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Posts Tagged ‘remove<’
You have made your mind up and you have decided to clean your garage – again! The first thing you stumble upon is loads of leftover paint pots in various stages of decay. What do you do next? Well, if you are like most of us and are environmentally principled, you should be thinking the three “R’s”. That is, reduce, reuse and recycle.
Does this sound a little hard for you? You could also get a waste removal quote from Mr Skill by clicking on this link. This will direct you to a number of cleaning services. Next time you find a decorator, why not ask them to remove the leftover paint after they have finished?
Reduce – If you find that there’s always some paint left over from a job, this tends to suggest that you are buying too much in the first place. Speak to your friendly paint shop and ask them to calculate your paint requirements next time, based on the measurements you provide. Most paint pots also provide coverage guidelines on their labels.
Reuse – As long as you store leftover paint properly – meaning correct sealing and storage – you can keep the paint for quite a considerable time.  Tip – wipe the rim of the open paint pot clean and replace the lid tightly. Make sure you have a decent seal and then invert the pot. If you store the pot upside-down like this, you should have an airtight seal that will prevent a skin forming under the lid.
Recycle – Check with your local authority when it comes to recycling empty paint containers. The chances are good that these can be handed in at your local waste station. If your paint containers cannot be recycled, dispose of them responsibly as general household waste.
Now my old mate Ray, who’s been a professional London decorator for more decades than he cares to remember, suggests that if you do have usable leftover paint that you are never going to need, then you should try donating it instead. Check your local charity shop for advice. Better still. Make sure the cost of disposing of messy paint pots is included in the painter’s quote next time. This information is provided by Mr-Skill as a public service.
Tags: buy, calculate, charity, clean, container, dispose, donate, find a decorator, garage, leftover, lid, london decorator, measure, old, paint, painters quote, pot, recycle, reduce, remove, reuse, shop, skin, store, tin, waste
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Feb 27
First you notice that the grout between the tiles has begun to crack. You wonder whether it’s time to Find a Tiler. After that, the grout starts going darker in one spot. Finally, when you tread on a tile, it rocks slightly as the moisture squishes out.
 Fortunately, this is not the end of the world! The good news is that the tile is loose and will be easy to remove. After that, you can have a Plumber in to fix the leak, and perhaps even replace the tile afterwards yourself.
- Avoid your first reaction to lever out the tile. Chances are that you will chip it, and where on earth will you find a replacement one? One London Tiler I know wets the loose tile generously, and then uses a toilet plunger to create a vacuum and gently ease it out. Try it. You could just be pleasantly surprised!
- Depending on how bad the leak is, you may need to turn the water off. If the water is not bubbling out from where you removed the first tile, you may need to chase the leak by removing several more. This is easy when you gently tap a paint scraper
 underneath the middle of the tile, because the mortar will be water-logged.
- Find a Plumber on Mr-Skill to repair the leak. Then wait patiently until the hole the plumber left behind has dried out completely. After that, back-fill it with a strong mix of mortar, and get a Tiling Quote to put the tiles back and re-grout. If you do the job yourself, use an epoxy as there will be insufficient space for tile cement except where the plumber made the hole.
This information comes to you with best wishes of Mr-Skill, that friendly website where you can find every service that you need. These services include electricians, builders, plasterers, carpenters, gardeners and a whole host more besides. The service costs you nothing, and they are all rated too.
Tags: back fill, chip, crack, dark, dry, epoxy, find a plumber, find a tiler, grout, lever, london tiler, loose, moisture, mortar, paint scraper, plumber, plunger, rated, remove, replace, rock, scraper, service, tap, tile, tiling quote, vacuum, water
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Feb 20
Before you even think about removing an interior brick wall, you first need to determine whether or not it’s load bearing. This is especially important when working with an older building. Sometimes homes were extended in the past, in a way that outside walls ended up inside houses.
 The only way to determine this is to get up in the ceiling and determine what is resting on the wall. Sometimes you’ll find rafters pressing down, and at other times planks supporting boilers. If you can’t run your finger all the way along the wall you must arrange a survey before proceeding.
While you’re up there, check for water pipes and electricity cables entering the wall through the ceiling, as these may travel a distance to reach their destination. Have an electrician isolate and terminate these (and any others that may reach a wall-switch from the floor below. You may legally disconnect a water supply pipe yourself.
Perhaps at this stage you have already decided that you need to Find a London Building Firm instead? No worries, simply click on this link to receive a Builder’s Quote. Here’s what you still need to do, to prepare in advance for the day the builder arrives.
 Remove everything from the surplus wall that you might conceivably use again
- Barricade off the immediate area with sheets of plastic
- Clear everything from inside the space, including semi-fixtures like draperies and light fittings.
- Invest in a heavy-duty drop-sheet to protect the floor.
- Resolve to be reasonable about the dust and dirt about to disturb you.
