Special Masonry Paint Will Stay All-White

Nov 4 2007 Donny Sheridan

Ask Donny

Q I want to paint the exterior of my house white. Have you any tips for the job and what is the best paint to use?

A Before starting to paint, give the wall a good wash down with a high-pressure hose to remove any flaking paint and use a fungicidal solution to remove any slime or moss. Next apply two full coats of masonry paint. I'd recommend Dulux Weathershield which has a mould and algae-resistant protective coat.

Q I'm sick of mud being tramped into the house from my back garden. I want to lay slabs but the soil seems too soft and just turns to mud. How do I go about laying a suitable base?

A You need to lay hardcore (type 1) to stabilise the weak ground. A normal thickness of type 1 hardcore is 150mm, and you should put down 75mm of fully compacted hardcore at a time. For more advice log on to www.marshalls.co.uk/transform. Look under "Find Approved Installer" and you will find a local expert that can provide a 10-year guarantee for work carried out.

Q My kitchen spotlights are forever going out. They were installed over a year ago and every time I replace one, another blows the next week. Why is this happening?

A Most halogen spotlights have a limited life of 2000 hours and yours are now coming to the end of their life. Replace them all at the same time.

Q We live in a bungalow kit house but the bedrooms with two external walls always feel cold. There is underfloor insulation so I presume the walls are insulated as well. Is there any way to double up the wall insulation without removing plasterboard?

A You could fix insulated/foam backed plasterboard sheets on to the existing wall. Fix using British Gypsum's Dry Wall Adhesive. Just mix it up, trowel large sausage-type dabs on to your wall and stick on the plasterboard. Use a straight edge and sprit level to plumb the board.

Q We have mirrored, sliding wardrobe doors but can't keep out dust as there are no seals.

A If you add seals it will affect the sliding mechanism so I can only suggest that you replace the doors or try to keep the dust down. I'm sure you don't have an untidy house but you would be surprised at how quickly dust builds up.

Are you a DIY disaster? Our expert, Donny Sheridan, will teach you the tricks of the trade with his step-by-step guide. Contact Donny at diy@sundaymail.co.uk - but sorry, he can't answer each question individually.