Home Improvements Hints and Tips

Glass bricks are great

• If you need to build a wall to separate an area but don't want to lose the light, glass bricks are the answer.
• Ensure your base area has a rough surface for the bricks to adhere to.
• Use silicone to join the bricks together.
• Place the bricks with precision - you don't want a skew wall (use a spirit level).
• If the wall is not going to ceiling height, frame the bricks with wood to create a smooth surface.

Don't live with tiles you hate

• You don't have to suffer with those floral tiles if you can't afford new ones - just paint over them.
• Use a sugar solution to give the surface a good clean.
• Apply a coat of Dulux SuperGrip All-Surface Powder. It dries very quickly.
• Once dry, apply eggshell enamel in the colour of your choice - you'll probably need two coats.
• You won't believe the transformation.

Use cornicHing for impact

Purchase over-the-counter polystyrene corniching to give a plain bathroom mirror a lift. Measure, cut to size, paint and frame. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Paint, amazing paint

It really is amazing what you can achieve with a few coats of paint. Before you throw anything out, consider first if it could be revitalized with paint.

• When painting cabinet doors, don't think you have to stick to one colour throughout.
• Paint one or two contrasting colours for great impact.

Go on, make a change

You need to use your imagination to re-invent your existing home environment:

• Paint over tiles.
• Replace dusty louvres with glass panels.
• Add a couple of pot plants.
• Ditch strip lighting for a more modern fitting.
• Install a colourful blind.

New uses for old furniture

Give old furniture a new lease on life:

• An old dresser can be cut in half to create two separate pieces of furniture.
• The doors can be removed from the bottom part and baskets (for storing veggies) can be installed as shelving.
• A new granite top can create a very practical work surface.
• The top half can be mounted on the wall with some new glass panelled doors.

Now that's what we call recycling!