I bought one of these little rascals that help you to do mitres in the stuff
http://tinyurl.com/yzhmpor (link goes to Axminster tools) but what's the
best implement to actually cut polystyrene coving with? Wood saw? Hacksaw?
Bread knife? Something else?

Cheers

On Jan 9, 12:24*pm, "Dave" wrote:
I bought one of these little rascals that help you to do mitres in the stuffhttp://tinyurl.com/yzhmpor(link goes to Axminster tools) but what's the
best implement to actually cut polystyrene coving with? Wood saw? Hacksaw?
Bread knife? Something else?

Have you thought about the risk of polystyrene in the event of fire?
Breathing in fumes from that stuff would be fatal if you were trying
to get out the house in a hurry. IMO, it looks sh*te compared to
plasterboard based coving even when painted.

Dave.

On 09/01/10 12:32, Dave Starling wrote:

On Jan 9, 12:24 pm, wrote:

polystyrene coving

it looks sh*te compared to plasterboard based coving even when painted.

The paper covered polystyrene coving can look as good as the paper based
plaster coving.

On 09/01/10 12:38, Andy Burns wrote:

The paper covered polystyrene coving can look as good as the paper based
plaster coving.

s/based/covered/

Andy Burns wrote:

The paper covered polystyrene coving can look as good as the paper based
plaster coving.

And margarine tastes exactly like butter.

Steve Firth
wibbled on Saturday 09 January 2010 12:54

Andy Burns wrote:

The paper covered polystyrene coving can look as good as the paper based
plaster coving.

And margarine tastes exactly like butter.

Look at the Gyproc Lite - I guarantee even a man of your impeecible tastes
won't tell the difference.

--
Tim Watts

You know you need more insulation when the snow blanket on the roof makes
the house 3 degrees warmer...

Tim W writes:

Steve Firth
wibbled on Saturday 09 January 2010 12:54

Andy Burns wrote:

The paper covered polystyrene coving can look as good as the paper based
plaster coving.

And margarine tastes exactly like butter.

Look at the Gyproc Lite - I guarantee even a man of your impeecible tastes
won't tell the difference.

90% of uk.d-i-yers can't tell the difference between Stork
Margerine and plasterboard?

--
Jón Fairbairn
http://www.chaos.org.uk/~jf/Stuff-I-dont-want.html (updated 2009-01-31)

The message
from (Steve Firth) contains these words:

Andy Burns wrote:

The paper covered polystyrene coving can look as good as the paper based
plaster coving.

And margarine tastes exactly like butter.

Nah -- it tastes like "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" from extra-sour olive oil
marketers.

Dave Starling
wibbled on Saturday 09 January 2010 12:32

On Jan 9, 12:24 pm, "Dave" wrote:
I bought one of these little rascals that help you to do mitres in the
stuffhttp://tinyurl.com/yzhmpor(link goes to Axminster tools) but what's
the best implement to actually cut polystyrene coving with? Wood saw?
Hacksaw? Bread knife? Something else?

Have you thought about the risk of polystyrene in the event of fire?
Breathing in fumes from that stuff would be fatal if you were trying
to get out the house in a hurry. IMO, it looks sh*te compared to
plasterboard based coving even when painted.

Dave.

The look depends on what product you use. I agree WRT the traaditional EPS
stuff.

I've used Gyproc Lite and it is impossible to tell it apart from normal
Gyproc (the profiles are identical).

I have two sections to my hall ceiling - one in 100mm PB Gyproc and the
other in 100mm Gyproc Lite. You really absolutely cannot see the difference.

I agree the fire risk remains, but I don't rate it any worse than curtains
and soft furnishings and being up high, I think by the time any fire gets up
there, you'll want to be out of there anyway.

The advantage of Gyproc Lite is it's rather easier to hump it around. 6x3m
pack of Gyproc weighs a ton and is a pain to mount on the car roof.

Interestingly, the Gyproc Lite was actually quite hard foam - I cut it with
the same saw I'd been using for PB Gyproc and it wasn't that soft. It cut
absolutely cleanly too.

--
Tim Watts

You know you need more insulation when the snow blanket on the roof makes
the house 3 degrees warmer...

