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Any advice on how to fill this hole please?

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AMW

AMW

master brummie
Hi

Would anyone have any advice on how to fill this hole please? There used to be a gas fire where the hole is. The gas has been professionally capped off. I thought I would fill the hole up slowly by building up layers of Polyfiller but I think the pipe will protrude from the wall.

Best wishes
Alison
 

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That's awkward with the pipe sticking out, I would have thought the gasfitter who capped the pipe would have pushed the pipe more upright, I wouldn't attempt to push it in as it might fracture and leak gas.

I would get a small bag of plaster to fill up the bulk, (dampen the wall first) and then when dry get a smooth finish with polyfilla
 
I would make up the wall behind the pipe. Then I would find or make something to form a neat cover for the part of the pipe that sticks out down to the Skirting. Fix and paint white as the wall.
 
izzy eckerslike said:
That's awkward with the pipe sticking out, I would have thought the gasfitter who capped the pipe would have pushed the pipe more upright, I wouldn't attempt to push it in as it might fracture and leak gas.

I would get a small bag of plaster to fill up the bulk, (dampen the wall first) and then when dry get a smooth finish with polyfilla
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Thanks Vic. I thought the pipe would have been pushed in too. As you say I won't be pushing it back further into the wall. I hadn't thought about getting plaster or dampening the wall first. Is plaster better than polyfiller because it is cheaper or because it will give a better finish?
 
Tinpot said:
I would make up the wall behind the pipe. Then I would find or make something to form a neat cover for the part of the pipe that sticks out down to the Skirting. Fix and paint white as the wall.
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Great suggestion. Any ideas of what you would put there, how it could look? I'm not very good with ideas around this sort of stuff.
 
AMW said:
Great suggestion. Any ideas of what you would put there, how it could look? I'm not very good with ideas around this sort of stuff.
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Please allow me to make a suggestion as I have recently had to do similar in my house. Is that supply pipe live? If yes, that is a shocking piece of capping. Whoever did it should be ashamed of themselves. Is your floor a timber one? If so, capping it under the floor is the best option, then simply remove the protruding pipe. I would not be happy with a live gas pipe suck halfway up the wall like that. Looks like someone couldn't be bothered to do a proper job.
 
AMW said:
Thanks Vic. I thought the pipe would have been pushed in too. As you say I won't be pushing it back further into the wall. I hadn't thought about getting plaster or dampening the wall first. Is plaster better than polyfiller because it is cheaper or because it will give a better finish?
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Was that a " Gas safe installer" that capped your pipe? if so he wants reporting, if it was a general plumber he did an illegal job.
Plaster will fill up the depth in one go but will probably have hairline cracks when it dries, but so will Polyfilla if you put it on really thick, finishing plaster gives the glass like smoothness you find on new walls but finishing it with Polyfilla will allow you to sandpaper it
 
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Please do a proper job. Why have a live (possibly) copper gas pipe half way up the wall when with a bit of effort you can have it removed and do it right? Plus plaster has a high alkaline level and will corrode the copper. Izzy is correct - no way a gas safe installer would have either done it that way or left it like that. Don't fill and forget - dangerous. I have tackled the devastation this type of bodge has resulted in.
 
Thanks so much for your comments. Not sure who did it but I certainly take on board what you have said.
 
It isn't a hard job. Get the pipe removed by a proper gas fitter. Capped off under the floor is best. Then you can plaster to your hearts content. Not sure where you live but I can point you in the right direction if you need help. Gas isn't my job. I am a happy diyer who can do most things but I never touch gas. Happy to help a fellow brummie.
 
Hi Alison, Don't in anyway try to put the pipe back into the wall!! If someone else moves into the house after you and doesn't know the pipe is there they may very well come to drill the wall to fix something on it and drill into the pipe with dire consequences. As has been said it should be capped off under the floor. Personally I have never been a lover of Polyfilla for deeper holes. Not sure where you live but my suggestion would be go to B & Q, or a good DIY stores, and ask for their advice. They used to give it freely. You need a different filler for the base to the final coat of plaster or polyfilla
 
Related to this question - over the time, mainly due to contractors not wanting to turn up for smaller jobs, I have had to teach myself how to tile and plaster. It is hard work, granted, but I can now skim walls and ceilings and get a nice smooth 2 coat finish with multifinish. Let me make it clear, I am not a plasterer or am I looking or touting for work, but I recently discovered a great 1 stage product that I use for quite deep holes as well as very small cracks. It is expensive, but worth it for cutting down time and waste. The results are superb. It's Gyroc Easyfill 60, available from Toolstation etc. Very smooth results are achievable. Sorry if I have broken any advertising rules but I wish someone had told me about this years ago :)
 
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I find "YouTube" handy for things like this. If you search under "how to repair a hole in the wall" there are several examples shown of how others have done so. I also find it helpful when something arrives that is "self assembly" :eek:, I have major limitations, when it comes to things like this and find it helps to see someone, methodically go through such a process, before I try to do the same.
 
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It's shocking that a professional gas fitter would leave a job like that! I wouldn't have let them them leave until it was safe.
rosie.
 
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I worked for 18 years with a firm of shopfitters and had to fill countless holes in the wall. I would not actually class this a hole as the blocks underneath are not damaged, it's just a missing piece of plaster.

The depth here is not a deep hole is it, it's just the depth of the walls original plaster, don't waste money on expensive stuff, as I already mentioned up above, just wet the wall and fill it with a cheap little bag of plaster, let it dry and then skim a bit more to smooth it out or finish with Polyfilla if you have some. Are there any builders working nearby you?, just take a little container and ask if they will give you a bit of plaster.

As we have all mentioned however your main problem is that gas pipe. If you have a concrete floor then the pipe cannot be capped underneath as you can with floorboards.
 
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