DIY tips?

[Nige]

Has anyone from this group considered compiling a list of DIY tips?

Here are two I made earlier:

[1] Laying vinyl floor covering in a bathroom

Remove bath panel, bidet, WC pan, basin pedestal. For the last two, prop up the cistern / basin with a bit of wood angled from the skirting. This may seem like a long task, but it saves time in the long run, and makes a more water resistant job.

[2] Laying vinyl floor covering around 15mm or 22mm pipes

To cut round copper pipes, get a conical grinding wheel and sharpen the inside of a stub of spare pipe. Mark out position of hole, and use pipe as a punch. If you get it a bit wrong, you can nibble at the edge cutting out crescent shapes. If you get it very wrong (oops!) glue the bit back in and start again.

[BigWallop]

I'd think it safer to find the stopcocks and turn the water off completely, and then remove everything that might get in way of laying large sheet of board.

The easiest way I've found to sheet around pipes, is to measure from all points that you can measure from, so you know exactly where the pipe is in relation to the board, then drill a hole through the board where the centre of the pipe is going to land. Next, take a saw and cut from the edge of the board all the in to one side of the drill hole. Now this bit depends on what board you use but, you can, most of the time, do this with one cut if it's hardboard or soft enough to allow it, but you open the board along the cut you've made from edge to drill hole and slide the whole board around the pipe.

If you're using something thick as your sheeting, then the first bit is the same, you measure, drill etc. but then you make two cuts from the edge to the drill hole in the sheeting. The two cuts should be to either side of the drill hole so that you lift the little piece of sheeting out the way and slide the slot you've made around the pipe.

It gets a lot more difficult with larger diameter pipes, because you have to make that the middle of the drill hole sits right in the middle of the diameter of the pipe. But if you can find the diameter, then half it and you get really close.

[troubleinstore]

completely, and

I started a section on my website called 'DIY Tips'.

Anyone who wishes to send tips in will get them listed, providing they do not contain anything that will offfend others, such as bad language.

Go to the website and have a look.

-- troubleinstore

[Mary Fisher]

Love the site - especially the Allied Assortment pages. Not our period but impressive!

Mary

[sam ende]

if you have a floor laid those vinyl square tiles and need to replace one because of damage i've found that pouring boiling water from a kettle onto the square makes it lift easier.

sammi

[BigWallop]

Or warming up with a hair-dryer so it peels off at one of the corners first.