Dear Donny
Serve up a tasty treat on this colourful tray. Give these leafy ornaments pride of place on the windowsill. These wall stickers will instantly bring colour to a plain white wall. Autumn leaves wall stickers, Leonora Hammond WHERE TO BUY: direct.asda.com, dunelm.com, houseoffraser.co.uk, etsy.com, johnlewis.com, leonorahammond.co.uk, mandco.com, notonthehighstreet.com, tesco.com, wayfair.co.uk, zarahome.com Q
I have pine doors in our kitchen which are a brown colour but I want to paint them white. How should I go about it?
Thomas O’malley, via email
A
Sand and wash the doors to get rid of any grease. I would do two undercoats and a top coat. Use Zinsser B-I-N because it has excellent adhesion and coverage. Re-coat after 45 minutes so you can get the top coat applied that day. Zinsser B-I-N is more expensive but it’s fast so that saves you time. For a top coat use acrylic gloss.
QI had laminated tongue and groove wall panels fitted in my bathroom six months ago over a previously tiled wall. I believe the fitter put some chipboard over the tiles. There are now gaps appearing where the panels meet. How can this be fixed? Pauline Holden, via email
Laminated products are man-made and are usually stable, so there should be little movement. Chipboard is also stable compared to natural timber. Find the manual that tells you how to fit the panels. Speak to the manufacturer and then hopefully you will know why the panels are shrinking. Q
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I’m afraid this is a very common problem. Even flooring, whether it’s carpet or wood, will get sun bleached, and UPVC windows can be affected too. The only thing I’ve heard that works is prevention and fitting blinds to prevent the harmful rays getting in.
A