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Project BikeCave

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TheBigYin
TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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Decided that I can't take the Squalor of my current bike area, so I've started to renovate it...

It began something like this...

14904951665_26bd2d3fbc_c.jpgSqualid Bike Cave by The Big Yin, on Flickr

As you can see, I'd already begun to tire of the woodchip wallpaper. It wasn't exactly easy to remove - aside from the first bit that had been removed in the above picture, it came off in pieces around the size of a postage stamp.

Still - it's pretty much all off now, and I can start to plan whats happening.

Here's my (fairly) blank canvas...

15244603881_3029ed1c2c.jpg

or, if you want a better view of the details - https://flic.kr/p/pe7zBX - it's a 20 shot composite panorama cobbled together in Photoshop, because the room is so small I can't get far enough away to take in the full horror of the scene...
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  • KaktusJaque
    KaktusJaque Posts: 141 Member
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    I love the old brick :smile:
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
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    I see the brickwork & think 'scuffed bar-tape' though :cry:
  • verdemujer
    verdemujer Posts: 1,397 Member
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    Nice. That's a bit of work to have done. Waiting the next set of pictures to see what you do with the walls. :happy:
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    Decided against the "bare brick" look - partly for Clive's reason - the whole scuffed saddle/bar tape scenario doesn't sit well with my Bike-OCD, but also partly because the room is very small, and felt rather dark and oppressive as soon as it wasn't in full sunlight... I really noticed it yesterday afternoon as the dark clouds and rain came in.

    So, realising that I'm going to need to get my plastering kit back out, I spent this morning giving the brickwork a couple of coats of PVA sealant, and now it's time to start thinking about sorting the electricals. No photo's because - well - it looks the same, only with a coat of transparent gloop painted on the walls.

    Time to leave it to dry before the third coat of less-dilute PVA, then maybe we can get the first gauge of plaster running tomorrow
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
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    A man of many talents :laugh:

    Mind you, having a 'fleet' of rental properties, if you couldn't do it yourself, it'd cost you a small fortune eh?

    You should see some of the plastering in my house (new build - 2001), it looks like Stevie Wonder & Ray Charles did it! :huh:

    Anyway - looking forward to seeing it progress :wink:
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    final PVA applied and the metal edging strips for the external corners near to the door/window frame now screwed into the brickwork. I'm currently having a few issues finding appropriate cabinetry for in there - until I decide on the cabinet arrangements, I don't want to actually arrange the electrical services on that wall - so tomorrow's likely to be more research than action I'm afraid. Really, REALLY want to try and go with stock cabinets and doors - don't want the hassle of having to try and fabricate stuff if I can get away with it. Difficult bit is I've got a definite "look" in my minds eye, but achieving that with stock cabinets isn't working too well so far.
  • Archon2
    Archon2 Posts: 462 Member
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    You could also paint the brick a light color with some of that thick sealant kind of paint meant for brick. That stuff also has a smooth texture, so bar tape might not get scuffed.
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    first layer of "undercoat plaster" around the door/window surrounds is now on and gently curing. Not knocking myself about today, just a bit of gentle stuff here and there, as frankly, I'm feeling rough with a bit of a cold... May do first fix on some of the electricals later...
  • sufferlandrian
    sufferlandrian Posts: 8,241 Member
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    You should see some of the plastering in my house (new build - 2001), it looks like Stevie Wonder & Ray Charles did it! :huh:

    Anyway - looking forward to seeing it progress :wink:

    That's funny. :laugh:
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    You should see some of the plastering in my house (new build - 2001), it looks like Stevie Wonder & Ray Charles did it! :huh:

    Anyway - looking forward to seeing it progress :wink:

    That's funny. :laugh:

    Seen more than my fair share of plasterwork like that... and done one or two examples of it too... I'm okay - certainly not professional quality, and far slower than a proper guy - but after lots of attempts, I've got to the point where I can make it stick to the wall, stay there for a good long time (I know to 15 years on one example without any cracking...) but with the state of the actual brickwork on that room, I'm not promising that the eventual room is going to be square and straight - smooth, probably, but the other two... unlikely.
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    Well - that's all the electricals (well - first fix - i.e. boxes, ducting and cabling installed, wires stripped and ready to connect, sockets by the side of the box, and awaiting the final "disconnect a socket from the ringmain, connect one end into a junction box, out and back around the new wiring, into another junction box, and into the other side of the ringmain feed.

    Also, additional hard wired/fused/switched dedicated spur for the outdoor security lighting (rather than the "plug it into a socket" solution that my mother's useless electrician fitted. It worked for the last 10+ years, and never burned the house down, but it wasn't RIGHT... It is now.

