Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

Redbacks are a relatively new type of knee pad, which are certainly revolutionary in design, and therefore well worth reviewing to see if I think they’re a ‘must’ for the DIY market. Knee protection is often an area that is overlooked, or not considered essential, in both DIY and trade circles. However, for me, it’s always a necessity to wear knee pads when carrying out any DIY work - trust me, even if you’re not doing a flooring job, it’s amazing how often you find yourself on your knees – so let’s see if Redbacks are the answer to all our knee protection needs. read more »

Asbestos safety is a topic that needs to concern all homeowners, as the wrong type of asbestos exposure is a serious health risk. However, with any material that is potentially dangerous to health, as long as we all know what dangers are actually presented by that material, then it becomes more straightforward to deal with it in a safe way. Many of us have asbestos present in or around our homes, and the key thing to remember is that in most cases, it only starts to present a health risk once it is cut and/or disturbed. read more »

A good stepladder is an essential for any DIY enthusiast, and in fact even if you only do a minimal amount of DIY, you still need a stepladder. Nothing annoys me more than seeing people balance on chairs, sofa edges, buckets, tables, and many other ‘unfit for purpose’ items, trying to bang in a nail, or stretch to paint the corner of the room. So, if you haven’t got one, get yourself a decent stepladder read more »

Work gloves are an essential part of any DIY toolkit, and in recent years there have been big improvements on comfort, protection levels, and clever design additions, that have basically been of a great help to any DIY enthusiast. Before I let you know which are my ‘go-to’ gloves, I just though it worthwhile to have a look at a few of the standard options out there, which still certainly have a use, but have in my opinion, now been overtaken by far better options. read more »

Home safety is of paramount importance for all of us, and from time to time we should all take a ‘step back’ and just make sure that we’re doing everything we reasonably can, to make our homes as safe as possible. I don’t want to talk about home security here, as I think that is a separate topic in itself, but rather, issues more concerned with topics such as fire safety. The below list of 10 home safety tips read more »