Home DIY

I've been a big fan of Spax for the last 10-12 years, they've lasted well outdoors in our fairly extreme climate (no idea how well they'd do close to the sea though). Stay away from creosote infused timbers.

Stay away from creosote infused timbers.

Yep, hence 'rail sleepers'. The true old railway sleepers were treated liberally with creosote and the contents of the straight-through flush system.

Ha,
had I consulted the catalogue first, (which I now have),
those TIMco In-Dex are a few pages on.

@Ottomanotter thanks for that mate, I have emailed. Will keep you posted.

My upstairs neighbour who I share the garden with did it with the long bolt headed screws that he just drove into the wood with a percussion screwdriver. I'm not a fan of that type of carpentry as I'm a pilot hole and countersink guy (if there's a need for a screw, which is rare in my work). It worked in terms of keeping the sleepers tied together and the heads all sunk below the surface so I guess it's a valid method.

Another thing he did was line the sleepers with slate to help with the moisture retention and stop any creosote from leeching into the beds. I don't really like that kind of raised bed but it's just a question of personal taste.

Have come home to find someone has used oil-based wood primer as a mist coat on bare plaster. Great.

Any advice on the best way to remedy / how long to leave it before we try?

Which one? Zinnser stain seal drys in an hour.

Dulux trade primer

Ouch, 8 hours drying time. It’s not the end of the world, it used to be quite common to use oil based paint, mostly eggshell, on walls. You should be able to paint emulsion on top, might just take an extra coat to get a normal sheen level for whichever paint you’re using. I’ve never come across an issue created by an oil based primer on plaster but clearly it doesn’t allow moisture to permeate in the same way as emulsion.

Exactly. Will see what tomorrow brings.

My upstairs neighbour who I share the garden with did it with the long bolt headed screws that he just drove into the wood with a percussion screwdriver.

Did he leave the heads sticking out on the surface? It's dead easy to counterbore a hole with a spade bit (13mm I think) that will take the flange and head of those bolts and the required socket will fit in as well, so you can hide them nicely under the surface. I misapplied a couple of those screws putting up my fence and when I moved them I simply cut a plug from a piece of scrap and tapped it flush into the hole to hide it. If you were feeling fancy you could do that with every counterbored hole.

I've seen raised beds lined with DPC to moisture-protect the wood. Obviously the bottom is left open, usually with a layer of rubble covered with a permeable membrane to stop the soil sinking into it and to allow drainage. That's my plan for when I get round to making raised beds in our garden.

You know someone who has got you covered for the geo-textile, genuine Terram!.

He just drove them in below the surface with a percussion driver. Harder work for the operator but achieves the aim of getting them out of the way!

Got a heating question on behalf of my sister. Her house doesn't have gas, only electric. She needs new heating in her house and is torn between underfloor heating and electric wall heaters.
Her floor isn't solid, so presumably that rules out tiles. Can underfloor heating work effectively with engineered wood?
Are there any good electric wall heaters in existence? In my experience they're all pretty inefficient and ugly.
Any and all advice would be valued; she needs to make a decision sharpish because a new kitchen's going in and her husband is driving her mad with indecisiveness.

Engineered flooring will require the electric heating element to be laid within screed - which can be done on a joisted floor, but it has to be a good floor, ply covered.
This is the only way I've been involved with it, doesn't mean it's the only way to do it.

Can anyone recommend some sort of wall soundproofing panels that would cut out the general sounds (screaming kid/domestic rows/tv etc) that I get from the next door neighbours ?
Its a 2 way thing thing I suppose as I'm sure they will benefit as well.

Its not a large area 6ft x 8ft max.

It's complicated to plan, so difficult to advise over the internet but basic solution is extra sheet of plasterboard, maybe 2 at 16mm. Complicated solutions involve decoupling as much as possible a second acoustic wall from the original wall with an air gap and dense material, care needs to be taken with the joint around the new wall and existing floor/ceiling/walls to ensure it doesn't have vibration transmitting into it.

Basic plasterboard is a soundproofing panel though, all acoustic solutions require weight of material/density to work, decoupling is secondary but important.

Any recommendations for bathroom suite suppliers? We are swimming in brochures but the RRPs seem to be far more than can be bought online, for the stuff I can find.

Is there no way of getting gas in? We don't have mains gas here, but have a LPG tank underground, can also have them overground as well.

If not, I was told that electric underfloor heating is expensive to install and expensive to run, unless it can be paired with some sort of renewable energy source, at the minimum an air source heat pump, but better solar or ground source heat pump. Again depends if she is in a flat etc.

Thanks for that.
I'm looking at all the various solutions and it is getting complicated but you seem to have covered the important basics.

Need to replace a failed Y-splitter for the washing machine/coffee machine.

Anyone know what's best? Is there a go-to brand of SHIT HOT™ plumbing fittings?

ie. does Chris King do pipes?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=washing+machine+pipe+splitter&dcr=0&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjz8cquktLWAhWiBsAKHbn-B7wQ_AUICigB&biw=1899&bih=1036

https://www.amazon.co.uk/washing-connector-recommended-LP-Supplies/dp/B01NHEUE6R/

Seems like a simple part to have failed.

There probably are better brands vs some of the crap out there but you usually know when you have it in your hand. Quality of castings, threads etc.

Plumbers generally have a way of making even the poor quality stuff watertight though so the market can sustain relatively low quality fittings. Especially since a lot of tradesmen will cut corners on these kind of items.

I just grabbed a plastic replacement from nearby shop. That and some PTFE tape should see me right. I've not pulled the current one apart so I don't know if it's the Y-piece, the o-ring or the threaded join that's failed. I will sacrifice the current part tonight.

Likewise, I'm after a shower tray and enclosure. Any recommendations welcome.

I need a light switch and a socket moved. Anyone got a tame electrician somewhere near SE6?