Tim W wrote:
Dave Starling
wibbled on Saturday 09 January 2010 12:32

On Jan 9, 12:24 pm, "Dave" wrote:
I bought one of these little rascals that help you to do mitres in the
stuffhttp://tinyurl.com/yzhmpor(link goes to Axminster tools) but what's
the best implement to actually cut polystyrene coving with? Wood saw?
Hacksaw? Bread knife? Something else?
Have you thought about the risk of polystyrene in the event of fire?
Breathing in fumes from that stuff would be fatal if you were trying
to get out the house in a hurry. IMO, it looks sh*te compared to
plasterboard based coving even when painted.

Dave.

The look depends on what product you use. I agree WRT the traaditional EPS
stuff.

I've used Gyproc Lite and it is impossible to tell it apart from normal
Gyproc (the profiles are identical).

I have two sections to my hall ceiling - one in 100mm PB Gyproc and the
other in 100mm Gyproc Lite. You really absolutely cannot see the difference.

I agree the fire risk remains, but I don't rate it any worse than curtains
and soft furnishings and being up high, I think by the time any fire gets up
there, you'll want to be out of there anyway.

The advantage of Gyproc Lite is it's rather easier to hump it around. 6x3m
pack of Gyproc weighs a ton and is a pain to mount on the car roof.

Interestingly, the Gyproc Lite was actually quite hard foam - I cut it with
the same saw I'd been using for PB Gyproc and it wasn't that soft. It cut
absolutely cleanly too.

that will be high density foam. Cuts and shapes beautifully.


Burns all right though. very acrid fumes.

Dave explained :
I bought one of these little rascals that help you to do mitres in the stuff
http://tinyurl.com/yzhmpor (link goes to Axminster tools) but what's the best
implement to actually cut polystyrene coving with? Wood saw? Hacksaw? Bread
knife? Something else?

It cuts cleaner with a hot wire cutter, but failing that hacksaw or
bread knife using a gentle sawing action.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Dave explained :
I bought one of these little rascals that help you to do mitres in
the stuff http://tinyurl.com/yzhmpor (link goes to Axminster tools)
but what's the best implement to actually cut polystyrene coving
with? Wood saw? Hacksaw? Bread knife? Something else?

It cuts cleaner with a hot wire cutter, but failing that hacksaw or
bread knife using a gentle sawing action.

Thank you very much Harry - the only person to actually answer the question
I asked.

I know plaster/Gyproc Lite coving looks, and indeed is, better but (a) we've
got a huge amount to do and the budget won't stretch that far and (b) we've
already bought the polystyrene coving because that's all our budget would
allow.

Regarding the fire risk and polystyrene - we have no kids, we don't smoke
and the house was recently rewired so I think we could be classed as a
low(er) risk household. However, just in case a fire should break out, we
have mains operated (battery backup) interlinked smoke alarms in almost
every room (and an emergency light in the hallway and on the landing wired
into that circuit that provide indication of mains failure), so I reckon the
risk of polystyrene coving is an acceptable one.

After serious thinking Dave wrote :
Regarding the fire risk and polystyrene - we have no kids, we don't smoke and
the house was recently rewired so I think we could be classed as a low(er)
risk household. However, just in case a fire should break out, we have mains
operated (battery backup) interlinked smoke alarms in almost every room (and
an emergency light in the hallway and on the landing wired into that circuit
that provide indication of mains failure), so I reckon the risk of
polystyrene coving is an acceptable one.

It is certain to be the flame retardant type, which only chars and does
not itself support combustion, but it does tend to give off fumes. Test
a small piece to be sure.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Dave wrote:

I bought one of these little rascals that help you to do mitres in the stuff
http://tinyurl.com/yzhmpor (link goes to Axminster tools) but what's the
best implement to actually cut polystyrene coving with? Wood saw? Hacksaw?
Bread knife? Something else?

A garden shredder, then go and buy something that isn't hideous.

On Jan 10, 1:24 am, "Dave" wrote:
I bought one of these little rascals that help you to do mitres in the stuffhttp://tinyurl.com/yzhmpor(link goes to Axminster tools) but what's the
best implement to actually cut polystyrene coving with? Wood saw? Hacksaw?
Bread knife? Something else?

I (and the professionals next door) use an old back saw in a mitre
box.
The polystyrene is outdoors so I don't know or care whether it's fire
retarded.