Find a Shop Fitter you can trust in Kirkby-in-furness.

While some small plumbing jobs can be completed yourself, it’s recommended that you use a certified plumber for bigger jobs. Installing toilets or sinks, repairing leaks, and replacing pipes are all jobs that qualified plumbers will be able to undertake.

How To Clean A Roof?

If you’re planning to clean your roof, but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place! There are different types of roofs available in the market today and the method used in cleaning one can be largely different from the other. As a result, we’re only going to look at one of the common types of roofs you’ll find in the UK - the Asphalt shingle roof tiles. This roof type is very common and for a good reason. Not only are they visually appealing but they’re also hugely versatile by design which enables them to be adaptable to varying shapes, angles as well as forms depending on your preference or needs. With all the benefits that can be derived from asphalt shingle, they however, need to be properly maintained to help retain their good looks.

To clean your asphalt shingles, you’ll most likely require some type of chemicals especially when dealing with algae stains and some other visual problems. Therefore, make sure you purchase a product marked safe to be used on this type of roof and not those only proven to remove moss and algae stains. Mix the chemical cleaner with a gallon of water and a quart of bleach or as instructed by the manufacturer. Pour the mixture inside a pump-style garden sprayer and mix thoroughly. When done, climb up on the roof and spray as good as you can. Upon completion of spraying the roof with the mixture, then allow to work its magic for some time - about 15 minutes or thereabout should be good.

After that, you can make use of a garden hose to spray down the roof and wash down the mixture entirely. If some stains remain, use a brush to gently wipe the tiles individually.

We all know how helpful air conditioning systems can be especially during the hot summer season which is great at making your home feel nothing less than an inferno. So if you have an AC system, you’d probably want to know if leaving it on will be cheaper and more efficient.

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, leaving your air conditioning system on will make make it cheaper and more efficient. This isn’t what you or many other people will have in mind though. Under no circumstances should you leave you air conditioning system on full blast 24/7. To make your air conditioning system more efficient by leaving it on has a right and wrong way you can go about it. Let’s have a look!

If you’d ever noticed, any time you turn your air conditioner off during a very a hot day, even if it’s for just a couple of hours, things tend to get thrown out of balance pretty quickly. When turned back on, your AC system will have to work even harder to restore the usual comfort levels in the room. When you abuse this dial in such a fashion, the AC system can only become more inefficient rather than making your home more comfortable quickly.

On the other hand, your AC system ( when tuned to the right settings) can help maintain the proper temperature and humidity balance within your home instead of turning it off while away. And upon getting back, you can simply turn down the thermostat a bit which helps you prevent the usual stagnant air that you’d be hit with when your return home (with the AC system turned off) that’ll have you racing for the dial.

Artex was originally made using white asbestos to make it stronger. However, this stopped in the mid-1980s, and the use of asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, due to its extreme health risks. So, any artex you buy today won’t contain asbestos.

If you have an artex ceiling or wall that was created before 1999, it may have asbestos in it. This won’t be a health hazard if you leave it undisturbed, so it’s not necessary to remove it. However, if you want to get rid of or alter your artex ceiling or wall, you must get it tested to check if it has asbestos in or not first. If it does, you’ll need to hire a qualified professional to work on it.

The short and simple answer to this question is not necessarily. However, for any home or property owner, the privacy and security of their residence should always be a paramount. Hiring a company that refers cleaners that are uninsured signifies a great risk to both yourself and your home. Your home is a space where you should feel safe and relaxed at all times and as a result, there’s a need to ensure that it’s handled and maintained by only the best possible hands.

Therefore, only licensed, bonded and insured cleaners should be given the opportunity to work in your personal space. The safety and security of your family, valuable possessions as well as personal belongings should be the first priority, not only for you but also the domestic cleaning company you select to hire. A company that sends only insured and bonded domestic cleaners is the best option for both you and your family. A cleaner that is capable of making your personal space sparkling clean is definitely one that you’d like to see more often, but that should never come at the price of your peace of mind.

