For filling any gap, crack or dent the most important thing is to ensure that the opening is free of dust and debris and cleaned to remove grease that might stop the filler from sticking properly.  Use a brush and vacuum cleaner to thoroughly dust any hole that needs filling.

For smaller holes or crack simply push in some filler using a knife, scrape the surface of the filler flat, once the filler is dry you can sand down any untidy spots.

For deeper holes and craks you’ll need to prepare the surface more carefully.  Cut out any loose plaster with a craft knife until you reach sound plaster – you may have to make it worse before you make it better!  Try to cut out a wider channel at the deepest end of the crack – imagine the crack as a wide valley with the edges overhanging the bottom – this way the filler will have a better chance of sticking inside the crack.  Clean out any dust and debris.

Make sure your filler is worked to a smooth paste  add a little water (very little at a time) if it feels to dry and brittle. Take some filler onto the knife -  a little more than you think you’ll need and push it into the crack – smooth the knife down at the same time to work the filler right in – this should leave the surface quite smooth.  If the crack is too deep to be filled in one go, leave the filler to dry and then repeat the process – the filler will shrink as it dries anyway.

Once the filler is thoroughly dry you can smooth the surface back using a sanding block or paper – use a very fine grade of paper to give a smooth finish to paint over.  Before painting, always wash walls down with a cleaning and de-greasing solution like sugar soap – this will make sure that the paint goes on easily and smoothly, dries to the right colour and won’t react with any stains or chemicals left on the wall.

Kent Building Services has a team of truly expert painters and decorators able to tackle any of you decorating jobs.  Get in touch today. Kent Building Services – Builders of Distinction in Kent and the South East.

Some of the job of fitting locks can be tricky – the chisseling out has the potential to go very wrong and leave you needing a big repair as well as a new lock.  Don’t take a chance – let Kent Building Services take care of all your building and maintenance needs – call us on 0800 633 5929 and check out our website.

Preparation

Mark the centre point of the lock on the flat face of the door – hold the lock flat against the door and mark its top and bottom on the front and side of the door.  Measure the thickness of the lock and draw an equal sized rectangle on the side of the door – make sure it’s central.

Find a wood drill bit a little thicker than the lock and drill a series of holes from the top to the bottom of the rectangle you’ve marked – drill to the depth required to fit the lock into the door.  Take a sharp chisel and remove the waste from the aperture.  Go slowly and carefully always keeping the flat side of the chisel against the edge of the hole – don’t try and go too deep each time as you may cause splits.

Mounting the lock

Put the lock into the hole cut out and mark the area to be removed to fit the face plate.  Chisel out the face-plate area to the depth of the face-plate itself – so that it sits flush in the side of the door. Work against the grain first and then remove the waste.  Drill holes for the face-plate screw.

Next you’ll drill out the keyhole.  Feeling overwhelmed? Too tricky? Get kent Building Services! An expert will take care of all your carpentry and building jobs. Mark the position of the keyhole by holding the lock flat against the door again.  Use a drill bit a little larger than the keyhole to make a line of holes on this mark – use a padsaw to make the keyhole shape.  The holes will go right through the door – go gently towards the end of the drilling so that you don’t split the other side of the door face when the drill emerges.  Clear the waste from the keyhole. If the lock has a handle, use the same process to drill the hole for the handle.

Push the lock into the door and make sure it lines up properly with the keyhole before fixing in place.  Fix the keyhole covers, insert the handle if there is one and secure the face plate.

Get it done professionally – Kent Building Services – Builders of Distinction in Kent and the South East.

Removing the broken pane

You’ll need to pull all the glass fragments from the frame.  If the glass has been punctured rather than smashed you’ll probably need to lever out some of the pieces and may have to smash the window carefully to remove all of it.  When removing pieces from the top of the window, always have someone help you as the pieces may be heavy and will be very dangerous if they fall.