    Tame electrician coming around for a hour this evening to ensure everything is to code (it is), safe (it is) and to hook it all up (so that I'm 100% covered for insurance purposes). Best part of that is I did him a favour with his business website last month, so it's not costing me anything.

    No Photo's again I'm afraid, as I just had to get stuck in and make sure it was all done before he came around to finish up. Plus, at the moment, it actually looks a little scary and dangerous (with the bare ended wires sticking out for example, even though they're not connected to anything...) and I'd rather not have anything like that in my photo-feed.

    Not a bad day for a guy who's full of cold...
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    Well - yesterday evening, my tame sparky came around, checked everything, pronounced it all "to code, safe and well installed" then connected the whole shebang, fitted the sockets, re-tested, and left me with installation document pronouncing everything to be kosher. Today I've removed the door between the kitchen and bike-cave, given everything a thorough clean-down again, and a final coat of PVA incuding over the galvanised cable ducting... I'm now at the bit i've been dreading starting - actually starting the plastering job. I'm still feeling a bit rough with this cold, tbh, and every time I bend over my nose starts running, so I'm going to put the plastering on hold I think, for a couple of days... and hopefully get someone to give me a hand with the mixing, so I can just keep going with the plastering... it's not a big job, but its certainly going to take more than a single mix to cover the three walls - plus it's going to have to be a 2-3 coat process... 1 coat of bonding plaster to cover all the trunking and wavy brickwork, then a coat or two of finishing plaster, just to get a decent finish on there.
  • sufferlandrian
    sufferlandrian Posts: 8,241 Member
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    Well - yesterday evening, my tame sparky came around, checked everything, pronounced it all "to code, safe and well installed" then connected the whole shebang, fitted the sockets, re-tested, and left me with installation document pronouncing everything to be kosher. Today I've removed the door between the kitchen and bike-cave, given everything a thorough clean-down again, and a final coat of PVA incuding over the galvanised cable ducting... I'm now at the bit i've been dreading starting - actually starting the plastering job. I'm still feeling a bit rough with this cold, tbh, and every time I bend over my nose starts running, so I'm going to put the plastering on hold I think, for a couple of days... and hopefully get someone to give me a hand with the mixing, so I can just keep going with the plastering... it's not a big job, but its certainly going to take more than a single mix to cover the three walls - plus it's going to have to be a 2-3 coat process... 1 coat of bonding plaster to cover all the trunking and wavy brickwork, then a coat or two of finishing plaster, just to get a decent finish on there.

    At least with the cold you won't have to smell the fumes from the plaster. :laugh:
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    Well - first gauge of plaster is now on the 2 "wired walls" - i.e. the two walls with electrical sockets, plus the window/door wall is ready for its skim also. Still not 100% decided as to if I actually plaster the "bike hanging wall" or if I just seal the brickwork and make a feature of it...

    I'll try and decide (and maybe take a second opinion from a friend with better taste than I have...) before getting around to adding a skim coat of finishing plaster...

    15153792239_b359c1f6fe_z.jpg

    I do rather like the look of these "bike holder" things...

    15317546286_8a6b202e77_z.jpg
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
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    I do rather like the look of these "bike holder" things...

    15317546286_8a6b202e77_z.jpg
    Mooooo! :laugh:
  • sufferlandrian
    sufferlandrian Posts: 8,241 Member
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    I do rather like the look of these "bike holder" things...

    15317546286_8a6b202e77_z.jpg
    Mooooo! :laugh:

    It does look like a Texas Longhorn doesn't it. :laugh: :laugh:
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    That's actually the Idea, yeah

    http://www.outlineworksltd.com/Products/trophy-bull-soft-touch-plastic-finish/

    it's either that or the Stag's Head one...

    http://www.outlineworksltd.com/Products/trophy-deer-soft-touch-plastic-finish/
  • sufferlandrian
    sufferlandrian Posts: 8,241 Member
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    I think I like the bulls horns better than the stag antlers.
  • matsprt1984
    matsprt1984 Posts: 181 Member
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    That's actually the Idea, yeah

    http://www.outlineworksltd.com/Products/trophy-bull-soft-touch-plastic-finish/

    it's either that or the Stag's Head one...

    http://www.outlineworksltd.com/Products/trophy-deer-soft-touch-plastic-finish/

    You need them in flashing neon !!
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,683 Member
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    That's actually the Idea, yeah

    http://www.outlineworksltd.com/Products/trophy-bull-soft-touch-plastic-finish/

    it's either that or the Stag's Head one...

    http://www.outlineworksltd.com/Products/trophy-deer-soft-touch-plastic-finish/

    You need them in flashing neon !!

    I was thinking the furry purple one...

    (not really - my bike's never clean enough for the fur finishes)

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