Home DIY

Stone mullions, sash windows and sealant.

My "akshewerly, the traditional method of burnt sand mastic is the most appropriate contemporaneous method for this sort of thing" just doesn't work.

And I probably didn't wrong anyway.

The thermal expansion and contraction of the last few years has, quite frankly, made a mockery of my efforts.

What has everyone else done with their leaky Victorian bay windows and frames?

The wood needs a bit of TLC, but I'm tempted to just use a modern, flexible, above all waterproof caulk, in all the gaps and joints.

Inb4 soudal it all.

Interest to know the gap (distance) that's wanting to be filled. Outside of what I know but when the stone work becomes degraded it's repairable to come up like new - could whatever the bricky would use be used close the gap from the stone to then be sealed and paintable from the window

Pack the variable dimension joints with cylindrical foam backer rod*, (a simple twist reduces the backer rod's diameter), followed by your Mapei sealant of choice.

(* I may be able to offer you some).

If the stone work is painted forget about it and use CT1

If there’s something in the gap to adhere to, then expanding foam tape like Illbruck TP600 is best. Can then splurge colour-matched silicone sealant over it.

Zactly what I just did

That does depend on the viscosity of the material you have in the tube.

This is a very fair point. I think it was the sticks like shit that fucked my flimsy one. The caulking I've done recently feels like it requires much less pressure.

Just to update my question a few pages back about how easy it is to replace a double glazed unit, it is laughably easy. Best quote I got from a local firm was £200 for a tiny little unit (300 x 390 mm). In fairness, they've got stupid diamond leading on the outside which adds to the cost of the window unit. I don't like the look of the leading, but every window in the house has it so I'm not gonna get rid of the leading for just one.

I ordered a unit from sealedunitsonline.co.uk for £73.80 (best value I could find online for the spec I wanted), ordered a moon knife from Amazon, and had the whole lot replaced in less than 20 minutes from start to finish, despite also finding that the uPVC frames had blocked weep holes that I needed to clean up and unblock. Let's not talk about the time spent cleaning my own blood off the carpet after I stupidly didn't wear gloves and absent-mindedly ran my finger right along the blade of the incredibly sharp moon knife...

I'm really happy with my decision to replace myself, and really happy with the glass I got. I'd have felt robbed paying £200 to have someone do 20 minutes of work.

We've got 2 tiny little windows in what is now the loft conversion, either side of a chimney stack. The one I haven't replaced is noticeably colder on the inside edge than the new unit. I specified argon-filled and low-e double glazing for the replacement unit. I'm sure most will already know this, but good double glazing does seem to be much better than bog standard double glazing.

As part of the repairs I spotted that the screws holding the uPVC frame to the walls were visibly loose. Tightened them up and checked others. Whaddya know, all 13 windows in the house installed before 2017 are not screwed in properly ...

Next window project is replacing hinges on a side-opening sash that I hadn't opened until yesterday, and the hinge has just completely snapped at some point. Looks like the seller tried to hide it by locking that sash. Lovely!

Pics please! Well done, sounds super satisfying

this is really good to hear - we've got a load of our c.15 year old units misted or otherwise showing signs of bubbling in the seals.

how did you work out the type/thicknesses of the inner/outer panes and other options?

Possibly a stupid question, but you stand inside to fit them right?

great minds think alike..!

p.s. search results inconclusive, but err towards from inside for modern units

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All our big Victorian sash windows were redone from the inside

Wow, unexpectedly popular post 😂

@si_mon628 pics attached, both from wife angle and then closer on the one I replaced. Excuse the dirt and mould around the frame. That's a side product of the issues with the window which I still need to clean up and potentially repaint.

@hvsds I was kinda lucky. Reason for replacing was previous owner smashed just the inner pane of glass, so I could measure thicknesses of everything pretty easily with a tape measure and callipers. But otherwise you can just pop the existing unit out to measure. There is a knack to getting the trims out but once you've got it, it takes you very little time. If you really don't wanna do that then you could just pop one side off and then use something like a paper clip covered in masking tape to measure the thickness of the unit in total. Straighten out paperclip, make a 90 degree turn a couple of mm from the end, cover the long straight bit in masking tape, and now you can stick in the gap, pull backwards to make sure the bit at 90 degrees is now back against the outside edge, and then mark the inside edge so you can measure it.

Most units seem to be fairly standard 4mm thick glass on either side, so take 8mm off the total thickness and you've got the width of the spacer bar.

@hugo7 yeah fitted from inside. This is 3 storeys up so no way this wuss would be out there on a ladder replacing.

