Home DIY

Thanks for the comprehensive reply.

My insurmountable problem with this top seems to be that it's been cut flush/slightly shy of the sink edge, no overhang or drip bead so silicon required, which seems to be a point at which the moisture is retained and the rot sets in. I also patched up a little bit with 2pac filler previously which seems not to have worked as it's just allowed water ingress around it and started to open up and root again.

I feel like the best solution is probably a new wood top cut with a bigger overhang and drip bead fitted without silicon, which is a compromise to the maintenance and finishing that'll bring, but otherwise means mismatching tops with the rest of the kitchen (where wood works just fine) or replacing the whole lot with stone/Corian etc. which I don't have the budget for. I guess the advantage would be that I could potentially buy and cut it ahead of time and spend a few weeks really going to town on the sanding and oiling.

I also hate the sink for it's tiny strainer trap but I don't think there's much that can be done about that without a larger remodel of the area.

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Goddamit, I go away for a few days and I miss brushless vs. brushed chat AND wooden work tops.

Incredible.

First photo yeah moisture from below the block has crept up. Second photo makes it look past saving even by my book! Also looks like it's been varnished? Kinda blistered in places, once varnish is blown its a lot of work to strip fully back. Oil is a lot more suited to be being reworked.

I've seen stone /simulated /stainless surrounds to butler /inset type sinks done very well where the rest is wood, in some fancy boi houses. Can be done!

No varnish afaik. The first is actually the top surface so hand drips etc, and the lighting makes it look especially bad, but that's the worst bit where the 2 part filler has trapped water behind it and bought back the rot.

Stone inset in wood is the dream. Half surprised that's not a more standard solution. Will investigate more.

Ply arrived, cut it to shape, which wasn’t the most straight forward job.

A bit of chip out on the right edge to deal with after doubling up on the edges with some extra bits of ply.

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final works to the kitchen being done today. big 'ol core drill came out to fit washer/dryer waste pipe.

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god that's a familiar sight

I should clarify - drilling 152mm core through proper hard bricks has to be probably the worst DIY job I've ever done.

drilling 152mm core through proper hard bricks has to be probably the worst DIY job I've ever done.

I see you've never stripped crappy varnish off an entire deck

Anyone used a cut-to-size / order online ply seller who are comfortable doing more complex shapes, occluded cuts etc... and good with communication?

I had my first go at rendering yesterday. I used a pre-mixed bucket, which seems to be the most common way here. Took a few minutes to get the hang of getting it to stick to the wall without dropping half of it on the floor. Time will tell if it's adhered enough, but I did all the right steps according to the instructions.
Only doing a ~30cm strip at floor level was a royal pain though. I'll cover most of of it up with pebbles too to try and hide those conduits. Why they're above ground is a long story, but it was basically unavoidable to sink them without a large amount of excavation. They were already at ground level when I built the lean-to shed.

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intumescent strips.
anyone an expert?
i have an upcoming fire inspection of the front (internal) door to my flat. there is no intumescent strip fitted in the frame but there is a channel cut 9.5x4mm so i guess there was one at some point (flat built in 1986) i think the front door is probably an FD30 the internal doors that i replaced had wired safety glass and small chain closers in the door gap so i guess there were some fire safety measures done.

any pointers? not sure what to buy? heat only? heat and smoke? are they flexible so easier to fit? i’m guessing there is a mm of gloss making the channel a tight fit so something easy to ‘persuade’ into that gap.

I ended up using 5cm strips as marine ply is pretty heavy!
The worktop will need to be removed once in a while, so less weight is good.

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Having got close to finishing off installing a full set of internal doors (PITA). I'm starting to plan out my next project and looking for inspiration/experience of DIY sliding doors for cabinets.

I've not drawn out a plan yet so it's all a bit vague but I am planning a full wall width built in cabinet with 4x sliding bypass doors for storing clear IKEA samla boxes. Does anyone have experience about making your own sliding doors? Is it worth buying a track/roller type set up. As a guess I'd expect doors to be 80X80cm and made out of 18mm? Ply. Looking for a minimalist mounting profile and sturdy enough for kids.

Any pointers are appreciated.

Doesn’t look like much but managed to patch up the shit show concrete at the end of my path. Just a layer of ready mixed and then a liberal sprinkling with a watering can, way less work than expected.
Next up tile cleaning, and recommendations?

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i’m planning on fitting a loft ladder into an existing loft access hole and setting the space up to use for storage. I just want to do something basic, clean it, something down as a floor (preferably scavenged/recycled) and fit a loft ladder and
hatch that is easy to use: any tips/recommendations? I’ll ask a mate to fit a light too.

I have no experience with fitting any of it, just aware theres lots of variations available from browsing the hardware suppliers.

If there's space for the brush pile or blade, that could help with draughts and noise. You may need to scrape out the paint from the rebate for the 10mm to fit without bulging outwards and not sticking flat.

https://www.exitex.com/assets/downloads/New_Exitex_Fire_Brochure.pdf

Super chuffed with this evenings project - replaced the rotten door step and old threshold with a new stone one from a local stone merchants. Not much bodging required at all for once.

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It's been a while since I got my ticket and my experience apart from fitting fd30 doors as part of a loft conversion is almost entirely commercial.

But.....

Off the top of my head a door going from a communal hallway to a flat should be fd60 according to today's regs. I don't know if it would have been different in '86 (if it was you can do a like-for-like replacement) however it will be easy to tell a fd30 door is 45mm thick, fd60 is 54mm.

You should have an intumescent with cold smoke seal on the door or door liner. I'd go with brush over blade as they are less susceptible to damage. Fitting them is a peice of piss cut to length, peel off the sticky backing an insert in the rebate.

If it's too tight to go in you'll need to strip off the paint in the rebate I'm afraid. The intumescent material is contained within plastic and can be damaged by rough handling.

I wouldn't worry too much about the inspection, there are many things that they can pick up on and you should be given advice, and time, to make it right.

Before going out and buying any intumescent strips check the gap around the door, it cannot be less than 2mm or more than 4mm and should ideally be 3mm. If it doesn't fall within these tolerances, which is possible given the age of the building you'll be forking out for a new door and, quite possibly, a frame too.

It's a shame they chopped them back - and halfway through the red ones too - why did people do stuff like that?

I've never cleaned outdoor tiles but Patio Magic or similar and a pressure washer?

If you don't have a pressure washer we actually have one. At least in theory: it's been on 'long term loan' to someone else on Rensburg since not long after we moved in, so hopefully it still exists/works.

I am hoping that when we lift the fugly paving slabs outside the front of ours we'll find the original tiles a layer or too down, but this is probably wishful thinking.

why did people do stuff like that?

Could be Thames Water fixing a leak.

That's how all the nice old paths on our street were ruined. And some new ones!

That looks great!

Got some prime day deals so my pillar drill needs to go. "Wolf" brand, 500W, 9 speed (through a two belt/3 pulley "gear"), keyless chuck.

Not the truest in the world but once a bit bites there's no problem.

Have used up to 100mm hole saw with no issues before.

Happy for anyone here to have it for whatever they think it's worth if they can collect from CR7.

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