Roof maintenance and roof repair

Tips on roof maintenance and roof repair

When it rains outside you’d like to be dry and warm inside your home. Having a well maintained roof, without leaks, will help you achieve this :-). Below a few tips on how to maintain your tiled roof.

 

Cracked roof tiles

One of the most common causes of a leaky roof is a faulty tile. Old roof tiles may have small cracks in them which are only visible when you look at them closely.  You might have a few spare tiles lying around and replace the tiles yourself, but if you lack the time or working on a roof is not your thing, don’t hesitate to give us a call. Banks Building can source and replace tiles on your roof. 

 

Roofing cement or mortar

Roofing cement or mortar is the material which holds the tiles which sit on the top edges of your roof (the ridge and hip) securely in their place. With our windy climate it is important that the roofing mortar is well maintained; you don’t want tiles blown off the roof during a good storm. The mortar sits on the most exposed part of a tiled roof, and therefor it is subjected to the worst of our weather. You should regularly check the roofing cement or mortar for cracks and leaks.

Small cracks in the mortar are fairly easy to repair, using mortar. This process is called re-mortar and repointing tiles. Not only will your roof look much better, the repair will also make your tile roof more secure and watertight. The cement can be coloured to match the colour of your tiles. There is a great product called Flexipoint, a trowelable, custom coloured, permanently flexible adhesive which is suitable for this job. However, since the repair involves climbing around on your roof you might want to leave this one to the professionals. If the mortar is too far gone, the roof mortar should be completely removed, re-bedded and repaired. 

 

Roof maintenance

A damaged roof not only affects the look of your property, but can cause major problems further down the track. The damage from water leaks or rot caused by leaks, can end up costing thousands of dollars in the future. Banks Building can look after all your roof repair and maintenance needs: 

• repair or replace broken & damaged tiles; 
• re-mortar & repoint hips & ridge tiles; 
• repaint your roof

Be careful when you climb into your roof space to check tiles. 

Cheers, Andre

How to fix small cracks in plaster walls: tips on Plastering and Painting

Repairing Gib Board Walls

In my previous blogs I’ve given a few tips on painting and decorating. But before you paint a room, you better make sure the walls are in good condition. Paint won’t hide any cracks or dips and dents; on the contrary, paint is far more likely to highlight any flaws.

To clarify, in this blog I’m talking about repairing walls lined with Gib board. Normally these walls have timber frames. These are the most common interior walls found in New Zealand houses.

Plaster walls usually have cracks due to the house "settling" in its foundation, or are damaged where furniture or doors have struck the plaster. At first, repairing plaster damage seems like a daunting task. But take your time to plaster and paint properly, and you will get solid, long-lasting results. If it still seems a bit daunting after reading the below, call me at Banks Building Maintenance.

Fixing small cracks in a plaster wall

Note that in today’s blog I will focus on fixing small cracks in a plaster wall. For large cracks which run through the entire Gib board (so the board is basically cracked right through, this usually happens where boards are joined) a more extensive repair is required. I’ll write more on fixing larger cracks and holes in another blog. Can’t wait? Call me for a quote to plaster and paint it for you.

Tip: Safety first, so make sure you are wearing a dust mask, eye protection and work gloves. Keep the area where you are working well ventilated. If you are repairing a larger crack, you might also want to move furniture away and put down drop-sheets to protect from dust.

Before you start your plaster and painting project, clean the area with Sugar Soap. This will take all the fat and grease of the wall, which will help the repair products stick a lot better. Selleys sells a great product for this purpose, called Selleys Liquid Sugar Soap. Wait for wall to dry thoroughly. 

First make sure the crack is dry. Then clean the crack, using a scraper to rake out any loose material. Remove dust from around the crack, you can use a vacuum cleaner for this. Loose dust can prevent your new plaster or filler from bonding with the existing plaster.

Ideally the crack is at least 1-2mm wide, which helps to make sure that the filler gets into the crack. With a very fine crack, open it a bit further if necessary, using a utility knife.    

Using a putty knife, fill the crack slowly with filler. Rigid fillers are designed for filling gaps, cracks or holes in a solid surface where a smooth and even finish is required, for example repairing walls and ceilings.

Selleys sells a good product which you can use for this: Selleys Spakfilla Squeeze & Scrape. Make sure that the product gets into the crack. You will only need to use one application.

