Home Improvement: Update: How to fix this damage on top of kitchen island countertop? |
- Update: How to fix this damage on top of kitchen island countertop?
- How this shower lasted 50 years I’ll never know...
- Anyone any toilet recommendations? Looking for a water efficient toilet that can handle large bowel movements.
- Two days of homeownership and already need some help.
- What's the best way to get a customer service response from Lowe's?
- Best way to find a flooring contractor
- Fabric covered walls?
- Installing mass loaded vinyl with a staple gun
- How to deal with a live wire I don't want live anymore?
- Master bathroom shower remodel
- Any good guides out there for putting up a wooden driveway gate?
- Garbage Disposal not turning freely...
- Remodeled my basement bathroom last summer...I finally have the guts to post my work.
- Advice requested on working successfully with contractors
- Condensation problem in new vaulted ceiling
- Ceiling Fan Only Works on High
- How to spray insecticide in a crawl space?
- What type of flush valve is this?
- Bugs getting through my Window AC :(
- Best wooster brush for baseboards & window trim : Shortcut, Shortcut Chinex, Softip, Silver Tip, or Firm Pro?
- Is this too many recessed lights?
- Should I do Blown in insulation or gable mount attic fan first?
- Questions on tools for mudding.
- Is it safe to install stackable washer/dryers on 2nd floor?
| Update: How to fix this damage on top of kitchen island countertop? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 07:10 PM PDT Here is the link to the previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeImprovement/comments/hqfs0e/how_to_fix_this_damage_on_top_of_kitchen_island/ Pictures of damage: https://imgur.com/a/y4awo63 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just to follow up on this issue. It turns out the stone had to be re-polished. I called some places to get an estimate and it ranged from $250-$400. The cost was mostly for the labor, since they had to grind/sand using multiple grit diamond pads. So, I ended up doing it myself. I bought an inexpensive buffer/polisher for $70 (Avid Power Polisher 12Amp/7-inch), and a set of diamond polishing pads for $24 (Stadea) that ranged in grit 50, 150, 500, 1500, 3000. I got the set that also came with the 5/8" hook and loop backing pad. I started the polish using 500grit pad and spraying water using a low rpm setting from 1600-2000rpm. This was tricky since you have to get the balance of the tool right so that the polishing pad is flush and parallel with the countertop. It took about 30 minutes before I got the hang of it and was able to do multiple passes quickly. (This grit size will create a slushy slurry from the granite and water after sanding) After all the imperfections were smoothed out, the countertop looked really milky and streaky. Then I used the 1500 pad with light water spray and went over the counter top 2 times at around 2100-2600rpm. After that, I used the 3000 pad with no water(dry polish), and polished it 3 times at 3000rpm. This gave it a really nice shine. Lastly, I used a 7" backer with a hog hair pad and MB-20 (by StonePro), and polished it at 3000rpm (starting slowly at 600rpm and gradually ramping up so the product wouldn't splatter everywhere) with 3 passes. The final product turned out really good. It took about 1.5 hours to do this job for my first time and also watching youtube videos on how it's done. If I did it again, I could probably do it in under 30minutes. Pictures of table(after): https://imgur.com/a/rtmaqK6 [link] [comments] |
| How this shower lasted 50 years I’ll never know... Posted: 20 Jul 2020 06:39 AM PDT What was wrong with the 70's?!?! Yeah... let's glue tile directly onto standard drywall- that sounds good enough for a shower/bath surround. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 20 Jul 2020 02:37 PM PDT Basically what title says - ideally it would be a toilet that we could source from Lowe's/HD/Costco as that is what is around me. In terms of budget we are probably thinking somewhere between 100-200 but can be a bit flexible. I looked online but it feels like every website is an "advertising" website and makes me feel like I can't trust/rely on their information. [link] [comments] |
