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Posts Tagged ‘stick<’
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
Theoretically, a door is a rectangular piece of wood sitting inside a perfectly rectangular, slightly oversize frame, and attached to it with hinges. The owners of a well-built home should never need to Find a Door Fitter unless they want to make some changes. However the world is seldom such a perfect place. If your  doors start sticking, this is what you might need to do.
• Begin by examining the gap between the door and frame, to determine where it is catching, and why. Reasons could include a door that’s swelling in humidity, and a frame worked loose through slamming.
• If the frame is coming loose, your first step is to re-attach it to the opening in the wall with some solid screws and plugs. Make sure it remains exactly square, or you could be worsening the problem!
• If the frame is firmly in position, and square too, examine where the door is catching. If this is on the handle side at the top corner, either the top hinge must move in, or the bottom hinge must come out. The converse applies if the door is catching at the bottom.
•  If the door is sticking on the handle side from top to bottom, then both hinges need adjustment. This is not a difficult task, providing you understand what to do. If not, and you live in the City, then you need to consult with London Door Fitters to play safe.
• To move a door towards the handle side, loosen off the offending hinge and insert a shim between hinge and frame. To move it away from a sticking point, loosen off the hinge and chisel out a little wood to recess it more.
If his does not solve the problem or the door is sticking at the top or bottom, then the answer is to remove the door and plane it down to size. This is a more complex job. Perhaps you should play safe and get Door Fitting Quotes on Mr-Skill instead?
Tags: adjust, attach, bottom, catch, chisel, complex, door, door fitting quote(s), down, examine, find a door fitter, frame, handle, hinge, home, humid, in, london door fitters, loose, move, out, plug, rectangular, screw, shim, slam, square, stick, swell, top, up
Posted in Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
Posted in Locksmith on Sep 05
We all tend to take locks for granted until the day they seize up, and then it’s all hands on deck to Find a Locksmith. While everything does eventually wear out or become otherwise out-dated, you can avoid being obliged to  replace your locks for quite some considerable time by following these useful tips.
• Non-use is a lock’s worst enemy because it can seize up completely when seldom operated. The only way to avoid this is to use the lock every month, and to take action as soon as this becomes necessary.
• Examine the keys themselves from time to time. Look for signs of obvious damage like bent shafts and worn blades, and obtain a replacement set of keys if in any doubt. A key should also be kept clean too – the last thing you want is to introduce dirt into a lock “deliberately”.
• If you feel resistance when turning a key in a lock with the door closed, do this again but this time with the door open. If it operates smoothly, then the alignment with the door-frame may have shifted. You may  need to Get Locksmith Quotes on Mr-Skill for Free to have the door hinges re-aligned.
• If the resistance is similar no matter whether the door is open or closed, then you have identified a sticking lock which could eventually jam up completely. Locksmiths in London where ironmongery can be old, will always try graphite powder first as a service. If this does not work, then it is time to replace the entire lock.
Maintaining a lock in good working order really is quite a simple matter, when you take precautions as you should with anything else that contains moving parts. Fail to do so, and you could face expensive locksmithing bills, even on Mr-Skill where rates are generally well discounted. And also face the inconvenience of being locked-out too.
Tags: action, align, bend, bent, blade, clean, close, dirt, discount, door, examine, expensive, find a locksmith, frame, graphite, hinge, jam, key, lock, locksmith in london, locksmith quotes, maintain, moving, open, operate, part, replace, resistance, seize, shaft, shift, smooth, stick, turn, use, wear, worn
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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
Posted in Locksmith on Jul 15
 All of us are confronted with a sticky lock from time to time. Sometimes this is caused by misuse, sometimes the lock is full of gunk, and sometimes rust has begun to creep in. The immediate requirement is to apply some form of lubricant to un-stick it. Unfortunately many of us are tempted to apply liquid oil and all this does is attract more dirt and prepare the lock to jam again. This could be good business for Locksmiths in London, but is of course totally counterproductive in a practical sense.
o Pop down to your local hardware or home improvement store instead, and obtain a tube of graphite powder. This looks like a small toothpaste tube except that it has a long thin spout ideal for your purpose.
o  Back at home, cut off the tip of the long thin tube. Be sure to look the other way as you do this though, because the powder although non-toxic is an irritant. If in any doubt at all, wash your eyes thoroughly under running water.
o Squirt the graphite powder into the keyhole and work the key gently back and forth to un-jam the lock. At all costs to not try to force things and cause the key to snap off in the lock. If this happens, then we suggest you cut your losses and Find a Locksmith on Mr-Skill.
