Dear Donny
Q
We have placed a postbox on the outside wall of our house and want to tidily seal up the letterbox in our front door. Any ideas? R Paul, via email
A
I would cut a piece of timber roughly the size of the hole and fix it in place using two-part wood filler. Then, use a sander to make sure the timber is flush or below the door face. Next, fill over the timber using the filler. Don’t mix up too much in one go, but build the filler up in two or three layers, sanding between coats. Then undercoat and paint over. Q
Could you please advise the safest way to remove polystyrene tiles from my kitchen ceiling. I have asthma sufferers in the house so dust and fumes will be problematic. Lorraine Miles, by email
A
When carrying out the work, seal the room and, as always, use quality dust masks. Break off the old tiles and plaster over the ceiling. Alternatively, it might be just as easy to strap the ceiling with timber batons – like timber roof tile ones – and then fix plasterboard to the timber, covering over the old polystyrene tiled ceiling.
Richard Adams
Q
A
You need to build an additional timber or metal partition with a 200mm air gap from the wall. Use acoustic pads where the partition connects to the existing floor and ceiling. Fill the frame with acoustic blanket insulation, and then double sheet with 12.5mm blue acoustic plasterboard making sure the sheets are staggered, then plaster and paint. This is clearly a big job to take on and sometimes it might just be easier to move house to avoid the problem.