NeilScotland

Hi All, im fitting a deck in my garden. I’m using hardwood beams (Azobe, 4.5 x 7cm). I have some stainless steel torx head fasteners. They just snap. Even with pre drilling. So I tried just a general purpose cross head screw - also snapped (and with pre-drilling)….. it seems to be when it gets towards the center of the beam (approx 1cm in). I also tried using my drill to drive the screws vs impact driver. Same result. so - I think I just have the wrong screws. Can anyone recommend some stainless steel screws that would work well here? thanks. Neil

Ok. Many thanks for the replies. have mitre bond on my list. ?

hi all, I have a step - and I'm looking for advice /example son the best way to skirt the side of this step. I'm using 100mm MDF board. Below is a photo (excuse the dog, she's everywhere I turn!) Also, the way I was intending to do the joins (mitre). An example of the board (in situ) I am using Keen to hear your thoughts, many thanks, Neil

Thanks Peter. That could be an option indeed!!!

Hi all, I have a step, which will be faced with tile, then meet a laminate floor. Does anyone have a recommendation for a trim /arrangement so I can finish the laminate floor of nicely with the faced step (tile). I think I need something that lips over the laminate. Hopefully pic below shows what I mean...... and also a drawing..... thanks! Neil

Thanks for this. Very helpful. Isn’t a wago connector a lot easier? (And I believe also maintenance free). this is just a question of curiosity not judgement! I don’t know the regs. Although this way looks cleaner for sure. thanks again Neil

Hi All, I just wanted to know what best practice was when extending (moving a socket down) on a wall. I'm in Amsterdam, so I know the regulations are different - but still looking to hear best practice from UK perspective. My thinking is: I use a connector (I have wago 203 connectors for this) to connect the new cabling. Keep this in the old back box Chase the wall Wire new socket below Rinse, repeat. Plaster over once ll sockets are done (as whole wall will be plastered). My other question - if you need to take a socket no only down, but along the wall. Is it still ok /best practice to chase the wall horizontally? It doesn;t quite 'feel' right to me....but thought I'd ask. Edit: FYI, the walls are made of this soft white concrete block stuff (horrible! - same material inside plasterboard). thanks! Neil

Hi all, Not sure if this should be in the flooring forum or the tiling forum ? - I'll try here first..... I have a step, which will be faced with tile, then meet a laminate floor. Does anyone have a recommendation for a trim /arrangement so I can finish the laminate floor of nicely with the faced step (tile). I think I need something that lips over the laminate. Hopefully pic below shows what I mean...... and also a drawing..... thanks! Neil

Aha. Nice. Cheap fuel ?

I did ask the electrician a few weeks ago why floors are intertwined - he said so that if one goes out - you can still get some light to get out the house...... ? where in germany are you?

I think so. The groups seemed to be mixed. every time I think i’m turning the lighting circuit off, computers and stuff also go off. Mid i remember correctly, UK distinguishes between them? still seems off the garden shed would just be seen as one of the plugs /lights on the circuit..... it is a properly constructed ‘shed’ - concrete base, stud wall construction etc - maybe it’s simple classed as part of the house.

hmm - i guess not. This is original builders wiring. They do seem a little less stringent here. I’d have at the very least expected them to be on a separate circuit /rcd on the main board too. But doesn’t seem to be the case.

Hi Peter, The wago I had was lever type - the cable was too thick. I'll measure properly. The problem is - the wago is perfect for the stranded wire but not for the solid wire. And Prob vice-versa..... I could just use conductor block - but I like the neatness and quality of Wago. Neil

OK.. so here are some pics. - 1st pic is the main CU / board - 2nd pic - same but wider view - FYI - 3rd pic the switches for light in the shed (other line is for outdoor light) - 4th pic - this is the junction box where the supply that comes from the house goes into the shed (it's about 1m below the switch in pic above). - 5th pic - 'instructions' in Dutch. But has a diagram I've still to test which of these controls the shed. Can't do while Mrs is doing her work calls! - but I think 1 2 or 3 will control the power in the shed. thanks, Neil

haha - I know...... I'm not sure if i can change it or not. I'm originally from there (and actually have an electrical testing question relating to my house in Scotland that I'll be posting soon! haha)......

I'll take some pics. but we recently had the house extended - and I remember seeing the cable that runs under the garden to the shed (was done as part of the building of the house 12 years ago). It was a cable inside a PVC tubing (like a grey plumbing /drainage pipe). I should add, i'm in Amsterdam, their building practices here are a bit different. Neil

Hi Nick, thanks for the reply. I couldn't actually see which circuit this belongs to - since there doesn't seem to be a separate circuit (oddly enough) for the Shed - So I think it belongs to one of the others. I'll do some trial and error to find out - and report back. The old light (fluorescent tube) was wired straight to the supply cable.... ? thanks again for taking the time to respond, Neil

OK - that was my thinking..... I think my current waggo's are maybe too small.... because the solid wire wasn't staying. thanks!

Hi all, Sorry if I'm not using the right terminology - or if this should be in the lighting forum, I couldn't work out where it should be. I'm rewiring some lights in my shed - which already has a supply installed by the builders of the house. It has a basic tungsten light, and I'm replacing with two LED panels - which have transformers. I have done this with a block connector to test it out, but I'd like to know the correct practice to make this better /neater - preferably with a Wago connector or something (and then I'll put a little box in place to house this). - The supply comes in, L, N and Earth - it's a solid wire. circa 2.5mm (I'll check exactly). - Supply has an earth - but the transformers don't... is this ok? - The wire I'm taking to my transformer(s) is a stranded wire, circa 1.5mm. I'd like to take the supply, and then split it into two - and then have each light supplied from this - you can see my drawing below - hopefully make sense. Thanks for any help, Neil

haha - we thought a lot about it, we have one oven just now (smaller) and it's enough.... and we don't clean one often enough, so we thought having two wasn't necessary. in retrospect - kind of wish we had. I think we can add it if we wish, and did consider it, but the heights are all wrong now.

thanks!

So... in the end I needed a proper saw, and even then it was so powerful it was chipping at the end of each cut. Luckily, on the side I didn't need. I don't think I will ever buy these tiles ever ever again!!! haha..... 100 x 100 x 1 porcelain. Nightmare - i'm sure easy for a pro, but this is only my 2nd time tiling. Most are now laid (had to lay a few before kitchen fitters came the following day). I also done all the cuts for the step (And laid one row). I leveled all tiles to the highest point on the step and used a self leveling cement to take up the difference - before I tile the step itself. And that's where I'm at now. Builders didn't leave such a level step and also some concrete was taken away when they done a repair job on the underfloor heating. Overall, happy with it - but don't think I ever want to use such large format tiles again.

Thanks Pete - i reckon I've clocked up 10hrs on this! haha.........

Hi All @Taff @wozza @Pete Picking this up again, only finally got my tiles on back order. And not many to spare - I started to do some practice cuts on my Ruby cutter with some off cuts (I will hire a 120cm 'Carat' branded manual cutter for the proper cuts)..... My practice cuts did not go well ? - It seemed that I could not get the cut started very well - and when I went for the snap, they didn't snap well.... I found I was either too light or too heavy (and the slider doesn't slide very well) Do you have any tips I can follow to avoid this happening? I found If I placed a little off-cut at the end - to start the cut on, this helped to get me started a bit..... See images below (ignore they are thin pieces - that was because I was using an old off cut). I have a selection of wheels available I was mainly using a 10mm one for these. Any help is greatly appreciated - I'm not confident at this point ?

Thanks - what specs would you use for the concrete pads? neil