A final word of warning when it comes to the lady of the house – although graphite powder is water soluble it has an impressive ability to stain. The key that is working so nicely now will also have a little graphite sticking to it for a while. The last thing you after all your efforts is to have to get Locksmith Quotes to strip and clean the lock, when a little bit of dexterity with an ear bud or pipe-cleaner will do the job for you just as well.
Tags: dirt, ear bud, eyes, find a locksmith, graphite, gunk, jam, key, lock, locksmith in london, locksmith quotes, lubricant, lubricate, misuse, pipe cleaner, rust, snap, spout, squirt, stain, stick, toxic, work
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Posted in Plastering & Drywall on Jun 10
 Plastering upside down is definitely an art and there are more than a few of us who have retreated beaten with ceiling plaster stuck to us like dough. The job becomes even more complicated when the ceiling has complicated detailing, and that is definitely a case where you need to Find a Plasterer if you want to remain sane.
If you still want to try your hand at this then the trick is to understand that plaster has to be exactly the right consistency, and that nothing sticks naturally the wrong way round. If you fiddle with it after you have managed to get it to stick, the chances are good that it will come loose again and frustrate you to the point of getting Plasterer Quotes. in other words, it its working, don’t try to fix it.
 The key is to establish a basic surface over as much of the area as possible, and then to leave things be, while the material semi-dries. After that you can fill in any gaps, and tidy up any difficult corners. When you have done that, and scratched the surface carefully, you are ready to attempt the second coat.
The second coat should go easier because the existing surface and the new plaster over it are more compatible. Aim to add an even layer that conceals everything beneath it. After it has dried to the right consistency you can gradually work off the surface with a straight edge until you have got it right.
Personally I do not think that this is a job for an amateur to attempt. If you do manage to get it right though, then your next step could be to become a Plasterer in London – that is assuming that you are a glutton for pain.
Tags: adhere, amateur, art, ceiling, consistency, corners, detailing, even, fiddle, fill, find a plasterer, gaps, level, loose, plaster, plasterer london, plastering, plastering quote(s), smooth, stick, surface
Posted in Plastering & Drywall | Comments Off
Posted in Plastering & Drywall on Apr 19
Drywall, sometimes also called Gypsum Board or Plasterboard consists of a sheet of Gypsum plaster pressed between two  thick paper sheets. Cheapness, ease of use and the ideal base-finish it provides has made drywall the norm for almost all interior walls and ceilings in houses and offices built in the United Kingdom these days.
While it is tempting to Find a Plasterer on Mr-Skill to apply the final finishing coat, this is also something that handy people can attempt themselves, provided they have piles of patience, and more to spare.
o Apply a suitable primer as advised by the Gypsum Board manufacturer.
o Wet the hawk (the board on a short pole used to transport the plaster to the job) and centre a reasonable blob of plaster mix on it.
o Take some plaster on your plastering float and put it on the wall with upward sweeping motions.  Concentrate on getting the material to stick. When you have the hang of it, add more plaster, smoothing out as you go along to achieve an even coat an eighth- to a sixteenth-inch thick.
o After it has dried off completely, finish with an orbital sander. Then patch-in and refinish, until you have achieved the standard you had in mind.
o Finish off with undercoat and topcoat if desired. If you got everything right, then you can stand proud with any Plasterer in London, because what you have just completed is not an easy job.
At Mr-Skill, we like to encourage homeowners to explore their potential and discover previously unknown skills. At the very least, now that you know how to plaster drywall yourself, you will be able to assess the Plastering Quotes you get from us effectively.
Tags: adhere, board, ceiling, cheap, dry, drywall, easy, find a plasterer, finish, float, gypsum, hawk, home, house, office, paper, plaster, plasterboard, plasterer london, plasterer quote, plastering job London, plastering quote, prime, sand, sander, sheet, smooth, stick, topcoat, undercoat, wall
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Posted in Plastering & Drywall on Jan 06
Why put up with an ugly old fashioned Artex ceiling in the lounge, when with less that half your Christmas Bonus you  might be able to replace it with a modern skimmed one. Just imagine what your mother-in-law might say when you surprise her with it when she comes for Sunday Lunch. My goodness, she might even finally realise that her child made a good catch.
Back from Cloud Cuckoo Land though, there are a few downsides to having a ceiling skimmed that you need to know before you get plastering quotes:
o The job is an extremely messy one. Plaster does not stick easily upside down and you have to vacate the room. A good time to skim a ceiling is just before a new carpet goes in – that way there is no need to get upset about the mess.
o Imperial Plasterers London always recommends skimming over existing Artex wherever possible,  provided that it is still firmly attached. The problem comes with the modern houses developers love to build. There the Artex effect is usually so thin that the skimming plaster cannot stick. In this case, the whole lot has to be chipped away, and I hardly need to tell you about the dust.
