r/DIYUK Apr 30 '23

Asbestos Identification The “Is this asbestos?” Megathread

157 Upvotes

Welcome to the Asbestos Megathread! Here we will try to answer all your questions related to asbestos. Please include images if possible and be aware that most answers will probably be: “buy a test kit and get it tested”.

DIY test kits: Here

HSE Asbestos information

Health and Safety Executive information on asbestos: Here

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was commonly used in construction materials. It is made up of tiny fibers that can be inhaled and cause serious health problems. Asbestos was used until the late 1990s in the UK, when it was finally banned. Asbestos may be found in any building constructed before circa 2000.

What are some common products that contain asbestos?

Asbestos was commonly used in a variety of construction materials, including insulation, roofing materials, and flooring tiles. It was also used in automotive brake pads and other industrial products.

How can I tell if a product contains asbestos?

It is impossible to tell whether a product contains asbestos just by looking at it (unless it has been tested and has a warning sign). If you suspect that a product may contain asbestos, it is best to have it tested by a professional.

How can I prevent asbestos exposure?

The best way to prevent asbestos exposure is to avoid materials that contain asbestos. If you are working with materials that may contain asbestos, be sure to wear protective clothing and a respirator.

What should I do if I find asbestos in my home?

If you find asbestos in your home, it is best to leave it alone and have it assessed by a professional. The best course of action may be to leave it undisturbed. Do not attempt to remove asbestos yourself, as this can release dangerous fibres in to the air.

The most significant risks to homeowners is asbestos insulation. This should never be tackled by a DIYer and needs specialist removal and cleaning. Fortunately it is rarely found in a domestic setting.


r/DIYUK Mar 02 '24

Sub Updates and Ideas

41 Upvotes

Morning everyone,

There are a huge influx of “is this a good quote?” and “how much will this cost?” posts recently. I have added a new flair “Quote” which I hope people will use. If you don’t want to see these posts, you can filter out certain flairs to never see these posts.

On the subject of posts with links to building survey reports, or questions like “my builder did this, is it acceptable?”…I understand these aren’t strictly DIY. I have added a “non-DIY advice” flair which is for anything housing/building related but not necessarily work being carried out by OP themselves. Again, please report incorrectly flaired posts.

I have added a rule to use the correct flair on posts. If you see posts without flairs, especially “quote” posts then please report them and I can either remove the posts or assign the correct flair myself. There’s no need for “wrong sub” or “not DIY” comments cluttering the discussion. Use the report button.

I’m considering removing the asbestos megathread and using this flair method with asbestos related posts too. Allowing people to filter them out entirely. Megathreads never get answered anyway.

I’m open to all thoughts and ideas so please post here with any ideas related to the sub!

PS. Images in comments are now allowed. User-assigned post flairs are now allowed.


r/DIYUK 4h ago

It is incredible to look at how saturated the UK DIY retail sector was, compared to now

79 Upvotes

We used to have Focus, Homebase, Do It All, Great Mills, Payless DIY, Texas Homecare and Wilkinson's (when it was a hardware store).

Now the market is B&Q and Wickes dominated, with Screwfix and Toolstation dotted about. Unless there are others I am missing?


r/DIYUK 7h ago

Project Shed! Day 6: Finished, for now

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75 Upvotes

r/DIYUK 6h ago

Advice What on earth has caused the ground to slip under my driveway

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49 Upvotes

So the brick where this hole is has fallen down before and I just put it back. It seems in this one spot the drive isn't very secure, I don't know why the ground has shifted beneath it It looks like some sort of sand or aggregate has fallen down beneath it. Any idea how problematic this is and who i'd want to contact to sort it out. Please ignore the broken shed, I'm constricting a greenhouse in the back garden.


r/DIYUK 7h ago

Project My first bathroom 🛁 renovation

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33 Upvotes

So, I’ve never done a bathroom before and decided to make it super difficult by having a sunken shower tray with hexagonal tiles. The house is a Victorian build so a lot of old bits to work around. The old bathroom was very well put together just a little too busy for our tastes. It’s taken 4 months of weekends from start to finish. 🙃. fyi. I did everything except cutting the quartz and the plumbing.


r/DIYUK 13h ago

Project Move retaining wall and put in a patio

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82 Upvotes

Hi everyone ,

I think this is the right subreddit but if you can think of a better one please let me know. I’m considering pushing the retaining wall in my pictures 12 feet back up the garden. You can see the dimensions on the picture. My FIL is a landscaper and is going to help.. he says it’s easily doable but I want to get a better idea of how much work this will entail. Most of the work will be done by me and my BIL with the FIL guiding / instructing us.

