Latest Designer Bathroom Ideas and How To Guides for your Home

Introducing Dimmer Switches

The ability to gradually increase or reduce the amount of light in a room can often be useful, rather than simply switching the lighting on or off. The good news is that dimmer switches are available at most DIY outlets.

Switch Installation

Once you have purchased the device and are ready to install, follow the cardinal rule when maintaining or upgrading electrical appliances. Switch off your electricity supply at the mains, removing the fuse for the particular circuit in question.

Undo the screws on the existing switch. Pull it away from the mounting box and behind you will see two terminals. Unscrew them and remove the conductors from the switch. Ease them into the dimmer switch, then screw the terminals tight, checking to see if there is an earth. The switch may have to be attached to the earth on the mounting box with a short length of wire; this is often the case with chrome or brass dimmer switches.   

After checking your connections are secure, replace the switch over the mounting box, tightening the two screws. Restore the power supply and test.

In the event that an electrical socket is broken or becomes damaged in some way, it will be necessary for you to replace the socket. In all matters electrical, if you are unsure about what you are doing, always call in a professional electrician: a mistake can prove fatal!

To replace a socket, first isolate the circuit by turning off the mains switch at the consumer unit. Once you have done this, use a socket tester to check that the circuit is definitely dead – better to be safe than sorry!

Unscrew the socket’s faceplate and pull the faceplate towards you, away from the wall. Ensure that you retain the screws in case the new screws with the replacement socket fail to fit correctly.

Loosen the screws of the terminals and free the cable cores. In the event that you find the insulation to be heat damaged, cut the cores back and begin to strip the ends. If you discover the earth core to be bare, sleeve it with green/yellow sleeving.

Locate the live terminal (L) on the faceplate and connect the live, red (old) or brown (new) core to it. Locate the neutral terminal (N) on the faceplate and connect the neutral, black (old) or blue (new) core to it. Locate the earth terminal (E) and connect the earth core to it.

Tighten the terminal screws and install the new faceplate. When the power is returned to the new circuit, check the wiring with a socket tester or simply plug in a lamp to ensure that you have fitted your socket correctly.  If you have made an error the circuit breaker at the consumer unit will trip out and turn off the power.

Lots of different types of wood in a property will need to be filled. This might involve simply rubbing in grain filler, which will give a less absorbent and more even surface. It could also involve the use of wood filler, designed to match exactly the colour of the wood being used; to fill knot holes, blemishes and cracks. Tiny cracks can be dealt with using soft interior stopping, and larger holes can be repaired with a two part, exterior grade wood filler.

There are not many tools required for finishing; a lot of this sort of work can be carried out entirely by hand. The basic requirements are simply wire (steel) wool, a cork sanding block, abrasive paper in various grades from smooth to coarse, a few scrapers and some filler or stopping.

Any filler that is needed should be applied to blemishes and knot holes in the wood and allowed to dry before removing the excess gently with a chisel. After this has been done, rub the wood down with some abrasive paper wrapped around the block of cork, always working in the direction of the grain.

Use a clean, damp rag to wipe over the surface. This will have the effect of raising the grain very slightly, and after it has been left to dry cut it back lightly using 400-grit abrasive paper, again working with the grain.

Quite often it is not indicated that whatever type of treatment is being applied, the wood has to be thoroughly dry. Also, when you need to make several applications of a finish, these must all be rubbed down or ‘flattened’ between the successive coats.

If you want to go on to staining the finished wood, test the stain beforehand on a spare piece of that same type of wood to check the depth and final colour.

The fastest and easiest way to install wiring accessories such as socket outlets and switches is to surface-mount them. A mounting box is first fitted to the wall to hide the electrical connections and then a faceplate is fitted over the box once the connections have been made. You can also surface-mount the circuit cables or hide them inside the wall cavity, depending on your tastes and circumstances.

Speed is the main advantage of any surface-mounting method and the main disadvantage is that the mountings are clearly visible to the eye, although the effect can be minimised in various ways. Light switches project about 25 millimetres however, cooker controls can stick out a whopping 70 millimetres and can be prone to knocks.

