Home DIY

got damp plaster from the chimney..? just add another layer on top!
hopefully opening it up and filling the two bags in the photo with the soot and earth that was in the hole will help things considerably.

in the other photo is some plaster that has blown (which we’ve then given a hand) - feels almost like earth/dirt with little pebbles in it - any idea if this stuff can go in regular skips unlike gypsum plasterboard waste?

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Is it capped at the top?

feels almost like earth/dirt with little pebbles in it

Where did it come from? Inside? This might be the stuff that was used to 'seal' the chimney. It's that crazy stuff with horse hair in it. Older chimneys would have been just brickwork, later would have had a layer of something to better prevent gases from exiting through the brickwork and in to the building.

edit: called pargetting, a rough coat of lime mortar

sorry, the earthy plaster is with pebbles is on a different wall - all the crap in the chimney was fine and black, not sure whether it’s capped up top or not tbh, still need to find a roofer to get up there

edit: was also thinking about getting a chimney sweep for good measure, even if we’re never going to have a proper fire or stove in there

edit: was also thinking about getting a chimney sweep for good measure

Ah, I can save you money / heartache here

If you do need roofwork and / or chimney work done, you can have the chimney lined as part of the roofwork assuming it hasn't been done already, which given your photos it almost defiantly hasn't. You can get the sweep in at the point just before you have it lined. No point getting them in before then; any roof work or pre-lining sweep will release more.

we’re never going to have a proper fire or stove in there

If that's the case, probably better to just clear out whatever crap is in there at the moment then leave it - sweeping it will just dislodge more stuff for no purpose really. Sweeps - as I have learned, like to work on working appliances. They might take your money for sweeping a non working flue, but they know the work is largely pointless, and even borderline damaging.

the forum delivers once again - really appreciate the advice, thank you!

I screw things up and piss away money so you don't have to!

Was it properly ventiliated before? Even if it has a peppperpot type vent cap on the top of the stack it'll need a reasonable size vent in the plaster, I think as close to the floor as poss (sitting just above skirting is a good place?). We're doing up a flat that had that problem, sweaty chim from two 'fake' vents been screwed onto front of plasterboard.
Plasterboard was also mounted direct onto exterior stone and then layer upon layer of it built up to finished room heigh, total disaster. Took it apart and did it properly in September and was dusty dry until last week, mental wrong way wind and driving rain has either dislodged the pots, or exposed a slightly weak bit of flaunching/haunching (?) so started absolutely pissing in. Another job for the poor roof guy :p Thankfully rest of it is fine, an easy job for someone that knows what they are doing and has a big lift machine.

plasterboard directly on brick, absolutely zero ventilation (in either of the downstairs rooms affected)

Stubby wiha is very small.

I think I might try out an extension in it to see if one should be gifted with it.

Idk why every time I buy miniature tools* I'm so surprised how small they are.

*leatherman, Bhaco ratchet, etc.

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Tried the Cover Stain. It does block the tannin stains nicely, however it is horrible to apply. It has been a while since I used an oil based paint but I think this is particularly challenging.

In this weather, yes. It gets much thicker when it's cold. I always stir the Zinsser products a decent amount before applying. I had forgotten about the temperature issues as I avoid exterior work in the winter. Sorry about that.

You could try warming the pot in water or next to a radiator. There's a neat paint warming kettle solution that's popular in some of the colder european climates.

I hadn’t thought about that, it has indeed been cold out. I don’t think I have used oil based paint in winter before so this explains a lot. Thanks for the advice on how to make it less sticky. It really drags the brush as it is.

Picked up a navy blue electric stove from Dunelm on a whim. Which means the fireplace is pretty much done apart from some minor caulking and cabling.

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Nice. Also looks much better than the mental image I have of electric fires - one of the 3 bar jobs complete with fake fibreglass "logs".

Nice one! I'm thinking of getting something similar but the cable would annoy me so I'd have to try and have it go through the wall to the socket in the alcove

I might try to sleeve the cable with white woven sleeving and run it behind the leg of the mantle to make it less obvious. It was only £65.

Yeah that could easily do the trick. As much as I'd love the feel of a wood burner there is no way I can justify it based on their impact

which bit is level? the concrete? if so the floorboards may have dropped.
are any of the boards loose so you can lift them and see what's underneath?
probably worth investigating the root cause of why they are lower than the concrete section before trying to make the floor level.

I solved a similar problem with a metre long drill bit.

Thanks, though the boards definitely haven't dropped. My best guess is it was a half assed extension in the 1930s. The house is built into a steep hill, they added 2 meters to the kitchen then at a later date added another utility room behind that but dug even less deeply so it's accessed by a couple of stairs that go up and are covered in the same concrete. That utility room appears to be separated by a thin layer of plasterboard and not much else from the earth behind it.

I can't quite fathom why the concrete is wonky though (steep at one side, shallow at the other), surely it wouldn't have been set at that angle. But it's definitely not level and the boards are solid/level.

Looking half seriously at hiring a breaker...

@mustardbeak Random, but I've been reading a pistonheads thread on garage floors recently and two types of tiles seem to be consistently recommended - so I thought I'd share.

PVC interlocking tiles like these https://www.ecotileflooring.com/product/e5007/
(main brands are ecotile, duratile, duramat and plasfloor)

And Dotti commercial porcelain tiles like these https://www.directtilewarehouse.com/grey-dotti-commercial-floor-tiles/

I realise you don't need the weight rating required for cars on axle stands but thought the pvc in particular might be worth a look as apparently when not cold they are easy to cut. And for your use shouldn't need to be glued.

Obvs do your own fact checking on what I've said as I'm just passing on shit I've read.

hmmm... if the boards are level and the concrete is wonky, then making the entire floor level is going to be tricky without either removing the concrete and re-laying it level with the boards, or battening the whole lot out and laying a new chipboard floor over the top. obviously it's going to raise the floor though...
depends how level you want the floor to be.

got any photos?

Yep, both of those are on my list of possibles, with taking out the concrete with a breaker being the favourite of the two so long as it's safe and doesn't bring the house down around me? It's at its tallest near a wall so not sure if the wall would crack and we'd be open plan with the neighbours before long. Seems like something I'd need to get surveyed first?

The more likely possible at the moment is the scribed layering of hardboard over the boards to lessen steepness of the drop. Level isn't crucial to me as much as not a trip hazard and not going to kink whatever I put down (cork planks or vinyl clicky things at this stage).

What’s underneath the concrete, and how thick is the slab?

I've no idea. It's crumbling in places. I'll lift up one of the boards today.

Things that put me off breaking it and pouring something level in:

1. noise / mess / chaos
   
2. danger to life / mortgage
   
3. how long it would take to set a replacement before putting heavy units on it.
   
4. juggling act of doing this work with a plumbed in sink/gas hob/electric oven still in the room as I probably couldn't get those trades out sooner than they're penciled in mid Jan.
   
   

I reckon I can get rid of kiddo and my wife for about... 7-10 days while I do the really chaotic stuff.

The stone people are coming to template on the 26/01/2022
Units arriving for me to install w/c 17th
Not chosen appliances yet

Basically it's all getting rather real and I have 4 weeks to make a decision and act on the floor / removing the wall tiles / repairing and painting / skirting etc.