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Posts Tagged ‘timber<’
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on May 18
Carpentry can be a very rewarding interest to follow, but you do need to have the right tools to get going. It also makes a good deal of sense to invest in your own future, by attending some carpentry courses to brush up on your skills – there are also evening classes offered for those of us working during the day.
Don’t forget to get your carpentry and joinery quotes for the timber you’ll be buying for your projects. 
What’s You’ll Need
You could spend a fortune kitting out your workshop with woodworking tools, but we suggest that you start out small with the basics. Then, as your skill level improves, you can add to your collection depending on what you intend to make. If this sounds a little challenging, why not find a carpenter and joiner right here on Mr-Skill?
Measuring
Carpentry goes back a long way, probably to the beginning of time for modern man. Fred, he’s one of our regular London carpenters and joiners here on Mr-Skill, says that the first thing he was taught as an apprentice was to measure twice and cut once! A decent tape measure is an essential item for any budding-carpenter’s tool box. Then, a one-foot steel ruler is going to prove very handy too. Don’t forget a set-square to help get those angles right, and you’ll need a flat – that’s to stop it rolling away – carpenter’s pencil for marking up your timber.
Cutting
Timber needs to be cut to size, so you will need a saw appropriate to the type of carpentry you are turning out. There’s a huge variety available and you will quickly realise which saw you should have handy. Chisels too are important in the woodworking context. They come in a variety of blade widths too. It pays to keep a utility knife in the tool kit, you know, the old Swiss Army knife!
Other Tools
Hammers come in a wide range of choices, and will prove indispensable for your tool kit. Start small and build up your hammer collection as the need arises, and your skills develop. A spirit level is also an important member of the carpenter’s tool box. Screw drivers are essential for the job, so you’ll need to build your collection of these. A hand plane is a useful asset, as you launch your new money-spinning hobby!
Tags: Carpentry, carpentry-and-joinery quote, courses, find a carpentry-and-joinery expert, hobby, London carpenter-and-joiner, measurer, pencil, plane, ruler, saw, screw drivers, set square, skill, spirit level, timber, tool kit, wood, woodworking, workshop
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery | Comments Off
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 Carpentry & Joinery on Jun 27
Like most things in life, a satisfactory timber deck begins with a solid foundation. Similarly, a successful career may begin at a good primary school, and a victory in a debating competition often depends on  well-founded logic. I myself am sometimes equally guilty of wanting to get started without planning properly – do this when contemplating a wooden outside deck and you really do invite trouble.
An old hand I knew as a lad and who was a Joiner in London loved to say that every journey begins with the first step, and that when it came to woodwork that first step was down to the timber yard in his mind. After all, it is pointless planning a job unless you can get the right timber, and in the lengths your job needs too. Plan your spacing correctly and help save trees as opposed to accumulating off-cuts.
At this stage in the project there is no substitute to mocking things up on the ground with string or whitewash so that you can visualise exactly where things will go. If you Find a Joiner that you hired setting in the support posts without doing this first and discussing the results with you, best you cut your losses and start again.
 A Joinery Quote must define the type, treatment, dimensions and quality of the timbering to be used on a wooden deck, and the quality of the fixings too. Insist on timber cut from the heart of a tree, and materials that will not rust. While this may increase the project cost by 50%, it could more than treble the lifespan of the finished product.
With everything agreed and the posts set in concrete, the frame should be built up in a matter of days. Inspect the work as it goes along and do not allow any planks to be attached until you are completely satisfied. Keep an eye on the planks themselves too. They must not be split, warped or twisted. Reject those that are, because you specified the best.
The rest should be plain sailing and you can probably leave it to the decking firm to continue undisturbed for the rest of the job. This will be partly because they can see that you know what you are about, but mainly because you found them on Mr-Skill.
