Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

Using lining paper on walls, and ceilings, is a decorating technique carried out for two primary reasons. Firstly, lining paper may be used to provide a base onto which you then hang a decorative wallpaper, or, secondly it can be used to help even out imperfections on a wall or ceiling surface, before paint is applied. In this guide, I’ll explain the main properties, and types, of lining paper, and the points you need to consider when deciding on whether using lining paper is right for your situation. read more »

Deciding which kitchen worktop oil to use is always a hot topic on DIY forums, with discussions normally providing plenty of conflicting advice covering everything from product preferences, to number of coats, to application methods. As a result of all these differing ideas and options, I would imagine that most readers leave the forum more confused than ever, and still concerned about what the best options actually are. Well for me, there is one product out there that far outperforms all the other options read more »

When buying screwdriver bits for your cordless drill, you really need to think about ‘stocking’ two categories of bit, in order to cover most DIY tasks. Effectively, you need a small, but high quality selection of the most used bits, and a large, inexpensive, lower quality selection of every other bit. This guide will explain why this is the case, and what the best options are for buying screwdriver bits. read more »

Carbon monoxide (CO) detector patches detect the presence of dangerous levels of CO in the atmosphere, resulting in the circular area in the centre of the detector changing colour. These patches are often seen as an alternative to using mains operated, or, battery operated CO alarms, but this really should NOT be the case, and in the following guide, I’ll explain why. read more »

Which paint you use for painting wood can be a confusing dilemma when faced with the options available in your local DIY outlet. My advice is to bring things back to basics, as fundamentally, there are three paint types you use for painting wood, and all the options out there can be classified in these three groups. One of the main problems encountered is that paint, in general, is divided into oil-based (solvent-based) and water-based options. Generally, you choose one option or the other for your paint system, but there can be exceptions to this, as mentioned in the guide below. read more »