Local Traders News » Kitchen & Bathroom Installation/Design

Porcelain Drill Is Taking The Hard Work Out Of Drilling Tiles

Nick — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:00:43 +0000

Porcelain has presented many a tiler with drilling problems for years, due to its hard nature. Up until now the only feasible way to solve this problem was to use a TCT tipped cutter or elaborate water feed systems. However the expensive nature associated with these products has put many off tradesmen over the years. That is up until now however.

Toolpak have introduced their new force X diamond core drill. The drill is specifically designed to be used on porcelain and encompasses a mini diamond core tip and is electroplated. Demand for the new drill is high, with plumbers and tilers especially. The drills range between 6 to 40mm making them compatible with a variety of applications, and are ideal for cordless and corded drills alike.

These drills are available through most reputable tool high centres throughout the UK. They include a professional vacuum suction drill guide to help prevent skidding, and enable precision drilling. These drills are designed specifically to last which makes then excellent value for money when compared to substitute products that are less durable. It is worth noting however that the cutting edge should be kept wet at all times to optimise the durability of the diamond rim.

Last month a mini diamond porcelain tile drill set, which features a 115mm continuous rim turbo tile blade was introduced to the market place. The body of these drills has waste slots which enable efficient plumbing spoil and slug removal. It is recommended however that when drilling porcelain, you should always test on a spare tile first to save making a costly mistake on the job.

Home Improvements are not a Waste

Danny — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:12 +0000

Construction Excellence director of the waste project Paul Jennings has stated that Welsh homes are to be incorporated into the district’s waste management project. The ongoing commitment for creating a world class housing stock in Wales is sustaining its movement forward, at the same time; George Osborne is putting housing bodies under a lot of ongoing pressure, throughout England.

Energy efficiency is a major drive throughout Wales, with the Welsh government are announcing a £30 million scheme aimed at improving homes in the region. These are just a handful of projects created to hit the low carbon footprint targets and along with other similar projects, will meet Welsh Housing Quality Standards. Also throughout Wales, the (EST) Energy Saving Trust are well on the way to meeting their targets in teaching people the benefits and above all important values of wasting energy – or not wasting energy in this instance., and how a few simple instructions can make a great deal of difference to everyone.

This scheme is being backed by UK government schemes, like the (CESP), which is the Community Energy Saving Programme, and major energy providers such as British Gas, which are there to help home owners in social housing, to refurb their houses and flats. The above project is looking at a target of 200,000 homes, which are on the social housing register to refurbish by 2012. To give people an idea of the amount of waste within people’s homes, an average home kitchen that’s ripped out accounts for 65% of the waste of every house being refurbished. The majority of this is made up of timber, which only a small percentage qualifies for reuse or recycling.

The bathrooms only account for a small percentage of the waste, around 25-30%, with windows accounting for 7% but it all boils down to careful preparation and planning. Waste can be controlled and limited and the construction industry sector can save money in the process, which should be of particular interest to companies affected by the recession.

Bathroom Cartel Fined 622m Euros

Danny — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:00:08 +0000

A number of the UK’s leading bathroom equipment manufacturers have been fined by the European Commission for a shocking price fixing scam ranging across six European countries and over a period of twelve years. There are 17 companies in total including leading companies like Ideal Standard, Grohe, Durvait, Roca, Sanitec, and Villeroy & Boch. The fines total an astonishing £511 million or in Euros €622m, the largest of which went to Ideal Standard £268 million yet the European Commission have ordered the former owner of American Standard Group cover the fine who sold the kitchen and bathroom firm in 2007.

Deals included fixing price increases, minimum prices and rebates as well as exchanging sensitive business information. Although these giants of the bathroom world operate largely in the UK the fines were actually relating to deals “co-ordinating” sales prices in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy and Austria through 1992 to 2004.

The European Commission described the companies involved being in very serious infringements of the EU competition rules. The scandal arouse when Masco, the parent company of Hansgrohe, Huppe and Bristan, acted as the whistle blower for the price fixing cartel, which in turn meant they saw their fine removed and given full immunity. While Grohe and Ideal Standard had their fines further reduced due to their compliance and cooperation towards the EUs investigation.

The only company that is currently challenging the charges brought upon them is Villeroy & Bosch who are currently in the process of starting legal action for the proceedings to be terminated.

National Self Build & Renovation Seminars Held In Swindon This Weekend

Danny — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:00:17 +0000

During the 11th and 12th of July at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon there are dozens of seminars taking place aimed at home owners and trades men. They are all in aid of the making more space weekend and with so much happening their you will not want to miss it. whether your looking to develop your current home or build a new home from scratch.

