What "man jobs" have you done today?

Was looking for some dark charcoal bricks to use as edging on the edge of a sandstone patio, so purchased some of these

www.diy.com

Driveway Charcoal Block paving (L)200mm (W)100mm (T)50mm

Driveway block paving from Bradstone is a stylish way to add colour and interest to any patio or driveway. It’s as easy on the eye as it is on the pocket, combining affordability with exceptional durability making it perfect for any application.
www.diy.com

i was a bit dissapointed to find that they have a lot of white residue all over them which is staining them on purchase, i thought a wash down would help, sticking them in a few buckets full of water and giving them a douse with a hose, i layed them on the edge and tbh it looked really good with a wet look when they were wet, really dark


sadly when they dried up they were a lot lighter and still had white residue stains all over them


anyone know why this is and if there is any way of either getting rid of the random white residue or somehow staining them ?
 
DJMK4 said:
Was looking for some dark charcoal bricks to use as edging on the edge of a sandstone patio, so purchased some of these

www.diy.com

Driveway Charcoal Block paving (L)200mm (W)100mm (T)50mm

Driveway block paving from Bradstone is a stylish way to add colour and interest to any patio or driveway. It’s as easy on the eye as it is on the pocket, combining affordability with exceptional durability making it perfect for any application.
www.diy.com

i was a bit dissapointed to find that they have a lot of white residue all over them which is staining them on purchase, i thought a wash down would help, sticking them in a few buckets full of water and giving them a douse with a hose, i layed them on the edge and tbh it looked really good with a wet look when they were wet, really dark


sadly when they dried up they were a lot lighter and still had white residue stains all over them


anyone know why this is and if there is any way of either getting rid of the random white residue or somehow staining them ?
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You could try putting a wet look driveway sealer on them and getting the wet look permanently.
i would just do it to one first to test it out.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Its salt deposits within the bricks, very normal. Use an acidic cleaner or even white vinegar. I’d think it would fade over time anyway.
Click to expand...
964rs said:
You could try putting a wet look driveway sealer on them and getting the wet look permanently.
i would just do it to one first to test it out.
Click to expand...


Cheers i will look at the recommendation to see if they are options, i would rather have the wet darker look with no white staining on them, so if these are options i will try them,

If not i will need to source a different supplier, maybe the same place i got my sandstone slabs from to see if they have dark edging with better quality
 
It’s not a quality issue, it’s entirely normal for bricks to do this, the salts are naturally occurring. The darker the colour the more obvious the white becomes. It should degrade over time as the water washes the salt away.

The term you want to Google is ‘efflorescence’.
 
Spraying the fences that I put back in April. :o Better late then never.

Actually quite therapeutic when you got a compressor as it is no where near as bad as using a brush.

e2JHzuT.jpg
 
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DJMK4 said:
Cheers i will look at the recommendation to see if they are options, i would rather have the wet darker look with no white staining on them, so if these are options i will try them,

If not i will need to source a different supplier, maybe the same place i got my sandstone slabs from to see if they have dark edging with better quality
Click to expand...


Just had a look at some wet look patio/driveway sealer,

i dont mind doing this but it seems that it only lasts about a year before you have to re-apply, i think the containers look to be around £50 ?

if it was a £10-15 or £20 product, i would probably go for it but for a £50-70 sealant product, probably more than i was willing to pay
 
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Nothing myself, but we have a collapsed drain pipe or some such under the house. Who knows how they’re going to solve that one. Fortunately it’s owned by the water board.
 
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DJMK4 said:
Just had a look at some wet look patio/driveway sealer,

i dont mind doing this but it seems that it only lasts about a year before you have to re-apply, i think the containers look to be around £50 ?

if it was a £10-15 or £20 product, i would probably go for it but for a £50-70 sealant product, probably more than i was willing to pay
Click to expand...
I would have thought a wet look sealent world also lock in the salt and potentially hi light it more.
 
On Sunday I Creosoted (is that word?) a load of rustic chestnut fence posts and horizontals plus a gate, to be installed next year.
Today chopped another few wheel barrows of wood. The wood shed is looking well stocked now.
 
Moved this lot yesterday evening,

to the bottom of the garden,

500kg a distance of probably 100m on a very hot evening .... not my best plan!
 
Another job today - wife has been moaning for ages the Vac is getting hot so I change bag and filters and she comes back saying it's still getting hot - I tell her if you are using it 12 hrs a day what do you expect.

Well it turned out as dereliction of duty on my part. We have had this Miele vac a number of years and today is first time I have cleaned floor brush - got more fluff in it than the bag.

Going like a train now.:rolleyes:
 
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