North Leeds Plumbing & Heating – Home Improvement and DIY Advice

Archive for the ‘DIY Tips’ Category

Wet rot on a window sill is best dealt with quickly because it penetrates wood, weakening it and making it less secure.

First, locate all the rot. Some areas will be obvious and spongy, but others may lurk beneath the surface. Press a fingernail against the wood, if it sinks in, you have found more rot.

Next, use a chisel and hammer or slot head screwdriver to remove crumbly wood. If it is soft but relatively intact, a reinforcing wood hardener product can be applied.

If the rot is too serious for this, chisel out until you reach sound wood, then rebuild with new wood cut to fit. Use exterior wood adhesive and brass screws to attach new wood firmly, as any movement could allow water in. Once fitted, paint new wood with primer. Obtain a smooth surface using a plane.

Once wood is dry fill holes and cracks with exterior wood filler, using a palette knife. Any big holes can be filled with a two-part epoxy wood filler.

Once filler has dried, sand to a smooth surface with coarse sandpaper and then paint.

Blinds as window coverings have become increasingly popular, as people prefer an uncluttered look to their house interior. The design of blinds means that their straight lines and perpendicular corners are more in keeping with a clean modern look. There are many different types of blinds, giving customers a wide variety of styles to choose from according to their requirements.

Blinds have become a very effective alternative to curtains. Often blinds are more versatile than curtains as they can be easily, and cost-effectively, crafted to fit a certain window size. Blinds can be effective insulators against heat or cold, as well as being more adjustable than curtains when it comes to letting in light. Blinds are effective as a screen, giving privacy to the inside of a house, while letting in the desired amount of light at the same time.

Blinds can be made out of a variety of different materials and fabrics, which means that the customer has a greater choice, according to taste and budget, than they would when choosing curtains.

Another advantage of blinds is that they can be used to cover windows that are not vertical, which curtains cannot, as curtains are always loose at the base, whereas blinds can be fixed to rails at both the bottom and the top.

Blinds can be a less expensive option than curtains, especially made-to-measure roller blinds that use significantly less material. Roman blinds use slightly more material than roller blinds, but still not as much as curtains.

Roller blinds and roman blinds do not necessarily need professional installation, and can be fitted by anyone, whereas the fabrication of curtains, being time consuming and complicated, is a skill that the average amateur interior decorator does not possess.

Blinds are more suitable than curtains in certain instances, such as in bathrooms or kitchens, where hanging material may cause the curtains to become damp or splattered.

Giving the exterior of your property a regular coat of masonry paint keeps it looking fresh and helps protect it from the elements. It is a relatively simple DIY task, within the capabilities of most proud home owners.

First of all, you need to put out dust sheets to protect paths and plants from paint spills. Wear paint overalls to protect yourself.

Use a stabilising solution if the surface of the render or brick is chalky. This helps seal the surface and gives the paint a good surface to adhere to.

If the job requires you to use a ladder, ensure that it is on an even surface. Position the ladder so that you do not need to overstretch.

Wearing a protective mask and goggles, use a wire brush to remove flaky bits of old paint. Mask any windows or pipes to prevent paint splashing onto them. Old newspaper and masking tape works well for this. Masonry paint is designed only to be used on exterior walls. If you need to climb a ladder to paint, it is advisable to pour a small amount of paint into a paint kettle. This will be much lighter and easier to hold while you are up the ladder.

Previously painted surfaces do not need an undercoat. Carefully read the manufacturer’s instructions on the tin to gauge the number of coats required. Ensure each coat dries thoroughly before applying the next.

Apply the paint with a roller or short brush, using short vertical and horizontal strokes. If the surface of the wall is textured, use a masonry brush and apply the paint by using a dabbing action, holding the brush at a ninety-degree angle to the wall’s surface. For edging and to work paint behind pipes, a smaller brush can make things easier.

Be sure to dispose of remaining paint responsibly. Do not throw it down the drain. Check with your local authority where you can get rid of it.

Bathroom taps come in a number of different styles.  Below are a few of the most popular.

