Home DIY

If only.
Those days are gone.

I'm more like the Radio 3 listening scaffolders anyway.

Anyone used self levelling latex stuff? Need to make some concrete flat for engineered floor.

if engineered floor, check floor loading of machinery, heavy items, plus chemicals that could be spilled; not all self levelling compounds are suitable

Its pretty straight forward gear. (the Mapei stuff is good)
Mix it up exactly as it says on the bag, you'll need a whisk (plaster mixer in a powerful drill)
pour it out, give it a quick spread around, let it settle and set.

In the middle of getting quotes for a 765mmX2120mm mirror to be supplied and fitted, anyone used a firm in London and can reccomend them?

Glass Design in Greenwich.
I'll PM you.

...Gypsum based plaster ... don't use bonding though as it is very absorbent and shouldn't be used on exterior walls especially next to windows, or in shower enclosures- use cement render (with a multifinish skim if you want). If the repaired substrate is dry, flat and plumb go ahead and tile on top.
.... or you can just use good tile adhesive (I always use Mapei and not just cause of the cycling connection) The adhesive will be flexible, dry faster/take tiles sooner but costs more. ...

Thanks absurdbird!!

I followed B's advice earlier in this thread and I've now taken out the wooden sill – which most definitely was the culprit – and poured waterproof cement into the cavity (with a bit of plywood as a scaffolding).
It now looks like this:

But as i struggled a bit with the waterproof cement (much stickier than normal cement I reckon) I ended up with a sill that is not quite level, it's a few mill off to the left side. This is where I need to properly understand what you are saying about plaster and stuff.
I've started trying to make the sill level with some Thistle 'one coat plaster'. So is that right by you or do I need some other kind of plaster ? I am getting really confused by all the different brands of plaster.

Eventually I will tank the whole shower section with the BAL shower kit then tile all over. Will the BAL tanking kit be good enough to cover whichever plaster I use to level the sill? Or are you actually saying I should use the BAL waterresistant adhesive to level the shelf? If so do I then tank on top of the adhesive again?

Btw, building is a block of flats built in 1990.

see, you've unintentionally created a nice little fall for the water to run-off.... or collect in the corner under the winder frame..

When you tile it, make the tiles level with the adhesive.

Or, build up the front and keep a goldfish in the resultant pool

Hmm... I'd rather it be perfectly level before I do the tanking. Seeing as tanking stuff is fairly expensive it be good to know there are no more corrections to make at that point.

Just suddenly worried I am using the wrong kind of plaster to level it with?

Absurdbird seems to know what he is talking about here, so I'll wade in with some badly informed assumptions and conjecture.

If you are going to tank it, then what kind of plaster it is does not matter, surely?

The BAL tanking layer will seal it, even if it is hygroscopic when untreated.

You might run into an issue if you plaster the wall to flatten it, as larger tiles can go beyond the bearing capacity of some plaster quite easily.

Easiest thing to do might be to dot and dab (it's like magic it's so easy) cement boards (wadi/aquapanel) onto the brick work, giving a nice flat surface, then tiling that.

You'd not need to tank the boards, either.

Cheers, but nah. Adding panel, even if it is just 10 mm thick, means I'd have to move the bathtub as well as getting into some serious plumbing. For some reason a spaghetti of pipes for the mains, drains, waste, overspill, central heating and ventilation all coexist in exactly the same area. Move one and they will all have to move.
But yes, given a certain amount of area it seems that cost of aquapanel will be less than cost of tanking kit.

Plumbing is pretty easy if you take it slowly and think through what you want to achieve before you start cutting stuff

If the flat was built in the 90's disregard all of what I said about different plaster types.

I've never used a one coat plaster so I can't comment, I've heard that even though it's really a DIY product, counter intuitively it's harder to use.
Thistle anything will be fine as its Gypsum based -so works fine with portland (cement) and other Gypsum stuff.
Its important that the substrate is fully dry before you plaster onto it as the plaster sticks by suction and the damp mortar won't have any. Let it dry fully (I know you didn't and started plastering already) then splash it with a bit of water (I know it sounds nuts but its to do with controlling the suction) then plaster on top. Some people PVA the mortar/render first to get even predictable suction.
I would also give a very slight fall to the front of the shelf/lower window reveal/thing so water does run off- you could do this with the tile but as you're tanking you might as well have that draining the right way.

Never used the Bal tanking system - it looks to be pretty good value actually, at the risk of sounding like a Mapei salesman their Mapegum is great, very easy to work with + clean up - its a ready mixed grey latex goop. If you go to a proper trade tile place (where are you?) you can buy all the tape, matting , primer and what not individually. Might cost a bit more but do you have Sora on your bike?

Good luck.

And Dammit "Plumbing is pretty easy" How did that iBox work out?

