joidevie

Hi all.. I was hoping to find a (French) product to use to paint on areas of water damaged plaster (ceiling) to stop the plaster staining through. Each coat of paint simply allows the brown 'stain' to filter through.. I've tried some liquide d'achrochage (for tiling on, a rough equivalent to PVA) without success.. I've since been sold some "durcisseur de mur" which seems like a flaky wall hardener, but before I blow €17 by opening it and it not working, I thought I'd ask first, and exchange it if I've got it wrong! Many thanks for any tips..

Hi.. A quick check with anyone who is savvy.. Tomorrow we glue in some blocs for our kitchen worktops and the dishwasher sits next to the sink. The elecs are in place, but ideally we would like things a few cm's across to one side.. Question is, can the socket for the DW be located under a sink console? Many many thanks for any quick responses..!  

Thanks for the link..

Hi.. We've seen some lovely old, aged & worn timber planks and shutters that we may want to buy and re-use to make kitchen units. They have been stored in an open yard in the Aude 11.. What should I be doing to check for nasty bugs (read termites!) before taking them, and what else should I be aware of? Will infestation be blatantly obvious? Should I even bring them home before treating in any way? Sorry If I sound a little paranoid, but you cannot be too careful sometimes.. Many thanks..

Completing a number of gites could take a very long time of course..

Great, thanks everyone, some really useful stuff all 'round. The block paving sealant, might this be a similar thing to the SIKAGARD or ALTEA products stocked here at Merlin's? . Or a similar French equivalent to avoid all the hassle of shipping? Cheers again..

Many thanks for the links.. The beton ciré seems to be more of a 'colouring' layer rather than a 'clear varnish' type product? I guess I was looking for more of a transparent sealant to allow the natural aged staining to show through.. Or am I missing something? And the US 'densifier' is described as 'a green liquid'.. Is there something perhaps more like a matte (French product) concrete or tile sealant? Some of these look interesting.. Thanks again..

Hi everyone.. Has anyone any experience in treating / sealing stonework? We are looking to recycle some old concrete slabs (possibly old wash worktops - we found them in the barn which was used to store the resident plumbers spare parts) to create kitchen worktops. They seem semi porous and are nicely aged from merely standing around for a long time (some calcium and moss residues etc.) and we want to retain the very matte feel and seal in the colouration. Some equivalent to a matt varnish but perhaps more suited to concrete or tiles..? There seem to be many 'products' around from very glossy terracotta tile sealants (too glossy by far) to industrial concrete 'sealants' (by the likes of SIKA) to DIY deco products.. We're looking for something really subtle yet highly effective & durable.. Can anyone point us in the right direction? Any tips or suggestions would be highly appreciated! Many thanks..

Phew.. I thought there must be some method in the madness.. Nothing like doing it the hard way! Like you say, life is short, and maybe I'll do the sums on getting the ready to go packs, pricier as they may. Thanks for the specific detail..

Hi.. Re-plumbing time.. I'm looking to sort out the bathroom & kitchen now and am a little baffled on BRICODEPOT brass compression joints. Other (more expensive) bricos sell compression joints with the mm dimensions on the packaging.. (12mm, 14mm.... etc.). Bricodepot 12x17, 15x21 or 20x27... ?? Which is which? I'm basically looking for 12 & 14mm options..? Or is Bricodepot for the soldering aficionados only? Many thanks as ever..

I found this very useful.. Run through a translation program if you're stuck on language.. Hope this helps..

Perfect, thanks..

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]And a plaque de tare (weight plate). __________________ PTAC Maxi XXXkg Longeur    XX.Xm Largeur    XX.Xm L x l          XX.Xm2 __________________ Trailers with a PTAC of 500kg or less don't need to be registered in their own right. Note: Plaque de tare is not required for caravans [/quote] I'm in the process of sorting out a plaque (I have been blissfully driving 'round with an inherited wooden trailer not displaying a plaque!) The trailer is within the 500kg, but what do I fill in for: PV? PTRA? 1xL? S? Many thanks for any help..

I used the Zebo paste many years ago on an old fireplace, but found it a bit 'silvery' and 'shiny'..? The stuff I'm seeing feels more 'waxy', so perhaps some black 'cire ebiniste' may be it? Thanks..