Pillar Taps

Pillar taps are suitable for two-hole basins and baths.  Pillar taps consist of a pair of taps, one for hot water and the other for cold.  Simple to fit and inexpensive, they come with lever handles or traditional cross head handles.

Mixer Taps

A mixer tap is a single body tap that mixes cold and hot water together in the body of the tap.  There are two handles – one located on each side of the tap – which control the water flow, making temperature regulation simple.  Before installing a mixer tap, it is important to check the household water pressure, as relatively high pressure is required for them to perform well.

Dual Flow

A dual flow tap is the ideal solution when a mixer tap is desired but there is unequal pressure between the hot and cold water supplies.  This type of tap produces a single flow of water like a mixer tap, but separates the hot and cold within the body of the tap, avoiding problems caused by unequal pressure.

Monobloc

Monobloc taps are very neat as there is only a single lever which operates the hot and cold water flow through one mixer tap.  Their sleek appearance makes them well-suited to minimalist bathroom suite designs but, like standard mixer taps, they require the water pressure in the hot and cold supplies to be almost equal.

Shower Mixer

Perfect for family bathrooms, the shower mixer tap set comes with a mechanism for diverting the water supply to a showerhead fitting.  You can mount the showerhead over the mixer tap, telephone style, for a period appearance, or hang it on a wall over the bath.

Woodweave blinds have become a popular choice with many homeowners in recent years.  They are all natural and made from renewable sources that include jute, poplar wood and bamboo.  Woodweave blinds provide a stylish look that fits in well with both traditional and more modern décors.  They are often used for smaller windows, such as those commonly found in hallways.

Appearance

Woodweave blinds are similar in style to Roman blinds, and work in much the same way.  The main difference is that they are made from natural fibres that have been woven together, rather than the soft fabrics from which Roman blinds are made.

The Materials

The materials chosen to make woodweave blinds include pinoleum, bamboo and grassweave.  These materials result in slight colour and texture variations which ensure that each woodweave blind has a unique appearance. 

Advantages of Woodweave Blinds

One of the main advantages of woodweave blinds is that they are made from natural materials which are easily renewable, and are thus good for the environment.  Additionally, woodweave blinds create a unique look in any room in which they are hung that simply cannot be duplicated with any other blind.  When the blind is down it will block out much of the light, but softly diffused light is able to seep through the natural materials creating a soft, warm ambiance.

Before taking out an old sink, turn off the water and drain its supply pipes. Then disconnect the waste pipe; if it is going to be replaced simply cut through it and if not, unscrew the trap.

If the tap connectors are difficult to unscrew or cannot be reached, cut through the supply pipes with a hacksaw. If you are taking out an old earthenware sink, it will most likely have bib taps screwed to the wall, with the pipes buried beneath the plaster, so unscrew the taps to expose the pipes.

If you’re removing an old earthenware sink to replace it with a modern one, it will be very heavy. You’ll need to use a cold chisel to chip away at the seal where the sink and wall join, before lifting it from its brackets. Remove the brackets as well.

If you’re replacing a more modern type of sink, lift this from its kitchen unit, or alternatively if the kitchen is being redecorated remove the entire unit.

Tap connectors should be soaked with penetrating oil if they’re difficult to disconnect from their supply pipes.

‘Abrading’ is a better word than ‘sanding’ because sandpaper is actually glass paper. Garnet paper is another variety commonly used, and there are also aluminium-oxide and silicon-carbide abrasive papers, all very efficient at shaping wood.

Abrasive papers are classified by their grit size, and the general method when using them is to work down through the sizes from coarse to fine when you are smoothing a piece of work. For example, 400-grit is much finer than 200-grit and needs to be used later in the smoothing process. You can use abrasive papers either by hand or in conjunction with several types of machine, that can also be hand-held or stationery.  You can use sanders for shaping work as well as just smoothing down, using the coarser grades to rapidly remove material.

Belt sanders are commonly used for heavy-duty sanding and shaping. This uses a belt running over two rollers, along with a facility for collecting the dust. These are usually quite expensive, but a cheaper alternative is a belt and disc sander, used for trimming and shaping rather than smoothing.

