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Posts Tagged ‘drain<’
Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Jan 16
This one’s dead easy, although many people still don’t know the secret of how to do it properly. They end up balancing floor mosaics on a base of tile cement that thinks that it’s a bed of quicksand. You’ll might still Find a Tiler battling this way elsewhere too, although I should think not one from Mr-Skill.
 Lay the shower drain in place two tile thicknesses above the floor, and then construct the shower base around it using a single row of bricks laid flat. Think about the shower enclosure as you do. Your goal is to be able to position it symmetrically.
- Determine the fall you need. The simplest way is to measure up an existing shower, although I’ve always allowed a half-inch drop myself. Obtain a length of wood the thickness of the fall, by say one inch wide.
- Wrap the shower drain tightly in a piece of plastic sheet to prevent it from getting blocked. Lay pieces of the wood down flat around the inside of the shower base to create a frame. If this sounds too complicated, you could always Ask Mr-Skill to Arrange Tiling Quotes instead
- Obtain a supply of flooring screed. Combine this with cement in ratio of two-parts screed to one-part cement. Add water to create a moist but not runny mixture. Add a cup of bonding liquid too if you have some,
 so the mix will adhere really tightly to the base below and the tiles above.
- Wait fifteen minutes to allow the mixture to stiffen. Do not add more water. Trowel about half the screed you think you need into the shower base and smooth it out using a steel float and a flat piece of wood. Add more screed as needed
- Your goal is to slope the screed evenly between the strips of wood inside the shower base, and the floor slab two inches outside of the drain. Don’t panic if it isn’t perfect. You’ll be laying tiles over it after all.
- Three hours later, fidget out the strips of wood inside the shower base and fill in the gaps they leave behind with more screed. A week later, you could begin to tile!
This one of many tips I learned from London Tilers a thousand years ago when I was completing my apprenticeship. Some things never change, do they? Another consistent thing is the quality of service you’ll get from Mr-Skill.
Tags: adhere, base, bonding liquid, brick, cement, drain, drop, easy, enclosure, fall, find a tiler, float, floor, frame, gap, gradient, london tilers, mix, mixture, plastic sheet, ratio, screed, shower, shower enclosure, slab, slope, thickness, tile, tiler quotes, trowel, water, wood, wrap
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Dec 19
London Kitchen Fitters are an astute lot, and the first thing they’ll ask when invited to quote is usually, have you got a plug for it? That’s because if they find you don’t, then they’ll have to come back a second time when they’ve already quoted a set price. Here’s how you might be able to go about the job yourself. If you don’t want to though, you can always Find a Kitchen Fitter on Mr-Skill right here.
• Decide where you want the under counter freezer to go. Everything is modular these days – if you have a modern kitchen  most freezers will fit into the space behind a cupboard door. Make sure you allow an inch of free-space all around when measuring. That’s for air circulation, and to get your hands in to pull it out again for cleaning.
• Have the power supply installed. This is usually on the wall behind the freezer which should have sufficient cable length supplied. Don’t get clever with electricity though. Find an Electrician to do the job.
• Purchase your under counter freezer. Base your decision on three factors. These are appearance, energy efficiency and usable capacity. Does it have a drain for when you decide to defrost it, and finally, is the electric cable going to be long enough?
• Prepare for installation. The electrician may have removed the cupboard door and any shelves. If not, then now’s the time to do so. HINT The door and shelf make useful spares. Keep them, don’t chuck them away.
 • Inspect the under counter freezer. Unwrap your new appliance carefully and check for any damage. Plug it in to see if it starts up, then turn it off again and unplug it. Remove it from the packaging completely, and set it down near the opening where you can make sure that it’s perfectly level.
• Now finally install it. Plug in the appliance again, and gently slide it into the cavity taking care not to snag the cable as it goes in. Then turn it on. That’s all folks. You did it yourself. Congratulations!
Now that sounds easy, doesn’t it? But sometimes the cavity is too small or the kitchen floor uneven. When that happens there’s no need to despair. That’s because you can get Incredible Kitchen Fitting Quotes right here, and not pay a penny for them either.
