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.
Historical Church has Roof Repaired
Screeding With FlexiDry
FlexiDry is a highly advanced fast drying floor screed which can be used on a number of different types of flooring. Sand and cement screeds are more commonly used both in plastering and wall and floor tiling. Screed mix consists of cement, water, aggregate and sand mix which has a chemical reaction causing the mixture to harden.
The concentration of FlexiDry in the mix water will dictate the rate at which hydration and drying will accelerate. The ratio mixture for the reaction to have effect is one part water to four parts cement, if the ratio is done incorrectly then the mixture will not set properly and be weak this can lead to the mixture shrinking.
Plasterer Starts Own Plastering Training School
A plasterer who has been working in the industry for 10 years has started up his own training school in order to help more people get into the trade to help boost the profession.
27 year old Daniel Stewart from Pendle, Lancashire, is currently a self employed plasterer who does plastering work in the local area. He started his plastering training school, which he has called ‘Art of Plastering’, to enable local people to learn the skills involved in plastering by enrolling on 5 day courses in plastering which aim to equip students with the basic skills required to carry out plastering work.
If you were to take the course, you would cover important information such as health and safety, tools and materials and surface preparation, as well as learning practical application and methods such as cutting and fixing plasterboard to fit to walls and ceilings, otherwise referred to as dry lining, and how to achieve a smooth finish to your plastering.
Young Plasterer Wins Bangor College Apprentice of the Year Award
Bangor College has awarded Phil Foulkes, a twenty-three year old plasterer from Llanberis, with the Apprentice of the Year award. He came top out of 200 students at Colleg Menai, however left the college last year after completing the final year of his course.
His tutor at the time, Mike Gashe, commended Phil on his achievement, saying,
“He has proved that you can go forward and has done well for himself.”
Foulkes left school without having achieved any qualifications, however he admits that he wasn’t interested in school. Enrolling on the course at Colleg Menai gave him an opportunity to learn something new and learn the skill of plastering, which he both enjoys and is good at.
After finishing his three year course, Phil went on to start his own plastering business, however he is not the only tradesperson in his family. Phil has 6 brothers and sisters, of whom 2 are joiners and another is a fellow plasterer.
The Apprentice of the Year award isn’t the first that the young plasterer has been awarded. He previously won the National Skillbuild Championship gold medal, which had he not now been too old to enter, Phil would have automatically been eligible for a place in the world plastering championships.
Decor Disasters – Getting Rid Of Artex From Ceilings Or Walls
Everybody has their own personal views on artex; some people love it some hate it. Whatever your view on artex if you want to remove it then you may have your work cut out. Artex is a wall coating that is hardened and can be sculpted into various patterns and textures. It used to be strengthened by asbestos being added to it which can make it dangerous if not disposed of properly.