Wait 30 minutes for the filler to dry (or longer, if the crack is deeper than 2mm), and then sand the area until it is smooth and level. 

Clean any dust or filler particles away, and then you’re ready to paint. If you’re using water-based paints, you can apply the paint straight away. If you are using oil-based paints you should wait for 24 hours before painting.

Tip to achieve a high quality finish: After repairing the cracks, apply sealer/primer before painting your 2 topcoats of coloured paint. You can use a product like Resene Broadwall 3 in 1 or Resene Broadwall Surface Prep& Seal. These products are easy to sand and help to smooth any minor surface irregularities. This will help you to achieve a professional looking finish. 

Lack the time to repair your walls? Call Banks Building Maintenance.

If the job is too large for you to fix, or you simply lack the time, please give Banks Building Maintenance a call to help you with your plastering and painting project.

Cheers,  Andre

DIY: How to fix wood rot in 6 easy steps

Wood, especially if it's untreated, can easily start to rot once it comes in contact with moisture – and we have generally plenty of water coming down from the sky here in Auckland. Wood rot usually starts when water gets into cracks or when water penetrates a wood finish and can’t dry out.

  

My customers often think that rotted wood in and around the house is beyond repair, but this is usually not the case. You will have to consult an expert like Banks Building for structural rot, but small areas you could tackle yourself if you’re game. Get yourself a bit of epoxy , woodhardener and know-how, and fix those rotted areas of wood on decks, architraves, doorway and window frames in your house. 

Let me provide you with a bit of know-how, so you can give it a go. 

First of all you’ll need some advice on how to diagnose wood rot. Test the wood by tapping it with a blunt knife. If it feels very soft or crumbles, it's rotted. Now, as long as the area of rot is less than fifty percent of the total area of the wood, follow these steps to fix the problem:

1.       Before you start please:

a.       Read all warning labels

b.      Make sure you wear protective gear:  goggles, gloves, a dust mask and any other recommended protective equipment.

2.       Use a screwdriver (flat head is best) and chisel to remove all rotted wood. This part is relatively easy, as the rotted wood will crumble into pieces. Don’t worry too much about carving and digging out every last bit of rot. The liquid epoxy will soak into areas that can be saved.

3.       Drill small holes (a honeycomb pattern works best) at an angle to help the epoxy penetrate throughout the decayed area.

4.       Apply a liberal amount of wood hardener onto the area using a disposable brush or spray bottle. Let the hardener saturate and allow to cure/dry.

5.       Mix the two-part epoxy on a piece of scrap wood and apply into the areas you’ve cleaned the rot out.

Tip: Epoxy dries very fast and is very hard to remove- great points, except when it comes to you and your tools! Apply and fill quickly and clean up as you go along.

6.       Let dry and sand the area to match the shape of the original wood. You can also use a rasp, when you need to remove quite a bit of the dried filler to match the original shape. Rasps come in a wide variety of shapes for flat and contoured surfaces.

You can cut, shape, smooth and drill into cured epoxy just as you can with wood.

If you feel a bit daunted by the above, or if you have to deal with rot in structural parts of your house, please give Banks Building Maintenance a call to get a free quote on fixing any wood rot issues.

Last but not least, you'll also want to preserve your wood to prevent future damage. We at Banks Building Maintenance are happy to give you a hand with that, but there might be some things you could do yourself as well. Here are a few tips: 

• Use treated timber for decks and other outdoor structures. Never allow untreated lumber posts or lumber to rest directly on concrete.
•  Waterproof and seal any natural wood that might be exposed to moisture. 
•  Regularly inspect your house for peeling paint or other paint failures, especially near joints. This is where water might start to seep in. Have a close look at window frames and window sills, wooden architraves and door frames. Repair rot as soon as it starts appearing to help prevent further damage. 
•  Seal large cracks and gaps with a product like Selleys No More Gaps. If you are working on the outside of your house, make sure you use products which state that they are suitable for outdoor use. You might also want to check if they are paintable (for example, silicone is not paintable), otherwise the end result might look a bit shabby. If possible, use screws to close any open miter/corner joints. 
•  Sand any bare wood and apply wood preservative before you apply a primer. Seal joints with No More Gaps after priming and before the top coating.

Cheers, Andre