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Posts Tagged ‘mould<’
Preparing the exterior walls of a house or bungalow for painting is an onerous task that few private homeowners attempt. Does that sound too much for you too? No worries. We can help you Find a Painter who’s been rated by other customers already.
When he or she arrives they complete the preparation of the outside as summarised below. That’s assuming they don’t find anything exceptional, that they did not anticipate when preparing their Detailed Painting Quote. If they do, they’ll negotiate in good faith.
 Cast an eye over the structure to make sure there are no cracks that might admit water and cause damp. They’re likely to report any structural concerns they may detect too, although that’s not the job you’re paying them for.
Clear out and close-up any gaps with rendering. They’ll work elsewhere on the building for the next few days while the fresh plaster dries.
Remove all flaking or damaged paint using a combination of hand-scrapers, sanders, power washing and chemicals. Attend to any mould or fungus.
Discuss the best paints to use and the colours that you like and are practical too. When that’s done they can begin apply the paint.
I was chatting to my old friend a retired London Decorator who has a thought on anything and everything. I just can’t understand, he said, why so many folk try to paint outside in winter, when it makes so much more sense to do the inside then.
Mr-Skill provides a FREE service to UK customers requiring the services of a Painter / Decorator, or for that matter any other Skilled Person. They pay to list with us after we have checked them out. That’s the only money that ever changes hands as far as we are concerned. We make not a penny more from it, no kidding, so all this is FREE to you with our compliments. Isn’t it nice to know that you can still get good service like this today?
Tags: bungalow, chemical, clear, close, colour, cracks, damaged, damp, decorate, decorator, exterior, find a painter, flaking, fungus, house, london decorator, mould, paint, painter, painting quote, plaster, prepare, redecorate, remove, render, sander, seal, structure, wall, wash, water
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
 A good London Decorator will tell you that keeping mould at bay is as simple as not creating an environment in which it flourishes. The problem is of course that we share a liking for similar humidity and temperature levels, which is where the problem begins.
Mould is a fungus that spreads across almost any surface, sowing spores everywhere it goes. It’s not poisonous. In fact it’s not dangerous at all. But it is unsightly and nobody likes to see it. It flourishes in warm damp conditions where the temperature is above 70-Degrees Fahrenheit, and the Relative Humidity over 70% too.
- When you shower, open a bathroom window to keep the temperature and humidity down.
- If you can’t stand the idea, then open it before you leave the bathroom, closing the door behind you as you go.
 This is not to say you won’t still get mould on your bathroom ceiling though. You’ll just have to do the following less frequently. If you don’t, you’ll need to Find a Decorator to eventually clear up the mess.
- Wipe away the mould using a damp cloth. Get rid of all of it.
- Sterilize the ceiling using a fungicidal barrier from a mould eradication kit.
- Next time you are looking for a Decorating Quote, specify a fungicidal additive added to the paint.
Now was that really all that complicated? Just another service from Mr-Skill. Your provider of tradesperson quotes at no charge at all.
Tags: damp, decorating quote, door, environment, eradicate, eradication kit, find a decorator, fungicide, humid, london decorator, moist, mold, mould, shower, spores, temperature, warm, window, wipe
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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
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Posted in Cleaning Services on Oct 12
Outdoor garden furniture bears the brunt of weather when left outdoors throughout the year, and if neglected soon loses its showroom gloss. This is especially true in larger cities where airborne pollution can be quite severe. In fact I know of several London Cleaning Services who make a living out of dealing with the consequences.
 It is not always necessary to request a Cleaner Quote on Mr-Skill though. Regular attention along the lines below can help avoid unnecessary expense, assuming you have the time available and the will to do it.
• Wash wooden furniture that has been coated with exterior grade varnish with soapy water and then rinse it clean. If possible store it in a dry place for winter or at least wipe away accumulations of rainwater regularly. Once a year apply a proprietary cleaner followed by a protective coat.
• Machine-wash fabrics from cloth chairs and hammocks using a gentle wash cycle. Stretch the cloth back into position before completely dry, to avoid it shrinking.
• Clean aluminium, wrought iron and mild steel frames with soap and rinse. Coat metal furniture with a protective coating, or else it will definitely rust.
