Home DIY

Indeed, cheers. I've spent many years doing art handling work in my past so well aware of good techniques for ensuring it travels safely. Just the adhesive side of things that is unchartered territory!

I think you might need a latex primer for the ply?

Random selection from topstiles powder selection, it'll be more a matter of 'just try and get that off' , best to ask the supplier as there are vast differences you may require

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I think the battens were suggested to prevent the board flexing, not for transport. If it flexes it doesn't matter what adhesive you've used, the tiles will come off. And if it's super heavy then it's likely to flex if ever moved. A sub frame would be a good idea. No idea on adhesive though I'm afraid.

Thanks all for the replies.

TBH I don’t think 18mm marine ply is going to flex: it’s only 400 x 1300 (landscape) and the weight is going to be supported by five brackets that will catch the bottom edge of the 18mm ply, the ceramics slightly lap over the ply so that the ply and also any hanging/mounting hardware won’t be visible. I reckon the total weight of the tiles is closer to 20-25kg all in and it is a sheer weight and I think pretty unlikely to flex in any significant way. I’m going to use as flexible an adhesive as I can find so hopefully that mitigates any flex. Need to look into a latex primer too, I’ve keyed the ply with some criss-cross scratches as you’d do between a scratch coat and plastering.

The reason I said about batons on the back is because that is often how unframed/unglazed paintings are transported - the batons/oz clips then screw into a timber “travel frame” that is larger and deeper than the painting though maybe you already know this if you have worked in similar fields

There is a BAL primer available from Topps which you could use for the plywood. Unfortunately you'll need to buy enough to do a lot more than the size you need to cover.

Before cement board was in vogue everyone used plywood and flexible adhesives so I expect you'll be fine. The rating for tile adhesive flexibility is S1 for smaller tiles and S2 for large tiles (S2 being more flexible).

Thanks @Airhead and @JonoMarshall

Because of how and where the tiles join I have realised that I can also cut the ply down so that the 1300 length becomes divided into three ~430 lengths, which will also help in reducing both overall weight and flex over so long a length.

If I want to use my circular saw for finer cuts in ply and mdf - like cutting a rebate(?) channel or something - then what tooth count do I want?

Cheers

The higher the better, but in reality this is all you need for ply, or mdf (40T, or 'fine cross cut'):
https://www.screwfix.com/p/freud-wood-circular-saw-blade-165mm-x-20mm-40t/975kj

Speed of cut and correct depth of blade have a much bigger impact on finish above 40T, despite what some marketeers would have you believe.

Cheers. Other than pushing it along slower I don't have any way to control speed.

Potting shed went up on Saturday. I've already had to build the base twice as my first one was 50cm too close to the boundary. Getting cheap tongue and groove boards together hasn't got any more fun since I last did it two years ago! I only had time to get half the corrugated roof on before the end of the day and now we have 3 days of rain forecast... However, pretty pleased overall with how it went and how it looks now!
Next weekends tasks will be finishing the roof, and building the potting bench. A small lean-to greenhouse is on order as well.

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^you in Switzerland? Good job on the shed, looks proper

I want to make a hedgehog hole in a gravel board.

It needs to be approximately 13cm in diameter.

I have an SDS drill, but no angle grinder.

What's the cheapest way to do this? It doesn't need to be neat because a hedge will hide it, but I don't want to smash the gravel board to pieces.

Is there a way that doesn't involve buying a 110mm hole saw attachment?

Can you lift the panels? Swapping a gravel board might be easier and apparently they are £35ish with a hole precast.

Gravel board - rough wooden thing? Stitch drill holes of c.8mm or something (whatever is necessary for a hacksaw blade) diameter around the diameter of your desired hole, then hacksaw blade them together to knock out the centre? Sandpaper the result to a hedgehog-acceptable finish

Big concrete ones sadly

I haven't tried, but perhaps that would be easier.

Indeed! What gave it away?

The aesthetic of final stage humanity

If gravel boards are anything like the posts they hang out with I think stitch drilling wont harm them.

My method would be to neatly stitch drill a round shape (so there aren't any right angles/corners to crack) using a fairly small bit - maybe 5mm. Then after go round with an >8mm bit which should hopefully join most of the holes to an effective cut. Then find something like a block of wood about the size of the hole, line it up with the bit being removed and give it one swift proper whack.

It'll be quite a lot of effort, so I'd question if the hedgehogs are really worth it. Do you know for sure it's an access route?

Concrete gravel boards don't have any reinforcing steels in the thin sections between the 'frame'. Drill, rather than hammer drill holes to limit the cracking.
Drill the 5mm holes in the shape you wish to remove, then as above move up to 8mm, 10mm as necessary. The thin concrete should just fall out.

Do you know for sure it's an access route?

That's a bit like saying there is no point building a bridge across a river as nobody crosses the river there.

I know for sure that it's not at the moment because for the last few years there's been a new fence alongside the chain link fence that's been there for years. But I know there are hedgehogs in the area and I'd like to make the garden accessible to them so they can come in if they want to.

Thanks @hugo7 and @mespilus for the tips - sounds like a great way to procrastinate and delay the less fun jobs.