Shrinkage cracking in concrete floors

Concrete begins in a plastic state and goes through a hardening process as the water content evaporates. As concrete has no tensile strength it is important to control the rate that it dries to avoid plastic shrinkage cracks in the surface of the concrete. Hot weather conditions can cause concrete to dry too quickly. Ponding or dampening the concrete to keep it moist will prevent it from losing moisture too fast and will minimise any cracking. Curing the concrete in this manner for a period of two weeks will generally be sufficient to prevent and major cracking in the surface. Re-inforcement mesh placed at the correct depth will also help control any cracking. internal corners can also be re-inforced by using re-entrant bars across the corner to prevent cracking.

Keeping clear laminated glasss showerscreens clean

Do you have problems keeping your clear laminated glass showerscreens clean? Soap scum, lime scale and etching are common problems and can make it very hard to keep the glass looking clean and in good condition. A good solution is a coating such as enduro shield or similar which will put a protective coating over the glass and make cleaning as simple as using a microfiber cloth with some mild detergent. A less expensive solution that is also quite effective is to polish the glass with car polish. The polish will also provide a film that will make the water bead and shed off the glass and will also prevent lime scale and soap scum build up.

Perth builders - Choosing the right one

So your looking to build a new home and are trying to decide on the right builder. Lots of people will tell you their horror stories and advise you against certain builders and often this creates a state of confusion that does not help you in any way. In addition to this there are so many builders and many of them are part of a group or a subsidiary of another company.

I can tell you from 20 years experience that choosing the right builder should not necessarily be determined by reputation alone. I have worked in the Perth building industry for a long time and have seen people in the industry move around from company to company and have seen the reputation of companies change through staff movements. One thing I have observed is that although a company with good management helps it does not guarantee a recipe for success for the consumer. Often a well run company can let a customer down simply because the supervisor dropped the ball and the customer liaison officer did not keep the client in the loop. No matter how good the system is, it is only as good as the people directly involved with the construction of your home. I can remember a customer I was dealing with in maintenance telling me how she would "never build with this company again as it was a nightmare and her supervisor was a joke and she hates the house and is selling it and building again with another company". I asked her who she was building with and she told me. I then asked her what area she was building in and she said the same area. I regretfully informed her that the supervisor she had told me was a joke was actually the new supervisor for the company she was building with. The lady thought I was joking at first. In this case the builder I was working for was a generally a good company with a good reputation but at the time the supervisor in the area was a weak link. The company I worked for dismissed the supervisor and he took up a job with a competitor (the company the customer had just signed up to build with)

So in a nutshell I would suggest that finding out who the supervisor is in the area you are building and how long he has been with the company is the most important information to ensure your new home wont be a disaster. Generally a supervisor that has been with a company for a while will have a regular trade base and therefore will achieve a good continuity and a consistent level of quality. So I would recommend choosing a builder that has been established for some time and ensure the supervisor is established in the company.

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Repairing drummy tiles and plaster by injection without removal

In some cases tiles or render that become hollow can be bonded back to the substrate without removing them. If you have the odd drummy tile or spot of drummy plaster you can re-bond it back to the substrate by injection of a low viscosity epoxy resin or acrylic emulsion such as bondcrete/hypobond. On ceramic tiles identifying wher...e the drummy spots are and then drilling through the grout in that location with a small masonry bit until you reach the substrate then use a syringe with the bonding agent and inject into the hole until it oozes back out. Sometimes multiple holes are required to achieve the desired result. if the floor has a cement screed then you must determine whether the drumming tiles are due to the tiles lifting from the adhesive or due to the screed debonding from the substrate. if the screed the tile are laid on is drummy then you must drill down through the screed until you hit the initial substrate and then inject the bonding agent. repairs of this nature are generally more effective on walls as gravity assists in ensuring the bonding agent finds where it needs to go. Success with screeded floors can be sometimes limited if the screed is poor quality and any repairs may be temporary and necessitate the removal of the whole floor to fix the screed. Repairing render is usually fairly simple providing the strength of the render is okay and you can simply drill around the perimeter of the drummy section along the top of it and inject the bonding agent. this can save thousands of dollars in remedial work.

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What is this green stuff all over my cream bricks

 

Do you have a cream brick with this type of staining?

This is called vanadium and it is a mineral deposit found in the lighter coloured clays. You can easily remove this unsightly staining with common household chemicals. For extreme cases... I would recommend a diluted solution of oxalic acid but for most cases products like liquid chlorine, bleach or mould killer will neutralise the stains and return the brick to its normal colour. Simply spray these products onto the dry brickwork and you will see the stains disappear before your eyes. Then once you are satisfied with the result just rinse the bricks off with a water.

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Buildwest Construction Consultants: Dark grout colours and discolouration:

Buildwest Construction Consultants: Dark grout colours and discolouration::  Modern trends have seen a lot of people choosing dark coloured grout. A lot of people regret this choice when they notice the nice dark...

Dark grout colours and discolouration:

 Modern trends have seen a lot of people choosing dark coloured grout. A lot of people regret this choice when they notice the nice dark grout they chose discolours. Grout is cement based with coloured oxides mixed in to create the desired colour. Like any cement based product efflorescence can leach from it and with dark coloured grout it will make your dark... grout look horrible. Efflorescence can occur early after tiling is complete if the tiler has laid the tiles on a substrate that is still damp or if the tiler grouts the tiles too soon after laying them and there is residual moisture from the adhesive. In this case efflorescence can be an ongoing issue until the residual moisture dries which could be months. The moisture draws the efflorescence out of the grout to the surface causing the white powdery discolouration of the grout. This is a building fault and can be remedied by application of a penetrating grout sealer to prevent the efflorescence drawing through or a resin based grout colourant can be applied to the grout. The more common type of efflorescence occurs from normal use of the bathroom and is not a building fault. Shower enclosures and areas that will get more moisture than others such as around the bath and outside the shower enclosure will be prone to this issue occurring as the water that occurs from normal use of the wet area draws the efflorescence from the grout. In this case a normal efflorescence cleaner can be used which is readily available in your local hardware store or tile shop. Once clean a penetrating sealer can be applied to the tiles and grout which will not only prevent the efflorescence but make cleaning of the tiles and grout easier.

 

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