Comments for Polishing Peanuts http://polishingpeanuts.com Trying to find sense in an often bewildering world Mon, 14 May 2012 09:08:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on Why bother blogging? by Ian http://polishingpeanuts.com/05/2012/why-bother-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-2637 Ian Mon, 14 May 2012 09:08:43 +0000 http://polishingpeanuts.com/?p=3893#comment-2637 Lol! Let me know if you need any help, I need to drop in that book I borrowed eons ago anyway! Lol! Let me know if you need any help, I need to drop in that book I borrowed eons ago anyway!

]]> Comment on Why bother blogging? by Caroline http://polishingpeanuts.com/05/2012/why-bother-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-2636 Caroline Mon, 14 May 2012 07:16:55 +0000 http://polishingpeanuts.com/?p=3893#comment-2636 I have met some amazing people through blogging. It's a wonderful way of reaching out. We are going to need your website. Have some holes in the walls and other stuff to fix before we have to move out. Peter and I are so no good with DIY.... I have met some amazing people through blogging. It’s a wonderful way of reaching out. We are going to need your website. Have some holes in the walls and other stuff to fix before we have to move out. Peter and I are so no good with DIY….

]]> Comment on Thinking About How to Repair or Remove your Lath and Plaster Ceiling? by Ian http://polishingpeanuts.com/how-to/repair-or-remove-lath-and-plaster-ceilings/comment-page-1/#comment-2633 Ian Sun, 13 May 2012 13:07:39 +0000 http://polishingpeanuts.com/#comment-2633 Hi Marc, Hmm, another one that often comes down to personal choice and your tolerance to, how can I put it, non cleanable surfaces. Many people stiff brush the brickwork and then vacuum the heck out of it until the wall is relatively dust free. But I am sure that as the wall warms up and cools down the bare brickwork, especially old lime mortar brickwork, must shed some dust as time rolls by. There are a couple of proprietary brickwork sealers but they are mainly intended for use outside. However there is no reason not to use them inside and they sometimes exaggerate the brightness of the bricks, making then look wet even. I wonder if a clear varnish would give a mat finish? Us usual, try a test patch first. Possibly with the Unibond type sealer as it's cheap and you probably have some (you say that you tired it and it dried grey??). If you are not happy with the effect it's time to take a trip to the store. The problem is that whatever you decide to use there is no going back! Undoing 'painting/sealing' brickwork is a big job. Incidentally have you considered painting the wall? I love to see painted brickwork as it has some character but not too much as the paint tones it down. Just a thought! Sorry not to give you a definite answer, it does come down to personal choice in the end. Thanks for stopping by Marc, good luck with the project, maybe you could post a pic or two of the finished result? Cheers Ian Hi Marc,
Hmm, another one that often comes down to personal choice and your tolerance to, how can I put it, non cleanable surfaces. Many people stiff brush the brickwork and then vacuum the heck out of it until the wall is relatively dust free. But I am sure that as the wall warms up and cools down the bare brickwork, especially old lime mortar brickwork, must shed some dust as time rolls by.

There are a couple of proprietary brickwork sealers but they are mainly intended for use outside. However there is no reason not to use them inside and they sometimes exaggerate the brightness of the bricks, making then look wet even. I wonder if a clear varnish would give a mat finish?

Us usual, try a test patch first. Possibly with the Unibond type sealer as it’s cheap and you probably have some (you say that you tired it and it dried grey??). If you are not happy with the effect it’s time to take a trip to the store. The problem is that whatever you decide to use there is no going back! Undoing ‘painting/sealing’ brickwork is a big job. Incidentally have you considered painting the wall? I love to see painted brickwork as it has some character but not too much as the paint tones it down. Just a thought!

Sorry not to give you a definite answer, it does come down to personal choice in the end.
Thanks for stopping by Marc, good luck with the project, maybe you could post a pic or two of the finished result?
Cheers
Ian

]]> Comment on Thinking About How to Repair or Remove your Lath and Plaster Ceiling? by Marc http://polishingpeanuts.com/how-to/repair-or-remove-lath-and-plaster-ceilings/comment-page-1/#comment-2632 Marc Sun, 13 May 2012 11:14:23 +0000 http://polishingpeanuts.com/#comment-2632 Hi Ian, wondering if you have any experience with red brick walls (interior). Rather than plastering the whole room I am hoping leave one of the walls exposed. Insulatin etc is not an issue as it's a mid-terrace house, but I am unsure as to how to finish it. I have used a unibond coat to reduce dust as I remove excess plaster but once it dries im sure it will look very grey again rather than the red that im hoping for. any idea or even a point in the right direction? Much thanks Marc Hi Ian,
wondering if you have any experience with red brick walls (interior). Rather than plastering the whole room I am hoping leave one of the walls exposed. Insulatin etc is not an issue as it’s a mid-terrace house, but I am unsure as to how to finish it. I have used a unibond coat to reduce dust as I remove excess plaster but once it dries im sure it will look very grey again rather than the red that im hoping for. any idea or even a point in the right direction?

