How we De-Skanked
<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#9966CC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="1ad00a20ezthtv.gif"> <div> <B>How we De-Skanked</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#CCFF66" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SKANKSVILLE"><U><B>SKANKSVILLE</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="the_story_of_skanksville.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Story"><U><B>The Story</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Pictures"><U><B>The Pictures</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The DeSkankers"><U><B>The De-Skankers</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="how_skanksville_was_de_skanked.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How we DeSkanked"><U><B>How we De-Skanked</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Process of DeSkanking"><U><B>The process of de-skanking</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Skanksville Now"><U><B>Skanksville Now</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id110.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thanks to..."><U><B>Thanks to...</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="links_to_sites_useful_to_skanksville.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Useful Links"><U><B>Useful Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="05964640.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="100" ALT="Home" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#CCFF66" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>AAARRGGHHH!!! I HAVE SKANK!!!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Discovering you have skank can be very scary. Don't be too upset though, skank can happen to anyone and CAN be controlled. </B></div> <div> <B>Don't feel that you're the only skankee in the world, don't hang your head in shame as you drive past Wickes or B&Q. All you need is the proper motivation and build up of noxious gasses in the loo, the right tools and a little help from your friends who will be more understanding and sympathetic than you think. The first step is admitting you have a problem.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Stuff you might need:</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>There's a LOT of stuff you </B><I><B>might</B></I><B> need. Below is a list of stuff you probably </B><I><B>will</B></I><B> need...you just don't know it yet.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>One of those very sharp scrapers available from professional decorating suppliers only it seems. They have a 4"- 6" Stanley-type blade in a die-cast head with a 12" slightly angled handle. They're made by Beeline and you really need one! Honest.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Hammers: claw and whomping (club)</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Bolster: 4" preferably.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Scrapers - as many as you have friends. Harris professional are best.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Harris shave hook for those fingernails-on-blackboard type squeals when scraping paint from window frames.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Wickes gel paint stripper. Use in an enclosed space to make the problems just float away. Disclaimer for the terminally stupid: This is not recommended!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Retracting knives with snap-off blades. Buy at least three as you will lose them. They will only be found when you don't want them any more. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Decent big sturdy tape measure.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Big box of pencils. These are similar to the disappearing knives, only worse as they </B><I><B>never</B></I><B> reappear.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>No-more-nails type-stuff. Unibond is good but they all seem ok.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Colron wood stain products. The best in my opinion. Not that it's done me any good in the "here, have a free tin or two" stakes.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Wickes equivalent of Artex. A big bag. Maybe two. Cheaper than real Artex and an extremely good filler of huge holes (that and patching plaster) that you've discovered under the woodchip.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>B&Q caulk/general decorators filler in tubes. And a gun or two to squish it out of the tubes of course.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Wickes floor levelling compound. Make absolutely sure you mix it with the specified quantity of water and NO MORE (don't ask)! It doesn't sound a lot on the instructions but a bag will cover a decent sized kitchen floor and it's good stuff.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A Wickes caulker. Good for smoothing aforementioned Artex-type stuff and for putting up lining/wall papers.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Speaking of which: Wickes/ B&Q 1000 grade lining paper comes on an enormous roll, is cheap and easy to use and covers up manky walls a treat.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Decent wallpaper paste. Cheap stuff is ok if you can mix at 500 rpm, otherwise it goes lumpy and verily, thy paste is buggered.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lots of empty jars and ice cream/marg tubs. You'll see.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Dulux or Crown paints. Don't buy economy cheapy super-value paint, they're not worth the hassle of putting five coats on.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Buckets. Black, plastic, builders type. 99p from anywhere. Apart from a sweetyshop perhaps. Or an opticians. Or a newsagent...</B></div> <div> <B>Bugger.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Big pasting brush. For...pasting.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Loads (and I mean loads) of black sacks. Or a skip if you're rich.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Electric sander. Makes loads of mess and gives you the raging d.t.'s for weeks but it's easier than sanding by hand.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>PVA glue for preparing walls to be lovely again after you've de-skanked them.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Richmond mitre saw from Argos. Or (for the aforementioned rich) a leccy one. Mind you, if you're rich enough to buy a superduper electric mitre saw you probably won't be de-skanking the house yourself eh?</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Make friends with your local timber merchant. The one where the professionals go, not Homebase or most of the other sheds whose wood must have been lovingly watered and tended by Peruvian virgins and turned into planks and sticks by someone who trained for ten years at the Sorbonne judging by the price of it. Learn the names of the bits of wood you want and what sizes they come in. DO NOT ask him for a bit of wood "this long" and about as wide as a slice of malt loaf. If yours is anything like mine he looks like a bulldog sitting on a thistle and growls at strangers but persevere, he's a lovely bloke really and will save you an absolute fortune.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Comments? </B><A HREF="id123.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DIY hints tips"><U><B>Go here.</B></U></A></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#9966CC" FACE="Arial" ><B>On to </B></FONT><A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Process of DeSkanking"><U><B>The Process of De-Skanking</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>