What "man jobs" have you done today?

Soldato
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Replaced one fence post and 3 panels in our side alley yesterday. Amazing how much crap builds up in alleys, I must've swept 3 buckets of silt and moss out of mine and the neighbours'.


How much swearing was there?

If a man swears up a 4m ladder but everyone else is too far below to hear it, does it matter? ;)
 
Soldato
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Replaced one fence post and 3 panels in our side alley yesterday. Amazing how much crap builds up in alleys, I must've swept 3 buckets of silt and moss out of mine and the neighbours'.


How much swearing was there?

No light related swearing as I’d checked the lights worked first. There might have been an outburst of something that rhymes with “Duck’s rake” after being asked to move several metres of lights microscopic distances to the left and then the right for the third time..
 
Soldato
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Put a mirror up

IMG-20201230-171535.jpg


And have been clearing out the garage and found an old IKEA Billy Bookcase ,- which it just narrower than this recess in my study
IMG-20201230-114500.jpg


I'm going to install and trim it to look "built in" so ordered some doors and handles and built a plinth to lift it up off the floor (I'll follow the skirting through later

IMG-20201230-151012.jpg


Then screwed it back to the wall.amd wedged the side - again I'll fill and trim this once the doors are on

IMG-20201230-162607.jpg
 
Soldato
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Found an offcut of rubber wood from our utility worktop and just big enough to cut out a top for the installation with an extended piece similar to a hearth - will sand and oil it before fittting it property

IMG-20201230-195946.jpg
 
Soldato
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Anyone painted tiles before?

What’s the finish like?

Currently got red tiles in my kitchen and rather than rip them all out and replace with white, I thought I’d give them a coat of paint and see how they turn out.
 
Soldato
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Anyone painted tiles before?

What’s the finish like?

Currently got red tiles in my kitchen and rather than rip them all out and replace with white, I thought I’d give them a coat of paint and see how they turn out.

Yes - I have. I had the same as you, horrid deep red tiles the developer installed with the house and in no way match the rest of the kitchen. I assume they got them for free. I did it to tide me over until I re-fit the kitchen, that was just over a year ago and it still looks 'fine'. It will chip if you bash it with a sharp corner but I think that can be expected, its only paint at the end of the day.

I used some cheap Ronseal Stuff (from Homebase?) which had terrible reviews but I'm not sure why. It did 'exactly what it said on the tin'. I can only assume they didn't follow the instructions or didn't make sure their tiles are spotless before painting. Any grease (and there will be grease) will cause adhesion issues. I used a mini sponge roller for most of the painting. I just painted the old grout, no ones got time for that on small square tiles.....

It has what I would describe as a gloss finish but its not super high gloss (paint was cream). No obvious brush/roller marks but I did do it very carefully. It's fairly clear its not the original finish but it took the paint fine, I wouldn't do it unless it's just to tide you over until an upcoming refurb which mine will be after I finish the room I'm currently doing. I can't remember if I used a primer first or not, if I did it would have just been some own brand generic white primer.
 
Soldato
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Yes - I have. I had the same as you, horrid deep red tiles the developer installed with the house and in no way match the rest of the kitchen. I assume they got them for free. I did it to tide me over until I re-fit the kitchen, that was just over a year ago and it still looks 'fine'. It will chip if you bash it with a sharp corner but I think that can be expected, its only paint at the end of the day.

I used some cheap Ronseal Stuff (from Homebase?) which had terrible reviews but I'm not sure why. It did 'exactly what it said on the tin'. I can only assume they didn't follow the instructions or didn't make sure their tiles are spotless before painting. Any grease (and there will be grease) will cause adhesion issues. I used a mini sponge roller for most of the painting. I just painted the old grout, no ones got time for that on small square tiles.....

It has what I would describe as a gloss finish but its not super high gloss (paint was cream). No obvious brush/roller marks but I did do it very carefully. It's fairly clear its not the original finish but it took the paint fine, I wouldn't do it unless it's just to tide you over until an upcoming refurb which mine will be after I finish the room I'm currently doing. I can't remember if I used a primer first or not, if I did it would have just been some own brand generic white primer.
Mine are the same, a glossy red finish, I’ve thought about sanding them down with a 400/600 grit paper to take the glossy finish away, hopefully that’ll then help the paint stick easier.

I don’t want them matte white though so I’d also go over them with a gloss white after if I wasn’t happy with the finish the tile paint gives.

I’ll try and find a picture, let me know if you think white would go with my kitchen rather than red?



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Soldato
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14,213
I assume that wasn’t you? I don’t mean to be rude but that is some combination in what otherwise looks like a nice kitchen.

Personally, as the kitchen otherwise looks nice I would just bite the bullet and get them changed. If you want a cheap solution to get rid of that red in the mean time then white, cream would be my choices in that order.

I’ll be glad to finally have rid of mine, the kitchen is the only room we haven’t gutted. Been putting it off due to all the restrictions and unavailability of stuff but that seems to have sorted itself out somewhat now. Job for the new year.

I just spotted the black sockets too... modern just doesn’t work with traditional, best kept well apart.
 
Soldato
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I assume that wasn’t you? I don’t mean to be rude but that is some combination in what otherwise looks like a nice kitchen.

Personally, as the kitchen otherwise looks nice I would just bite the bullet and get them changed. If you want a cheap solution to get rid of that red in the mean time then white, cream would be my choices in that order.

I’ll be glad to finally have rid of mine, the kitchen is the only room we haven’t gutted. Been putting it off due to all the restrictions and unavailability of stuff but that seems to have sorted itself out somewhat now. Job for the new year.

I just spotted the black sockets too... modern just doesn’t work with traditional, best kept well apart.
That’s how the previous owner wanted the kitchen, she was in her 60’s so her choice of colour throughout the house was very odd.

The sockets are brushed grey, just the lights that makes them look black, that’s also one annoying part, the sockets aren’t level with each other :(
 
Soldato
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I've painted tiles in the downstairs loo and utility, but nobody goes in there. It looks... alright. In the utility the finish is much better for some reason and you can't tell they're painted, but in the loo the paint wouldn't take as well in the recesses so there's slight colour variations around the grout. Same technique in both rooms.

I did it to quickly spruce those rooms up to sell. If I was living with them, I'd want a different solution.
 
Soldato
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22 Jul 2006
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7,686
The kitchen looks great, if I was you I'd just get a tiler in and get them redone.

Might cost a few hundred quid but the finish will be great and will finish off a very nice looking kitchen.
 
Soldato
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Thanks, the light grey on the wall looks a bit darker than in this photos but not a lot.
Went for a slate grey on the woodwork.
Just the floor to lay when it arrives, then all done. But I'm not looking forward to the floor, don't like laying vinyl
 
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