This blog is the result of over 20 years of working in building and renovations and a growing career in writing guides, columns and books.
Traditional ceiling roses are made of plaster, but you can now buy lightweight resin and plastic varieties. The lighter weight options do make their fitting much easier, but some people will still prefer the look and feel of a plaster rose. read more »
Modern coving is mostly made from plastic, polystyrene, or plaster. The techniques for measuring and cutting remain the same for all, but the type of adhesive you use will need to vary accordingly. I’ve chosen to use plaster coving in the sequence below. The trickiest thing about fitting coving is dealing with the corners. You may either cut your own mitre joins for corners or use corner pieces supplied by the manufacturer. Both options are shown below. read more »
You can tile directly onto concrete floors if they are sound, dry, and level, or you can use a self-levelling compound to improve the surface. Floorboards should be covered with 12-18mm ply to provide a sound, rigid surface for tiling. For more information on laying a suitable subfloor see the related posts at the bottom of this page. read more »
Most carpet tiles don’t require adhesive and are laid dry. You can use double-sided tape in the first row, but after that, unless the manufacturer specifies, lay them dry. Some tiles even have their own adhesive tabs to keep them in place. This laying system makes it very easy to repair any damage as you simply lift out a tile and replace it with a new one. Tiles can be laid on concrete or wooden floors as long as they are flat, sound, level, clean and dry. read more »
To achieve a good finish with vinyl tiles, they must be laid on as flat a surface as possible. Concrete floors can be tiled on direct as long as they are sound, level, clean and dry. The floor must contain an integral damp proof membrane (dpm) – standard in modern homes, but not always present in older properties. If you have floorboards, they must be covered with thin ply or flooring grade hardboard to provide a sound flat surface for applying the tiles. read more »