Everything from extensions, loft conversions, basement conversions, property development and everything else will be covered with experts on hand to discuss any issues regarding planning permissions, local law, costs, expenses and regulations. The experts confirmed so far are architects: Opinder Liddar & Trevor Avery, design, planning, building regs specialist: Neil Davey and basement conversion expert: Mike Edwards & Sovereign Chemicals to name a few are ready to guide and advise you in any property matter you could possibly have. The event held in Swindon is going to give you all the information and insight you could neeed into anything property related. Along with all the on hand expert advice and information there will also be hundreds of exhibitors with features that you will not find anywhere else. From audio tours and hundreds of home design ideas to the trade village exhibitor area with over 200 stands.

This is the only place to be if you own your own home, are looking to develop property or just have a general interest in property development or trades. Tickets are available free onlne and it is advisable to book early to save disapointment.

Triton Showers Announce Competition

Danny — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:00:19 +0000

Triton Showers, one of the UK’s leading shower manufacturers, has set a nationwide competition called “Good Clean Fun” offering members of the public the chance to win a fantastic £1,000. All that the shower giant asks is that you make a video involving your family, and it doesn’t matter whether it is your Dad, Gran or even your pet dog; the messier the better and just upload it to tritongoodcleanfun.tv and you are in with the chance of winning the £1,000 jackpot or bagging yourself 1 of 5 Triton Showers available to the runners up.

Triton, a division of Norcros Group Holdings Limited, have in excess of 2 million shower products in UK homes and pride themselves in terms of installation, ease of use and performance. The competition is aimed at making Tritons online presence even bigger, each video can be seen on their social network page through Facebook, Twitter and also Youtube.

MD of Triton Showers Lorna Fellows said,

“As more people turn to the internet as a source of information and entertainment, Triton’s ‘Good Clean Fun’ viral campaign aims to engage with our customers, bathroom installers and building merchants on a new level. We hope to encourage people to break from their routine and simply have fun, without worrying if it means they get a bit messy.”

For more information on triton showers check out their website. The competition ends 31^st August 2010 and follows Triton’s Investment into the development of their new look website, following up from Triton’s Youtube page that provides training, information and step by step guides on “how to fit” showers.

Tile Giant Pilkington Calls In The Administrators

Danny — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:00:35 +0000

One of the leading tiling manufactures in the Manchester area has been forced to call in the administrators following appalling losses in the last financial year. Around 380 members of staff at Pilkington’s will find out soon if they will still be in a job after record losses totalling £2.9 million. Sales dropped by a massive 4% compared to the previous year and the down turn is being blamed on the general decline in the building and associated trades.

The company manufactures all types of tiles from marmoleum floors tiles to standard kitchen and bathroom tiles. Staffs at the main Manchester plant total 325 and a further 55 are spread over the country at sites in Dublin, Dorset and Tameside. Pilkington’s was bought out by a consortium in 2004 and the chief executive Ray Tarr has seen his staff sent home while the administrators KPMG Restructuring take control of the company.

Following the credit crunch the retail sector has been hit hard and recently released figures show that floor covering and furniture where among the worst performing sectors within retail. This highlights that people are holding fire before making big decisions on large purchases such as flooring, tiling, and general renovation work.

The government is working hard to try and increase national spending to kick start the economy but people are still fearful for the future. For the staff at Pilkington’s, the administrator’s decision will be crucial and many are expecting redundancies before the end of the week. Anybody interested in buying the business has been advised to contact the administrators.

Historical Church has Roof Repaired

Danny — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 08:00:15 +0000

A thirteenth century Monmouthshire church has re-opened to the public after 9 months of extensive repairs was completed on its aging roof. The re-opening is the culmination of three years worth of hard work from a group of local fund raisers who eventually raised £270,000 to get the roof repairs completed. The roof had been leaking on St Nicholas Church in Grosmont for a number of years and the historic churches spire had started to lean.

Roofers moved in to correct the correct the damage and the local church services continued across the street in the village hall. The disrepair the building was suffering from was not only confined to the roof, the floor of the historic structure was reconditioned and money was also raised to rebuild the drains and water runoff systems underneath the structure to prevent water entering the church in the future. Local plasterers were also able to complete plastering work to the internal walls to stop damp from setting in.

In an eagerly awaited ceremony conducted by the Rev Dr Jean Prosser MBE, the hard work of the renovation group was mentioned. He commented on how the community had really pulled together and paid special complements to one church goer who sold over 200 copies of a church literature magazine to raise over £1000. Other fund raising activities included wine tasting and musical events.

The restoration work has not yet been completed though as there are plans to fit a new kitchen to the church and install a new toilet which will be available for use by the community.

Kitchen Design and Changing Times

Danny — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:00:04 +0000

Kitchens in the 21^st century are moving away from the conformities of the 80’s and 90’s and going back to the old school. Gone are the days where everything had to match perfectly. 10 years ago many people would have not dared let their friends into their kitchen if the utilities and the tiles on the wall did not match in some strange, over the top, fluorescent colour. Those days have thankfully long gone and the new trend for kitchens is certainly the complete opposite from the styles of a few decades ago.

