Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

Planning lighting to the best effect in your home is important for both aesthetic and practical reasons. Good lighting makes the best use of natural light, as well as artificial light, and lighting plans need to give equal consideration to both resources. If you are carrying out a full renovation of your home, plan the lighting at the same time as the plumbing. Mark existing sockets and where you need more, as many houses simply don’t have enough sockets, and overloading them with too many appliances should always be avoided. read more »

Hanging a wallpaper border is a simple way of adding further decoration to painted walls, or over the top of wallpaper to add extra pattern and interest. Hanging a border is straightforward, but you do need to know what adhesive, if any, is required to hang the border. There are three main options – Firstly there are those borders that require border adhesive, that is pasted onto the back of the border with a brush or roller before hanging. read more »

Changing a socket in your home is a very straightforward electrical DIY job, but if you are in any doubt about working with electricity, seek professional advice from a qualified electrician. Any electrical work must comply with the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) regulations (BS7671). Always refer to, and follow precisely, the manufacturer’s instructions when fitting a new socket. The guide below refers only to the UK. read more »

Planning a bathroom project needs to be a very carefully considered process. If you are replacing most, or all, of the fixtures and fittings, it needs very good planning to co-ordinate the help you may require from different trades, with ordering and delivery of items, with the work you yourself plan to do, whilst still allowing your ‘home life’ to function around your bathroom re-fit! Below are a number of points to consider when planning a new bathroom, from making choices of bath, shower and toilet, to deciding on a sensible order of work. read more »

Wallpapering around a window is a task that may be achieved in different ways, but the method I am showing here I’ve found to provide by far the best finish. There are no overlaps using this technique, resulting in a seamless finish, and as long as you are methodical in your approach, and trim accurately, it is no more difficult than any other wallpapering technique. read more »