:-)
After 20 odd years doing building work (on and off) I still find plumbing a lesson in humility. I occasionally need my 60 year old Irish plumbing Guru called Seamus, he's only a phone call away.

Finishing it off tomorrow, I'll let you know.

The only bit I am not looking forward to is drilling through tile/cement/cement board in the right places to locate the shower arm and hose connector.

I've never used a one coat plaster so I can't comment, I've heard that even though it's really a DIY product, counter intuitively it's harder to use.

I have and it's a real struggle to get a good finish. I've generally had to resort to a power sander after using it. Give me a bag of multi finish every time!

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A previous diy bodge project.

2 Attachments

Plastering is one of the dark arts.
It eluded me for years.
As a sculptor,carpenter, cabinetmaker, joiner, plumber, tiler, welder etc. for too long I used to get so wound up because my plastering was shit.
I finally cracked it a couple of years ago and realized Its all about the Zen.

Sometimes a wall or ceiling is just a bitch though and needs to get skimmed twice.

Dammit and absurdbird, seeing as I got such a great response the other day I just wanted to check something with you before I move on. Below is a pic of my first aquapanel job which I did yesterday. Didn't do the whole bathroom, but had to box in some pipes and more. I am quite pleased with it, but that is not to say its 100% perfect.

My questions:

1) There are a few minor gaps here and there as the walls aren't perfectly straight plus that the board crumbled a bit around some of the screws. No gaps are wider than a millimeter and none are longer than a few centimeters (the picture shows the worst area). Is this a big problem?

2) When I set it up I generously filled these little indents, cracks and gaps with sealant (the one that came with the board) but would plaster have been better? I need to go over them a second time so it's the choice between more sealant or moving onto plaster.

3) Lastly, will there be issues with the plaster not sticking properly to where the sealant is? It feels very rubbery? I suppose I could cover all the sealant patches with the joint tape that came with the boards if that helps.

Anyone used self levelling latex stuff? Need to make some concrete flat for engineered floor.

Engineered, as in wooden / laminate floor ?

Make sure no extra high spots.

Mix smooth, and pour, as people have mentioned.

Tips I have found,
a) try to pour the exact level you want down to 0.1mm it does not shrink if mixed correctly.

b) if there is any way to let it dry for 48 hours, rather than overnight... it actually makes the process faster because then you are good to go.

c) try to avoid any moisture (wet footprints) in the first 12 hours. see b)

Dammit and absurdbird, seeing as I got such a great response the other day I just wanted to check something with you before I move on. Below is a pic of my first aquapanel job which I did yesterday. Didn't do the whole bathroom, but had to box in some pipes and more. I am quite pleased with it, but that is not to say its 100% perfect.

My questions:

1) There are a few minor gaps here and there as the walls aren't perfectly straight plus that the board crumbled a bit around some of the screws. No gaps are wider than a millimeter and none are longer than a few centimeters (the picture shows the worst area). Is this a big problem?

2) When I set it up I generously filled these little indents, cracks and gaps with sealant (the one that came with the board) but would plaster have been better? I need to go over them a second time so it's the choice between more sealant or moving onto plaster.

3) Lastly, will there be issues with the plaster not sticking properly to where the sealant is? It feels very rubbery? I suppose I could cover all the sealant patches with the joint tape that came with the boards if that helps.

What is the final finish of the wall going to be? Plaster and paint or tile?

1) I would use self adhesive glass fibre scrim tape on all joints as a matter of course, this will help the plaster bridge any gaps and if adjoining panels move relative to each other it should help reduce any cracking.

2) Just Plaster it already

3) With the scrim tape you shouldn't have any problem with the plaster sticking you will props find that the plaster on top of the sealant will dry/set up more slowly than elsewhere (no suck) but if you're patient and allow everything to set up before troweling off and/or use 2 coats of multifinish you should still be able to get it smooth as a baby's bottom.

I have managed to convince our landlord to let me undertake a bit of work in the back garden/patio/decking area.

Currently, there are a number of wooden planters that he built himself back in 1997 that have rotted beyond repair and are nothing more than a very messy litter tray for ours and neighbouring cats. See woeful pictures below.

What I plan to do is scrap these, re pot some of the larger plants, white wash the low wall and fit lengths of decking planks along the top of the wall.

Cannily, exactly like our neighbours have done, barring their wall being brick instead of concrete, as below.

off to B&Q tomorrow to get some exterior masonry paint and 2"x2" baton. luckily, one of the mother-in-law's neighbours was decking their garden and has enough left over to more than do the job.

I will finally get to use my new drill!

I'll also give the deck a good scrub, it's nothing like as bad as it looks in the pictures, just a bit green after all the rain we've had.

I've got a pressure washer with (somewhere) a deck scrubbing head if you want to borrow it?