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Posts Tagged ‘mark<’
Fitting new interior doors is not as simple as it may seem. To begin with, you are dealing with “a given” in terms of the existing space and door frame. Then, the chances are that you will need to trim the new door to size too, and this could involve more than one side. Lining up the hinges and door lock can be a headache too. 
So, if you want to avoid ending up with a new door looking anything but well-fitted, consider finding a door fitter through Mr-Skill. That way, you’ll have more time to focus on something you really enjoy doing, as our expert door fitter transforms your home.
Meanwhile, we asked one of our regular London door fitters to provide some tips for the die-hard DIY types, and here’s what he has to offer:
- Don’t forget to have a spirit level handy, as well as a hammer, plane, saw and screwdriver set. You will need a chisel too, to cut the recess for the door lock, We assume, of course, that you have already bought your new door.
- When replacing a door, be sure to take the exact measurements. Check the height twice on the left and right side, and again twice for the width at the top and bottom. This will ensure that your replacement door is a good fit.
- Put the new door flush up against the framed opening of the doorway. Now position the door so the edges are flush with the frame, making sure the hinge side is plumb using the level.
- Use your hammer to gently tap some wooden wedges to support the door. You can now work out the fit of the new door and mark up exactly where it needs to be trimmed.
- Make gradual adjustments and check back to the frame – this way you will see how your new door’s shaping up.
- Once the replacement door fits correctly, you can mark up the hinge positions on the one side and the door lock on the opposite.
Our door expert jokingly says that if you haven’t hung yourself before your new door, you’re really doing well. If you find it’s all too much for you, check the Mr-Skill home page and get some door fitting quotes right there. Then, pop the kettle on and make a nice cuppa tea, while you wait for the professionals to replace your doors for you, just as you intended!
Tags: adjustment, DIY, door, door frame, door lock, find a window and door fitter, fitting, hammer, hinges, interior door, level, london window and door fitter, mark, plane, plumb, saw, screwdrivers, trim, wedges, window and door fitting quote
Posted in Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Mar 12
By replacing your kitchen cupboard door handles and knobs on your drawers, you are cosmetically modernising your kitchen for very little outlay or effort. Start off by selecting a design that appeals to you, and makes an appropriate statement in your “new” kitchen. The range is really quite staggering, and  there are even London kitchen fitting shops specialising in knobs, handles and knockers too.
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to positioning handles and knobs, so you can do almost as you please. Remember though, the cupboard door action needs to be practical, so it would be of little use placing your handles at the bottom of the base-unit door. This is one of those jobs where you will find that if it looks right, it probably is.
That said, the rule of thumb is to mount handles towards the top left or right corner of the under-counter doors. This obviates the need to bend too low when opening them. Conversely, fix wall unit handles to the bottom left or right of the doors. When it comes to mounting knobs on drawers, use the two-thirds, one-third principal. Mark the middle of the drawer and position the knob two-thirds of the way up a deep drawer face (or the middle of a shallow drawer).
If everything looks right, mark all your drill points on the doors and drawers using a template so that all the holes are aligned.  Then start drilling with a smaller sized drill-bit to avoid splitting the timber. After that, you can finish drilling with the correctly sized bit. Keep in mind that the new handles and knobs should cover any existing holes or blemishes. Go ahead and fit the handles and knobs.
Now if that all seems too hard or you simply don’t have the expertise to install your cabinet handles and knobs, why not find a kitchen fitter on Mr-Skill. If you are going to do the job yourself, don’t forget to wear the right safety gear in the form of gloves and goggles, and make sure you have all the right tools handy.
Remember that Mr-Skill has an array of professionals on board, when you are ready to receive your Kitchen Fitting Quotes.
Tags: bottom, cabinet, centre, choice, cupboard, design, drawer, drill, drill bit, fit, handle, install, kitchen, Kitchen Fitting, kitchen fitting quotes, knob, left, london kitchen fitting, mark, middle, modernise, practical, range, right, rule, template, top
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Whether you Find a Decorator on Mr-Skill or do the job yourself, you inevitably end up with left-over pots of paint. Those with just a few scrapings in them are best thrown away. Those still at least a quarter full could be worth preserving for touch-up jobs.
