- Thread starter Cassie
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Cubist
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Avoid the Great Crested variety of newt - they have a special relationship with Planning Officers that means 'nowt' get done.
Cubist
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You can always count on Malcolm, Feltwell and Clifford - my offerings can be a bit dubious depending on when I took my meds.Blimey, it only worked3 new chunky screws in the best of the old bricks and the door is now solid!! Thanks so much for all your help
Feltwell
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See, we weren't trying to trick you really
Odd little queries like that are good to ask on here. Invariably someone has done something similar before.
Odd little queries like that are good to ask on here. Invariably someone has done something similar before.
I can guarantee there will be plenty more from me- there’s a lot to do and I’m going with the idea that if you don’t have money, you have to have courage (and elbow grease, obviously!)
Feltwell
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Reading your original note again, one point to watch out for.
I too have a 3-storey Victorian semi with a porch, 2-and-a-half sides to the outside in my case. It was a very, very damp porch until I sorted it all out. It had a flat felt roof, and although it wasn't leaking the porch was so damp that the joists supporting that roof were completely rotten - one, against the front of the porch, was literally like Weetabix, you could crush it with your hand very easily. Stonework around the edge of the roof was letting water in in my case, plus bad pointing to the brick walls. The roof had been leaking at some point in the past as well.
I found this out after about 5 years of me and the window cleaner fairly regularly standing on the flat roof above! Luckily we never went through it, it held.
If you've stripped internal plaster work away then it's also worth probing around the ceiling to make sure the joists and decking for your roof are OK.
I too have a 3-storey Victorian semi with a porch, 2-and-a-half sides to the outside in my case. It was a very, very damp porch until I sorted it all out. It had a flat felt roof, and although it wasn't leaking the porch was so damp that the joists supporting that roof were completely rotten - one, against the front of the porch, was literally like Weetabix, you could crush it with your hand very easily. Stonework around the edge of the roof was letting water in in my case, plus bad pointing to the brick walls. The roof had been leaking at some point in the past as well.
I found this out after about 5 years of me and the window cleaner fairly regularly standing on the flat roof above!
Luckily we never went through it, it held.If you've stripped internal plaster work away then it's also worth probing around the ceiling to make sure the joists and decking for your roof are OK.
Good idea Feltwell. I wouldn’t be remotely surprised by finding weetabix style joists. I’ve heard from my neighbours that these parapet roofs are a bit of a problem in lots of the houses in my street. I’ll get my trusty bent screwdriver out and investigate. Hopefully it won’t fall on my head!
Ok, so frame nice and secure, but there’s a gap outside where it was wobbling. How best to fill it? It looks like someone has used silicone previously. I thought I’d cut this out and redo. I thought about just using some mortar or filler but the door is big and heavy (and my sons insist on slamming it ) so that might fall out. Any ideas much appreciated!
) so that might fall out. Any ideas much appreciated!
Burnt sand mastic is the traditional material. Stays slightly flexible, can be topped up if it shrinks too. Won't last forever, but cheap to rake out and replace.Ok, so frame nice and secure, but there’s a gap outside where it was wobbling. How best to fill it? It looks like someone has used silicone previously. I thought I’d cut this out and redo. I thought about just using some mortar or filler but the door is big and heavy (and my sons insist on slamming it
View attachment 9156
Don't spend a fortune on getting a huge batch delivered, just buy a bag of the kiln dried paving sand and a bottle/tin of boiled linseed oil and knock up a suitable quantity of sticky gunk...
That sounds great! Thanks Noj. What’s the ratio of sand to oil, or is just add until it looks the right consistency? Does it need to rest/mature before use? Apply with something like a plasterers small tool? What depth can it do? Can it be layered if the gap is a bit deep? Can it be painted? Sorry for the barrage of questions- I’ve never done it before and don’t want to balls it up! Thank you so much
Just add oil and mix until the sand is all coated and makes a sticky ball that doesn't 'flow'. Paint the surfaces it'll be sticking to with some oil so they're not too sucky, could do that first...That sounds great! Thanks Noj. What’s the ratio of sand to oil, or is just add until it looks the right consistency? Does it need to rest/mature before use? Apply with something like a plasterers small tool? What depth can it do? Can it be layered if the gap is a bit deep? Can it be painted? Sorry for the barrage of questions- I’ve never done it before and don’t want to balls it up! Thank you so much
No need to wait once you've got your mix, apply with a small tool, pointing tool or old knife. Push it in as far as you can get it.
I've always done it in one go but others may have different advice?
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Once its mixed its best not to keep it hanging around for more than a few hours. Depending on how dry the sand was/is and weather conditions at the time it can become unusable after just a few hours. Take care to make sure the sand you use is as dry as possible, its typically baked/roasted to drive off excess moisture, and if its too wet then it will not combine/bond well with the linseed.
Be sure to press the mastic 'very' firmly into the gap and when you have done so you can 'polish' the face with the tool you've used to get a slightly oily sheen on the surface.
It can be painted after a several days in hot weather but at this time of year I would leave it until next summer.
Sorry to keep bothering you all- another problem. When pulling out the silicone, I found this . Fill with lime mortar and wait a bit to do the mastic?? Or something else? The frame elsewhere is right up against the wall, so I’m not sure what happened here! 
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Hi Cassie,
Sorry, just questions for now.
Is the photo an interior or exterior shot? (I'm guessing interior as the lower bar is OGEE architrave)
is the uppermost horizontal bar connected in any way to the vertical?
What is the material the horizontal bars are mounted on?
Can you share another photo from say 6-10 feet back from this panel please?
Cheers,
Cubist
Sorry, just questions for now.
Is the photo an interior or exterior shot? (I'm guessing interior as the lower bar is OGEE architrave)
is the uppermost horizontal bar connected in any way to the vertical?
What is the material the horizontal bars are mounted on?
Can you share another photo from say 6-10 feet back from this panel please?
Cheers,
Cubist
Hi cubist
It’s external. The mouldings are plaster on render, painted. The top and bottom aren’t connected. I couldn’t get any boiled linseed oil today, so I’ve just roughly “pointed” the gap to prevent the impending rain from getting in- I can always chip it out again I reckoned!
It’s external. The mouldings are plaster on render, painted. The top and bottom aren’t connected. I couldn’t get any boiled linseed oil today, so I’ve just roughly “pointed” the gap to prevent the impending rain from getting in- I can always chip it out again I reckoned!