You’ll be replacing the putty so carefully, with a chisel or hacking knife, remove the old putty from the frame.  Embedded in the putty you’ll very likely find the retaining pins – use needle nosed pliers to remove these.  Keep removing putty until only the original wood frame remains – then clean dust, dirt and debris from the frame to ensure a good grip for the new putty.

Save yourself the trouble – get an expert: Kent Building Services can help with all your building, maintenance and renovation problems – get in touch today.

Fitting the new pane

Measure the area of glass required, take away 4mm from the length and height to allow space for the putty.  Your local glass shop will be able to cut a pane to size for you – take a sample of the original glass with you so the glazier can supply you with glass of the correct thickness too.  At the glass shop you’ll also be able to buy the putty and retaining pins – ask the glazier for the right kinds.

The putty will need working to soften it – you may need to add a little linseed oil to get the correct consitency – putty is tricky to remove from your hands – don’t spill it on anything!! Putty that is too oily should be squeezed in newspaper to remove the excess.

Feed a thin ribbon of putty into the frame, pushing it in firmly with your fingers.  Put yoour new pane into the frame and apply a gentle pressure to the pane so that it bonds slightly with the putty – not too hard or it’ll crack!

Tap the retaining pins in evenly spaced around the pane – keep the hammer sliding against the glass to reduce the chance of accidently hitting it and breaking it.  Tap the pins down until the won’t be visible through the window.

Put another ribbon of putty around the edge of the pane and, with a moistened knife, smooth the putty into a wedge shape all the way around – this is the most difficult step – why not get an expert – contact Kent Building Services for expert assistance.

Remove excess putty and clean up any putty from the glass with a ball of newspaper – the putty will need a few weeks to dry out thoroughly and should be painted or treated to prolong its life.

For all your building, carpentry, maintenance and renovation needs get Kent Building Services – Builders of Distinction in Kent and the South East.

Curing an airlock is a case of brute force – push the air back out with water.

Connect the affected tap by a length of hose to another tap connected to the mains supply – airlocks often occur in the bathroom – above the kitchen – so a hose between the bath and kitchen sink is perfect.  But I’ll bet you’ve not got a hose that long available – don’t panic – contact Kent Building Services and we’ll come to your rescue!

If you have a suitable pipe attached to both blocked and working taps, turn both on – the pressure of the mains water will push the airlock out – it may take a few minutes to work and you may need to repeat the process to get all the air out.  After a couple of minutes, turn the airlocked tap off first, then the mains tap, then don’t forget to drain the hose into the lowest part before removing it from the highest pipe.

If you’re still airlocked – you need a professional – contact Kent Building Services – Builders of Distinction in Kent and the South East.

Be extra safe – Kent Building Services can check and fix your plumbing for you – call us today on 0800 633 5929

Water pipes are damaged when the water in them freezes – solid water takes up more space than liquid – so the ice bursts the pipe – unfortunately you might not find out until it’s too late.

What to do if you discover a frozen pipe

Firstly, check the section of frozen pipe for splits or damage – if you find any you’ll need the section of pipe repaired or replaced – contact Kent Building Services for help – so you should turn off the water supply to that pipe straightaway.

If no damage is evident, turn on the tap that the pipe feeds enough to let the water flow once the frozen blockage is removed.  The next job is to thaw the frozen blockage.  Being careful to ensure that any electrical appliance will not get wet, you can use a hairdryer or blowtorch to thaw the blockage – remember not to use too much heat on plastic pipes as they will melt and result in an even bigger problem.  If you are using a blowtorch, heat the pipe slowly and gently – indirect heat is probably best and be careful as solder joints between pipe sections could also be melted by too much heat.

If you are not able to locate the blockage start thawing the pipe from the end closest to the tap and work backwards.  You’ll know when you’ve found it when the water starts to flow!

For any winter plumbing problems – or for all your plumbing needs, including fitting kitchens, bathrooms and central heating systems - contact Kent Building Services – Builders of Distinction in Kent and the South East.