DIY - what have you proved to be incapable of doing?

[37114]

I can cut wood square though

You are more skilled than me then...

[chris p bacon]

Mine's an old stone building that someone's made a mess of with cement repointing at some point, removing the damned stuff is on my list of things to do but a bigger job than I'm prepared to try myself, particularly above my reach. It doesn't even look good.

 

As well as being damaging to the brick/stonework does the moisture screw up insulation on what's already a not very insulating wall?

 

edit: Notice you said "timber framed", which I didn't pick up on.

 

 

If you've a higher (than normal) damp content in the walls, it won't be doing any insulation any good.  If you can I'd look at removing the cement and re-pointing the exterior in Lime and sand, it'll take time but it will dry out and stabilise.  

There are some nifty tools out there which will help to remove the existing rather than using a grinder and for re-pointing you can get some specific trowels that make it easy too. It can be a daunting task but choose an area which is dificult to see and do some tests and practice on before tackling a larger area. I'd then split it up into sections so you finish one part before starting another. The main thing is to gauge the cement and sand you use ( a small bucket) so that the first batch looks the same as the last batch.

A couple of before and nearly after pics, the re-pointing of the building took one man about 4 weeks.

[figworthy]

A plasterer, it'll save your sanity.

 

If you can get one.

 

The last time I wanted one (board and skim all four walls of a room plus the ceiling), I contacted four, all said they'd come and have a look, only one turned up.

 

I'll try most things, but I don't do plastering beyond patching.

 

Adrian

[uax6]

Dave,

 

What did you use to remove the paint? Hopefully something that will leave the brickwork in something like its original state?

 

Andy G

[chris p bacon]

Dave,

 

What did you use to remove the paint? Hopefully something that will leave the brickwork in something like its original state?

 

Andy G

 

 

I had to wait 4 months for a company to come and do it (they are good so they have lots of work)  They did a test area with 3 types of paste that was brushed on and covered in plastic and then pressure washed off. None of the three worked and left too much mess on the brick work so they tried a very aggresive acid (like Nitromors) this was brushed onto the walls, left for half hour then steam cleaned off. This lifted off 95%+ and was the best that could be done. After stripping they then ground off the face of the bricks with pads and gave it a final steam clean. It took 3 men 6 (very) long days to do.  I'm very pleased with it and it's turned out much better than I imagined it would, the cost was £5,000 which I was happy with. Other quotes were £7-15,000!

[Reorte]

I had to wait 4 months for a company to come and do it (they are good so they have lots of work)  They did a test area with 3 types of paste that was brushed on and covered in plastic and then pressure washed off. None of the three worked and left too much mess on the brick work so they tried a very aggresive acid (like Nitromors) this was brushed onto the walls, left for half hour then steam cleaned off. This lifted off 95%+ and was the best that could be done. After stripping they then ground off the face of the bricks with pads and gave it a final steam clean. It took 3 men 6 (very) long days to do.  I'm very pleased with it and it's turned out much better than I imagined it would, the cost was £5,000 which I was happy with. Other quotes were £7-15,000!

And a lot was peeling anyway - paint is that stuff that sticks like crazy where and when you don't want it to and won't stay where you do. Rather like glue. Or solder.

[uax6]

Are the bricks now porous as they haven't got a face anymore?

 

Andy G

[Buhar]

You can get a cream that waterproofs stonework to a degree without compromising the breathability (according to a conservation-orientated building suppliers) one brand is Remmers Funcosil the other (which the person I spoke to hadn't used) is Stormdry.

 

I'm restoring an old cottage which had been repointed (terribly) using cement mortar, it knackers sandstone and even some hard whinstone has spalled in places.  Repointing the lot with lime is a long job and currently on hold because of the frosts.  In respect of insulation, it's best to consider the wall as a whole, ensuring it is warmed a touch from inside and that whatever is fitted as insulation allows airborne moisture to travel through, wood fibreboard, sheep's wool, blown paper or similar.

[ejstubbs]

What DIY have I proved to be incapable of doing?  Anything on the wife's "to do" list.  Currently outstanding are two pelmets, and patching a gap in a bit of skirting board, both of which are well within my capabilities.

 

I am very good at spotting other things that I think need doing, though, and completing the task to an acceptable standard within a reasonable timescale.

[Butler Henderson]

Plumbing a kitchen sink has defeated me twice - the first time following the step by step instructions to the letter I cut the existing pipes and fitted flexible connections between them and the taps; turned the water and had water all over the place - turned out the water pressure was too much for the pipework without additional supports to the stumps of the "existing pipework"

 

Second sink (different property) I never got as far as turning the water on as the sharp edges to the sink had lacerated my figures to the extent I could not hold a spanner tight enough to tighten the fittings up. 

[Classsix T]

Further to my previous post, whilst I'm apparently pretty useless at home improvement projects, I'm quite the dab hand at getting print shop equipment up and running.

Commonly called bodging, I prefer to refer to it as "initiative". Older presses were easiest, an elastic band and gaffer tape were the basic tool kit.

I recently though "initiatived" (shut up, it's a word) our plate processor which involved all sorts of shenanigans involving electrical relays, valves and fluid pipes. Bloody works though! Warranty...not so much.

 

C6T.

[chris p bacon]

Are the bricks now porous as they haven't got a face anymore?

