Boxing in pipework

Pipes such as heating pipes or waste pipes can look ugly and can be a dust trap, they can be hard to clean and even paint around. The ideal solution is to box pipework in, once they are boxed in, the box can be decorated the same as the surrounding area, such as tiled or painted.

Typically to box in pipework you use timber battens and plywood or MDF, the battens are normally 2×1 inches (50×25 mm) or 2×2 (50×50 mm). The plywood or MDF can be 6 or 9 mm. All of the materials used will depend on the circumstances you plan to box the pipes in. You may even wish to use plasterboard and plaster the box.

Tools required for this job

• Battens (2×1 or 2×2) (50×25 mm or 50×50 mm)
• Drill
• Drill bits
• Screw or panel pins
• Spirit level
• Screwdriver / drill with screwdriver bit
• Hammer
• Plywood, MDF, Plasterboard
• A pencil
• Tape measure

How to box in pipes

Take the battens and hold them against the wall, use a spirit level to ensure they are upright and level, next drill holes through the wood into the wall, use rawl plugs and screws to fit the batten to the wall ensuring they are level.

Once the two wall battens are fixed you can cut the plywood to the correct size, fix a batten on the outside corner of one of the pieces of plywood, this will allow you to screw the other length of plywood to it giving the external corner a good strong fixing.

Decorating the box

Once the boxing in is done you can decorate the box, if you are painting the box, fill the screw holes and rub them down then apply the appropriate paint to match the surrounding area, you may have to prime the box first to seal the plywood. If you are tiling the boxing in, cut and fix the tiles to match in with to other tiles. You can add skirting boards to horizontal boxing in to match the room, and coving to vertical boxing in to make the box become part of the room and once decorated should like it has always been there.

Horizontal and vertical pipes

The same method for boxing in applies if you are boxing in horizontal or vertical pipes.

You can box in heating pipes, hot and cold water pipes, soil pipes and waste pipes to tidy them up and make them look part of the room.

Filling holes in wood with wooden plugs

When it comes to filling holes in wood, plaster etc it is typically done with a powder filler or a two part filler, as discussed in this blog post about fillers, the different types and their uses.

But what do you do if you want to fill screw holes in wood and then varnish the wood in clear varnish or leave it natural, you could use a natural coloured filler or you could use wooden plugs or pellets. This may occur, for example if you have a hardwood window sill, such as oak or mahogany and you want to use a clear varnish on it, then you don’t want to see the filler, this is where these wooden plugs come in.

What are wooden plugs

Wooden plugs are used to conceal and hide screw holes in wood without the use of a wood filler. They are made from the same wood as surrounding wood so that the grain and wood colouring match in when finished. You can make your own wooden plugs by buying a wooden plug cutter, these are available from any good hardware or timber store. They come in different sizes to match the size hole you wish to fill.

When you drill the plug you will notice the edges are slightly tapered, this is to allow for a good fit.

Using wooden plugs

Firstly you will require a piece of wood, such as an off cut of the timber you wish to fill the screw hole in. You will also need the plug cutter.
Lay the off cut on a flat surface, drill into the off cut with the plug cutter, this will produce a plug for you. Once you have the plugs you require you can fix them into place.
Take some wood glue and put a little around the plug and a little in the screw hole. Next place the plug into the hole making sure the grain of the plug runs the same way as the surrounding wood, give the top of the plug a little tap with a hammer to ensure a good tight and secure fit. Wipe any excess glue that may ooze out with a damp cloth, allow the glue to fully dry.
When the glue has fully dried you can finish the plug off, to do this you need to carefully remove the top of the plug with a sharp chisel, leave the plug just proud of the surrounding timber. The remaining plug can then be sanded down level with the surrounding area.

Once you are happy with the plug you can apply the finishing coat over the wood and the screw hole will almost be invisible.

Colour Trends For 2020

Dulux Colour Futures™ from AkzoNobel have again come up with what they think the colour trends for 2020 will be. They have compiled a colour of the year with supporting colour palettes. They have selected a range of colours they think will be the trend throughout 2020.

What Is The Trend Colour For 2020

The colour of the year 2020 is…… 45GY 55/052 (also known as Tranquil Dawn).

“Every year Dulux colour specialists at our Global Aesthetic Center assemble a team of top international design experts to discuss the new global trends that will affect us all. We work on transforming these insights into one key 2020 Colour trend that will have an impact on homes all over the world. Then we create four beautiful palettes around the Colour of the Year, with a mood and style to suit everyone.”

Quote from Dulux website.

You can see more of this years colour schemes here:
See more of this years colour of the year and colour schemes.

Paint Calculator

If you would like to use the colour of the year (45GY 55/052) or any other colour you need to buy and need to work out how much you need to buy, use our FREE Paint Calculator.

Other useful links

Here are some further reading links:

• Past years Colour trends from Property Decorating
• Colour Futures 2020 (40 colours)
• Dulux Trade Expert Tranquil Dawn
• Colour Futures 2020 pdf (Select Decorators)
• Colour futures 2020 Dulux Trade pdf
• Dulux Tranquil Dawn

Video from Dulux YouTube channel.