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Small Repairs & Odd Jobs
The small jobs nobody wants to take on. We come round and finish them properly.
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A crack has opened in my ceiling and I can see rusty steel. Is it dangerous?It means the reinforcement is rusting, usually because of water, and shouldn't be left. Local damage is repaired: clean, protect the steel, rebuild with repair mortar. If it is spreading or on a beam, call an engineer.Part of my wall is damaged. Is it enough to patch and paint just that spot?The patching is done on the spot, but it is better to paint the whole wall. New paint over a patch usually stands out from the old paint around it, however well the shade matches.I have a damp stain on my ceiling. Is painting over it enough?Only if the cause has stopped. The stain points to water from above (a roof, a bathroom, a pipe) or condensation. Deal with that first, then scrape anything blistered, fill, prime and paint.I fill a crack in the wall and it opens again. Why?Because the crack is moving and filler doesn't stretch. It usually sits where materials meet, on hollow plaster or over a deeper cause, so it needs mesh or a different repair.The plaster sounds hollow when I tap it. What does that mean?That the plaster has come away from the wall behind it, even if it doesn't show yet. It isn't filled over: it is removed back to a sound base and redone.The plumber and electrician opened up the walls. How are they closed so nothing shows?The chases are filled with plaster up to the wall's level, with mesh where a crack could open. Then filling, sanding, primer, and paint over the whole wall.
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Terms
Anti-corrosion coatingA protective coat brushed onto steel reinforcement, once the rust has been cleaned off, so the bars don't keep rusting before they are covered with new material.CrackA split or gap in render, concrete, a wall, a coating or wood. Fine cracks are usually only on the surface; ones that grow, keep reopening or run diagonally need attention.Efflorescence (salt deposits)A white, powdery or crystalline crust on the surface of a wall. It is salts carried by water through the masonry, left behind when the water evaporates.FillerA fine paste or powder that fills holes, fine cracks and dents so a wall, ceiling or piece of wood is smooth before it is painted.Grout jointThe gap between tiles, slabs or stones, and the material that fills it. Grouting means filling these joints, which locks the surface together and keeps out water and dirt.Hollow (blistered) plasterPlaster that has come away from the wall or ceiling behind it. It sounds dull when you tap it lightly, and often blisters or cracks before it falls.Hollow (debonded) tilesTiles or slabs that have come away from their base. They sound hollow when tapped lightly, and often rock or crack.MouldFungi that grow on damp surfaces, leaving black or greenish spots and a musty smell. It is a symptom of damp, not a problem with the paint.Peeling paintWhen paint loses its grip and lifts off in flakes or sheets. It is almost always a sign of a problem underneath, usually damp or poor preparation.PlasterboardA sheet of gypsum faced with paper, screwed to a metal frame to make suspended ceilings and light partition walls. It hides cables and pipes and takes recessed lights.Rebar corrosionRust on the steel bars inside concrete. Rusting steel swells, cracks the concrete around it and makes it fall away in pieces, leaving the bars exposed.Render (plaster)A layer of mortar (sand, cement or lime, and water) spread over brick or concrete to give a wall a straight, sound surface ready for paint or tiles.Repair mortarA special cement-based mortar for rebuilding concrete that has cracked or fallen away, for example around rusty steel. It bonds well to old concrete and seals the reinforcement in.Rising dampMoisture from the ground that climbs up inside walls through the pores of the materials. It shows as stains, blown render and salts at the foot of walls.SiliconeA flexible sealant from a cartridge that closes the joints around baths, showers, basins, kitchen worktops and window frames, so water and air cannot get through.Wall chaseA groove cut into a wall so pipes or cables can run inside it. Afterwards it is closed with mortar or render and, once finished, cannot be seen.Wood rotDecay of wood caused by fungi when it stays damp for a long time. Rotten wood goes soft, gives when pressed or crumbles, and can't be saved with paint.
Jobs in this category
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Repairs
A Hole in the Ceiling and Damp Stains
A piece of ceiling had come down and there were damp stains under the windows. The ceiling was repaired and the walls were cleaned up and painted.
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Repairs
Ceiling Repair Over Exposed Steel Bars
The ceiling plaster had fallen away and the steel bars were showing. The bars were protected, and the ceiling was built back up and painted.
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Repairs
Repairing a Peeling Wall by a Door
Paint that had lifted in large patches was scraped off, and the wall was filled and painted again.
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