Home DIY

Excuse the spam, going to post this here and the kitchen thread then I'll leave it at that. Got some left over tiles and paint lying around that seems too good to throw out.

• Got 1 and a bit boxes of Otto white zellige tiles that are currently £115 per box, and note they'd charge you £90 on top to deliver. https://www.ottotiles.co.uk/product/white-zellige-tile/ . Also have a pot of their tile cleaner that comes with it.

• 3 slabs of terrazzo - EDIT - on hold

• a 2.5l pot of Ash Grey F&B paint. Estate emulsion. It was accidentally opened (not by me). It is 99% full.

All quite expensive stuff, would love to claw back some cost if any one is kind enough to offer anything, but it's here for the taking as it's a pain to get rid of. Collection from Clapton, E5.

Whack me in the guardian thread.

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Floor laying still going fine. Couple of tricky places required a few tries but nearly there now. Some 1mm gaps here and there which I’m not sure are enough to worry about, I’m sure a professional wouldn’t have had them, but didn’t have the money for that…

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They look lovely but

The budget spreadsheet bit specifically :/

As you know I'm not a buy cheap buy twice person when it comes to tools but it's got a two year warranty so if I burn it out I'll just take it back to B&Q and get a new one.

Sorry environment.

One of the worst areas, really not that bad imo. I may have stretched tiles a bit while laying so slightly shape loss.

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Looks like you've done a brilliant job if that's the worst bit.

Sorry yeah, I'm leaving out details just to try to avoid a full life story post. I hadn't noticed the signs of damp on multiple viewings. Our surveyor highlighted the issue and did use a damp meter. He said to me verbally that if it were his home he wouldn't bother even to do anything with it. He said he'd just live there for a few years and see if anything gets worse before making a decision if it were him.

I had a builder come round to quote on a garage wall that has subsided, and he pointed out that the mortar is crumbling externally around where 2 of the 3 damp patches are. I suspect that's part of the issue.

Is there a way to fairly easily check if the plaster is modern gypsum or period lime based plaster? I suspect you're right about it being modern stuff.

We plan to live here a long time - 20 years minimum, so if the issue is that someone in the past used modern mortar, plaster, and paints, we will want to get that addressed. However that feels expensive, so we would definitely want to save for that over the coming 5+ years, and therefore will just crack on with painting using something relatively cheap in the meantime.

gypsum isn't breathable at all

I don't think this is correct. Because gypsum is "modern" it gets lumped in with cement renders, plastic paints etc.

However my understanding is that it is breathable, maybe more than lime plaster (variables depending on lime mix). It is also often lower embodied carbon than lime (gypsum is natural and just needs low heating to dry out, unlike lime which needs heating as part of process).

My understanding is the reason it gets in trouble on old solid wall buildings is because it gets damp, the damp stays, and it encourages mould growth. It's a moisture issue but not the one you think. (I think hygroscopic may be the correct word.)

He said to me verbally that if it were his home he wouldn't bother even to do anything with it. He said he'd just live there for a few years and see if anything gets worse before making a decision if it were him.

Classic surveyor line.

Had the house I live in now surveyed, said needed a specialist damp survey, had that and told was riddled with damp. Paid shed loads for damp survey and put aside kidney selling amounts of money to fix damp.

Bought it anyway (long story), started with ripping the front room apart, no sign of damp. Apparently signs of damp due to not being lived in for 2 years.

4 years down the line no damp but still a money pit!!

I've got someone coming to sand, repair, replace, refinish the floorboards in our bedroom next month. There's a little patch of concrete in front of the chimney breast. Can I just chisel that away so that he can board right up to the wall?

I've got the older Titan version of the MacAllister saw, and I've basically done all the joinery for two houses with it, and it is still going strong. It's more than reliable and accurate enough for a DIYer. Attached are a couple of projects I used it for.

Get some rail clamps too. I prefer the trigger/quick release kind. They come into their own especially for longer cuts in sheet goods.

When you buy Makita rails check them for straightness in the shop if you can. I have had to exchange one because it was basically a long curve.

