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Posts Tagged ‘bucket<’
Posted in Plastering & Drywall on Apr 12
Most of the internal brick surfaces in our homes these days are plaster-finished. This allows many options when it comes to choosing the final decorative touch, such as papering, tiling or even simply painting. As with any DIY task, achieving a smooth finish comes with practice. It may pay you to find a plasterer and see how they go about plastering your wall first – sort of paying for your education in a way!
The plaster mix is as important as having the right equipment. It is well worth investing in a good set of plasterer’s tools, especially if you plan to do several jobs. A good start point is always planning and preparation. Make sure the surface is clean and properly prepared to receive the plaster. Remove any loose material, and clean off dust with a damp cloth. If you are getting nervous about what lies ahead, consider getting a plaster quote from Mr-Skill instead. 
Now, you are ready to start the job. Begin by mixing the quantity of plaster-mix you will need in a plastic bucket or a basin, following the maker’s instructions carefully. Adding the plaster to the water helps prevent lumps and air pockets forming. Use a wooden spoon or paddle to mix to the right consistency. Apply clean water with a block brush to dampen the surface you are about to plaster – this assists greatly with the bonding process.
Load up your trowel and apply the mix to the wall surface, keeping the tool at an angle to spread it easily. Using a strong upward stroke, flatten the angle of the trowel to the wall as you work. After the surface has semi-dried out, apply a long ruler or straightedge to the surface to level it, beginning at the bottom and working from side to side and upwards. 
When the plaster coat has dried solid, scan for any hollows or imperfections from your first attempt, and fill them with fresh plaster before levelling off again. You may need to repeat this process several times until you get the hang of it. The final skin of plaster should be left to stiffen and almost dry before sanding smooth.
Here’s a useful tip from one of our London plasterers – always rinse your bucket thoroughly before mixing fresh batches. This will prevent lumps of old dry plaster getting into your new mix. Don’t forget to clean up nicely when finished!
Tags: basin, block brush, brush, bucket, cracks, DIY, find a plasterer, london plasterer, mix, paint, paper, plaster, plaster quote, plasterer, rule, skin, smooth, straightedge, tiles, walls, wet
Posted in Plastering & Drywall | Comments Off
The kitchen truly is at the heart of every home, and if you think about it the sink tap is at its core. First thing in the morning we use it to fill the kettle. Last thing at night we rinse the dirty dishes. Cook uses it at least a dozen times a day. The family gathers around it to do the washing up.
 There are some really handsome kitchen taps around these days. Why not Find a Plumber and spoil yourself with a new one. If you are thinking of doing it yourself, then here’s what’s involved.
1. Isolate the hot and cold water supply, making sure the flow stops completely. Position a bucket beneath the tap under the sink.
2. Loosen off the nut that holds the tap in place. London Plumbers always travel with a basin wrench – if the nut is hard to get at, you’ll know why.
3. Disconnect the flexible water lines connecting the tap to the water supply at the lower end. Be careful not to strain the piping. As you remove the couplings a little water will flow out. Make sure the bucket is in place before you do!
4. Remove the old tap complete with the flexible pipes attached. Clean the sink surface thoroughly where the old tap rested. Take your time to do this properly. Apply a  generous bead of plumbers putty around the hole in the surface of the sink, and gently bed the rubber gasket into it.
5. Insert the new tap assembly through the hole including the flexible water lines. Locate the fixing nut, position the tap, and tighten the nut firmly. Attach the pipes to the water supply remembering to be generous with plumber’s tape.
6. Re-tighten the nut that secures the tap as it will have bedded down. Remove the surplus putty that squeezed out and clean the sink top thoroughly. Turn on the water and test the tap. No leaks? You’ve earned a cup of tea and a biscuit too!
Sound’s easy, doesn’t it? But there are various things that could go wrong, resulting in water leaks that could ruin expensive kitchen cabinetry. Why not get a Plumber’s Quote on Mr-Skill instead? You’ll save pounds off normal rates, and could still enjoy that cup of tea and biscuit.
Tags: attach, basin, bucket, change, clean, cold, flexibly, flow, gasket, heart, home, hot, insert, isolate, kitchen, leak, line, loose, nit, pipe, putty, rubber, save pounds, sink, supply, surplus, tap, tape, test, tight, water, wrench
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
I have noticed something interesting about the Gardeners in London that I come across, and that is the super condition of their tools in general. No doubt they do a better job with them that way,  and of course they also have to replace them less frequently. I have to admit though that mine used to be a total disaster, but only before I discovered these useful tips.