While any London Building Firm on Mr-Skill will do their best to contain the mess, the bottom line is that demolition is a dirty business. Ask yourself a simple question before you let the builders in – “Is this really necessary in the first place?” On the other hand, the results may be well worthwhile.
Tags: barricade, boiler, brick, builder’s quote, ceiling, demolish, dirt, disconnect, dropsheet, dust, electrician, electricity, find a builder, inside, interior, internal, isolate, load, load bearing, london building, masonry, mess, pipe, plank, plastic, rafter, remove, rest, sheet, solid, Survey, switch, truss, wall, water, waterpipe
Posted in General Building | Comments Off
That’s right. The snow may be lying heavily on the ground this year, but the days of warmer Spring are not far away. This is traditionally the season for clearing everything out that you do not want.  Perhaps you should start planning earlier, before all the waste-removal firms are booked out. We offer an exemplary service in this regard. Mr-Skill is able to offer the following range of helpful services when you are in the mood to tidy up.
Waste Management – The professional removal of potentially toxic industrial and commercial waste to Council specifications. Our specialists are equipped with all pre-requisite waste management safety gear and will complete their task responsibly.
Garbage Disposal – Sorting of non-toxic “safe” commercial and domestic garbage into categories, and delivering to re-processing plants and Council garbage disposal tips in accordance with your local bylaws.
Rubbish Removal – Disposal of general “clean” rubbish in an environmentally friendly way according to local regulations. Many town councils award street rubbish removal contracts to our agents.
 Garden Clean-Ups – A broad-based horticultural service. When the snow has melted (and that won’t be too long now) you’ll be glad you booked a garden clean-up and de-weeding service while contractors had room on their calendars still. As with all our contracts, the refuse will be responsibly disposed.
Unlike similar websites we charge consumers nothing extra for our service. In fact the overwhelming feedback is that our contractors charge lower rates. That means you win twice when you contact Mr-Skill. You win the first time because you get a reliable service. The second benefit is it costs you less.
Can you afford not to investigate this further? What’s more, you get your space back too.
Tags: clean, clear, commercial, council, deweeding service, dispose, domestic, environment, garbage, garbage disposal, plan, professional, prunings, regulation, remove, reprocess, responsible, rubbish, rubbish removal, safe, sort, specification, spring, springclean., tidy, tip, toxic, trash, waste, waste management, weeds
Posted in Cleaning Services, Disposals & Waste Removal, Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
Posted in Plastering & Drywall on Feb 01
Damp is an on-going problem in many homes in Britain, and that’s not just in the older ones either. Water, especially when forced by wind can find its way inside an outside wall through the tiniest of cracks. After the leak is fixed, it’s time to Find a Plasterer to fix the evidence that alerted us to the damp in the first place.
The Problem
The water has leached the cement away leaving weakened plaster that will eventually come off. The only solution is to hack it out and replace it. You have a choice, though. You could Ask Mr-Skill to Arrange a Plaster Quote, or you could have a go at it yourself.
 Repair Stage One
You have to get rid of the damaged plaster at least a foot above any visible damage or residual salts. If the damp was low down, then you must in any case remove the plaster to three feet above floor level. Brush away every grain of loose material. Complete the job with a vacuum cleaner – you may wish to do this when the wife is out shopping.
Repair Stage Two
This is a tip a London Plasterer taught me years ago. Put on a pair of disposable latex gloves. Make a slurry of cement powder and water with a cup of bonding liquid added – the final consistency should be like runny porridge. Brush this firmly over the space where the old plaster came out. This will allow the new plaster to adhere properly. Wash your hands and tools immediately. Allow the slurry to dry for a day.
Repair Stage Three
Make up a stiff plaster mix of 3-Parts sand to 1-Part cement. Apply this with a wide paint scraper or steel float across the entire surface roughly, and leave it alone for two hours to set. Apply a fresh mix of plaster that stands just proud of the surface. Work this off with a straight edge later the same day.  Leave the job to cure for a week.
Repair Stage Four
Apply a moist mix of Polyfilla over the entire surface. When it’s totally dry and the surface has gone a little powdery, finish the job off with an a sanding block or orbital sander, using medium-grit paper. After that, you are ready to decorate!
That’s all very well in theory, but do you really have the time to spend on this? If not, that’s where Mr-Skill comes in. We provide a matching service between customers and tradespeople. Unlike some others, we don’t add a penny to the cost of jobs.
Tags: adhere, bond, brush, cement, clean, consistency, crack, cure, damage, damp, dry, dust, exterior, find a plasterer, float, get rid of, glove, grit, hack, london plasterer, mix, orbital, outside, paint scraper, plaster, plaster quote, polyfilla, powder, remove, replace, salt, sand, scraper, set, slurry, stick, straight edge, tip, wall, water
Posted in Plastering & Drywall | Comments Off
Posted in Electrical Work on Jan 23
The last thing you need in any circuit is a dry joint, by which I mean two wires twisted round each other or even worse. In a home, this can cause the power to keep on tripping, while in the low voltage world the result is a random electronic fault.
