Andy
Looking great you have so many great talents
Looking great you have so many great talents
D
Deleted member 7181
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I prefer to think of myself as a Jack of all trades, Master of none
D
Deleted member 7181
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Managed to squeeze in a bit more tiling today. There are a couple of returns to do around the pipework boxing and in the windows, but I'm waiting for the main sections to harden up fully first so I don't knock them out of square. Again around the sockets was the hardest part. The one in the first picture took 3 attempts as it kept fracturing along a weak point.
Should get the final tiles slapped on tomorrow but the grouting will have to wait. I'm back at work Tuesday then off to France on my jollies Friday.
Should get the final tiles slapped on tomorrow but the grouting will have to wait. I'm back at work Tuesday then off to France on my jollies Friday.
scottie3158
SMF Supporter
Andy,
Nice job mate a man of many talents.
Nice job mate a man of many talents.
D
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Thanks guys.
Pete, I can't say it's my favourite job either, but after coming across Bostik Smooth Finish and investing in a decent grouting float, it became a whole lot easier.
Pete, I can't say it's my favourite job either, but after coming across Bostik Smooth Finish and investing in a decent grouting float, it became a whole lot easier.
Andy .
I have tiled more than my fair share of kitchens , bathrooms and conservatory floors----------- and throughly enjoyed it .
Just don't apply of attempt to do too much grouting in one session. If you've done it before you will know how hard it can be to clean the surplus grout off the tiles.
Catching the grout at the right moment can give really smooth lines between the tiles. Have as many buckets of clean water as you can have, the cleaner the sponge is the less you have to keep cleaning the traces of grout off the tiles .
Nothing beats the finger for the finishing touch in-between the tiles .
I have tiled more than my fair share of kitchens , bathrooms and conservatory floors----------- and throughly enjoyed it .
Just don't apply of attempt to do too much grouting in one session. If you've done it before you will know how hard it can be to clean the surplus grout off the tiles.
Catching the grout at the right moment can give really smooth lines between the tiles. Have as many buckets of clean water as you can have, the cleaner the sponge is the less you have to keep cleaning the traces of grout off the tiles .
Nothing beats the finger for the finishing touch in-between the tiles .
D
Deleted member 7181
Guest
Yes, thanks John.
As a DIYer I do normally try and split it up into small sections to keep it manageable. When I did my own kitchen last year I found a final clean and polish with a damp microfibre cloth really helped, once I'd done most of the cleaning with a sponge and the grout was hard enough not to be "smudged" by the cloth, but still soft enough to wipe off. Like you say, timing seems to be very important.
As a DIYer I do normally try and split it up into small sections to keep it manageable. When I did my own kitchen last year I found a final clean and polish with a damp microfibre cloth really helped, once I'd done most of the cleaning with a sponge and the grout was hard enough not to be "smudged" by the cloth, but still soft enough to wipe off. Like you say, timing seems to be very important.
wonwinglo
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Neat job for your mum,true about the stop cocks being in a silly out of the way place,can hardly reach mine right underneath the sink can hardly reach it with my arthritic arms.
What is a sure stop with a remote switch ? can you explain how that works please.
What is a sure stop with a remote switch ? can you explain how that works please.
D
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Certainly Barry
Firstly the Surestop itself is a replacement for your existing, tap like stopcock. It has a button on it that looks similar to a household light switch for turning the water on and off. It works entirely off water pressure though, no electricity involved or connected.
A remote switch can then be connected to this, which can be up to 2 metres away and placed much more conveniently than your average stopcock. As you can see, this one is near the front of the cupboard under the sink so very easy to access. Again it looks similar to a domestic light switch but is entirely water operated, with two flexible narrow water pipes running between the Surestop and the remote switch.
I believe there's even a smart version that can be controlled via an app!
I got one from Toolstation for around £55, but they can be found elsewhere. Not cheap but pretty insignificant compared to the damage that could be caused if there was a leak and mum couldn't turn the water off.
Manufacturers site is
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wonwinglo
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What a brilliant idea Paintguy,will certainly consider that for the future,thank you for the explanation.
I keep meaning to get one of those. Our stopcocks are in the utility room behind the washing machinery, so a switch above them would make life easier if the missus needs to turn the water off. Trouble is that me and plumbing don't get on very well!
Pete
Pete
That I like the sound of, nothing worse than clamouring under a sink unit ,
or even trying to find it when wanting to turn the stop cock off .
Good idea Andy.
One of the things I would insist on was a new stop cock on the incoming water from the mains in the street.
The local inspector from the
Water Board was all for this. Said it saved them from an emergency call out when the old tap snapped in the path when after years of being on someone tried to turn It off.
or even trying to find it when wanting to turn the stop cock off .
Good idea Andy.
One of the things I would insist on was a new stop cock on the incoming water from the mains in the street.
The local inspector from the
Water Board was all for this. Said it saved them from an emergency call out when the old tap snapped in the path when after years of being on someone tried to turn It off.
Pete wise move, normal straight fwd bit if plumbing with a compression fitting, or with plastic pipe is ok.
Playing with the stop cock esp when it's connect with a old style black plastic pipe , or even worse lead pipe, can be fraught with problems. This is where having a modern ground main tap in a shrouded pipe is bliss. If it's a new blue pipe a lot easier to do as they are all compression fittings.
D
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Pete, the plumber that fitted our boiler put me on to them. Ours is pretty easy to reach but he had one customer where he had to move furniture, lift carpets, unscrew an access panel in the floor, then reach down to turn off the stopcock. Not something you'd want to be doing in an emergency!
Thankfully my mum had recently had a water meter fitted so there was a newish stop tap on the driveway outside. Even the water board told her not to use the one inside as it was ready for snapping! I turned the water off outside, cut a small section out of the 15mm pipe right next to the original stopcock (rightly or wrongly I left that in place) and push fitted the new Surestop on.
Thankfully my mum had recently had a water meter fitted so there was a newish stop tap on the driveway outside. Even the water board told her not to use the one inside as it was ready for snapping! I turned the water off outside, cut a small section out of the 15mm pipe right next to the original stopcock (rightly or wrongly I left that in place) and push fitted the new Surestop on.
Well, it should be an easy job at chez moi - when Severn Trent fitted our new water meter they fitted a stopcock both sides of it to allow for easy replacement in the future, so I could just replace the 2nd one with the Surestop. All copper pipe so the compression fit version would be OK.
Pete
Pete