Search results

  1. N

    Is Oil Based Primer OK with the Top Coat Water Based

    Planemad: You CAN use either oil based or water based paints over either oil based or water based primers. HOWEVER, the reason why oil based primers have better adhesion to wood is that the size of the alkyd resins found in oil based primers is very much smaller than the size of polyvinyl...
  2. N

    What's this on my mantelpiece?

    If it were me, I would use a HEAT GUN to soften the stuff and scrape it off with a sharp paint scraper. Then I'd probably see if lacquer thinner or acetone removed what was left behind. When repainting, use an interior alkyd primer and an interior alkyd paint over that mantle. Latex...
  3. N

    poor work

    Gary Rayne: I own a small apartment block in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and I have done the ceramic wall tiling on all the bathrooms myself. Two things I can tell you is: a) the larger the wall tile you use, the flatter the wall needs to be for the tiling to be flat. In...
  4. N

    boiler cycling every 2 mins

    Would the motorized valves you have on your heating system be Honeywell also? I'm familiar with Honeywell V8043 series of motorized valves for hot water heating systems which are as common as a barking dog over here, but not with the 3-way models that seem to be commonly used in the UK. I'm...
  5. N

    Plasterboard Joints

    landrea: Basically, finishing plasterboard joints is easy. 1. Simply put up your plasterboard and try to have a contoured edge on both sides of every joint. If it turns out that's not possible, then keep in mind the curved trowel mentioned in a previous post. 2. Stick self...
  6. N

    New blowtorch

    This thread really should be in the plumbing forum where it was originally posted. A torch is a "tool" (kinda, I guess), but it's exclusively a PLUMBING tool. You hardly ever use it for anything except plumbing. So, only people who do plumbing work are going to know enough about torches to...
  7. N

    Sticking stuff to tiles

    I'm wondering if you couldn't use ceramic tile adhesive (which you call "premix", and I call "mastic") to stick the pine strips to the front of the glazed wall tiles. Just hold them in place with some duct tape or masking tape as the mastic sets up. If not, I'd be inclined to use a...
  8. N

    Hole saws

    How important is it that these holes be exactly 80 mm in diameter? Instead of buying an 80 mm hole saw, would a laminate trimmer and a straight bit work? What I'm thinking is that on Porter Cable laminate trimmers (and I expect Makita and Bosch are the same way), you can fit the same brass...
  9. N

    New blowtorch

    The handheld propane and MAPP gas torches we have over here have an orifice in them that restricts the maximum flow of fuel into the burner tube. Are you sure the problem isn't just a dirty/plugged orifice?
  10. N

    How To Remove Excess Grout Once Hard

    You could also try using a heat gun to soften the epoxy and make it easier to scrape off. Heat guns are frequently used in flooring removal, so the Installations Manager at any flooring store might loan one to you if you plop down a damage deposit on it. Paint retailers also use them to dry...
  11. N

    How To Remove Excess Grout Once Hard

    Epoxy resin will be mixed with xylene as a thinner, but I don't know enough about epoxies to know how common that is and whether xylene will soften cured epoxy grout. Phone up your local carpet retailers and ask to speak to their Installations Manager. Ask the Installations Manager who...
  12. N

    blue ink stains in dryer!

    Irene: Normally, the tumbler inside a dryer won't be "painted", it'll be powder coated. Powder coating is where they electrostatically spray paint the tumbler with a mixture of powdered plastic and tiny colored particles (called "pigments"), and then bake the result in an oven. During...
  13. N

    blue ink stains in dryer!

    Scroll down to read the responses in the thread entitled "Biro on lino" in this forum. Try using the solvents named there to remove the ink from your dryer tumbler. Be careful using acetone (or nail polish remover) on any plastic parts (like the clothes lifters) inside your dryer drum.
  14. N

    biro on lino

    And here I thought Biro was something you drank. (Musta been thinking "beer-o") Inks will often have an alcohol base so they dry quickly, and that's why hair spray (which is also alcohol based so it dries quickly) will often remove ink from clothing. Try spraying it with hair spray and...
  15. N

    Soot

    If this is real carbon soot, then I think your best bet would be to look in your phone directory under "Fire & Flood Restoration Services". When there's a fire in a house, the smoke from the fire can leave soot all over everything, and the insurance company will pay to clean up that smoke...
  16. N

    oil,wax or varnish for reclaimed oak parquet?

    Oh, heck no, I didn't come here to argue or fight either. I interpreted the original post to be the homeowner looking for suggestions and/or recommendations on what finish to use on his new wood floor. What the priorities were wasn't really spelled out, so I figured I'd post about the super...
  17. N

    Bathroom extractor

    Near the center of your bathroom ceiling. Also, when using your extractor fan, leave the bathroom door CLOSED. That results in the cool heavier dry air coming in UNDER the door where gravity helps it displace the warm lighter moist air above it more efficiently. If you leave the bathroom...
  18. N

    biro on lino

    I'd do a bit better if I knew what "Biro" is. (Haven't got a clue, actually.) Did the "Biro" stain the linoleum so that you can't wipe the Biro off with a damp sponge? Do you expect that bleach straight out of the jug would remove the Biro?
  19. N

    silicone on top of varnish?

    Mumbley: I think it's a better idea to use varnish than silicon caulk. Chemically, a true "varnish" is just a boiled linseed oil based paint without any pigments in it to give it colour and opacity. Ditto for polyurethane, which is just an alkyd paint (with the alkyd resins on...
  20. N

    fixing to a stud wall

    Nobackwheel: The real problem I'm reading from your responses is that you don't realize that all of the suggestions offered so far will work perfectly well to hang a picture from. You say you want something for the screw you put in to "grab". Well, in the case of the hollow wall...
Back
Top