Other Projects

What is in the Other Projects section?

This is the index for the Selleys how-to guides that do not fit neatly into a room. The rest of the home improvement section is organised by where the job happens — bathroom, kitchen, living areas, outdoors — and these three guides are the ones that sit outside that structure: a product with many unrelated uses, a set of jobs grouped by how daunting they feel, and a repair that happens on the water rather than in a house.

There are three guides here.

12 Uses for Watershield

12 Uses for Watershield collects twelve ways to use Selleys Water Shield, a silicone-based water repellent supplied in an aerosol for repelling water, snow and ice from a wide variety of fabrics.

The guide runs through camping gear, footwear, umbrellas, hats, backpacks, gloves, jackets, ski equipment, outdoor furniture, caravan canopy canvas and canvas tarps. It also carries the product's limitations, which are the reason to read it before spraying anything: Water Shield is not recommended for leather or suede articles, should not be applied to fabric already treated with a water repellent or to waterproof fabrics, and should always be patch tested on an inconspicuous area first to confirm the material is colourfast.

Read this one if you have a tent, a canvas awning or a jacket you want to shed rain better before the season starts.

6 Scary DIY Tasks You Can Do

6 Scary DIY Tasks You Can Do covers six projects that look harder than they are — jobs people tend to put off or pay someone else to do, presented as things you can take on yourself.

It is the guide to start with if you are new to DIY and unsure which jobs are genuinely worth attempting. Several of the tasks it covers have their own step-by-step guides elsewhere in the home improvement section.

How To Seal a Leak in a Boat

How To Seal a Leak in a Boat covers sealing a leak to keep a boat in condition and prevent further damage and costly repairs.

Marine sealing has its own requirements — constant water contact, movement, and substrates that are not the timber and plasterboard most household guides assume — so this is worth reading rather than adapting a general sealing guide. Note that several common household sealants and adhesives carry explicit limits around water immersion: Selleys All Clear, for instance, is not for permanent water immersion, and Aquadhere Exterior is not recommended for below-waterline applications or continuous submersion. Follow the guide's own product recommendations for this job.

Where to look if none of these is what you need

The rest of the home improvement guides are grouped by room and by task. Living areas covers walls, skirting boards, cornices, draughts and a range of timber projects. Caulking and gap fillers cover the two topics that come up most often across every room — what caulk is, where it goes, and which filler suits which gap. Glues and adhesives covers choosing between the adhesive types.

Common questions about this section

Why are these three guides grouped together?

Because they do not belong to a single room. The other home improvement sections are organised by where the work happens; these are not.

What is Selleys Water Shield used for?

Repelling water, snow and ice from a wide variety of fabrics — tents, jackets, hats, backpacks, canvas and similar.

Can I use Water Shield on leather shoes?

No. It is not recommended for leather or suede articles.

Which guide should I read first if I am new to DIY?

6 Scary DIY Tasks You Can Do is aimed at exactly that — jobs that look harder than they are.

Is the boat guide relevant to household sealing?

Only loosely. Marine repairs involve constant water contact and different substrates, and many household sealants carry explicit limits on water immersion. Follow the product recommendations in that guide rather than substituting a general household sealant.

Where do I find guides for a specific room?

The home improvement section is organised by room — living areas, bathroom, kitchen and outdoors — alongside topic sections for caulking, gap fillers and adhesives.