 Reseal Quickly – Air is the enemy of paint because paint’s supposed to dry in its presence. Clean both lid and tin carefully where they come together. Insert a sheet of film or tinfoil. Close firmly to achieve an airtight seal without causing any distortion.
Label the Tin – Begin to clean your brush by painting a colour-patch on the tin in a way that does not cover up any important information. Use a laundry marker to note the dates when bought and used, and the colour code if the paint was specially mixed.
Store Away Sensibly – I know a London Painter who insists in storing paint tins upside down so that the paint remains above the film and not beneath it. I’ve followed his advice and found it works quite well. In any case, store the tin away from extreme heat and cold.
 Using Old Paint – Paint has a limited shelf-life and many manufacturers suggest that it should be used within a year of being purchased. Don’t be tempted to bring down the cost of a Decorating Quote by using paint that’s gone beyond its usefulness. In any case, make sure it’s strained through a fine mesh sieve or piece of muslin, and into a clean container and well stirred.
Storing paint is really only really useful when you have a plan to use it shortly. This could be when you are half-way through an upgrade, and just want to brighten up a wall. In other instances it may just be an excuse to accumulate more clutter.
Be brave. Know the difference. Why not give your old paint tins a fresh view on life instead.
Tags: air, airtight, clean, close, code, cold, colour, container, date, decorating quote, distort, film, find a decorator, foil, heat, label, left over, leftover, london painter, mark, muslin, paint, patch, pot, reseal, sample, scrap, shelf life, shelflife, sieve, store, strain, tin
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Jan 23
Granite has become popular in kitchens for a variety of reasons. These include heat resistance, easy cleaning and the stunning look that granite adds. If you need to drill a hole, have the right tools and know what you are doing,  you might not need to find a kitchen fitter to do this for you. If the answer’s NO to any of these questions though, you’d be wise to seek professional assistance here.
• Think about things carefully for a while because you can’t un-drill a hole. Visualise using it afterwards, by way of a dry run.
• After measuring and re-measuring several times put a cross of heavy-duty paper masking tape where the hole must go. Measure once more, and mark the tape with a clear black dot.
• Place a BRAND NEW masonry bit in your electric drill and tighten it. If you think this is a false economy compare the cost with buying a new work top.
• Put on your SAFETY GLASSES. Position the drill bit on the black dot and begin drilling slowly  off-impact. Make sure you drill perpendicularly, and don’t over-work the power tool. Many london kitchen fitters release the bit from time-to-time to avoid dust build-up.
• NEVER FORCE a power tool. Let it do the work. And whatever else you do, take your time and keep your mind on what you’re doing. If you need a bigger hole you can use a cookie cutter bit.
If you don’t have the time for things like this or are otherwise unsure, why not get kitchen fitting quotes on Mr-Skill instead? As customer you pay NOT A PENNY for this service. Moreover, you could also find out what other people think about a particular kitchen fitter you could be interested in. We have many customers who agree this is a great idea!
Tags: bit, disinfect, drill, eye protection, find a kitchen fitter, granite, heat, hole, impact, kitchen, kitchen fitting quotes, london kitchen fitter, mark, masonry, measure, perpendicular, safety, safety glasses, tape, think, tighten
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Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Dec 14
For some peculiar reason that I don’t quite understand, bathrooms in UK homes are seldom fully tiled. Personally I think developers are being mean. How much can it cost to Find a Tiler to extend a run of wall tiles once the levels have been set?
Here’s a neat way to integrate a mirror on a painted wall with tiles elsewhere in the room.  Let your imagination loose here. The choices are endless!
- Buy the mirror and install it plumb and level with concealed mounts. Obtain sufficient wall tiles of a suitable finish and have them cut to size. If need be, you could get a Tiling Quote to have the cutting done.
- Mark out the area around the mirror where the tiles will go, and mask it off for at least the width of the tiles. Mask the frame of the mirror carefully too.
- Apply a layer of tile-keying liquid between the two runs of masking tape. Attach a batten to the wall to support the bottom run of tiles.
- Glue on the bottom run of tiles using pre-mix tile cement. Allow this to dry for twenty-four hours.
 Return the next day to complete the job, making sure the tiling spacers keep the joints between the tiles neat.
