Home DIY

b&q only have spare crimp ends down to 1.5mm which is too big for this job (the gold ones are the originals i need to replace):

i've had a little look around online but i don't really know what i'm looking for... 0.2mm female spade crimp connector? have got crimping tool (and marigolds)

i wanted to try and just push out the old wire from the old crimps but i don't have anything small enough... is that advisable!?

excellent prep work @lucyh :)

you want these > http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-SMALL-2-8mm-UNINSULATED-FEMALE-SPADE-CRIMP-CONNECTOR-TERMINAL-COVERS-LISTED-/131475295479?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1e9c89ccf7 < 2.8mm uninsulated female spade, they will take a cable down to 0.2mm diameter. As you said the B&Q ones only take a minimum cable diameter of 1.5mm, far too big, and the spades are 6.3mm.

thank you!

cheers for the link - hopefully will have a working doorbell by the end of next week, yay!

and the cat is happy, :)

Maplin should have these

B&Q is for amateurs, that's why. Screwfix, proper specialist shop where blokes eye you suspiciously and laugh if you don't use the proper jargon or GTFO.

i checked maplin but they didn't go small enough. i inadvertently avoided screwfix* but looking now, same thing (only down to 6.3mm spade)

*i've been to screwfix twice - once i went in to ask questions to check what i needed, the experience was so unpleasant that the next time i ordered and reserved it online and went in just to pick it up

For spade connectors Halfords might be worth a go; you could check on the website first too.
Or something like this, providing you know the amps:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/3M-Scotchlok-Filled-Connector-Crimps/dp/B007FAM6QE
These days Screwfix is Argos with tools, most of whom are the customers and staff.

RS Electronics, Farnell or CPC will have those connectors in stock.

@soul
These look amazing.

4 cupboard doors, 8 brass hinges. I took them all off to sand back and paint properly but didn't number them because they are all identical right? Think I've done something schoolboy because now they don't fit properly

Any ideas?

You've basically got a jigsaw on your hands. Pour yourself a beer and be patient.

Pour yourself a beer and be patient.

lol

967680 combinations of doors and hinges.

Good luck.

Need to repaint my front door and frame. Looks like a lot of the existing paint will come away with very little encouragement, but am wondering what's the best way of getting rid of the rest. Simple sanding job or is there a case for burning/scraping/chemicals?

As for painting, presumably need some combination of primer, undercoat and gloss. The latter will obviously be as many coats as necessary, any recommendations for the others?

Will probably do the frame first because that should be most straightforward. Anything else I should be considering? Embarrassingly, this is its current state:

I would suggest you avoid using a blow lamp, heat gun, or any other source of heat to remove the old paint, as old gloss paint will almost certainly have contained lead-based additives,
and,
as we all know lead compounds are dangerous to health,
and, fun though it is/was to see a layer of paint bubble and peel off,
breathing fumes full of lead isn't a thumbs-up pasttime.

Slap some chemicals on to remove the bulk of the paint,
then treat yourself to one of those intricately shaped scrapers to get the last vestiges of paint off.

Door looks old, so may have been made from properly seasoned, slow grown timber.
You may need 'knotting' on any exposed wood knots before the primer,
to prevent the slow bleed of resin from the wood knot.

Or wear a snorkel filled with charcoal whilst wielding the heat gun.

Not really DIY, but...

We are having a loft conversion done, and don't really want to waste wall space for a radiator.

Half considering electric underfloor heating, but oak floors make that a bit tricky, and it also seems quite expensive for what it is.

Also considering an air-air heat pump. Something like http://www.energybulbs.co.uk/kfr-23iw%2fx1c+air+conditioning+unit+(wall+split+system)/1385635130. It seems cheap and likely to do what we need...

Any warnings from the hivemind?

Is this loft-converted room going to be a bedroom?
Heat pumps use compressors,
and,
depending upon the output, produce more noise than a domestic fridge.

You need to check the COP,
especially at low temperatures, to see if it could efficiently supply all the heat the room will need.

Also considering an air-air heat pump. Something like energybulbs.co.uk/kfr-23iw%2f­x1c+air+conditioning+unit+(wall+split+sy­stem)/1385635130. It seems cheap and likely to do what we need...

That link is to energy saving lightbulbs!

Off the top of my head: loft conversions can get quite warm when it's a sunny day. An air-air heat pump could help in keeping it cool when needed as well as heating (if I've understood correctly and an air-air heat pump is the same as a heat exchanger).

Yes, I have to say that that is a worry, though presumably the compressor is on the (fugly - another worry) outside unit.

I also slightly doubt that it will be needed very often. The conversion is so well insultated now, and is obviously at the top of the house that I suspect that it will generally be warm. But I might think that because it is currently summer.

@graunch
I've got underfloor wet (from the main boiler) heating under oak flooring but it's not solid oak it's laminated (I think it's called that but it's plywood and then a 6mm top layer) and It's approved by the manufacturer for underfloor heating.
My builder said when he laid it that it's essential that you get a really good make as it's stressed much more with UF heating.
I've had it down for nearly 4 years and only had one issue where a board partially de-laminated. Not sure I could put it down to heating it might just have been a dodgy board.
I fixed it by levering it up filling it glue and then building a temp structure, braced off the ceiling, to force it back down whilst the glue dried. I then pinned it with a nail gun and filled the nail holes with oak filler.

I was warned off using electric UF heating due to cost, I never really looked into it as I fancied the wet stuff anyway.

good luck

What U rating is the loft conversion supposed to be?

Contractor using air-tight tape on all joints between rafters and insulation?

Personally, was going to suggest using a heat gun and avoiding breathing in the fumes where possible. Chemical skipper may be the safer option, though it can be a slow process if there are several layers. Other alternative is take it for a chemical dip.

Get an orbital sander over the whole thing once the paint is mainly off, and go coarse with 60 grit to so. May need a detail sander for the window edges, or you could do it manually using foam sanding blocks. Fill any holes with a decent 2-part wood filler like Ronseal and sand back flush. Give a final once over with a sanding block to remove any splinters or rough spots.

I think a lighter colour paint would make those upper sections of glass stand out better, and would make the lower 60's/70's glass stand out less (which I think would be a good thing).

So the short and honest answer to those questions are

1. I don't know and 2. I don't know
   
   

The slightly longer answer would be

1. Probably the worst he can get away with and still satisfy building regulations and 2. Not if he doesn't have to re: building regs....
   
   

There does seem to be a hell of a lot of that Celotex stuff going in :-)