Let Me Build It!

Having a Compound Mitre Saw just makes life easy when you’re cutting wood for frame works or cutting skirting boards. You can use a hand saw and mitre block if you’re only cutting a few lengths, but this soon becomes tiresome and sore on your hands if you have a big job to do.

This is where a Compound Mitre Saw comes in handy as you can just push your piece of wood against the back board and pull down the saw blade at the set angle of your choice, making the process a 10 second job.

Screwfix are currently running a offer on the DeWalt DW713-GB at a very low price of £149.00 inc vat on their website, they usually have it listed at £299.967 so there truly is a big saving to be had here, as other online retailers are still selling the DeWalt DW713-GB at £299.99

The DW713-GB has a 1600w motor and features a 250mm circular blade with a 30mm bore.
This DeWalt Mitre Saw some with a Die-Cast Aluminium Base so is very strong and is ideally made to be bolted down to a work bench.

The Dewalt Compound Saw that Screwfix have listed is the 240v model, which means it will plug straight into to a UK 3 pin power socket, but DeWalt do produce a 110v version which will need a 110v transformer box, these 110v models of the saw are traditionally use on a building site where a 240v supply hasn’t yet been installed.

Here at Letmebuild.co.uk we have recently mentioned how good DeWalt products are, so this great deal shouldn’t be missed.

DeWalt Box

When you’re in a trade you quickly learn to recognise key colours for certain manufactures’ such as for power tools you associate yellow with DeWalt and if you’re looking at pressure washers you instantly think of Karcher and their famous yellow casings. So when it came to chainsaws i was thinking orange and Stihl, all the names mentioned are trusted and used within the trades and are even more reliable for general home use.

Stihl do a great range of power tools from grass strimmers, bush cutters, cut-off saws and chainsaws. There Orange casing makes there tool range instantly recognisable as one of their products and shouting quality out to people.

The Stihl MS181 petrol Chainsaw is a great all round saw.
Ideal for pruning of branches on trees, sawing logs for your wood burning stove, the felling of small to medium sized trees, although you should only fell trees if you know what you know what you’re doing.
The Stihl MS181 has a 31.8cc 2 stroke engine producing 2BHP power and has a pull start recoil system. The bar length will either be 12”, 14” or 16”.

Online prices vary from £235 with a 14” bar to £190 with a 16” bar so shopping around for 30 minutes will definitely save you around £50

Stihl Chainsaw

One can install underfloor heating systems in different places of the home. In fact, underfloor heating is readily available in tile, laminate, carpet, wood, concrete and under stone forms.

Since a large number of people do not like walking over the cold flooring during the chilly days, underfloor heating can prove to be the best and most popular option available. Also, the expense to install this underfloor heating system has reduced thereby making it a really viable choice for more home owners and construction projects.

There are few things that are more appealing than having relaxing and warm heat coming all the way from beneath one’s feet when it is cold outside. Any person living in a hot environment will not wish to have electrical underfloor heating in the homes for reasons of safety. For this, some of the most effective places to get the underfloor heating system installed will be the bathroom and kitchen. These are some of the spaces that are most likely to possess tile, concrete or stone floors which will utilise the advantages of underfloor heating in most efficient manner.

Almost any area of the home can accommodate underfloor heating systems and with the flexible construction and pipes possibilities, the homeowners can really take pleasure in the warm heat coming from their ground without having to worry about the dining room, bathroom or kitchen layout. Some of these underfloor heat systems are very sensitive to a room as well as floor temperature thereby adjusting automatically as per the external temperature changes of the room.

A noted benefit offered by underfloor heating is the silence. Unlike the more traditional heating methods, there is actually not any irritating noise coming all the way from the heating system’s motor or radiators while they heat up, producing warm heat for the users. So, spend a relaxing day with friends and family using the underfloor heating system installed in your home to enjoy even the coldest of days.