Sometimes Festool rails come up cheap in sales, and can be a bit less than a Makita one. You don't get the anti-tip lip but they are otherwise compatible.

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Those concrete pads are usually pretty thick, so take an SDS chisel to it, and prepare for a lot of work, but yes, you can remove them.

Well I'm impressed!

I would question whether a professional wouldn't potentially leave similar gaps. Time is money and all that. Also haven't you employed enough trades by now?!

Thanks that's reassuring and all very helpful. I had realised I'd be rail clamps but haven't researched them yet, do you have a preferred brand?

I'm happy to stand corrected and to be better informed.

Gypsum is a heap of shite, down with straight plum flat walls (and plasterboard)

My only experience of cutting cement board was that it fucked the (wood) blade after 2 of 3 cuts. I imagine it'll do the same to any other moving parts so I'd go cheap and warranty-able if I were you, then upgrade for future joinery jobs if it survives.

And yeah, use extraction, even if you're outside. I had a nasty reaction to cement dust in the eye due to being too lazy to set mine up. I had eye protection on but it was overwhelmed. To be fair I had to be quite close to the cutting surface and it was a grinding disc on 2" edgings but wholly avoidable if I'd have just bothered to get the Henry out, luckily no lasting damage done.

source? it's completely opposite to everything I've read online and in this thread so genuinely curious

doesnt lime produce an exothermic reaction rather than 'needing' heat to set.

(I think hygroscopic may be the correct word.)

I know nothing about gypsum's hygroscopic properties, but hygroscopic materials can absorb moisture from the air then release it again. Ideally in an older building this will be over a longer period of time, as this is less likely to cause problems.

I'm currently deep down the rabbit hole of how to insulate an early Edwardian terrace to modern standards without causing damp problems, so in my case I need breathable insulation but ideally it will also be hygroscopic.

For example, if I use mineral wool it is highly vapour open, but has poor hygroscopic and capillarity characteristics. In practice, this means that if it does get wet, it takes a long time to dry out. Plus wet mineral wool will usually sag with the weight of the water (because it's non-hygoscopic, so doesn't absorb it), which will create gaps around the edge where the heat will escape causing condensation on the walls.

This is a problem caused not by lack of breathability, but non-hygoscopic materials, i.e. a moisture issue, but not the one you'd think, so I think this is what you mean @hoefla ?

Any electricians in the house?

I’ve replaced an old tube light with led. I also want to put up a second fitting. How easy is it to do?

Do I need a junction box to get another cable off the existing one?

I've nearly finished the process of doing my ensuite bathroom, a process mostly carried out by professionals, hence the lack of any previous posts, as my role so far has been fairly limited other than stripping the old bathroom out. However, one thing I am going to have to do is take about 5mm off the bottom of the door, as it barely clears the new tiled floor - replacing carpet, which I still think is a fecking stupid idea in a bathroom - and definitely won't clear the new threshold strip I still have to fit

Any tips for taking 5mm off the bottom of the door? Current plan is to remove the hinge pins (the hinges need tweaking anyway), take 5mm off with a power plane, prime, paint and refit. All advice welcome, as I don't want to fuck things up this far into the process.

Does anyone know about stud finders? The detectors that tell you if anything is in a wall you want to drill into?

They vary in price so are the £30 ones actually any good? There seems plenty on eBay for less than £20, is there a way of knowing if they’re any good?

Also, apart from knocking, is there a way of knowing if a wall is thick enough to hang stuff off? Will the detector mentioned above work for this?

Thanks.

I'd go with your current plan. I've done it a few times with success. Just don't overdo the planing!

Yeah I'm not good with the longer words. Woodfibre insulation and clay plaster are often mentioned as useful moisture buffering materials - they can absorb some moisture then give it up again, which reduces condensation on surface (in the case of clay plaster) and regulates humidity. I think the problem with gypsum is that it doesn't like to give up the moisture again, and it's a good nutritional base for mould. And people usually cover it in plastic paint.

I used a panel hand saw. just make sure to sand it very smooth, especially if the door opens over carpet or it can snag.