Recent content by merlecollins

Hi mountainwalker - I mean the timber framing work, this is lined with foil backed plasterboard. I have asked the joiner to leave me a 950x950mm opening in the centre of the chimney breast to install a fire insert into - obviosly this opening can be adjusted to suit whatever fireplace we get...

Cheers for that. :D Any tips on how to seal the fireplace in so no smoke escapes into the room from behind the surround?

Hi all, I have a 200yo house and have had to strip the dining room walls back to the bare stone and finish with a waterproof render and tanking system due to higher ground level outside :( Anyway the same room had an open chimney blocked up (which probably helped to cause a lot of the...

and will this not rot in time when screeded over? Daft question, but will it stick to the foam insulation??

Thats what i'll do then Seco :wink: 3 to 1 S/C screed using rapid curing cement. If I can when I get back I will completely wrap the insulation with the duct tape before screeding - do you think that will help? I was a bit worried that the foam would have to much give and wouldn't prevent...

Thanks Seco :wink: I'm working away from home as off tomorrow morning and I think the plumber is intending to fit the pipes as I have described - i.e. in the insulation with the joints taped. Do you think that will be OK?

Hi all, We are installing a new central heating system into an old houseand have a problem that cannot be avoided :( The ground floor is of concrete construction and we have to sink a few of the copper feeds for 4 radiators into the concrete :cry: I have created the relevant chases...

Hi all, Finally poured the concrete in my dining room floor today :lol: Its 100mm thick with mesh in and I have got within an approx 5mm tolerance I reckon, then given it a wood float finish :wink: How long before I can walk on it and go over it with a steel trowel to finish it off?

Have been doing a bit of a 'project' lately and would be very grateful of some advice :) I've been replacing an existing flagstone floor with a new concrete slab in a 200 year old stone house :wink: I've dug 300mm out and so far filled it back with the following: 100mm Type 1 hardcore...

Whats the easiest way to space the mesh 50mm up?

Thanks again!! What do you normally tie the mesh with?

Thanks for all that Deluks mate :wink: So, just to re-cap.... 100mm Type 1 sub base 20mm sand blinding 1200 Grade Visqueen 80mm Quinntherm 1200 Grade Visqueen (I'll still have loads left over!!) 100mm Concrete Then cover the slab with a sheet of the Visqueen for a couple of days...

Yes mate, the original floor was approx 200years old Caithness slate flagstones, with whats known locally as 'sea scrapings'(sand and shells) as a sub base, as we've been digging this out we have hit loads of slate pieces (and bones!!) that must have been thrown in to give a more substantial...

I've dug out loads of broken slate, but was just going to replace with solid Type 1 - is this OK?

No i'm not completely finished digging just yet, so reckon I could take another skim off the surface :roll: So by the looks of it I would need to go down to 300mm?? Does the sub base not compact down once I've wacked it? I've got a nett floor area of 14.6m2 - what quantity of sub base...