has its advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons before buying.

Wood

Image credit: Throwing Stick

Wood sheds are widely available, and every DIY store and garden centre will have a wide selection to choose from. There are also many companies selling them online, which means you can have them delivered straight to your door. Wood is also cheap, and you can buy a small 6 foot by 4 foot garden shed for about £150. Larger wooden sheds can double up as play houses or summer houses and can even be used as sleeping accommodation or as a home office.

The downside of wood is that most sheds are sold as flat packs, and you will need an afternoon and a helper to put them together, as well as basic DIY skills and tools such as hammers and screwdrivers. Although many sheds are made from pre-treated timber panels, they will need to be painted with wood preservative every few years to keep them looking good, but this can also be seen as an advantage as it gives you the option to paint your shed in a rainbow of different colours.

Wood sheds are porous, and things kept inside them may become damp unless the interior is properly treated. This is not an issue if you are using your shed for storing garden tools, but may be if you are storing papers or fabrics. Modern wooden garden sheds are made from wood from carefully managed forests, and are therefore a good environmental choice.

Metal

Metal sheds are a little more expensive than wooden ones, but require none of the painting and regular maintenance that wooden sheds do. Metal sheds are also delivered as a flat pack, but can be easier to assemble as the panels slot together and are then bolted.

Metal sheds are more secure than wooden sheds, which are fairly easy to break into. This might be a consideration if you have expensive tools or other items like bikes which you are storing inside. Mice can be a problem in wooden sheds but this is not the case with metal sheds as it keep pests out and are not prone to getting damp inside either.

Although your metal shed will not need regular painting, this does mean that you are stuck with the colours which the manufacturers make, which tends to be either brown or green. Many metal sheds are not very attractive, and if looks are a consideration, they might not be the best option for you.

Plastic

If low-maintenance is your main concern, then plastic is definitely the way to go. Plastic never rots or deteriorates over time, and all you will need to do in terms of maintenance is giving it a wipe over now and then with soapy water.

Plastic is much lighter to move and carry, and this means that it gives you the flexibility to move your shed around the garden if you want to. Although they are lightweight, they are sturdy enough to not move around or blow over in stormy winter weather.

Plastic cannot be painted though, and the only colours available tend to be green, brown and off white. Plastic sheds can, however, be as secure as metal, and can be locked in the same way with padlocks or with a key.

Plastic isn’t always the cheapest option though, and top of the range plastic sheds can cost a lot more than wooden ones of the same size. Plastic isn’t particularly environmentally friendly either as it takes so long to break down in the environment. Some plastics do start to become more brittle over time in direct sunlight, so depending on the type of shed you choose, you may be restricted as to where you want to put it in the garden.

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Ant Langston

Ant Langston is a content writer for the Online Home Retail Network and covers a variety of topics from Plumbing, DIY and Gardening, to Recipes and Barbecues.

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The post Wood, Metal Or Plastic: Which Shed To Buy? appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.

There can be many reasons why cracks appear on walls. Not all of them are something to worry about but unless you are an expert, it can be difficult to know what is causing cracked basement walls, and what to do about it.

If you are worried about cracks then it is always best to call in an expert structural engineer to do a survey. In some cases this will be covered under your household buildings insurance, and a survey when you buy a house should indicate any major issues with cracking. However, when it comes to cracks in the basement walls there are some general rules which apply.

Settlement Cracks

Cracking anywhere on the walls of a new build house is to be expected and is generally nothing to worry about. House building involves the use of a great deal of water, and as mortar and plaster dries out, it tends to crack. Bricks also contain moisture which evaporates over time. These sorts of cracks appear shortly after the house is completed and you move in, and should settle within six months or so.

If cracking continues to be an issue after this time, the good news is that most houses built in the UK come with a NHBC guarantee which covers any major repair work which has to be done in the first ten years.

If you want to get rid of settlement cracks, here’s how you can do that.

Thermal Movement

If you cast your mind back to your school physics lessons, you should remember that things expand when they get hotter and shrink when they get colder. This is known as thermal movement. It mainly applies to metal objects (think about trains being cancelled when rails buckle out of shape in a heatwave) and as few homes built in the UK are metal framed, this tends not to be a problem with basement walls.

However, extremes of cold in winter and heat in summer can have a similar effect on masonry, brickwork and other building materials, so if you notice that your walls in the basement appear to crack in the colder winter weather and then the cracks disappear as the weather gets warmer, thermal movement is probably the cause. This sort of cracking is not going to seriously affect the structure of your home, but beefing up basement insulation should stop the cracks being as noticeable.

Subsidence

The sort of cracking which really is a concern and needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency is the sort which is caused by subsidence. Subsidence is often nothing to do with how well the house was built as it’s about what is happening in the earth under your house rather than inside the house itself. For example, a very sandy soil can be washed away over time which causes the foundations of your house to shift.

Subsidence is particularly an issue where clay is present in the soil, which covers a large area of England south of a line from Bristol to the Humber estuary. As many as 1 in 50 houses in the London area have suffered from subsidence related issues, the first signs of which is often cracking. Small cracks of less than 0.5cm are generally nothing to worry about, but larger cracks or cracks which appear suddenly should be investigated by the professionals.

Tree Root Cracking

One of the other main causes of cracking in basements or anywhere else in the house is tree roots. Experts estimate the roots extend to a distance which is equal to the height of the tree itself. It is the job of the roots to suck moisture out of the ground to feed the tree, and this can also lead to the ground becoming unstable.

Image credit: Earth Ideas Landscaping

Manage the trees on your property; don’t let them get too large, never plant a large tree close to the house, and if you have a tree which is getting out of hand and which you suspect may be causing things to crack, hire a tree surgeon to have it felled professionally. This should cost around £300, small change in comparison to completely redoing the foundations of your home.

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Thomas Mulrooney

Marketing Assistant and Content Writer at Online Home Retail

Thomas Mulrooney works in marketing and content creation for Online Home Retail. There was once a time when he couldn't even hammer a nail in, but these days he comes armed with enough DIY knowledge to at least ensure that his house doesn't fall apart around him.

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The post Are Cracked Basement Walls Dangerous? appeared first on Toolbox.co.uk Blog| DIY Advice | Home Improvement Advice | DIY Videos.