How-To & DIY
221 sources in the library on how-to & diy, 24 on this page cited in a published note. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 3 of 6.
- supplier figure RN-ZWL6HR cited
Ronseal
Maker's product page for a ready-mixed wall filler: deep holes are built up in layers, each left to dry, and the filler dries in one to two hours.
Cited in How to Fill Cracks Before Painting.
- supplier figure RN-LZOKX1 cited
Screwfix
Screwfix product page for a pack of Flomasta half-inch quarter-turn ceramic tap glands; it gives the retail price including VAT, the low end of the cartridge range.
Cited in How to Fix a Leaking Tap.
- supplier figure RN-YEOHQG cited
Screwfix
Screwfix guide to changing a tap cartridge; it states that ceramic disc cartridges wear out through limescale, debris or general wear, correcting 'rarely wear out'.
Cited in How to Fix a Leaking Tap.
- supplier figure RN-IVKG9Z cited
Screwfix
Screwfix product page for the Manrose MG100T 100 mm timer extractor fan, showing its retail price including VAT; it anchors the budget end of the note's fan price range.
- supplier figure RN-0DT5UN cited
Screwfix
Screwfix's product page for Trend's two-piece aluminium hinge jig for recessing door and frame hinges, priced at £208.99 including VAT.
Cited in How to Hang an Exterior Door.
- supplier figure RN-JAKZEZ cited
Selco Builders Warehouse
Selco product page for a 20 kg bag of Dunlop CF-24 flexible tile adhesive, priced from £15.00 excluding VAT, £18.00 including VAT.
Cited in Tile Adhesive & Grout Explained, Tiling a Floor Over Underfloor Heating: What to Know.
- supplier figure RN-DLWOP3 cited
Sika Ltd (Everbuild)
The maker's data sheet for a common PVA bond: for sealing porous substrates such as old plaster it is diluted 4 parts water to 1 part PVA.
Cited in How to Fill Cracks Before Painting.
- supplier figure RN-VIHRZS cited
Soudal
Manufacturer technical data for a hybrid polymer adhesive sealant. Skin formation at 23C and 50 per cent relative humidity is about 10 minutes and curing speed is 2 to 3 mm per 24 hours, so a 10mm deep joint takes several days to cure through. Hardness is 40 plus or minus 5 Shore A with elongation at break of 750 per cent. The joint design rules are minimum 2 mm and maximum 10 mm width for bonding, and for joints minimum 5 mm and maximum 30 mm width with a minimum 5 mm depth. It can be painted with water based systems and is EC1+ certified for very low emission. Shelf life is 15 months in unopened packaging stored cool between +5C and +25C. Soudal warns that a total absence of UV can cause a colour change in the sealant, and that where different reactive sealants meet, the first must be completely hardened before the next is applied.
Cited in Grab Adhesive & Construction Adhesives.
- supplier figure RN-WM8MP8 cited
Soudal
Manufacturer technical data for a high initial grab hybrid polymer adhesive. Skin formation at 23C and 50 per cent relative humidity is about 5 minutes, half that of the flexible grade, and curing speed is 3 mm per 24 hours. Hardness is 65 plus or minus 5 Shore A with elongation at break of 400 per cent, so it is markedly harder and less elastic than the flexible grade, which is the trade-off between an adhesive and a movement joint sealant. Joint design is minimum 2 mm and maximum 10 mm width for bonding, and minimum 5 mm to maximum 30 mm width with 5 mm minimum depth for joints. It is impervious to mould and can be painted with water based systems. Shelf life is 15 months unopened between +5C and +25C. Soudal notes it can only be used on the bottom of natural stone tiles and not as a joint sealant on that surface.
Cited in Grab Adhesive & Construction Adhesives.
- supplier figure RN-R7VAEG cited
Styrene Packaging & Insulation Ltd
A UK maker's safety data sheet for expanded polystyrene. It settles that EPS resists many chemicals but not solvents, and is soluble in aryl compounds, halogenated solvents and ketones.
Cited in How to Fit Coving & Cornice.
- supplier figure RN-R4F4YN cited
Toolstation
Toolstation's product page for a compact Unika router hinge jig for 76 mm and 102 mm hinges in doors and frames, priced at £46.99 including VAT.
Cited in How to Hang an Exterior Door.
- supplier figure RN-VSSI1E cited
Toolstation
Toolstation's product page for a standard Knauf 12.5 mm tapered-edge plasterboard sheet, 2,400 x 1,200 mm, showing its price of £13.49 including VAT (£11.24 ex VAT).
