Home DIY

Does it still smell?

There are a plethora of videos out there on restoring furniture. I’ve looked into it quite a bit and going to restore the damaged left bedside table so it matches the right one.

I don’t think I need to steam it, just a light sand and then either beeswax or danish oil. If I did steam it, do you steam then sand or sand then steam?

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Why would you steam, that would lift any veneers and risk more water damage. Surely?

Sand. Oxalic acid wash. Rinse. Dry . Sand. oil. Wax.

i read steaming removes scratches. Don't shoot the messenger!
cheers

Ah, yeah it can remove dents it might struggle with scratches as those are cut fibres. Just gotta be careful with veneers and hot water.

Good luck.

If you have specific dents or deep scratches then you can get a moist wad of kitchen roll on that spot and hit it with a soldering iron or edge of a household iron. That's what people do in the world of guitar dents. I've had luck with it before. It keeps the water damage small.

The caulking gun solution seems best. Some of the holes are really deep.

Thanks guys

cool - I pm’d my number

Oxalic acid wash is soo good.
I have old metal lamps that stained some of my wooden stuff, did a half assed no sanding acid then polish job and it's so much better.

Nice work!

Yep. I've got a massive tub of it for very occasional use. There's nothing like it.

I want to add an outdoor tap in my front garden. There is a stop tap at the meter in the street, then a lead pipe leading through the basement to a stop tap that is behind a kitchen cupboard and impossible to get to in a hurry.

I was planing on adding a section of pipe in the basement by using a lead lock, adding a stop tap and then a T off to feed the outside tap. Main questions are:

• Is this a job for a professional? I'm a pretty competent DIYer and have done plumbing before (not soldering).
  
• Should I replace as much lead as I can get to or just a small section?
  
• Should I use copper or MDPE?
  
• Any tricks for getting Thames Water to replace the lead pipe entirely for little/no cost?
  

I’ve already answered all these questions in the pub.

There was a lot of 'probably' and it was mixed in with you telling me that your bath had to come out to fix a badly joined pipe...

True, but that wasn’t my mistake, and I’ve learnt a lot fixing it.

Dewalt thin cutting disc are what I use.

Check stop valve on the street works.

Take out homeserve insurance.

Smash TF out of the lead pipe in the basement.

Any tricks for getting Thames Water to replace the lead pipe entirely for little/no cost?

They'll replace it up to your boundary for nothing I think. Beyond that, it's yours.

Nothing or £1000+. I’d like the direct line of the nothing person please.

Seeing as the budget pot is rapidly dwindling due to an outbreak of “can we just”*
where is the best place to buy 40m of bullnose or pencil round primed MDF skirting?

*have custom metal powder coated furniture in bathroom/have more sockets that we will ever need, move all the ceiling roses and add more lights all chased in concrete ceilings/fix the boiler we didn’t know was broken etc etc.

Wickes?

Travis Perkins

Not anymore but it has done before (this isn’t the first time).
Live in a maisonette block. Shared pipework. People. Shit. London sewer blockages etc etc.

I had a desk of similar vintage. First thing to check is what is veneer and what isn’t. That will indicate where you need to be cautious with the sanding. It’s surprisingly easy to sand through the veneer, don’t ask how I know. The drawer faces look to be solid oak. For those, I’d consider a rub down with a fine brass wire brush to get the old varnish out of the grain prior to sanding. It looks like a lovely project to work on.

:(