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That 'big project' I've been banging on about for a few years now....

Started by James Harrison, January 31, 2020, 08:06:41 PM

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James Harrison

#1700
May 04, 2024, 04:31:01 PM
Remember that marble washstand top?





I call that a success.  Naturally the washbasin and taps are only loose-placed at the moment, but it's a step in the right direction. 

The quandry now is what to do next;
1) The breathable emulsion has arrived for the dining room chimneybreast, so I could repaint that one wall.
2) The washstand splashback needs re-grouting before I can screw it back to the marble, so that could be done.
3) I've broken out enough bathroom floor to make painting the first two walls worthwhile.

So that's two fairly small things and one big one I've got to get going on.  I'm hopeless at deciding 'what next?' when my to-do list starts getting too long. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1701
May 05, 2024, 11:53:21 AM
Last night's dilemma saw me progress two items.

Firstly, the dining room wall took on a coat of breathable paint, followed by a second this morning. 



It's not an exact match of course, but I can live with that.  The dark patch at the bottom is where the paint is drying more slowly thanks to the moisture in the wall that kicked the whole thing off to begin with. 

Then I re-grouted the washstand splashback.





Which I think was a worthwhile exercise. 

With the bathroom, I think I'm going to try and break out what's left of the tiling (and possibly more of the plywood) and just leave the bits that are physically stuck under the toilet, bathtub and sink. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1702
May 11, 2024, 06:30:14 PM
It might not look like much, but progress is being made, with the painting. 



Over the last week the shorter wall has had three coats of cream paint and is about at the density of colour/ lack of streaks that I generally aim for.  The longer wall to the side has had two coats and still has some way to go. 

Then the green wall across the back needs painting, probably the three coats treatment again.  Once that is done I will, most likely, carry the colour on around the other two walls (even though those will mostly be tiled) and then we'll be back to the 'buy bits, store them and await the aligning of heavenly bodies' phase of things.   
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1703
May 16, 2024, 05:54:28 PM
Some more progress achieved. 
Painting continues its merry way around the room (I hate painting, I really do).
A few more bits have been struck off the to-buy list, leaving really just the bathtub and the toilet to get hold of (probably going to hold off ordering these until a week or so before they're actually needed).

Some of the flooring has arrived.  I'm not best pleased, because I ordered all of it.  So where the missing third of it is, is a mystery.  There are two major DIY chains in the UK - I'm not going to give them the dignity of free advertising, but I'm sure pretty much all of our UK members are aware of them - and both of them have let me down in the last twelve months, in the same manner.  If you see something you need from them and you can actually pick it up in person in one of their stores, you're probably OK but if it's something described as 'delivery only' then run a mile in the other direction, frankly. 

I beg to differ with the notions that 'you can do it if you ----- it' or that the other chain will 'cure your housebarrassment'. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Sir Henry

#1704
May 17, 2024, 07:29:39 AM
Quote from: James Harrison on May 16, 2024, 05:54:28 PM[snip] but if it's something described as 'delivery only' then run a mile in the other direction, frankly. 
If it's described as 'delivery only' or 'from one of our partners' they tell you, at some point before the actual sale, who that is. If you then go to that company's website you can get it direct, usually cheaper, and with far, far better customer service. I've been doing this for about a year (since B&Q upped their prices by 30% almost across the board over a weekend) and haven't had any problems like that since.
I speak in syllabubbles. They rise to the surface by the force of levity and pop out of my mouth unneeded and unheeded.
Cry "Have at!" and let's lick the togs of Waugh!
Arsed not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for tea.

James Harrison

#1705
May 17, 2024, 12:15:03 PM
Quote from: Sir Henry on May 17, 2024, 07:29:39 AM
Quote from: James Harrison on May 16, 2024, 05:54:28 PM[snip] but if it's something described as 'delivery only' then run a mile in the other direction, frankly. 
If it's described as 'delivery only' or 'from one of our partners' they tell you, at some point before the actual sale, who that is. If you then go to that company's website you can get it direct, usually cheaper, and with far, far better customer service. I've been doing this for about a year (since B&Q upped their prices by 30% almost across the board over a weekend) and haven't had any problems like that since.

That's a good tip, if they tell you who the manufacturer / supplier is.
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Sorontar

#1706
May 17, 2024, 12:38:11 PM
Are you protected by consumer law?

Sorontar
Sorontar, Captain of 'The Aethereal Dancer'
Advisor to HM Engineers on matters aethereal, aeronautic and cosmographic
http://eyrie.sorontar.com

SeVeNeVeS

#1707
May 17, 2024, 12:51:35 PM
I tend to go to a prpoer builders merchant rather than DIY stores now.

Better quality of timber and better delivery if needed.

DIY are good for certain things but only if I'm desperate and also depends on the project.

Can be slightly more expensive, but you get what you pay for as they say.

