DIY factsheets: a little help from your friends
We’ve done the work so you don’t have to - at least when it comes to finding DIY help and advice online.
Here’s a handy checklist of all the factsheets, tech guides and useful little conversion widgets offered by our partner retailers.
What’s on this page: [B&Q project checklists] [Imperial/metric convertor] [Wickes Good Ideas factsheets] [Wickes seasonal factsheets] [Wickes project factsheets] [Screwfix talk forums] [Screwfix electrical disposal factsheet] [Tooled Up: manufacturers’ technical helplines] [How-to advice from DIY Tools] [Woodline Floors installation guide] [DIY Essentials hinge-hanging guide] [Which? reports]
- Project checklists from B&Q
- Whether it’s painting, papering, tiling, flooring or plumbing, B&Q have a project checklist to help you identify the tasks involved, work out what you need - and remember to buy it all. There’s even help for people with a garden makeover or replacement guttering in mind. A must-read for people who’d like to boost their DIY confidence.
- Imperial to metric conversion
- And, while we’re on the B&Q site, there’s a handy and comprehensive little tool for converting between metric and Imperial measurements and quantities, in case you can only think in one or the other…
- Wickes Good Ideas factsheet series
- Wickes is the high-street retailer with a reputation for catering to the serious DIY-er. But it’s still got plenty of good advice to offer those people with entry-level or intermediate skills. This brilliant factsheet series covers a multitude of products, and the following list is a good starting point:
- Wickes seasonal checklists
- What’s the best time of year to tackle paving or exterior paintwork? What do you need to do to make sure your home is ready to withstand the rigours of winter or that you’re going to get the most from your garden when summer comes? Find out with this handy set of seasonal checklists:
- Wickes projects
- Another smashing collection of tips and advice from Wickes on all kinds of subjects from assembling a shed and building decking or a patio to tiling a shower enclosure or laying undertile heating. Check out this list before you begin to save yourself a whole world of hassle.
- Screwfix talk forum
- Screwfix, DIY supplier extraordinaire, doesn’t just have a great website with thousands of products on it. This retailer also runs a set of forums covering topics like plumbing, plastering, electrics, tiling, painting and kitchen fitting. You can also comment on its website or, as the moderator suggests: “Just talk… about anything you like. From the price of screws to the football results last night!”
- Screwfix: disposal of electrical and electronic equipment
- Under new government regulations issued in January 2007 we are all obliged to ensure that the amount of waste on certain electrical and electronic equipment is reduced. Read more about your responsibilities here…
- Tooled Up: manufacturers’ technical helplines
- Looking for technical advice on a product from a manufacturer such as Black & Decker, Karcher, Panasonic, Stanley or Makita? This invaluable collection of contacts from DIY retailer Tooled Up should help you in your quest no end.
- How-to advice from DIY Tools
- This collection of articles from DIY Tools includes advice on topics like spotting carbon monoxide in the home, building a greenhouse, painting and decorating tricks of the trade and advice on using primer. Definitely worth a look!
- Woodline Floors wood flooring installation guide
- Woodline Floors has one thing to say when it comes to laying one of its floors. Preparation, preparation, preparation! Get that right, and the rest should be easy. Read all about it here…
- DIY Essentials hinge-hanging guide
- A simple job, on the face of it, but one that can get tricky and frustrating very quickly. Make your life easy and read this quick and easy guide to doing the job right (before you get it wrong…)
- Reports from Which?
- The Consumers’ Association publishes a range of reports on all kinds of home improvement matters on its Which? website. A lot of its content is only available to subscribers. But even if you’re not a member there’s still plenty to read about. The environment section is also worth a look.
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