| Two days of homeownership and already need some help. Posted: 20 Jul 2020 02:55 PM PDT Hello all. I've lurked here for a while and have enjoyed this communities willingness to help. So here's my issue I found mold underneath vinyl flooring in the master bedroom. The foundation is concrete slab and is single story. As of last night I have removed all vinyl type flooring and the remnants of what appear to be a moisture barrier? Perhaps remnants of carpet padding? I'm not really sure. I removed all trim and did not find any mold on or around the drywall or on or behind the trim (hoping this is a good sign) in addition I checked above the hallway and room and don't see any apparent sign of a water leak. (The roof has been recently replaced) My plan is to scrub the floor with a mold and odor killer and let it dry overnight. Once dried I was going to roll a water based concrete sealer to help with future moisture issues, lay down a thin moisture barrier and replace the floor with a vinyl plank. First off is this a good plan? Second are there any other precautions I should take? Thank you in advance for any assistance. [link] [comments] |
| What's the best way to get a customer service response from Lowe's? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 05:51 PM PDT Had a terrible experience with lowes.com and two local stores. Made an order online. Two separate stores were supposed to fulfill it (one for the refrigerator, one for the installation hardware). My order got cancelled without anyone informing me. One store blames the other store. The other store blames corporate. Now, I missed out on the sale price and since the 4th of July sales occurred already, inventory is low and the fridge is out of stock. How can I complain/ask for help and actually get a response from someone at Lowe's? [link] [comments] |
| Best way to find a flooring contractor Posted: 20 Jul 2020 04:13 PM PDT I searched and couldn't find a good guide. In my experience 50% of contractors have been a nightmare to deal with and I don't want to go through the same headache again. I don't have any personal contacts to get references from for floors so what's the best way to find contractors for quotes. I imagine it's not just home depot and Lowe's but I really don't know where to start. Any advice is appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 20 Jul 2020 05:00 PM PDT Has anybody used fabric and fabric starch to cover their walls in place of wallpaper? How did it hold up over time? Was there any weird smells or mildew? I ask because I want to decorate my apartment walls but can't find any temporary wallpaper that I like. I keep seeing people use fabric and fabric starch but I'm worried about any weird smells (Since fabric can trap smells.) Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. ☺️ [link] [comments] |
| Installing mass loaded vinyl with a staple gun Posted: 20 Jul 2020 06:18 PM PDT For the install of 1/8" mass loaded vinyl, I have come across 3/8" heavy duty staples that I'd like to make use of. Would staples of that size cause any issue for drywall being installed after the MLV? [link] [comments] |
| How to deal with a live wire I don't want live anymore? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 05:24 PM PDT Howdy! Short time lurker, first time poster. TLDR: How do I terminate a live wire up to electrical code? I'm installing new flooring in a 1975 house, removing a baseboard heater that's hard wired into a full size "romex" style power line. Power line comes through the subfloor directly under where the drywall sits so they actually dug into the drywall to create a 2" channel in the drywall so the heater could sit flush with the wall. So what's the correct and up to electrical code way to deal with the power line after I remove the heater? Considerations: 1) it's an exterior wall that has some sort of plastic sheet for a vapor/water barrier directly behind the drywall. Unsure if I should cut into that. 2) basement directly below this spot is finished so i cant just drop the line through the floor hole and hope for the best. 3) because that specific basement portion is finished, I can't see which of the many wires going in that direction is the correct one to potentially cut and tape off. Plus, I dont know if that power cable doesnt branch somewhere inside the finished basement ceiling anyways. My initial thought is to have someone stomp alot so I can guesstimate where to cut into the basement ceiling next to a floor support beam close to the noise, make a hole big enough for a "power box", pull the cable through, install box so its pointing down, terminate cable in the box, install a blank plate so blank plate is flush with ceiling. But I dont know if that's the best solution or if there is a simpler solution. Thanks for reading! [link] [comments] |
| Master bathroom shower remodel Posted: 20 Jul 2020 11:56 AM PDT Has anyone removed a shower and tub (example linked) and replaced them both with just a walk in shower? I have a tub upstairs but would no longer have a tub in the master. Any regrets? I'd love to see pictures of how this has been done. [link] [comments] |
