Plentific.com has compiled a list of ten popular home improvement and DIY myths that are completely false. Myths: we’ve all heard them before, whether they’re about eating carrots to help you see in the dark, not drinking coffee for fear of stunting your growth or waiting an hour to swim after eating. DIY myths are everywhere, and it’s sometimes harder …

Kitchen and bathroom surface specialist, Maxtop Quartz, is on the hunt for the UK’s top (tea break) tosser with the launch of a new paper-toss style game, which it launched to its 7,000 plus social community on the 3rd April. Created with installers in mind and designed to be played on a smartphone, tablet or computer during a tea or …

Mira Showers has enhanced its range of digital showers with the introduction of Mira Mode: a high aesthetic, accessibly-priced mixer that offers users the added convenience of app control from smartphones. Mira Mode is said to respond to a growing consumer demand for technologically advanced home appliances that are also simple and intuitive to use; while meeting the needs of …

Skill Builder’s ‘Day in the life’ feature takes a look at a typical day in the life of different tradespeople. In this installment, we talk to the inspirational Kevin Skeith who, against all the odds, recovered from a serious motorcycle accident which threatened to leave him as a quadriplegic. He now runs a thriving flooring business and became Dickie’s UK …

A building supplies e-commerce start-up is taking on industry heavyweights B&Q, Travis Perkins, Selco, Jewson and Wickes to offer savings of 20-35%. Go Banana is said to be the UK’s first comparison website for building and DIY supplies. With 50,000 searchable products Go Banana provides an online platform for builders, tradespeople and DIY enthusiasts looking to purchase supplies quickly and …

There’s been lots happening on the Skill Builder YouTube channel in 2016; here’s a few highlights. Power tools In January 2016 we published the first part of the new 18v drill test which was first published in 2014. This time we split it into three parts looking at: Part 1 – batteries; Part 2 – flat bits; Part 3 – …

Makita has launched two new 18v Brushless motor LXT drills: the Makita DDF483 13mm drill driver and the Makita DHP483 combi drill.  Both new products are notable for their compact size: the drill driver has an overall body length of 162mm and the combi drill has a  176mm overall length. Both are ideally suited for tight space installation work, such …

Bond It, the manufacturer of sealants, adhesives, grouts, waterproofing products and building chemicals, has announced its plans for the 2016 Tiling Show. At the brand new event for the UK’s tile and stone industry, which runs from the 18th to 20th September at the Harrogate International Centre, the business will promote an array of products targeted at the tiling sector …

Timber Conservation windows and doors by Mumford & Wood have been specified by a building developer for his own residential property in Poole, Dorset.  This large coastal town, once a maritime trade hub, has attracted tourists and visitors to its beaches and landscapes for many decades and is an established area of beauty. The 1950s cottage-style property was purchased by …

Bathroom designer Twyford has donated ceramic products for a toilet block in the Rainbow Foundation Pre-School, a new school in Faala in The Gambia, for 60 local children. Faala is a new settlement near to Sanyang and the school has been constructed for younger children who can’t safely travel to Sanyang, due to the long and dangerous route on foot. …

I have always been a sucker for a challenge. If someone tells me that they have a problem that nobody has been able to fix, I am there. Rising damp is not usually baffling but rising damp in a third floor flat is. Yes I do mean rising damp and not penetrating damp, the proof being that some of it …

I am currently working on the building site from hell. It was a job I took on against my better judgment. When I was pricing it alarm bells were ringing in my head because there was a new spec and drawing almost every day. The job itself isn’t actually that bad; it’s a complete re-plumb on a large central London …

The golden rule that I have followed through years of fault finding is ‘never assume and never jump to conclusions’. OK that is two golden rules but the basic message is never say you know something until you prove it. This has stood me in good stead where other tradesmen have come and gone from a job missing one small …