•  Umbrella covers need machine washing and the frame joints need lightly oiling too. As with chair seats, refit the covers before completely dry.
• Remove acrylic seat-covers and wipe them clean, using a bleach solution to remove any mildew. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes before wiping clean again.
• Clean wicker furniture using water under pressure from a hose or pump, using soap if necessary. When dry, the application of a paste wax will restore the shine.
A lot of work perhaps for something we may not use every day, and that stands idle in the winter. Why not get a Cleaner Quote from Mr-Skill instead? Then you can put your clean outdoor furniture away for winter, and have it ready to use again in the spring. Now that makes sense.
Tags: acrylic, aluminium, attention, chair, clean, cleaner quote, cloth, coat, dry, expense, find a cleaner, frame, furniture, Garden, hammock, london cleaning service, mould, oil, outdoor, pollution, protect, regular, rinse, shrink, soap, stain, store, stretch, summer, time, umbrella, varnish, wash, water, winter, wood
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Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Sep 21
Wood-Effect laminate flooring has become popular in recent years, as folk discover how quickly they can change a room around, and how easy these floors are to keep clean too. But everything has its downsides and laminate flooring certainly is no exception. The only way to protect yourself from  problems is to Find a Floorer who does the job correctly in the first place.
• Peaking occurs when boards are too tight up against each other and the centres begin to bulge. This is almost invariably causde by a lack of free expansion space around the perimeter of the room, and can be corrected.
• Buckling and Warping are the result of water damage or moisture that could come from underground or might even be in the air. For this reason I have yet to meet a Flooring Firm in London who would consider laying laminate flooring in a bathroom, especially near a shower. Another possible cause of buckling and warping is the absence of an effective balancing substrate.
• Gapping between boards should not occur at all providing they are allowed to acclimatize before being laid. If they do open slightly under very cold conditions, the chances are that gaps will close as the room warms up again.
•  Mould and Mildew are warning signs of high humidity that ought to be carefully controlled, not simply cleaned away. The solution is to root cause the underlying problem and address it.
• Chipping on corners is a sign of abuse during installation. Make sure your Flooring Quote describes the manner in which the work will be done. If it mentions the use of a mallet and tapping block (which are unnecessary in the first place) move away and look again. If the damage happens subsequently, then I’m afraid you bought a poor quality floor.
Another way to avoid these hassles is to Find a Reputable Flooring Firm on Mr-Skill. That’s because we reference-check our tradespeople to make sure their lower prices do not come with loss of quality. How’s that for winning both ways.
Tags: avoid, board, buckle, bulge, cheap, chip, clean, cold, control, damp, expansion, find a flooring firm, floor, flooring firm in london, flooring quote, gap, humidity, laminate, mallet, mildew, moisture, mould, peaking, poor, price, problem, protect, quality, strip, substrate, tap, tight, warp, wood, wood effect
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | 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
Its amazing how many homes there are across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom where the beauty of their bathrooms are spoilt by a grotty run of silicone sealer around the edges of the bath. To make things worse, some cowboys even add silicone on top of silicone,  until the effect looks really dreadful.
No Bathroom Fitter in London associated with Mr-Skill (or any others located elsewhere for that matter) would dream of doing anything as unprofessional as that. If they did, we would delete them from our system with a single click of our system administrator’s mighty mouse.
Here’s how you could expect the job to be done, if you decided to Find a Bathroom Fitter Here.
o Cut away carefully behind the old silicone on both sides with a sharp Stanley knife, taking care not to scratch the surface of the bath if it’s one of those new ones that scratch so easily. Peel as much of the silicone away as you possibly can. If it is really grotty behind it, you may like to use disposable gloves to protect your skin.
o  Clean the area thoroughly with a good disinfectant soap, and dry it well with paper towel.
o Pop down to your local hardware shop and buy some proprietary silicone remover, a tube of mould resistant silicone, and a caulking gun. While you are there, study the instructions on the silicone tube, to find out how to neutralize it when its job is done, and what safety precautions to take when working with it too.
o Using the silicone remover, strip every vestige of remaining silicone around the bath, and tidy things up generally. Now’s the time to attend to any grouting that might need cleaning off and tidying up too.
o Obtain a roll of the thinnest “sellotape” that you can find, and mask off around where you want the new silicone to go. Take your time here, because this is what will make the final difference.
