Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, and provide such precise information. Much appreciated.

The easiest to use is an external frame sealant for use in a cartridge gun. It’s about £5 from Screwfix or Toolstation and if you need a gun they start at about £7. Alternatively you could use an oil based trowel applied mastic which looks more like traditional pointing but is a bit more difficult to get a perfect finish. Both these finishes are flexible and more durable than cement pointing for round a door frame.
Hope that helps.

I replaced the wooden door and door frame on my brick-built Victorian house. The original fitter filled the gap between the frame and brick on the outside with mortar, but this has inevitably cracked and fallen out as the frame vibrates every time the door slams. What should the gap be filled with? It is white/brick so ideally a being or cream filler.

Many thanks

Hello, I'm renovating a rental and the existing oven and hob are now out and new has been purchased.
I only have a single 45A wall outlet with a 2.5mm T&E cable coming from it. I can't change this as I'm keeping the tiling. The circuit has a 32A MCB in the consumer unit.
The old set up was the wall cable to the oven then a standard 2.5mm T&E from the oven to the hob. This didn't look great to me.
The new oven is 2.4kw and the hob is 6kw.
How should these be wired from the single outlet?
TIA

This should all be specified by the architect when you applied for building consent but as a general rule the more insulation you have the better. The only downside of adding internal insulation is that it will make the rooms slightly smaller, depending on how much insulation you add. If you do decide to add internal insulation make sure whoever does the work understands vapour control and the need for vapour barriers.

New extension has plastered outside block / insulation / then inside block.
We have had conflicting advice on what to do with the inside

1. Put on insulation slabs = block/insulation/block/insulating slab

2. Or Just plaster  = block/insulation/block/plaster

Any advice ? 😫

I’ve recently purchased a new spiral bathroom light from my local retailer and unsure whether there is any additional advice I need when installing it.

Depends how it’s been stored but it’s only normally safe to use just a couple of months past its date. I was given a load a plaster for a job and it went off so quickly it ended up a disaster. Conversely if the plaster is a bit older it doesn’t go off for ages. If in any doubt buy new, it’s not worth the small cost saving for the amount of hassle should it not cure properly.

Am I likely to run into any problems using plaster that is a couple of months past the use by date?  I'm going to be doing a bit of plastering next week and I've acquired some thistle multi finish that's between 2 and 6 months past the date.  I'm thinking it's probably OK, particularly the newer stuff?

I was hoping to get away with tapered edge and then just put some plod over the joints  

I'll go look it up now.  Thanks dude

There is a YouTube channel called On the trowel and he has a load of content on plastering of all types, well worth a look as he really knows his stuff and is a good communicator.
If you use taper edge boards you could get away without plastering. If you want to do a proper job and plaster the wall look at Speedskims, they are expensive but they can really help you get a professional finish.

Cheers dude

I know there is a damp course in the wall, kinda links like old roof felt.  I helped my old man put a big extension on the back about 30 years ago.  They're also all internal walls and it is all nice and dry.

I don't actually know how straight and plumb the walls are.  It does look like it was thrown up, rather than lovingly and carefully built 😆

I'm going to try and get over there next week, so I'll let you know how I get on

First thing you need to check is the wall construction and potential for damp. Lime plaster is very tolerant of damp, plasterboard isn’t. If there is any doubt then I would use an insulation backed plasterboard as it will stop mild damp penetrating through the board and also increase the insulation in the room. I’ve always used plasterboard adhesive for this, although foam may work you would need to check that the foam and insulation were compatible.
The only time I’ve battened out walls is when they are very much out of plumb, then I’ve used roofing lath and packed out behind it to get the wall level and plumb, but it’s a lot more work and if the walls are reasonably ok I would dot and dab. Just make sure that none of the dab forms a bridge past the insulation!

I'm going to be doing a bit of work for my sister, getting her kitchen ready for the new kitchen to go in.  The room is brick walls, which were originally plastered with lime plaster, most of which had blown.  She has hacked it all off and taken down the old ceiling ready for me to come and attack it.

I'm planning to board it and then skim it, but I've never boarded a brick wall before.  What is the best way to go about it?  My lazy side wants to use adhesive spray foam, but would it be preferable to batten the walls and screw the board to the battens?

Thanks in advance e  

You are going to find it very hard to find any timber that big in section. It’s normal to make it up from smaller pieces. You may find some oak sleepers work better than treated timber as it’s more durable when in contact with the ground.

I need to find treated timber 350mm x 100mm to replace a section of a raised bed/planter.

