Home DIY

You have a share of the company that owns the freehold. There is a difference.

No we don't, we own the freehold as a group (the owners of the flats), and we then appoint a managing agent to administer it.

Am actually interested how the lessee own the freehold.

Doesn't that skim and sand take ages and creates lots of dust?

Wouldn't it be easier just to get a skim done? Or if it is really poor dryline?

Also paint pad :P

I'm the same (and really need to dig out the documents to see how a loft conversion works).

Can guess at both :)

Suspect it is a misunderstanding.

It's a fairly common situation in converted houses. If there are four or fewer flats it can be held in the personal names of the flat owners. No need for a service company.

You can't have a freehold flat (well you can, but you don't want one generally).

Maybe skim with plaster would be quicker if you had the skirting off the room. Can get problems with super thin skims on some friable renders. If the skirting is on you either lose some depth of skirting moulding or have to fix the edges next to the skirting or minimum clean the skirting. Plaster dust aftermath is usually worse than filler.

I have a 225mm long necked sander with a massive dust extractor which is designed to sand pb joints which makes the job easier, they are more popular on the continent where they don't skim plasterboard. You could just use a wet sponge to smooth out the worst of it after it dries, Easy Fill is very good like that or just make a good job of plastering it! Skimming a 8ft 4m wall should take about 30-40 mins or less.

Never been able to use paint pads as they leech the very fine hair into the paint. I've not tried every one on the market but there is a reason why they are not more popular than rollers.

I don't understand why anyone would wallpaper the ceiling!? Whhhhhhhhhy!?

Has anyone here ever either:

A) had parquet flooring installed (if so, what was the approx cost per meter sq?)

B) installed it themselves (how hard is this?)

DIY noob ... any idea what causes these greasy spots? Has the paint been badly mixed?

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How did you prep the surface?

Cheers @Soul, it's a photo from my housemate. Am pretty sure all varnish and paint was sanded off. Am finding out now...

Looks like water based paint. Kitchens are greasy places so you have to be careful with prep. It's why a lot of kitchen painters stick with oil based paint. You can contaminate sand paper with grease so that it just embeds it in the surface. Also check the quality of the primer (it is primed right?), I usually use 2 coats on water based kitchen jobs.

Then you can get very ugly results from water based paint just from the application on flat surfaces so it's best to use a top quality paint base like little green, which is a 3rd generation water based paint and apply it with a brush that's engineered for the job, something like a wooster alpha. In any case, even with perfect conditions, tool, paint and lots of experience it's a pain.

You should probably clean all used kitchen doors with meths or white spirit at the start of the prep.

Existing bathroom is being renovated. No outside facing walls. How effective are the ceiling based extractors and flus? Would mean a five meter trip to the nearest outside facing wall.

Big thanks @Airhead, this is what housemate came back with:

Two coats of Zinser 123 bullseye primer. Applied with a brush. We did exactly the same on the test doors and they were fine. Current guess is maybe when we wrapped the brush with clingfilm between coats. Perhaps clingfilm has some coating that is reacting with the paint??

They are as effective as the work that goes into specifying then installing them, approved document F will point you in the right direction > http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADF_2010.pdf

Great, thanks - so they work as long as they are specc'd in compliance with the regs?

As I understand it an existing bathroom doesn't need to comply whereas a new one would.

My overarching question would be is it worth the pain + expense of fitting a flu when a good cleaning regime and dehumidifier can do as good a job?

can't help but I'm also considering getting parquet flooring so would be interested in answers to those questions. I'm going to Flooring Supplies in edmonton on Sun so I'll report back with any relevant findings

you don't need to comply, it's true.

so it's a cost/benefit exercise, factoring in Mrs Howard's expectations..

Not yet - I'm using it as a catalyst to get a few odd jobs done, so a sparky came over yesterday to price up those jobs and is going to do it all on Thursday. He reckons I've pulled something loose from the junction box, but can't be sure.

I can that tell everyone here is on edge to solve the mystery, so I'll keep you all posted.

@jpb @dan

@Dammit was having a convo with a irregular member about the craft of installing parquet

so it's a cost/benefit exercise, factoring in Mrs Howard's expectations..

Back story is that the builder has suggested fitting an extractor + flu

I'm not sure he's done his homework. I worry that I'd be paying for something that a) I don't need and b) doesn't work.

If it could be shown to me that it will work, I would pay for it. I just don't know the question to ask. Until now. So is the question/s: 'is it designed to meet building regs? can you prove it?'

Doc F has target flow rates for given volumes and duties - fans are sized on meeting that target, plus the pressure drop in the length of ducting, plus other margin factors. So, the right size fan pushing air through a correctly sized and installed duct, with sufficient inlet air via leaky door, will do a very good job of extraction - it's just most tradespeople will say - "bathroom, 4" fan, loop a bit of flexi-duct over the rafters (where it'll sag and become a blockage to efficient flow), external grille, jobs a good un"

Copy that. Brilliant. Thank you!