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Posts Tagged ‘plumb<’
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 Bricklaying on Mar 12
Bricklaying is an art as well as a science. Don’t go it alone. Get a bricklaying quote by clicking on this link to Mr-Skill, where you will find bricklaying experts. It’s not just about the vertical and horizontal dimensions. A good bricklayer will also be checking joint widths, mortar consistency and brick-course levels continuously.
 Foundations – This is the start point of any building project, and stability is paramount. Excessive ground moisture or insufficient compaction could lead to problems with the brick face, and that will not be the bricklayer’s fault. Keep in mind that lack of tensile strength between bricks and mortar inevitably results in cracks – and possible collapse too. Make sure your London bricklayer knows that the City sits on clay.
The Mortar is Too Dry – Mixing mortar correctly is not quite as simple as it looks, and the results of a poor mix could spell disaster. Too little water, and the mortar will not bond correctly between the bricks. The golden rule is that the slower the mortar mixture dries, the better the bond. One trick is to soak each brick in water before building. This method ensures that the mortar will dry slowly where it attaches to the brick. The end result – a stronger wall!
 Plumb or Dumb – A decent plumb line is essential when constructing a brick wall and the age-old trick of suspending a weight on a taught nylon string is hard to beat. The bottom line is that the side of your wall needs to be at right angles to the end. If it isn’t, then the bricks will not combine to form a single structure. The greater the angle of error in your brick wall, the more the pressure on the mortar and the risk of failure of the structure.
It’s far wiser to find a bricklayer on Mr-Skill because we’ve interviewed them personally and you can find out what our other customers think of them too.
How’s that for a good idea. And what’s more it’s completely free of charge to you!
Tags: bond, brick, brick laying, bricklayer, bricklaying, bricklaying quote, collapse, consistency, crack, dimension, expert, find a bricklayer, foundation, horizontal, joint, level, measure, moist, mortar, plumb, right angle, stability, strength, string, vertical, wet
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More UK residents are adding the WOW-Factor to their homes every year, by replacing unsightly French Doors with Bi-Folding Doors in PVCu,  Timber or Aluminium. That’s because not only do they open all the way in glorious summer. They’re also among the snuggest fits available in winter too. And this gives you the best of both worlds when you need them.
While most people prefer to Find a Door Fitter on Mr-Skill to fit Bi-Folds to existing openings, the brave could possibly install these by themselves. If contemplating this yourself, please do offset the risks of inadvertent damage against the savings on the labour. The following are criteria you may like to consider when specifying Door Fitting Quotes instead
- Standard Sizes – If your opening is slightly oversized, consider lining it with appropriate material to take up the gap, and pre-empt requiring an expensive special order
 Slim Sightlines – How much clear vision will the frame sacrifice? You need to get as close to unobstructed as possible, albeit within constraints
- Thresholds – Do you require low-maintenance flush-fitted thresholds, or those recessed for outdoor weatherproofing?
- Locking – What level of security is wise? Locks are not all that expensive. Think ahead here – it could be time for an upgrade
The secret to a successfully trouble-free Bi-Fold Door installation – as any London Window Fitter knows – is a completely square and plumb installation. We cannot over-emphasise the need for this. If in any doubt at all of your ability to achieve this, why not rather seek Expert Advice instead? We’ll introduce you to a skilled and rated tradesperson, absolutely free to you.
Tags: aluminium, bi-fold, bi-folding, bifold, bifolding, clear, close, damage, door, door fitting quote, find a door filler, flush, gap, line, lining, lock, london window fitter, open, opening, outdoor, over-size, oversize, plumb, pvcu, saving, security, snug, square, threshold, timber, uPVC, vision, wide, window, wood
Posted in Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
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
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From time to time there are improvements to the design of windows that both improve their thermal qualities, and make bold aesthetic statements too. If you are living in an older home and are facing high heating bills, then it could be time to consider an upgrade. Of course it’s possible to do  the job yourself if you live downstairs, and have all the time in the world too. If not, here’s a brief description of the process that professional London Window Fitting Services like to follow.
o Measure for the replacement window carefully. Get this wrong and you could end up with an expensive contribution to the Council scrapheap.
o Make sure that the window you order is glazed from the inside for added security and ease of fitment, particularly if you will be working upstairs.
o When the new window arrives and the weather is appropriate, remove the old one carefully, taking care not to damage the surrounds in any way.
o Bed in the outer window cill, making sure that it is level, well sealed against rain and drafts, and firmly fixed.
o Secure the frame on all four sides, again making sure that everything is absolutely square, level and plumb. Fit wedges as necessary and screw firmly into place.
o  Glaze the window, and test that everything works correctly. If you get Window Fitting Quotes on Mr-Skill instead then this should hardly an issue, but insist on testing everything anyway. If you encounter a problem, loosen off the securing screws around the frame and adjust until the out-of-square problem disappears. Re-tighten everything.
o Complete the job by weatherproofing with silicone all round the frame outside.
If the thought of sealing off an upstairs window while standing on a long ladder puts you off, then why not Find a Window Fitter on our website instead. We monitor our tradespeople carefully for quality, and the competitive environment within which they work could also get you up to 30% off the going rate. How’s that for a good idea?
Tags: adjust, aesthetic, appearance, bed, careful, cill, damage, downstairs, find a window fitter, fitment, fix, frame, glaze, heating, inside, ladder, level, level.seal, london window fitting services, loose, measure, outside, plumb, process, proof, replace, screw, seal, secure, security, silicone, sill, square, surround, thermal, tight, upgrade, upstairs, weathermremove, wedge, window, window fitting quote(s)
Posted in Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
Posted in Handyman Services on May 24
If you are skilled at plumbing then the balance of the job is relatively simple now you have the old bath out, and you ought not necessarily need to Find a Bath Fitter.  Work gently and carefully as you go along. The last thing you need is a complaining partner and a deep scratch in your new pride and joy.
o Unpack the bath and inspect it carefully for any damage. Unwrap the fittings too, and familiarise yourself with their components and instructions.
o Assemble the bath before installing it. Begin by fitting the drain and overflow first. Attach the flexible piping to these making sure that everything is nice and watertight. A tip I leaned from Bath Fitting London Specialists is to use a bead of putty too, because no bath surface available today is ever completely true.
o  Next, install the taps and their flexible couplings. Use plenty of plumbers tape because it no easy job to re-tighten nuts here later. All done? Just give everything an extra tweak after the threads have settled down.
o Put the bath supports in place and have an assistant help you to position the new bath. After you have connected the drains and water pipes it is time to finally level up. Fill the bath with water to let it settle before you double check. Then drain it and make the last adjustments.
All that’s left over now before indulging in your first bath is to tidy up and seal the tiles, and clip the new front panel on. Sounds easy? It does in principle, although in practice things are often not the same. No warranties from Mr-Skill this time either. Our recommendation remains – get competitive Bath Fitting Quotes from us and you could be paying less that you expect for a job completed quickly, and guaranteed too. Doesn’t that sound like a much better idea?
Tags: adjust, assemple, bath, bath fitter london, bath fitter quote, bath fitting london, bath fitting quote, bathroom fitter london, bathroom fitter quote, bathroom fitting london, bathroom fitting quote, careful, check, coupling, drain, find a bath fitter, find a bathroom fitter, fit, flexible, inspect, level, nut, overflow, piping, plumb, plumbers tape, putty, scratch, skill, support, tap, tape, tight, unpack, unwrap, water, watertight
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