Cited in How to Build a Stud Wall, How to Get Trade Prices Without a Trade Account.
- supplier figure RN-56906Q cited
Toolstation
Retailer product page carrying the maker's description of a ready-mixed fine surface filler, which needs no primer and can be painted after about an hour.
Cited in How to Fill Cracks Before Painting.
- supplier figure RN-BC1NI6 cited
Toolstation
Toolstation product page for the Vent-Axia 100 mm Silent extractor fan, listing the timer, standard and humidistat versions with their prices including VAT.
- supplier figure RN-T61D8K cited
Toolstation Ltd
A national merchant's product page for a standard brass radiator bleed key, priced at £1.09, which sits inside the £1–£3 range the note gives.
Cited in How to Bleed & Balance Radiators.
- supplier figure RN-5WO4F5 cited
Travis Perkins
Travis Perkins tool hire page for a 240V drum floor sander. It lists a one-day hire price of £55.14 including VAT (£45.95 excluding VAT).
Cited in How to Sand & Restore Floorboards.
- supplier figure RN-0FU1A7 cited
Travis Perkins
Travis Perkins tool hire page for a 240V edging floor sander. It lists a one-day hire price of £42.70 including VAT (£35.58 excluding VAT).
Cited in How to Sand & Restore Floorboards.
- supplier figure RN-L4ZZA2 cited
Vivid Doors
A UK door supplier's sizing guide listing the standard external door leaf sizes (1981 x 762, 1981 x 838, 2032 x 813 and larger) and naming 1981 x 838 mm as the most common. Supplier source used only for a product-size fact; no official body publishes a door size list.
Cited in How to Hang an Exterior Door.
- supplier figure RN-G68MSX cited
Welsh Slate Ltd
Welsh Slate batten gauge, batten quantity and holing gauge by slate length. At 50mm headlap: 600mm slate, batten gauge 275mm, 3.64 lin m batten per m2, holing gauge 335mm; 550mm slate 250mm gauge, 4.00 lin m/m2, holing 310mm; 500mm 225mm gauge, 4.44 lin m/m2, holing 285mm; 455mm 202mm gauge, 4.95 lin m/m2, holing 262mm; 400mm 175mm gauge, 5.71 lin m/m2, holing 235mm; 350mm 150mm gauge, 6.67 lin m/m2, holing 210mm; 300mm 125mm gauge, 8.00 lin m/m2, holing 185mm. At 80mm headlap the gauges tighten: 600mm slate 260mm gauge and 3.85 lin m/m2 (holing 350mm), 500mm 210mm gauge and 4.76 lin m/m2 (holing 300mm), 400mm 160mm gauge and 6.25 lin m/m2 (holing 250mm), 300mm 110mm gauge and 9.09 lin m/m2 (holing 200mm).
- supplier figure RN-5KCRFS cited
Wickes
A national DIY retailer's product page for a mainstream wallpaper sold in the standard UK roll size of 10.05 m by 53 cm, the size the roll table assumes.
Cited in How to Wallpaper a Room.
- supplier figure RN-XM89DT cited
Wickes
Wickes product page for a 20 kg bag of Mapei Super Flexible S1 tile adhesive, giving its shelf price.
Cited in Tiling a Floor Over Underfloor Heating: What to Know.
- supplier figure RN-3YCSMO cited
Wickes
Wickes' product page for a Solvite all-purpose wallpaper paste sachet that hangs up to ten rolls, priced at £6.80, which supports the £5–£7 paste row.
Cited in How to Wallpaper a Room.
- supplier figure RN-5VM491 cited
Worcester Bosch
A boiler manufacturer's support page on system pressure. It gives 1 to 1.5 bar as the correct reading on a cool sealed heating system.
Cited in How to Bleed & Balance Radiators, How to Restore Radiator.
- supplier figure RN-C5LJ42 cited
Wunda Group
An underfloor heating maker's floor covering instructions: tile adhesives and levellers must cure naturally, not with the heating on, and heat is raised gradually afterwards.
Cited in Tiling a Floor Over Underfloor Heating: What to Know.
