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Posts Tagged ‘sand<’
Posted in Bricklaying on Jun 25
A neatly laid pathway can complement any garden. You can even choose to leave rustic grass patches between the pavers, or you may prefer the fully-paved look. Using the right tools, the average homeowner can construct their own dry sub-structure using sand, or go for a wet mortar finish. If you are not practical when it comes to DIY, rather find a bricklayer on Mr-Skill and let them do the job expertly for you. 
What You’ll Need
If you don’t already have them, buying what you require for this job could end up costing far more than getting a bricklaying quote from Mr-Skill in the first place. Now is a good time too, with some sizzling special offers around! If you are going ahead yourself, you will need:
- Wheelbarrow
- Building shovel
- Spirit level
- Plastic ribbon
- Edging stakes
- Builder’s sand
- Rubber mallet
- Hose
- Compactor – probably best to hire this
- Paving stones for your new path
Planning
Start out by laying out your pathway, as you feel led. Now, hammer the stakes into the ground at the starting point. Follow with stakes placed about four feet apart down the one side of your path. To ensure consistent width, use the plastic ribbon to measure across the path for the stakes on the opposite side. 
You are now ready to start excavating the soil and grass between the stakes. Use your shovel to do so, clearing to a depth of around 6 inches. Remove the surplus soil and grass using your wheelbarrow.
Check your levels within the newly excavated area, remembering to slope the path away from your house to avoid water pools forming when it rains.
Compacting
Now you are ready to compact the newly marked and excavated path. Continue using the compactor until the sub-soil is firm. You now need to cover the excavated area with a 2-inch bed of gravel. The path is now ready to have another-2 inch topping of builder’s sand which will need wetting before final compaction.
Finishing With Paving Stones
Position the pavers in your desired pattern and tap each new stone into place with your mallet. Aim to get neighbouring pavers tightly up against those already laid. Throw a final covering of the builder’s sand over your new pathway, and gently wash this into the gaps between your pavers.
One of our regular London bricklayers tells us that he gets a kick out of laying a meandering pathway. Curves are much better than straight lines, and this also makes your new path that bit more inviting too.
Tags: bricklaying quote, builder's sand, compacting, compactor, curves, Excavation, find a bricklayer, garden path, grass, gravel, level surface, london bricklayer, mortar, pavers, paving blocks, paving stones, sand, soil, stakes, surplus soil
Posted in Bricklaying | Comments Off
Newly installed drywall panels provide a flat wall surface, which is suitable for hanging wallpaper or painting after plastering, depending on your preference. Here, we are describing plastering itself, which is an essential step. If you do not feel confident, to do this yourself, rather find a plasterer through Mr-Skill. If you go ahead though, it is essential that you apply the dry wall compound in precise steps, in order to obtain the smoothest finish.
What You’ll Need 
Drywall plaster mix
Drywall tape mesh
Drywall tape tools
Respirator (facemask)
Non-slip drop cloths
Tips and Cautions
Remember you could also get a plastering quote from one of our craftspeople on Mr-Skill.
Use non-slip cloths to cover floors before plastering, and tape up door and window frames to prevent fine dust from infiltrating the rest of your home.
Apply several thin coats of plaster mix rather than one thick layer to avoid lumping.
When sanding down after the final plaster application, be sure to wear a facemask.
STEPS
1. Cover each seam on the drywall panel with the self-adhesive mesh tape, and avoid tape overlap where the vertical and horizontal joints meet.
2. Use a trowel to pack the plaster through the mesh and into the seams. Don’t forget to cover screw holes carefully in the panels.
3. Gently scrape off excess plaster while it is still wet, using a trowel.
4. Leave the plaster coat to dry properly, and then sand off any high points with a drywall sander.
5. Apply a second coat and repeat the process per the above guidelines.
6. Sand the final plaster with fine-grit paper and wipe clean. Apply a coat of plaster primer paint. Once this is dry, you are ready to paint.
