Home DIY

Right, got it.

but i would never ever make a cack-handed error like that. not me.

i guess that's what the stop collar is for! clumsy idiots, basically.

We used nitromors to do a bunch of beams that had been painted black. Worked really well. Laborious and at times, painful. I got some on my forehead by accident.

That's why I like it, it's idiot resistant.

Used my knock-off speed heater today to strip the front door step. Once I got the technique down (Surprising amount of pressure with a scraper) it was pretty easy. I’m repainting so didn’t bother getting every last bit off but I reckon a bit of nitromors would have finished it off nicely with a lot less mess than usual.

The toilet paper, good tip.

There was no water outside, from any overflow.
Pressurised hot water? Like a boiler?
No leakage there.

No water on kitchen floor, which is where the pipe work runs through before shooting upstairs.

Fuck a duck, wooden bath panels are really difficult, that was a looooong shift.

You’ll need to double check so if you’ve got an external stop tap After the meter shut it off and see if the meter is spinning. If so will suggest there’s a leak on the comm pipe which Thames will have tonfix

Used my knock-off speed heater today to strip the front door step.

Is this an IR one? Tell me more.

I like the Airhead Recommended one but it is a bit spendy...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123727913893

This lad. Could do with an on/off switch, a longer lead and a stand to hold it over the work but for £30 it’s great!

I have a question concerning flaking paint (please see pictures). The flat was newly painted last year when we moved in but overall it's a shoddy job and we will repaint everything in the future . I am fairly sure it's happening due to the drain pipe alongside the exterior wall. There are no other problems on the wall or in the room in question.

So, my question is how do I go about fixing it in the most effective way given that my wife is 6 months pregnant and I wouldn't want to cause major disruption if possible.

Thanks so much for your help!

Any thoughts on repairing a leaking panel on my front door? I was looking at Repair Care as it is flexible but it is also spendy.

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Sub £100 cordless drill driver recommendations please!
My shitty cheap one had done me proud for 10 years but has finally given up

You could use some frame sealant. Would probably last 1 or 2 winters. If there's no more significant rot on the beading you could sand back a little there and pipe a bead of sealant around the panel, prime and paint it if you want it to last longer/look better.

Car body filler or the equivalent decorating version was the usual fix until repair care came along. It's not flexible and needs to bond properly to the surrounding wood so wood hardener on any rot in the area before using it.

It's not an easy job to get it looking right when you've finished. If you leave it the panel and door frame will rot so that you will have enough of a job to call in a professional!

Very difficult to fix without properly addressing the exterior problem but there are damp resisting products you can paint on the plaster to stop the damp from penetrating through to the emulsion. It usually has a very high VOC content so you might need to plan around a time when your wife and baby are outdoors and keep the room well ventilated. Then emulsions on top.

Or curtains :)

Thanks so much for the reply. I have been looking into damp resisting products but wasn’t sure whether that would be enough. How would I address the exterior problem? I can’t see any humidity on the brick wall?

The curtain solution will be my backup;)

Not quite sub £100
https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dcd778d2t-gb-18v-2-0ah-li-ion-xr-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/268fx

https://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-06019h1170-18v-2-0ah-li-ion-coolpack-cordless-combi-drill/714fv

My pick, but doesn’t seem to be in stock anywhere. But if you’re lucky you might get one:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-dhp459sme-18v-4-0ah-li-ion-lxt-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/5677v

This is £100, they seem decent from the ones I’ve seen, but slightly suspicious of the non-metal gearing.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-ecd18-li-2-18v-4-0ah-li-ion-ext-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/265fv

Or this with another decent battery and a free speaker. The erbauer cordless kit is pretty decent for the money, so having a couple batteries is no bad thing if you reckon you might need a jigsaw or something in the future.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-ecd18-li-2-18v-4-0ah-li-ion-ext-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/609fv

It's a nightmare to try and fix these kinds of problems by addressing the cause. Usually you need to observe the exterior during heavy rain at least to see what's happening.

It could be as simple as an overflowing gutter caused by a blockage at the junction with the downpipe but it could be any number of other problems that are difficult to spot and even when you have addressed them it could take months before you know that the interior dampness has been reduced.

Thanks! I think I used the epoxy wood filler when I painted it a couple of years ago and it’s clearly cracked. If frame sealant is only going to last a couple of years maybe it would be worth me shelling out for the repair care after all.

If you do your own work on this kind of thing and plan on doing it for a while the Dryflex kit is worthwhile over a few repairs. The dry flex also keeps well in the tube so you can use it for a number of small jobs and over a period of time.

It's a no brainer for me to have the kit and I use it all summer long on rotten window cills and doors, it still seems expensive but it's so much easier and quicker to get good results.

I used 2 tubes on a 3 day job recently (listed property and the rear doors were in very bad shape). It cost me £57 per tube because I wanted it in a hurry. My normal supplier is Sealants Online, they have the trial pack for £132.

Timbabuild starter kit is around the same money but the tubes are cheaper individually. I have both systems but the Dryflex is better for all the things, I use Timbabuild in some situations but I wouldn't recommend it alone.

You might get away with using Dryflex SF which is the surface finisher that only needs a heavy duty contractors gun to work with. It seems to be the same stuff as Dryflex when I've used it.

Brilliant. Thanks for the advice. I’ll check out Sealants Online.

Thanks. I'll risk a punt on that.

Deffo interested in this, a lot more in line with my budget!

Amazing, thanks! Dewalt one looks a good deal

Everything that airhead says is good advice but I'd be concerned that you may have a couple more issues than just the panel.

In the photo below I have highlighted, in red, what looks to be rot at the bottom of the door where the rail and style meet. Also highlighted in blue is some bubbling of paint along this joint (this could be natural movement but given the rot at the bottom it could be spreading) as well as the swollen area highlighted in purple it all paints a worrying picture that the tenon that holds that corner of the door together could be rotting or worse.

Out of curiosity has the door started to stick recently? The margin at the bottom looks very tight, this CAN be an issue as water that gets past the rebate at the base of the frame can sit against the door and "wick" up it causing all sorts of issues. These issues can be fixed but it's a delicate "surgery". The best way to find out is to put a mirror on the floor under the door when it's open and to check for signs of rot. If you see anything give it a poke to see how soft it is. Also check the end of the tenon to see if that's spongy.

As far as the panel goes I'd be tempted to replace it. There will already be rot along the bottom edge of it that could well have penetrated up the panel and may cause issues with the rail on the bottom. By putting timbabuild or repair care on it you are dealing in moisture when it needs to dry! Replacing the panel will not be easy but it is doable.

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