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In recent times, when about to purchase or renovate a building that was constructed before the 1980’s, most homeowners will be particular about knowing whether or not asbestos containing materials are present. Also when a property is being checked, a lot of individuals would want to know the peak years for asbestos to be used in homes.

Modern asbestos production started in the 1800s during the time of industrial revolution, but after some regulation were made to ban some asbestos products and uses in the late 1970’s, the production witnessed a significant drop. The United States was the foremost users of asbestos according to the USGS but this lasted until the 1960’s when it was overtaken by the Soviet Union. In this article, we’ll look at the years of use for asbestos containing materials like pipe insulation, vermiculite as well as wall systems.

✓ Insulation. Asbestos insulation was commonly used in homes with lots of focus on both piping and ductwork. This was started in the year 1908 but was ended between 1915 and 1920 by Air-Cell pipe insulation.

✓ Vermiculite. This refers to a mineral that’s popular for its insulating properties and mostly used as insulation for attics. It possesses a gold to brown kind of appearance and it’s also a pebble material that shimmers in the light. According to the EPA, if this material is suspected in a home it should be assumed to contain asbestos.

✓ Wall Systems. Plaster and drywall are very common wall types that are asbestos containing. And until asbestos was banned both wall systems are said to have asbestos. For example the drywall sheets as well as it’s joint compound both features asbestos from the 1930s to the 1980s.

Your contractor should have access to your driveway and a power source. If they have these things, you don’t need to be there while they’re working on your driveway. However, it’s worth being around if you can so you can clarify details and answer any questions.

When thinking of pests, a lot of thing comes to mind - while some individuals think about bug and insects, others think about squirrels, raccoons, mice an rats, in fact some might even out deer in that category. And well, they’re all right! Pests simply refers to any insect, rodent or wildlife that’s considered to be unwanted or undesirable due to the fact that they invade people’s homes or businesses wrecking havoc, causing damages and increasing the risk of communicating a disease or illness. Therefore, a pest control refers to the process of managing, which can be by using repellents or deterrents, or removing pests from a residential or commercial property.

The act of managing or controlling pests can be carried out using a number of techniques. You can decide to kill them using the services of an exterminator or doing it yourself, but you can also incorporate other methods too. These methods includes making use of sound to serve as deterrent or repellent to the pests as well as making alterations around the property to prevent pests from entering. In general, you should know that it’s always preferable to prevent pest than having to face one that has already been infested. However, if the problem already exist then there’s no two ways around it, you’d have to get them removed first.

A professional pest control service can go a long way to help when it comes to managing and controlling pests in any property. They carry out an inspection of the property to ensure that there are no pests inside, figure out where the pests are coming from and entering into the house, deal with pests already in the home, advise whether there’s any damage as a result of the pests, spray regularly to prevent the pest if you wish and also seal off the possible entry points for the pests.

Some properties are unable to have double glazing, especially those in conservation areas or listed buildings. To counter this problem and still benefit from a warmer home and cheaper bills, secondary glazing is an option. Secondary glazing is a second pane fitted inside your original window. Secondary glazing will still save you around £105 yearly.

• Thick gloves
• A hammer
• A broom
• A vacuum cleaner
• Thick-soled shoes
• Safety goggles

1. Put your gloves on and use the hammer to remove the rest of the glass. Make sure you hit the glass away from you.
2. Using the broom, sweep away any loose glass from the area, making sure you do both inside and outside.
3. Use your vacuum cleaner to remove any small pieces of glass that you might not have been able to see.

Have you laid your tile and left it to set? If yes, then the next step is to start grouting. Before you get started there’s a need to make ready the right grout for the type of your grout as well as background material. If you’re not certain of the right grout you can reach out to the grout manufacturer for help. Grouting of floor tiles is not the easiest and tasks and should be left to a reputable professional in order to avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary costs. In this post, we’re going to take you through the processes involved in grouting of floor tiles in order to put you on the right track. Let’s take a look!

1. Depending on the adhesive used to lay your tiles, make sure you leave enough time for the tiles to fully set.
2. Get a mixing bucket and mix grout powder and water as instructed on the packaging. Ensure not to make too much as this will make it solidify quickly and unstable.
3. Apply some grout on the tiles - hold the grout float at 45 degree angle and apply the grout to fill all of the joints.
4. Once you’re done grouting all of the joints between the tiles, leave it for up to 10 to 15 minutes to dry before wiping down the tile surface using a damp sponge. Ensure not to apply too much pressure on the grout joints.
5. Let the tiles rest for about an hour so as to allow the grout solidify and harden a bit more. Once done, proceed to take off the excess grout and smooth it off.
6. Wipe down the tiles until they’re totally clean using a clean cloth.

Aside from the cold weather not being the most pleasant condition to work in, the winter weather can also cause a lot of problems for construction workers and even more so when you’re working with render. Poor weather conditions can generally cause a lot of harms on the final finish of a render. Below are some of the reasons why you should not consider rendering in a bad weather.

✓ Lime bloom. Render can be impacted by lime bloom as they are subjected to damp conditions and low temperatures while curing. This is due to the fact that cement are intolerant to slower drying conditions especially immediately affect its application.

✓ Top coats can be compromised. Coating are likely to get washed off before they’re even afforded the chance to set if drying conditions are low.

However, because its cold out there doesn’t necessarily imply that work must stop. It’s very possible to render during the winter months but to avoid potential pitfalls, we’ve got some tip that can be of great help. Let’s have a look!

✓ Check the weather forecast. Determine the drying and curing time and watch the forecast for the temperature dropping at night.

✓ Select the most suitable render. There are renders that are suitable for application in low temperatures to about 5℃ or even as low as 1℃. These types of render are fast setting which makes them perfect for the cold condition.

✓ Watch out for frost. Frost and render are enemies. Therefore, it won’t be wise to work with frosted materials, on frosted subtrates or apply below the recommended temperature that’s written on the product’s datasheet.

✓ Protect the finish. Make use of artificial enclosures around the scaffolding to battle adverse weather conditions.

Are you preparing for an international move? We all know relocating abroad comes with its unique set of challenges as well as tasks - from applying for visas to learning new languages and everything in between. Fortunately, this post has been created in order to help you check out one of the most important to dos that’s probably on your list - determining how to move your personal belongings to a new country. Here, the first thing you should know while moving household items outside the borders is that it’s usually a bit more tricky than moving them within the United Kingdom, but it can still be achieved with proper planning. Below is an overview of the best ways you can put into consideration to move your personal belongings abroad.

• Moving by sea freight. This is the most common and cost efficient means to transport household items to another country. In order to achieve this, an international moving company will send a container to your home to be loaded with the household items. Once done, a truck will pick it up and carry it to the port. Generally, most international moving companies offer door to door and door to port service, in which an agent helps manage the move to make sure that your container is forwarded to the right carrier as well as seeing to it that all customs clearance documents are duly completed and submitted.
• Moving by air freight. This is less common and more expensive way to move household belongings to a new country. Although an airplane can only carry so much cargo, but many holds the belief that the convenience it offers is well worth the hefty price tag as well as space limitation. Therefore, if you wish to receive your personal belongings as soon as possible, going for this option would be your best bet.