I found this video quite a good reference on the process and why these units often blow. Just please use a soft mallet, not a metal hammer like him. https://youtu.be/5pYigwuqOu8?si=MbOhp7E2miMU2pgz

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fab! much appreciated, and congrats on the results!

Most units seem to be fairly standard 4mm thick glass on either side, so take 8mm off the total thickness and you've got the width of the spacer bar.

16mm, 20mm, 24mm overall thickness are historic standards and 28mm has been the thickest double glazed unit for the past 10-15 years at least.
4-8-4
4-12-4
4-16-4
4-20-4

Width and height measurements are edge to edge of the unit, including the spacer bar and edge sealant. So larger than the visible sight line size. Measuring from the bead/frame joint across to the bead/frame joint and subtracting 10mm to allow for frame packers, should save removing each unit to measure.

Some beads are very easy to remove and others can be a right pain. A sharp glazing chisel or knife (or 2) makes parting the beads easier.

If you order from a glazier, the units will be supplied as just that. A bare unit with no packaging. So factor in collecting without damaging them. If you measured it wrong or scratch it, it's yours.

The units are priced per Sqm and the price wil be depndent on the type of glass required.
Clear/Float (plain clear glass)
Low-U (generic low energy coating)
Pilkington KS (well known name brand low energy)
Patterned/obscure glass
Toughened options on the above
Small units will be charged as 0.3Sqm
Shapes, Georgian bar inserts and leadwork will add 25- 50% to the cost

Spacer bars between the glass used to be aluminium and were usually anodised silver or gold. More energy efficient plastic spacers (Swiss spacers) probably wont cost extra and are a better option unless you need a replacement to match an adjacent unit. The silver and gold options are a matt finish. Black Swiss blends in with the seals and looks better imo.

I guess the main fear with fitting your own window is if you mess up / dont buy the right fixings etc etc you're left with a hole in the wall

I'm wanting to install some secondary glazing, over reality new single glazed sliding sash only four of them, I've thought as far as building a strip wood frame to house the runners and thought horizontal sliding ones would be easy to lift out in summer (despite going against the sash vertical sliding... Anyhow is there a this brand is best? And this is were to get them from or have a look here?. money's no problem but if the cheapest are the best then that's the way it is

I'm getting myself in a muddle here.

We need to replace our integrated washing machine. Ideally using the existing door.

My question is: what do I put underneath?

• Today, underneath the cabinets it sits on a rotten lump of 45mm chipboard.
  
• On top of the chipboard is sheet of ply and foam - ply to stop the machine falling off the edge of the rotten chipboard and the foam for vibration.
  
• the ply and foam mean the feet (which are broken anyway) are at their shortest
  
• replacing the chipboard with something new means we don't need the ply
  
• The kitchen floor is higher than the concrete under the cabinets, but lower than the chipboard.
  
• the available height between the new kitchen floor and the underside of the cabinet is 890mm.
  
  
  

My instinct is to get a peice of 25mm moisture resistant mdf - ie to make the washing machine's ground level roughly the same height as the main floor. Mdf should help with vibration and be solid and withstand leaks, etc.

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Isn't tricoya the wood(ish) product of choice for that sort of thing?

Anything you put there will rot eventually though - water will pool there, because gravity, and take forever to dry, because air.

Just treat it as a temp bodge until you do the floor again / properly.

Thanks for mentioning tricoya.

We've recently had the whole ground floor floor redone. The self leaving only goes partially under the cabinets - see pic. It won't be redone while we live here (unless something macro changes to make extending better than moving)

My other thought was to get some of those vibration pucks. I've put them under our outdoor tumble dryer to keep it off the ground. The problem is that if you need to move the machine it'll get stuck or drop off them.

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Fwiw I'm not wedded to a wood-like product. But whatever it is, I need to be able to buy it easily in the right size and cut it.

On that point tricoya doesn't seem easy to buy and quite expensive.

We do also have a fuck tonne of kitchen tiles because our tiler opened a whole new box for 2 tiles.

Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way.

Should the question be: What is the max extension for washing machine feet?

Get one of those pump up airbags to fit the feet and lift the machine up again if it shifts or comes off a foot.

And/or get an adjustable appliance stand to sit it on

I found these guys under areas of loose plaster. Do you have any suggestions before I fill them with some all-purpose filler? Is it normal that a plaster screw will prevent the plaster from settling over it and creating “blisters”?

For reference, this is in a loft under a flat roof, probably a massive bodge by someone sometime in the recent past 🤷🏻

I just want to avoid the same problem happening again and again and again … Thanks!

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