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Post by dexter97 on Nov 19, 2024 12:44:15 GMT
We were due to have some bedroom furniture fitted today. Not a big job – A single robe and high-level cupboards on one wall. The stuff arrived last week and was due to be fitted today. I wasn’t at home, so the following is second-hand via Mrs. Dexter.
Shortly after his arrival, the fitter announced that he couldn’t do the work because it was a stud wall and would therefore need reinforcement. My good lady questioned this as,
1. It’s an external block wall, so it’s a bit surprising that the builders wouldn’t have just ‘dot & dabbed’ it, 2. There was never this mither with the new kitchen a couple of years back (a much bigger job involving both stud and ‘dot & dab’ walls), 3. When a chap came out a few weeks ago to measure-up, this was never mentioned. Nor was it at the design consultation.
She’s expecting a call from Customer Service later today, so hopefully we can get it all sorted. However, this has all left me somewhat perplexed, as I can’t get my head around what the issue is. As far as I was aware, the only difference between hanging stuff from stud or block walls is the type of fixings one uses, particularly for something that’s far less ‘heavy duty’ than a kitchen cabinet.
I’m sure it’ll all be explained and resolved later, but I wondered if anyone had ever experienced anything similar, or if one of our 'handier' contributors might be able to understand what's going on? What am I missing here?
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Post by salopstick on Nov 19, 2024 13:50:30 GMT
sounds like your installer is a lazy cunt
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Post by iancransonsknees on Nov 19, 2024 13:59:11 GMT
sounds like your installer is a lazy cunt I'd agree. Unless it's something technical that you haven't explained the fixings would do the work you'd think. That said I'd suggest the weight of what you'll be storing is a significant issue. In my experience, coats, bags and shoes can add up to a few tonnes yet can only be used individually 🙄
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Post by dexter97 on Nov 19, 2024 14:00:07 GMT
sounds like your installer is a lazy cunt The more cynical side of me thought the same.
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Nov 19, 2024 14:10:28 GMT
sounds like your installer is a lazy cunt ⬆️⬆️⬆️
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Post by musik on Nov 19, 2024 14:55:08 GMT
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Post by dexter97 on Nov 19, 2024 14:58:21 GMT
sounds like your installer is a lazy cunt I'd agree. Unless it's something technical that you haven't explained the fixings would do the work you'd think. That said I'd suggest the weight of what you'll be storing is a significant issue. In my experience, coats, bags and shoes can add up to a few tonnes yet can only be used individually 🙄 One of them might be carrying a few books, which I suppose can be pretty heavy, but given the relatively small size of the cupboards, still a fraction of what some of the kitchen cabinets hold. I should get a bit more of the technical detail when I get home. At the moment, my understanding is is that they want to install battens behind the wall to fasten the units to. So far though, the information I have has been delivered by someone who doesn't have the best grasp of these things, and whose response to a crisis is less than measured and rational. The bit that really boils my piss is that they sent a bloke out to do a survey, whom you would expect would be covering stuff like this.
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Post by dexter97 on Nov 19, 2024 14:59:36 GMT
Classic!
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Post by questionable on Nov 19, 2024 15:03:03 GMT
Any DIY related issues I’m 100% the worlds worst, hence I only use people I know, probably a tad dearer but worth every penny.
We’re currently having all of the soffits replaced and over the moon with the work carried out so far, we’re having him back to kit out fitted wardrobes in two bedrooms.