TIP A London Tiler I know well uses epoxy to secure the tiles. This may add a little to the cost, but at least he can complete the tiling on a single day, and get the money back that way.
- After waiting another day for the glue to dry properly, remove the batten and the masking tape, grout the tiles and tidy up the wall.
Little details like this can make all the difference, and add DIY pleasure to a weekend. Aren’t you glad you found a handy website like this? What’s more, you can Find Tradesmen for all larger jobs right here. And it will not cost you a single penny more!
Tags: bathroom, batten, cement, cut, dry, eopxy, extend, find a tiler, frame, key, level, london tiler, mark, mask, masking tape, mirror, mount, plumb, pre mix, quote, set, spacer, tile, tiled, tiling quote, wall, width
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | 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
Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Oct 21
Funny, isn’t it, how fashions keep on going round and round. All that’s as true of building materials as it is of clothes. The difference is that your home is going to have to wear its finishes for far longer than you are going to hang on to your hat. For this reason it’s best to know what you are looking for before you get your Tiling Quotes.
 Did I mention that I went to school with a London Tiler? Well he wasn’t a tiler then, but he did become one good enough to successfully start his own flooring firm. This was the advice he gave when asked:
• Stick to natural materials wherever possible. This is because they are timeless and you can always find an acceptable replacement, even if a tile breaks after fifty years.
• Travertine is often beautifully marked and coloured having been paid down by rivers over centuries, and is soft and easy to work with. In the fancy shops it is also called onyx and alabaster.
• Limestone is another sedimentary rock primarily white or light coloured, but also tinted by small impurities. It is often used in commercial developments where the varying thicknesses are an architectural asset.
• Slate is traditionally used for flooring, although new techniques have seen it applied to walls too. It is extremely durable making it ideal for outside use. However quality is unpredictably varied.
•  Marble is valued for its mirror finish after polishing, and has been used for cladding buildings for thousands of years. It is probably the most expensive of all the options, and the most copied by ceramic tile manufacturers.
• Sandstone provides an attractive varied finish on feature walls, although good effect is often only achieved by hand-sorting tiles. It is brittle and unsuitable for floors.
Now that you have made a choice why not Find a Tiler on Mr-Skill right away? You will have range of choices when you shop through us. You may even expect savings of up to 30% on labour against normal rates thanks to our buying power.
Tags: brittle, Building, colour, durable, easy, effect, expensive, fashion, find a floor contractor, floor, light, limestone, london tiler, marble, mark, natural, outside, polish, replace, sandstone, sedement, slate, soft, thick, tile, tiling quotes, travertine, vary, wall, white, work
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
Roofers lay tiles loosely over each other in an overlapping pattern, and hold them in place with edging fascias, and special tiles cemented in place along the ridges. If these ridges fail, then there is a possibility of a strong wind lifting sheets of roof tiles with disastrous results. This fairly common problem usually begins as roofs settle after the first few years, and  the rendering beneath the ridges separates.
This is not a job for an amateur with a bad head for heights. In fact, we strongly recommend that you Find a Roofer to do the following work for you instead.
• Identify which ridge tiles have worked loose. This could be just one, a few, or the entire ridge, and the solution varies accordingly. If you can remove the loose tiles without disturbing the adjacent ones then this could save you time and money, although it is unwise to take chances and end up with a patch job.
• Obtain a supply of replacement ridge tiles. Remove offending ridges, set them aside and carefully chisel the loose rendering off the roof tiles beneath. You can leave a small residue of old rendering behind, provided that this is firmly attached.
• Soak the replacement ridge tiles and the supporting roof tiles with clean water until they have taken up a slightly darker hue. This ensures that they do not suck the moisture out of the new rendering, and weaken it.
•  Loose fit a new ridge tile, make a chalk mark on either side of it, and set it aside again. Lay two generous lines of suitable tinted rendering within the chalk lines. Press the ridge tile gently into place and remove any surplus rendering with trowel and damp cloth. Repeat the process as necessary along the entire ridge, remembering to close in the ends of the last ridge tiles if you replaced these too.
• A competent London Roofer will always check carefully that there are no cracks or holes showing anywhere on the ridge. This is because a strong gust of wind can blow rainwater through a tiny hole into the roof space below with surprising force, and form damaging pools on ceilings.
