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  1. john simpson

    This is fun

    In fairness thats a pretty decent scaffold for NI Usually its a plank with a noggin nailed on and another plank onto it although with H&S we get the noggin screwed in now :)
  2. john simpson

    A sparky for the last couple of days

    At least the boxes would be nicely cut out and cleaned
  3. john simpson

    Would you skim this?

    No need for Pva, only issue can be the edges or if the f**k*r starts bubbling, then your in trouble. I skim over that side all the time as I usually get the awkward plasterboard bit cut back to front :-)
  4. john simpson

    Prepairing room

    Every thing vincey said except please don't bond anything as it will sit proud and need hacked off and don't Pva as we like to adjust strength and know it's all been covered. Plasterer would sort all that out in no time. Personally I find jobs half prepped more of an annoyance, just let the...
  5. john simpson

    What kind of asbestos exposure have I had.

    Same, I was pulling down ceilings in the council houses, they knew it was dangerous, of course subbed out and the trades didn't know, I was only 14! Helping out when off school and that. DId loads of work on the stuff later in life, delivering health and safety on it, scary stuff and I hope I...
  6. john simpson

    Wrist pain

    Quick update, got one of these bands and all pain gone, lump no longer there. Probably just coincidence but no harm in keeping wearing it. Oddly my evening stiffness after sitting on sofa is gone too. Zero science behind it etc so God knows why its stopped, maybe placebo, either way it's...
  7. john simpson

    Builder buckets

    Ah the old bucket dilemma , i usually wait till i have an order number from a builder , do some half decent ones in local merchants ;) like lighters though , when you work with other spreads you have to watch them or they will walk
  8. john simpson

    Where's the fat gone?

    Thats it Simon , they just aren't consistent , its not the end of the world but can be annoying at times. I was enjoying working with carlite , was a dawdle , cutting nice and easy to finish , then it went crap and the ultra was good lol , what do you do? I just went back to the B&Q multi...
  9. john simpson

    Where's the fat gone?

    Same here in North Ireland, was using carlite as it set faster than ultra and was workable then got a 4 hour batch which kept me very late. And carlite bonding, does anyone benefit from a 6 hour set time ffs Back to the b and q multi
  10. john simpson

    What's with all the negativity?

    True that Danny, I just searched how to skim over tiles, some plastic looking mesh, around a 10k newly fitted kitchen with about 50 fitted sockets and blend 3 inches depth from old wall into a foot of new one and magically fix bits of bead hanging out of every reveal. Usual fecking reply...
  11. john simpson

    Rough And Set.

    Theclemo, Thats a great wee trick, use if myself the odd time, great for plumbing shite walls, used to do a lot of expensive bathrooms and was the easiest way to get it spot on for tiling.
  12. john simpson

    What's with all the negativity?

    Some people just wanna have a go,some people have to have a go to realise they just can't do it! God help them if they tried any of my recent jobs, can hardly do them myself, I think it might be because they saved money f**k**g everything else up and feel justified paying me to be more...
  13. john simpson

    Wrist pain

    Ordered one on amazon so will update this in a few weeks. Cheers for all the tips
  14. john simpson

    Wrist pain

    are they any good or should i go for a pure copper one?
  15. john simpson

    Wrist pain

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00STOCJU8/ref=twister_B00STOCKL6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 This sort of thing? Feel much better now , thought id cracked the bone or something. Sore wee fecker , im convinced its scooping from the buckets that has caused it. That tip above might work , its not as swollen...
  16. john simpson

    Wrist pain

    Id try anything right now! I have a copper bracelet somewhere I'll try find it
  17. john simpson

    Wrist pain

    Hopefully mate, taking Monday off and away to the west coast for the weekend, Guinness and sea air are a cure for many an ailment
  18. john simpson

    Wrist pain

    Cheers, I thought it was that last year and ignored it and it went away, not so sure this time. Of course had to slap dash an old doorway and window to finish a job, pain was unreal, worried I've split a bone or something
  19. john simpson