Tags: air circulation, appearance, appliance, cable, capacity, cavity, door, drain, electrician, electricity, energy, find a kitchen fitter, freezer, install, kitchen, kitchen fitting quote, level, london kitchen fitter, modular, package, plug, power, remove, shelf, shelves, space, supply, turn on, under counter, undercounter
Posted in Kitchen Fitting | Comments Off
Posted in Handyman Services on Nov 16
I wish that I could to Find a Handyman on Mr-Skill for every weekend of the year. There are so many jobs waiting for me around the house, but the wife thinks that being busy keeps me fit and healthy. The more I say “we have the money” the more I’m told to get on with the work myself. So all that I can do is dream of what might otherwise have been.
First Weekend
 The first job every month would be to deal with water run-offs. I’d have the gutters and downpipes cleared out and wiped down nicely. Then we’d rod out the storm-water drains and get rid of all weeds together. What a pleasure. Come on rain.
The Second Weekend
No doubt the weather would hold off now that the drains were cleared, so the next job would be to sort out the garage. Not even a pair of London Handymen would know exactly where to put things, so I guess my participation would be unavoidable
Weekend Number Three
There’s never been three rain-free weekends in the UK since time began or so I’m told. This time I think the handyman could wipe all the interior woodwork down, and get rid of all that mould. I’d get on with  something else nearby, just to keep an eye on things, if you know what I mean?
The Fourth Weekend
By then, of course we’d be quite a team. I’d know the other person’s skills and start getting extra mileage from their Handyman Quote. There’s nothing quite like having an extra pair of hands around the house, especially when it comes to carrying things.
In practice this would never happen, and if it did the wife would say “now what’s the point of Getting in a Handyman on Mr-Skill when you do half the work yourself’? Sometimes it seems that only another man would understand. Or did I perhaps overlook something in my haste?
Tags: busy, carry, downpipe, drain, find a handyman, garage, gutter, hand, handyman quote, house, job, london handymen, month, mould, rain, skill, team, water, weather, weed, weekend, wipe, wood, work
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
I never cease to be amazed at the variety of bathroom accessories available at hardware stores across the UK these days. Every one of these has at least one fixing hole – if I got that contract I doubt I’d ever look back. Many folk are nervous about drilling through ceramic tiles though, because the consequences of cracking one can be quite expensive.
And so they try alternatives like two-sided tape and contact glue. Unfortunately these never work properly because ceramic tiles are highly glazed. Worse still, the accessories come loose, and chip even more expensive fittings when they come crashing down. If you are handy you don’t need to Find a Bathroom Fitter – you just need the right tools and your brain switched on.
• When working above a drainage point like a washbasin or a toilet, insert the plug or lower the seat. Lay down a dust-sheet to make cleaning up afterwards easier too.
HINT – Ceramic tile and masonry dust can permanently stain moist grout, so make sure your work area is dry.
• Gently tap the tile where you intend to drill the hole with something metallic that’s also light. If you hear a hollow sound there’s airspace between the glue. London Bathroom  Fitting Firms train their staff to look for another fixing point when they find this, because tiles break easily over hollows.
• Make a clear mark on the tile where the hole must go with a laundry marker. Make a cross over it with transparent tape that does not have a shiny finish. Tap the tape gently and repeatedly with a new centre punch, until you have scored the ceramic finish beneath it.
• Drill through the hole using a specialist drill bit and an electric drill set off-hammer. Once you are through the glaze you can drill into the tile and wall more quickly. Tidy up the mess, wipe things clean, and you’re good to go!
Mr-Skill is a virtual market place where customers and skilled tradespeople meet. It’s free to the general public, and bids can be up to 30% below general market rates. Click on this link – get Cheap Bathroom Fitting Quotes for your postcode right now!
Tags: accesory, accessories, bathroom, bathroom fitting quotes, bit, break, ceramic, chip, clean, crack, drain, drill, dry, dust, find a bathroom fitter, fix, gently, glaze, glue, harware, hole, london bathroom fitting, mark, masonry, punch, sheet, tap, tape, tile, tool, wall, wipe
Posted in Handyman Services, Kitchen Fitting, Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
The last components that are fitted when assembling modern baths are the front panels themselves. These clip easily into place, and clip out easily too in order to provide access to drains and pipes. Because bath sizes are standardised these days, it follows that it is equally easy to replace an existing panel on a modern bath.
 This represents a superbly simple way to add new panache and style and colour to existing bathrooms for a fraction of the cost of refits, and you don’t necessarily require Bathroom Fitting Quotes before you start. In fact, the biggest task is often selecting the right bath panel from the range of options.
