Home DIY

Is there a tape / paper / compound I can put on a plumbing join to see if it’s leaking over time? Any liquid water seems to evaporate before I can see or feel it. I’m guessing there’s something that’ll change colour (and stay that colour) if it gets wet...

If there isn't, I would try boggo poundland masking tape as I would guess that it would either stain or come loose if damp.

A plumber that came round said to just wrap a bit of tissue paper round it, if it's somewhere you can see/check easily. It's more obvious if the tissue gets wet. Actually thinking about it coloured craft tissue / crepe paper shows watermarks readily.

Yeah, I've heard the tissue paper thing but it's a rad valve so tissue paper would dry immediately from the heat of the rad / pipe. Need something that changes colour then stays that colour, like....

bingo

Could I get an ID on the lampshade pls?

It's the Louis Poulsen Wohlert in the 350mm size
https://www.louispoulsen.com/en-gb/catalog/professional/decorative-lighting/pendants/wohlert-b0dc4813?v=90154-5741086993-01&t=about&t=data&t=spareparts

Thanks...and so what’s out there which looks similar, but at a tenth of the price? 😭

is it touch to wet? you'll usually see the piping change colour, otherwise pour some perfume/aftershave into the system.

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Fixed the tumble dryer.

A few small plastic clips snapped in the process, but it was extremely simple following this guide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FUlN1Mg_0s

Thought I'd clean it as best I could while the sides were off. That was awkward AF.

Amazing being able to do loads back-to-back. Our washing basket is basically empty for the first time since before Xmas. Should have got a before picture, but imagine the basket overflowing.

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My only advice now to all new parents is get the biggest and quietest washing machine and tumble dryer you can. 10kg minimum. Spend as much as you can afford.

SO MUCH WASHING

Legend - good effort getting it fixed.

This.

She's only 5 months but it seems like our washing has tripled already.

Agreed. Only after my third child recently we decided to get a tumble dryer. Best thing of 2020 to happen.

Then again we were in rented accommodation before buying

Agreed. With no tumble dryer it feels like only being able to dry one load of washing a day just isn't enough to keep up with demand.

Cheers.

We sold our tumble dryer at about the same time as having a baby (it was one we'd bought off the previous owners and wasn't very good).

Lakeland Dry Soon has saved us.

Thoughts please.

Herringbone Parquet, subfloor is screed with a self leveller compound on top, will also put down a liquid DPM. L shaped hallway and lounge, around 20 metres squared.

Tongue and groove floating or square edge glued?

Just replaced a 9 year old one with a 10.5kg washing machine. Slower, but quiet enough to run at night.
Tumble dryer was replaced recently with pretty much the only integrated and vented model on the market.

Also have a dehumidifier in the spare room to help with clothes that can't be tumble dried.

My wife was considering going to reusable nappies for the newborn, I vetoed for the sake of sanity, as we seemingly do about 5-7 loads a week as it is...

Been having some christmas DIY adventures. Son's bedroom too cold and required electric heater in addition to the CH to keep above 16 deg, so decided to insulate. The construction is 1930s single skin solid brick wall, external corner of house.

I drilled a few test holes to see how thick the plaster layer was and if it would be worth stripping back to gain a bit of space that would be lost due to the insulated board. Found to be 30-40mm so concluded yes given this is London so out came the SDS. A day of messy messy physically draining work and I had it stripped back to brick. Was very pleased to see everything very dry which confirmed the damp we had on the walls was due to condensation.

I had two options for attaching the insulated boards, dot dab adhesive, or battens and mechanical fixing. Kingspan recommended mechanical fixing for single skin construction in case of water ingress and potential failure of the dot and dab. Shame because it's a much more laborious method (and probably would have been fine given how dry everything was). But I'm not a risk taker so I ordered a bunch of roofing battens, dpc roll and got to work.

Lots of window packers and messing around to get it flat. I took the opportunity to add an extra socket on one of the walls and replace the radiator whilst the carpet was up.

Insulated plasterboard went up easy, inflatable wedges are very handy. I cut them all with a track saw (!) and an old blade for a dust free experience. 100% would do this again. I rough cut the windows out in situ with a jigsaw, which I will cut to actual size when I do the reveals. I went for tapered boards so I could tape and joint, something I felt I could DIY, rather than a skim which I don't fancy ever trying.

Taping and jointing is however more difficult than it looks. I truly suck at it and lots of sanding is happening using an RO sander + dust extractor again for dust free experience. I used Easy fill 60, mixed in a metal bucket with a paint paddle mixer and worked fast with 100, 150 and 250mm taping knives. Paper strips at the joints.

We're getting the windows redone so I can't finish the reveals and cill until thats done, but they will be getting insulated too, just mechanically fixed straight to brick this time.

Upgrade to warmth is major, long may our son slumber when he returns.

Up next, more sanding, skirting, picture rail, paint , carpets back then wait for windows.

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liquid DPM?

Solvent-free or waterbased?

Nice work! Always thought about doing this to one of my rooms but been too chicken (and also don't know what to do with the "period" coving).

I would have kept the indigo mock Tudor look tbh

Looks great. We got all our external walls dot-and-dabbed with insulated plasterboard. Three of the four walls of our bedroom are external but it warms up really quickly now.

Was the air brick covered over by plaster? I'd keep it, or reinstate it, unless you have trickle vents I guess.

Some day when someone tears it all down they are in for a pleasant suprise