| Any good guides out there for putting up a wooden driveway gate? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 06:55 PM PDT Been playing around with the idea of throwing a gate over my driveway as I think it will look good with the fence I just put in. Zero experience doing a gate though. Any good guides on this? [link] [comments] |
| Garbage Disposal not turning freely... Posted: 20 Jul 2020 08:07 PM PDT Our garbage disposal (Insinkerator) started making a loud racket last week - about 2x normal volume. It still seems to work but the noise led me to try and pull anything out. We found a bit of lime but nothing really jamming it that we could see/feel. Tonight I decided to run some ice and see if that would clear thing up...but no dice. I got out an allen wrench and started to turn the fly wheel by hand only to find that it rubs/binds at one point when it spins and is sounds/feel like its about 3" above the bottom. I worked it back and forth for some time with no change. It turns but still binds for about an 1/8th of the turn. I'm stumped. Is it time for a new disposal? Do I take it out and try to partially disassemble it to see if I can find anything? Any advice appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Remodeled my basement bathroom last summer...I finally have the guts to post my work. Posted: 20 Jul 2020 09:41 PM PDT I just wanted to cover the floor tile and replace the shower tile but it turned into a much bigger project. I am not an experienced DIYer and the biggest thing I'd done before this was install a dish washer. YouTube was a tremendous help. Overall I spent about $8k: $5k on tools and materials and $3k for a plumber to fix my drain pipe after I mistakenly put thinset down the drain (Yes I'm an idiot). It took about 5-6 months to complete. I work full time and have a toddler to manage, so I'd only get 3 or so hours a night to work on things. Tiling took up half the project time. It was slow and painful. However, it was all worth it in the end. [link] [comments] |
| Advice requested on working successfully with contractors Posted: 20 Jul 2020 01:38 PM PDT Hi there! I am looking on some overall advice on working with contractors. It's been a nightmare six months and I'm trying to figure out either where I'm going wrong or what else I can do to make this process better (or is my experience totally par for the course and that's just the way it is??). I just want to pay some professionals a reasonable amount of money to get my house fixed and want everyone to walk away happy. A year and a half ago I bought a sweet little 1930 cottage in a very desirable neighborhood-- my first house! I love old homes but am inexperienced in home repairs since I've been a renter my whole adult life, so I bought a home that was slightly pricier but had been renovated by the previous owner right before I bought it. No issues the first year. Then a tornado hit my city six months ago, devastating a lot of the neighborhood, my house included. Obviously, it's been a really tough time. I did a lot of googling and asked for a lot of advice from people in my life, who all recommended that I take the insurance money directly and then find my own contractors/DIY some things. All good, and my bank was happy with that. Insurance company was great. And then I started looking for contractors and the nightmare began. Here's where my questions come in: 1 - I had a nearly impossible time getting contractors to provide me estimates for the work. They kept asking to see my insurance quote, and when I tried to respectfully decline and explained that I just want to know what the work would cost regardless of my settlement, they stopped returning my calls (I think it doesn't help me that there's a glut of work here, so it's not like they are desperate for my business). I did provide them with the list of what insurance was covering, I just blacked out the pricing. I had been advised to get multiple bids to compare work options and to not provide the full insurance $$ up front. Was this bad advice? How should one typically work with contractors in the up front stage? I used to create estimates (different industry) in my own job so would never just jerk someone around for a quote if I wasn't hoping to use them; I only intended to get at most three estimates from well-reviewed companies. And I am not looking to underbid-- I'm of the 'buy the best, cry once' philosophy, as they say. But how would you recommend vetting and finding contractors if not through an estimate process? 