Home DIY

Looks good. Is that an electric fire you've got? Any idea where it's from? I've just smashed out the 80s concrete fireplace I've got at my flat and looking to put in a small electric or bioethanol "wood burner" but haven't found many nice looking small ones. (Can't go for an actual woodburner as it's in a block and the chinmeys are capped).

Have bought a new place with nothing a very old kitchen that I am going to be getting totally rebuilt in 6 months or so, but in the meantime need to get it useable but cheaply as it is temp.

Have acquired an oven insert and hob, but there
Is no obvious place it install as I guess they had an free standing cooker.

Is there any reason I shouldn’t use a kitchen cabinet like this that will take both the hob and oven without needing to install additional countertop.
https://www.therange.co.uk/furniture/living-room-furniture/display-cabinets/cooktop-and-built-in-oven-cabinet-grey/

I can’t find many other similar items which makes me think it might not be that good an idea?

Any idea where it's from?

Dunelm

I can’t find many other similar items which makes me think it might not be that good an idea?

It's just fashion or whatever you want to call it. People used to have freestanding all-in-one oven hobs that were electric or gas. The ovens went underneath because they were all-in-one.

Only range cookers and Agas now do this because they have to. Otherwise most people prefer not to have to bend down and use the under cooker area for storage.

it might not be that good an idea

It's just that the gap between that and worktop gets full of crumbs, no big deal

The mouse that lives under mine thinks it's a very big deal

out of interest, whats the process involved - are you steaming (with the iron) the outer material or from the inside?

I did almost add "complete mouse fest tho"!

Taping & joining plasterboard.

I'm really bad at it, and I don't like doing it.

Which jointing compound should I be using?

I'm assuming that pre-mix is for dilettantes and plastics.

And I've finished one tub in a few hours, so it's going to get expensive unless I start to buy powder & mix it myself.

I'm using square edges & paper tape, if that makes a difference.

Buy fastset(Joint filler) and mix up a little at a time for that and do it that way. Goes off so fast so that why we only mix a small amount at a time.

Cut the kerfs so there is around 2mm left at what will be the front of the riser. The blade I use for this is 2.1mm thick I try to leave 2-3mm in between cuts, I've attached a photo of the boards before assembly. With a lot of timber it will be possible to bend to the desired shape once the kerfs are cut but oak is a pretty hard timber and it is therefore brittle, it may be possible to bend it into shape once the cuts are made but you risk the face cracking. This is why I chose to bend it with steam as well (you could also steam bend the whole board if you can make or have access to a steam oven, but this would mean the seasoned, joinery grade would be less dimensionally stable for a while).

Once the kerfs are cut in the wood heat up the iron and attach the longer side of workpiece to the tread. I use wet blue paper towel that has been saturated with water and put this on the face of the riser then use the iron to apply heat. As the lignan in the wood softens it will begin to sag under its own weight when this starts to happen I apply gentle pressure to start bending it into shape. Keep applying heat / steam to the wood and gently bending it to the desired shape, while doing this keep listening for any cracking noises if you hear any stop and apply heat to the area it was coming from for a good 5 minutes before proceeding. When everything is in place clamp it all down and leave to cool, then fix it in place. Job done.

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Awesome - great insight and looks ridiculously good too

Looks a mill dollars :). Is there going to be a strip of carpet going over the new steps?

lunatic

I’m loosing pressure in my boiler on an increasing rate. I need to “top it up” every two weeks now.

I know I have three very small leaks at different points on very old radiators. These are getting replaced next week but I’m wondering if such small, almost weeping leaks could cause the boiler to use that much pressure?

I’ve read about the fernox liquid seal as well - anyone used that before?

Any ideas?

Could be a problem with the expansion tank. Has the pressure valve operated? They often leak after they've opened.

Hopefully a @konastab01 will have a better idea though!

You’re taping and filling square edge boards? Sounds like a tricky job tbh.

Personally I always thought adhesive scrim tape with dished boards was the easiest way. First fill to just get filler in the joint, letting to dry and then de nibbing so nothing is proud, then second fill to flush - if you’re good/neat you can get away with just these two steps and a light sanding, but usually end up doing a 3rd fill. I’d probably use easifill 45 or 20 depending on how much I had to do. A lot of the pros I’ve met use a ready mix for the final coat. It’s pretty wet but should in theory go on very thinly to get a good finish. Learning to get the right consistency when mixing yourself takes quite a few goes. Too stiff and it’s hard work getting it on, too wet and you’ll get it everywhere (although my understanding is that you need it semi wet when using paper tape).

Expansion vessel could be flat, is it dripping out the PRV outside? Is the condensate running when the boiler isnt running.

I personally dont use leak sealer as I think it can lead to other problems but someone will argue with me im sure.

A weeping rad shouldn't cause that but it depends how much they are weeping.

They look like some work but fucking class.

Preparing to re-plaster (insides of) external walls, incl. kitchen, bathroom, bedroom.
Walls are have been taken back to the plain old bricks, no cavity insulation.

Not sure what to use in which room - batten and PIR first then board on top?
Double up moisture resistant stuff for the bathroom?
Thermal plasterboard (though not sure 25mm of insulation is enough)?
Combination/differemt based on room type/use?

Full disclosure, will be getting someone in to do the work - but hoping to get material and know what I’m asking for in adavance.

Used Toupret Murex for the first time today too to fix a sandstone sill - found using an offcut of PIR board to prop underneath worked well in that it peeled off super easily without sticking to the filler.

@konastab01 it does sometime pish out the PRV pipe outside. Can’t say it’s all the time as it’s hard to tell with the rain.

It’s more than one rad that’s weeping, 3 have shit connections and weep but only enough to need some tissue wrapped around the base of the TRV which I change every week or so as it’s wet through - these are all getting replaced next week so maybe I’ll see a difference.

Good to hear your thoughts on the leak sealer. Only read about it online and everyone rates it but it sounds a bit too good to be true.

I’ll maybe report back after the rads have been replaced. If I’m getting loads of dripping from the PRV pipe outside what does this mean?

We went back to brick in our 1931 money pit starting in the front room and the bathroom. In the front room the builder used insulation attached to plaster board. In the bathroom we wanted an inset sort of hole next to the bath for lights and candles (I am sure it has a proper name) so the whole wall was built out to allow for the recess with shed loads of insulation and board. The extension has been renovated too with more insulation than you could shake a stick at with some bloke from the council telling us how much to use.

As a non-builder I was shocked at how much insulation was used in walls, ceilings and floors nowadays. Made the already small bathroom even smaller lol

Im not sure how old your boiler is, but if its a couple years old and the prv has opened at some point they never reseal properly and always leak. You'll end up changing it and at the same times sometimes the expansion vessel has gone too and thats why the PRV has opened so that its changed at the same time or a new one added to the system.

We done both on a worstcester last week, its a boiler off the wall job. Pain in the arse.

we will likely be doing this (once the purchase goes through) flat has cavity walls but you would have to do the whole block as cavity goes all the way to the bottom. will only do 35-40mm (inc the plasterboard) over the top of existing plaster, was not going to bother but the recent fuel prices have caused us to rethink.

the windows and the sills/reveals mean we can’t do thicker but maybe the walls without windows will get 50mm. this will be dot n dab but with proper attention to sealing the board edges and fixings etc so it’s air tight to avoid condensation and cold bridging.

there is plenty of info out there from the manufacturers. i was looking at Kingspan K18 but not spoken to a dry lining person yet but my bathroom chap has someone in mind.