Every day is a learning day..... and this is what I learnt today

[SteamyTea]

9 hours ago, Onoff said:

I have my Skip Diving badge

I have a similar one, but for muffin.

Edited September 20, 2021 by SteamyTea

[Thorfun]

this week I learnt that not all duct tapes are made equal.

 

trying to stick DPM to concrete and dense concrete blocks turned out to be harder than I anticipated. firstly a coat of diluted PVA was applied when it was noticed the duct tape just fell off. then the 'normal' duct tape would stick to the concrete as it was nice and smooth but struggled on the concrete blocks as they're rough. 

 

a quick Google later and I discovered that Gorilla Tape is the stuff and even stuck to the rough concrete blocks. job done. it is bloody expensive though.

[oldkettle]

7 hours ago, Thorfun said:

. 

 quick Google later and I discovered that Gorilla Tape is the stuff and even stuck to the rough concrete blocks. job done. it is bloody expensive though.

I only bought a pack of two but Costco had it at a reasonable price. Too late now and quite possibly available cheaper in bulk. 

[Thorfun]

1 hour ago, oldkettle said:

I only bought a pack of two but Costco had it at a reasonable price. Too late now and quite possibly available cheaper in bulk. 

I paid £9.16 I think it was for a 32m roll at Amazon. ended up using 3 1/2 rolls! 

[Thorfun]

it's been a while since I posted about something I learnt but I thought I'd post this in case anyone else can learn from it!

 

if using 12mm tile backer board then your timbers need to be at 300mm centres! I only just found this out after I'd bought the boards. if I'd known it sooner I'd have built the walls/added noggins earlier in the process or simply gone for 20mm backer board which can handle 600mm centres as I've spent half the day today fitting extra noggins in a shower area and I still have 2 more bathrooms to do. 😢

 

and I'm talking about the XPS stuff (Marmox/Jackoboard/Wediboard etc) not Hardie backerboard.

[Canski]

Over the last couple of weeks I learned 2 things from my (non regular) bricklayers. 

 

1. No point in explaining anything to them they won’t listen anyway. The Tony tray was like explaining nuclear physics to them. I had to give up and do it myself just like any soldier course anywhere on the site. 
 

2. A cordless circular saw with an old blade is perfect for cutting Ytong and I presume thermalite blocks. So quick and good cuts which in turn reduces waste and improves blockwork quality. From building 2 houses to joist I have less than a third of a pack of off cuts that WILL be used. 

[JohnMo]

13 minutes ago, Canski said:

. A cordless circular saw with an old blade is perfect for cutting Ytong and I presume thermalite blocks. So quick and good cuts which in turn reduces waste and improves blockwork quality. From building 2 houses to joist I have less than a third of a pack of off cuts that WILL be used.

Routers also great for slots etc. Most wood working tools seem to fine also.

[Thorfun]

2 hours ago, Canski said:

1. No point in explaining anything to them they won’t listen anyway. The Tony tray was like explaining nuclear physics to them. I had to give up and do it myself just like any soldier course anywhere on the site. 

not sure whether to laugh or cry at this one! well done for just doing it though. that happens a lot.