|
|
Post by starchildhypocrethes on Aug 24, 2023 11:13:13 GMT
So I’ve just been ripping up the grotty old living room carpet in my new house and have discovered the original floorboards that seem to be in pretty good nick.
How bad an idea would it be / how likely am I to freeze to death in a Yorkshire winter, if I were to sand these down and varnish them or something instead of whacking in a new carpet?
|
|
dmukgr
Junior Member
Posts: 1,517
|
Post by dmukgr on Aug 24, 2023 11:26:59 GMT
I did this last year and whilst it definately is colder, it is so much nicer I figured it is worth it.
(Manchester/Stockport for the cold factor reference)
|
|
|
|
Post by dfunked on Aug 24, 2023 11:36:48 GMT
We're considering doing the same. Only stairs and upside landing left with carpeting and it's looking a bit grotty.
Got two weeks booked off for hols in September and it's looking like I'll just spend it getting these pain in the arse jobs done.
|
|
dogbot
Full Member
Posts: 8,738
|
Post by dogbot on Aug 24, 2023 11:42:25 GMT
We did our downstairs in the house in Bristol. It was slightly colder, but not massively so.
Mind you, we filled all the gaps in the 1930s floorboards and so on. If it's the originals, I highly recommend doing this.
|
|
mrpon
Junior Member
Posts: 3,737
|
Post by mrpon on Aug 24, 2023 12:02:45 GMT
Yep ditto, put a piece of tissue on the floor and see how bad the draft is. Also prepare for untold amounts of dust. Everywhere. Months later.
|
|
|
|
Post by technoish on Aug 24, 2023 12:20:59 GMT
We managed to restore all the original floor boards in our house except one small room where it had been cut up too many times to get access for pipes. The wood burning stove in the living room has probably counteracted major draughts... But if sanding down etc the boards, could you take oppo to put breathable insulation under? I think you hang it in next. Kind of wish we had done it. (Note we had zero dust issues, but then we had professionals do it with proper machinery  |
|
|
|
Post by starchildhypocrethes on Aug 24, 2023 12:48:55 GMT
Seems a popular route then!
If do stick with them, I think I might have to see if I can stick some insulation or something under them. They’re very fucking loud and the echo in the room is insane.
|
|
|
|
Post by technoish on Aug 24, 2023 13:30:23 GMT
Just to note, you'll definitely want to cover up a bunch of it with a nice rug... But it feels very different to having a full carpet!
|
|
|
|
Post by Dougs on Aug 24, 2023 13:45:31 GMT
Another +1 for sanding. We'll worth it.
|
|
mrpon
Junior Member
Posts: 3,737
|
Post by mrpon on Aug 24, 2023 14:13:25 GMT
Oh if you're semi-detached please forego the stilettos starchild.
|
|
minimatt
Junior Member
hyper mediocrity
Posts: 1,684
|
Post by minimatt on Aug 25, 2023 21:44:48 GMT
SHED OF THE YEAR SHED OF THE YEAR SHED OF THE YEAR....
OH NO...
OH GOD...
h/t rob manuel "The hipsters have discovered sheds. Christ on a bike."
I love me a shed. And I'm quite partial to a hipster coffee shop. But I never thought the leopards would eat my face.
Screenshot and a quote from the artist and then we're meeting at the big Sainsbos car park, everyone bring a jerry can of four star:
"Once the outside was complete I began work on the interior. The shed had begun to feel like a a kind of pagan chapel to DIY so I leaned in to that idea, by whitewashing all the interior wood work before creating my altar piece: 23 carat tree of life with all my tools hanging from the branches. I added a desk to work on and shelving to store materials while I planned my own miniature sistine chapel ceiling..."
|
|
|
|
Post by starchildhypocrethes on Aug 26, 2023 16:33:10 GMT
I have no idea why they gave me dust bags for this thing. I’ve spent the last few hours doing six passes of the floor and the first bag I put on isn’t even half full. The rest of it is everywhere else.
I’m so glad I painted the walls before deciding to this this. Archaeologists should discover the original shade in a few hundred years time.
|
|
minimatt
Junior Member
hyper mediocrity
Posts: 1,684
|
Post by minimatt on Aug 26, 2023 16:36:34 GMT
tape a vacuum cleaner hose to the bit the dust bag would attach to?
|
|
dmukgr
Junior Member
Posts: 1,517
|
Post by dmukgr on Aug 26, 2023 18:49:35 GMT
I got someone in to sand my floors and expected a right mess but nothing - clean as anything.
|
|
|
|
Post by damagedinc on Aug 26, 2023 18:56:25 GMT
I sanded our floor with a belt sander and I'll still be discovering dust just before I die
|
|
|
|
Post by freddiemercurystwin on Aug 26, 2023 18:58:00 GMT
I daresay they had some good extraction going on, that's one thing my workshop is really lacking. Proper extraction systems leave practically none if any dust in the air.