 From time-to-time it’s necessary to get a soldering-iron out. Before you rush around looking for an Electrician Quote it might just be possible to do the job yourself.
• Preparation Clean both parts that you are planning to solder into a joint. Hardened, damaged wire is a recipe for disaster so make sure everything is shiny new by stripping off a fresh end. While at it, remove any vestiges of solder if you’re repairing an existing joint. That’s because solder does not stick to itself at all well when not fresh.
• Tinning Heat each surface in turn until it just melts a bead of solder. Work this back and forth until you see a little amber liquid appear. That’s the tinning that’s the meat in a good joint. It will be HOT. Allow the material  to cool down naturally before you touch it with your hands.
• Soldering Mount the larger of the pieces to be joined securely in a vice. Heat up its surface until solder melts instantly on it. Place the other tinned piece in the pool of solder, remove the soldering iron, and wait until the surface of the melted solder goes slightly dull. Allow the joint, which will be HOT to cool naturally.
If you have a soldering iron that’s in good order and you have the time, you don’t really need to Find an Electrician, do you? But beware one thing, and that’s a bad joint. A London Electrician I know tests his apprentices’ work by seeing whether he can pull it apart.
Tags: bead, circuit, clean, cool, dry, electric, electrician quote, electronic, find an electrician, flux, fresh, heat, hot, joint, london electrician, melt, preparation, remove, solder, solder iron, strip, tin, tinned, vice, wire
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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
Gutters are important. They keep the rainwater away from windows and foundations, and generally protect our homes. A well-laid line of guttering makes a design statement too. All the more reason to follow these simple steps, and keep our gutters in good shape:
 Keep Them Clean. Remove accumulated leaves from your gutters at the beginning of every rainy season to prevent moss developing that leads to stoppages. While you’re up there, give them a wipe-down too. If you don’t have a ladder long enough, you can Find a Roofer right here.
- Check the Downpipes. An overflowing gutter is the sign of a blocked downpipe. Sometimes you can clear it by pushing down a garden hose turned on full blast. If not, you will need a length of stout wire to work around the bend.
- Straighten Sagging Gutters. Gutters are supported by a line of brackets that are set to the correct slope. When a gutter sags, it may either need clipping back into the bracket, or the bracket may need to be re-attached.
 Waterproof Leaking Joints. If a gutter joint starts leaking it’s often simpler to re-seal the joint, than to take the whole run down. Clean the affected area scrupulously, before attaching a piece of membrane with a water-proofing medium across the joint.
Is this the first time that you visited Mr-Skill? If so then welcome to our website! Our service extends to introducing tradespeople of all kinds to customers, from London Roofers to Carpenters in Scotland. Oh, and by the way it’s absolutely free to all our customers too. How’s that for a brilliant idea.
Tags: attach, bend, bracket, care, clean, clip, dizzy, downpipe, find a roofer, foundation, gutter, Guttering, height, hose, infirm, joint, ladder, leak, leaves, london roofers, maintain, membrane, moss, overflow, rainwater, remove, roofing quote, safe, safety, sag, seal, slope, stoppage, straight, waterproof, wipe, wire
Posted in Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
Posted in Bricklaying on Dec 20
Brick steps are lovely to behold, but they do tend to get a little grimy over time, as dirt collects and moss develops. I popped over to the local brickfield the other day, and picked up some tips I’ll gladly share with you here.  This is definitely not a job to take lightly though. In fact I’m inclined to suggest you Find a Bricklayer to do the job for you instead
- Remove any obvious blobs of cement or anything else using a metal or hard-wood scraper. The same goes for any paint runs too.
- Obtain a supply of hydrochloric acid from a hardware store. Dilute 1-part of acid to 20-parts of water for light-coloured bricks, and twice the strength for darker ones. Do not make the mixture any stronger, or you could harm your health!
- Protect yourself and the adjacent areas from splashing, and saturate the area where you will be working with clean water. Minimum safety requirements are rubber gloves and safety glasses.
 Apply the hydrochloric acid dilution to a small area highest up the wall. Wait for between 3 and 6 minutes, and then scrub it down thoroughly. Work in small batches of no more than one square meter at a time, and rinse thoroughly as you go along.
- HINT For best results, London Bricklayers recommend rinsing light-coloured bricks with a bicarbonate or washing soda solution instead.
A messy job indeed, and one I’m not sure I’d care to tackle myself. In fact I can think of a dozen things I’d prefer to do. I reckon that’s where Mr-Skill comes in. You can get a Bricklayer Quote to do the job for you, just by clicking on the link. And there’s no charge at all for this superb quoting service either!
Tags: apply, bicarbonate, brick, bricklayer quote, cement, colour, dark, dilute, dirt, find a bricklayer, glasses, glove, goggles, grimy, hint, hydrochloric acid, light, london bricklayers, moss, paint, part, remove, rinse, safety, saturate, scrape, scrub, splash, step, tip, washing soda, water
Posted in Bricklaying | 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
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