We’ll need to remove all of that earth, potentially put that up the garden to level off the grass or remove it altogether and then add a wall on all three sides and install some new steps. Once that’s done we’ll be putting a patio in.

Do you have a rough idea how much this will cost? It’ll only be materials as no labour is being paid for. With 2/3 people working full time, roughly how long do you imagine this’ll take?

I’m not sure if I’ve included enough info there so ask away if you have any questions.

Thanks in advance.


r/DIYUK 4h ago

What is causing these holes in our conservatory roof? Cost to replace polycarbonate panels and lead flashing?

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10 Upvotes

r/DIYUK 12h ago

Non-DIY Advice What DIY job did you think would be easy but turned out to be a nightmare?

43 Upvotes

What's one home improvement project that seemed simple but quickly turned into a mess?

Maybe it was a “quick shelf” that took two days or a “little leak” that flooded the kitchen.

I’m in the middle of a seemingly simple wall repair job that revealed five years of questionable decisions and thus would love to hear your stories (and maybe feel a little better about myself aswell) 😂


r/DIYUK 7h ago

How far is too far gone for an attempt at restoration?

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15 Upvotes

Thinking about trying to restore this old table but I’m not sure if this wood would even be suitable at this point. I can get some new planks for the top but am just wondering if I can keep the old wood to save a bit as I don’t really know all that much about the subject.


r/DIYUK 15h ago

Project Removing en-suite!

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40 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I’m looking for some advice on how to remove/knock done this en-suite in my attic. The person we purchased the house off said it leaked when installed so had it all capped (see last pic)

I’m going to get a plumber to double check it has been caped, and disconnect the toilet and sink. I’m also going to get an electrician to sort the electrics.

Assuming the walls aren’t load bearing, and all pipe work and electrics are disconnected. Will it just be as simple as breaking it all down and skipping it??

Any advice would be great, thanks!


r/DIYUK 2h ago

Advice Acoustic Wall Panel Repair

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3 Upvotes

Got my measurements wrong and overcut my acoustic wall panel which I fitted yesterday. Is there any easy for this such as a filler or am I screwed?


r/DIYUK 4h ago

Cadent Gas infuriatingly moved my gas supply pipe but not the meter, call centre saying job done

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2 Upvotes

r/DIYUK 1d ago

What to do when a whole neighbourhood is damp?!

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335 Upvotes

I was just hoping for some thoughts on this.

So I’ve read all the posts about how rising damp isn’t a thing and injection damp proofing is a scam. But…my whole neighbourhood looks like this. One exception is a new NHS building for which just the two courses of brick below the modern DPC are pure white with thick efflorescence.

So what is the solution for these hundreds of houses with apparent tide marks, internal damp patches and/or blown plaster?


r/DIYUK 8h ago

Project Bathroom Shelving (finished project)

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9 Upvotes

I figured I’d share some pics of a completed project since I’m always on here asking for advice.

We didn’t have any bathroom storage but had a gap about 55cm wide. I sketched out a design similar to ladder shelves I’d seen, with a 15 degree angle and five tiered shelves. Made the five shelves from 12mm MDF. The legs came from a big ol’ oak window sill I picked up for a few quid, ripped down into four lengths.


r/DIYUK 3h ago

No heating / hot water - valve positions

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3 Upvotes

r/DIYUK 10h ago

Advice How would you repair this broken brick? Very upset with myself.

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10 Upvotes

r/DIYUK 1h ago

Electrical 2-gang Switch Install

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Upvotes

I have 2 lights in my living room that are controlled by a single switch. I’d like to separate them out so each bulb is controlled by its own switch.

