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Hi. My neighbour had a flat foof put on his extension in early September 2023. He loves it but doesn't know much about glass fibre. The builders put 1 layer of glass fibre matting on it 4 weeks ago but haven't topcoated it. It's too late to get a proper bond after 4 weeks surely? Why would anyone wait so long to topcoat? Just wondering.

Hi guys I’m new to the forum, please be gentle with me! I have built an enclosed workshop on a tarmac driveway - the floor of the workshop is the tarmac. I believe there is a concrete slab about 30mm below the tarmac… I don’t know for sure that the slab is continuous, nor do I know the condition or thickness of the slab because the tarmac was down before we moved in. The tarmac wasn’t great to start with but now there’s trolley jacks and the ocasional spillage to contend with it is getting scrappy. Every time I sweep I’m bringing up the aggregate 😕 I should like to have a non-porous, flat, smooth, strong floor without adding more than 15mm to the existing height of the surface. Is there anything I can pour / trowel / paint onto the tarmac to seal it, stabilise the surface and level it off? Or am I stuck with excavation as my only option? The area is approx 25m2. It is bound by existing tarmac front and back, the house on one side and a dwarf wall on the other. There is no DPM under the tarmac - this is not a problem for me, but may affect the solution. We live on the top of a hill… and the subsoil is sand and ballast… we don’t have drainage problems! The workshop is a wooden structure and is built directly onto a 300mm engineering brick (and waterproof mortar) dwarf wall and leans-to against the house. Front and rear are full height / full width doors. If you need more information, please let me know. Thanks for your help.

Or perhaps I should have written: Choosing the correct one isn't easy I need to embed threaded bar in non-cracked concrete. That's why SEs and others say 'You need a chemical anchor'. Have you looked at the range of them on offer? Which does what for whom under what circumstances isn't made clear at all. So it's off on yet another electromagnetic adventure: and apart from suppliers websites (which I automatically distrust) there's precious little to engage an interested but skeptical customer. True enough, I did find this . But the authorship of the site isn't made clear and there's a lengthy disclaimer. (at the bottom of the page). I trust that just about as much as I trust Donald. Screwy's , TS, and local BM sites and others aren't interested in anything other than sales. Fischer do a technical support site (just a phone number), but they only focus on .... you guessed it. Why does styrene matter (as in styrene-free) ? Is generic stuff just as good as branded ? Who or what is Vinylester? (yes it's is a resin produced by the esterification of an epoxy resin with an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid. but what the Hell is that? What's the difference between high performance and normal stuff? Why is there such a price range? Cheap = bad, expensive = good ? What's good enough (for my job)? Does anyone know of a site which simplifies this mess of advertising claims erm, (sorry) , information ?

Steels are up! After a fashion: with our build, there's always a twist so read on! First have a look at this....... We finished late last night SWMBO is really happy, and, to an extent so am I. The L shaped steel structure is secured to the floor with Thunder bolts, and will be secured to the wall with 16mm threaded bar embedded in the Durisol block. So far so simple. There was a gale last night , and attack of wind if you like : a useful gale, because it made me think hard. The purpose of this post is to ask you to check my thinking and offer relevant comments before I talk to the SE and Durisol. Many of you will remember the hiccup we had recently with the wall collapse (If not read this) And I am quite prepared to accept that that experience is colouring my thinking too much; but here goes. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Durisol block, here is a brief introduction - to understand the rest of this, it's worth a quick look (Links to an image search for Durisol: you only need to understand what it looks like) The vertical columns (steels) are attached to walls with threaded bar. It's that 16mm threaded bar connection that concern me. Because I cannot guarantee the continuity of the concrete within the Durisol blocks: it is that concrete into which I drill and attach the threaded bar and secure with Fischer Resin mortar One of the holes I drilled through the blocks showed that there was no concrete there at all. (The drill went straight through and out the other side of the block) Normally that lack of continuity will not not matter one little bit. But it does matter when the integrity of another structure depends in part on the attachment to the wall. Proposed Strategy Talk the issue with the architect (already done - strategy agreed) Talk to you all Think it through again on the light of the above and Ring Tanners (our SE) Ring Dursiol - maybe ask them to visit Agree problem solution : Talk to BC and ask for a visit before doing the following - Proposed problem solution Examine each of the current drilled holes with an inspection camera: checking to see 100% concrete continuity Attach the steel columns to those holes which 'pass' the test Create another series of attachment points by; identifying 5 further attachment points and exposing the concrete behind the insulation by cutting out that insulation entirely verifying the quality of the concrete drilling into it to create five more attachment points (one per hole) replacing some of the insulation and backfilling with cements and PVA mix. Bit of a faff, but I have realised that technical reassurance that (in this case) the structure is self-supporting is not enough. I need to know deep down in my gut that the structure is rock solid. The psychology is as important as the technical stuff.

Just a quick question. Which resin (brand-names please) are suitable for embedding rebar into existing concrete to make it ready to tie into subsequent pours? I have looked at the technical guidance for that in the Durisol technical information, and can't find it. With a bit of luck, we might be completing this phase of the build within a few days. Fingers and toes crossed. Ian

Im looking to put a series of spike lights around the house approx 12 units and wondering how best/cost effective it will be to have so many joints. The supply will need to be swa cable as it will be underground and need a 3 way junction box at each fitting. The lights have a flex on them. I dont want juction boxs on show so intend to have them just underground (stone chip border between house and slabbed path)with the flex coming straigth down and into junction box. Can anyone say what junction boxs they would use for this and also if resin filled would be required. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks