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Posts Tagged ‘salt<’
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 Bricklaying on Nov 25
We get queries from time to time from homeowners concerned about the efflorescence on their walls. Sometimes these walls have been rendered, while at other times they are raw masonry. In all cases the powder is caused by leeching salts contained in the raw materials. So there’s little point in trying to Find the Builder who built the wall –  although you could help avoid the problem by employing a professional bricklayer, such as those whose services we advertise here.
The ground salts are contained in natural products like sand, clay and stone. When water penetrates the material it carries the salts out to the surface. There the water evaporates leaving the characteristic white deposit behind. This can largely be avoided by preventing water intrusion and applying a surface sealer. When you get Bricklaying Quotes from Mr-Skill, you should discuss such matters and agree solutions.
• Brushing the efflorescence away is only a temporary solution, although theoretically all the ground salt will leech out in time.
• The permanent solution lies in preventing water from entering the material in the first place. If it is  intruding from the outside, then this is relatively easily cured. If the wall is a retaining one though then a big job lies ahead as every London Builder knows. That’s because a leak is only stopped at its source, and that’s behind the wall!
• If you are lucky, then the problem is the result of a permeable surface on the weather side. The solution in this case is to allow the wall to dry out, thoroughly brush the surface clean, and then apply a proprietary clear sealer.
The Bricklayers advertising on Mr-Skill are properly trained and know how to mitigate against irritating efflorescence. Their rates are generally lower too, because they compete among themselves for work. There is no charge for requesting quotes from us and no obligation to accept them either. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect consumer-driven solution you’ve been looking for?
Tags: bricklaying quotes, brush, clay, clean, deposit, dry, efflorescence, enter, evaporate, find a bricklayer, ground, intrusion, leech, london bricklayer, masonry, natural, outside, penetrate, permeable, powder, prevent, render, retain, salt, sand, seal, stone, wall, water, white
Posted in Bricklaying | Comments Off
Silver is a thing of great beauty, especially when it is clean and shiny. In fact, I doubt many British households do not have at least one interesting piece bequeathed by a maiden aunt or commemorating some retired colonel’s military  success. Unfortunately, these days few of us have time for laborious polishing and cleaning, and so our precious silver languishes forgotten in that other great British institution, the cupboard under the stairs.
Before rushing off to Get Cleaner Quotes ahead of the arrival of the maiden aunt or retired army colonel, here is how you could refresh your silverware yourself. The trick to keeping silver looking good is managing the tarnish, which develops in contact with the air
o To Clean: Forget about expensive pastes that wear your silver thin. Mix two tablespoons of salt and two tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl, and add this to a sink-full of steaming hot water. Put a small sheet of aluminium foil in the bottom of the water and find a way to keep it there. Dip the silver items one by one – hey presto the tarnish will slide off, although you may have to soak stubborn pieces for five minutes more. When satisfied, rinse well, dry with a soft cloth and either store away, or display again.
o To Maintain: Wash silver once a week, and every time you use it. Soak it in warm water with mild detergent, hand wash each piece separately, rinse and dry it with a soft cloth. That is all you need to do, unless you want to buff a special piece up with a dry cotton cloth.
That was easier and cheaper than you thought. Now you can display and use your silver every day, without ever needing to Find a Cleaner with Silver Expertise. Your neighbours will be jealous, and who knows, that maiden aunt might leave you all her silver in her will – assuming that you really want a bucket-load to clean.
Tags: aluminium foil, baking powder, clean, cleaner london, cleaner quote, dip, display, dry, find a cleaner, find a housekeeper, hot water, housekeeper london, housekeeping quotes, polish, rinse, salt, silver, silverware, soak, store, tarnish, wash
Posted in Cleaning Services, Project Advice | Comments Off
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