The colour palette has definitely not being used to its full extent in the modern kitchen. But should we call these kitchens modern at all? The lack of colour in the modern kitchen harks back to the days of function over flair. Extensive use of pale whites and subtle leave a simplistic but stunning look and the good news is these you can have an old school kitchen of your own without breaking the bank. Open shelving is in but be careful not to go over the top with this or the kitchen of your dreams could start to resemble a table at a local jumble sale if family members start to fill your beautiful shelving with a whole host of junk from unopened letters to odd socks and car keys.

These kitchens have an all over rougher look about them and a simple but effective way to get that rustic feeling is by installing painted wooden floorboards. They are one of the cheapest kitchen floors on the market and the practical uses are excellent. Factory lighting should add to the ambient feel and there is a wide variety on the market at reasonable prices

Fitting an Extractor Fan

Danny — Sun, 16 May 2010 00:13:49 +0000

This brief explanation will tell how to install an extractor fan to a wall, whilst always remembering where ever the fan is mounted, there will also be an element of electrical wiring to be done, so please bear in mind, a competent and professional electrician, will be required for this part.

Before any drilling etc, always be sure where you want the fan to be mounted. It’s probably best to have the area checked for any cables or pipes behind, before work commences, whilst remembering to check outside of the property behind where the fan is to be mounted, for any obstructions – soil pipes, drain pipes etc.

Checking with the manufacturer’s fitting guide, position the fan, and mark down the diameter and position. Drill a hole in the marked position, preferably using something solid and sturdy, like a hammer drill. A sharp standard normally masonry drill bit should do the trick. Now the inside wall is drilled, using this as a marker, mark the fan opening on the outside wall. It’s now time to drill a collection of holes usually using a guide of between 30 & 40mm intervals around the edge of the marked points. This is usually done using a standard 10mm drill bit.

Next, bring out the hammer and chisel, whilst always remembering to wear full protective gloves and safety goggles. Use a bolster chisel, take out the rest of the brickwork within the area drilled, to reveal the circle with the correct diameter, and take off any rough edges. To take the cable and conduit, it might be necessary to cut in some groves on the plasterboard. Usually best to use the hammer and small chisel to do this neatly and correctly. Please be aware that by doing this, it might be necessary to do a bit of redecoration afterwards, to tidy everything up.

Next, take the ducting supplied with the fan kit, and place into the hole. (Should usually sit flush either side of the wall), and making sure on the outside of the wall, the duct is sloping downwards. Tidying up around the work area is next, best to use sand and cement on the outside, whilst just using filler on the inside.

Next, refer to the manufacturers fitting instructions again, mark the fitting holes, and re position the fan. Usually, they have a slatted front cover grill, be aware to position these horizontally. The outside grill cover should be fitted with similar guidelines. Wall, Ceiling, or window fans can be switched on and off, using a pull cord, by a standard wall light switch, or by a switched fuse spur socket. Always be sure you a certain which one of these you want to use before work takes place, and again, always consult a qualified electrician to carry out this process of the installation.

Fixing Common Problems With Toilets

Sarah — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:00:03 +0000

If your toilet in your bathroom, en suite or WC develops a problem, it is usually fairly simple to carry out a repair with a bit of DIY plumbing. The following gives advice on a number of common problems associated with toilets, from floats to blockages, and the simple way to solve your loo problems.

How to completely replace the float

If water gets into the ball of the float inside the cistern of your toilet, it will need to be replaced as this prevents the float from working properly. To do this, the float needs to be unscrewed from the float arm, and usually a replacement can simply be screwed in its place. It is important to ensure that the water level in the cistern is not any more than 12mm below the height of the overflow pipe on either the cistern or the siphon overflow.

What to do if your toilet bowl doesn’t empty during flushing

Although a blockage can sometimes be to blame when your toilet doesn’t empty completely after flushing, it isn’t always the reason for water not draining away. There can often be a simple explanation that is usually easy to rectify.

Make sure the main water supply is completely switched on to ensure the correct volume and water pressure. There should usually be a tap or knob near the toilet which can be turned to allow more or less water to flow into the toilet pipes.

It’s also worth remembering that not all toilets are designed to empty the bowl completely so it isn’t necessararly a problem if some water remains in the toilet bowl after the flush has been depressed, for example low flush toilets that are designed to have lower water consumption.

Clearing a blockage

If your toilet does not clear away properly or is slow to drain, there could be a slight obstruction in the trapway – the S shaped passageway that joins the base of the toilet bowl to the stench pipe or waste pipe. Small blockages can usually be cleared using a plunger to exert several hard pushes at the base of the bowl. If you suspect a larger blockage, either s drain blaster can be used to send a high pressure burst of air into the pipe to clear the obstruction, or speak to a plumber or drainage specialist who can advise on unblocking your drain.