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Post by salopstick on Nov 19, 2024 15:12:41 GMT
I'd agree. Unless it's something technical that you haven't explained the fixings would do the work you'd think. That said I'd suggest the weight of what you'll be storing is a significant issue. In my experience, coats, bags and shoes can add up to a few tonnes yet can only be used individually 🙄 One of them might be carrying a few books, which I suppose can be pretty heavy, but given the relatively small size of the cupboards, still a fraction of what some of the kitchen cabinets hold. I should get a bit more of the technical detail when I get home. At the moment, my understanding is is that they want to install battens behind the wall to fasten the units to. So far though, the information I have has been delivered by someone who doesn't have the best grasp of these things, and whose response to a crisis is less than measured and rational. The bit that really boils my piss is that they sent a bloke out to do a survey, whom you would expect would be covering stuff like this. installer should just fit its down to you how much weight you stick in them
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Post by yeokel on Nov 19, 2024 18:40:05 GMT
I'd agree. Unless it's something technical that you haven't explained the fixings would do the work you'd think. That said I'd suggest the weight of what you'll be storing is a significant issue. In my experience, coats, bags and shoes can add up to a few tonnes yet can only be used individually 🙄 One of them might be carrying a few books, which I suppose can be pretty heavy, but given the relatively small size of the cupboards, still a fraction of what some of the kitchen cabinets hold. I should get a bit more of the technical detail when I get home. At the moment, my understanding is is that they want to install battens behind the wall to fasten the units to. So far though, the information I have has been delivered by someone who doesn't have the best grasp of these things, and whose response to a crisis is less than measured and rational. The bit that really boils my piss is that they sent a bloke out to do a survey, whom you would expect would be covering stuff like this. “ the information I have has been delivered by someone who doesn't have the best grasp of these things, and whose response to a crisis is less than measured and rational” 🤣🤣🤣 The quote of the year on the Oatie. Congrats 👏🏻.
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Nov 19, 2024 18:45:41 GMT
One of them might be carrying a few books, which I suppose can be pretty heavy, but given the relatively small size of the cupboards, still a fraction of what some of the kitchen cabinets hold. I should get a bit more of the technical detail when I get home. At the moment, my understanding is is that they want to install battens behind the wall to fasten the units to. So far though, the information I have has been delivered by someone who doesn't have the best grasp of these things, and whose response to a crisis is less than measured and rational. The bit that really boils my piss is that they sent a bloke out to do a survey, whom you would expect would be covering stuff like this. installer should just fit its down to you how much weight you stick in them Clearly didn’t have the right kit and pulled a fast one, I’d expect him to be sacked tbh. I work in a similar industry and that’s what would happen if one of my lads tried that stunt
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Post by dexter97 on Nov 19, 2024 21:22:01 GMT
Bit of an update if anyone's interested.
So I checked when I got home, and as I thought, it's a drylined wall, with maybe a 10mm gap between block and plasterboard. No reason you couldn't hang a cupboard off it, surely?
I'm inclined think Badge might not be far off the mark. He either didn't fancy it, or else he was dangerously incompetent.
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Post by musik on Nov 19, 2024 22:29:44 GMT
Bit of an update if anyone's interested. So I checked when I got home, and as I thought, it's a drylined wall, with maybe a 10mm gap between block and plasterboard. No reason you couldn't hang a cupboard off it, surely? I'm inclined think Badge might not be far off the mark. He either didn't fancy it, or else he was dangerously incompetent. Plasterboard??? You don't attach things like that on a plasterboard. But you mentioned he'd mentioned it's a stud wall. If the studs are ok, with the right equipment he should be able to measure where the studs are and use them to hang the things to. That's how they've built the left side of my kitchen, the cabinet. Have you had problems with mould? Otherwise, it could be fixed with really long screws into the block wall. 1 cm empty space, you said?🤔 But a wooden wall, maybe mdf, as reinforcement could make it as well. But they should have noticed it earlier if they've been there once before. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you. On the other hand, this extra eventual cost shouldn't be much.
