20
SEPTEMBER 2014 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
Makita Nails: CE Marked & Fully
Compliant With Eurocode Standards
Makita nails for use in Makita’s
range of gas nailers and high-pressure air nailers are fully compliant
with the Eurocode 5 specifications.
This has been a mandatory standard
since July 2013 for all fasteners
used in structural timber construction.
European law makes it an offence to use
fastening products that do not carry the
CE marking and comply with the technical
specification of EN1995 Eurocode 5. Distributors who continue to sell non CE compliant
products also face prosecution.
Makita nails are Eurocode 5 certificated where required and marked with the
relevant service class which clearly shows
YOU HAVE
FITTED SECURE
LOCKS BUT ARE
THE WINDOWS
SIMPLY LIKE
UNLOCKED
DOORS TO A
BURGLAR?
Many homes have double glazed
windows where the glass is
secured by a beading on the
outside. This can easily be
removed and is one of the most
common ways that burglars get in.
Taking out the glass is quick and
makes no noise.
NO-GO GLASS LOCKS lock the
glass into the frame so that the
glass cannot be removed without
smashing the glass.
NO-GO GLASS LOCKS are
designed to be easily fitted to
existing windows and are a very
cost-effective way to make a
property even more secure.
NO-GO SECURITY PRODUCTS are
looking for companies to sell and
install our NO-GO GLASS LOCKS.
If you would like to expand your
business then contact us.
To find out more email us on
[email protected]
Or see our website
www.nogosecurity.co.uk
Or phone 0845 528 0183
where they can be used,” reports Andrew
Bowden, Technical Director of Makita
Europe. “As an active member of the Power
Fastening Association, we are working closely with our distributors to ensure they stock
‘law makes it an offence’
only CE marked products and to advise their
customers to operate within the boundaries
of the regulations. The PFA is working hard
to educate the construction industry to comply with this European standard.”
www.makitauk.com
DIY BLUNDERS
COST HOMEOWNERS
£67M TO FIX
DIYERS More and more British homeowners are calling in professionals
to repair damage caused by their
own botched attempts at DIY.
According to new research from LV= home
insurance, an increasing number of Brits
are unsuccessfully attempting DIY jobs. In
the past five years, two million Brits have
ruined a DIY job and one in 20 (5%) had to
call out an expert to fix it – a figure which
has increased year on year since 2010.
The jobs most likely to go wrong include
painting and decorating (32%), applying
sealant around a bath or shower (18%),
tiling (16%), plastering (13%) and filling a
hole or crack in the wall (12%). In fact, Brits
have forked out £67 million collectively to
get professionals in to rectify their attempts
so far this year.
Close to one in 20 Brits (4%) have damaged their property as a result of poor DIY.
The most common types of damage caused
as a result of poor DIY are cosmetic (49%)
such as spilling paint. But more than a
quarter (26%) of DIY disasters has caused
water damage and a further 16% resulted
in electrical faults. Many DIYers (16%) have
also damaged the fabric of their property
by, for example, putting their foot through
the loft floor or smashing a hammer
through a wall.
Most amateur DIY attempt s start from a
desire to save money. In total, 85% of Brits
who attempted DIY did so because they
thought it would be cheaper to do the jobs
themselves rather than hiring a professional,
while 22% thought the job would be relatively easy to complete.
‘85% of Brits who
attempted DIY ... thought
it would be cheaper’
Over-ambition and lack of knowledge are
among the main causes of DIY disasters.
Among all those that caused damage in
their home, the majority didn’t know what
they were doing (36%) while many said the
job was just too complicated (18%). Furthermore, close to one in four (24%) blamed
their tools for the job going awry.
The rise of online tutorial videos has
exacerbated the problem, with complicated
do-it-yourself looking too easy. Close to one
in 10 (8%) Brits who have attempted DIY
say they did so after watching an online
tutorial video as it gave them the confidence
to ‘have a go.’ Yet many DIY enthusiasts
have attempted to have a go at potentially
dangerous tasks – such as electrical repairs
(29% of DIY enthusiasts), roofing work (8%)
and knocking through a wall (4%). And
some Brits say they would even attempt gas
appliance repairs (3%) or remove asbestos
(2%) without professional help.
Many homeowners fail to realise that they
need to call in the accredited professionals
to ensure work meets current safety and
building regulations, otherwise they risk
invalidating their home insurance policy
should things go wrong.