    Wrist pain

    In first, yes too much hand action Think it's damaged, appointment next week. Started last year and I reckon it's from scooping on domestic instead of a board. Been getting worse and today had to go home, can't even trowel right without it hurting. Feels like a lump or something on the wrist...
  20. john simpson

    Skimming on top SBR

    No, just a quick whirr with a paint mixer and roller it on, although I've a good masonry paint brush and ive been using that recently , less mess of it pinging back at me and can do the angles. Ive a full tub here and am only using it on bathroom paint etc. Back to old school Pva.
  21. john simpson

    Skimming on top SBR

    Yeah its weird , i imagine it all coming off in a big slab with the weight of the skim. Doesnt inspire confidence thats for sure.
  22. john simpson

    Flash set

    It really is a fecking mess. They seem to chop and change the quality monthly. I went from using Multi to Ultra and now onto Carlite. Multi just went to crap , 50 mins working time and 3 hours to set, wasnt cutting , tiger lines and peeling. Ultra was flying along for a couple of years but its...
  23. john simpson

    Skimming on top SBR

    Ive been using Bondit a lot recently and i dunno , i think its a bit of a con. Firstly its messy and needs 24hrs to dry. Then its needs mixed as the grit sinks to the bottom Then you hit the ceiling with it or a dead wall. ive also noticed it peeling a bit , if i poke at it , it will peel off...
  24. john simpson

    minimum wage

    I like it :) we need more of the same , rest of us going around in a daze!
  25. john simpson

    The Beauty of Bank Hols

    True , i did a few years there and was never as cold in winter! 15c and sunny and i felt like it was baltic. Nice here for a change , sunny and warm , got the shorts on and up and out early , couple of hits and home :) Weather makes such a difference to my mood , rainy and cold and id still be...
  26. john simpson

    The Beauty of Bank Hols

    Hard work out there mate , used to try 7 till 2 , never got there till closer to 9 after coffee and brandy :) Once that searing heat comes its hard to do much. I tell ya though , when your on your way to work on a balmy morning , blue skies and palm trees and the sparkling med , your do have a...
  27. john simpson

    The Beauty of Bank Hols

    Just like any other day , ill do what i feel like. Nice breakfast and a bit of a chill , will cruise in and prep a job for tomorrow then off to the races
  28. john simpson

    Diesels

    Flipping heck, insanity , no wonder they have hidden all the information until after the election!!! This is going to cause utter chaos
  29. john simpson

    Diesels

    This is just the dumbest thing , so delivery companies , hauliers etc , they will have to pay just to do their job? Why are they penalising the drivers and not the manufacturers or importers? If they are serious about limiting diesel then there must be 50 simpler and less harsh ways of doing it...
  30. john simpson

    Diesels

    Thats mad altogether , will that be every city like? even Belfast
  31. john simpson

    Diesels

    Why not danny? I dunno what to do , miles we cover mean a diesel is the only option , apart from a higher tax band what other penalties will their be?
  32. john simpson

    Diesels

    Stupid election , was hanging onto my diesel banger for this but deferred now till Dec :( So whats the story with a diesel? Im about to buy a nearly new i20 for the mrs but not so sure now , cant see there being a charge in NI but what about the tax? is it going up? Still worth it for the miles...
  33. john simpson

    Keeping car clean

    no chance , buy a small runaround for a clean car. Rip the seats out of the car and shes like a van then, youll fit everything in bar a mixer and 8x4s
  34. john simpson

    Had a stroke at 34 years old

    Maybe helpful on the thread to post this. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/how-diy-soss-nick-knowles-lost-weight-went-vegan-and-found-himse/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07xs1v8 (doesnt seem to be streamable but im sure someone can find it ) Basically its your man off DIY...
  35. john simpson

    Day rate and running costs.

