Daily Mirror - 17.08.2019

mirror.co.uk SATURDAY 17.08.2019 DAILY MIRROR^43

DM1ST

with AMBER GRAAFLAND

DIY EXPERT

DONNY

SHERIDAN

ANSWERS

YOUR

PROBLEMS

Dear

Donny

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:

[email protected]

Q

How can I remove car oil stains

from a block-paved drive?

Shirley Routh, by email

A

Apply an emulsifying degreaser

solution to the oil stain and agitate

it with a stiff bristle brush. Leave

for a while, then rinse with clean water. If

the stain has soaked into individual

blocks, you can always turn the blocks

over. Also, see my top tip, below.

Q

What material would you

recommend to insulate two

alcoves to try to block out our

noisy neighbours?

David Bracewell, by email

A

Build a partition and fill it with

blanket insulation. Leave a 200mm

air gap between the existing wall

and the partition, then double-sheet with

acoustic plasterboard.

Q

What can you recommend to

remove fence panel paint stains

from a concrete patio?

Stephen Black, by email

A

I’d go for Nitromors paint stripper,

and apply with wire wool. Using a

small piece of sandpaper to break

the surface of the paint will help before

applying the paint stripper.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Stanley Window Scraper

This window scraper takes

Stanley knife blades, and is

great when painting windows.

It removes any paint from a

window pane – just leave the

paint to harden first. £1.12 from Toolstation.

DONNY’S TOP TIP

If your car is leaking oil on to your

paving, the first thing to do is apply

absorbing granules (cat litter),

which will soak up any stains.

of the

best

mirror.co

Q

I live in a brick exterior

bungalow, and the previous

occupants were not shy about

drilling holes into the brickwork. Can

you tell me if anyone makes a colour

match filler suitable for exterior

brickwork please?

Dennis McDonnell, Coventry

A

All builders’ merchants will supply

mortar dyes for mixing mortar to

match bricks. Take a photo of your

bricks and take it to a merchant and they

will give you a dye. Remember you only

need a tiny amount of dye per mix. You

will have to mess about with it until

you’re satisfied with the colour. And

remember it dries out lighter. You can

also get coloured renders where you just

add water.

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GARDEN

VA R I E T Y

Bring the fresh feel of the outdoors in...

with cane furniture and botanical prints

Ceramic

plant pots,

£9.99 to

£17.99;

ceramic &

glass

lantern,

£6.99,

H&M Home

Metal watering can, £17.99,

H&M Home

Patterned

seat

cushion,

£8.99,

H&M

Sass & Belle

plant mister,

£9, ASOS

Rattan

stool,

£25,

Ikea

Ronda

stackable leaf

print chairs,

£176 each,

La Redoute

Plant

stand,

£35,

Ikea

Buskbo armchair,

£110, Ikea

SERVING

DISHES

Leaf platter, £2.50,

Partybits2go

Leaf dish,

£10, Amara

Leaf dish,

£17.99,

Zara Home

Set of 3

Boham Terrazo

planters, £30,

La Redoute

Bittergurka hanging planter, £8; plants, £3 each, Ikea

atttatn

ool,

25 ,

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