Firstly, run the cable to the fixing position you have chosen and hold the box level before marking the screwing positions. The circuit cable may be fed through surface mountings or hidden in the wall cavity. Next, drill holes into the wall for the positions, insert wall-plugs or cavity plugs depending on the type of wall and feed the cable through one of the plastic knockouts before screwing the box into place on the wall, making sure that it is level. If you are converting a single to a double socket you should mount the new box over the old one flush with its surface and use the old faceplate screws to fix it into place.

When working with stud partition wall, you should use woodscrews to affix the mounting box to the studs as this will prove much more secure than just using ordinary cavity fixings. When the box has been fixed securely into place, the cable ends can be prepared by stripping away their plastic sheaths and connecting the exposed wires to the appropriate terminals in the box. Finally, the faceplate is attached and screwed firmly into place.    

Small ceiling and wall cracks generally cause little trouble and are mostly due to small and natural structural movements that cannot be avoided. However, cracks should be filled in before redecorating and this is of particular importance if you are intending to paint over the bare plaster.

To fill in small cracks, use proprietary filler in either a ready-mixed interior or exterior grade or in its powder form. Some cracks will probably need special filler, such as the cracks between woodwork and masonry. This is typical of cracks around door frames, for example, where caulking or flexible mastic needs to be used because the cracks will open and close in such areas where expansion and contraction occur.

You should rake out any debris from a crack before attempting to fill it, undercutting the adjoining plaster and then dampening the area with a plant spray to prevent the filler from drying too quickly. Press the filler right into the crack, smoothing it down just short of the wall’s surface and then allow it to dry before rubbing it down with glass paper.

Cleaning the bathroom suite is usually one of the most dreaded household tasks. However, using a few quick tips can make this task much easier. After using these suggestions, you may find yourself looking forward to cleaning the bathroom!

Clean the Toilet First

The toilet is often the dirtiest surface in the bathroom, so clean it right away by dropping two denture tablets or effervescent antacid tablets into the bowl. The bubbles from the tablets will loosen most of the stains in the bowl and add shine.

Presoak Hard Stains

If you have tough soap scum on your shower doors or fixtures, rub a concentrated orange-based cleaner over the scum stains. Then leave the cleanser on for an hour. Continue cleaning other parts of the bathroom and then come back and rub the stains to see if the soap scum has softened. If not, leave the cleanser on for another hour and then check it again.

Use a Toothbrush for Tight Spaces

Bathrooms are full of tight creases and crevices, particularly between shower tiles and sinks. An old toothbrush is a perfect tool for cleaning inside these hard-to-reach places. Dab a bit of your standard cleanser on the bristles and then rub the spaces thoroughly.

Take Care of the Taps

Steel tap fixtures are sensitive to harsh cleaning products, so avoid them on those surfaces. Pour white vinegar onto a paper towel and apply it to the tap thoroughly. Remove any tough stains with a soft-bristled toothbrush.

While you might be used to cleaning your kitchen and household rugs a certain way, your bathroom rugs need a different type of care. Keeping your bathroom rug cleaned regularly will help you to maintain a comfortable space in front of your bathroom cabinet.

Vary the Care by the Colour

If you purchase a rug with a deep colour such as red or dark blue, you should wash it by itself before you begin using it. Deep coloured rugs that haven’t been washed can bleed dye onto your feet, your shoes, or other linens.

Wash the Bathroom Rug and Dry It Properly

Don’t wash your bathroom rug along with your other household rugs and linens. Combining them in the wash can cause excess lint from other towels to transfer onto your rugs, making them nearly impossible to clean. Most bathroom rugs have latex backing, which is not considered to be appropriate for electric dryers. If your rug has this type of backing, hang it on a clothesline or over a closet rack to dry completely.

It is important to keep waste pipes open and free flowing.  Over time the accumulation of soap, detergents, grease, and lime scale can cause significant narrowing of the bore.  When the flow of water is impeded obstructions can form.  Although obstructions are easily removed manually, it is a messy and frequently awkward task.  Sometimes large obstructions are not easily accessible and then it may be necessary to employ a chemical solution.