One of our London plasterers has built and plastered more walls than he cares to remember, but he can never resist the look of satisfaction on the clients face when he completes yet another successful job.
Tags: coats, drop cloths, dry, drywall, drywall tape, find a plasterer, fine sand, london plasterer, paint, plaster mix, plastering quote, sand, sander, seam'trowel, skim, smooth finish, tape mesh, wallpaper, wet
Posted in Plastering & Drywall, Project Advice | 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 Handyman Services on Jan 12
I’ve noticed a tendency these days for estate agents to describe run-down properties as handyman delights. Perhaps the implication is that there are a few fun-things to attend to over several leisurely weekends? Some properties I’ve viewed recently reveal that they require considerably more attention than just that.
If you’re in the same position then you’re certainly not alone. The following are jobs currently posted on Mr-Skill and  awaiting Handyman Quotes:
- Fixing Garden Panels Securely. The fences we put up around our yards are often cheap and nasty, and the poles are seldom properly concreted in. This one’s perfect for a handyman – you don’t need more advanced skills here.
- Letter Box Replacement. This one’s straightforward too and I’m sure that Mr-Skill will Find a Handyman to do it pretty soon. It seems the front flap’s snapped off. Pretty urgent I would have thought. After all we’re in the middle of winter in case you hadn’t noticed.
- Attach Bathroom Fittings. I find it remarkable that developers no longer supply even a basic toilet roll-holder and simple soap dish. How mean is that?
 They make a fortune, and the comment “we thought we’d let you choose” cuts no ice with me at all. Their show houses certainly have bathroom fittings in abundance.
- Sand Down a Wooden Floor. This is a fairly easy task when you have the right tools. In fact I know a London Handyman who makes his living that way in older houses. I wouldn’t bother with a carpenter here – an experienced handyman is quite capable of the job.
- Remove a Fallen Tree. This one seems displaced to me, and perhaps belongs better under gardening and landscaping? I doubt the average handyman has the required power saws, or a trailer to remove the cuttings for that matter either.
When you think about it, there are an amazing number of jobs a Handyman could do around the house. The problem is that some so-called handymen are downright awful. That’s where the Website Mr-Skill makes such a difference. Our handymen are rated by their customers, so you can see what you are getting before you buy.
Tags: bathroom, cheap, concrete, cutting, fence, find a handyman, fitting, flap, floor, Garden, handyman, handyman quotes, holder, job, letter box, london handyman, replace, run down, sand, saw, soap, toilet roll, trailer, wood
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
Posted in Bricklaying on Jan 09
Sometimes we come across customers trying to crack walnuts with large sledgehammers. By this, we mean people trying to turn a rowing boat into an ocean liner. Take simple brick paving jobs, for example. If it’s not a heavy traffic area you could even do the job yourself, thereby avoiding the  need for a London Bricklayer or other specialist.
- Obtain a supply of decent quality bricks. By this we mean a product that’s well baked through, reasonably rectangular, and of a pleasing appearance too. Don’t be put off if the colour varies though. In fact, variety can be a large part of the charm.
- Mark out the path or patio and excavate to twice the thickness of the bricks laid flat. Remove any roots you find. Lay a plastic sheet in the hole to discourage weeds. Mix dry cement powder with two-thirds of the soil dug out, in proportions of four parts earth to one part cement. DO NOT MOISTEN this mixture. Mother Nature will do it for you.
- Compact this mixture back into the hole until it is level, and one brick’s height below the ground. Sprinkle fine dry sand evenly over it to about half an inch thick. Lay the bricks in whatever pattern
 you prefer, tapping these down firmly with a rubber mallet, and adding / removing sand as necessary to create a level effect.
- Fill any gaps with brick pieces. Use a hammer and chisel NOT AN ANGLE GRINDER to cut these down to size, and remember to wear thick gloves. Finally, excavate a frame all around the paved area the width of a single brick. Mix all the remaining earth with dry cement powder – in a ratio of three parts to one this time – and tamp it back in. The mixture will harden naturally over time. Cut away any surplus plastic sheet.
