Orlando's celeb DIY experiences and other DIY advice

I've decorated the homes of a few celebrities over the years, and one who's great to work with is the chef Ainsley Harriot. He makes a fantastic bacon sandwich for the boys and always brings up a couple of beers at the end of the day. A thoroughly nice guy!

Talking of decorating, you may have seen the Bedroom Makeover Show recently which hopefully gave you some inspiration for your own homes!

To keep your DIY enthusiasm going, I've put together some more tips and adivce so you can tackle DIY jobs with confidence.

Keep your eyes peeled for more tips over the coming weeks.

How to bleed a radiator

1. Take a bleed key - available from any DIY store - and find the bleed valve, which is usually at the top of the radiator.
2. Gently undo the valve. Stop when you hear a 'hissing' sound. This is the air escaping.
3. Leave the valve hissing until the sound stops. You'll get a little spurt of water coming out, which means the radiator is full.
4. Tighten up the valve. If you have a pressurised system, check the pressure valve - you may need to top the system up with a bit of water.

A tip on sawing straight

Use a circular saw and clamp a guide along your cutting line - your saw plate will run along the guide and give you a perfect cut. The Magic Mitre with Handsaw & Template Guide is excellent for this.

Essential tools for the DIY novice

For basic DIY jobs around the home you'll need the following:

• A quality cordless drill and driver
• Hammer
• Sharp 1" or 1.25" chisel - useful for hinges
• Circular saw for all kinds of jobs
• Tape measure
• Combination square - gives lines at 45 or 90 degrees to the timber
• Good drill bits
• Safety specs
• A quality roller and brushes for decorating jobs

How to tile a kitchen or bathroom wall

1. Mark a horizontal line on the wall just up from the floor - leaving space for about 3/4 of a tile.
2. Take a length of plain, straight timber (1" x 2") as a baton and screw it absolutely level across your mark.
3. Add your adhesive. If you're finding it difficult troweling the adhesive onto the wall, it's sometimes easier to 'butter' the tile with the adhesive using a notched trowel.
4. Set your first line of tiles against the baton. The baton will hold the tiles absolutely level. Work 2 or 3 tiles off the baton, let the tiles set, then remove the baton.
5. You should have 3/4 of a tile space left over. This space is useful in case you floor drops and you need to cut the tile a bit longer.
6. Set your bottom line against the wall and grout up.

Tip: Tiling is all about being methodical and having the right tools e.g. a tile cutter, an angle grinder, and a damp sponge to wipe off any excess adhesive.

How to put down wooden laminate flooring

All flooring is different - some panels are inter-locked, others need glue, so follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Clear the room and make sure floorboards are screwed down securely. When fixing floorboards, use screws no longer than 40mm and be wary of pipes and electrics.

1. Lay down acoustic underlay first to help the flooring sit flat on the ground.
2. Find the straightest wall in the room and set your first line straight and square - everything else will work off that.
3. For doorways take a spare piece of laminate flooring and insert it up to the architrave and doorway area.
4. Lay a panel saw flat on its side against the board and cut into the architrave. Use a chisel to cut out the bottom of the architrave. Slot the board into the gap you've cut out for a neat finish.

Tip: Leave a 10mm breathing gap all the way around the room to allow the timber flooring to breathe. Cover that gap with scotia or quadrant, ensuring you pin it to the skirting board and not the floor.

How to remove old paint from windows and doors

Sash windows and door frames in period houses may have acquired 10 or 15 layers of paint over the years. Striping the old paint back will reveal the original details and character.

1. Use a hot-air gun and paint scraper to strip the window down to the bare wood.

2. Treat the wood for rot or woodworm. Fill in any holes or cracks and sand the wood until it's smooth.

3. Paint the window or doorframe using a primer undercoat, then two layers of gloss or satin.

Tip: When using a hot air gun, always keep it moving to avoid burning the wood. When the paint starts to blister, take the heat off and give it a good scraping. Use a wire brush for removing paint from nooks, crannies and other intricate areas.

Keeping paintbrushes in good condition

Wrapping brushes in cling film or plastic bags keeps them good for use the next morning.

Leaving them more than one night requires cleaning the brushes completely.

The Dandy paintbrush and roller cleaner is brilliant for cleaning brushes and rollers quickly and efficiently - it will save you money and effort in the long run.

Tip: Older brushes washed lots of times get a thicker tip and provide smoother finishes.

Comments

[Albert Roberts]

I recently purchased a Kinetic 18v cordless drill set with 360 drill bit set in the instructions it says !Engage hamer action switch the hammer switch to the right,where is the hammer switch cant find it?
also in the box of drills there are 3 screw finders what are they for.
im in my seventies and been in engineering all my life,but like computors working with wood is a new thing to me,my grandchildren help
me out with the P.C but not much help with screw finders,please help
Alby