Home DIY

Not sure stain is the correct product? The last wood stain I used left a coating on the wood which would've made it unsuitable for oiling.
Wood dye (Liberon do some) might be a better bet.
As for filling the gaps, you'll likely end up with a pine floor with stripes down it? It might look alright, but probably not any better than just leaving them as they are.
Would some pine strip wood cut (should be doable with a sharp knife) to fit and glued in work? Again, would probably be a ballache.
If you're oiling them, look at Fiddes oils as they come in a load of different colours, which might save you the hassle of dying them first.
5ml samples for one pound summat.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284836875736

I think one of the Osmo Polyx tinted oils we used on one floor turned out quite orangey/red, could've been the honey, or amber one.

I’ve always thought of stain as something that you brush/wipe/spray on and then wipe off.

i'm not gluing strips of wood in, gaps are pretty even as it's T&G not victorian creaky floorboards.
Not sure if the tinted oils will give us the depth of colour but will look into them as that's one less step in the refinishing.

Are you expecting them not to expand or contract? That's usually what the space allows for. It would be based on quite a few factors.

Free skate/dolly in E9
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/380222/#comment16848193

They will obviously move a bit with the seasons, all wood floors do.
The pine has larger gaps than the iroko which is very closely laid with only the odd wider gap filled in
The pine currently has dust/fluff in the gaps.

Looks lovely, what will you do with it?

The terrazzo? Might keep the middle bits if they come out ok (most likely they will end up in the garage or offered to other residents if they need a replacement) have a granite place lined up to visit and pick something out, they do all the synthetic corian/silestone types as well as granite but will go for something in keeping with the building.
We will spoil it by adding secondary glazing but the slimmest we can find and with a RAL colour to match the windows which will be grey of a similar tone to the galvanised and I’ll polish the brass handles up.
I’m not a fan of white windows.

Replacing some very old halogen transformer spotlights with newer ones that can take LED bulbs. It’s a timely job too as a few of the transformers look like they’ve melted.
I’m stuck now though because the old wires that ran into the transformer are both brown wires - no way to tell if one is live and one is neutral (which seems to be required by the new fixture). Is there anyway to tell which is which so I can fit the new one?

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Neutral to earth measured with a multimeter should be about 0V. Live to earth should be 240V. Difficult to measure safely, especially in a ceiling. Maybe temporarily put the wires into a junction block so there aren't exposed ends?

The polarity is unlikely to make any difference. But yes, putting the ends in separate connector blocks and checking voltage to earth from either conductor should tell you which is which L-E 230ish volts, N-E 0ish V (it may have a few volts floating around on it).

There are a couple of cheap options on screwfix. Probably the only time I’d recommend buying LAP products, but seems silly to spend £50 on a voltage indicator just for one job.
Just be careful to keep the exposed metal bits of the prongs away from each other and your fingers!
https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-ms8922b-ac-dc-2-pole-voltage-tester-with-rcd-400v/669hy

Lovely - thanks both

Or you could rock it properly old skool with a neon mains tester for £1.99.

They’re banned on most sites for a reason ;)
And for similar reasons I didn’t recommend a noncontact voltage detector.

They have their issues, I know! I still use mine though when I get bored of hunting down my multimeter, or it's run out of batteries again. Haven't been electrocuted yet. Well, not by the neon tester, anyway.

What about a wee “death stick” voltage detector? Aren’t they the new neon screwdriver?

Recommendation needed.
Want to buy an aquavac/wet and dry vacuum, just for cleaning up the remaining water in a central hearing system that will inevitably end up on the floor once i start removing rads and pipework.
so a cheap one for £40-£60 from the usual places (toolstation/screwfix/amazon etc)

https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/catalogue/borrow-wet-and-dry-vacuum-cleaner

If you don’t want another thing for a one off job, maybe doesn’t work for an extended project though.

might need it over a few days as ill be working from room to room doing different jobs but will join up for the wallpaper stripper as there is a branch 3min walk away.

I have the Titan one from Screwfix. Got the 30l one which is £70 but there are smaller/cheaper ones (can't quite remember why I went for the more expensive one, maybe for the power take-off).

Seems fine when I've used it.

I have the Titan also from Screwfix. It's been excellent in the year or so I've had it.

Ditto the screwfix, think probably the smallest one for storage constraints. Faultless so far - used it for wet, as extraction for sanding/power tools, and as general clean up hoover. Has made house DIY considerably less painful.

I have both the small plastic and big metal Titan / MacAllister shop vacs and they have both been excellent for wet and dry jobs over the years. The large one has a power take-off for using as a dust extractor and also a handy port at the bottom for draining the water out if you're using it as a wet vac.

@Airhead cheers for the kitchen splash glass advise (12 days ago! (sorry just seen it)), what's the best way to adhere the glass to the wall and window sill?

Titan ordered, thanks for recommendations.