How that for service from Mr-Skill? There’s no need to ask us for Bricklaying Quotes if you’d like to do a job like this yourself. Should you decide that you’ve got better things to do though, we can help you Find a Bricklayer working in your area, and We Won’t Charge you a Penny for this service either.
Tags: brick, bricklaying quotes, cement, chisel, colour, compact, depth, earth, find a bricklayer, ground, hammer, harden, height, job, london bricklayer, mallett, naturally, path, patio, paving, piece, plastic, proportion, root, sand, sheet, soil, tamp, thick, traffic, weed
Posted in Bricklaying | 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
I’ve recently sanded down an old wooden table I’m rather fond of and finished it off with a high lustre polyurethane seal. I wish I could claim all the credit for the final effect – just don’t tell anybody I used ideas I gleaned from a retired London Painter living in the village not far from me.
• Work in the best light – That does not mean under blazing overhead light that shines back in your eyes.  What is does mean is natural illumination streaming softly through doors and windows at a low angle. This emphasises the grain that you must accommodate, and turns imperfections into shadows that you can easily see. If you don’t have natural light available, set a desk lamp at one end of the bench.
• Choose the right sandpaper – Sandpaper comes in different colours, although there are no industry rules. Some suppliers use colour to highlight different grit size. Others use it to indicate different types. Choose three strengths of paper designed for the job in hand, so you can work progressively from coarse to fine.
• Use sanding tools – The chances of achieving a level finish using bare hands are low, because fingers are creative things, not mechanised machines. Use a sanding block for a smaller piece of work,  and a power sander for a larger job. Bear in mind that power tools are more productive. Use finer grit paper to counteract the effect.
• Use a jig – Wrap sandpaper around a reverse shape to sand right into a tricky corner, and move your work gently up and down against it. Work carefully – the results can be quite dramatic.
• Check progress as you go along – Put a used nylon stocking over your hand and run it gently across the surface of your work to find rough spots. If you’re a guy though, perhaps you shouldn’t admit to wearing pantyhose in the workshop?
You won’t need to Find a Painter to do a hobbyist job like this. But you will need to get Painting Quotes on Mr-Skill for wooden doors and window frames. Trust me. I tried that. You don’t want to go down that road alone.
Tags: angle, bench, block, check, choose, coarse, colour, door, find a painter, fine, finish, grade, grain, grit, jig, lamp, level, light, london painter, natural, nylon, painting quote, paper, power, progress, reverse, rough, sand, sandpaper, seal, shadow, shine, size, smooth, soft, stocking, strength, table, tool, window, wood, work
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
I have noticed something interesting about the Gardeners in London that I come across, and that is the super condition of their tools in general. No doubt they do a better job with them that way,  and of course they also have to replace them less frequently. I have to admit though that mine used to be a total disaster, but only before I discovered these useful tips.
You will need a bucket with a lid, enough sand to almost fill it, new or used engine / cooking oil, and a few old rags. The bucket lid is to keep out the dust and dirt, so almost anything will do.
• Make a habit of keeping the bucket in a dry corner of the garden shed or garage
• Fill the bucket with the sand except for the last four inches. This helps keep it stable while sprucing up your tools. I agree that this can make it heavy, but at least your wallet won’t be lightened by the cost of Gardening Quotes after your tools all rust away.
•  Top up the bucket with the oil, and watch it as the sand absorbs it. If you spilled some, well… that’s a further use for the old rags…
• Take each garden tool in turn and shove the working edge in and out of the sand until it is cleaned. Four or five repetitions should do the trick.
• Wipe the tools with the rags as you go along, remembering to leave a thin film of oil behind.
How’s that for something different from us? Should you need to Find a Gardener on Mr-Skill (which is easier than you think), you could leave your tools out in the garden for them to admire while working (but not to borrow, naturally). It’s a funny old world isn’t it. The cleverest ideas are often the simplest too.
