Home DIY

I'm sure that'd work fine too tbf. Never filled on top of cut expanding foam like that before, but I can't see why it wouldn't work, although I'd be worried that it'd dent if knocked.

That would be the best of what our electricians left!

If it cheers you up any, this is the absolute pisstake by the loft convertor's plasterer. Yes, that sensor is functional, powered up and part of our alarm system.

Soon as the parquet flooring is done and fireplace cleaned in the front room, this for my hallway floor. I’ll be laying marine ply first. The skirting boards will stay on as it’s all a good fit for the pattern and tile sizes

A ton of jobs before that goes down though including stripping walls, timber wall panelling, radiator casing, chase electrics, recess light switch, Hat shelf with coat hooks.

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👍 I have expanding foam and not plasterboard so seems sensible. Will order the Toupret

Painted the bathroom this weekend - the entire room was white and felt it needed something a bit warmer. Used limewash paint again, which is quite fun to paint with - the awkward angles made it a bit challenging but happy with it. I’m wondering if I need to use something to seal it to protect against condensation?

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Looks great @Tenderloin, nice warm colour to the walls. I can’t advise about limewash paint though.

This forum is the best. Thanks @brokenbetty unfortunately that has indeed made me feel better!

My expectations were perhaps too high. Chalk it up to experience and now I get to learn a new skill only mending and replacing floorboards. (Bonus: next time a trade comes to do work I can insist on doing the reinstatement myself)

I'll get back to you when they've finished the full job... I'm expecting the kitchen walls to be hideous but in fairness I have told them a subsequent re-tile of the walls will be following in a separate contract.

In other tenement nerdery matters, anyone got a clue what's in this mystery services riser? Cables are new (hob and hood isolation going to an adjacent cupboard). Left side looks to be legacy lead pipe from the low pressure central heating (the heat exchanger cylinders used to live in aforementioned cupboard). But what's the one on the right, which seems to run floor-to-ceiling and thus into the flats above and below, without feeding anything in my flat? Some kind of overflow from a water tank in the roof space perhaps?

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That's pretty much my approach although it helps when you cut a piece of plasterboard out of a wall to keep it for the cover up, then you can use a batten behind the plasterboard and screw the piece you cut out to it. If you use a hole saw then its really easy. Sometimes you need plasterboard tape for the edges, there are some finer scrims available. I have started painting all these repairs with Gardz from Zinsser, just ensures that you will get a good paint finish.

I wouldn't touch the expanding foam with a barge pole. One of the least forgiving methods and it can expand in walls creating all kinds of problems.

Problem with those is you can't open them to move them without knowing the alarm code because they are tamper proof.

But we know the code and if they’d just asked us to move it we could have done it. Grrrr.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the use of MDPE under floorboards on the ground/basement level. Need to run a new mains water source to the flat above us. Cost effective solution would seem to be a 25mm mdpe pipe. There's a decent (foot or so) of void so it wouldn't be sat on the floor - but mice chewing risk is a concern.

hmmm ok if I screw plasterboard into the place where a light switch or light fitting has been what would I fix it to to get it close to flush?

Fix batten behind the wall, fix plasterboard to the batten, tape and then fill?

I would have thought you would be fine with MDPE, it is pretty tough stuff, if you are worried for whatever reason, you could put the MDPE inside some ducting for protection, added benefit is that other things could be then pushed through the ducting.

Crude drawing here. You could use 2 battens - one on either side if you prefer.

The unplastered board should sit below the finished plaster surface provided it's the same thickness board.

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Yeah that’s what I was thinking. Would mean needing to buy some plasterboard - unless anyone near E17 has some spare

It's built into an "alcove"

Ah, I think that was what I was missing. So it's bolted to 3 walls rather than 2?

Wood would be fine as long as you seal it with PVA to stop it drawing moisture from the filler. Although it may crack the filler as it shrinks/moves over time.

On a similar note (not aimed at you in particular @brokenbetty), there are a bunch of these in my flat - all painted over. Is there any easy way to tell if they're still live so I can remove them? Or do I just have to treat them as if they're live and turn off at the consumer unit then remove and make the cable ends loop?

Or just paint over them again in the new colour that we're doing...

Would mean needing to buy some plasterboard

Had exactly the same issue when I put in two pendent lights. Buying a whole board for a 3" hole seemed excessive. On the way to the hospital I saw a house refurb with a load of plaster in the skip, so nabbed some of that.

My suggestion would be;
1) go for a ride at lunchtime. There must be tonnes of people having work around you.
2) go to a wickes / similar and ask if they've got any spare broken bits.

yeah that's what i thought - but my partner made the valid point of 'what if' so why not just run it in copper. it would be an awkward run and more pricey in materials and labour for a plumber...eurgh

My suggestion would be;
1) go for a ride at lunchtime. There must be tonnes of people having work around you.
2) go to a wickes / similar and ask if they've got any spare broken bits.

Ha, for some reason I thought it was a bit silly to suggest going hunting for a skip, but it is probably a reasonable option (and what I'd do if it hadn't been raining in the last couple days). Most builders merchants will have damaged sheets. I think I got a quarter sheet for a couple of quid from B and Q last time I needed a bit for a repair

Well I have around 10km of MDPE all around our farms, never had it fail, and there is plenty running through barns which def have rats in and loads just buried in the ground with no protection, has never failed, the only thing I have had fail is some of the joints, but given the flexibility of MDPE you need much less joints than if you do it in copper.

Yep - problem is I'm in isolation :'(