I got given some old rusty reinforcing mesh this week and was inspired by a friends garden to try and make something to tame my wild roses. They ramble untidily all over the place and have to be clipped short to keep them off the lawn. Cutting the mesh into strips I left about 1/2″ (12mm) stubs sticking out all round. I then ripped down some old treated timber (wear a mask!) that I had lying around into 1″ (25mm) by 3/4″ (19mm) strips. Laying the timber underneath the mesh ends I …
We need a large amount of firewood to get us through the long cold winters here in Norway and you can cut it for free if you know who to ask! Also I was dying to utilise the large overhanging eaves on our house to provide a nice and protected storage place for our spring cut wood to season over the summertime. My goal was to find a way of storing my recently cut firewood using materials taken from the woods. Well, I had to use a few screws to hold everything together; I’m not going …
You just whiz drywall screws in and thats the job done isn’t it? No actually. I see drywall screws that have been driven much too far into the plasterboard (or sheetrock in the USA) all the time. Over-driving a drywall screw causes it to tear through the paper on the plasterboard, losing nearly all of its holding power in the process. Over-driving drywall screws also leads to more “popped” heads. This is where the filler over the drywall screw is pushed out by movement as the house settles down and moves. …
There are loads of articles on the web showing how (and sometimes how not to!) cut down trees, but not so much about actually cutting firewood after the tree has been felled and stripped of it’s branches (called snedding or limbing in arborist speak). This ‘how to’ shows the easiest way to produce firewood by cutting many logs at the same time. I actually use my firewood cutting operation as part of my fitness regime, much more useful than going to the gym and the same muscle burn the day …
It’s a difficult decision isn’t it? We all love the period charm of an older house but what to do when repairing something as notorious as a lath and plaster ceiling? It can be difficult to find that point where you need to stop repairing a ceiling because removing the ceiling is the cheaper option. I always shed a tear when an original old lath and plaster ceiling comes down, as I can’t shake the feeling that the house will lose a little of its character. But times change and …
Uh oh….. you’ve got a period lath and plaster ceiling that needs some ‘love’ hmm? I’ve been working with lath and plaster for more than 30 years so read on and learn what you can do to get years more life out of your plasterwork and what to do if it’s beyond economic repair. (p.s. if you want to remove your lath and plaster ceiling, you can head over to the “How to Take Down Lath and Plaster Ceilings” page instead). Most people agree that traditional lath and plaster ceilings …
Uh oh…..so you’ve got a period lath and plaster ceiling that needs to come down hmm? Luckily, it’s not all bad news, but I won’t lie to you, it can be hard work and very messy! That said, taking down a lath and plaster ceiling is an perfectly possible DIY project, even for relative beginners. Taking lath and plaster down should arguably be a last resort though, (if you want to repair your lath and plaster ceiling, follow the link to the “How to Repair Lath and Plaster Ceilings” page …