James Harrison

#1708
May 17, 2024, 04:13:25 PM
Well, the missing third of the delivery did turn up today (that still doesn't answer why it didn't arrive yesterday though)...

Lesson learnt; don't trust the big DIY chains. 

Looks like the next few weekends are going to be mostly spent either painting or staining wood, if I'm to get the room ready for the plumber and tiler to come in in early July. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Cora Courcelle

#1709
May 18, 2024, 02:33:47 PM
My husband has been known to spend what seems like hours in the big DIY chains just looking for a piece of wood that doesn't resemble a banana!
You have to tread a fine line between avant-garde surrealism and getting yourself sectioned...

James Harrison

#1710
May 18, 2024, 05:09:48 PM
Quote from: Cora Courcelle on May 18, 2024, 02:33:47 PMMy husband has been known to spend what seems like hours in the big DIY chains just looking for a piece of wood that doesn't resemble a banana!

That, I suspect, is why buying packs of floorboards in-store isn't an option.  (You get to see what you're buying before money changes hands....)
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Synistor 303

#1711
May 19, 2024, 12:46:32 AM
Quote from: Cora Courcelle on May 18, 2024, 02:33:47 PMMy husband has been known to spend what seems like hours in the big DIY chains just looking for a piece of wood that doesn't resemble a banana!

I actually like going to the big DIY warehouse. I have already seen and selected what I want via the interweb and know what aisle and bay it is in, so I just need to go and get the item. I hate going with my husband, who never seems to quite know what he exactly needs, so I end up standing there watching him for 20 minutes compare two brackets which look identical...

J. Wilhelm

#1712
May 19, 2024, 03:15:02 PM
Quote from: Cora Courcelle on May 18, 2024, 02:33:47 PMMy husband has been known to spend what seems like hours in the big DIY chains just looking for a piece of wood that doesn't resemble a banana!

I will admit that most general construction lumber/timber and especially plywood panels can be rubbish at DIY stores.  For quality dimensional lumber other than knotty pine (yes that's a technical term) you have to go to a mill for it. And I work at a major DIY store!  But luckily we do have quality solid hardwood "craft boards" and fine sanded plywood made from tropical woods at stratospheric prices :P

The incomplete delivery of external vendor sources seems to be universal problem, caused by incomplete information on the third party vendor's inventory.  That's one of the reasons why online orders require very long processing times. One way to get around that, as someone else pointed out is to go directly to the vendor, but I don't know that the DIY store will always provide that information, or they only sell through stores and not the public.

The larger stores, at least in the US and I believe Australia will have "in-store brands" that are warehoused in separate networks with their own dedicated trucks, and which that only sell items from said DIY store (think of a shipping company and warehouse rolled into a single subsidiary business that only sells through the DIY online portal).  You're more likely to not run into trouble with the later method, because they're independent from generic shipping companies and independent from vendors who may not share their stock regularly with the DIY store.

James Harrison

#1713
May 19, 2024, 06:30:44 PM
All useful information to remember for next time - and there will be a next time, there are three more rooms after this one to do up, after all. 

So, now that I actually do have all of the flooring that I ordered, I need to get it ready.  I'm still aiming at an early - mid July tradesperson week, roughly thinking that the plumbers can come in and do their strip-out and pipework, then the floor goes down, the tiler comes in and does their bit, then the plumber comes back and actually puts the new suite in.  So maybe three to four days for the plumber, say two for the tiler, say two for me to get the floor down... 

So between now and then - say six weeks - I need to get the remaining walls painted, the new flooring stained and varnished, and the remaining outstanding materials and components sourced.  Luckily we've had a really warm weekend and therefore I've been able to at least stain all of the floorboards... hopefully I'll have opportunity to get them varnished too if the weather holds.
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1714
May 26, 2024, 06:56:20 PM
A little bit of progress this week.  Turns out staining and varnishing floorboards is a process whose duration is dictated by
1. The amount of storage space you have for drying-out boards
2. The weather
3. If 2. isn't playing ball, your willingness to go on a 'trip'

So last weekend I had at least managed to get all of the boards stained and then I'd started on the process of varnishing them. 

The stain being touch-dry in four hours or so, and relatively friendly, meant that I could do the staining bit outside in late Spring/ early Summer weather, leave the boards a few hours, and then bring them in to finish off drying. 

The varnish, on the other hand, takes twelve hours or so to dry out and until it is dry it is both incredibly sticky and releases the sort of fumes that in small doses give a bit of a rush and in larger ones are a bit more vicious.  So it's not exactly the sort of job you want to be doing in a small and enclosed space. 

This means varnishing is preferably done outside, in small batches so that if the weather turns I can bring the boards in and comfortably store them.  Unfortunately the weather decided to turn - what are the odds of that...  with the result that I've only been able to varnish nine boards.  Out of thirty.  And we're only talking about the first coat here because ideally I want to be giving them at least two coats and preferably three. 

