Home DIY

Second lynx there. More trouble than it's worth to try and find a face plate. Highly unlikely to be sold as a spare. You might get lucky if it's a big brand and the face plates were always sold separately.

What are you not hip with the new trends?

It should be bluetooth too, I have a bluetooth electric toothbrush. The bluetooth bit doesn't do anything interesting. Bit pointless and a gimmick.

Times I've looked at replacing faceplates, replacement sockets were easier and the same price or cheaper.

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They just clip over right?
I have two of them knocking about my house matching the switches missing the silver plate.

I've had bigger things on my plate the last few months...

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just get some mortar and it should be fine

This is where I'm a bit wary - previous builders have mixed and matched modern with old materials willy nilly, and there are problems everywhere with damp because of it.

And although this is on an internal wall, it is an internal wall where damp exists, and I don't want to exacerbate it.

I may end up stripping of the top layer of gypsum plaster (which looks like it may come off in one piece) and giving it a finishing coat of lime plaster.

Which means, I guess, I just need to fill the hole with lime plaster & hair mix, then finish with a rough skim coat.

I doubt that your damp problem is caused by the mixing of different materials.
There could be many different reasons for it.
But that is not one I've heard of.

In at least one place it is -rather, it's a combination of factors, one which is mixed materials - cement render over lime render, sitting on a base where water sits (because the path was laid with waterproof adhesive over concrete), so water wicks up, then bridges the join between a modern cavity wall and solid old wall, hits old plaster again, and blows out the new more waterproof plaster laid over the top.

It's going to be fun fixing this lot.

In other news, I'm going to have a go at installing a lead flashing apron later.

The only way to 'fix' this is hack off all the newer stuff, let the lime dry out and then re lime.

Not sure where else I could post this.

I have a length of a beer barrel, that is heavily charred. I've matt varnished it so in no longer smells. I'm looking to mount in either directly to the wall or via a mount/ frame.

Suggestions on how best to go about this would be very welcome!!

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If it’s a potentially damp wall, then don’t fill with bonding plaster as it’s very hygroscopic. Use a cement mortar mix which will probably be fine, or add a little damp proofing agent if it really has an ongoing damp problem. Build it up in layers if it’s over say 30mm deep, and leave the top to be finished with finishing plaster.

That sounds like good advice.

Talk me thru this please.

It looks nice.

Shower Update 28795439421346:

New shower was installed the other week and still working well.

Fin.

8mm hole in the end of the dowel, M6 threaded insert, double ended metal to wood screw, into wall plug. Make sure to drill and cut reeeeeally straight. Will take some progress shots for the next ones

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sparky wanted for a quick job today or tomorrow morning...! Get in touch please!

So the dude that used to live here was a bodger and a butcher. In a bid to finish painting the lounge white / rid the house of his favourite Millwall blue and a 90's yellow, I'm taking to the door frame and surround to strip them of the 7 coats of water based / oil based and stain that are there. Who the fuck paints a door and surround blue anyway?!? What a soulless job stripping is even with a stripper with the good old cancer / birth defect causing dichloromethane in it. Anyone know of a door stripper in the South East that does a good job because I'm not going to start on the door!

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If you have a lot of stripping to do then you could invest in a Speedheater Cobra (Swedish version not US). It's been discussed at length in this thread and I think I'm right in saying that everyone who has taken the plunge got the job done with minimum hassle. There is also a Makita tool which strips large flat surfaces of paint making it useful for doors, but it's a pretty lethal tool.

I don't know anyone in London stripping them, the DIY method was a caustic soda bath which you can make with a ground sheets and bricks in the back garden, it has it's own problems though.

Don't get it dipped. The chemicals are harsh and penetrate deep. It's always removes the glue used in construction of the door and it eventually starts warping and gaps form.
And result will be it won't fit/close properly and will need constant fettling

I got a 'speed-stripper 400' which looks less powerful but was only £50 and took a lot of the pain/mess/fumes/swearing out of stripping fixed woodwork. Still takes ages though, ugh.

There used to be a door stripper in Leytonstone, near the A12 end, this was a while back though.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Will persevere with the stripper, some heat and sanding. I'm just at that "fuck this is taking a very long time and is it really worth it" phase.

I have a Stanley Fatmax toolbox with drawer going free to a good home if anyone wants it. Collect Deptford borders. PM me if you're interested.

Just bled a radiator - How do I return the pressure to this combo? Ta

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