You will need a bucket with a lid, enough sand to almost fill it, new or used engine / cooking oil, and a few old rags. The bucket lid is to keep out the dust and dirt, so almost anything will do.
• Make a habit of keeping the bucket in a dry corner of the garden shed or garage
• Fill the bucket with the sand except for the last four inches. This helps keep it stable while sprucing up your tools. I agree that this can make it heavy, but at least your wallet won’t be lightened by the cost of Gardening Quotes after your tools all rust away.
•  Top up the bucket with the oil, and watch it as the sand absorbs it. If you spilled some, well… that’s a further use for the old rags…
• Take each garden tool in turn and shove the working edge in and out of the sand until it is cleaned. Four or five repetitions should do the trick.
• Wipe the tools with the rags as you go along, remembering to leave a thin film of oil behind.
How’s that for something different from us? Should you need to Find a Gardener on Mr-Skill (which is easier than you think), you could leave your tools out in the garden for them to admire while working (but not to borrow, naturally). It’s a funny old world isn’t it. The cleverest ideas are often the simplest too.
Tags: absorb, better job, bucket, condition, cook, corner, cost, dirt, dry, dust, edge, engine, fill, film, find a gardener, garage, Garden, gardeners in london, gardening quotes, lid, motor, new, oil, rag, replace, sand, shed, spill, stable, tool, used, wipe
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Aug 16
There’s nothing quite like the beauty of a wooden floor in good condition, especially one that’s been treated to bring out the natural colour. Moreover wooden floors are far easier to keep clean too, so no wonder they have been popular for so long. Is your wooden floor looking a bit tatty?  Perhaps you just moved into a neglected, older home? No worries. The situation is quite easily recovered, provided that the underlying state of the floor is good. Either Find a Floor Sander Here, or tackle the job yourself as follows:
o First, lay your hands on a good quality rented floor sander which should not cost more than £60 a week at most. While you’re at it, rent a floor edging sander too. You will also need a varnish applicator, a mop and bucket, a hammer, a floor pad, and, of course the varnish.
o Stay out of trouble and close the door into the rest of the house, or mask the opening off. Inspect the floor carefully for anything that could rip the paper in the sander. Patch any larger gaps with strips of wood hammered tightly in, and fill the smaller ones with papier mache tinted with water-based wood dye.
o  Sand the floor as instructed by the hire-shop clerk. There are too many different sanders to describe the process here. After you have worked through the process from coarse paper though to fine, vacuum thoroughly and wipe down with white spirit to remove every scrap of dust.
o Apply a coat of varnish, and let it dry completely. Lightly sand by hand to key the surface, wipe it down with thinners and apply a second coat. The more times you repeat the process, the more beautiful the gloss and the more durable the finish will be – which is why London Flooring Services always achieve such high quality results.
If you feel a little intimidated at the thought of sanding floors, when why not consider getting Floor Sanding Quotes from Mr-Skill instead? All our tradespeople come with personal recommendations, and you can see what other customers think about them right here too. How’s that for another good idea to make life easier?
Tags: apply, beauty, bucket, clean, coarse, coat, colour, door, dry, durable, dust, edger, find a floor sander, fine, floor, floor sanding quotes, gloss, hammer, hire, london flooring service, mask, mop, natural, neglected, pad, papier mache, patch, popular, rent, repeat, sand, sander, seal, strip, tatty, treat, vacuum, varnish, white spirit, wipe, wood
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
Posted in Plastering & Drywall on Mar 07
Ceilings are designed to be as light-weight as possible and are built on the basis that they will not become wet. If water  penetrates the roof space it slowly saturates the material before it comes bursting through. This needs to be attended to as soon as the problem becomes evident, because replacing a ceiling is an expensive and messy business even after you Find a Plasterer on Mr-Skill.
