Home DIY

Looks like solvent welded pipe? If the joint that came loose was solvent welded you must have hit it pretty hard. Maybe it was supposed to be solvent but was just pushed in. If that's the case then it's been a problem waiting to happen for a while.

I'm no plumber but have been DIY pipe wrestling over the past few days. If it was mine I would want to get full access for the repair so I could be convinced it was watertight. I say this having just repaired a basin that started leaking in multiple places that were hard to get to.

I think I'd cut a massive hole in the backboard to the right of the bottom hole. Fix the pipe then put a new bit of backboard over the new hole overlapping the edges. Then fill the cupboard with normal under sink things and don't look at it

Then fill the cupboard with normal under sink things and don't look at it

Bingo

Based on the other bits and bobs I've found in this flat, I would not be surprised if it was never properly fixed before. Sigh. Time to make a mess.

If it makes you feel better, a few years ago I discovered a slow leak from under a sink that had reduced the timber vanity pedestal to green slime.

Think of it as an improvement and hedging against future Real Problems (like your floorboards rotting away)

Like others have said, best to make a big hole and then make a nice panel to cover it afterwards.

Fernox LS-X has made up for my shoddy plumbing in the past

https://www.screwfix.com/p/fernox-ls-x-leak-sealer-50ml/23614

Cheers everybody. Gonna drill some holes in the backboard tonight and see what it looks like behind there

Something to withstand anti-coaster behaviour. My go to is usually Osmo Polyx, but would like something a little more durable for this.

Bit late, but my choice for kitchens, bar tops etc is matt Fiddes Clear Glaze. Don't buy a big can unless you'll use it all, it doesn't last forever once open. Polyurethane so hardwearing, but solvent based so soaks in like like Osmo. Best bit is no wiping down like Osmo, just foam roller it on and leave.

Dredging up floor chat again. I ended up removing all the carpet and the floor isn't too bad, I need to replace a few boards but I kind of expected that.

Does anyone recommend filling, or using something else to fill the gaps between floorboards? I wasn't thinking filler but more something of those 'V' shaped strips that fill the gap.

I'd definitely opt for those long slivers/wedges over some kind of filler. Bona do acrylic fillers that come in a range of colours to match different woods. They remain flexible so while that's good for allowing movement, in any large cracks they'll be liable to damage. And any filler that sets hard will crack and fall out in big gaps. I used the Bona stuff on the very minor gaps I had ( < 1mm) and although I didn't get the colour spot on, I was happy with the results.

I'd definitely opt for those long slivers/wedges over some kind of filler

That's what I was thinking, any recommendations on what to buy?

Awesome as ever. Thanks.

I imagine we will go with the 'letting it dry out' for a while. Many other annoying projects on the go. Will use the time to consider whether having a go myself will be worth it. (probably not...)

Ideally, you'd use wood as similar as possible to what's there already. Which would seem difficult when ordering online. I've never bought any, and would probably opt for doing them myself on a tablesaw. Not much help, sorry.

Each room I did myself cost less than £300 including hire (A Bona or Lägler) and sanding sheets, and probably the oils too.

I didn't do anywhere near as good a job as the pros, but whether the extra quality and lack of faff is worth c£400 is worth thinking about.

Paging @nefarious and @tbc
I still can't get a quote from anyone for sanding my floor so I'm thinking again about doing it myself, else I may be without a kitchen this side of 2021.

If I build the kitchen cabinets first and then sand the floors, am I going to wish I did it the other way around? The plan is to use Osmo oil and proceed as follows:

• Apply oil to boards that will be under new cabinets
  
• Build new cabinets
  
• Install worktops and upstands
  
• Finish plumbing in washing machine
  
• Electrician to do second fix of sockets
  
  

~~ I will at this point have a functioning kitchen ~~

• Repair floors in areas that have been bodged
  
• Sand floors
  
• Oil floors
  
• Repeat sanding and oiling for hallway (also has new bodged boards)
  
  

At some point I also need to get the tiler to come in and tile the walls above the worktops.

The benefit of this approach is supposed to be that I get a kitchen back (the flat is really hard to live in at the moment) and I can take my sweet time doing the floor repairs.

Another benefit is I can consider getting an engineered floor or tiled floor installed, using the existing boards as a subfloor, albeit up to the base unit plinths rather than under them, as an alternative to repairing and sanding/oiling the boards. I can see a benefit to this approach and I would do it now, but I can't get any quotes for anything.

Basically I am losing my mind a bit after a month without a kitchen, no space in the rest of the flat, working from home, no contractors able to give quotes for joinery or floor work. Just trying to figure a way to move forward.