Under Floor Heating

African thatched gazebos are a great way to perk up any garden space. They are of great quality being made from materials like African reed used in the thatch. This reed provides adequate protection from harsh weather conditions. This thatch is hand-crafted with the reed.

Cape reed thatch can last for a period of up to 20 years and gives its users long-lasting beauty. You are not doing any kind of harm to the environment by purchasing such a thatch because the reed is a renewable source which means it can be grown again.

African thatch gazebos have the qualities of being completely UV proof and 98% waterproof. They are available in all the shapes of oval, square/rectangle, round and umbrella shaped. Garden gazebos are also made available with DIY instructional manuals which also contain pictures of such gazebos. These do it yourself instructions completely guide you on how to build up a gazebo.

You can also buy African thatches as a completely prepared unit which can be installed by a professional team from a gazebo company. The design of such gazebos is taken from African huts. These gazebos can be used as patio gazebos or as garden gazebos. They protect you from heat better than other materials be it canvas, tin or clay.

What is so distinctive about these gazebos is that they have a certain African charm to them. They offer an excellent refreshing African aura, enough to enhance the purpose of any kind of a recreational area. In fact, they look astounding in any outdoor area.  You can go for the option of freestanding gazebos or completely enclosed ones. The enclosed ones are partially covered for privacy if you are bathing in a spa or a hot tub.

Laminate Flooring Installation Instructions
The following guidelines are for general use when installing laminate or wood flooring as a home improvement, always check the manufacturers information and installation details before any work commences or it may lead to the invalidation of any guarantees of you laminate floor

Make Sure the Floor is Even
Before laying your laminate flooring you will need to prepare the surface you are working on, it must be clean, dry and flat before any laminate flooring is laid.

Laying laminate flooring over Concrete Floors
When installing laminate flooring over concrete floors you must always use a polyethylene film as a vapour barrier, lay the film with at least 200mm overlaps at the seams.

The next stage is to layout the underlay foam, this makes the floor more comfortable to walk on and substantially reduce impact noise. it can be laid in the same direction as the boards or at right angles if you prefer with the edges butted together with no overlap and make sure to leave a 5 – 10mm gap around the edge of the room.

The foam underlay can be trimmed easily with a sharp craft or ‘Stanley’ knife

Before You Lay your Laminate Flooring
Purchase your laminate flooring at least 48 hours prior to laying and place the packs in the middle of the room in which you intend to lay it so that the planks can acclimatise to humidity and temperature of the room and allow at least 5% extra on the total room area for cutting shaping and any waste

Lay the boards out on the floor without gluing them to get an idea of the layout and fit. The longest dimension of the planks should run parallel with the longest dimension of the room. Starting from the longest, straightest wall in the room helps you to get a good straight line to carry across the whole room.

Each row of planks should be staggered by at least eight inches to the row preceding it. The installation can be finished off with skirting boards or quadrant molding to hide the gaps and allow the flooring to move if necessary.

Cutting your laminate flooring
Make sure all cutting tools are sharp before commencing any work, cut the laminate flooring face up if using a Hand Saw or Circular Saw and face down if using a Jig Saw. Use a cardboard templates to mark out awkward shapes or around pipes.

Tools Required
Installation kits are available from the laminate flooring suppliers and these vary in their content but tend to contain a Tapping Block, spacers and Pull-bar, you will also need:-

Stanley knife or craft knife
A tape measure
Hammer
Cross-cut Hand-Saw or Jigsaw
Drill and Hole-cutter (for fitting round pipes)
T-square
Pencil
Mitre block (for cutting skirting boards or beading)
Glue
Panel pins

For more information on laminate flooring and details of your nearest stockist Click Here

Kitchens are at the heart of the modern homes yet there are so many essential items and appliances that need to be located in the kitchen.

