Dear Donny

Q We have just moved into a bungalow built in 1955 which has concrete gutters. We have removed all the wallpaper and can now see that the walls and hallway have had leaks in the past. I’ve seen some companies that remove concrete gutters and replace with UPVC fascias and gutters. Is this better than painting the gutters with bitumen? Kathleen, Shropshire

A I would have them replaced as the maintenance sounds excessive. The gutters will need to be clean and dry before applying the bitumen or it will fail. If you can afford to replace the guttering I would. Have a look at neighbouring properties to see what they have done.

Q My son’s house exterior is painted around the top on the walls and some of the paint is flaking, some is solid. A heat gun doesn’t make much difference and the paint is close to the UPVC windows so scraping is difficult. Can we put some sort of paint on to stabilise it? Dave Haigh, by email

A Apply Sandtex Stabilising Solution – this will solve your problem instantly. Brush off as much of the flaking paint as possible with a stiff bristle brush, and make sure you protect any hard standings like paving. If you get the stabilising solution on paving wash it off straight away.

Q My wife was told she could remove a linseed oil stain from our patio stones by using WD-40, but it has stained the paving. How can we remove these stains? John Watson, by email

A WD-40 repels water so you will need to apply an emulsifying degreaser. Brush the degreaser on to the stain, leave for the amount of time on the instructions and wash the emulsifier away with clean water.