I’ll continue in the next blog. Meantime, anytime you need to Get Bathroom Fitters Quotes to do a complete bathroom upgrade instead, we have some really good ones listed on this website.
Tags: bath, bathroom, bathroom fitters london, bathroom fitters quotes, blade, careful, caulk, clean, cut, effect, find a bathroom fitter, glove, grout, gun, hardware, knife, mould, peel, remover, seal, sellotape, silicone, spoil, strip, surface, tidy, tube, wash
Posted in Other Craftsman Services | Comments Off
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on Jun 23
Picture framing is becoming an expensive luxury these days with many of us avoiding it completely in place of pre-framed prints sold at the bigger shops.  Sometimes though, we do still need an original framing job, as for example when we want to frame a favourite photograph, or a childish sketch to keep as a memory. I doubt very much that you would need to go all the way to find a Carpenter in London though, because in principle the task is extremely simple.
Place the picture on a backing board. Obtain a suitable wooden profile, making sure it has been routed to receive a sheet of glass if this is needed. Cut the wooden profile using a mitre box, and glue the whole lot together, perhaps using staples or even biscuits to reinforce the job. No need to Find a Joiner on Mr-Skill.
The next step is to paint the frame in a colour if desired, perhaps picking out the moulded highlights to create an interesting effect. If the profile you choose is plain, then here are some unusual ideas to add some fun:
o Cover the frame with textured cloth such as hessian or burlap, or mix some fine gravel into paint, and apply this to create a different effect
o Collect a few seashells on the beach and stick these on, or make up some brightly coloured paper butterflies
o Visit the hobby shop and pick out some attractive beads and ribbons, and let your imagination run absolutely free.
There are a great many other things that you could do without ever bothering about Carpentry Quotes. The greatest joy of all is that the materials are so cheap that it does not matter if you have to start all over again.
If you do need to find a carpenter or a joiner through, perhaps for a repair or alteration job around the house, then we have a really good list for you to choose from, and you could get up to 30% off normal quoted rates. Aren’t you glad you discovered Mr-Skill – your partner around the home or office.
Tags: bead, biscuit, board, burlap, carpenter london, carpentry quotes, cheap, colour, cut, expensive, find a joiner, frame, framing, fun, glass, gravel, hessian, highlight, hobby, home, job, luxury, mitre, mould, office, paint, picture, profile, ribbon, route, saw, shell, staple
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery | Comments Off
Posted in Handyman Services on Apr 26
Bathroom accessories are sometimes rip-offs where cowboy tile shops make up their profits. The ones illustrated here are not like that at all. In fact, they are the kind you should  consider specifying when getting a Bath Fitting Quote. Here are some tips to avoid being caught by cheap swindles unlike these.
o Never buy bath fittings in a box that a shop assistant refuses to open, on the basis that nobody else would be prepared to buy them afterwards. Reputable suppliers provide consignment samples so customers can inspect them properly.
o In fact, never buy boxed sets at all, especially those on special offer. While they may display attractively, in reality they are likely to be tawdry and will include a few pieces you may never need.
o Find out what the underlying material consists of. Brass and copper are unnecessarily expensive, while alloy castings break easily. The ones made of artificial mouldings are far more practical.
o Particularly if you live near the coast, ask about the surface coating too. Look for a 3-year guarantee against flaking, chipping and rusting – if this is not provided, expect to replace your bathroom fittings after two years or more.
o A Bath Fitter London with experience may insist in being part of your final decision. While most of us are mesmerised by style, professionals also think about methods of attachment, and how well these work in practice.
Now that you know the background to bathroom accessories the next step is to buy and fit them. Are you afraid of cracking a precious wall tile? Speak to Mr-Skill and let them help you Find a Bathroom Fitter to make your life a little easier instead.
Tags: accessory, attach, bath, bath fitter london, bath fitter quote, bath fitting london, bath fitting quote, bathroom, bathroom fitter london, bathroom fitter quote, bathroom fitting london, bathroom fitting quote, box, brass, chip, coast, coating, copper, corrode, find a bath fitter, find a bathroom fitter, fit, fitting, flake, material, method, mould, rust, sample, surface, tile
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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
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