The result of a persistent ceiling leak can be really ugly and can be a deal-breaker as far as many home buyers are concerned – especially those who know that mould can form and that the ceiling can degrade. Here’s the ceiling first aid you must apply urgently to bring matters back under control.
o Manage the Problem – Go up into the ceiling and mop up the water. If this is impossible, make a small hole in the centre of the leak and allow the water to drain down into a bucket.
 o Solve the Root Cause – Find and stop the leak. This is almost always leaking plumbing, or rainwater penetration through the roof or walls.
o Repair the Damage – if the damage is minor then you could perhaps repair it with fibrous plaster and touch up with ceiling paint. If not, then its time to get Plastering Quotes in, and step back for the professionals.
When I was an apprentice Plasterer in London my foreman always said that a penny’s worth of responsibility was worth more than a pound’s worth of repair. If you have a leaky ceiling, then Mr-Skill recommends that you attend to it right away, and save yourself a great deal of trouble later. My maternal grandmother used to tell me keep your hand to it and snip the loose threads off. Isn’t that a piece of sound advice?
Tags: bucket, burst, ceiling, control, damage, damp, degrade, fibrous, find a plasterer, hole, leak, light, mop, mould, paint, penetration, plaster, plasterer london, plasterer quote, plastering job London, plastering quote, Plumbing, rain, rot, saturate, stain, ugly, wet
Posted in Plastering & Drywall | Comments Off
The last thing you really want in life is to have your kitchen sink drain burst just as you and your in-laws are washing up after Sunday lunch. Don’t wait until the inevitable happens – at the first sign of seepage get a Plumbing Quote from Mr-Skill. If you are handy here is how the job is done.
 o You will need the right drain replacement kit, a short piece of pvc pipe (to connect to the bottom of the drain trap), pvc glue, pipe cleaner, plumbers tape, an adjustable wrench of the right size, a medium-sized pipe wrench, a bucket, a connector sleeve (to attach the drain pipe to the existing pipe), a hacksaw, light grade sandpaper and lots of patience.
If you don’t have all this and don’t appreciate the thought of fitting yourself in under the kitchen sink either, don’t stress – Mr-Skill can help you Find a Plumber at no extra cost at all.
o Assemble the drain replacement kit according the instructions – remember to fit all the washers the right way round and apply plumbers tape where indicated. When done this should exactly match the existing part in terms of connection points etc. If not a perfect match abort the job and get the right part before proceeding further.
 o Put the bucket under the drain you wish to remove (it is full of dishwashing water) and cut through the pipe below the trap. Then you can unscrew the drain from where it attached to the underside of the sink and remove it, hopefully without messing dishwashing water everywhere.
o Smooth the cut edge of the pipe under the sink using the sandpaper and a twisting motion. Clean this up nicely afterwards, and the threaded bit under the sink too.
o Attach the assembled replacement drain to the underside of the sink remembering to use a generous amount of plumbers tape. Attach the connector sleeve to the stub of pipe with pvc glue and measure the gap between this and trap above. Cut a piece of pvc pipe to the right length, install this and you are ready to test your job when you are sure the glue is dry.
When I last had a Plumbing Job in London like this done they charged out two hours for labour. Friends tell me that sounds a little steep but then everything costs a bit more in the City, does it not.
Tags: assemble, attach, bucket, burst, cut, drain, drip, find a plumber, glue, leak, pipe, plumber london, plumber quote, plumber tape, plumbing job london, plumbing quote, PVC, replacement kit, sandpaper, saw, screw, seep, sink, sleeve, test, washer, wrench
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | 1 Comment »
Posted in Electrical Work on Dec 23
Did you know that every year Christmas Trees burn down houses in the United Kingdom? Before rushing off to get electrician quotes to check your little colored bulbs for safety, first make sure that it is not your tree itself that is the risk.
 The conifers that people like to top and sell as Christmas Trees are full of natural resins that go up like roman candles, and a single hot light bulb pressing up against one could easily ignite a dried-out needle. Before you know it, your Christmas Tree could be a sheet of flame reaching out for the ceiling while you were out shipping for Christmas crackers. Here’s how to avoid this happening (after you do obvious things like not leaving the lights unattended and keeping naked flames far away).
o Buy a freshly cut tree that has not already started to dry out. The tree trunk should be sticky and the pine needles still very flexible – if they spring back or pull out easily your tree is already dead and drying out. As a final test bounce the tree off the ground. If needles come tumbling out like ants, think again.
o Electricians London Incorporated offer wise advice that comes free with every set of Christmas lights they supply.  Cut the bottom two inches off the trunk before you stand it in a full bucket of water for the first drink as soon as you get it home. That way it will be able to suck up ample moisture.
o Help your Christmas Tree stay moist by letting it stand in water for the duration of the festive season, and keep it well away from fires and heaters that could ignite it if it topples over. You can also lightly spray the needles with water from time to time – just make sure the lights are unplugged at the wall when you do.