We recommend that you resist the urge to install anything that is capable of absorbing water, whether this spills over the bath-rim, or is present in the form of humidity or steam. This puts paid to romantic ideas of natural wood unfortunately. Speak to any London Bathroom Fitter and you should always receive the same consistent message – stick to fibreglass or plastic, or there is no guarantee.
Fortunately these modern materials come in all kinds of finishes and colours, and being mouldable are available in different profiles too. You will have to shop around if buying directly from the manufacturers though.  Moulds are expensive meaning that each factory offers a strictly limited range.
As you shop around you are bound to be impressed by the huge variety of designs available, especially if searching on the internet. Mr-Skill’s advice is to keep things simple unless you have a farmhouse bathroom. Light colours and less intrusive designs work best in smaller spaces.
Although is possible to replace a bath panel yourself, you may prefer to Find a Bathroom Fitter on Mr-Skill instead. That’s because you could find it difficult working on your knees in cramped spaces, and you could also end up damaging the material as well. If you choose your panel wisely though, then you should inevitably be enthralled by the stunningly refreshed effect. Isn’t it nice to know that some home improvement projects are so easy?
Tags: absorb, access, bath, bathroom, bathroom fitting quotes, clip, colour, component, cost, cramp, damage, design, drain, fibreglass, find a bathroom fitter, finish, fit, guarantee, humidity, install, intrusive, light, london bathroom fitter, material, mould, option, panel, pipe, plastic, refit, replace, simple, size, spill, steam, style, variety, water, wood
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
Before the first winter rains arrive, it’s time to catch up on the outstanding jobs. Do you have a broken or a missing downpipe on your house? If so, you can Find a Roofer on Mr-Skill to fix it up for you. Did you know that we review all our tradespeople personally, and  that they could come in up to 30% cheaper than prevailing rates?
If you had the time and energy, you could also do the job yourself. Here’s what you would have to do:
o First identify the guttering system on your house, and pop down to the hardware store to buy the bits you need (a digi-pic could prove handy here).
o Make sure that your ladder is in first rate condition, and that you have a mate available to hold it steady for you. If not, rather avoid injury and get some Roofer Quotes instead.
o Remove the old downpipe and set it aside to take to a recycling depot later. Clean the interface point on the gutter thoroughly, and double-check for any other damage while you do.
o Assuming the old downpipe brackets are still in place and reusable, offer up the elbow-piece into the gutter and  tighten the bracket around it. Makes sure it fits well, because believe me, this is where a leak is most likely to occur.
o Assemble the other sections of the pipe, working from the top downwards and attaching the brackets as you go. An old pal of mine named Ray, who works for a Roofing Firm in London, believes in dropping down a tennis ball as he goes along, just to make double-sure there are no stoppages.
o Finally, attach the bottom elbow to the pipe to drain the water away from the house, and hey presto, the job is done!
That could take the better part of a Saturday afternoon and you might have other plans in mind? No worries, simply Click on Mr-Skill, and we’ll sort everything out for you instead.
Tags: assemple, bottom, bracket, broken, buy, cheap, clean, downpipe, drain, elbow, find a roofer, fit, gutter, injury, job, ladder, leak, leaking, missing, photograph, rain, roofer quote, roofing firm in london, rusted, safe, safety, spares, steady, system, tennis ball, tight, tool, water, winter
Posted in Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
A recent survey revealed that almost every Gardener in London these days has several orchids growing in the house, and I suppose that this would be true of gardeners elsewhere in the country too. Of all of these, the Moth Orchid that the boffins call Phalaenopsis is  reputedly the most popular, and I for one am not surprised that this is so. Did you know that millions of these beautiful while or pink flowers are grown and sold in Britain every year?
The average citizen does not have the same green fingers though. Every year hundreds of thousands of Orchids in Britain fizzle out, and not because Gardener Quotes for small jobs are impossible to obtain either. It’s just because we do not understand that all they need is a draught-free room, some sunlight, a little food and drink occasionally, and a friendly nod in their direction from time to time.
In their natural environment, Orchids grow in forks of trees or in stony crevices. This means that they do not like to grow in earth, but are happy nestling among bark and moss and other natural debris around their roots. Their natural environments also ensure that rainwater drains away rapidly too – forget this principle and they could drown or rot away.
