Miscellaneous DIY Projects (or bits of jobs)

[Big Kev]

We have an eclectic mix of furniture here, 'brown' included

[PanBiker]

So do we.

[Stanley]

It's looking good Kev. Waxing and staining wood. Boot polish can sometimes be very handy in an emergency.

[Big Kev]

Thank you, it's had a couple more coats of wax and I've moved it back to the front room for now. Work has interrupted play

[Stanley]

Looks very impressive. Just think what that would cost to make today...

[PanBiker]

I'm on with redecorating our bedroom. We are bottoming it and I have my joiner Alan in this morning replacing the skirting on the back wall and putting a new window bottom in. We have always had a slight damp problem on that wall and we have done all we can on the outside with treatments and render short of rebuilding which would be a radical but permanent cure. I am stripping that wall back to the plaster and after filling and sanding back will cover it with Wallrock Dampstop first, then a lining paper and then replace the wallpaper and finally paint it up. There is a radiator I need moving. I'm hoping to engage a plumber in the not too distant future to rework our bathroom. I will get him to move the bedroom radiator first then we can get a new carpet fitted.

Bathroom is the next project, we are taking out the bath and replacing it with a corner shower unit, Toilet stays where it is but the wash basin will be moved to another wall at the tap end of where the bath is now. That will involve the least work on the pipework as the new suit will more or less use the existing positions of the H &C supply's and waste.

[Big Kev]

I bought a piece of 1450mm x 210mm x 18mm ply this morning, as a bottom shelf for the overmantle mirror. Jewsons quoted £30, cut to size, as I'd need to buy a half sheet minimum. Merritt and Fryers (ex Briggs and Duxbury) £6.52 no contest really. Certainly pays to shop fairly local.

[Big Kev]

It's on the wall, needs a few more coats of wax to darken it down a bit more. At the end of the day it's all wood so there's always a bit of variation.

[Stanley]

Hint of the 1930s?

[Marilyn]

Everything looks so terribly “snug”. It is hard for us to understand small rooms ( we are all used to much bigger spaces here).
it can take me all morning just to Hoover downstairs!
Mind you, I find your work adorable...

[PanBiker]

Looks good Kev. I will put a picture up later of what I found on our bedroom wall, which gives an inkling about past decorations in the terraces.

[Tripps]

we are all used to much bigger spaces here

Do you see a TV series called "Wanted Down Under" ? The properties they show the potential emigrants are tremendous, and they often can't believe their eyes. I guess the weather and land availability are the main factors.

[Big Kev]

Personally I don't see the need for big spaces indoors, more to clean, more to heat, more to decorate. There's only two of us living here...

[Big Kev]

Looks good Kev. I will put a picture up later of what I found on our bedroom wall, which gives an inkling about past decorations in the terraces.

Be interesting to see Ian. My old house at Montrose Terrace still had the original gas lamp at the top of the cellar steps.

[PanBiker]

I found some of the original rubber shrouded cable above the front room when I searched out a "fishy odour" in the front bedroom above. When I lifted the floorboards to remove the old cable the small bore piping for the previous gas lighting was still in place.

[Big Kev]

I found some of the original rubber shrouded cable above the front room when I searched out a "fishy odour" in the front bedroom above. When I lifted the floorboards to remove the old cable the small bore piping for the previous gas lighting was still in place.

I've noticed 'fishy' odours with old electrics. Is it common?

[Stanley]

I can't describe the smell I associate with electrical problems but it's unmistakeable and not fishy. Mind you, on reflection the smell of ozone isn't good..

[plaques]

The old rubber insulation went brittle and would disintegrate on touch. Generally they had a life or 25 years but in a confined space, piping etc; the heat could speed up the degeneration. What the chemistry is behind vulcanised rubber I've no idea but this may explain the fishy smell. Tizer where are you??

[PanBiker]

It's common with the old rubber cables especially if slightly heated. Ours was above the living room centre light, it was before we had LED lamps. The residual heat from the triple arm centre light and incandescent lamps was enough to set it off.

[Stanley]

Funny, I was only thinking the other day about the silliness of hanging pendant lights by the cable.... It gursntees eventual problems.

[PanBiker]

Funny, I was only thinking the other day about the silliness of hanging pendant lights by the cable....

You don't, the ceiling roses have strain relief built in and lots of drop fittings like our five arm that we have in the front room hang from a chain. No strain on the cable at all.

[Big Kev]

Both multi arm pendants are on chains here too

[Stanley]

I was thinking of the old pendants rather than new ones. The ones on twisted fabric covered cables that all eventually failed.

[PanBiker]

I tried and failed to get the radiator off in our bedroom myself. I gave it a go to try to move the job on. Discretion the better part of valour in this case though as the coupling nuts are stuck fine. I could not get any movement on them without seriously impacting the coupling below and I didn't want to rupture those or I would have a bigger problem and no means to fix it.

Good news is, I have managed to get a date from a local plumbing firm, its into May though for the radiator so we will press on with the gloss painting. They will do us a quote for the bathroom but that could be August / September before it can be done. These kind of lead times have been mentioned by a number of plumbers due to existing workloads.

[Big Kev]

I tried and failed to get the radiator off in our bedroom myself. I gave it a go to try to move the job on. Discretion the better part of valour in this case though as the coupling nuts are stuck fine. I could not get any movement on them without seriously impacting the coupling below and I didn't want to rupture those or I would have a bigger problem and no means to fix it.

Probably a wise move, even if you'd got the couplings undone there's always a chance the valves would be letting by. It's also a juggling act to get a full rad off the wall single handed without a bit of spillage