This does not mean that you should not have the ceiling skimming job done. Regardless of the mess you will enjoy the effect afterwards, and you should add many more pounds to the value of your home too. The secret to success is to find a plasterer on Mr Skill who knows what they are about, how to work quickly, and how to limit the mess while they do.
Tags: add value, artex, artex effect, carpet, ceiling, chip, dust, empty, find a plasterer, home, mess, messy, modern, plaster, plasterer(s) quote(s), plasterers London, plastering job London, plastering quote(s), pounds, remove artex, room, skim, skimmed, stick, ugly, vacate, work quickly
Posted in Plastering & Drywall | Comments Off
New Year is the right time to implement plans to make your home safer for the whole family, and that includes making sure  that you can all sleep peacefully at night too. This includes checking that the windows and doors all lock tightly, and that any alarm systems are working as they should. You also need to make sure you have spare keys inside the house in case somebody is trapped and needs to escape, and a spare back and front door key kept with a friendly neighbour, just in case too.
In case you were wondering how to do all this it’s really easy. Simply find a locksmith recommended by Mr-Skill to do it for you at a low, low rate. Before you start though, take a sober look at what is really necessary.
o Do all the locks turn easily? If not, try oiling them with a spray can and see if they improve. An old trick I learned when dealing with sticky Yale-type locks from a pal who once worked for Locksmiths London, is to oil the key and slide it in and out a few times to see if this may help. Remember to dry the key afterwards and to tell your partner what you did too – it not you may get dry-cleaning bills for dirty skirts and pockets.
 o How secure really is each lock? If you could kick in a locked outside door it is time to get quotes for an upgrade. Don’t wait for trouble to happen before you take action here.
o How strong are the doors and windows themselves? There is no point in locking them if the hinges are weak or the panels and panes are paper-thin. Remember, security is a holistic subject and the weakest link commands the entire chain.
o Is it time to install a security alarm or upgrade an existing one? The secret to being secure is to be a tougher target than your neighbours – find out what they are doing and keep a jump ahead of them.
Now that you have thought about what you really need to do to make your Home your Castle, you could go ahead and get locksmith quotes from Mr-Skill. Does that sound like a good idea?
Tags: alarm, back, castle, door, family, find a locksmith, front, hinge, home, key, lock, locksmith quotes, locksmiths london, neighbour, oil, safe, secure, sleep, spare, stick, turn, window
Posted in Locksmith, Project Advice | Comments Off
Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Sep 06
Tiling a new bathroom can be quite expensive. Some builders of new homes just fit splash backs around wet areas to keep their houses affordable. Eventually somebody gets bored with half measures and opens a new job jar. There is great deal of information available on how to lay tiles on the internet. Here are few extra tips that I would like to add myself after a lifetime of DIY.
o Buy tiles in the medium size range, either rectangular or square. Big tiles are heavy and can come crashing down, small ones take longer laying. The dado trims that tile shops love to sell can cost three times as much as tiles themselves, and often end up looking overdone. Choose something affordable – London tilers often just cut strips of contrasting plain tiles, and this can work well.
o Remembering that tiles around a tub often get flooded, rotting the board behind or causing damp if the grout fails, prepare the tiling surface by sealing it with good quality bonding liquid first. You could even apply a slurry of tile cement mixed with bonding liquid – this will one hundred percent waterproof the surface, and the tiles will stick like anything too.
o Whether you decide to do the job yourself, or find a tiler to do it for you on Mr-Skill, tile spacing is important because it makes or breaks a tiling job. Take your time here – your patience will reward you.
o Bed the tiles down properly. Apply a healthy bed of tile adhesive, rake furrows in it with a tool and twist the tile slightly back-and-forth as you bed it down. Every now and then, lift a tile after you lay it and make sure lots of cement comes off with it – bad habits develop unobtrusively, and badly laid tiles have a habit of falling off a wall.
If you decide to call for tiler quotes after considering everything carefully, at least now you have an idea of what makes a good or mediocre tiling job around a tub. Thank you, Mr-Skill, for a further batch of common sense.
Tags: adhesive, bath, bathroom tiles, bathtub, bed, bed down, bonding liquid, ceramic tiles, dado, dado trim, damp, find a tiler, flooded, flooding, glue, large, london tilers, medium, new bathroom, prime, primer, rectangular, seal, slurry, small, square, stick, tile size, tile spacing, tiler quotes, tiles, tub, waterproof
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
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