So I've had a bit of a rethink on the varnishing approach and I've found I've actually got space in the bathroom to varnish about six of them at a time, if I'm prepared to have them on the bathtub, blocking the toilet, and a few left lying on the floor.  Naturally the window has to be wide open too.  It can be done but it's not great. 

And I've got a firm deadline on this - six weeks from now the plumber is coming in to break out the existing bathroom suite.  That's six weeks to varnish all of the floorboards, paint the three walls left still to paint, and buy the bathtub, the toilet, the shower screen and any other little odds and ends I'm forgetting about at the moment. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1715
May 27, 2024, 09:54:28 AM
And now an object lesson in exactly what I described above...

Losing patience with how long it was taking to give the boards even a first coat, I took a gamble on the sunny weather this morning and did all the remaining fifteen boards in one go. 

Less than twenty minutes after finishing up and it started raining.  A frantic mad dash ensued which saw five of the boards being brought up into the house and the other ten being rushed into the garage and dumped unceremoniously on top of my project car...
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1716
June 01, 2024, 06:31:14 PM
Two weeks (and a bit) after the floorboards arrived and I've achieved the following;

- 30 boards given an initial coat of woodstain
- 30 boards given an initial coat of varnish (top surface)
- 30 boards given a coat of varnish (bottom surface)
- 30 boards sanded down
- 21 boards given a second coat of woodstain

This leaves 9 boards to be given their second coat of stain, and then all 30 boards to be given another coat of varnish (top surface only), thenpossibly sanded down again (depends if the varnish brings up the grain again) and finally varnished once more. 

It's a lot of work, using floorboards as a finished surface. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1717
June 02, 2024, 05:44:56 PM
After a glorious late Spring/ early Summer day with wall to wall sunshine, I'm calling it.  I'm done with the floorboards.





This is after they've been stained, varnished, sanded, stained again and varnished again.  That's four coats of waterproofing (both the stain and the varnish being exterior-grade), I'm not doing it any more. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Madasasteamfish

#1718
June 02, 2024, 06:35:15 PM
They look very nice, I suspect it will feel worth it once they're back in place.

Quote from: James Harrison on June 02, 2024, 05:44:56 PMI'm not doing it any more. 

So I can't get you to come round and do mine then?
I made a note in my diary on the way over here. Simply says; "Bugger!"

"DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH."

James Harrison

#1719
June 02, 2024, 07:07:47 PM
Quote from: Madasasteamfish on June 02, 2024, 06:35:15 PMThey look very nice, I suspect it will feel worth it once they're back in place.

Quote from: James Harrison on June 02, 2024, 05:44:56 PMI'm not doing it any more. 

So I can't get you to come round and do mine then?

No, no, no, no, no, no.  Not doing any more.  Not for any money. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

SeVeNeVeS

#1720
June 03, 2024, 08:45:36 AM Last Edit: June 03, 2024, 08:54:06 AM by SeVeNeVeS
It all may seem a PITA ATM but once the bathroom is completed and you stand back and look at it you will get the "I'm glad I took the time and effort".

Grand job and don't give up, a few weeks of misery now, a lifetime of smiles.

James Harrison

#1721
June 03, 2024, 04:34:52 PM
Well, five weeks and counting...

 - Tiler is hopefully coming tomorrow to price up the works
 - Then I need to book the plumber for the day / two days it's going to take to put everything back together (already got them booked for two days to rip everything out and move the piping around)
 - I also need to get the walls painted ready
 - Oh, and I need to order various bits - large and small - that haven't been done yet

I'm dreading that week, it will only need one little thing to not go to plan and the whole timescale is thrown out. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1722
June 09, 2024, 01:21:00 PM
Four weeks out...
- Tiler visited, we agreed a date and price and they're now booked in;
- Plumber has been booked in for the second half of the project;
- The rest of the bits have now been bought or ordered - I think I've got everything now;
- Work is progressing on painting around the room.

Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

The Bullet

#1723
June 09, 2024, 03:03:46 PM
Quote from: James Harrison on June 09, 2024, 01:21:00 PMI think I've got everything now;

I cannot remember how often I have thought that......but the universe showed me otherwise.
If brute force does not work....you´re not using enough of it.

James Harrison

#1724
June 09, 2024, 04:37:33 PM
I know exactly what you mean.  There's always something.  It was only when I decided to actually put money down on the bathtub that I learnt that the trap, overflow pipe and plug needed to be bought separately - that was another £30 on top of the bath itself. 

Same can be said for the decorative trim to the tiles - 'What do you mean it only comes in 2.5 metre lengths?  Also, how much?A?'

And I'm fairly certain that come the rip-out day there's going to be at least one case of 'you haven't got that yet?  Oh, you didn't know you needed one?'

This is going to be fun isn't it...
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.
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