Even good things do not last forever, and by January 2nd it is time to say goodbye to your Christmas Tree and dispose of it in a socially responsible manner. Check the strings of little colored lights carefully as you pack them away, and don’t hesitate to find an electrician to check them for you if in any doubt.
Tags: bucket, bulbs, christmas tree, christmas tree lights, conifer, danger, dry, electrician quotes, electricians london, find an electrician, fire, flame, heater, needles, pine, resin, risk, safety, spray, water
Posted in Electrical Work | Comments Off
As the quality of water on our overpopulated planet continues to degrade, and authorities pump it full with more and more chemicals to make it safe to drink, even people living in the most advanced societies are turning to water purifiers in the  interests of their health. Plumbers London based especially, report steadily increasing demand and can see no end in sight of this.
If you are handy and have the right tools then you might even be able to do the job yourself. If not, it could be better to avoid flooding expensive kitchen cabinetry, and find a plumber on Mr-Skill to do the work for you instead.
o Install the water purifier in a suitable place under the kitchen sink according to the supplier’s instructions, making sure that the connections are accessible and that is does not get in the way of other priorities. When you have connected up to it, you will find freshest cleanest water in the cold tap every time.
o Turn off the water supply at the mains. Open the sink tap. Drain the cold water in the pipes at the lowest point in your home.  Place a bucket in a suitable place to catch water spills before cutting through the cold water supply line at a convenient point underneath the sink. Drain the remaining water into the bucket before adding an inline tap, closing this and turning on the water mains again.
o Connect the outlet side of the inline tap to the pipe going to the sink using suitable compression joints. Use two spanners to tighten these in order avoid straining other connection points in the line.
o Close the sink tap. Turn on the inline tap and check for leaks. Turn on the sink tap and let the water run until is flows clean. Now your job is done.
If you are not comfortable with the above, do not take a chance and end up with burst pipes and no water in the house. It is better to rest easy by getting plumber quotes from Mr-Skill.
Tags: bucket, cabinetry, cold water, compression, compression joint, connections, dirty water, drain, faucet, install, kitchen sink, priorities, purify, sink, tap, tighten, water, water purifier, water quality, water supply
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
While indigenous shrubs sourced locally often survive a harsh Winter without any help from gardeners, tender plants with juicy stems from tropical climes must be wrapped to survive the cold. Although it is not difficult to do the job your self, this can be time-consuming. If in doubt or faced with many other things to do why not contact Mr-Skill for gardener quotes. The best time to do the job is in late Autumn, before the cold Winter arrives.
The material used for wrapping plants is burlap (a coarse weave of  flax, hemp or jute fibres). You can buy this from your local hardware store by roll or length. If the sales clerk does not know what burlap is, tell them that it is the same as hessian, and that you want to wrap your plants for Winter in it. If you cannot source burlap locally, you could also try to find a gardener who could be prepared to sell some to you. I very much doubt though that professional gardeners in London would.
First, give your precious plants a good long drink before you bed them down for Winter. The easiest way to do this is to let the hose trickle slowly until the ground is thoroughly soaked. You could also use a watering can or bucket to add the water slowly without letting it run away.
Second, cut a piece of burlap to size and lay it around the shrub at ground level, remembering that you will pull it upwards later so that you do not move the branches out of shape. This will take a little practice to get right.  If the piece of burlap turns out to be too small, lay it aside for a smaller plant, and start again.
Third, pull the burlap up around the plant to make a tight bundle that hides every part of it. Where it overlaps, and at the top, use string or nails to attach it to itself. Make sure that the bundle remains tight while doing this, or it could slip down later. That’s all there is to wrapping plants.
Where would you be without Mr-Skill? You just need to find a gardener now to help you wrap your precious plants.
Tags: autumn, bucket, burlap, find a gardener, find a landscaper, flax, frost, gardener quotes, gardeners london, hemp, hessian, hose, jute, landscaper quotes, landscapers london, nail, plant wrapping, snow, soak, string, water, watering can, wateringcan, winter, wrap plant
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