Tags: absorb, better job, bucket, condition, cook, corner, cost, dirt, dry, dust, edge, engine, fill, film, find a gardener, garage, Garden, gardeners in london, gardening quotes, lid, motor, new, oil, rag, replace, sand, shed, spill, stable, tool, used, wipe
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Aug 16
There’s nothing quite like the beauty of a wooden floor in good condition, especially one that’s been treated to bring out the natural colour. Moreover wooden floors are far easier to keep clean too, so no wonder they have been popular for so long. Is your wooden floor looking a bit tatty?  Perhaps you just moved into a neglected, older home? No worries. The situation is quite easily recovered, provided that the underlying state of the floor is good. Either Find a Floor Sander Here, or tackle the job yourself as follows:
o First, lay your hands on a good quality rented floor sander which should not cost more than £60 a week at most. While you’re at it, rent a floor edging sander too. You will also need a varnish applicator, a mop and bucket, a hammer, a floor pad, and, of course the varnish.
o Stay out of trouble and close the door into the rest of the house, or mask the opening off. Inspect the floor carefully for anything that could rip the paper in the sander. Patch any larger gaps with strips of wood hammered tightly in, and fill the smaller ones with papier mache tinted with water-based wood dye.
o  Sand the floor as instructed by the hire-shop clerk. There are too many different sanders to describe the process here. After you have worked through the process from coarse paper though to fine, vacuum thoroughly and wipe down with white spirit to remove every scrap of dust.
o Apply a coat of varnish, and let it dry completely. Lightly sand by hand to key the surface, wipe it down with thinners and apply a second coat. The more times you repeat the process, the more beautiful the gloss and the more durable the finish will be – which is why London Flooring Services always achieve such high quality results.
If you feel a little intimidated at the thought of sanding floors, when why not consider getting Floor Sanding Quotes from Mr-Skill instead? All our tradespeople come with personal recommendations, and you can see what other customers think about them right here too. How’s that for another good idea to make life easier?
Tags: apply, beauty, bucket, clean, coarse, coat, colour, door, dry, durable, dust, edger, find a floor sander, fine, floor, floor sanding quotes, gloss, hammer, hire, london flooring service, mask, mop, natural, neglected, pad, papier mache, patch, popular, rent, repeat, sand, sander, seal, strip, tatty, treat, vacuum, varnish, white spirit, wipe, wood
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
Posted in Plastering & Drywall on Aug 09
After you remove outdated paneling from a room you may be horrified with what you find. This is especially likely to be the case if it was fitted over raw brickwork to save time and money. In this case you probably have  no choice but to Find a Plasterer at Mr-Skill. Here’s short description in layperson’s terms of what you are entitled to expect.
o Plaster has a way of getting into everything and is designed to stick to most things too. So do yourself a huge favour first. Present the plasterer with a few rolls of blue painter’s tape and a pair of sharp scissors you won’t mind spoiling. Then ask them to mask their work area off thoroughly before they start. Make sure their drop sheets are firmly taped into position too.
o Expect them to start plastering at the top of the wall and to work down. There are several reasons for this, including not messing on the work they have just done.  The first layer will have a rough finish to it but don’t worry – it’s just the base coat.
o An experienced London Drywall Builder may be able to apply the second plaster layer later the same day, while others may prefer to return the following morning. The job of this coat is to fill in all the hollows in the base coat. This may be sufficient, or a third final skim coat may be necessary.
After the plaster has dried out thoroughly you could finish off any imperfections with a light sanding. After that, it’s time to seal, undercoat and paint. It’s not as easy a job as it sounds though. May we recommend a few competitive Plastering Quotes on Mr-Skill instead? You may find that the extra cost was well worth your while, as you visualise what you had there before. Now how’s that for a fairly radical improvement.
Tags: base, brickwork, coat, drop sheet, dry, find a plasterer, finish, imperfection, job, layer, london drywall builder, mask, mess, money, paint, panel, plaster, plastering quote, raw, rough, sand, scissors, seal, skim, start, stick, tape, time, top, undercoat, work
Posted in Plastering & Drywall | Comments Off
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