If It Doesn't Fit -
Get A Bigger Hammer
Thomas’s DIY Tips are too small or simple to occupy a full post, so there was no point in wasting space for them.
There are millions of tips about all kinds of things and although you will already know many of them, there is always someone who is just beginning their DIY journey and doesn’t yet know any of the tips. We all began somewhere.
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ALWAYS SAFETY FIRST
DIY is a great hobby and can save you thousands, but please be careful. Especially if you are new to DIY. Electricity kills. Rotating equipment can tear into you in a flash. I'm sorry if this puts some of you off, but I'd rather put you off than have you injured or worse. __________________________________________
Removing fence posts etc.
To remove a fence post or whatever, position a concrete block a few inches away from the post, use a length of wood at 45 degrees across the block and tie the lower end securely to the post. By bearing down on the wooden bar, the post will be removed easily.
Restoring Old Furniture
When upgrading or refurbishing old furniture, remember that Pozidrive (star headed) screws are a 20th century invention. For a more authentic look use slot headed screws.
Towel Falling Into Shower
If like me, you keep your towel handy over the top of the shower screen, you may occasionally find that it slips off. Sometimes into the running shower. Put a bead of aqua silicon around the top of the shower, right on the top out of sight. The towel will never slide off again.
Take Photographs Of Assemblies
When doing any job which requires components to be put back together is a certain order take lots of photos with your camera. It can save hours of trying and retrying later.
Plastic Ceiling Boards
When installing plastic ceiling boards, if you don't like shiny ceilings, it's quite simple to fit the boards upside down for a matte white ceiling. They weren't meant to to be fitted like that but I have done it on several occasions and it's well worth doing. It also means that you don't need to have a particular design as they are only printed on one side
Clamping Big Jobs
When you have a big job to clamp and the glue is fresh, Get a cargo strap. You can put this around the job and tighten it to hold the work perfectly for the next few hours. I have used this for clamping really big jobs such as settees.
Stripping Wires
Many times I have seen people stripping wire using the wrong side of the wire cutters and wondering why it's so difficult. As shown, the cutters should be used with the "hollow" side toward the main part of the wire otherwise the wire tries to slip through on the gentler sloping sides.
Shopping List
Need a shopping list in the kitchen? Grab a photo frame of the size that suits you, Remove the advertising that's usually inside the frame and put it back together with a plain theeet of paper of the right size. Stick it to the wall with a glue gun and write on the glass with a dry marker.