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Garden Fences

Furious woman turns to Mumsnet for advice after next-door neighbour completely ruined their garden fence

A mum was left furious after her neighbour took on some DIY work in the garden and ended up leaving her with a ‘ridiculous’-looking garden fence.

The working mum took to Mumsnet to ask for advice after noticing the impact the neighbour‘s actions had on her side of the fence, which nicely framed the back of her garden.

The woman's fence surrounded her garden. Credit: HolgersFotografie/Pixabay — The woman’s fence surrounded her garden. Credit: HolgersFotografie/Pixabay

In a post on the site, the mum explained that the neighbour with who they shared the fence had decided to paint it on their side, only the paint didn’t quite stay where intended.

Instead, it seeped through to the mum’s side of the fence, leaving her staring at a wooden divider covered with patches of black paint.

“As you can see, it looks ridiculous!,” the woman wrote alongside a picture of the fence, explaining that it appeared to have ‘seeped through the wood, as it’s come through at strange places with no gaps’.

“This affects about 50 foot, but we have about 150 foot more of the same fence around other parts of our garden. It’s a very open garden so I think we’ll need to paint the whole lot,” she said.

The fence was left with black splotches across it. Credit: Mumsnet

The mum said she ‘could cry’ at the situation, adding: “We’re busy working parents with young children so could really do without this. Do you think [the] neighbour should offer to compensate us? Will be speaking to them tomorrow…”

Users were quick to sympathise with the mum after she shared her story, with many offering their advice for the best ways she could deal with the matter.

One user recommended trying to pressure-wash the paint off on her

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By Dawn J. Larkin, 2 monthsSeptember 28, 2023 ago

Shed Houses

EPA Toughens Lead Standards in Older Homes, Buildings

WEDNESDAY, July 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) — U.S. federal officials took a big step toward protecting children from a contaminant blamed for irreversible health effects, proposing tougher standards for removing lead-based paint in pre-1978 buildings and child care facilities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the proposed new standards Wednesday at an event in Newark, New Jersey. If finalized, the new rules would protect up to 500,000 children younger than age 6 years from lead exposure each year. The proposed standards would apply to homes and child care facilities.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is taking a whole-of-government approach to ensuring that the most vulnerable among us — our children — are protected from exposure to lead,” EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe said in an agency news release. “This proposal to safely remove lead paint along with our other efforts to deliver clean drinking water and replace lead pipes will go a long way toward protecting the health of our next generation of leaders.”

The plan is aligned with the EPA aim to address racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in lead exposure. Lead-based paint is more likely to be found in lower-income areas, putting communities of color at greater risk. Racial segregation in housing over the years, called redlining, is part of this.

Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, noted there is no safe level of lead. “Even low levels are detrimental to children’s health, and this proposal would bring us closer to eradicating lead-based paint hazards from homes and child care facilities across the U.S. once and for all,” Freedhoff said in the release.

The proposed rule would strengthen EPA regulations that are part of the Toxic Substances Control Act. It would revise dust-lead hazard standards and dust-lead clearance levels. These limit

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By Dawn J. Larkin, 4 monthsAugust 7, 2023 ago

Garden Fences

Man shares genius hack to paint your garden fence in a flash – and the best bit is you don’t even need a brush

A MAN has been praised after sharing a genius hack to make fence painting a whole lot easier.

While most people use brushes to paint the panels, he insisted it’s much more effective to use a sponge instead.

A man has been praised for sharing his genius hack to make the fence painting process quicker and easierCredit: TikTok/@reno_at_95

Instead of using a brush, he uses a spongeCredit: TikTok/@reno_at_95

And it ended up with the fence looking beautifully painted in literal secondsCredit: TikTok/@reno_at_95

He demonstrated by showing how a brush distributed the paint, before doing the same thing with a sponge.

And it was the latter that meant he could finish the job much faster than if he’d been using a brush.

“Fence painters out there – use a sponge NOT a brush! You can thank me later,” he captioned the tiktok.com/@reno_at_95/video/7252967659724098843″ aria-label=”video (opens in a new tab)”video on his TikTok page.

People were quick to comment on the clever hack, with one writing: “GEE WIZZ THIS IS INCREDIBLE”.

“Mind officially blown! That’s a game changer,” another added.

“Thank you so much,” a third said.

While someone else admitted: “Literally spent 2 hours painting a fence yesterday. Wish I’d seen this.”

“Gonna try this on the cabin,” another said.

“I use a decorators sponge – 17m fence painted in less than 1 hour both sides,” someone else boasted.

But others insisted the man was missing a trick by not using a sprayer to paint his fence.

“Sponge is a half decent way, better than a brush, but a spray gun wins all day long,” one wrote.

“I did a 35ft fence in less than 2 hours, with 2 coats.”

“Just spray it, 10 times quicker,” another added.

