DIY Your Home
Our expert answers your questions
DONNY
Q
I’ve bought a house with a very small, tired, white non-slip wetroom floor. Is there a black paint that can paint over this?
Aynsley Hoskins, via email
A
I’m not a big fan of painting bathroom floors, mainly to prevent slipping. If you’re determined to do so I would go for any black anti-slip floor paint that you can get from most DIY stores.
Q
We’ve just had new paving laid in our garden. After about two weeks we have what looks like rust stains coming through on a couple of slabs. There is nothing nearby which could have caused this. Any ideas on how to clean them?
Lynne Feeney, via email
A
Unfortunately, natural sandstone – and other stone types – can have impurities in it. What you are probably seeing is the natural iron content of the stone seeping out. This is fairly common and I’d just leave the slabs to weather naturally.
Q
How can I get my oak dining table back to life? After years of wiping, it has lost a lot of its colour even if I use coloured wax.
Gloria Davies
A
It depends on the original finish. If wax, use methylated spirits to break down the existing coating and then re-wax. Personally, I would sand the table back and then varnish it, building it up in thin coats. Q
Where can I get a timer for LED lights? I currently have one for halogen bulbs but they are not suited to LEDs.
Catherine Brown, via email
A
Are you talking about a security light? A standard timer will switch LED lights on and off just as it will for a halogen light. It doesn’t matter what type of bulb or lamp you’re using.