When you are doing anything like this the main thing to do is follow the manufacturer’s instructions otherwise you will void any warranty. So any advice I can give you should be taken under advisement.
If the instructions don’t specify that the tray needs to be bedded into mortar or mastic then you could put it straight onto a plywood base, it shouldn’t need a cement backer, as no water should get underneath. In fact that is the main goal in fitting a shower (stopping water getting underneath that is).
SBR is used to stop moisture being drawn into the board too quickly and aid tile adhesion, it is not a waterproofer. Unless you are planning to coat the ply or backer with adhesive there is no need for SBR.
Hope that helps.

I'm installing my shower tray on a marine ply base with cement backer board on top.

My question is should I seal the backer board with SBR?

Without seeing it it’s not possible to say but the quote sounds reasonable enough.

Hello,

I need some advice about replacing some dry verges on my bungalow.
I had some dry verges fitted to the front of my bungalow a couple of years ago and, recently, a couple of them have fallen off, as you can see on the photo. Since they were fitted, I have discovered that the roofer who fitted them was a rogue (he did other jobs that caused problems too) and, recently, another roofer came to give me advice and a quote about this. He said that the dry verges that were in place would need to be removed and replaced by new ones, because they couldn’t be re-used. He also said that the job would cost me about a thousand pounds in total if done properly, including materials, labour and putting up scaffolding.

What are peoples’ thoughts on this advice? Does it seem about right, or not?

woodsmith wrote on May 7^th, 2024, 8:01am:


Thanks for the reply! I never received an email motification about it, so I hadn’t realized that someone had replied to my post.
Anyway, I have had the job done now and I went fon the rebedding option. I realized that a dry ridge system would probably last longer but, as my solar panels will need to be taken down in about twenty years’ time, I thought that I might want to replace the whole roof at the same time and that would be a better time to get a dry ridge system installed. I didn’t want to get a dry ridge system fitted now if it was going to have to come down a couple of decades down the line.

This looks like a switch, possibly protruding through the light on the other side?

Sorry I can’t see from your photos how the glass is fixed. If they are just sealed in with a glazing silicon then you could really do with fixing them mechanically.

I wouldn’t just repoint. If the tiles are loose it would be a temporary fix at best, especially as global warming is making our weather more dramatic! If you can afford it I would go for the dry ridge system. This should give you many years of trouble free service no matter what the weather throws at it.

Hello,
I am posting here about some work needed to my roof. I was given three options by a roofer and I’m not sure which one to choose.
The problem is that a lot of my ridge tiles are loose. They are not broken though, except the central vent tile which is cracked. I have discussed with a local roofer who has good customer reviews, and he has given me three options: install a dry ridge system for £1,800, re-bed the ridge tiles for £1,500 or re-point them for £650 (these prices are inclusive of the replacement of the vent tile and of replacing a couple of other broken tiles on the side of my roof).
Are there experts on here who can advise me? Which of these options would be the most suitable in my circumstances? I attach a few photos, so you can see what the condition of my roof is like. This roof is old but in fairly good condition, and there doesn’t appear to be any leak inside the loft: I looked in there during a downpour and I couldn’t see any water leaking.
So, what is your advice?

Hi everyone, quick question. One of these panes has come out at the side of our balcony and I was wondering what is used to secure it into the frame? Looks like a type of glue or sealant? Cant find anything online. Thanks

Hi,
My wife has asked me to rewire an old lamp and I would like to know what is the part shown in the image and what's its purpose.
Many thanks,
Nic

Hello all,

I'm due to get solar panels and a battery system fitted to my house.  I'd like to know: is it possible to then set it up so that I can run my house mains off only the battery and solar panels, if there is a power cut?

I've been informed that normally, the system would switch off in a power cut.  But that a certain type of switch can be installed?  If anyone can tell me:
1) Is this possible?
2) Rough cost?
3) Can I hire an electrician to make the change after the solar panels and batteries have been installed?

Many thanks!  Alex.

Many thanks for the reply @woodsmith. I presumed they were something to do with damp but nothing conclusive came up on Google…
There are a few damp issues I found- as a complete novice I do have concerns it may be a money pit but there again may be an easy fix/ due to the fact that the house hasn’t been fully used and the owner doesn’t use the heating etc… will upload some further ‘issues’ when I have some time! Thanks

If they are equally spaced around the building then they are fitted as a form of damp proofing. The plastic covers normally cover the ends of a porous tube which, in theory, allows dampness in the wall to evaporate away. I have never used them and, from what I hear, are only marginally effective. They do get blocked up with salts over time, which can be cleaned out, and it looks like they have been partially painted over which won’t help.

I would suggest having a very careful look for any dampness in the property and get a good surveyor to have a look at it.