Get those jobs done with a little help from DIY guru Julia Gray. This week: how to fix tongue-and-groove panelling.
Top tips for... preparing to fix tongue-and-groove panelling
:: Tongue-and-groove panelling isn't to everyone's taste, but it's a good way to cover up less-than-perfect plaster without having to go to the trouble and expense of replastering or getting a plasterer in. Tongue-and-groove is quite popular in bathrooms, but must be waterproofed properly.
:: It is usually best confined to one wall, or all the walls, but only up to dado-rail height, otherwise the room can resemble a sauna. You may want to remove features such as skirting boards and dado rails, or you may find it easier to work around them. The latter is obviously a better option if you're ever likely to want to remove the tongue and groove.
:: Your tongue-and-groove boards (and the timber you'll need for the battens, see below) must be allowed to acclimatise in the room in which you plan to use them for at least two weeks. Ensure that all the wood is unwrapped first.
:: You can fix tongue-and-groove panels in different ways - diagonally, horizontally, vertically, zigzag - and it's best to arrange the boards in these patterns on the floor first to see which you prefer before fixing them in place. Rather than fixing them directly to the wall, you attach them to a series of battens fixed to the wall.
:: Before you start cutting and fixing the boards, rub down the chamfers (angled edges) and external surfaces with fine sandpaper, then dust off or vacuum and wipe clean with a cloth dampened in white spirit, as water brings up the grain of the wood. Once dry, apply a couple of coats of wood primer or varnish, depending on the finish you've chosen - paint gives a more contemporary look. Above all, avoid coating the back of the tongue and the inside of the groove. The final coats of paint or varnish should be applied once the boards have been fixed in place.
DIY news bulletin
:: You've bought their paint, now you can buy the paper to go with it - Dulux is branching out into wallpaper for the first time. The Feature Wallpaper by Dulux range makes creating a feature wall easy, because each paper is paired with co-ordinating paint to use on the other walls in the room.
There are eight designs of wallpaper to choose from, ranging from flowers and leaves to stripes, each available in three colourways. Dulux has chosen three paint colours to complement each colourway - two from the ready-mixed range and one from the in-store mixing machine. You can still choose other colours if you prefer, or use the wallpaper on more than one wall.
To make DIY easy, the wallpapers utilise paste-the-wall technology, so there's no need to soak them in paste before you hang them. This makes wallpapering a job just about anyone can do.
Feature Wallpaper by Dulux costs around £23.99 a roll and will be available from Homebase stores from October. You'll be able to order samples of the paper and paint from www.dulux.co.uk/featurewallpaper from the end of September.
:: The weather's still nice enough to do DIY in the garden, and if you have a stone patio or driveway, check out Cementone Natural Stone Sealer, a water-based product that helps prevent staining and reduces efflorescence.
Once applied, the sealer protects the stone but doesn't change its appearance. It's suitable for most types of natural stone, inside your home as well as outside, and covers seven to eight square metres per litre, depending on the porosity of the stone.
Cementone Natural Stone Sealer costs around £59.99 for five litres.
Ask the expert
Q: Hairline cracks keep reappearing in the walls around my bay window. I've tried hairline-crack filler, but it doesn't seem to work. Is there a better option?
A: It may be that the slight movement of the house keeps causing small cracks, and there's not much you can do about it. Try flexible filler, though. This doesn't sand well, so you need to get the finish right when applying it. Push it well into the cracks and smooth it over with your finger, dampening it first if necessary. Once you've made the repairs as neat as possible, wait until they're dry and paint over. If the cracks get any worse, you may want to get a surveyor to check them out.
Seasonal task
The leaves are already falling off the trees, so keep checking your guttering and drains for blockages. You may want to fit gutter guards (various sorts are available), which keep debris out but still let water flow through. Drain guards are another good idea.
