Causes of Grout Discolouration

Unless your shower is a brand new installation, you may well have noticed that the spaces between the tiles are not quite as pristine as the tiles. This is due to dirt getting into the grout, the cement like material that fills the joints between them.

Bathrooms and kitchens are subjected to a wide range of temperatures and particularly in the case of bathrooms, damp. Both will eventually cause the grout to become discoloured.

Removing Grout Build-up

To remove grout it is essential to protect the surrounding tiles with masking tape. You can then use a tool called a grout rake, which can be found in most DIY stores. This is a little like a heavy-duty toothbrush, which enables you to gently scrape the dirt encrusted layer of grout away. Once this has been accomplished, you are ready to apply a fresh layer of grout between the tiles.

Use exactly the same process to tackle grubby tiles in the kitchen. These are liable to suffer from greasy coating as much as the effects of damp, so also wash their surfaces with detergent.

I’m going to re-tile the walls with some mosaic tiles, add a new bathroom cabinet and some matching bathroom accessories to finish off the look.

The bathroom cabinet I quite like is the HIB Alta 3 Door Mirror Cabinet which comes complete with two halogen lights and a shaver socket. The cabinet is around £300 and will finish off the look I’m going for.

A set of chrome bathroom accessories will also tie in with the showerhead and bathroom mixers.

I’m also toying with the idea of fitting some down lighters in the bathroom instead of the art deco style light that is in there at the moment, but I think that might need a bit more planning.

Colour

Vertical blinds are available in a huge selection of colours ranging from neutral and basic colours to brighter, more vibrant colours.  It is important to consider the overall decor of the room when choosing the colour of your vertical blinds, as windows tend to be one of the focal points of any room.

Louvre Widths

The louvres (which are the pieces that hang vertically to create the blind) are available in two standard widths; 89 mm (3.5 inches) and 127 mm (five inches).  The most suitable width will depend both on the size of the window or door, and personal taste. 

Vertical Blind Control

You can choose to draw your vertical blinds to either the left or the right or, alternatively, you can split them down the middle and draw them to both sides. 

Specialist Fabrics

Vertical blinds can be made using a variety of special fabrics including fire resistant, blackout and washable fabrics.

Remember to retain your light switch’s original fixing screws. You may be required to reuse the screws and this is particularly true if you are fitting a modern light switch to imperial threads.

To begin to replace your one-way light switch, you will need to isolate the electric circuit and check that the power has been switched off. Switch off the main supply switch at the consumer unit.  Then check that the power is off by switching on one or two lights to confirm that there is no electricity in the circuit.

Next, unscrew the switch’s faceplate. Pull it towards you so that you can take a good look at all the connections located behind it. Before you completely disconnect your old light switch, you will need to make a note of the way in which your old switch was connected. You will notice that the terminals are marked. If you have never replaced a light switch in your home before, you should make a diagram noting the colour and the amount of wires connected up to each terminal. Once you have done this, you can release the terminal’s screws.

Pull the cores from each of the terminals. If you find the earth core to be adequately insulated and connected to the fuse’s mounting box, it is perfectly acceptable to leave this core attached.

Your next job is to connect the cores to the new switch’s terminals. You should use your diagram to help you with this. Tighten up all the screws and inspect the way in which the screws are clamping down the cable cores by tugging slightly on the wires. You should find the wires to be held securely.

If your cores are not already sleeved, fit the appropriately coloured sleeving. Finally, check that the connections are fully secure, push all the cable into the mounting box and install the faceplate.

A good first step is to boil a kettle of water and pour it down the sink.  Before this, you should bale the water out of the sink into a bucket, and then mop up any remaining water with a towel.  Washing up liquid or Borax poured down the sink and left for a few moments before the boiling water is poured in may also help to dislodge the blockage. 

If this fails, you can use a plunger after blocking the overflow or draining the sink, whichever you prefer.  You can block the overflow by holding a cloth over it and plunge with your other hand; duct tape may also work to block the overflow.

As a last mechanical resort, you can try a drain auger, also known as a plumber’s snake.  This can work its way through the piping and dislodge the blockage.  You can hire one if you prefer not to buy one.  You may need to remove some parts of the sink, such as the trap and pipe section underneath, in order to give you better access.

Alternatively, there are a number of chemical solutions on the market, but these are not recommended lightly.  These are available to purchase from your local DIY store or supermarket, and should always be used with extreme care.  Always read the label carefully before using these products.

I have a big garden and most of it doesn’t get used and is overgrown, so I have been looking at getting a garden room fitted. These garden structures come complete with heating and electricity and can be used all year round as garden offices, studios or just a quiet room away from the hustle and bustle of the main house.

Double glazed windows and doors add security when the garden room isn’t being used and also keeps in the heat when you’re in there in the winter. The exterior of the garden room is clad in western red cedar which can be stained to match your garden furniture and the interior comes fully plaster boarded and electrical sockets fitted.

I’m definitely warming to the idea of having a garden room fitted and with prices starting from around £10,500 it is cheaper than getting my loft converted. Best thing is that a garden room doesn’t need any planning permission.

I’ll have to convince my wife first, but it could also add a lot of value onto our house if we ever decide to sell.

Picture from Oecogardenrooms.co.uk

Having claimed for a new carpet earlier this year (my sons friend spilt a whole bottle of Lucozade on our cream living room carpet), I thought that our premium would go up but it didn’t. Making a claim was easy and straight forward with Policy Expert and the carpet fitters came out within a week and measured and fitted the new carpet.

With an excess of only £150 it also saved me money as it would of cost me as least that just to fit the carpet.

Although other insurers were up to £3 less a month I’ve decided to stay with Policy Expert as I know they are very helpful and quick.

Oh yeah, and Lucozade is banned from my house now

I opened the first couple of boxes which contained photo albums and other mementos that we will keep; it was nice to look through them again and see when the kids were babies and our wedding album (oh happy days). Then it was on to the rest of the stuff.

I opened a few more boxes and was staggered by what we actually keep; old kettles and toasters that are probably 6+ years old, board games and jigsaws with half the pieces missing, not to mention old baby toys and prams.

I boxed up all of the decent stuff so my wife can take them to the charity shop and I took the rest to the skip.

There wasn’t enough room to fit my car in after all, but at least the garage looks a lot better than it did.

One popular remedy is to simply pour a couple cans of cola on the affected area and leave it on overnight. The next day, add a good amount of washing up liquid to a bucket of water and use it as a rinse on the oil spot. Follow this with another good rinsing with the garden hose.

Bicarbonate of soda is another environmentally friendly approach to removing oil stains from concrete. Shake bicarbonate of soda over the oil spot. Add a small amount of water in order to make a good scouring paste. Scrub the area with a broom or stiff cleaning brush and then rinse with water. If you do not have any bicarbonate of soda available, cornmeal or sawdust can also work.

Sprinkling the oil stain with automatic dishwasher detergent powder is yet another remedy. After applying the automatic dishwasher powder, pour a kettle of boiling water over the area. Then scrub with a broom or stiff cleaning brush. Follow with a good blast from the garden hose.

There are a number of websites on the internet that specialise in made to order blinds, which will make installing them a lot easier. Now all I have to do is measure the windows I need and pick a fabric and style. I’m thinking a nice bright colour that will match the existing décor of the living room.

Of course I will have to ok everything through my wife first, but she hates the blinds we have at the moment so it shouldn’t be a problem.