Monthly Archives: June 2013

When is oil not oil?

Posted by on June 20, 2013 Comments Off on When is oil not oil?

This stuff:
http://www.cuprinol.co.uk/products/decking_oil_and_protector_(wb).jsp
is the most un-oily oil I have ever used.
Not surprising when it is water-based.
I mean I know that emulsion paint is an emulsion (mixture) of oil and water with pigment but this stuff seems to lack anything vaguely oily at all ….so how can they call it oil?
I’ve used danish oil, teak oil, linseed oil and various others. I’ve used 3 in 1, WD40, extra virgin olive oil, rape seed oil, two-stroke oil, Duckhams, Castrol and many more besides. And you always can tell it’s oil you are dealing with because it is slippery.
However, this decking oil isn’t slippery at all, it is watery (no surprises there) and you can even wash your brushes out in water too.
So to answer the question when is oil not oil? When it is Cuprinol decking oil.

Self-perpetuating problems

Posted by on June 5, 2013 Comments Off on Self-perpetuating problems

Some things rapidly get worse when left. Here are a few obvious examples:
1) A sagging length a guttering which does not drain properly collects debris, gets heavier and then sags even more.
2) When paving slabs (or crazy paving) move, the rocking often breaks the grout between, lets water under the slab and causes the offending slab to rock even more.
3) Crazed paint on a bathroom wall (often caused by using kitchen and bathroom paint over a previous layer of the same without sufficient preparation) causes the water (condensation) to sit in the crack instead of running off the painted surface allowing the crack to open more and let in yet more water …resulting in very flaky paint.