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Lintel pic 2

Lintel 2-4

I am repairing part of a floor screed that was cracked and hollowish. The area is about 3 square metres. The thickness is however about 35mm. I want to wet the concrete, then apply a coat of PVA for better bonding, put down wire netting and then lay the screed (4 parts sharp sand to 1 part of...

The wall is actually rendered with sand/cement and some sort of unknowed white finishing coat (I thought it was all gypsum plaster before removing it). I want to re-render the wall again, but it will probably take a couple of days to dry. I will need to turn the power back on. Could I leave the...

I need to re-plaster a wall where the plaster is cracked in some areas. How do I go about plastering around/behind sockets? Many Thanks.

It can be done. Many bricks in an original chimney are connected directly to the wall. I've just used a drill to take off the mortar and an SDS drill to make is easier to cut some bricks with a cold chisel. It's hard work though. If fitting the stove yourself your Building Control Officer will...

Just a little note, if you are fitting the stove yourself, your Building Control Officer will need to be notified or it will need to be installed (or possibly approved) by a HETAS registered engineer (building regulations/insurance). Unfortunately that adds to the cost. Another point to...

I live in a flat and the upstairs solid floor is a suspended concrete floor, which makes up my ceiling. It is made up of a screed, concrete beams (most probably joined together), a thick layer of mortar, artex and finally the latter gypsum finish. I'm a bit worried about hacking out deep into...

He did put some tape on the previous crack, which was larger. The original ceiling was covered in a sort of rugged artex, and he did plaster over it (probably in case of asbestos). I remember the whole ceiling had PVA drying on it except for that area in the middle. He probably did put...

Hi, I've had my concrete ceiling professionally re-plastered last year and a long hair line crack is re appearing. In the process of re decorating, out of curiosity I've taken some of the plaster off and realised it is probably 2mm thick. Is this a standard thickness for ceilings? I've done...

Would anyone have an answer?

Hi, I need to fit a 225 x 140 air vent but there is only a width of 900mm on each side of the wall where the patio doors and windows are (these measure 2600mm). I had cracks on the plaster on each side, took the plaster off to investigate and concluded it must be due to age. However the...

Single skin Stainless steel liners are the cheapest form of lining, are good for burning wood (on a DEFRA approved stove for smokless zones). They last between 10 and 20 years but their life can be reduced if smokless coal is being used due to their corrosive properties (some are more corrosive...

Hi, Working on my chimney recess, I have removed part of the screed because it felt hollow when tapping on it and there was a crack. I have now discovered there is a crack on the concrete itself, it's a small crack of about 6" long by the wall' The concrete is levelled and rock hard but one...

Hi, I live on the ground floor of a flat built in the late 40's. I was inspecting a minor crack on a concrete lintel above the patio doors and noticed the lintel does not overhang into the brickwork either side, so it has the same width as the window. Out of curiosity, how is it supported...

Thanks for your replies. I think I may go for a terracota duct (as per the link below), it's probably the easier option, but I need to make sure first that no rain water can get inside the channel. I could then fit an air brick vent on the outside and an air vent cover on the inside of the room...

Hi, I would like to fit an air vent through a cavity wall but cannot find any information on how to do it. I guess taking some plaster off, drilling though the mortar to remove a couple of bricks inside and out would do the trick? Also I tried several building suppliers but they don't seem to...

Thanks for your answer Noseall, but I'm not completely sure what you mean. Am I to understand that a 10mm screed between the DPM and thick quarry tiles on top to form the hearth is not strong enough?

What fibres could I use to control shrinkage? Would a plasticiser help? Could I also build above the floor a small 10mm mortar screed on top of a coat of DPM as a base for a hearth? The tiles for the hearth will be 15mm thick. I will have to make a wooden frame to allow the edges to be...

Hi, I have an original solid floor which is made up of concrete, mortar screed, Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) and vinyl tiles. Wanting to level some areas of the floor, I noticed some parts were cracked while others sounded hollow, so I took away with a cold chisel what needed to be replaced...