Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

Laying hardboard on top of wooden floors, commonly floorboards, provides a smooth, flat subfloor for some types of new floor covering. Hardboard is often used before laying carpet, sheet vinyl, and soft tiles such as cork, carpet and vinyl. Hardboard is generally laid smooth side up, especially when floor coverings are to be stuck down, such as with vinyl tiles. Always check which side up a manufacturer recommends for its particular floor covering. read more »

Fixing any loose floorboards is a necessity for any floor – whether the floorboards are going to be the finished floor in your home, or, they are to be the base for a new floor covering (subfloor), in all cases it is important to make sure they are fixed down properly. Screws are normally used if the floor is not going to be exposed, whereas if the boards are on show, lost head nails are a good option. read more »

The silicone sealant joints around the edges of baths and showers are vital waterproofing components and must be replaced/renewed if they have been badly applied, or,  the passage of time (and corrosive cleaning agents!) have gradually broken down the effectiveness of the seal. read more »

Regrouting tiles is a very effective way of reviving the look, and more importantly, the water repellent properties of a tiled surface. Grout will deteriorate a lot quicker than the tiles themselves and so within the lifespan of a tiled surface, you can expect to do some regrouting at least once or twice in order to keep things looking good as well as being water resistant. read more »

Replacing a broken tile is a straightforward job,  but you do need to be careful not to damage surrounding tiles during the process. The technique shown below deals with situations where single tiles may have cracked, been scratched, or perhaps a fitting has been moved and you want to make good the area. read more »