Much thanks
Marc

]]> Comment on Thinking About How to Repair or Remove your Lath and Plaster Ceiling? by Ian http://polishingpeanuts.com/how-to/repair-or-remove-lath-and-plaster-ceilings/comment-page-1/#comment-2629 Ian Sat, 12 May 2012 23:29:26 +0000 http://polishingpeanuts.com/#comment-2629 Your welcome Kim, nice to put my experience to good use online instead of onsite! The batten doesn't need to be very thick, 25mm is ideal but you could go as thin as a 19mm tile lath if space is tight. Arguably 2.3m is a sensible minimum ceiling height (unless its as old cottage where anything goes!). You can make a good job screwing straight up to the existing lath and plaster, you just need to be careful when screwing the boards up. I wrote about this on my new site (I am trying to move the building related stuff to a more professional setting!) at <a title="discover the new site for handy related stuff" target="_blank" href="http://handycrowd.com/drywall-screws-and-plasterboard/" rel="nofollow">How to use drywall screws properly</a> and close up the spacing to say 150mm or so (instead of the more usual 200mm or so). Good luck Kim Ian Your welcome Kim, nice to put my experience to good use online instead of onsite! The batten doesn’t need to be very thick, 25mm is ideal but you could go as thin as a 19mm tile lath if space is tight. Arguably 2.3m is a sensible minimum ceiling height (unless its as old cottage where anything goes!).

You can make a good job screwing straight up to the existing lath and plaster, you just need to be careful when screwing the boards up. I wrote about this on my new site (I am trying to move the building related stuff to a more professional setting!) at How to use drywall screws properly and close up the spacing to say 150mm or so (instead of the more usual 200mm or so).
Good luck Kim
Ian

]]> Comment on Thinking About How to Repair or Remove your Lath and Plaster Ceiling? by Kim Cheung http://polishingpeanuts.com/how-to/repair-or-remove-lath-and-plaster-ceilings/comment-page-1/#comment-2628 Kim Cheung Fri, 11 May 2012 11:54:57 +0000 http://polishingpeanuts.com/#comment-2628 Hello Ian. I like your idea of cross battening. It will lower the height of our already low ceiling, but we'll soon get use to that. After this ceiling there are another 2-3 smaller ones that need repairing. With the helpful advice offered in your website I feel much more confident in tackling those repairs now. Thank you, Kim Hello Ian. I like your idea of cross battening. It will lower the height of our already low ceiling, but we’ll soon get use to that. After this ceiling there are another 2-3 smaller ones that need repairing. With the helpful advice offered in your website I feel much more confident in tackling those repairs now. Thank you, Kim

]]> Comment on Thinking About How to Repair or Remove your Lath and Plaster Ceiling? by Ian http://polishingpeanuts.com/how-to/repair-or-remove-lath-and-plaster-ceilings/comment-page-1/#comment-2611 Ian Wed, 02 May 2012 21:15:54 +0000 http://polishingpeanuts.com/#comment-2611 Hi Kim, Lovely Artex..... fashion has a lot to answer for doesn't it!! Of course flat ceilings look much nicer, we can all see that now. You are right to be worried about pushing and puling the ceiling too much. The nibs that hold the plasterwork up can be quite fragile in ceilings over a hundred years old. Looks like overboarding might be the easiest option for you. Maybe with a tile lath counter-batten if you want to make a really good job as the battens will hold up the existing lath and plaster indefinitely. Although if you are careful and use plenty of correct sized drywall screws (penetrating at least 25mm into the joist) e.g typical: 12.5mm plasterboard + 25mm L & P + 5mm skim and Artex + 25mm min into the joist equals...67.5mm, so I would try to get 75mm drywall screws. Don't forget to leave the screws no more than flush with the board. If you drive the screw in past the paper, virtually all holding power is lost. Drywall screws have a little sharp ridge on the back of the head which needs to bite into but not though the paper on the plasterboard to hold firm. Coo, going on a bit now!! Let me know if you need a better answer! Cheers Ian Hi Kim,
Lovely Artex….. fashion has a lot to answer for doesn’t it!! Of course flat ceilings look much nicer, we can all see that now. You are right to be worried about pushing and puling the ceiling too much. The nibs that hold the plasterwork up can be quite fragile in ceilings over a hundred years old. Looks like overboarding might be the easiest option for you. Maybe with a tile lath counter-batten if you want to make a really good job as the battens will hold up the existing lath and plaster indefinitely. Although if you are careful and use plenty of correct sized drywall screws (penetrating at least 25mm into the joist) e.g typical: 12.5mm plasterboard + 25mm L & P + 5mm skim and Artex + 25mm min into the joist equals…67.5mm, so I would try to get 75mm drywall screws. Don’t forget to leave the screws no more than flush with the board. If you drive the screw in past the paper, virtually all holding power is lost. Drywall screws have a little sharp ridge on the back of the head which needs to bite into but not though the paper on the plasterboard to hold firm. Coo, going on a bit now!!
Let me know if you need a better answer!
Cheers
Ian

]]> Comment on Thinking About How to Repair or Remove your Lath and Plaster Ceiling? by Ian http://polishingpeanuts.com/how-to/repair-or-remove-lath-and-plaster-ceilings/comment-page-1/#comment-2610 Ian Wed, 02 May 2012 21:03:37 +0000 http://polishingpeanuts.com/#comment-2610 Hi Marc, So sorry for the delay, been away on a mission abroad with limited access. It's probably too late now but I am trying to picture the layout of your place. It sounds like it is a room in the loft? If the ceiling is the actual roof joists then you will need to leave a ventilation gap over a rigid dense polystyrene type insulation. This can be quite complicated to explain as it is vital that the air can flow in and out properly to prevent damp in the roof structure. The local building office will advise you for free so you can always give them a call. If I have misunderstood, get back to me and I'll have another think! Thanks for stopping by. Ian Hi Marc,
So sorry for the delay, been away on a mission abroad with limited access. It’s probably too late now but I am trying to picture the layout of your place. It sounds like it is a room in the loft? If the ceiling is the actual roof joists then you will need to leave a ventilation gap over a rigid dense polystyrene type insulation. This can be quite complicated to explain as it is vital that the air can flow in and out properly to prevent damp in the roof structure. The local building office will advise you for free so you can always give them a call. If I have misunderstood, get back to me and I’ll have another think!
Thanks for stopping by.
Ian

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