If after several years your Orchid seems as it it’s trying to climb out of its container, then it is time to learn  how to re-pot it. All you need is some Orchid compost (or an imaginative stroll through the local wood) and you are ready to begin this simple process.
Remove the Orchid from the old container, and shake its roots clear before removing any shrivelled ones. Cut the healthy ones back to about four inches long with a pair of sharp secateurs. Wrap the roots gently into their fresh growing medium, press them into their new pot, moisten the compost daily with an atomiser, and your job is done.
You don’t need to Find a Gardener for a simple job like this, and I doubt one would be particularly interested either. If you have a bigger gardening job though why not speak to Mr-Skill. They have all the good gardening professionals on their books.
Tags: atomise, bark, breeze, compost, container, crack, crevice, cut, cutter, dead, debris, drain, draught, drink, flower, food, fork, Garden, green, medium, moisten, moss, natural, orchid, pink, pot, rain, rock, secateur, short, spray, stone, sun, Survey, tree, trim, water, white
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Jun 14
Summer is a great time to get out in the garden, light the barbeque and prune the roses. Perhaps one could also hop into the car and brave the traffic all the way down to Brighton?  But summer is also the right time to Find a Builder to catch up on the outdoor jobs while it’s not raining.
o Start with the roof and any chimneys first. Are the tiles or sheets still in good position and held tightly down? Check the flashing too, and double check for any signs of leaks by looking up at upstairs ceilings. And the gutters? Are they nice and clear too?
o Check the openings into buildings next – by this I mean the windows and the doors. Are they closing tightly and are all the locks and other fastenings working correctly too. This is not just about weatherproofing either. It’s about keeping burglars out as well.
o Go all the way around the house checking that the rainwater is still draining away nicely. Look for cracks in rendering and signs of damp rising up the walls. Go inside too,  moving furniture away from internal walls. Any signs of damp? You need to get a Building Quote before things get worse.
o A Builder in London I got chatting too the other day while waiting for a train back home remarked that gates and fences are like our teeth. By that he meant that some of us neglect them both until they start to give us trouble, at which point they cost a lot of money to repair.
I reckon that chap standing with me on a railway platform had exactly the right idea. We need to keep a hand on homes and fix the little things before they become expensive. Summer is the best time to do this while it’s still nice and warm. Unless, that is, you feel like stopping gaps while the winter rains fall down on you. I just thought I’d mention it, to keep you nice and warm and dry.
Tags: builder, builder london, Building, building quotes, burglar, ceiling, check, chimney, correct, damp, door, drain, expensive, fastening, find a builder, fix, flashing, Garden, hand, home, inside, inspect, job, leak, lock, opening, outdoor, position, rain, rainwater, render, roof, sheet, summer, tight, tile, wall, weather, work
Posted in General Building | Comments Off
Posted in Handyman Services on Jun 13
A handyman is a great ally in an emergency. This is because they are often available at immediate notice and should charge less that a qualified person.  By all means Find a Handyman and use them for replacing taps and changing fuses. Never use them for highly skilled work where a licensed person is required though, because this might lead to trouble in several ways.
o You are breaking the law if you allow a non-registered technician to alter the electrical layout in your home or lay a new drain. There are practical reasons for this, including compatibility with council services. Stick to the rules and stay out of trouble.
o You could be compromising your health and safety and that is a foolish thing to do to save a few pounds. A badly sloping drain can cause germs to accumulate that cause sickness. What’s worse reversed polarity on a switch could kill. Play it safe. Remain legal.
o  An illegal piece of work that triggers an insurable event can lead to a refusal by the insurer to compensate, and this is happening daily. Imagine how you would feel if your house burned down because of an illegal connection and they refused to pay. Penny wise, pound foolish is the motto of many Handymen in London. Better you believe this.
It is far wiser to determine whether you need a skilled and registered tradesperson to do a job of work first, before considering a Handyman Quote. Besides, at Mr-Skill our tradespeople often come in at a third below prevailing prices, which may well make up the difference.
Tags: burn, council, drain, electric, emergency, find a handyman, fuse, germ, handyman, handyman london, handyman quote, health, illegal, insurance, insure, kill, law, license, polarity, qualified, reason, refuse, register, rule, safety, service, sickness, skilled, tap, technician, trouble, wire
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
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