Home DIY

I think 90 would probably be ok - I always exercise the precautionary principle and then regret having put in too many verticals.
An alternative (my prefered option) to kitchen legs (especially when doing a run of cabinets along a wall) is to build two 1.85m long plinths and level them on adjustable legs ( these + these ). Once levelled and fixed down just plonk your cabinets on top, clamp them all together and you're away.

Just to add to the fun, this is filling one entire wall from side to side, with a window in the middle.

From the left: 1.8m wall, 1.8m window, 1.15m wall.

The window has a rad underneath it just slightly wider than the window, somewhat annoyingly, so I'll need to account for that.

I was going to have cabinets on the left, up to the height of the window- I'll replace the window sill to tie it into the whole unit.

Sounds good, apart from the radiator getting in the way. They are always in the way.
If you get the timber yard to rip down the ply to your finished size then all you'd need for a job like that is a chopsaw, a cordless or two and some time.

Are the walls plumb? Best way to avoid scribing would be to put some backs on the units. Or fill them up with books immediately so you can't dwell on any gaps.

You honestly wouldn't cut a rebate into the vertical elements to accept the shelves?

I was going to go for the "fill with books ASAP" approach.

Shelves disappear behind books, I wouldn't worry about gaps in the back.
insertplummerjoke

You honestly wouldn't cut a rebate into the vertical elements to accept the shelves?

I was going to go for the "fill with books ASAP" approach.

I definitely wouldn't, no. I've never had a unit fail on me yet. Most of the time I'll put biscuits in there, but only cos it speeds up production.

Routing them would be an awful pain. Each groove would have to be done in two passes, you'd have to set up the router for each and every pair of grooves, it'd take fucking ages, and if you bugger one up... And ultimately in my experience it really isn't necessary.
But then again if you're doing it for the pleasure of doing it, then that's a good enough reason to do it.

But I've made many units that are held with screws only, no biscuits, no glue and they're all fine to this day. I only use birch ply, and I only use good quality screws, and I make damn sure the shelves are cut square across their width and thickness.

I'm very willing to listen to reason. You'd use a biscuit jointer?

If you've got one or access to one they're ideal. You just have to make sure you mark up the face of each piece, and only work with that face uppermost.
It means you can locate the shelves in their correct position, pilot them and screw them all without needing an extra arm. And they of course add a little bit of strength to the shelf.

Can you recommend a biscuit jointer?

Well... I used to own Mafells and I've often used Lamellos, and they are the business, but they're expensive, starting at around 350 I think, and then going 1000+.

The only one I've used that isn't one of them is the Dewalt one, which was ok-ish. It seemed to have some vertical movement though, which goes against the whole point of the machine in the first place, but if you're an infrequent user then it's probably something you can live with.

if you do decide to cut rebates, why don't you use the table router? just clamp a fence with dimensions equal to the rebate you want to cut. The distance from fence to cutter is the same as your shelf height. then the next rebate is cut by placing the previous over the fence. simples

What is a reasonable temporary fix for a small (10p sized) hole in a slate tiled roof?

Glue a 10p over it?

^ Much lolz...

Wouldn't work as the 10p would fall through. A 2p coin might work, with the added bonus of being cheaper

if the slates are laid correctly then there should be another slate under the hole in the top slate

replacement > Affleck Roofing - How to replace a broken slate or rood tile - YouTube

Unfortunately I have no access to the roof at the moment.

It looks as though the neighbour's loft extension was put in by drunken children, and the roof on our side resembles a colander - Mould and damp galore in the loft.

Black mould in the corner near the shower: scrubbing hasn't done a thing, do I need to rip out silicon and redo it? Is this a major ballache?

Also, drip from ceiling-mounted extractor fan in bathroom: likely to be a roof leak, or some other issue? We've had tiles ripped off in recent storms but landlord says it's all weather-proofed and awaiting repairs. Or could it be a problem with the fan? When I moved in the previous owner had left a new extractor fan in a cupboard which leads me to believe there could've been an issue he never got to. Luckily it drips into the toilet so no major rush.

'ceiling-mounted extractor fan' vents to?

If it vents to the exterior,
it may well be connected to the exterior vent with spiral ducting.
If the spiral ducting is in a cold zone,
(say above any insulation),
warm moist air + cold surface = condensation = drips.

A 'few drips' are preferable to damp, mould inducing bathroom.

It disappears through my ceiling and that's the last I know of it. I'm on the third floor and it's a flat roof so I suspect it runs to the edge of the build and vents outside. If a few drips are normal then that's ok, but there's a stain on the ceiling around it, maybe the size of a large dinner plate.

Is there a roof void to which you can get access, and if so can you have a look at what is going on between your ceiling and the roof?

Is the extractor fan (the impeller (sp?)) integral to the vent, or is there a fan somewhere else (in the ceiling void maybe)?

Mespilus is probably right about it being condensation, it's very common. It can sometimes be cured with a bit of adjustment to the ducting and/or lagging the bit nearest the ceiling and leaving the bit nearest the outside cold so the condensation forms there and runs away outside rather than back to the fan.

That's the reason we went with a side vent when we had our bathroom renovated.
The condensation in the attic is especially damaging in our climate with it's extremes of temperatures.

A flooring question for all y'all: I've had to take up an area (about 30cm x 190cm) of the solid oak flooring in my house because it had been laid incorrectly, leading it to bow when it expanded. I now want to replace it including a T-section threshold to allow for expansion. First, I need to fill some low spots in the concrete subfloor underneath to flatten the area. Ideally I'd use a self-levelling compound, but I can't do that because the the area needs to be flat, but not quite level: there is perhaps a (max) 5mm drop over its 300mm width. This slope would also cause the self-levelling compound to run into the tongue and groove of the in-situ oak floorboards, which would be a nightmare. So, what should I use? My understanding is that cement could crumble under repeated loading/unloading expecially if it's very thin (which it would be in some areas). My best guess is to use floor tile-adhesive, because it's strong, flexible, can be trowelled flat (but won't self level) and shouldn't crack under loading. Obviously I wouldn't stick the floorboards to it; I'd let it dry and then cover with some thin, foam underlay.

Thoughts?

There's no roof access, otherwise I'd get up there and have an explore. I may try taking the fan off - somehow - and jiggling the ducting around a bit. It doesn't bother me much, but occasionally when you're on the toilet you get a drip of cold water on your neck. Which isn't pleasant...