Be Excellent To Each Other

They crack even more when they're installed, while the adhesive is drying out. Sounds like a room full of rice crispies going snap and crackle. It was hugely disconcerting because I thought to start with that the weight of them full height was trying to pull the plasterboard off the walls. I kept looking up at it suspiciously while I sat under it doing the next section of wall...

Crazy paving - very 80s. Like your hair.

I don't even need to run that burn under the cold tap.

Let me get you some mayonnaise for that burn

Has any of the more creative types in 'ere ever created a stencil for wall painting before? I was thinking of just printing a design on paper and cutting it out but I reckon I'd have some paint problems like dripping down the wall and stuff.

Any tips?

Don't use too much paint?

Another tip would be if you could get hold of one of those old over head projectors they used to use in schools. You could project the image on to the wall then and paint it without using a template.

I haven't got any experience painting by hand and I don't think I'd be able to replicate the design myself.

I'm aware that I shouldn't use so much paint (obv) but, as far as I'm aware, most stencils are on a thick plastic sheet rather than paper. I just wondered if it mattered much.

I imagine that the thicker the stencil, the less chance you'll have of it getting soggy with paint.

I guess like all things, the best thing to do would be to try it. What's the worst that can happen?

Spray paint is best for stenciling. Go very easy and if you need a second coat, wait for the first to *dry* before laying on the second.

I've created stencils for walls. If it is a single use the best thing to use is thin acetate (like you would use for an OHP, really, though you buy it to print on. You don't wan thick plastic as it will allow pain to sit in the recess to drip down once removed. Use a temporary spray mount adhesive to stick the stencil to the wall, which will mean that it sits flush to the wall in each part and paint can't drip behind it 9which can happen if you just use masking tape to stick it up). As The Vision says, paint should be used very sparingly. Don't paint onto the stencil, rather dab at 90 degrees to the wall with either a very lightly coated stippling brush (remove excess paint first) or sponge (again, remove all excess).

Unlike Davpaz, I really don't like spray paint for stencils as it is all too easy to get drips and also because unless your design is one colour it is difficult to keep within the bounds of each section, but I'm no Banksy.

Naturally, you should listen to Mimi, as she is craftier than I

I'll investigate further. Thanks for your advices.

You used to be able to buy a material called frisk, which is effectively thin acetate with an adhesive coat that's easy to cut. Airbrush artists use it. Failing that, as Meems says, spray mount and thin acetate will achieve the same effect.

Replaced the pump on our washing machine, but worryingly the old one looks in fine condition.

Running a cycle now, so I guess we'll see.

Well, it worked fine.

You can all relax

Phew!

What a roller coaster ride that was! Phew.

Oops.

I've done that. Wakes up the senses

Christ, yes. There is some cut out or something apparently.

Did MrsA give you a bollocking, too, for breaking the power tool?

Annoyingly, seconds before, I had moved the cord to prevent it happening, then flailed away like a samurai at the holly bush and "Pop!".

Not The Missus, but Father In Law, to whom the device belonged.

Fixed two holes in the shed roof with fibre reinforced tape and then painted over the whole roof with some weird paint that's rubbery and has strands of stuff in. Bloody brilliant at filling over gaps and supposedly very pricey £100+ for a tin! Thankfully it was given to me by my Father-in-law (who found some at work).

I did this when pregnant with Sam. Then electrocuted myself (and I suppose him) when fixing them.

One of the guys of work gave us a hedge trimmer he'd done the same to, saying "If you can fix it, you can have it". Took me five minutes on Saturday morning and it was still working after I used it on Sunday so if I can do it, anyone can!

I just taped up the cables at the time to finish the job, but later on rewired it properly. Don't want to fail a PAT test, now do we?

PIN Number

Baud Rate

A myriad of

Do you use that at the ATM Machine?

I have a friend who bought a roll of PAT stickers because they erre going to take his office kettle away.

MaliCool

Connection box, 'leccy tape and duct tape I guess.

Pleasingly*, the increased water pressure has caused the old tiles to come loose in the bathroom. So hopefully we can sort this out soon. We have the stuff ready to order, just need to check availability of the workforce.

* lie.

I know, but if I just say "I need to PAT your kettle" people look at me funny.

I've gone through power cables a couple of times. Biggest wake up was when I was moving a consumer unit in a basement (only about an inch so it would fit inside a cabinet we were making). My workmate said "don't worry about that metal bar beneath the RCDs, that's the earth bar". It was the live bar... I touched it with the bit holder on my cordless drill, cue very loud bang, big flash, screwdriver bit spot welded into the bit holder and a blown 60amp fuse from the external mains feed.

Yikes. I drilled through a mains cable with a spade bit once. Thank God for earth wires!

Floor tiling has commenced

Waited three weeks for the sealer to turn up for the walls... This bathroom is taking a while but I can only be bothered at the weekend. I think it'll be awhile before I can muster the enthusiasm to hack off and re-tile the family bathroom

So as you've probably gathered Joans and I have put a new kitchen in the house in Stoke.

This is what it was like when the tenant moved out:

And now...

Shouldn't'vealllwed Joans near the electrics

Then we ripped it all out:

The bar is to attach the wall units too as we bought a Metod kitchen from Ikea.

All units were quite easy to assemble and the wall units went in first.

the doors opened and closed and everything!

We then started on the base units to the right hand side.

We'd still got the sink in up until this point, but it was time to come out as we needed to put the extractor in and carry on around that wall.

We did the new cabinet to go around the electricity meter and then the base units underneath there.

the next job was to start on the worktops. We had to start on the right because of how they were set out, and the second one had to have the holes cut out for both the hob and the sink unit.

You jest, but he had to put a plug on the hob and a plug and cable on the oven!

Then it was time for the finishing touches, doors, handles, tiles and an oven.





We think that from start to finish it's taken us about five days, we've really enjoyed it the only downer has been the travelling really and the time it takes. We've learned so much for the whole experience and are both hoping to do it again in the not too distant future. We need to finish our own house off first though (we're making more progress on the utility this weekend, so I'm sure there will be pics to follow).

That's superb!

Thanks Mali, we're both pretty proud of it.

Looks excellent. Can you do mine next?

I'm sure Mali will help you.

Awesome stuff!

"Can you see the wall behind the tiles? No? Right. Job's done".

I had to patch our bathroom tiling.

Seamless.