Special branch DIY DONNY
SAM WYLIE-HARRIS shares her pick of the best fake trees for festive magic without the mess Our expert answers your questions
A THING of beauty and celebrated source of joy, putting up the Christmas tree is one of our favourite festive pursuits.
And there are some wonderful artificial Christmas trees to choose from, not to mention the dozens of dazzling decorations to be found – whether you’re looking to shake it up with seasonal styling to suit a new colour scheme this year, or you’re just after a few little extras.
“Decorating the tree is one of our customers’ favourite
With a glittering facade of fabulous frost, this tree features no less than 2,000plus tips to jazz up with your treasure trove of trinkets and 490 pure white lights. Embellish with oversized paper stars – which are very of the moment.
RIGHT: 7ft Allison misty blue
With glittery effect pine needles, this tree lends itself perfectly to a touch of nostalgia and a red and gold theme. You could even dig out some retro tinsel.
Christmas moments,” says Lisa Cherry, John Lewis Christmas buyer. “To create the illusion of a bigger tree, start with larger baubles at the base and finish with smaller decorations at the top.
“Rewrite the rulebook by twisting two sets of different coloured lights together,” suggests Lisa. “Or use one of our statement neon lights for a modern touch.”
Style-up the ultimate winter wonderland with these top picks...
Decorating the tree is one of our customers’ favourite Christmas moments...
Lisa Cherry, John Lewis
QIn winter, black spots appear on my kitchen walls, which I wipe off. I used anti-condensation paint but the spots are back again.
AMargaret Emmott
You have a cold wall, and cold spots probably occur where a fixing touches the plasterboard and the cold from outside is transferring. Try insulated plasterboard or insulated render – but you also need ventilation. Even opening a window will help. You also need heat to stop the wall getting cold.
Q
I was laying flowers on my parents’ grave and noticed the headstone had blackened from the original white marble look. How do I clean it?
Darrell Stevens
A
Use Lithofin MN outdoor cleaner, which removes all the dark algae deposits and green stains caused by trees and shrubs. It’s about £12 a litre.
Q
I always enjoy your column and took your advice and bought Zinsser 123 primer and exterior gloss in black, which transformed my outside window ledges.
ABarbara and Eric Taylor
I’m wondering if the door gets a lot of sun, as it’s not recommended to use dark colours for south facing surfaces. Or was the door painted in direct sunlight? This can cause crinkling. Contact Zinsser’s help line if needed.
Q
Do you know of anything I can use on my stainless steel sink and cooker to alleviate slight scratch marks?
A
Use baby oil on stainless steel and it will hide the scratches. The sink will need to be dry and not in use so the oil doesn’t wash straight off – use a lint-free cloth when giving it a wipe.
■ Renault has given its light van range a shake-up with revised trim levels and some twiddling with the pricing structure. On that last point there is some good news as there are now savings as high as £4,600.
The Trafic van now starts from £25,500 plus VAT and is offered in Start, Advance, Extra and Extra Sport trim levels. The larger Master is available in the same trims and its price starts at £29,750 plus VAT.
The order books for the new range open on December 15 with customer deliveries starting in the first quarter of 2023.