Home DIY

Smeared fox shit is also good.

The way things are now the bastards will be able to claim you if they get injured. Shambles

I mean, these days you get arrested and thrown in jail if you say you’re English.

Are you allowed bits of broken bottle in concrete at the tops of walls nowadays.

Not really, no. Apart from anything else, all the local cat lovers will lynch you.

Across the road has trellis on top of the wall that probably puts it above 2m and broken bottles in concrete so I need to make it less attractive than that ...

Part of the wall is a narrow passage so plant based deterrents (I was previously looking at Pyracantha) will probably end up spiking me more than others.

https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/berberis/plcid.1/plcid.1418/vid.1611/

I planted a row Berberis Darwinii across the back fence as a deterrent. It will take a few years to get established though but once there, easy maintenance of pruning to keep tidy and compact

When did this come in?

blackberry bush

brambles?
(I mean, is there a difference?)

Smeared fox shit is also good.

Can attest. Main rubbish bin was slightly overflowing so not shut properly. Used nappies and left over kebab were just too much for the local fox population to resist. Fucking everywhere. Then they naturally shat all over it. I did not want to go anywhere near it, such are its powers of dissuasion.

A (garden centre bought) blackberry should in addition to being a deterrent to intruders, give large, tasty fruit from strong thick shoots, which will also encourage some wildlife.
A bramble may give some fruit, but more likely will give tiny dessicated unsatisfying fruits*.

*Brambles do constantly hybridise, so you may get lucky and end up with a bramble that was pollinated from a choice fruiting blackberry.

Gardening thread leaking in a bit, but Rosa rugosa also make for a good deterrent.

Finally sorted out grouting for my boxing in around the boiler pipes in the kitchen.

First go at tiling for me, and seemed to go alright. There's semi-unavoidable gaps at each of the junctions with the wall, but not so much that it looks jarring (to me, at least!).

Still need to perform some minor surgery to get the flexi-outlet fused switch in it's final place - there's an unsightly gap with no tile between it and the double-socket next to it, and the cut out in the tile it sits in isn't quite big enough, so catches the back of it so it won't sit flush against the wall. Might also try to colour in/sheath the white cable to disguise it a little too.

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Super tidy!

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What's the forum approved white gloss for interior wood? I've got some water-based in the cupboard but its terrible.

Not sure there's a forum approved one but a simple white gloss (there's a choice between brilliant white and white) from Leyland seems to be popular with price conscious pro decorators. I guess from your comments you are thinking oil based although it's particularly bad for painting inside cupboards for lots of reasons.

There are lots of more expensive alternatives.

I've been using this for skirting and architrave - don't have much to compare it too though!

I imagine it's the same with any/all oily paints in that they have a bit more drag when you brush it on, and is liable to run/slump whilst it's drying if you don't brush it out when wet (perhaps that's just my terrible technique)

https://www.screwfix.com/p/leyland-trade-satin-brilliant-white-trim-paint-2-5ltr/75370

Curtaining. Where you apply too much paint and it slumps before drying. Very common mistake and prevalent on skirting, door panels and flats inside cupboards.

Using eggshell with little rollers is an decent option. You can roll gloss and then lightly brush it out, that's how a lot of pro gloss work used to get done.

Strangely heartening to know it has a name :)

Will stock up on roller sleeves as in theory the whole house needs at least another coat.

Lovely, cheers. It's primarily for skirting and with two kids and a dog I'd like it to be easy to clean so high-gloss oil based was my default but more than happy to use water-based if it'll be as good.

I find the Dulux Satinwood to be quite a fine balancing act - too thin and it doesn't have a nice finish, too much and it curtains. Also if you leave it more than 20 seconds you can't brush it out because it's already begun to dry.
Sometimes I seem to get the knack, other times I'm out with the sandpaper taking it back to a smooth finish.

I've been using Dulux Eggshell in the Timeless colour. Off white, but not noticeably so. Not had any durability issues and even if I did, it's cheap and easy to apply if I need to redo.

I use the purdy mini dove rollers and frame although the frame is optional. I would recommend getting a wooster pelican or similar. I use one with a metal grid but it's no longer available, I have 2 pelicans that have lasted nearly 20 years each.

With eggshell the easiest thing is just to mask, cut in with a brush and roll everything with the mini roller. Brushing on can be tricky as @rhowe has noted, it is difficult if not impossible to go over your work when it's drying.

Rolling eggshell improves the eggshell finish in most cases, with a roller like the dove you can get close to a spray look with some practice.

Some more spam from me, another first too by way of obscuring glass film on the french doors between the living and dining room.

I should have really used the silly money the sticky film cost to buy some actual reeded glass doors - hindsight is a cruel mistress.

Impefections abound, as ever - but fortunately I have relatively low standards.

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