posted08/06/10
For those who do not have much or any experience with DIY, putting up shelves is a good place to start because you don’t need any special skills and you don’t need lots of tools.
Once you have decided where your shelves are going to go you need to make sure there are no electrical cables or pipes in the plaster work, you can use a pipe and cable detector to do this. Now you need a couple of cavity wall plugs, these depend on what weight the shelves are and what weight they will be holding. For shelves that are light and only will hold light objects you need to use a screw and toggle fixing this draws the metal toggle against the inside of the cavity. For shelves that are medium to heavy you will have to have them supported with brackets that are fixed directly to the wooden studwork behind the plasterboard. To find the wooden studs behind plasterboard you can use a stud detector or if you don’t have one of those you can alternatively tap the wall with your knuckles nd listen for a duller sound this indicates the position of the studs.
Once you have your screws and plugs or brackets sorted out you can mark the positions of your shelves, to do this mark the heights of where the shelves are to be held, then hold a spirit level at each spot to mark the positions of the fixing brackets. Tip: To stop shelves from sagging, make sure the brackets are no more than 600mm apart. Once your holes are marked and level, you then need to use a masonry drill bit which needs to match the wall plug fixing size and drill into the wall, to the depth of the wall plug. Use a screwdriver to fix the brackets to the wall and make sure the screws firmly fit. If your shelves do not clip into the fixing brackets you will need to attach them with screws or panel pins so that the loaded shelves cannot tip forward in use.
Once the shelves are secured to the wall you are ready to start using them.
posted06/06/10
There are many different shower heads available that fit individual needs, you can adjust your shower heads setting from fast spray to a more softer spray, some luxury shower heads feel like your standing under a waterfall or in heavy rain, some also have the option of massage setting which can help sooth your aches and pains. Many modern shower heads now also help to reduce water consumption by using less water but still giving a good quality shower.
You can choose from fixed overhead shower heads which can be fixed to the wall or ceiling, or you can have a showerhead that is attached to a riser rail, which has the option of adjustable height. You can also choose from a wide range of shower heads to atach to your shower pump for your bathroom suite which range from classic styles to contemporary which can look like works of art.
posted04/06/10
For many people the spare bedroom is stuffed full of clutter and old junk that you haven’t got around to throwing out, but how nice would it be to clear the clutter and make your spare room into a guest bedroom for family and friends to stay in for a visit. There are a few space saving options for your guest to sleep on you could go for a sofa bed or a small guest bed both of which don’t take up a lot of room, sofa beds are also good because they can be used as a sofa and as a bed.
Depending on how much space you have you can opt for a guest bed you have a choice of many different sizes and style to fit any size room, from 2ft single beds to 4ft 6in double beds. You can choose from a folding frame bed with mattress or a stopover bed which has a roll out or pull out bed underneath if more than one person is staying. You can get some guest beds with various frames like wood or metal in a range of colours, depending on your colour scheme and furniture style.
If your making your spare bedroom into a guest bedroom its worth looking at storage solutions as well, so any extra things you have can be easily be put away out of view from your guests, it will also help to keep your home clutter free. Extra wardrobes, bedside cabinets, ottomans and shelving can finish off a room but also make great storage solutions.
