Home DIY

That's my radreflector setup

A sort of folding screen type thing? Some fabric, hinges and 2x1.

A bit more permanent but the frame and fabric might work.

A mate might be sorting me out an 8x4 sheet of marine ply

If you go with your original idea I'd recommend hardboard (same as Masonite) over MDF; uses a lot less glue in it's manufacture, thus less off-gassing. Some hardboards use no glue at all, just water and fibres under heat and pressure.

Asbestos survey? Anyone know anyone?

Freeholders of ex LA buildings: I want to put an extractor fan in the bathroom. Should I just give up now? And leave the window open and buy a dehumidifier (for when the window is closed obvs)?

Shit!

Just fixing some loose floorboards and put a hole in a central heating pipe. It's just about patched with duct tape for the time being but ovbs need it fixed asap.

Have PMd Sacred Heart (think I was right that he's in the trade) but was wondering if anyone had his number or that of anyone else who might be able to help at short notice on a Saturday evening?

Head to B&Q / Wickes and grab an emergency pipe repair kit - either the putty or something clamp on.

That will hold long enough to book a non-emergency plumber on Monday, and save yourself a hundred quid or more.

Homebase had some stuff called rescue tape which seems like the business. Most of the pressure had gone when I replaced the duct tape anyway so I reckon it should be ok for the time being.

Aforementioned forum plumber gave us a call while I was out and reassured me that with the heating off it should be ok. Good job it's not cold yet.

During all this I've discovered that some of the floorboards were rotten as fuck, so tomorrow's business involves replacing those as well. At least I know where the pipes and wires are now.

Huge amounts of +rep for @sacredhart. Despite riding an imperial century earlier he came round to repair the damage I caused yesterday and gave the boiler/radiators a quick check while he was at it.

Hope no one else is daft enough to have to call on him in similar circumstances, but I highly recommend his services and generosity towards forumers.

Has anyone here back-filled a cast iron fireplace with vermiculite?

Anyone funemployed today and fancies helping me do some light DIY?

@Dammit How about you pop over to Bow and help me fix a broken waste pipe?

An attractive offer, I know.

Ooh, I shiver when I hear vermiculite, here in NA it has a nasty history of asbestos contamination and associated lung sicknesses. I think pretty much all of the nasty stuff originated from a mine in Montana.

Anyone know anyone who wants to plan and fit a wardrobe system?
Or can recommend anyone?

Oh cock. I maybe should bin the old stuff I have in the house then.

Hold on there, I said NA, as in N.A.
Canada.
I'll assume you're somewhere over there, where the vermiculite comes from places other than the Montana mine that was closed down.
Russia, South Africa, Brazil and China produce vermiculite these days - all have stellar safety records.
wups

If you're worried, the worst thing to do is remove it yourself or have someone else do it who is equally untrained in remediation. Most of the places where vermiculite ends up are generally undisturbed - attics, walls and so on. Best to leave it as long as its sealed in, unless you want to pay some serious cash to a pro.

November 2010:

May 2011:

March 2013:

May 2014:

November 2014:

Humidistat fan in the window glass?

Has anyone here back-filled a cast iron fireplace with vermiculite?

Yes.

Not just loose vermiculite tho, It's mixed with a slurry of cement/water which solidifies it.
(I couldn't tell you the ratio tho, it was ages ago and we pretty much winged it.)

Cool Starry Ceiling bro.

What did you do with your second bath? Is it dedicated to your bikes now?

It's in the garage, full of wood off-cuts.

Where it stands in the picture is now an en-suite for the bedroom next door.

Cool. I just question what they may have used as it was probably a good 50 years ago. Looking at it, I'm not sure it's vermiculite as it's so dense. I think I'll re-pack with new stuff.

Yesterday's DIY (copied from another thread).

I had this shipped over from Bristol as a lot of the fireplaces in London don't seem to be especially nice. I'm not sure yet when this one dates from. Probably between 1880 - 1910.

Anyway, first up, remove a shit-tonne of rust. The cast iron rusts very easily, and this has clearly been sitting outside for a long time:

Rust is removed using a steel wire brush, and some foam sanding blocks. These were both only a Pound in Poundland which is nice. You can start to see the detail coming through:

Now stove polish or "blacking" is added which is a mixture of wax and graphite. This adds contrast by darkening the areas which have an oxide layer further, while leaving the shiny parts just slightly dulled. It is scrubbed on with a plastic brush, and rubbed on with a cloth on flat areas. You can now see more detail popping out:

Finally the tiles are fitted. I had these Art Nouveau tiles hand-made in Bristol. They are "tube lined" which means that the surface of the tile has an impression scraped into it prior to glazing which follows the outline of the image on the tile. The tiles are taped together and slotted into the fireplace. These are then fixed in place at the rear with fire cement which is unsurprisingly a cement which can withstand high temperatures. This cement also seals all air gaps in the fireplace so that you get a good "draw" at the actual burning fire when the chimney pulls air upwards.

Looks great - one of the best things we did was to put a fire (well, a log-burner) in.

Are you allowed use a fire where you are? We are in a smoke control zone, so it's DEFRA approved log-burners only.