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Post by dexter97 on Nov 20, 2024 8:27:13 GMT
Bit of an update if anyone's interested. So I checked when I got home, and as I thought, it's a drylined wall, with maybe a 10mm gap between block and plasterboard. No reason you couldn't hang a cupboard off it, surely? I'm inclined think Badge might not be far off the mark. He either didn't fancy it, or else he was dangerously incompetent. Plasterboard??? You don't attach things like that on a plasterboard. But you mentioned he'd mentioned it's a stud wall. If the studs are ok, with the right equipment he should be able to measure where the studs are and use them to hang the things to. That's how they've built the left side of my kitchen, the cabinet. Have you had problems with mould? Otherwise, it could be fixed with really long screws into the block wall. 1 cm empty space, you said?🤔 But a wooden wall, maybe mdf, as reinforcement could make it as well. But they should have noticed it earlier if they've been there once before. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you. On the other hand, this extra eventual cost shouldn't be much. They wouldn't be attached to the plasterboard, rather the fixings go through it and are anchored in the block. It's exactly how I thought it was before the installer came in and created the confusion with his erroneous assessment of the construction. Why would I have a mould problem?
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Post by musik on Nov 20, 2024 11:10:37 GMT
Plasterboard??? You don't attach things like that on a plasterboard. But you mentioned he'd mentioned it's a stud wall. If the studs are ok, with the right equipment he should be able to measure where the studs are and use them to hang the things to. That's how they've built the left side of my kitchen, the cabinet. Have you had problems with mould? Otherwise, it could be fixed with really long screws into the block wall. 1 cm empty space, you said?🤔 But a wooden wall, maybe mdf, as reinforcement could make it as well. But they should have noticed it earlier if they've been there once before. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you. On the other hand, this extra eventual cost shouldn't be much. They wouldn't be attached to the plasterboard, rather the fixings go through it and are anchored in the block. It's exactly how I thought it was before the installer came in and created the confusion with his erroneous assessment of the construction. Why would I have a mould problem? I don't think you have, but it's common to, in an easy way, cover mould problems with plaster boards by unserious construction firms where I live. Maybe they at best uses a cloth similar to the one you can find in a laundry room to wipe some of it away or use a hygrometer to do some moisture measures. A guy fixing the new inner ceiling told me mould needs moisture to survive and if it's dried out instead by this covering, it will die out at last. But that's not a real restauration. Exactly as you wrote, the fixing could go through the plasterboard and anchored in the block, unless they find the studs to attach the cupboard to - which would be the normal procedure since that's what studs are for. But I suppose they want to get it tight enough and if they have the plasterboard and then a 1 cm empty space the forces will be stronger on the anchors. Or simply ... they don't have the long enough anchors at hand at the moment ... Is it an amateur who can't figure out where the studs go? If the studs don't exactly match the robe/cupboard in depth, pieces of wood, battens, firmly attached between them studs should definitely be enough; there's no need for a whole wooden wall. Why do these new furnitures have to be attached in the first place? Are the walls and floor leaning like where I live? Someday I have to fix the free standing book shelves, they all look like the tower in Pisa. The batten work shouldn't cost you extra, they should have brought it up earlier already at the design consultation in fact! And it's a very easy 20-60 mins job if they're professionals. I don't know the size. Good Luck!
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Post by dexter97 on Nov 20, 2024 13:14:44 GMT
They wouldn't be attached to the plasterboard, rather the fixings go through it and are anchored in the block. It's exactly how I thought it was before the installer came in and created the confusion with his erroneous assessment of the construction. Why would I have a mould problem? I don't think you have, but it's common to, in an easy way, cover mould problems with plaster boards by unserious construction firms where I live. Maybe they at best uses a cloth similar to the one you can find in a laundry room to wipe some of it away or use a hygrometer to do some moisture measures. A guy fixing the new inner ceiling told me mould needs moisture to survive and if it's dried out instead by this covering, it will die out at last. But that's not a real restauration. Exactly as you wrote, the fixing could go through the plasterboard and anchored in the block, unless they find the studs to attach the cupboard to - which would be the normal procedure since that's what studs are for. But I suppose they want to get it tight enough and if they have the plasterboard and then a 1 cm empty space the forces will be stronger on the anchors. Or simply ... they don't have the long enough anchors at hand at the moment ... Is it an amateur who can't figure out where the studs go? If the studs don't exactly match the robe/cupboard in depth, pieces of wood, battens, firmly attached between them studs should definitely be enough; there's no need for a whole wooden wall. Why do these new furnitures have to be attached in the first place? Are the walls and floor leaning like where I live? Someday I have to fix the free standing book shelves, they all look like the tower in Pisa. The batten work shouldn't cost you extra, they should have brought it up earlier already at the design consultation in fact! And it's a very easy 20-60 mins job if they're professionals. I don't know the size. Good Luck! The more I've thought about this, the more it looks like the lad just turned-up, didn't fancy the job, made an excuse and left. Baffling, but I can't accept that even the most junior tradesman wouldn't know the difference between a dry-lined and a stud wall. The work is really straightforward, and this time yesterday I couldn't get my head around what was being reported via the missus.