While I'm on the subject, my current pet peeve is tradespeople who volunteer to offer an opinion or a quote or whatever and say they'll call to discuss within a few hours, then reschedule for the next day, then drop off the radar entirely and ignore all calls and texts. If you can't do something, don't offer to do it FFS, or at least send me a one-liner saying you're super busy so can't fit it in. I spend lots of time trying to figure out who's got the expertise to help and then they are super positive and then they engage ghost mode, whyyyyyyyy.

I'm no pro but from my experience of renovating my house I would say it's always going to be better and easier to do it with an empty room (no cabinets). You can do the whole process of sanding and finishing in a weekend. So if you feasibly can I would do the floor first with the most amount of space available.

Quoting myself from 9 days ago:

I've got someone lined up who has some experience giving second opinions in disputes

Turns out I don't have someone lined up; they've dropped off the radar. Real helpful.

TBH I'm not even sure how much sanding the floor will need. I've texted my mate who's a joiner who's installed a lot of new pine flooring to ask what he does. I've got a suspicion that he didn't bother getting a floor sander in but I'll let you know what he says. I did my floor with a belt sander and I hired an edge sander, but it was in a narrow hallway where using a big floor sander wasn't practical at all. I also did a little bit of very light sanding in between coats with a random orbit sander once the oil had settled after a few days - although I'm not sure it was necessary.

Personally I'd:
1) Get all visible areas fixed. Fixing bits after they've been oiled may give you more work to try and get the finish even. Also, you're most likely to create more damage when fixing stuff than when sanding or finishing, so I'd want all that kind of work out the way before sanding.
I'm only taking about repairs to the actual wood as well, adding trim and scotia can obviously wait until you've oiled the lot.

2) Sand the whole floor. Sanding around cabinets/beside any edge is a pain. Also you'll end up with an uneven finish, which you'll curse if the kitchen ever changes layout and reveals an unevenly sanded floor. This is also an argument for doing all the oiling evenly, although it's less of an issue.

3) Oil the whole floor once and leave it for a few days, then you can install cabinets etc and then do further coats of Polyx on the floor that remains. I'd definitely want all the boards sealed with finish before covering any.

I'm not even sure how much sanding the floor will need.

Agreed. I'm not planning to go to town on it, mostly just to make it a bit smoother and more clean.

If I am doing a light touch I may be able to get away with just using an edge sander everywhere... maybe? (Avoids the heavy, difficult-to-use, easy-to-screw-up-floors belt sander)

I've texted my mate who's a joiner who's installed a lot of new pine flooring to ask what he does. I've got a suspicion that he didn't bother getting a floor sander in but I'll let you know what he says.

That would be incredibly useful, thank you.

1) Get all visible areas fixed

I should probably sketch out how I plan to do this and post it here for feedback. I was going to do this but didn't get around to it yet.

The really difficult bit will be at the door frames.

If I am doing a light touch I may be able to get away with just using an edge sander everywhere...

Sadly not, edge sanders are rotary (spinning disc) and to sand wood properly, you only want the sandpaper be be moving with the grain (moving up and down the boards). It's really easy to leave sanding marks with rotary sanders. And they'll show up when you apply oil even if you couldn't see them. It'd also take forever. If you're worried about using a big floor sander (although people seem to manage them fine), using a belt sander isn't the end of the world. Although you will be on your hands and knees the whole time, and it'll take longer.

As for the bits around the doorframes, I really think you'd get away with using some slim trim or scotia. You can always fill the gap with something as well. If you do a sample of the same wood and do a couple coats of Polyx, you'll be able to pick up a Bona filler that will colour match pretty well, which will go a long way to hiding it. I reckon it'll be pretty tricky to fill gaps with pieces of wood as they'll be hard to attach and keep in place.

Sadly not

Ok.

using a belt sander isn't the end of the world

Good to know!

As for the bits around the doorframes, I really think you'd get away with using some slim trim or scotia.

I can't get my head around how this will work, given the variation in gaps, variation in shape of door frames, and that some of the gaps go under the doors themselves.

You can always fill the gap with something as well. If you do a sample of the same wood and do a couple coats of Polyx, you'll be able to pick up a Bona filler that will colour match pretty well

Probably the most feasible option.

Every time I think about doing this I frankly come close to crying, and in fact have done so, it's just such a shit situation because I'd be happy to pay someone to do it, but following that route has just wasted weeks without getting any progress. Last time I felt like I was up against it for time was actually the start of this whole debacle, so I'm wary of doing the same thing again.

If you can get some photos of all the gaps around the door frames I'll see if I can explain,

Ideal. Here's one location.

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