- very strong RN-I7L136
Defra and Environment Agency (GOV.UK)
The statutory code that turns the section 34 duty of care into practical steps, published 11 March 2016 and last updated 26 November 2018, running to 20 pages as a PDF and also available as an accessible HTML version. It applies to anyone who produces, carries, keeps, disposes of, treats, imports or has control of waste in England and Wales, and requires waste to be kept safe, dealt with responsibly and passed only to businesses authorised to take it. Scotland and Northern Ireland are covered by their own equivalents rather than this code. It is the document behind the advice that a homeowner should check a builder's or garden clearance firm's waste carrier registration and keep the transfer note, because the householder can be held liable if their waste is fly-tipped.
- very strong RN-8VS2HG
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (GOV.UK)
The change to household collections that determines how garden waste is dealt with from 2026, published 27 March 2025 and last updated 13 May 2025, applying to England. From 31 March 2026, waste collectors must by default collect four streams separately from all households including flats: food and garden waste; paper and card; all other dry recyclable materials meaning glass, metal and plastic including cartons; and residual waste sent for energy recovery or to landfill. Plastic film packaging and plastic bags must be collected with plastic recycling from 31 March 2027. Paper and card may be co-collected with other dry recyclables where local circumstances allow. The materials that must be collected are listed in Schedule 1 of the Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024, which also lists materials that need not be collected: for glass this excludes non-packaging glass such as flat and window glass, mirrors, drinking glasses, Pyrex, light bulbs and ceramics, and for metal it excludes kitchenware, kettles, irons, pipes and packaging that held white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze. The food and garden waste stream is the one a garden clearance note should reference.
- very strong RN-XALOC2
Environment Agency (GOV.UK)
The registration a builder or garden clearance firm must hold before taking waste away, with the current fees a note can quote. A business must register if it transports waste as a carrier, buys, sells or disposes of waste as a dealer, or arranges for someone else to do so as a broker, and an unlimited fine applies for not registering. Registration is usually free if you only transport waste you produce yourself; otherwise it costs £191.02. Registrations are upper tier or lower tier: an upper tier registration must be renewed every 3 years at £130.25, while a lower tier registration does not need renewing. Changing what the organisation does costs £49.62, and the Environment Agency must be told within 28 days if contact details change, management changes, someone in management is convicted of an environmental offence, or the organisation changes what it does. Registered details appear in the public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers, so a homeowner can check. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each have a different process.
- very strong RN-NPG9NW
Health and Safety Executive
The exact task sheet a note about taking down an old asbestos cement garage or shed roof should cite, because it is the document that defines when the job stays non-licensed. It covers small-scale removal of AC sheets, gutters, drains and ridge caps and dismantling a small structure such as a shed or garage, but only while the AC stays intact: if it starts to break up and creates significant dust the work becomes notifiable non-licensed work under sheet a0. It does not apply to large-scale work or mechanical demolition, which need a full risk assessment and plan of work, and it does not apply where lagging, limpet or insulating board are present, which need an HSE-licensed contractor. It lists the equipment as 500 and 1000 gauge polythene sheeting and duct tape, warning tape and notices, bolt cutter, webbing straps and rope, a garden-type sprayer with wetting agent, a bucket of water and rags, asbestos waste bags, clear polythene bags, a lockable skip for larger quantities and asbestos warning stickers. Two cautions matter for a DIY reader: AC roofs are always fragile and cannot bear weight, and it is dangerous to seal over exhaust vents from gas-fired equipment.
- very strong RN-WM597A
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's fit testing guidance, INDG479 in its October 2025 revision, and the source for the point that a dust mask only works if it seals to that particular face. It explains that the performance of a tight-fitting facepiece depends on good contact between the wearer's skin and the face seal, and that because faces vary the fit must be tested for the individual. It sets out that the Approved Codes of Practice supporting COSHH, the Control of Lead at Work Regulations, the Control of Asbestos Regulations, the Confined Spaces Regulations and the Ionising Radiations Regulations all stipulate that tight-fitting RPE should be fit tested as part of selection. Fit testing must be done by a competent person, and competence can be shown by accreditation under the Fit2Fit RPE Fit Test Providers Accreditation Scheme run by the British Safety Industry Federation and supported by HSE, though the scheme is not compulsory. General RPE selection is covered by HSG53. Useful for any sanding, cutting or plaster-mixing note that recommends a mask.