If you are happy with the position of storage sink and appliances within your kitchen then you could just revamp which is more cost-effective than a full replacement of all the kitchen units, wall cupboards, sink unit and kitchen appliances

You can give your kitchen a new and fresh look by replacing work tops, replace kitchen unit doors and cupboard handle, re-painting or re-papering walls, fix tile or replace existing splash-backs and install new kitchen appliances

If you do plan to install a brand new kitchen just think about it before you decide to do it yourself because of the plumbing and electrics what are involved as well as just having to assemble the cupboards, its one thing being able to use a battery drill to fasten the units and work tops together but plumbing and electrical work does require a professional person and trying to get someone to come and finish off your half started work is a lot harder than getting a tradesman to come in the first place

When you are thinking of redesigning your existing kitchen or fitting a brand new kitchen it’s always advisable to shop around and get at least three quotations as the cost of the kitchen design and installation of all the kitchen units, work tops and kitchen appliances can vary so much

The most important part of Kitchen Design is the planning, a visit to your local kitchen showroom will give you ideas on what is available either on display in the showroom or choose an ideal layout from a kitchen brochure.

Take your measurements with you
Draw the shape of your existing kitchen on a piece of paper including any windows, doors or radiators which may cause an obstruction and ask your local kitchen showroom to design it for you, they may also give you ideas what you had not thought of making your kitchen design unique

Kitchen Units
You can choose from a wide choice of colours, styles and finishes of kitchen units, doors and cupboard handles

Worktops
Choose the perfect work top for your kitchen with a wide choice of laminate wood, granite and colour decors all available in a variety of edge profiles either curved, rounded or a square edge styles using natural products like marble or granite and man-made materials such as high quality laminate or corian

Appliances
kitchen appliances such as built in ovens, hobs, integrated fridge and freezer, sinks, taps and many other things to compliment your new kitchen

The Stihl TS400 14″ Portable Petrol saw is an indispensable tool for the rapid cutting of all block paving gardening or landscaping products, with a cutting wheel diameter of 14″/35cm it will cut through steel, concrete or rock to a maximum cutting depth of 100mm. The Stihl TS400 is compact and lightweight at only 8.9kg making it suitable for all civil engineering, building or road construction and even the emergency rescue services.

Features of The Stihl TS400

2 stroke 64cc engine
Decompression valve for easy starting
built in water dust suppression
Power output 4.4kW
Weight 8.9Kg

For the ultimate in a cutting saw when laying block paving, there is no better manufacturer than Stihl for making power tools that are not only of great build quality but easy to use and handle too. This Stihl TS760 has the same size cutting blade as the Partner K700 at 14″, with the same cutting depth of 125mm, but has a 6.5hp petrol engine.

Not only will the Stihl TS760 cut block paving it can also be used to cut steel, concrete, asphalt, rock and other materials. It’s filtration system is efficient at ensuring that the engine receives the same fuel to air ratio at all times, even when the filter becomes dirty the Stihl maintains the great performance. The Stihl has all the added features that you would expect from this quality power tool manufacturer and it has an electronic ignition and an anti vibration system. It’s well worth the extra money for the Stihl brand.

When laying block paving, it makes the job all the easier if you have a good disc cutting saw. For the best performance and power get one with a 2 stroke engine. The Partner K700 Active III is a good choice and retailing out at around £500, for a builder is a worthwhile investment. If you are going to lay your block paving yourself we would recommend hiring one.

The Partner K700 Active III is very durable and reliable and incorporates the Active Air Filtration system which makes it efficient, increasing the filter life up to 5 times. The filtration system also helps it keep going for long periods of time without needing servicing. It’s design has made it a favourite piece of equipment in the trade and for contractors and hire companies alike.

It has a 2 stroke air cooled engine, giving 4.8hp, and it’s fuel tank, which has a fuel indicator will hold up to 0.70 litres. The general weight of the Partner K700 Active III is 9.3kg which is without the fuel or the blade. The blade size is 14� or 350mm and will cut to a depth of 5� or 125mm. We would recommend investing in a diamond edge cutting blade for quality and durability. The blade is all protected with the easily adjustable blade guard. The great part about the Partner K700 is the Easy Start function which makes it a quick task to get this saw going.