Why Retiling Bathroom Never Goes Smoothly

Dec 9 2007 Donny

Ask Donny

Q I need to remove heavy tiles from a bathroom. Some walls are to be smoothed down and painted, some retiled. What's the best way to remove the old tiles without having to do major repairs to the plasterboard?

A You will always do some damage to the wall surface when removing tiles, either to the finish plaster or the plasterboard surface. You may also have some adhesive left on the wall. Always allow for a new plaster finish. If the wall is not badly damaged, you may be able to retile.

Q I have a superglue stain on my polished worktop. How can I remove it?

A Loctite Glue Remover will do the job. Most DIY stores sell it. It is in a gel formula you apply to the superglue to soften it down then wipe the surface with a cloth.

Q We had a new limestone fireplace fitted then spilled candle wax on it. How can I erase the stain?

A Cover the wax with brown paper and press with a hot iron. Next, use wet-dry silicon carbide sanding paper P600 grade to rub it over. This will remove surface staining though if the wax has gone deep into the porous limestone, it may be impossible to remove altogether.

Q Three months ago we had a kitchen fitted. It was not cheap but it is the kitchen from hell. The joint in the work surface has begun to swell, even though I have had it covered with a glass chopping board. I keep this surface as dry as possible. Can you tell me how to fix this problem myself as on no account do I want the fitter back in my home.

A The swelling is probably caused by water getting into an unsealed joint. Even though you don't want the fitter back into your home, you really need to get a specialist to fix this as there is no way this worktop should swell and little chance of fixing it yourself.

Q I have a staircase that is creaky and noisy. It's a one-piece stair and there is no access underneath. What can I do to sort this out?

A First remove the stair carpet. If you have a creak at the front of the tread, drill pilot holes and screw together the riser and tread using wood screws. As creaking at the back of the tread can only be fixed from above, work diluted PVA glue into the back joint between the tread and rise or fit a molding or angle bracket to connect the back of the tread to the riser.

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.