Home DIY

Interesting option. I don't think I'd trust myself to get the hole in the wall vertical and the hole in the timber axial so that it actually ends up vertical. The wall also has a rounded covering of mortar (flaunching?) at the top, so I'd have to hack that off to get a flat surface to mount the post onto, and even once it's gone the surface probably wouldn't be flat because the bricks are old.

My question was really about how far into the substrate you need masonry screws to go to get a decent fixing.

Cork is a good option (no one wants to know!)

When I bought my place the bathroom had carpet in it. (Yeah, WTF?)

After the cistern leaked I ripped it out only to find cork tiles underneath. They are perfect for a bathroom surely?

Waterproof and warm underfoot, not slippy and easy to clean. Cheap and easy to DIY as well.

#Corkneedsacomeback.

Drill right through,
and,
stainless steel coach bolts/nuts/washers?

SDS drill, and bits, here you can borrow.
(I assume you have ear protection?)

Has anyone here repaired Victorian cornice before? I need to replace a couple of feet which are fucked from water damage. I have a plan to create a mould of the existing and reform a new section, but not sure if it's a good idea or not.

Apologies, I know it's not what you asked. I just found it much easier to do it that way and the axial is not important because you can bend the threaded rod to make it vertical if you leave around 12mm from the top of the wall and pop a rubber grommet in.

It actually works very well with flaunching or coping and you just drill through it.

Calculating the depth of masonry screws is pretty much impossible as you'd need to take into account the largest gust of wind and the force that the fence could exert on the wall combined with the type and condition of the bricks.

Thought I should clarify, you can bend bolt using the post to make it vertical once it's epoxied in place. I was worried about not being able to drill the posts straight but it didn't make any difference.

It works but it stands out against the older stuff if you need it to match.

These guys might even have the mould ready to use:

http://www.huttsdecorativeplastering.co.uk/contact.html

You may even find a similar firm, local to you.

^ and ^^. Thanks both.

I had contemplated using a tile profile gauge to make a mould. Not sure if that's the best option for DIY if I do try:

You can make a scriber with a couple of bits of board.

Apologies, I know it's not what you asked.

That's alright, I genuinely do appreciate the suggestion and it's got me thinking. I'm not familiar with epoxy cement, do you have a link? Roughly how much rod did you put into the wall and the post and how high were the posts?

How high is the brick wall? Adding nearly 1m of fence could put quite a strain on a single skin, would it be possible to sink posts into the ground?

I have a ticking from my central heating that is driving me to the brink of self harm. I understand these noises are pipe expansion causing rubbing (no euph). I've tracked the noise down to a section of pipe. I can't get the boards up to look though as the bath and sink vanity are right on top of it. There is a largish hole that I can get my hand in and reach some of the offending pipe. Any suggestions on how to rectify the problem without good access? I really don't want to pull the bathroom out.

Damp it with mass. Ie. attach something heavy that can transfer the sound and hopefully lower the resonant frequency and hopefully perceived level.

It might be the friction between the pipe and a holding clip, a squirt of WD40 would be a quick but probably not permanent fix.

The wall is between 120 and 80 cm high (it's a level wall on a slightly sloping garden). Although it's single-skinned it has buttresses every couple of metres. It already has a 90cm fence on top (60cm solid panel with cane screening above) which is fixed in the method I described. I'm just fitting new posts because the new panels are different sizes (1800mm vs 5ft). Sinking the posts into the ground would be ideal, but it's not really feasible because some of them would be going into flowerbed, while others would be onto a granite patio.

I was in the same situation, no experience of epoxy cement and no idea how effective the threaded rod would be. The rod had around 120mm going into the wall, so roughly 240mm long. The posts are around 800mm with trellis attached to the front, in a sheltered garden so wind is not a big factor.

You can get epoxy cement from Screwfix or similar, I think I used Fischer FIS VT VT Vinylester Chemical Mortar Resin. Something like 20 posts used 4 tubes. I didn't have to drill into the wooden posts, they were supplied drilled and epoxied in this case. I did buy a special brush to get the dust out of the holes in the cement/brick and hoovered the dust out, the posts are very solid and stable.

The result was much more solid than I had imagined, it's easy enough to straighten the posts and I've not seen them moving in the wind. I'd fretted about it because I don't normally do landscaping/gardening stuff and I'm used to high end joinery solutions so concrete and brick are a bit approximate

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Anyone have a recommendation for a plumber to install a radiator in London? The pipework is already there, but needs to be moved slightly to re-centre for a new width radiator.

That looks absolutely pin sharp! Very nice. I think your wall looks substantially more solid than mine. I'm worried that if I were to drill down only 120mm, mount the post and then lean on it to try to straighten it, there's a fair chance that I'd just tear the top 2 courses of bricks off. Having said that, there is one place that I can't get to the face of the wall easily as it's behind my shed, so I may try out that approach for that one post.

On the recent topic of creaking floor tiles, I have a question.

My bathroom tiles (about 60x60cm) are starting to rock ever so slightly and grout is cracked in places. What is my best approach to fix this?

Uplift the tiles and relay the adhesive and regrout? I think the substrate is plywood board

Burst water pipe.
Not mine.
Next door have an extension which borders our decking with an unlagged pipe running along the outside of the wall. It's burst, it's spraying water onto our decking. Next door is rarely in and we don't have a contact number.

Is there any way I can stem the flow as an interim measure when I get home?
I have access to a Robert Dyas so basic kit only. Thames won't come out to shut her water off, tried for the LOLs.

I would be a bit more concerned about a single skin wall carrying the wind load, especially as it's a fence not a trellis but as you've already had a fence fitted it must be quite stable/sheltered.

When I fitted them I checked they were upright before/during the cement drying (which is very quick), if you've drilled larger holes than the threaded bar there's 10 degrees play. There's limited force involved in moving them 5 degrees or so to get them spot on once the trellis is going up.

Try it behind the shed and see how you get on.

Do you not have access to their main stopcock in the street? Otherwise bash the live end of the pipe with a mallet until it breaks and then bend it over so it stops or at least slows/redirects the flow.

I'll try those methods, thanks

A length of hose over the pipe and jubilee clips to hold it on and hold it shut doubled over could do it.

I'm making three overhead storage cupboards above some fitted wardrobes, each approximately 1000mm x 200mm. Front flap will only be something like 12mm mdf, what sort hinges should I be looking for? These look a bit cheap and cheerful, not that I mind but I want them to actually work... http://www.screwfix.com/p/hafele-swing-up-stay-nickel-50-x-150mm-2-pack/5084p

Picture of the space...

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