On my asthma thread I was advised to PVA the concrete floor. I have done that at a ration of 5-1. 5 parts PVA to 1 part water. It did go on rather thick I must say but went on eventually.
Anyway do I need to do this more that once? Would a second coat when its dry be needed?
Thanks Sam btw I was joking about the ratio, I used 5 parts water to 1 part pva. But dont tell me you were shocked after all I am a woman lol
The only difference between you and I, is that you don't have as many dangly bits. The brain is the same and the ability is the same. You have asked inteligent questions and acted on them. I, along with others salute you for your DIY skills. Don't belittle yourself.
Dave
PS let me know how you go on with the asthma, as I was born with it in
1946. It looked like I got rid of it when I was about 13 years old, but recent events tell me that I still suffer the effects of it. Wife is burning one of those smelly candles and while it is not collapsing my lungs, is not doing me any good.Dave
Awww thanks Dave. I feel like I am being a pain sometimes on here asking so many questions. I also feel dumb as I dont know how to DIY but want to try. I know I will never be Tommy Walsh but I dont want to stop trying. I have an inhaler now and when I get short of breathe I use it and it settles down fine. Thanks for asking
In message , Samantha Booth writes
I don't think anybody minds people asking lots of questions, it's more when people ask stupid questions (ask first, think later sort of thing)
Shouldn't be necessary, Sam.
However, no harm to do it again if you would feel more comfortable doing it.
I cant see a 2nd coat being any benefit. You've already glued anything loose together and clogged the pores.
Keep an eye out for some of the wackier threads :)
Thats what the group is for.
Obligatory plug: we have a ukdiy wiki with over 100 articles on diy:
No. You are not being a pain
I used to work in the aerospace industry on development. Hands on the aircraft and I had a team of about 50 men to look after. Most of them had never worked on an aircraft before (I think I was stitched up here. because of my knowledge of the aircraft) and my first words to them was 'There is no such thing as a stupid question. If you are in doubt, then please ask. There are no lay-by's in the sky. If the aircraft goes sick, it has to come back to ground and I would rather it came back under its own steam'.
Work to those rules and you can't go wrong.
I never had to use one of those. Not sure if they were available when I had the problem. It's just that I can pass a woman with a strong perfume, or a smoker and my lungs will collapse.
Dave
Actually mens & womens brains do process information in different ways, men are better able to focus on one task & have a greater grasp of spacial awareness & women are much better at multi tasking. Doesn't mean one is better than the other, just different.
I salute you as well Sam. Keep up the good work & ask away.
Very often asking a simple question brings up a whole debate from which we all learn.
Believe me, if you were being a pain, you would have been told. We do have a residential PITA, But that is someone else. Keep posting, as I have a very high interest in what you are doing, as, I think, do others.
Dave
Thanks all
I am currently stripping the paint off the banister rails, although I think it would be easier if I replaced them. I want to stain and varnish them when I have stripped them all. A satin I think. And an antique pine stains.I would like oak but dont know if it will look like oak or oak stained pine if you know what I mean.
I am buying a hawk and trowel? And doing some plastering in the back room. Just filling in holes in the plasterboard that are too large for pollyfiller. I am going to be using thistle one coat I think someone here mentioned.
Then I am papering it in 1400 lining paper. I have some 1000 but its too thin and the walls are not great so I am hoping 1400 will cover up things.
I am cutting a hole in the rear of my kitchen cupboards to route a water pipe and waste pipe to feed a dishwasher half way across the kitchen.
I have a Stanley Intelligent somertorother stud finder given to me with no instructions and havent a clue how to use it. Its this one
Am also fitting some kitchen cupboards and putting a wooden top on then overhanging enough to get stools under for a breakfast bar.
Phew !!! There is a lot going on. Bedrooms are done now they look lovely thanks to all your advice.
Thanks again you lot, you have really cheered me up tonight. Thanks for letting me know I am not a pain
I dunno, I quite often have to deal with four or five different problems simultaneously
does that mean I'm a big girl then ?
No, just a big girls blouse :-)
This is a DIY news group. If you do not ask, how do you get an answer?
Ask, ask, ask again. None of your questions have been off topic. There are are lots of things that you might think are of topic, but please ask.
Dave
How old is the place and the rails? Do you mean the hand rails, spindles or both? If it's a Victorian/Edwardian property, there may be visual value in keeping the originals with dings and all. If it's a lot newer, then perhaps not. Getting all of the paint off is going to be time consuming, but may be worth it to keep originals. A chemical stripper will be the most effective if there are a lot of paint layers. Nitromors and some cling film to cover it is effective. Hand protection and clothes you don't mind writing off are mandatory. Having a bucket of clean water nearby is a really good idea in case you get any on yourself. Water neutralises it quickly.
Staining and varnishing of softwoods with antique stains usually doesn't look very good. The results end up looking orangey and rather unnatural and nothing close to oak. Going for a lighter finish or using a wax may give you something that looks more appealing.
Otherwise, replacing the stair rail parts is possible. In terms of time it is likely to be the same or less than stripping the existing although you may end up wanting to replace the hand rails and newel posts as well to give an overall good appearance. Obviously it will cost more than the stripping and refinishing exercise but you can end up with actual hardwood rather than a faked attempt. There is a world of difference.
This *can* be a DIY job, but maybe not an early career one. There is a lot of cutting of parts, although a chop saw would aid that considerably - either a purchased one or perhaps renting a decent one for a couple of days. Obviously, measuring very accurately is important. Jointing and fixing newel posts and rails is probably the hardest part.
Since stair rails can be an important focal point of the house, you might also want to look at whether getting a carpenter or joiner to do the work makes sense.
It's the usual cost/time/outcome equation.
You put the sensor on the wall first, away from studs and calibrate. Then move the scanner across *slowly* allowing it to respond. Approach the studs from both sides and mark. Then repeat a little above or below. This detector appears to be a rebadged Zircon one or at least the same technology. They are good if you are patient and wait for the responses.
If you go on the Stanley web site (link you gave and go for Support---> Knowledge Base; and type in the model number, you can get the instruction manual.
Dont use stain: you get teh most afully prominent grain as sofwtood has a huge absorption in the pithier parts. Use a colored varnish instead.
Solvent based paint stripper destroys cling film and plastic gloves and, in view of the fumes, not something I'd recommend to anyone with asthmatic tendencies. There may still be an alkali water based version, but it won't touch modern finishes such as acrylics or polyurethanes. If there's any way of removing the spindles, I'd take them to the local Dip 'n Strip place. Very labour intensive to do them in situ.
Vandyke crystals is the only stain I'd use on softwood.
But don't you find that people often mean coloured varnish (or other transparent/near transparent finish) when they say stain?
The distinction between the 'real' stains (spirit or water based) and coloured finishes is non-existent much of the time.
Doesn't alter the fact you are spot on right.
IMHO most 'antique' finishes look like dead oranges - horrible colour. Often better to use little or no colour and allow time to develop full blown orange pine colour. :-)
This is most particulalry the case where the wood is subject to damage - even very minor scratches show up due to the contrast between the wood and the coloured finish.
In message , Samantha Booth wrote
Strip one properly and stain before doing all of the rest. I once had similar ideas about stripping back to the wood and varnishing. In the end I found that the quality of the wood and the original construction wasn't to good. The nail holes had been filled (100years before) with something that wouldn't take a stain properly. Life was too short to spend any more time on the job and my banisters are now painted a nice shade of white.
That's because they're usually based on synthetic iron oxides, and the lack of a blue oxide makes it impossible to get the yellow/brown colour that suits pale timber.
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