Home DIY

So back in the house that cowboys built today and I spotted this (see photo).

Which had apparently been signed off by building control and the sparx had no problems leaving it like it is.

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At least my built-in eaves units are looking good, if not yet complete.

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Depends how big the slab is you want to lay and how capable you are.

Ive done it with my dad before and it wasnt the hardest. Just a bit of graft getting the ground work right before get the concrete in.

Sparks love a short cut, wish Id done that as my trade its a mission getting one that isnt mobbed.

"Can you chase the cables into the wall?"

"Sort of"

Got my new bench and fitted my 10" vice. Need to make new wooden jaws.

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So much space!

I can see a colour scheme developing :)

Re your previous post on the damp proofing issue in garage, have you considered a cement slurry tanking material? Super easy to apply (I did it in about an hour) and worked marvellously. Something crystalline is mixed in with the mortar which the expands when moist. Slap it on, wait for a week or so then you can cover / paint.

Is it suitable for flooring?

The cheap thin stuff is designed to be used under wallpaper, usually running horizontally. There are types specifically designed to be painted on that are much heavier but they are a lot more expensive.

Very nice. How are you going to finish that Valchromat? Polyx?

The clients want to finish it themselves.

Just wanted to give a shoutout to Merthyr Reclamation who have sorted me out with floorboards to patch up the gaps I've got.

Considerably cheaper than everywhere else (£30 square yard incl. VAT) and were happy to help with me buying remotely/sorting a courier to collect via Shiply.

Have a few listings on ebay, if you're after reclaimed flooring.

Not to be confused with Merthyr Salvage a couple of units down the road (not that I have anything bad to say there, just haven't used them).

Screams internally

Defo one for the portfolio then 🤦🏻‍♀️

Please tell me they paint the weird blue MR MDF

Nope they specified the blue MDF / American white oak combo. They also paid a premium for the Valchromat. It's better than it looks in that photo and the variation in the colour of the particles within the board gives it a nice texture, as shown in this photo.

EDIT - ItS one of those colours that changes quite drastically depending on the quality of light.

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I’m a big fan of valchromat, especially the blue. The new khaki is good too. It was a comment on their bad choices so far, I know you know not to paint it!

If they’ll listen, an oil or solvent based finish will soak in, darken it, and look much nicer than water based imo.

Meant to replay to this yesterday but got sidetracked sorry. In my experience laying porcelain tiles in a garden needs to be done well with a uniform fall otherwise it will look shit after a couple of months as water will pool and dirt will collect there and it will stand out like a sore thumb against the tiles. In order to do it well the earth needs to be graded well, then compacted well, same goes for the type 1 and the slab needs to be poured to fairly fine tolerances, all of which takes experience. I'm not saying that you couldn't do it but it is hard to get right.

@ColinTheBald does landscaping for a living and could probably give you a better idea of what you need to do to do a proper job.

I think I've said this before but I love putting an old fashioned shellac french polish on valchromat. Looks amazing but is somewhat time consuming.

EDIT - in no way am I trying to divert attention from your earlier comment going straight over my head.

And khaki - ohh nice!

on the subject of outdoor tiles, everything i've found (full disclosure: i'm a cheapskate) is the same cement or porcelain base with a thin veneer of pattern/design on top, which i'm not very keen on. ^that's places like mandarin stone, porcelain superstore, marshalls etc. etc.

whilst i know that stone exists, was wondering if there's any other bright ideas for nicer paving materials - preferably true to its material/not lookalike-y, for a small back yard (currently uneven/cracked quarry tiles - have thought about getting reclaimed ones and doing that again but so far not had found much i've felt 'excited' about, if there is such a thing)

Thanks for this. Highlighted my concerns I have with us doing it, not to mention still recovering from sciatica slowing me down.

@ColinTheBald do let me know your thoughts when you get a chance, be good to understand from someone who does it full time

recovering from sciatica slowing me down.

Pay someone else to do it. Your sciatica WILL get worse if you attempt it.

New jaws for the old vice on the new bench. Had more to take down off the top of them, hence ALL the shavings.

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Also, smart TV second hand off eBay for YouTube background noise.

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