Tags: concrete, deck, decking, find a joiner, fixing, frame, joiner london, joinery quote, length, mark, mock up, plan, plank, post, quality, reject, rust, split, string, support, timber, tree, twist, warp, wood, wooden
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Take Care of Your Roof
A roof is almost like a second skin. It protects us from the rain, the heat, the snow and sleet. When it fails though, we have just our own skin left, and that can be a miserable business on a cold, wet rainy night. The moral of my story is that you need to look after your roof.  The easiest way is to get a few Roofers Quotes from a convenient place like Mr-Skill and choose the roof specialists that appeal to you. When they arrive, remember to discuss the following ponts in detail.
o Is the roof covering intact and well attached? Tiles, sheets, thatch and all other roofing materials need firm fixing. If not, you will have leaks, and worse still a gust of wind might even carry a section of roof away.
o Are the ridges still in good condition? Roofs settle over time and ridges sag. They are not just decorative either – lose a ridge and your roof opens up to the sky.
o What about the fascias at gable ends? These are not simply decorative. They also protect the timbers at the roof ends from wind and rain.
o  My old friend who still does the occasional Roofing Job in London reckons that hips and valleys are the areas to watch out for most. Hips are secondary ridges. Valleys carry double water and need thorough flashing too.
o Points where chimneys and vent pipes penetrate a roof can be problematic as well, especially on the upper side if flashing fails. Remember, water going through a roof is moistening timbers and will eventually pass through your ceiling down into your home.
Do not wait until your roof starts leaking unexpectedly on a cold, wet winter’s night. Get Roofing Quotes from Mr-Skill. Get peace of mind too. Sleep well at night. A well-built roof is like a faithful spouse or partner. Look after both, as well as you possibly can.
Tags: attach, chimney, covering, fascia, find a roofer, flashing, gable, heat, hop, intact, leak, loose, ridge, roof, roofer(s) quote(s), roofers London, roofing job london, roofing quote(s), sag, sheet, skin.rain, sky, sleet, snow, speciaslist, thatch, tile, timber, valley, vent, wind
Posted in Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
Posted in Building A-Z on Aug 21
 The terms coving and cornices are frequently used interchangeably to describe an angled finish where a wall joins a ceiling. However as a London builder will explain, coving is the straight area between two horizontal corners and a cornice is the decorative moulding which masks the join where necessary between two pieces of coving. Coving and Cornices can also be used both internally and externally to create some incredible effects – see what our London builders have done on our “Inspiration” pages – or they can be integrated into a fantastic interior design program with matching architraves, skirting and dado rails.
 Originally interior coving and cornices were made from plaster and became very popular during the 17th and 18th centuries as wealthy house owners demanded more and more ornate cornices to display their wealth. During Victorian times, the use of covings became more popular in more modest formats, and the Victorians also introduced the picture rail – a matching parallel strip several feet below the coving.
In modern homes, coving is likely to be very simple but still fulfils the same function – to hide the line where surfaces meet. Modern coving and cornices are almost all made from plastic or polystyrene, although plaster, gypsum and timber is available, usually at a greater cost. Coving is a simple way to finish off the look of a room and does not require any special skills to erect, just care and attention. Coving is especially useful when a new stud wall has been erected or a ceiling has been replaced, and fitting a cornice will remove the need to undertake detailed finishing of the corner where the wall and ceiling meet.
Coving and Cornices come in a range of materials:-
Plaster coving is expensive, heavy and easy to damage, however provides a more solid, impressive look to a room. You need to take precautions when putting up plaster coving as messy hands marks can be left on the plaster and surrounding walls and ceilings. Plaster coving can be painted with either emulsion or gloss to compliment the decor of your room once it is in place.
Paper Covered Gypsum is a medium weight option which is fairly robust but definitely needs to be painted after it is installed.
Polyurethane is a lighter coving which is also strong and also needs painting once you have it in the right location.
Polystyrene is a very light and very inexpensive choice for coving. It is easy to damage and has that typical polystyrene bubble finish, so will need careful handling and painting with emulsion.
Timber coving is light, flexible and easy to use. It is more appropriate in darken rooms with a wood theme and needs painting or varnishing once installed as it can discolour unevenly.
If you would like to find out more about coving and cornices, and the difference they can make to a room, speak to one of the builders in London featured in our Tradesmen´s Directory or alert London builders to your requirements by filling out a request in our “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page.
Tags: architrave, cornice, coving, dado, General Builders, gypsum, moulding, Plastering & Drywall, skirting, timber
Posted in Building A-Z | Comments Off
Posted in Building A-Z on Aug 21
 An architrave is the decorative moulding fitted around the casings of internal doors, windows, and loft hatches to hide the joint between the wall or ceiling and the timber casings. It comes in a variety of materials – although most commonly wood – and masks any subsequent shrinkage and movement between the door or window casing and the wall.
