Home DIY

Gluey paper. On plaster work in good condition

I usually repeatedly soak with a sponge. Steam can upset old plaster if you overdo it. I'd maybe try a blunt scraper when soft, or a large/blunt blade screwdriver.

I just used a blade for that kind of stuff

yeah, soak with warm water (I often use fabric softener with my water, not sure if it makes any difference but it smells nice) and you should be able to scrape it off with a blade of some sort.

6in blade on a T bar would be the pro choice.

Against the picture rail I imagined that might be a bit 'clunky' but this was my weapon of choice.

Have 3 in E11 your're welcome to borrow @Mishk

You can use them gently but they can be a bit vicious. Mostly it's just the amount of pressure it takes to get them going. If you get the angle right they'll slice smaller amounts off.

An alternative would be a smaller tungsten blade on a handle, or a normal scraper (looks like a filler knife but the blade is stiffer).

Sprung mattress base, has anyone ever stripped one back? What's in there? Could it be a useable frame?

Now in week three of kitchen project.

Omfg do not buy into the ikea kitchen metod system with the rails unless you live in a perfect square, straight and plumb box.
There isn't any adjustment in it, makes interesting corners into 10+ hour fights to the death*

• I did not survive, the corner won.
  

You know what makes Tuesday awesome...?
a cracked soil pipe and my own shit and piss all over the bathroom floor and kitchen ceiling.

Awesome.

Pics please.

Not for any constructive reason, we just want to giggle at your horrendous misfortune.

Shit on your ceiling!? Way to go!!!

Asbestos testing

Our survey flagged that there was a possibility of asbestos on our dining room ceiling and we should have it checked before carrying out work.

Our hall, staircase and landings have artex which from what I've read, may have asbestos - although these areas weren't flagged in our survey.

We want to remove/cover the artex in the common areas. We are not sure about the long term plans for the dinning room, so are happy to leave that ceiling alone for now.

Before we do anything to the artex ceilings in the common area it seems sensible to test for asbestos, in which case we may as well do the dinning room.

I quickly looked online and there seemed to be the possibility to test for asbestos yourself and send the samples off (c.£40-80 from memory). This is obvs a lot cheaper than getting someone in (+£400).

What are peoples thoughts?

Has anyone tested for asbestos themselves?

(expect lots of questions about covering artex soon)

Surveyors will say there's asbestos in anything to cover their backs. Yes it's dangerous in large amounts if disturbed, but if you're just planning on ditching the artex then you may as well not disturb it.

Therefore just board over it > plaster skim > paint > job done.

(edit - disclaimer... i take no responsibility for future health damage etc! ;) )

Cheers, I thought as much.

The thing that's odd is that they didn't mention the artex in the common areas.

How feasible is

just board over it > plaster skim > paint

for an amateur DIY'er with only one reluctant partner to assist?

Boarding a ceiling is easy enough with an assistant. If you have access to the room above then it's a quicker way to find out where the joists are.

I'd never attempt actual plaster skimming though, that's a specialist job. You can go down the 'board and fill' route as a DIYer, but this is so messy and time-consuming (sanding a ceiling is basically the worst job ever) that I'd advise against it.

Most SE plasterers would charge £150-£300 per room to skim the ceiling I'd have thought.

When we redid our kitchen we had two layers of flooring tested, cheap 80s vinyl roll flooring and the square tiles that it was laid over. We assumed the square tiles would be the guilty party but it turned out otherwise, the much newer roll flooring had asbestos. We did a send away test. Remediation turned out to be a breeze due to connections with a variety of contractors through my local coffee shop/bar and cost us about 1/5 the price it should have.
The tiles ended up being salvageable after sanding them with 40/80/120 grit using a random orbital (never again) and 6 coats of Forbo.

Artex hasn't contained Asbestos in years, so check the age of the installation.

Why is this so cheap:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb350vac-1300w-16ltr-wet-dry-vacuum-cleaner-240v/36516

Is it shit?

Not according to 400 reviewers

I picked up this one a few days ago, which seemed pretty cheap for a well reviewed Bosch
http://www.tesco.com/direct/bosch-bgl3b110gb-all-floor-cylinder-vacuum/221-4555.prd

The great thing about Screwfix is if it turns out to be rubbish there's rarely a qibble in returning stuff. I believe Titan is their own brand because I don't see it elsewhere, I've got a couple of tools where I couldn't justify proper Festool/Milwaukee/etc investment and I've been impressed. The Titan micro circular saw has been getting a good workout on our floorboards this week after I got sick of blunting expensive multitool saw bits.

Any ideas about where to buy cheap pocket door track like below? It's not actually to hang a door from, but rather wet clothes, so shouldn't need to take quite as much weight. Cost is the thing, don't want to spend loads on this project.

My builders have a load of Titan stuff as well as the 'proper' brands. I have their wet & dry shop vac and it's excellent. And can blow dry a bike after you jet wash it.

Wash it?

Don't understand.

http://www.sdslondon.co.uk/sds-economy-40-sliding-door-gear-kit/sds-standard-40-fittings-and-track-1650-mm.html?gclid=CjwKEAjwnebABRCjpvr13dHL8DsSJABB-ILJU3u4lmKcR-1iy4-KFFJ6vHfvgXBnIpSi5LVSYpLL8hoCGNzw_wcB