Home DIY

Ugh, definitely didn't need to see those.

I was expecting something bad...

But dammmmn.... I'd like that....

What is seen cannot be unseen. If you do need to talk yourself out of it, they are quite heavy.

Probably one for @Airhead - going to go for Zinsser AllCoat for the masonry (sandstone) around my windows - do I go with the water based one or the solvent based? Also is gloss harder wearing than satin..?

Does it make a difference for the upvc window frames/door that’ll also be getting done RE: WB vs. SB?

Has anyone used Lick paint yet? Mrs CYOA wants to give it a go for the kitchen. Their eggshell is 40 quid a 2.5l tin which is fine but just want to make sure it's been tested on places other than instagram.

Same radiators just being put back in? I did this recently and was pleasantly surprised to discover it worked first time. I used this rather than tape https://www.screwfix.com/p/fernox-ls-x-leak-sealer-50ml/23614

Ex's place used it. Builders seemed happy enough and the finish is good.
I'll check but think It's Lick Pink 02 walls and Pink 01 ceiling.

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Managed to pop down to Screwfix last Nighy to grab some mole grips. It was all in the gland nut it seems, just had to pack it out with PTFE and its all nice and dry now. Felt extremely accomplished!

But yeah, only slight note that we've got a lead supply pipe - something to think about in the future, maybe before we try looking at getting the garden looking good.

Gloss is harder wearing than satin. Not sure what to recommend for priming UPVC as I don't come across it very often in the properties I work on. I think Zinsser 123+ would do it but would need to check.

I would ignore the self priming claims of Allcoat and prime teh masonry with Zinsser 123+ anyway.

need to rehang a curtain rail at partners place that pulled out again, georgian build and the bricks seem to be either very hard or very soft, used wet-n-fix patches previously but new curtains are heavier and the shitty brackets act like a lever pulling out the top fixing leveraging against the bottom, its pulled out an area about 7cm across.

suggested filling and re-drilling to the side but thats been vetoed by the owner :-/
flat is going through the sale process and need to do this at the weekend before survey.
what product do i need to fill and re-drill? hopefully something i can order from amazon/screwfix so its there for me to use on saturday and not a 10kg bag.
is there a type of resin you can put a rawlplug in with screw as it sets then remove for fixing?

Tough job to get done properly in a day. I might try pva on hand made wooden plugs hammered into the existing holes. Sometimes wooden plugs work better in brick walls.

I think it’s beyond a wooden plug

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Brill, thanks!

Any thoughts on water-based vs. solvent-based? Assuming the former is easier to work with..?

I've not used a solvent based version of Allcoat but water based is very easy to work with and one of the main reasons I would choose to use Allcoat.

Thanks I might give this a go, need to go buy some fixings anyway to re-hand the brackets and think I'd rather go butterfly type fixings in the lath and plaster/plasterboard rather than standard plugs for a more solid fit

Hard to get scale from that picture but I've made some up to a couple of inches wide and hammered them in to support radiators where the wall has broken down. The problem you have with alternatives is that dust and mess. You need to clean it all out to some solid material and use pva to help bond it. Then use a filler like Fibarex or Murex and let them dry thoroughly, that could be days if that's a big hole. This is where smashing in a wooden plug (even a big one) can be useful because friction with the surrounding material helps to keep it in place and you can use filler/pva to help stick the wooden patch to the surrounding masonry rather than dealing with a big fresh patch of plaster.

If you decide to try another spot and just want to get those spots filled. Hard to do in one go but get rid of the loose material and use Fibarex or TX110 in layers over a day or 2. Even bonding would take a day or 2 to dry.

There are epoxy resin solutions for fixing bolts into holes, plenty of them. They fail very easily if there's unstable material and dust in the holes.

it’s 7cm across, and cone shaped not parallel so a wooden plug is going to fall straight out.

Thank you!

I cleaned the hole out and then used something like this (not this exact one though) for the same issue before. https://www.amazon.co.uk/fischer-539461-Injection-Resin-Clear/dp/B07W9LZFZ5?psc=1

You might also get away with using wetnfix with deeper plugs so that you get to some solid wall behind (EDIT - seems unlikely given your later post).

But if it's for a survey and being sold why not get something cheap and light?

You make it cone shaped and hammer it in (lightly)

How do you mean?
Majority of houses will have lead pipes incoming from the mains
They're being replaced though by water utilities

Just can't install new lead pipes, since like the 70s? @seager if you have kids, Brita filters out 99% lead IIRC.

No new lead pipes since 1970, but plenty of existing lead in-situ.

Check with your supplier: many offer some sort of discounted replacement scheme, eg free connection from boundary to mains, you pay from boundary to house.

Can you tidy up the existing holes then fit a wooden batten across the length of the run fixed in multiple new locations, then fix the curtain rail to that?

That wall looks like it's made from mortar given the photo.

Example here, done with adhesive.

Stabila, but be aware that their cheap ones are not much better than any other brand.

The one below is what I have. I think there’s also a model with LEDs where the bubbles are, which really helps in certain situations.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stabila-196-2-120-Level-120cm-15236/dp/B0001P0TIW/ref=asc_df_B0001P0TIW/