|
|
|
|
Post by henroben on Aug 27, 2023 8:31:30 GMT
So I’ve just been ripping up the grotty old living room carpet in my new house and have discovered the original floorboards that seem to be in pretty good nick. How bad an idea would it be / how likely am I to freeze to death in a Yorkshire winter, if I were to sand these down and varnish them or something instead of whacking in a new carpet? I've sanded all the floors in my house and ended up taking the boards up, sanding them outside, filling all the nail holes and then drilling, countersinking and screwing them back down with brass screws after varnishing. Definitely cuts down enormously on the mess. I also insulated under the floor at the same time - the main reason for lifting the boards. Used garden netting over the joists, held in place with galvanised staples, then filled with insulation, you just need to make sure the netting is level with the base of the joist so it doesn't impact airflow in the void. It's definitely warmer than the layer of insulation and carpet that was there before. Well worth doing and if they're old pitch pine boards then the colour of them gives a lovely warming glow to the room. If you do lift the boards, I'd suggest numbering them and marking the direction of the window / door etc on them so you can put them back in the same places - often old boards can be notched on the reverse side to make them sit level etc. At least mine were. If you've got Victorian boards then at least one of your rooms they'll probably be painted with that god awful tar paint where they weren't covered by a rug. Be prepared to go through a lot of sand paper for that stuff. Would also strongly recommend getting a nail punch to knock down random nails etc before any sanding - good chance you'll have hundreds of carpet tacks sprinkled all over.... |
|
|
|
Post by Dougs on Aug 27, 2023 8:40:06 GMT
Bit late I think Ben...
|
|
|
|
Post by henroben on Aug 27, 2023 8:46:39 GMT
Missed that he'd gone straight in and sanded it  However - top tip for getting rid of the dust now in the room. Go and buy one of those big plastic decorating sheets from wickes or similar and put it on the floor. Then go round the room getting as much dust off the walls / ceiling as possible with a feather duster - you want it in the air so it'll settle on the floor. Then wet the plastic sheet with a spray bottle of water and shut off the room. Leave it for a least a night, a full 24 hrs would be better and you should find that a lot of the dust is now stuck to the plastic sheet and you can just roll it up and chuck it... This tip works well in bathrooms or kitchens as well where you've got easy to wipe down surfaces - just wet them after sanding plaster etc and you can go in and wipe up the dust after it settles. As it's now damp it won't go back in the air when you're cleaning it up. |
|
minimatt
Junior Member
hyper mediocrity
Posts: 1,684
|
Post by minimatt on Sept 4, 2023 10:18:11 GMT
badly needed some welding practice and badly needed some metal clamps as I apparently needed to learn the hard way that molten steel melts plastic clamps
idea stolen off the intertubes but can't remember where. american bloke with missing front teeth?
perform dainty angle grinder surgery:
(poorly) weld clamp to bolt:
repeat:
|
|
|
|
Post by freddiemercurystwin on Sept 4, 2023 10:38:44 GMT
Your weld's look passable to me minimatt, my welds look like a lugworms poo! Did you have the clamps already or did you buy them in order to modify them, they look like they'll do the job just fine. How did you come by the table?
I've been watching Cutting Edge Engineering Australia recently on youtube etc, heavy engineering stuff, plenty of welding, tooling and the like, if you're into that sort of thing at all.
|
|
minimatt
Junior Member
hyper mediocrity
Posts: 1,684
|
Post by minimatt on Sept 4, 2023 10:51:05 GMT
you're too kind  bought the clamps with the intention of butchering them, the table i got from www.indooroutdoors.co.uk/products/megamaxx-uk-tig-welding-table-top - and can recommend with some caveats: it'd be cheaper to acquire a sheet (it's 5mm) and flat bar ribs and get a local fab to laser cut it but for the hassle factor it's ok. It's cut square but was severely burred, needed a good day to deburr and countersink. And came flat but in welding the ribs on I put too much heat in and warped it slightly so if you can mig weld it (or tig) rather than stick that'd be less risky (or, you know, just be better at stick)
better precut tables exist but for far more money. would have also preferred something a bit bigger but assembled it weighs ~25kg and lugging it around is a pain (my only fireproof welding location is outdoors)
edit: oh and thanks for the channel rec, I'll check that out |
|
dogbot
Full Member
Posts: 8,738
|
Post by dogbot on Oct 8, 2023 17:12:24 GMT
How it started:  How it is:  Need a better straight edge, mind you  |
|
|
|
Post by quadfather on Oct 14, 2023 14:58:17 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by technoish on Oct 14, 2023 15:22:51 GMT
It's just a thermometer, so assume it works fine . I have one. |
|
|
|
Post by quadfather on Oct 15, 2023 11:03:44 GMT
Nice one. Are they effective at finding cold air coming into the house?
|
|
|
|
Post by technoish on Oct 15, 2023 13:43:43 GMT
They don't find cold air, they tell you the temperature of surfaces. A cold spot or patch could be a gap in insulation or nearby draft. It basically helps you investigate and prioritize any fixes.
|
|
|
|
Post by quadfather on Oct 15, 2023 13:47:25 GMT
Right cheers.
Hmm. Might not be what I'm after then
|
|
|
|
Post by elstoof on Oct 15, 2023 14:28:10 GMT
A tea light candle would be best for finding draughts no
|
|
|
|
Post by quadfather on Oct 15, 2023 14:50:31 GMT
Not a bad idea. Just need to think of the approach for each room
|
|
bought the clamps with the intention of butchering them, the table i got from 
