Skill Builder Guides & reviews for building and construction

Manufacturer of building chemicals, Bond It, claim to be breaking new ground in sealant and adhesive performance with the launch of a range of products based on advanced hybrid technology. The new Bond it hybrid range, which will be sold under the manufacturer’s PRO brand, offers users ‘best of both worlds’ solutions to a wide variety of trade and DIY …

Roger Bisby had a  Dustblocker from Addex on test for a month and found he didn’t want to let it go. The ultimate seal of approval for me must be when I end up buying a product that I have tested. Yes, I admit, I sometimes get a deal, but I obviously have to justify the purchase to my accountant …

A Bolton based scrapyard, The Scrappers Ltd, that featured in a recent BBC documentary series has been sentenced after an employee suffered facial injuries at work. The vehicle breakers firm and Terry Walker, a consultant for the company, appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester where they denied breaches of health and safety law. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to health …

Origin the UK manufacturer of bi-folding doors, windows and blinds, has added a selection of Origin blinds to its Origin Home range. Designed to fit every door and window type, from bi-folds and French Doors through to bay and gable windows, the new range includes six different styles; Electric Roller Blinds, Pleated Blinds, Roman Blinds, Glamour Blinds, Venetian Blinds, and …

Not usually a “wellies man”, Roger Bisby is pleasantly surprised by the new Grubs boots. The only issue he seems likely to have is keeping hold of them. If  a family has been making footwear since 1776  you can safely assume they have worked out how to do it. The Foster family has not only produced an impressive number of  inventions such …

The new Makita Dust Extractor, the VC3012M M-Class Dust Extractor removes 99.9% of dust with Limit Value for occupational exposure >0.1mg/m³.  This means that the Makita dust extractor achieves performance levels better than the minimum legal limit for dust extraction when working with hazardous materials including silica sand in brick, masonry, concrete, gypsum and wood dusts and plastic composites. The …

Two scaffolders from St Austell, Cornwall have received suspended prison sentences after a worker fell 7m to his death. Roger Stoddern, 47 (pictured), was dismantling scaffolding on 24 June 2013, when he fell from a flat roof of a property in St Mawes. He was taken to Derriford Hospital but died three weeks later due to the severity of his …

A Surrey construction company has been fined after a contractor was run over on a large site in Wokingham. David Cole was a site foreman on the large housing development project, which started in April 2013 and has a completion date of April 2017. He was struck by and pulled under a large bulk powder carrier. On 7 December 2014 …

Makita has introduced a new operating mode with the launch of its latest 18v Brushless motor impact driver. The new Makita DTD170 impact driver is technically a 6-function impact driver, with four speeds and matched impact power. T-Mode is used for tightening self-drilling Tek screws and when in the new A-Mode (Assist mode) rotation is started slowly allowing maximum control …

Bosch is joining forces with Klauke to deliver high-performance 18 V batteries for all of Klauke’s Next Generation battery-operated hydraulic pressing and cutting tools. These batteries will have a running time of 2.0 or 5.0 Ah depending on the model. They are part of the Bosch Flexible Power System and are compatible with all of Bosch’s professional cordless tools and …

Two thirds of SME house builders are struggling to find land for development, according to new research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). For the second year in a row, the FMB’s annual House Builders’ Survey has shown a lack of available and viable land as the biggest barrier to SMEs delivering more new homes. Two-thirds of SME house …

An unregistered gas fitter has been ordered to complete 250 hours of community service for illegally installing a LPG gas boiler and hob at a Newquay home as well as producing fraudulent documentation. Dean Marshall, aged 47, of Dukes Way, Newquay, installed the gas boiler and gas hob at a property on Chynowen Lane, Newquay several years after his registration …

Saint Gobain promises that as well as being rain resistant, webermineral TF, a through-coloured, thin coat, decorative render finish, designed for use with multi-coat render systems can be applied at temperatures as low as 1°C. The cementitious, even textured render has rapid drying benefits that can prevent wash-off in 1 hour making it good for winter working and achieves a …

Valero Energy UK Limited has been fined £400, 000 following a serious accident at its Pembroke Refinery. Judge Peter Heywood sitting at Swansea Crown Court heard the Berth 6 access tower walkway that provided gangway access to a stationary tanker vessel on 5 March 2012 had dropped 3.5 metres, causing operator David Thomas to be trapped by a slack wire rope. He …

All highline Volkswagen Amarok models registered from now until the end of September come with a factory-fit RNS 315 satellite navigation system as well as a choice of two chrome packs with a number of competitive finance offers available. Customers can get a top-of-the-range Amarok Highline 2.0-litre Bi-TDI 180 PS with sat nav on Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Solutions Personal Contract …

Two thirds of SME house builders are yet to see any significant changes to their project pipelines in the wake of Brexit, new research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has revealed. The survey – which is the first to be conducted among SME house builders since the EU referendum – found that 69% of firms are yet to …

Since our first look at Speedskim the range is now being distributed by Ox Tools. It is fair to say that the Speedskim is not for everyone as some plasterers simply could not adapt to it but for those plasterers who have embraced it the main benefit is they can complete the laying down of finish plaster without the trowel. …