The best sander for general work is the orbital sander, which is good for things like finishing boards. Random orbital sanders use self-adhesive abrasive sheets that can be fitted quickly and easily.

When sanding by hand always wrap the abrasive paper around a rubber or cork block when you sand flat surfaces, and clear the dust away as you go to avoid clogging up the paper.

Blinds are a great choice for the kitchen, as they are stylish and enable you to easily control the amount of light in the room. There are a wide variety of designs available that are suitable for kitchens, so take time to see what is on offer to increase your chances of finding something that suits your requirements.

When selecting your kitchen blinds UK, be sure to choose a style that is suitable for a kitchen environment. The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the household and as there are likely to be stains, spills and steam from cooking, you will need to consider this when selecting your blinds. Choose a designs that is practical as well as stylish, as this will enable you to be provided with blinds that are longer lasting.

Venetian blinds are a great choice for the kitchen, as they are easy to install and maintain. Spills and stains can be removed with a damp cloth, making it easy for you to keep your blinds and kitchen looking great. If you want a wood theme for your kitchen but wish to avoid using wood blinds, then wood effect venetian blinds or woodweave blinds are great choices.

Roller blinds also look great in the kitchen. Easy to use, roller blinds enable you to have complete control over privacy and the amount of sunlight in the room and the many styles available makes it easy to select a design that suits the rest of your kitchen theme. For a unique look, you could consider opting for personalised blinds and adding your own designs to create a new theme for your kitchen.

By browsing through the many stores and online sites available, you can locate brand new kitchen blinds that are stylish, good quality and affordable.

It is essential to fit a radiator into place before running the pipework in as the pipework can be adjusted with ease later on. The radiator should be placed about 25 millimetres above the skirting board and there should be a clearance of 100 millimetres between the top of the radiator and any sill.

Galvanised screws should be driven into wall plugs to fix the brackets onto solid walls. On stud partition walls you may have to use a bit of plywood to provide anchorage in the event that the bracket positions do not coincide with the studs. The plywood can simply be screwed to the studs and the radiator brackets screwed onto the plywood mount. This mess will be hidden following the hanging of the radiator. Any insulating foil will be fitted after the brackets have been positioned.

The position of the middle of each hanger is first marked out on the top edge of the radiator with a pencil or felt pen and the radiator then held against the wall so that the marks can be transferred to the wall’s surface. These marks are then extended downwards using a spirit level.

The brackets are then hooked onto the hangers and the distance between the top of a bracket and the lower edge of the radiator measured, with 25 millimetres added for clearance. Mark the top of the bracket’s position on the wall and trace around its baseplate. Finally, drill the brackets onto the wall and hook the radiator onto them.

A stop valve should be fitted into the rising main in all plumbing systems. The purpose of this is to enable water to be quickly cut off in the case of an emergency, such as a burst pipe. If there is no stop valve in the property itself then the water supply will be controlled by an underground valve outdoors, owned by the local authority. If this is the case, you will need a special key to open and close it, so it’s usually better to fit a stop and gate valve to the main.

A rubber washer in the stop valve cuts off flow and in a gate valve the same effect is achieved by a sliding metal plate. Stop valves are fitted to pipes under mains pressure and gate valves to those with a gravity flow. Stop valves stop water flow in only one direction, indicated by an arrow on the body, whereas a gate valve stops flow in both directions.

A draincock should be fitted just above a stop valve. Mark the points on the pipe where the stop valve and draincock are to be fitted before closing off the water authority’s outdoor stop valve and cutting into the pipe with a fine-bladed hacksaw. Have a bucket handy to catch and spillage.

Take the stop valve and draincock and simply spring the whole thing into place between the pipe ends and slip on the cap nuts before tightening them up securely. Make sure that the pipe ends were prepared beforehand.

Gate valves, with their distinctive wheel handles, fit into low-pressure gravity fed circuits and are installed in the same way as typical compression fittings. You will need to have a couple of wrenches handy for tightening up the cap nuts.