2 - I finally found a company that had a good reputation locally and provided an estimate. I told them the only thing I really cared about was being kept in the loop on the project as I would be living a 20 minute drive away. So with a couple of days to spare before we were outside the six week window of when they said we'd start work, I called to ask what was happening. Two emails and a call later, I am finally told materials delivery will happen the next day. Great. Two days later, I stop by the house and bam! New roof. Okay, that's great, but no word on when the rest of the house will get fixed-- and I really need to start scheduling things like painters/window/drywall/electrician (my insurance money to stay somewhere else is going to run out, hence the need to move quickly). So I reach out to the company, no response. Then my insurance company calls and says they spoke with the contractor and have approved additional funds. I'm confused as to what has changed, so again reach out to the company twice over three days with no response. Then a few days later the coordinator calls and is super confused. She has no idea when my project is supposed to be wrapped up or what has changed but says she'll find out and call me back. Then a different coordinator calls me to set up time to go over the scope to make sure I still understand it since it's been a long time since we went over it. I explained that I'm fine with the scope we agreed on, I just want to know what's changed since more money has been approved. When changes come up on a job, is it expected that I just roll with whatever my insurance company/contractor decide? This is a serious question-- I really don't have a lot of experience in this and I'm not looking to be a pain in anyone's ass, but I am a curious person and also want to be involved with decisions that have to do with my biggest investment. However, the coordinator I'm meeting with tomorrow seemed kinda resentful on the phone of having to 'take me through the scope again' when I didn't ask for that at all, nor did I ask for an in person meeting. I just asked what the extra $2000 is for as I assume it'll be on my final invoice and I'll have to pay it. Am I missing a reason why this would be a frustrating or annoying or unreasonable ask on my part? FYI, I used to be a project manager so regular client communication is baked into my bones. Is it just different in this industry? 3 - Finally-- any general tips for being taken seriously as a solo female homeowner? I'm in the south, so being "sweethearted" to death was sort of to be expected, but it's pretty disheartening and exhausting. Ultimately I had better results when my fiancé came with me to meet with contractors, but it really sucks when people talk to him instead of me about MY house so I'd prefer not to have to do that. I've done my best to google what needs to be done to understand vaguely the process, but not sure that's really helped. -- TL;DR: Solo female homeowner looking for advice on walking the line between being taken seriously and not being an asshole when it comes to working with contractors. Looking for general advice on what's an unreasonable amount of communication / explanation to expect from contractors and how to make the process of working together a chill, if not pleasant, experience. Thanks all! [link] [comments] |
| Condensation problem in new vaulted ceiling Posted: 20 Jul 2020 07:16 PM PDT I am in the process of building a 500 sf addition to my house and I am having serious condensation problems in my new vaulted ceiling. The water is condensing above my ridge beam and dripping down. I installed rigid foam insulation in my rafter bays that are all friction-fitted and I thought there would be no gaps or voids for water to condense, but obviously I was wrong. What are my options? I'm considering having spray foam installed, but doing that I eat the cost of my existing insulation. [link] [comments] |
| Ceiling Fan Only Works on High Posted: 20 Jul 2020 08:46 PM PDT Hoping someone can help me determine the root cause to my ceiling fan halfway working. It will only turn on the high setting, the other three (low, medium and off) it just stands still at the off position. Any idea what this could be? The capacitor? Pull switch? Hoping it's something I can fix myself so I don't have to buy a whole new fan kit. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| How to spray insecticide in a crawl space? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 08:41 PM PDT I have to go to war with ants. I can and do spray the house perimeter and property perimeter with a commercial grade insecticide I buy on Amazon. But they are coming out from under baseboards and have to be coming in from the crawl space under the house. I really don't want to drag my backpack sprayer under the house. does anyone know of a 5 to 10 gallon tank solution that I could attach a 50 to 100 ft hose and only take the hose? Would a Paint sprayer work? 12v or ac powered would be fine. Or any other suggestions? [link] [comments] |