- very strong RN-FBCMNI
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's brief guide to COSHH, INDG136(rev5) revised 10/12, and the regulation a DIY note is implicitly relying on whenever it says to ventilate or wear gloves. It explains how to control substances hazardous to health so they do not cause ill health, under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 as amended. It states that every year thousands of workers are made ill by hazardous substances, contracting lung disease such as asthma, cancer, and skin disease such as dermatitis, at a cost of many millions of pounds a year to industry in replacing trained workers, to society in disability allowances and medicines, and to individuals who may lose their jobs. It names the categories of harm directly relevant to renovation: dusty or fume-laden air causing lung disease in welders, quarry workers and woodworkers, and metalworking fluids growing bacteria and fungi that cause dermatitis and asthma. It also tackles the myth that a method is safe because it has always been done that way, pointing out that some diseases take years to develop.
- very strong RN-40KX6P
Health and Safety Executive
The source for the lifting weights a DIY note should quote instead of inventing a limit. HSE stresses that the Manual Handling Operations Regulations do not set specific weight limits, so the figures in the risk filter are guidelines, not safe limits. Figure 1, the lifting and lowering risk filter, assumes the load is easily grasped with both hands in reasonable conditions and a stable body position, and gives, close to the body, for men 10kg at shoulder height, 20kg at elbow height, 25kg at knuckle height, 20kg at mid lower leg and 10kg at floor level; for women the equivalents are 7kg, 13kg, 16kg, 13kg and 7kg. Holding the load at arm's length roughly halves each value (for men 5kg, 10kg, 15kg, 10kg and 5kg). Where the hands pass through more than one zone, the smallest weight applies. This is why a 25kg bag of ballast or a paving slab handled at arm's length or below knuckle height is already outside the guidelines for one person.
- very strong RN-VTHK6G
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's guide to hand-arm vibration, INDG175(rev3) published 11/12, and the reference for why a DIY or garden note should limit trigger time on a hired breaker, sander or scarifier. It defines hand-arm vibration as vibration transmitted into the hands and arms from hand-held power tools such as grinders or road breakers, hand-guided equipment such as powered lawnmowers or pedestrian controlled floor saws, or holding materials against hand-fed machines such as pedestal grinders. Regular and frequent exposure can cause two forms of permanent ill health, hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). HAVS symptoms are tingling and numbness in the fingers that prevents fine work, loss of strength in the hands, and fingers blanching white then turning red and painful on recovery, which reduces the ability to work in cold or damp conditions outdoors. Symptoms may come and go but with continued exposure become prolonged or permanent, causing pain, distress and sleep disturbance, and this can happen after only a few months though usually over a few years. The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 require risks to be controlled and information, instruction and training to be given.
- very strong RN-72DM44
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's short guide to electrical risk, INDG231(rev1) published 04/12, and a better citation than a wiring blog for the reason a DIY note tells the reader to isolate first. It states that normal mains voltage of 230 volts AC can kill by contact with live parts causing shock and burns, that faults can cause fire, and that electricity can be an ignition source in a flammable or explosive atmosphere. Most fatal incidents at work are caused by contact with overhead power lines, and non-fatal shocks cause severe permanent injury, including falls from ladders, scaffolds and other work platforms after a shock from faulty equipment. It identifies the conditions where risk is greatest: wet surroundings, where unsuitable equipment can easily become live and make its surroundings live; outdoors, where equipment gets wet and is more likely to be damaged; and cramped spaces with a lot of earthed metalwork. Extension leads are singled out as particularly liable to damage. The outdoor and wet points make this directly usable in a garden lighting or shed supply note.
- very strong RN-WD0NBM
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's leaflet on portable hand-held petrol chainsaws, INDG317(rev2) published 01/13, aimed at employers, the self-employed and anyone controlling the use of work equipment. It sets out that controlling chainsaw risk starts with a legally required risk assessment focused on real risks rather than paperwork, and that manufacturers' instructions and data sheets should be checked for the hazards. It flags groups needing particular attention, including new and young workers, migrant workers, new or expectant mothers, people with disabilities, temporary workers, contractors, homeworkers and lone workers. Use it to support the point that a tree or hedge contractor working on a domestic garden is doing work at work, so chainsaw certification and PPE are legal duties, not a firm's own policy.
- very strong RN-WPTQQO
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's first aid leaflet, INDG347 published 2017, ISBN 978 0 7176 6668 3 and sold as a pack of 20 for £10.00, offered free as a web-friendly download and explicitly not a substitute for effective training. Its emergency priorities are to assess the situation without putting yourself in danger, make the area safe, assess all casualties and attend first to any who are unconscious, and send for help without delay. It gives the ABC sequence: check for a response by gently shaking the shoulders and asking loudly, open the airway by tilting the head back with a hand on the forehead and lifting the chin with two fingertips, then look, listen and feel for normal breathing for no more than 10 seconds. If breathing normally, use the recovery position; if not, get help, call for an AED if available and start chest compressions, pressing down on the centre of the breastbone by 5 to 6 cm, with compressions and rescue breaths in a ratio of 30:2 until qualified help takes over. This is the citable reference for the first aid line in a DIY note rather than an unsourced tip.