    Good post. Ive done a few where as a plasterer coming back into the trade i want to do everything by the book and run it as a business. But its not easy :) One thing i need is a decent van and livery etc , just for a starter , and that is crazy! how many jobs a month just to pay for that...
  36. john simpson

    Had a stroke at 34 years old

    @Cornelius , get well soon.
  37. john simpson

    minimum wage

    Danny is there an "ignore" option? APlasterer - your experience reminds me of a pub i plastered years ago , this guy was crazy , always moaning and moaning about the price , total nightmare of a job , ceilings were really high and needed click scaffold and all these dopey pattern panels ,pure...
  38. john simpson

    minimum wage

    Whatever you think yourself. A large majority feel that sites like MyBuilder etc are client focused to drive prices down. That would suggest that price is the major factor for a client when shortlisting on sites like this , yet you know different? With almost 30 years experience plastering and...
  39. john simpson

    minimum wage

    what are you on about? Are you stressed or something? chill out punchy Why would being polite and giving a brief explanation of the job be full of yourself? Yes your right , if you really insist i can screenshot it , there were 3 shortlisted in fact , i replied and in the ten minutes that the...
  40. john simpson

    minimum wage

    THey had a load of photos, how hard is it? Simple reskim? I was polite, explaining the process and options on materials. Emphasis on covering up and minimum disruption. My price was too high, simple
  41. john simpson

    minimum wage

    As an example, I quoted £250 for a small bedroom on that "my builder" I was knocked back and 6 others shortlisted. WTF are they charging?
  42. john simpson

    minimum wage

    From what I've been quoted self employed, PAYE is a no brainer, esp if young, mortgage and kids. Works a dawdle too. I was always against it but looks a better option at the minute for some. Self employed works a treat when your direct to client, no arguing that. I've went back full time and...
  43. john simpson

    minimum wage

    Maybe its a fair point to ask whos wages went down on PAYE. Therefore it highlights the lunacy of Self-Employment if your working for a contractor. A few things is we have liability insurance , van insurance , fuel , running costs , advertising , no holiday pay , no sick pay , no pension , no...
  44. john simpson

    minimum wage

    I've been out of the game for years. What I've been offered recently is what I was on in the 80s ffs. Apart for a few years in the boom, plasterers are working for rates we got 30 years ago! With the skills and years of learning added to the body wrecking hard work, should a working man not...
  45. john simpson

    minimum wage

    Simple question I'm response to the argument that if wages increase then living costs will rise. Wages have decreased or stayed stagnant for years yet the cost of living has soared. Hows that fit into those arguments?
  46. john simpson

    minimum wage

    Yeah lot of discussion about that , id never been PAYE but all the lads said it was a gift , double time on bank holidays and days in leiu , money in the bank every week of the year , if no work they have to send you doing something else, holiday pay etc etc , none of them had the slightest bit...
  47. john simpson

    minimum wage

    absolutely not , the current rate of £7 or whatever is a nonsense when compared to the cost of living! Yet a measly £10PH starts to creep up to what a lot of trades are working for and that will have to push our minimum wage up. So the line " honestly isnt much more in the rate , we are down to...
  48. john simpson

    minimum wage

    I was offered a job at £13 PH with van home PAYE. Most of the other trades were between £10-£15 PAYE with van. However the van is needed as its a requirement of the contract they have so they had no choice but to offer it. So £3 more than minimum wage for a skilled trade , doesnt seem right. I...
  49. john simpson

    minimum wage

    I agree , so with a simple minimum wage set for unskilled PAYE then trades can easily see they need to push their rates way up. Then decent trades will also have to push their rates up. Its a win/win and can only be a good thing
  50. john simpson

    minimum wage

    Apparently it will be a tenner an hour in the next year or two. £400 a week for a job anyone can do , totally unskilled , min pay min effort. Holiday pay , sick pay , time in lieu , contracts etc. So what's gonna happen all the builders and trades? Whats our minimum wage PAYE going to be , will...
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