Weekend Workshop
Almost every Sunday for the past two years Scott published a column in the Sun-Herald called Weekend Workshop. Sadly that column (in fact the whole section) has just been cut by the Sun Herald.
In the column he attempted to tackle a DIY project or provide information on a DIY topic. He also answered questions that are emailed in by readers. And there was usually a fairly silly photo!
Column topics have included everything from clothes line repair, fixing cracks in plaster, sealing up drafts, fixing creaky floorboards, removing graffitit, waxing furniture, hanging picutres and making flyscreens!
Here are some of the readers questions and Scott's answers.
Q and A's
I was wondering if there is any way of repairing dents in my Laminex benchtops. I hope that you can help with my query.
Small dents, chips, cracks and deep scratches in laminate bench tops, usually caused by accidental impact, can actually be repaired with an epoxy repair paste called ColorFill. This product is also used for repairing laminate flooring. ColorFill is available in a range of colours to match the surface to be repaired and comes in a pack that contains both the repair paste and a special solvent.
Clean the area with ColorFill solvent then squeeze some of the paste onto a scraper and drag it across the blemish several times to help compress the paste into the cavity, working it until it starts to dry. While still soft, remove excess from around the repair with a plastic blade or old credit card. Leave to dry for 10 – 15 minutes, then using a solvent moistened tissue remove the excess from around the repair. If shrinkage occurs, repeat the process.
I have an old wooden fence on one side of my boundary. It seems to have been attacked by termites in the past and it has some dry rot. Is there any wood
In the old days I would have suggested a coat of good old creosote to keep the timber protected from rot and vermin, just like the old PMG company used to add to the base of telegraph poles. Nowadays PMG is known as Telstra and creosote is a know carcinogen.
A modern day approach to this problem is two pronged. Insert some Preschem ‘No-Rot’ sticks (www.preschem.com) into the base of each of the posts to ward of rot and vermin, these use Boron and Fluorine as the active chemical ingredients to protect the timber. Drill some 9mm holes into the timber to slip the sticks into and wear PVC gloves whilst handling them as they may irritate the skin. Secondly keep the timber protected from the ingress of extra moisture with a protective coat of timber oil or paint.
A recent storm has not only blown away part on my pergola but also pulled some of bolts that hold the structure straight out of the brickwork taking chunks of brick with it, how should I repair these holes?I’m sure recent storm all across the state have created a number of repair issues and this one is not uncommon.One option is to reposition the bolts into undamaged areas of masonry but this may result in some unsightly old bolt holes that will need repairing. Another is to refix bolts into their original position.
To reposition the bolts you will need the aid of some expanding repair cement, such as concretemate™. This product is designed to not only fill and patch holes in masonry but, as it expands as it dries, can be used to imbed steel fixing into it. >For a hole in horizontal surfaces the steel fixing need only be positioned and the expanding cement poured around it. As it hardens it will firmly grip the steel fixing. For holes in a wall however the expanding cement will need to be mixed to a thicker consistency and trowelled into the hole before inserting the bolt and supporting it until the cement hardens (approximately 30min). Strain can be placed upon the embedded bolt after about 1 hour.