ToughButterCup Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Having our Gaulhofer windows fitted by a Polish crew this week. They are well on with the job. Getting the 4 meter slider off got me well puckered up - almost as badly as my first balloon-based parachute jump all those years ago (1974?). Now that they are in place, I have been warned to cover the jambs, mullions and sills with some form of protection - not to mention protection for the glass. What have folk used for this job? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Any pics Ian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoctober Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Our window suppliers provided me with a sticky cling film type of product. They kindly left me with a large roll of it which allowed me to replace battered coverings with new ones. Sadly I don't know the name of it or how readily available it is! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 I got nothing at all from our Internorm suppliers. I found the hard floor protector on a roll from Screwfix was good. It didnt leave any residue. Its transparent blue and looks bit like the the protector that window companies use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Just a word of caution about the cling film stuff. Our windows were supplied with this on the alloy parts of the frames and the external cills, plus clear film over the glazing. It did a good job of protecting the windows, but I didn't realise that it becomes extremely difficult to remove if left on for a year or so. I removed all the ground floor stuff after about 6 months, and it came off easily in large strips. I left it on the upper windows, because they were awkward to get at after the scaffolding had come down, and eventually tried to get it off about a year or so later. By that time the outer layer of the protective film had gone very brittle from exposure to sunlight and the film was extremely difficult to remove. It took me a couple of days to very carefully pick tiny fragments of film off the aluminium, using a plastic scraper and some IPA to soften the "clingy" layer (which had hardened like glue). If putting this stuff on doors and windows it's probably fine for a few months, but don't leave it on for as long as I did or you will really regret it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 1 minute ago, JSHarris said: If putting this stuff on doors and windows it's probably fine for a few months, but don't leave it on for as long as I did or you will really regret it. +1. Hubby decided to leave the film on the frames and on the back door to protect them and OMG it was a nightmare to remove afterwards (no guesses who ended up with that job!). I ended up scraping the blue stuff off the back door with a credit card mm by mm. Took hours and hours and hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 I had the same with the airtight tape, they left it on the internal frames and plastered over it leaving a thin strip visible it was a nightmare to get off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Our film was on for over a year and was a nightmare to remove. Used everything from white spirits to watered down brick acid and there are still a few tiny spots where the adhesive is still there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stones Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 2 hours ago, JSHarris said: If putting this stuff on doors and windows it's probably fine for a few months, but don't leave it on for as long as I did or you will really regret it. +1, you need to take the film off as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 I'm so glad to hear it wasn't just me with problems getting old protective films off. The stuff on our cills was a nightmare to get off two years after installation. 6 hours ago, lizzie said: I had the same with the airtight tape, they left it on the internal frames and plastered over it leaving a thin strip visible it was a nightmare to get off I have this job coming up and am seriously not looking forward to it. In some places there's nearly zero access, too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share Posted August 15, 2018 I have been warned then...... Is there a niche market here for someone? I wonder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 4 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: Is there a niche market here for someone? I wonder. OMG not for me! It was a thankless task, and a total waste of effort if we had only followed the instructions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 We bought all our protective film from Protecta Screen. http://www.protectascreen.com There may well may be niche installer for installing and removing protective film and board. This is the way that installation of silicon beading has gone and our plumbers didn't consider this part of their scope and recommended getting a specialist "silicon man" to do it. I must say that he knew what he was doing, carried all the colours and charged on a metre length basis - difficult to get hold of because he had so much work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 We had a very similar "mastic man" in to do a lot of our mastic work. The difference between the quality of his work and what's been done by other trades (plumbers and tilers, mostly) is palpable to say the least! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 I tried to get a mastic man here and gave up. Then I tried someone who supposedly ‘did it all the time’. Just let him loose on one bath, shower, sink to see how it went. OMG I could have done a better job. Apparently the bath was ‘the hardest one he’d done’. God knows why as it was just a boxed in bath. I’m still getting silicone off bits of the shower where it shouldn’t have gone now ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 I had a mastic man in a house a few years ago...I am in the Midlands, he travelled from Cornwall and was booked solid. He was good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 Our man was very good, but he was recommended by a builder/developer friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivienz Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 Hmm. This may warrant a new thread. Can someone tell me the value of a mastic man and why I may want one for my build? It's not something I have vome across to date. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 5 minutes ago, vivienz said: Hmm. This may warrant a new thread. Can someone tell me the value of a mastic man and why I may want one for my build? It's not something I have vome across to date. If you get a good one they do an excellent job. Finish is all important and a bad job can ruin the most expensive bathroom. Most higher end developers use a mastic man nowadays, thats how I got mine. Not sure how you would source one as an individual. The one I used came with a vast array of colours and finishes his van was a veritable Aladdins cave - bet there was not one made that he didn't have. My second fix plumber put his hands up and admitted he was not the best at it and having got to know me he knew he would not be able to do it to my standard. My superstar carpenter stepped in and did it all, he is a demon with the mastic gun and if he ever needs another career he could be a mastic man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 28 minutes ago, vivienz said: Hmm. This may warrant a new thread. Can someone tell me the value of a mastic man and why I may want one for my build? It's not something I have vome across to date. As Lizzie said, a good one just does an immeasurably better job than 95% of general trades. I wasn't here when ours did his magic, but I understand they run a bead of silicon then follow up with some sort of stick to smooth it out. The result is a sharp, even edge and a relatively flat surface to the bead. It's a very tidy finish, especially in bathrooms with modern, clean lines. When we had our bathrooms re-done following the roof leak, the tilers did the mastic, and it really (really!) shows. We were actually on holiday when this bit was done and my father in law, who was supervising, made them re-do it, so even their re-done, better version is still a long way from the mastic man's quality of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivienz Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 Okay, so it's a superior finish on what the second fix plumbing/kitchen fitters would be able to do. We will have 2 bathrooms (one wet room), a downstairs loo, large kitchen and utility. I'm guessing that would be about a day's work. What's the going rate for a mastic man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 (edited) They invariably charge by the measured metre length of sealant applied. The rate I paid was £1.50/metre. I spoke to several sealant contractors and the rates were similar, if not more. I am in the "hotspot" of high end value developments in the SE, so it will be interesting to get some other comparisons. .For an idea of quantity, I have a 5 bedroom house with four baths/ shower rooms, cloakroom and a very large ground floor porcelain tiled area which was 110m2 of big kitchen/family room, hall, cloakroom and utility room/pantry which had sealant applied for the entire perimeter between floor and skirting boards. Many people also choose to run the sealant between the skirting boards and engineered floor but we were advised not to do this, as in my guy's experience there is always some movement and it needs redoing! This would have doubled the measured length required, so my man was not looking to create work! The total measured length was about 242.82metres, at a cost of £364.23. It took a very full morning for two guys. Hope this helps? Edited August 15, 2018 by HerbJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivienz Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 Thanks, @HerbJ That's a very useful yardstick. I shall keep it in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 I paid the useless guy £60 for 1 bath, 1 sink and 1 shower. £1.50 per metre sounds like a steal for someone really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willbish Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 Does anyone have any experience using Omniguard?, claims that it can be sprayed or brushed onto windows and will peel off even after being left on for >12 months. I've not yet enquired for a quote, but Im going to guess its not cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now