Hi.. Not quite sure if this is the right section to post this, but I'll go ahead nonetheless! What is (or what can anyone recommend) the product/recipe used to 'blacken' old tools & iron objects? Things for sale in brocantes seem to have a 'black wax' type of finish.. Usually quite matte..? Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.. Thanks!

Cheers.. We'll have a look into this..

.. Many thanks.. Hot lime? Google threw up references to asphalt etc etc..? Any other suggestions? The more the better as we go out again soon and will want to begin some more tests.. Cheers.

Hi again.. More help needed if possible, and I've begun a new thread carrying on from the 'breathable plaster' thread. We've been patching up rooms in a 200 year old village house, stripping wallpaper etc etc. and have interior walls which we want to lime wash with pigmented.. There are as you'd expect a number of 'mixed' surfaces to cover (often on the same wall face ie where filler, plaster, lime render has been used on the same wall in different parts), and a couple of early coats here and there are revealing some 'staining', blotching' type issues.. See pic: [IMG]http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/azillio/limewash/limewash.jpg[/IMG] Is there any obvious 'breathable' sealer type mix/affordable product that we can try to minimise/eliminate these problems? I realise that the high alkaline content and reacts strongly with many materials.. I have read PVA type products don't react well to alkaline (?) and are not 'breathable'.. Though I have read suggested a coat of 'silicone resin emulsion paint' (equivalent product/brand in France?) could be an idea? Or a few 'eco' type shops have very expensive 'sou couches'.. Can anyone help with some ideas? Pachapapa?  Théière? Anyone else? Many thanks...

Poor you! We've done a fair bit of 'research' via a couple of 'eco' type specialist suppliers, and this "Predose" additive seems key, and stops any 'powdering'.. No problems with plaster falling off (yet), though this doesn't seem to be becoming an issue.. It's the patchy colouring and some staining through that is causing problems right now, however it is the first coat only so far.. Regards..

[quote user="WJT"]I have had all sorts of problems with badigeon, it is the one reason I chose two artisans because they used natural materials and I thought it would be beautiful. We ended up having to use paint and I am having to try take it off our large living room walls. In fact I can't get them to return my calls so not sure what to cover it with. Apparently you can't just paint over it, it must be sanded down and a special resin put on before applying paint. It is a nightmare and sadly I would never recommend these products. If only I had just gone with ordinary emulsion paint! [:(][/quote] What sort of problems were you having? Patchy drying/staining perhaps? Cheers..

Very interesting reading.. So might this be a compromise for skimming a 'breathable' coat to the previously 'damp' wall with a 3-5mm couche? Basically a little plaster added to some aerienne? Also interesting is how our badigeon (lime wash) is 'drying' once painted onto such a mixture of old surfaces - quite blotchy, plenty of staining through from previous applications/materials.. I'm hoping more coats will minimise this.. (Our badigeon is chaux, poudre de marbre and a dash of "Predose" which seems to be a protein type additive to give adherence & an almost 'pancake batter' like consistency..).. Cheers..

... I can add however, that I found the chalk/marble powder combination very hard to work.. Quite unpredictable, and sticks to some places better than others. A coat of dilute tile glue helps sometimes. Hard to get level if the surface is wavy, and I resorted to some plaster in some parts as we will lime wash anyway.. Let's call it a 'finition rustique'.. Well, that's my spin on it!

Great, many thanks indeed..

Is a "barbotine" a form of 'stuc' like what I've been struggling with? I've been toying with mixes of chaux arienne and poudre de marbre and finding it quite hard work? Thanks again..

Hi.. A while ago I posted a question about rendering a damp wall and received many helpful responses.. The wall is now rendered & dry (and staying dry and/or breathing happily) by using plain chalk and sand only. Very happy. It's now time to decorate, and we will be using lime wash (badigeon), but I want to smooth the wall a bit before applying the paint. My question is, is either plaster (Lutece 2000) or a placo join filler 'breathable'? Will I be undoing all the good work done using the chalk render? Problems on the horizon or should the wall remain happy? Many thanks for any insights on this..