Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

The Guardian, Saturday 19 February 2011

The previous owner of our house stuck tiles to the corner of the bath. How can we remove the sealant and/or grout without damaging the bath to get the tiles off? If the tiles hide damage, how do we repair it? It’s not an old bath but it’s not plastic.

We asked our DIY expert, Julian Cassell. “It’s a little concerning that someone has stuck tiles to the bath – I would fear the worst about hiding damage, but unless you look you won’t know. The sealant can be removed with a window scraper, but take care not to scratch the bath surface. Alternatively you can use a sealant remover; this dissolves the sealant which you simply scrape away. No-Nonsense Sealant remover is cheap (£2.79/100ml, from screwfix.com) but remarkably effective. After this treatment, I’d be surprised if the tiles didn’t come away with a little gentle persuasion with a scraper around the edges. Finally a bit of methylated spirit on a rag should clean away any residue. If you find damage, as long as it’s not too major, excellent bath surface repair kits are available at tubbyuk.com.”

The Guardian, Saturday 16 October 2010

Our bath has a very slow-running drain, but as we have a septic tank, we can’t put any toxic or abrasive chemicals down it.

“Try an eco-aware product such as Earth Friendly Drain Cleaner, £7.80,” says DIY expert Julian Cassell. “But check the simple things first: if you can gain access to the trap under the bath, unscrew the plastic compression fittings that connect the waste pipe sections and make sure there are no blockages. If clear, reassemble the trap, checking the washers and seals are correctly positioned. Another option is a drain auger – a long spring that is fed down the plughole or into the waste pipe, to burrow into any blockage (Monument 3344k Drain Auger, £8.95, from tooltray.com).”

Removing mould from surfaces is vital before any decorating may be carried out. Commonly, you find mould growing in bathrooms where poor ventilation has allowed condensation to occur on wall surfaces – an ideal condition for mould growth. The easiest way of removing mould is to used a mould killer which is simply applied to the area in order to kill off any growth. read more »

To fix a leaking bathroom tap, or any tap for that matter, you must know where to turn off the water supply. First, check for isolation valves close to the tap on its supply pipes. If you cannot find one, you’ll need to turn off the supply with a stop tap further down the pipe run. The mains stopcock is often found under or close to the kitchen sink in most homes. read more »

Toilets do block from time to time, but in most cases they can be unblocked very simply. Chemical cleaners are available, but if you choose this option make sure that you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines precisely. Never use a chemical cleaner with a plunger. Regular blockages can often be caused by an inadequate ‘fall’ (slope downwards) in the pipes in parts of the drainage system. You may need a plumber to advise you here. read more »