“Cheap sprayer £36 from

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By Dawn J. Larkin, 4 months ago

Garden Fences

How to paint garden fence in seconds easily without a paintbrush

While most people use brushes to paint their garden fences, one man took to TikTok to insist that there is a much more effective way to do it instead.

Known as @reno_at_95 on TikTok, the man posted a video of him painting his garden fence using a sponge.

He demonstrated by showing how a brush distributed the paint, before doing the same thing with a sponge.

The video showed that the latter method (the sponge) resulted in a much faster approach than if the man has used a bush.

The TikToker captioned the video “Fence painters out there – use a sponge not a brush! You can thank me later”.

Not only does this method speed up the task of painting a fence, but it also means that households no longer have to spend a long time trying to remove paint from the bristles of their brushes.

Taking to the comments section, people were loving this hack and many had even decided to put it to the test.

@madelinelove50 said: “It’s a total game changer, I tested this out a few months ago.”

@sandyfloyd195 wrote: “I’ve been thinking of painting my fence. I think you just saved me a lot of time! Thank you!”

@mrsfpringles said: “I always use a sponge now. It works so fast. @jamorobo3 replied: “Mind officially blown! That’s game-changing.”

@sophiee276 commented: “This is incredible. I’ve just tested it out and it takes seconds to paint the fence now.”

@70lollipos replied: “I used a sponge that you wash cars with to paint my patio and doorstep – so much easier and coverage was better.”

@gemchik2 admitted: “Wish I knew this before I painted my 2000ft fence, okay slight exaggeration but it’s a big fence.”

But others insisted the man was missing a trick by not using

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By Dawn J. Larkin, 4 monthsJuly 31, 2023 ago

General Article

Kmart shopper’s home decor hack turns $15 vase into stunning $40 dupe

Kmart fans have been left stunned after one clever shopper’s hack totally transformed an old vase into a pricey-looking homewares dupe.

The original $15 vase from the budget retailer flew off shelves when it was first released, with many DIY fanatics keen to work their magic by giving it a new look. Several have since shared their crafty hacks for turning the simple vase into a “gorgeous” addition to their home.

Kmart vase hack — The impressive hack gave this two-year-old Kmart vase a new lease of life. Source: Facebook

But one shopper has taken the hack to a new level, creating a coastal vibes decor item for a fraction of the price of similar-looking pieces.

Sharing how she did it, the Kmart customer said she “loved to create texture” to her homewares and upcycled two vases from the budget retailer with surprising results.

“Both Kmart vases, one was black, the other glass…now Coastal beauties,” she wrote alongside a picture of her creation on the Kmart Home Decor and Hacks Australia Facebook page.

“Using the Kmart paint I mixed it with bicarbonate of soda to get a very thick paste and painted on gently with a paintbrush. Voila!”

She added that the glass vase was purchased at Kmart over two years ago but had been sitting in her cupboard before she decided to give it a complete refresh.

“It was my first go at the bicarb paint project, now it’s out on display every day,” she said.

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Her little hack resulted in a dazzling design that saw her creations look strikingly similar to vases available in homewares ranges at Adairs and Pillow Talk which range from $40 to $70.

Fellow fans were impressed with her work labelling her new vases “absolutely gorgeous”.

“These look awesome, thanks for the great tip,” one person

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By Dawn J. Larkin, 5 monthsJune 27, 2023 ago

General Article

Eight cheap ways interior designers say you can instantly update your home – how many do you have?

UPDATING your home to match current trends can be pretty pricey.

That’s why one interior designer has shared eight easy ways you can create a modern yet timeless look for less – and there’s no remodelling involved.

Kristen shared eight easy ways you can instantly update your homeCredit: Youtube/KristenMcGowan

The interior designer's tips are perfect if you're on a budget — The interior designer’s tips are perfect if you’re on a budgetCredit: Youtube/KristenMcGowan

Kristen McGowan, from the US, explained you don’t always have to do a lot of work to change the look of your home.

In fact, sometimes you can instantly make your home look more expensive without spending a penny.

Add a lick of paint

It might seem obvious, but a fresh coat of paint can work wonders, Kristen explained.

And it’s not just your walls you can revamp with paint either.

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“You can paint brick, paint tile, paint wood, paint your walls, paint your ceiling, paint your floors.

“You can probably change everything about your space just with paint,” she said.

Update your doors

If your interior doors are looking a little basic, you can update them without actually buying new ones.

The pro suggested creating a brand new look with moulding.

“All you have to do is get some wood moulding and install some detailing onto that door and it’s going to instantly update that door,” she said.

Replace old plug sockets

A lot of homes have dated plug sockets which are an ivory or off white colour.

Kristen said switching these to fresh white ones can instantly brighten your home.

You can do the same thing with light switches too – and they don’t have to cost a fortune either, you can buy new plug sockets from shops like B&Q for less than a fiver.

Add moulding to plain walls

In the

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By Dawn J. Larkin, 5 monthsJune 27, 2023 ago