Hiring a company that’s insured and bonded comes with a number of benefits:

• Bondage is a type of insurance that guarantees the safety of your possessions when you hire bonded cleaners to work in your home. As a result, your valuables and personal belongings are secured in case of property damage or theft by a home cleaner.
• Hiring an insured company ensures that they only send you cleaners that are vetted and tested beforehand as most insurance policies  require serious background checks. This will go a long way to preserve your peace of mind.

Surprisingly, bathroom renovations usually involves a wide range of trades to complete. And to make sure the work is done to a standard accepted by building regulations, some of these trades is required to have some particular legal qualifications. Therefore, if you’re interested in getting a new bathroom project done, you’ll probably need to call in more than just your plumber.

Below are the different trades you may need to successfully install a new bathroom:

✓ Plumber - The plumber’s task would be to install the new bathroom’s pipework and reposition and fit the bathroom items as needed.

✓ Tiler - To remove old tiles ( if any), prepare and tile the walls and/or floor.

✓ Labourer - To detach the old suite, strip out old tiles as well as floor covering etc.

✓ Plasterer - To skim the ceiling or board out the walls before you tile or plaster.

✓ Joiner - To re-hinge doors or construct studwork. For instance, when including a new bathroom to a bedroom.

✓ Painter - To paint the newly skimmed ceiling with the help of anti mould bathroom.

✓ Electrician - To install underfloor heating, ceiling spotlights, an extractor fan or a shaver point.

✓ A builder - A general builder will be required if your new bathroom project requires any structural work to be carried out such as installing a new uPVC window, putting in an RSJ and lots more.

✓ A decorate - As the name suggests, the decorator can come in to make the bathroom look a lot more attractive and to finish the job.

And above all, to ensure proper coordination and success of the project, you’ll also need a person who’ll serve as the lynchpin in charge of the entire project.

You can install most cookers flush to the sides of your kitchen cabinets. However, it’s a good idea to leave a gap between them anyway so that your cooker can be serviced, cleaned and moved if necessary. The commonly recommended space is about 2.5mm on each side of your cooker.Some cookers need even more than this, otherwise they can damage your kitchen cabinets. If you’re not sure about what your electric range cooker needs, it’s best to ask your installer or get in touch with the manufacturer.

Kitchen floor tiles are a very popular choice for several reasons. They’re durable, visually appealing, resistant to moisture and stain and also relatively easy to maintain and install especially when compare to wall tiles. This is a task that can be done by any competent DIYer but requires a lot of patience as well as confidence. If you lack these attributes, then we’d recommend that you hire a professional floor tiler who can guarantee the best results the first time. In this article we’ll take you through the kitchen floor tiling process. Let’s get started!

• Prepare The Subfloor

✓ Ensure the subfloor is very secure to support both the tile and the people working across it.

✓ If necessary, you can strengthen the kitchen floor with the help of a vinyl, heavy felt or any other good backer board.

✓ After successfully securing the floor, proceed to clear out all dust and dirt.

• Mix The Mortar

✓ Mix a thinset mortar be referring to the instructions on the package. ( Mix only the quantity you can apply within 30 minutes).

✓ Once the mixture looks similar to the thickness of mayonnaise, allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before application.

• Apply The Mortar

✓ Apply a thin layer of mortar

✓ Do not cover extensive areas as the mortar can become very dry.

✓ Spread the mortar with a trowel in curved patterns to make it flat on the floor.

• Set The Tile

✓ Set down the tile slowly, apply a little pressure until its holds firmly to the surface. ( Apply a consistent amount of pressure throughout to ensure equal heights for all the tiles)

✓ Continue with the process until all full tiles are well positioned

• Cut The Tiles

✓ Once all the full tile pieces are in place, start cutting to cover the edges requiring smaller tile pieces.

✓ Take accurate measurements of the outer edges needing smaller tile pieces.

✓ Cut the tile pieces to fit the measurement taken with the help of a wet saw or hand tile cutter.

• Grouting

✓ Remove all spacers and mortar residues and lay the grout

✓ Apply the grout along the tiles’ seams with a grout float

✓ Clean out excess grout with a damp sponge after leaving it to dry for about 30 minutes

✓ Once the grout is fully dried, apply the sealer (the drying process normally takes within 3 to 4 days).