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Post by musik on Nov 20, 2024 14:21:33 GMT
The more I've thought about this, the more it looks like the lad just turned-up, didn't fancy the job, made an excuse and left. Baffling, but I can't accept that even the most junior tradesman wouldn't know the difference between a dry-lined and a stud wall. The work is really straightforward, and this time yesterday I couldn't get my head around what was being reported via the missus. When you say dry-lined wall you mean the plasterboard and that there are no studs, no battens, no wooden framework? But again. Some are ... as earlier noted, lazy. I had a guy here who was supposed to be fixing the lamps and cables in the kitchen. He let the cables hang down over the water tap unprotected.
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Post by dexter97 on Nov 20, 2024 16:35:07 GMT
The more I've thought about this, the more it looks like the lad just turned-up, didn't fancy the job, made an excuse and left. Baffling, but I can't accept that even the most junior tradesman wouldn't know the difference between a dry-lined and a stud wall. The work is really straightforward, and this time yesterday I couldn't get my head around what was being reported via the missus. When you say dry-lined wall you mean the plasterboard and that there are no studs, no battens, no wooden framework? But again. Some are ... as earlier noted, lazy. I had a guy here who was supposed to be fixing the lamps and cables in the kitchen. He let the cables hang down over the water tap unprotected. That's right. Plaster is used to adhere the board to the wall. It's a fairly common method of lining block walls. Studding would usually only be used adjacent to a block wall if there was a need for additional insulation.
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Post by musik on Nov 20, 2024 16:51:41 GMT
When you say dry-lined wall you mean the plasterboard and that there are no studs, no battens, no wooden framework? But again. Some are ... as earlier noted, lazy. I had a guy here who was supposed to be fixing the lamps and cables in the kitchen. He let the cables hang down over the water tap unprotected. That's right. Plaster is used to adhere the board to the wall. It's a fairly common method of lining block walls. Studding would usually only be used adjacent to a block wall if there was a need for additional insulation. Yes of course, unless you want to hang things onto the plasterboard wall like they've done in my kitchen with my kitchen cabinets, they've attached it to the thick battens and frame just behind the plasterboard. But that's not like your case, since in my kitchen there's a resonance chamber covered by plaster boards, an empty space for about 60 cm, where the water pipes and electricity wires live together separated by a wooden wall (yeah, I know). So it's about 70 cm from the kitchen cabinet to the brick wall here. They had no choice. You have the block wall soo much closer. That resonance chamber have been reinforcing the pipe noise I've heard for years. Luckily it stopped in August. Probably the neighbour on the fourth floor finally got the gasket replaced inside his water tap.
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Post by musik on Nov 25, 2024 23:46:08 GMT
Did it went ok, Dex?
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Post by dexter97 on Nov 27, 2024 15:49:27 GMT
Rearranged for next week. Different fitter - Sounds like a Polish / Eastern European guy, so probably not anything like the workshy specimen that turned-up last week.
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Post by musik on Nov 27, 2024 19:37:44 GMT
Rearranged for next week. Different fitter - Sounds like a Polish / Eastern European guy, so probably not anything like the workshy specimen that turned-up last week. All the Best! Fingers crossed.
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