 

Andy G

 

When painted they retained the moisture as it was seeping in at the top and soaking the walls, now it can air dry all over and the moisture content has dropped to normal levels.

[APOLLO]

I loved telling my mates -- Well, this time next Saturday I'll be on the plane.

 

Lucky devil they replied, Where are you flying to ?

 

Nowhere - I said - I'll be at home - I'm taking a 1/8" off the front door !!!!!!

 

I hate plumbing - though I can do it (Intermediate City & Guilds Gas Fitting from my apprenticeship many years ago). It's all the bending & twisting (my body, not the pipes !!). It's a young mans job these days.

 

As they say in Wigan - "Plumbers, I've sh1t 'em" to witch the plumber replies, "Sh1tters, I've plumbed 'em" !!

 

Everything else non ladder orientated I'll have a go at., usually with a big 'ommer !!

 

Brit15

[Richard_A]

Regarding the plastering, here is my hallway at home, the first picture shows a wall I rebuilt with a coat of thistle hardwall on, the brick wall with a piece of plasterboard on was hacked back to the brickwork because, someone had blocked the door up but used timber which was a inch and a half wider than the wall so it had a big bow in in it.

 

The second photo shows the wall after plastering which took me a day to get enough undercoat plaster on it to straighten it out I'm pretty pleased with it so far.

[shortliner]

Re doing the sealant/caulk - I seem to remember that an old credit card works well.....mind it's a while since I did it!

[rob D2]

I find DIY utterly boring toss, but I’m too tight to get someone in, if there’s a YouTube vid I’ll have a go. Did flood the bathroom though when a compression joint didn’t.

[Bill]

In a lot of things I am quite skilled, no clown..

My legendary plastering is of great renown..

(edit boring list of accomplishments, and cut to the chase...)

But when it comes to putting stuff in sacks..

I have no skill at all

The messier whatever it is

outside the sack does always fall..

 

Come near me not when its Dyson emptying time..

 

[Zomboid]

I'm not one to brag, but I just single handedly changed my kitchen sink & tap. Was a great opportunity to break out some of those words that are frowned upon in polite society, but it's in.

 

Hopefully there won't be any leaks...

[Porkscratching]

Incapable?...Wallpapering... I assisted once, never again..

[Sir TophamHatt]

Nearly anything  :/

 

Putting up a shelf?  Always seems to be wonky - especially rawl plug time!  I never seem to drill the hole big enough, then end up bending the rawl plug when hammering it in.

 

But I did manage to change a mixer tap in the bathroom, and a set of seperate taps in another bathroom, which was pretty good!

And I did put up some 2m/3m shelves with 5/6 brackets each - all lined up nicely which was good!

[ejstubbs]

I nearly didn't manage to put up a venetian blind in the kitchen at the weekend.  It was a replacement for one that had become irredeemably sticky with congealed grease (mmm, nice).  The replacement looked outwardly identical to the original, was bought from the same shop and bore the same branding as the original - but refused to fit on the easy-peasy to use metal mounting clips that the original one had been mounted to.  It turned out that the internal mechanism of the replacement included additional internal brackets that exactly fouled the original mounting clips   So I had to reposition the clips (I decided to use the ones supplied with the new blind, just in case they'd also managed to subtly change the profile of the lip that they clip to - I wasn't going to get caught out with that trick!)  It then became apparent that one of the offending bits of internal mechanism was exactly in the middle of the blind.   For the length of blind we had, the instructions said to use three mounting clips.  Having to put the middle clip slightly off-centre offended my sense of order, but there was no choice.  Then it turn out that there was a massive knot (hidden by paint) in the section of the wooden mounting batten where I was trying to fit the left-hand clip, and the self-tapping screws wouldn't penetrate.  So I ended up having to move that clip 10cm to the right to be sure of clearing it.

 

We do now have a fitted, working and clean venetian blind, but those off-centre and asymmetrical mounting clips, though almost invisible unless you are up close on a stepladder, are going to bug me for ages.  At least until they're hidden by the pelmet that SWMBO is now insisting on having, anyway.

[TheQ]

incapable of?

Finishing anythin

SWMBO always comes up with something more urgent, before I get a chance to finis

Edited March 25, 2019 by TheQ

[Nick C]

21 hours ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

Nearly anything  :/

 

Putting up a shelf?  Always seems to be wonky - especially rawl plug time!  I never seem to drill the hole big enough, then end up bending the rawl plug when hammering it in.

 

The trick with rawlplugs is to throw away the crap ones that come with whatever it is you've bought, and get some decent ones (I find the PlasPlugs ones best). They usually need a 6mm hole...

[chris p bacon]

Just now, Nick C said:

The trick with rawlplugs is to throw away the crap ones that come with whatever it is you've bought, and get some decent ones (I find the PlasPlugs ones best). They usually need a 6mm hole...

 

Red are 6mm hole and brown is 7mm.

[Nick C]

3 hours ago, chris p bacon said:

 

Red are 6mm hole and brown is 7mm.

That would be too easy - they do both sizes in brown! links: 6mm brown 7mm brown - from the selection Screwfix sell, it looks like they use the different colours to differentiate uses rather than size. I must admit I didn't know they did 7mm ones, I've always bought the 6mm...