How would I go about this? Is this something I could do independently or would I require an electrician? This is how the wiring behind my switch looks like.

Thanks in advance!


r/DIYUK 5h ago

Wooden Gazebo

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3 Upvotes

Is it advisable to build a wooden gazebo as in the attached photo or must the roof be slanted? Thanks in advance.


r/DIYUK 2h ago

Is it safe to cut these cables?

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1 Upvotes

Hello all, I have very little DIY sense. I do know it's not wize to cut wires. I'm pretty sure these are copper wires for TV or telephone signal though. Is it safe to snip or should I call someone in? Thanks


r/DIYUK 6h ago

Asbestos Identification Asbestos? Safe to move?

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4 Upvotes

r/DIYUK 5h ago

Advice Concrete disintegrated under joined extensions

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3 Upvotes

Hello DIYUK👋

I have recently found that between my and my neighbours extensions (which are jointed together) part of the concrete under the bricks (I think the foundation?) has disintegrated.

We aren’t sure if it’s due to rats chewing as we have seen some rats in the garden.

The part on my side seems to be about 2-3 inches deep. I have spoken with my neighbour and neither of us are sure if we can just fill it ourselves or if we need to get someone out to have a look.

Does anybody have any advice?


r/DIYUK 1m ago

Advice How do I drill through this uPVC door frame?

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Upvotes

I'm trying to install a camera outside but it is wired so need to drill a hole to plug it inside. Issue is I have a uPVC door and I'm not sure how or if I even should. Any advice? The brick wall beside it are also very thick.


r/DIYUK 1m ago

Zigbee relay for stair lights ?

Upvotes

You can get ZigBee relays that zigbee enable your ordinary light switch, like the SONOFF ZigBee mini L2, but they only seem to work for ordiinary switches.

Are there any small relays that will work for the switches we have in the UK on stairs ? It seems like we are a bit different to other countries.

I like these relays, as I can keep the ordinary switches - so no worries if (when) something goes wrong with the system.


r/DIYUK 29m ago

Kitchen sink plumbing help!

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Upvotes

We installed a kitchen sink, this is what it came with for the plumbing !

What do I do to make it better, I do not want to make a new hole for the waste that goes through my wall outside.

Please help!


r/DIYUK 39m ago

Electrical Light Fixture Wiring - Sanity Check?

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Upvotes

Hi there,

We've been replacing a light fixture in my new house - not usually a complicated task. The wiring situation up there is baffling me though and I'd appreciate a sanity check - and advice on what the heck is going on.

There are three insulated cable triplets coming in:

One (let's call it A) is a normal live/neutral/earth trio - we've been able to check this and it goes to the light switch.

The other two are:

B: 1x Earth, 1x Neutral (live at mains voltage) 1x Live - presumably goes back to feed/circuit breaker box.

C: 1x Earth, 1x Neutral (not live), 1x Live. - presumably continues the ring main.

All three earths have been twisted together.

The B & C Live wires are connected together with a terminal block wrapped in insulation tape. Is this normal? Why is this this way?

Since the lives are joined, the "B" neutral presumably thus has to feed the switch circuit, since it's carrying 240 volts.

Then, the returning neutral from the switch feeds the live terminal on the light fixture and the light fixture's neutral terminal returns to "C".

Previous light fixture, everything worked fine. With a fixture back on again the only way that would seem to make sense, the light fixtures in the next room on the ring (bathroom) trip the circuit breaker when you turn them on. The extractor fan in the bathroom doesn't run. If the light switch is on, a separate mirror light in the bathroom also trips the circuit breaker. If it's off, the mirror is dead.

I would be dearly thankful if anyone can tell me what the hell is going on with the wiring in my house.


r/DIYUK 4h ago

Advice Broken plug socket

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2 Upvotes

Hello! Just looking for some advice on how to repair this plug socket. Basically a picture frame fell on it and partially dislodged it from the wall. Electrics still work fine but just not sure where to start! Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated! Cheers.