Follow these top tips on how to use tile spacers effectively.

• Tile spacers come in different sizes – the larger ones are designed for floor tiles and the smaller ones for wall tiles. You can use whichever you like, but it’s better to use small tile spacers and so keep the grout lines narrow if you’re using white or cream grout because it tends to discolour over time, due to things such as shampoo and cooking splashes.
• Sometimes it’s useful to use two sizes of tile spacer if, for example, you’re doing stripes of different colour tiles and they’re not lining up very well on adjoining walls. Switching to larger or smaller tile spacers will help to even up the lines of tiles by altering the size of the grout lines.
• Tile spacers are designed to be left in place while the adhesive and grout set, but this can result in a poor finish because you can sometimes still see the tile spacers after grouting. To avoid this, put them in vertically, so they stick out from the surface of the tiles, and then remove them as the adhesive sets (when the tiles will no longer move). If you’re laying thick tiles, using tile spacers conventionally (horizontally) shouldn’t be a problem, because they shouldn’t be as deep as the tiles and so will be covered by the grout.
• Tile spacers are designed to be used where the corners of four tiles meet, so if, for example, you’ve only got two tiles meeting (as you would along the top of a bath), you’ll need to cut down the tile spacers or use the vertical method described above.
• Another advantage of the vertical method is that most of the tile spacers should be reusable, so you’ll save money the next time you tile. Buy more tile spacers in the first place than you think you’ll need because you don’t want to run out.

DIY news bulletin

B&Q is staging a buy one, get one half price event until November 24 this year. The deal includes all indoor and outdoor lighting (excluding Christmas lights), all 2.5ltr Colours standard-coloured emulsion, all Colours and Colours Collection wallpaper (until October 31), all winter fuel and all winter grit. Find out more at www.diy.com

Want to choose and name a colour? Own A Colour is a new global fundraising initiative that enables you to own a colour in exchange for a donation of at least £1 to international children’s charity Unicef.

A staggering 16.77 million colours are being sold, which is the maximum number of different colours visible on a computer screen.

You simply scroll through the colours and select one you like, or one a friend or loved one will like if you’re giving it as a present. Once you’ve selected a colour, it takes just a few minutes to register and then make a donation.

Own A Colour is powered by Dulux, which has already helped to improve the living environment of people across the world through its Let’s Colour programme. Visit www.ownacolour.com to choose, name and buy your own colour.

Ask the expert…

Q: I need to glue and clamp some things, but I don’t have a workbench. Will I need to invest in one?

A: No, you can buy clamps that don’t have to be attached to a workbench. Try the One-Hand Clamp, £7.99, Clas Ohlson, which couldn’t be easier to use. You get a pack of three clamps and, as the name suggests, you can use them one-handed, thanks to the easy-release button and trigger. They clamp up to 20cm and are a really useful addition to your toolbox.

Seasonal task…

Lots of leaves are falling from the trees at the moment, so check your home’s gutters and clear them out if necessary. It’s a good idea to fit gutter guards, which should stop leaves from getting into them.