| What type of flush valve is this? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 05:24 PM PDT I've been trying to replace the flush valve in my toilet, but I don't know what kind to look for. The closest I've been able to find is the Kohler cylinder flush valve, but it looks slightly different and I want to be sure it'll work for this toilet before I buy it. [link] [comments] |
| Bugs getting through my Window AC :( Posted: 20 Jul 2020 06:31 PM PDT This has absolutely started driving me nuts cause I really am not too fond of bugs, and it was fine and all until the big guys like MOSQUITOS and Moths starting sneaking in and now I'm actually rather nervous because where I'm at, EEE virus is a serious concern. My AC is a LG LW5016, it's a pretty typical one, but man I have no idea how these bugs keep getting through or what I can do to stop it. I heard of this mystical thing called the "fresh air vent" but the manual has no mention of it. A customer question on Amazon asks
But this doesn't seem to refer to... anything. I don't see a lever or nothing. Anyways, I guess I have two questions: 1. Anyone else have this AC and know where said fresh air vent trigger is located? 2. If not, would something like this prevent bugs from coming through? or would it be dangerous/flammable? I'm having a bad time here :( [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 20 Jul 2020 05:00 PM PDT |
| Is this too many recessed lights? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 01:48 PM PDT Looking to replace 3 4-light halogen ceiling fixtures with wafer flush lights. I got attic access above it. Room is 24'x16.5' with a cutout for the stairs. Can y'all give me some advice on the lights? Room is used for crafts, TV, computer, lounging, and has 3 windows on one wall. Has sloped walls on 2 sides going up to the ceiling. First, 4 inch or 6 inch lights? Next, is my plan too many? They'll be dimmable but don't need overkill. I read 1 light per 25 sqft so that's what I went with. Ceiling is 9 ft so spaced them out 4 and a half to 5 feet apart. Seemed right but now I'm looking at these plans like dang do I really need that many? Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Should I do Blown in insulation or gable mount attic fan first? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 03:02 PM PDT We have a split level home that has a really hard time cooling off in these Georgia summers. We finally were able to replace the very old (25 plus years) HVAC system with a zone control unit. That helped a LOT but when it's 90 degrees out it still can't keep up. Our house is old and has maybe 6 inches of very old insulation in the attic. And no attic fan at all due to the company that replaced the roof last year saying all we need is a ridge vent. My question is which should I do first? Which will help more? I'll have to split this into two projects due to cost. We have to recoup from the cost of the new HVAC unit. With the blown in insulation I plan to air seal first with foam. (Not going to be fun) Then use the stuff from homedepot where I can get the machine for free if I buy 20 bags. I'm thinking maybe I should do the fan first because it won't take nearly as long and will be cheaper. That let's me hold off on the insulation which I can do in a few months after it cools off outside considerably. Let me know what you think! [link] [comments] |
| Questions on tools for mudding. Posted: 20 Jul 2020 07:35 PM PDT Hey guys! I was wondering if I really need the gammut of putty knives for mudding or if I could get by with just one or two. I only have two walls that need to be finished and don't want to invest in four different sized putty knives unless necessary. I'm thinking I could get by with. 6" and a 10"/12" [link] [comments] |
| Is it safe to install stackable washer/dryers on 2nd floor? Posted: 20 Jul 2020 03:43 PM PDT We just bought our first home (rowhouse in DC Metro area), built in 1910. The washer and dryer are currently installed in the bathroom on the second floor, and are side-by-side. We're replacing them at the end of the month with newer stackable models, but I'm a little worried about the combined weight of the machines + wet clothes + water on something that's not at ground level. I checked the specs, and the (empty) machines are about 344 lbs combine. Should I be worried about putting that much weight on a relatively small section of the second floor and causing it to collapse? Related, does the new homeowner anxiety of "everything I own is so heavy it's gonna make the walls and floors fall apart" ever go away? We've been here a week and a half, and I feel like that anxiety is consuming my every decision. [link] [comments] |
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