Architrave should be fitted by a London builder after all wall surfaces have been finished (but not decorated) and before fitting skirting board and doors. For one side of a door or window casing, three lengths of architrave are normally required – one horizontal head piece and two vertical side pieces. For a loft hatch, four pieces of architrave are normally required with mitres at each end of all four pieces.
 Where the elements of the architrave meet, the corners are usually mitred – with a typical, square topped casing, the corners meet at rightangles (90 degrees) so the mitre cuts on each piece of architrave should be 45 degrees. However, in older properties, doors, windows and walls bow and shrink with age (don´t we all!), so the exact angle may be questionable. In this case, angles will need to be measured individually and cut accordingly.
Architrave is normally fitted by a builder in London so that it sits back from the inside of the casing timber by about 5 to 10mm. Too narrow a spacing will restrict the knuckle of the doors´ hinges, whereas a larger margin may reduce the overlap of the architrave onto the casing and reduce the available area for putting in nails and supporting the architrave. In most cases, try to keep the style of architrave and the margin the same throughout a property, although in some cases this may not be possible (nor desirable).
In you are thinking or replacing an existing architrave, or installing a new one, have a look at our “Project Advice” on how to fit an architrave, or speak to one of the builders in London featured in our Tradesmen´s Directory.
Tags: architrave, coving, door frame, doors and windows, Find a Builder in London, General Builders, mitre saw, plastering, skirting, timber, Window & Door Fitting, window casing
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Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on Aug 11
 Creaking and squeaking floorboards are not a problem confined to older buildings but can happen in modern homes as well. Carpenters in London working on newer properties will have tended to construct floors using larger sheets of chipboard rather than floorboards, and both systems of flooring can work loose over a period of time – particularly when they have been lifted and replaced for services such as central heating or electrical cabling.
Temporary fixes, such as putting talcum powder between the joints in the floor may make the problem go away for a while, but a permanent solution is always the best option. If you have creaking and squeaking floorboards in your house, it could be related to a number of problems, and it might be worth having a look to see if you can fix the problem yourself, before turning to the services of a London carpenter.
If the creaking has not been going on for very long, it may be because one or two of the nails in the flooring have come loose and are rubbing against the wood, or allowing the wood to rub against the adjacent board. If the heads of the nails are slightly raised above the level of the wood, it is a simple job to hammer them back into place although, for a more secure solution, it might be better to replace these with screws of the same size. Screws any longer than the nails you have removed may puncture a pipe or damage an electric cable – at best a mop and repair job, at worst a possible fatality!
In cases where the floor joists have settled – creating a gap between the top of the joist and the floorboard or chipboard – the nail may now not be long enough to securely bind the floorboard to the joist. You will have to remove the existing nail and checking carefully to ensure that there are no pipes or cables beneath the floorboard, insert a longer screw into the existing hole. When checking for pipes and cables, you may need the assistance of a local handyman in London to help you lift large areas of chipboard and replace them securely.
If removing nails and replacing them with screws does not solve the problem, you may be looking at more serious issues. Where plasterboard walls have been constructed on an existing floor, the bottom of the wall should be secured to the floor into a joist or purpose made “noggin”. If the soleplate of the wall has been simply nailed into a floorboard which has subsequently worn loose, this could also be the cause of the squeaking. This issue would be evident by gaps appearing between the underside of the skirting and the floor, and can be remedied by inserting a narrow wedge into the gap rather than having a London carpenter rip up half your floor and construct noggins beneath the wall.
The most difficult job to fix is when the reason for the creaking floor is that the joists are simply not strong enough to handle the weight of the floor, or are undersized and not properly supported. This will involve having a local carpenter lay new joists or strengthen the existing ones and is a major job that it is important to have done as soon as it is noticed.
Fixing creaking floors may often require the professional services of a carpenter in London, and thanks to Mr Skill´s Tradesmen´s Directory, there are plenty in your local area from which to choose. To obtain a selection of carpenting quotes, please use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page, and our selection of carpenters in London will be happy to provide details of the services they can offer to help repair creaking and squeaking floorboards.
Tags: carpenter, carpenters in London, Central Heating, chipboard, electrical cabling, floorboards, joists, skirting boards, timber
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery | Comments Off
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