- very strong RN-QZ6BMY
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's brief guide to the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, INDG362(rev2) published 11/12, and the reference for the hearing protection line in a DIY or garden machinery note. It states that noise at work can cause permanent and disabling hearing damage, either gradually from exposure over time or suddenly from extremely loud noise, and that the damage stops people understanding speech, keeping up with conversations or using the telephone. It also identifies tinnitus, described as ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears, as a distressing condition that can lead to disturbed sleep, and notes the safety consequences: noise interferes with communication, makes warnings harder to hear and reduces awareness of surroundings, creating a risk of injury or death. The Regulations require employers to eliminate or reduce noise risks, to take action to reduce exposure and provide personal hearing protection depending on the level of risk, to keep within the legal exposure limits, to maintain and ensure the use of noise control equipment, to provide information, instruction and training, and to carry out health surveillance by monitoring workers' hearing.
- very strong RN-OMDTWZ
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's brief guide to the Work at Height Regulations 2005, INDG401(rev2) published 01/14, and the document that gives a DIY note its hierarchy of control. It defines work at height as work in any place where, without precautions, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury, giving as examples working on a ladder or a flat roof, being able to fall through a fragile surface, or falling into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground. It states that falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries, with falls from ladders and through fragile roofs the common causes. The required sequence is: avoid work at height where reasonably practicable; where it cannot be avoided, prevent falls using an existing safe place of work or the right equipment; and minimise the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk cannot be eliminated. It also states directly that the belief ladders and stepladders are banned is a misconception, and adds practical rules such as doing as much work as possible from the ground, ensuring safe access to and from the work, keeping equipment suitable, stable, strong enough, maintained and checked, and not overloading or overreaching.
- very strong RN-17XJK7
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's own overview, updated 5 June 2024, and the correct answer to the persistent claim that ladders are banned. It states plainly that ladders and stepladders are not banned under health and safety law, that the law calls for a sensible and proportionate approach to managing risk, and that ladders can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks, while adding that they should not automatically be the first choice. It directs the reader to use the right type of ladder and know how to use it safely, and names the supporting documents a note can cite alongside it: the brief guide LA455 on safe use of ladders and stepladders, INDG401 Working at height safely, and HSG33 Health and safety in roof work. Use it to correct DIY myths and to justify recommending a tower or platform for longer jobs such as gutter or fascia work.
- very strong RN-HIUMHY
Historic Environment Scotland
The public-body source for why cement mortar on a traditional stone or soft brick wall causes decay, published 13 October 2016 by Historic Scotland (now HES), INFORM Guide, 377 KB PDF. Scope stated on the page: it focuses on the two commonly used mortar types, lime mortars and cement mortars, gives an overview of the physical properties of both, and indicates their technical suitability for use with traditional stone masonry, on the basis that selecting a suitable mortar for repair works matters for conservation and for PREVENTING MASONRY DECAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF INCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS. Pair it with the HES Short Guide: Lime Mortars in traditional buildings (1 March 2013, 2.16 MB PDF), which covers the history and use of lime mortars, sourcing of raw materials, preparation of mortars for repairs and how to recognise and reduce the risk of failure, and with the INFORM Guide: Hot-Mixed Lime Mortars (1 April 2015, 4.41 MB PDF), which explains how hot-mixed lime mortars differ from other lime mortars and how they are prepared on site.
- very strong RN-ITGAHZ
Scottish Government
Scotland's equivalent of the Approved Documents, and the handbook a Scottish reader needs because Scotland has no Part A to Part R lettering. The domestic technical handbook supports the Building (Scotland) Regulations for houses and flats and is organised into sections 0 General, 1 Structure, 2 Fire, 3 Environment, 4 Safety, 5 Noise, 6 Energy and 7 Sustainability, with Appendix A defining terms and Appendix B listing the standards and other publications it relies on. That structure matters when translating an English reference: fire is section 2 rather than Approved Document B, sound is section 5 rather than Part E, and energy is section 6 rather than Part L. Cite the handbook, and the relevant numbered section, whenever a note gives a building regulations figure and claims to cover the whole UK.