There are a number of proprietary drain cleaners available on the market but it should be remembered that these are very harsh and toxic chemicals and great care must be taken when storing and using them in the home.  Prolonged or too frequent use of these chemicals can also damage the integrity of the pipe walls, so, although they are a good preventive for blocked pipes, they should be used with caution.

Safety goggles and rubber gloves should always be used when handling these corrosive or caustic chemicals, and they should never be used in combination with a rubber plunger.

Drain cleaners come in liquid or granular form.  Some foam up on contact with water and waste matter.

The disadvantage of liquid cleaners is that they may pass through the pipe system without fully contacting all surfaces, making them only partially effective.  The foaming cleansers are superior, in this respect, as they foam to fill the space, but foam is not as concentrated as the liquid. 

Dried granules are poured, by measured amount, into the pipe and then water is allowed to mix with the granules in the pipe.  Hot water should never be used to dissolve the granules.  The chemical reaction usually releases a lot of heat and it is the combination of heat and the liquefying effect of the chemicals that effectively dislodges and dissolves the solid matter lining the pipes.  It should be remembered that these chemicals lose their effectiveness when they are exposed to the air so it is better to purchase them in small quantities rather than store opened containers in the home.

Because of the corrosive nature of the chemicals, thorough flushing of the pipe system with both hot and cold water after treatment is essential.

Many people are opting for reclaimed bricks in their building projects.  These are simply old bricks that have been used on other buildings and are cleaned so that they can be used again.  All the old mortar is carefully removed so that the bricks can be used as blemish free as possible.  Popular options are Victorian bricks and bricks that were hand-made.

Opting for reclaimed bricks can be helpful for those who are building an extension or doing any kind of repair work to an older home, as matching the bricks can be easier.

It is considered to be fairly easy to remove lime mortar from old bricks.  The mortar can be removed using a club hammer and a bolster chisel.  If there are large chunks of mortar still on the bricks they can be chipped away with the hammer and chisel.  Any smaller sections need to be dealt with a little more carefully; otherwise the surface of the brick could be damaged.  For this a brick hammer is recommended and the square flat end should be used to tap on the mortar until the surface of the brick is clear.  The last remnants can be removed with a wire brush but this should be done with care as this could also damage the surface of the brick.

In some instances the bricks can be cleaned with a solution – very weak – of muriatic acid.  This is corrosive so the person carrying out the procedure should be sure to wear protective clothing.  The brick is washed and then rinsed thoroughly to remove the last traces of the solution.

Bricks that have sand and cement mortar on them can be a little more difficult to clean.  This is because the mortar is harder.  There are also other factors which might affect the cleaning.  A brick that was originally laid during hot weather will have had the mortar dry on it very quickly and some of the moisture in the mortar would have been absorbed by the brick.  There is less success with this type of mortar and many bricks will break even while the wall is being dismantled.

Plasterboard can be mounted onto solid brick or block walls using a process called dry lining.  The method involves using dabs of cement material at intervals across the back of the plasterboard to adhere the board to the masonry.  This kind of finish can create problems when securing weight bearing brackets to the wall.  The dabs of adhesive cement create uneven spaces between the board and the masonry, and when pressure is applied to the plasterboard it may bow inwards, weakening the board and possibly causing it to break.

It is fairly simple to avoid the problem if you are prepared to remove a small section of the plasterboard from the wall; plasterboard is easily cut with a good quality craft knife, and any cement can be carefully chipped away from the masonry using a small chisel.  Before cutting and removing a section of plasterboard, care should be taken with the measuring and positioning of the cut-out, because it is best if the bracket is hidden behind the item that is being supported.

The piece of wood is secured to the masonry using long screws and appropriate plugs to ensure a strong attachment; enough holes should be drilled to accommodate one screw every 3-4 inches.  Once the wood is firmly in place it can be painted to match the wall, but this step is optional.  The weight bearing brackets can be screwed onto the wood using shorter screws that do not need to penetrate the masonry.

Using wood as an intermediary mounting material is a technique that can be used to resolve other similar problems that might occur when mounting brackets onto uneven surfaces.