Should you decide to get a Roofing Quote on Mr-Skill, then we would be delighted to put you in touch with several rated tradesmen working in your area. We know you will be satisfied with the price and quality of the bids that you receive, and we wish you well with your roofing project too.
Tags: chalk, check, chisel, competent, crack, disturb, fascia, find a roofer, gust, hole, lift, london roofer, loose, loose fit, mark, moisture, overlap, press, rain, remove, rendering, repeat, replacement, roof, roofing quote, separate, settle, soak, tile, water, wind
Posted in Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Aug 01
In times past flat garage roofs were often covered with a layer of waterproofed felt that was protected in turn by a layer of gravel. The general idea was that these roofs would last for years, provided that they were not interfered with. Over-and-above the obvious hazards of small children  enjoying squishing on sharp stones, nothing lasts forever, leaks develop and drip onto whatever you use your garage for, and its time to Find a Builder fairly urgently, to effect repairs.
We have all kinds of rated general builders listed on Mr-Skill. You can Find Recommended London Builders here, as well as trusted building firms in the Home Counties, and as far afield as Wales and Scotland too. When you do, these are the procedures that they should follow after you accept their Building Quote, give or take the peculiarities of your particular flat roof.
o On a clear day with no sign of rain the next day either, clear the gravel off the roof. Sweep the area clean, and blow all the dust away with one of those clever gadgets gardeners use instead of rakes these days.
o Inspect the roof felting very carefully for any signs of damage. Don’t be shy to prod and probe as  dentists like to do – if there is a problem it must be found. Mark a circle around any dodgy points with bright paint.
o Obtain some asphalt plastic cement, and work this well into all the dodgy points you noted. Take your time here, as this could make or break the job. And do wear rubber gloves too. This stuff sticks to skin like you know what. As you go along, work pieces of roof patching fabric into the cement, remembering to cover it fully and to “feather” the edges.
When the patches are nice and dry inspect them carefully, adding a generous dollop of asphalt plastic cement if in any doubt at all. When you are completely satisfied that this cement is dry too, you can gently sweep the old gravel back over the roof again. Or spoil your roof with some brand new gravel, so you can enjoy looking down on your garage roof again from upstairs even more.
Tags: asphalt, asphalt plastic cement, blow, child, clear, damage, dodgy, drip, dust, feather, felting, find a builder, find recommended london builders, flat, garage, general builder quotes, glove, gravel, inspect, interfere, leak, mark, peculiarities, probe, procedure, prod, remove, repair, roof, roof patch, sweep, waterproof
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Posted in General Building on Jul 12
If you are planning to build a perimeter wall around your property then we recommend you Find a Builder who knows the ins and outs to help you make this happen. This is because the Council will have to approve the job, and  your neighbours will definitely become involved too.
If, on the other hand, you have something simpler in mind somewhere in the garden itself, perhaps a low retaining wall or a screen to hide the compost heap, then this may well be a job that you might like to attempt yourself – provided that you are not in a hurry, and are willing to accept a slightly rustic finish for the lack of a better word.
o Mark out the wall with pegs and string and have the inevitable family discussion. After the dust has settled, dig out the foundation trench which should be 300mm wide by 300mm deep, and backfill this with 150mm of concrete. Tamp this down carefully to ensure that it levels out.
o Start laying bricks at the easiest end first by putting up a vertical plank that will act as your guideline. Make sure the bottom course is absolutely level in both directions too, as this will affect the entire job as it goes along.  Do not be in a hurry to add more bricks. Concentrate on building a perfect end, stepping up until you reach wall height.
o Repeat the process at the other end, using string and spirit level to make sure that you will top out exactly level with the corner you already built. Using string again as your guideline, gradually fill in the space between the corners until the wall is complete.
Sounds easy, does it not? Actually building even a simple wall is no easy task and things can literally go pear-shaped before your eyes. There are two ways to avoid this happening. The first is to have the courage to partly take down the wall and start again. The second way, of course, is to Get a Building Quote from Mr-Skill. You will be so glad you did!
Tags: approval, approve, brick, build, builder london, building quote, concrete, corner, council, course, dig, end, fill, find a builder, foundation, Garden, lay, level, mark, neighbour, peg, perimeter, retain, screen, simple, spirit level, string, trench, vertical, wall
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