Home DIY

I have a a similar set, but bigger batteries. been very happy with it.

Just used my KREG Rip-Cut™ for the first time with my folks old Makita circular saw.

Getting it out of the loft and setting up for the first time took a while, but in use it's fucking great. Originally measure something at one size, marked it all up, then we changed our minds.

With the rip-cut the rulers already on there so didn't need to measure or mark up. Just dialed it in and off I went.

Definitely worth buying.

Just buy whatever is on offer in your local Screwfix/Toolstation

We have a small recessed shower shelf where the grouting is a bit patchy. There are a couple of bits my girlfriend is worried about, and we're not sure how to approach fixing them:

1. The small holes between the trim and tile: They are small enough that we're not able to push more grout into them
2. The dips in grouting on the left-hand side: I don't know why that's happened

Any advice appreciated, thanks!

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Agh... My post deleted.

1. To rectify it probably you need to remove everything and start again
   
2. The horizontal dip will probably be fine.
   
3. The vertical is too thin a space to form a bond with grout. It'll probably be fine, but as water can creap in find something flexible instead of grout - like bathroom silicone and carefully fill the gap. Use tape to make sure it doesn't stick to anything else and make a mess.
   

I went Makita for tools.
Their body's are generally well priced.

I went Makita mainly because I have a mate who has them, which means I can borrow the bodies without having to borrow batteries and chargers too.

1900 semi detached house, external south west facing first floor corner, this room was plastered and decorated three years ago and now this. Any thoughts on what I need to do? We're likely moving a three year old in here soon, so OH is keen for some action. Cheers.

Questions that usually arise (har ironic har) for damp that looks like that - is that corner heated and ventilated, and what does the guttering look like above it? Might find that when theres heavy rain, the guttering is overspilling and getting onto that corner and showing up there.

Google efflorescence too - it's most probably salts coming through the wall instead of something properly hazardous like mould.

Edit - even when you sort the problem, the figure that gets touted is that it take a month for every inch of brick thickness to properly dry out. So you could be looking at a good year before permanent redecorating is on the cards for that low corner of the room.

Damp is a bugger to investigate the root cause of. Could just be internal condensation, although it’s a weird place for it if that’s the only spot. Do you have a humidity sensor?

What’s the outside of the wall look like?

If it’s only around the sockets - wonder if the wire chases were filled with bonding first. I’m not sure how true it is really but I remember reading that it shouldn’t be used on external walls because it can attract/concentrate damp.

Any thoughts on what I need to do?

Put the chest of drawers in that corner.

I have something very similar in downstairs front room (similar timeline after redecorating). Other side of the wall is enclosed porch, wall feels dry on the other side but encrusted in paint so hard to tell. Suspect just a bit of damp maybe pulling in from the outside or ground causing efflorescence but nothing critical. I just scraped off what paint was bubbling and left it. It looks a bit ugly but it's enough to let the wall breathe and stay dry. If you put furniture in front of it leave a gap for it to ventilate. I suspect my approach to DIY and decoration is well below forum average though.

I suspect my approach to DIY and decoration is well below forum average though.

You mean you were motivated to remove all the mortar and replace with a traditional mix of horse hair, flour and lard?

For context, the corner isn't far from an almost constantly on radiator and an ajar window. But, what I think could be a factor is that the room currently has my moist body in it 24x7; working during the day and sleeping at night (whilst baby screams in my room).

Will have a closer look at guttering next time it rains, but we had a new roof and gutter three years ago too.

Wire chasers look like something a professional would use, based on what I saw of our builder I don't think they'd be in his arsenal.

Having the word efflorescence in my arsenal should help at home too, thanks!

Chest of drawers also a great shout.

Worth bearing in mind these problems can come from above. I've had a couple of them where the problem turned out to be weeping radiator joints on the floor above. Took a long time to find it, in the mean time I had stripped the plaster off and replastered with a waterproof filler.

Cheers @Airhead, no plumbing above

Looks like it's where the filler would have been, so potentially it's just that absorbing moisture (like the canary down the mine), maybe not helped by a metal back box on an exterior wall. I don't want to think it's anything sinister . Sealing over with bin should slow this - think I'd also prefer a ready mix filler over a powder mix

Damp is a bugger to investigate the root cause of.

Not really. It's either water getting in, or water that's in not being able to get out ;)

But yea @zaskar

this room was plastered

Presumably with the wrong materials, but I get that forking out for lime is quite the wallet crusher.

Gut instinct says that's something coming in rather than internal humidity fucking it. Looks like you've got draughty sash windows so ventilation shouldn't be an issue.

Maybe it is an exterior defect, on efflorescence I wouldn't mix filler with water that's been through purifying salts

£25 more for 5ah batteries - https://its.co.uk/pd/dewalt-dck2111p2b-2-piece-12v-xr-brushless-kit-with-2x-5-0ah-batteries-charger-bag-_dewdck2111p2b.htm

Edit: slightly lower spec/torque tools however

All the 12v ones seem to have a 10mm chuck which I think would bug me often enough to get an 18v one.

You can just get larger bits with smaller shanks, but then you'd run into torque problems. Fuel 18V is still too much for anything I've asked it to do. I was putting in some 6" structural screws, the ones with the large flanged head. Forgot the impact driver was on setting three, buried the head an inch into the timber without realising.

10mm chuck

There's always the frankentool approach (pre-Fuel with the Bosch Green and a need to use a 12mm auger)

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Week of shit stuff going wrong has been compounded by our washing machine install hitting a blocker. Tbf the guy was nice and the company are arranging another one without charge.

Long story short I need to level the floor surface under the cabinets where the washing machine was.

So my plan is:

• to nip to screwfix
  
• buy whatever the no nonsense self leveling compound is
  
• use silicone or wood to make a 'boundary'
  
• slap it on and leave it
  
  

Any problems with my plan? Any tips for using self leveling, or is it just following instructions?

Cheers

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