Home Improvement: Lesson Learned: Use a Sprayer for Oil-based Stain on a Cedar Fence |
- Lesson Learned: Use a Sprayer for Oil-based Stain on a Cedar Fence
- Urine on Subfloor in our New Construction Build
- Do these outdoor steps look ok?
- Ruined a spot on my new Hinoki floors. Wanna cry. Any suggestions appreciated...
- Daughter pulled this out to "help" drain tub
- Home Improvement Life Pro Tip
- What twisted American created a length of measurement called a “mil” (not mm)?? TIL this was a thing. Rant/hoping for clarification.
- Should I stop the Contractor or let him continue trying to level the floor?
- Is $3500 reasonable for new quartz counters and subway tile backsplash?
- Seal gap between bathtub faucet and tile
- Help! Brick wall nightmare
- Ohhh boy it's 10 at night. Any help here?
- Best flooring for open concept main living space
- Can a gas line be run through an existing downdraft vent trench to a kitchen island?
- Goal is to save time, which DIYs should I do?
- I don't think our countertop people installed our sink correctly. Can this be fixed?
- Question about first house
- French drains around house
- Is this an old telephone line splitter in my basement? Looking for some info on it.
- Buying home with unpermitted work?
- Convert interior door to half (Dutch door)
- How do I go about getting rid of an old bus on property?
- Reduce front-load washer vibration?
- Is there a light switch that can’t be easily touched?
| Lesson Learned: Use a Sprayer for Oil-based Stain on a Cedar Fence Posted: 12 Nov 2020 12:43 PM PST After spending 8 hours and 5 gallons of stain rolling a 6 ft privacy fence using an oil-based stain, I nearly gave up and decided not to stain the other side. My fence is about 100 ft long, cedar, and slotted, meaning that it's not flat across, but rather has overlapping wood for privacy. My neighbor asked how it was going and I shared my frustration/exhaustion with the project. He said, 'Why don't you use my sprayer?' 30 minutes later, I had the entire other 100ft side sprayed and done. Don't make the same mistake as me and invest in a sprayer. And be nice to your neighbors :) [link] [comments] |
| Urine on Subfloor in our New Construction Build Posted: 12 Nov 2020 07:13 AM PST Currently under construction with a custom home builder in Tampa, FL. The home is in the drywall phase. I went by the past two nights to make sure all windows were sealed up since we just had a tropical storm pass by. On Tuesday night, I noticed what looked and smelled like urine on the plywood subfloor in our master bath. I thought that maybe it was just some water and a weird smell from the drywall mud and didn't think anything of it. Last night I went back and again, it wreaked of urine and after it dried there was clearly a large stain on the subfloor. Based on when I found it I'm assuming it was the drywall guys but I don't want to go into pointing fingers when I have no proof as it also could've been a kid in the neighbored since the home isn't locked up yet. What I'm concerned about is getting rid of the smell.. Is there anything I can do before they lay tile? Or am I overreacting and once the tile goes down the smell will be covered up and I'll be good. Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated. UPDATE: Gave the PM a call and told him the details. He just reached back out and said after speaking to the drywall guys they actually owned up to it and are covering the cost to have the subfloor replaced. I appreciate all the comments on here. You all have been very helpful. [link] [comments] |
| Do these outdoor steps look ok? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:15 AM PST https://i.imgur.com/ZkhdrMh.jpg Contractor replaced my old steps but something seems off to me here. There doesn't seem like much support on the steps, and they bow when walking on it. Also not sure why the railings are so wide apart, away from the steps. It makes it looks like the steps are just floating weirdly. I never dealt with this before so I wasn't sure what to expect. [link] [comments] |
| Ruined a spot on my new Hinoki floors. Wanna cry. Any suggestions appreciated... Posted: 12 Nov 2020 03:11 AM PST Picture: https://imgur.com/a/uVk4YBz I finished this floor myself and it's the one thing in this year+ long renovation that I did close to perfect. When I moved stuff from my old apartment about a week ago I just put everything in boxes in the living room. There was also a plastic bag full of cleaning supplies. I had no idea one of the bottles was leaking, and I still don't know what leaked. I wiped the floor but it's too far gone, it's penetrated and ruined the finish, possibly the wood. I've got a carpenter coming tomorrow to help me with some ceiling boards and I'm gonna consult him. Is the best solution to just chisel out these boards and replace them? I have plenty of extra boards.... so many things have gone wrong with this renovation and I'm almost at the end of it, but I think I'm gonna have a nice ugly cry tonight.... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.... [link] [comments] |
| Daughter pulled this out to "help" drain tub Posted: 12 Nov 2020 07:37 AM PST Can it be re-attached so that the handle pulls it up and down again? I'm assuming the long part should connect with something inside the drain? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2020 02:35 PM PST Just wanted to thank the folks in the Home Improvement Community for their advice on a roof leak. It turns out that we had several "dead zones" in our roof where water was pooling and seeping back underneath the shingles (the roof has an incredibly low pitch in some areas). This, combined with the heat and poor attic insulation, aged our roof much faster than normal. Well, we ultimately decided to put a new roof on the house. And, I learned something in the process that I thought I'd share with everyone - consider a form of give-back: If you ever put a new roof on your house, contact your insurance carrier/agent and let them know. In many cases, a new roof will lower your home insurance premium by some amount (the new roof brought our annual premium down by > $300). Even if the roof has been replaced within the past two years, it's worth a call to your carrier and let them know. I don't know how they calculate discount and age but it was a pleasant coincidence that I happened to be talking to our agent while the new roof was being installed. Thanks again to you all for your great advice on dealing with a persistent roof leak. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2020 04:55 PM PST Background:I work in healthcare and use the metric system we say "mils" instead of milliliters to save time and brainspace. Sometimes we also use this phonetic shorter term for millimeters when we are referring to length of measurement. Cut to real life:Husband and I are buying vapor barrier for our flooring instal. He says "this sheet's 6 mils so it will be a bit tougher than the other one." He's the master at overdoing things, so o questioned him about the thickness. Six millimeters seemed crazy thick when the rubber underlayment is only 3 millimeters. He then explained that mils and mm are two different things, even though the common phonetic term for mm is "mils". I feel like I'm in the first level of heck, where mild inconvenience rules. Seems like some fellow patriot chose this term, since we would clearly never stray from our freedom units so there's no chance for a mix up. Stepping off my soapbox, hoping for some kind soul to slowly and clearly logic this out for me. MAD respect for those who speak English as a second language. We don't make it easy. [link] [comments] |
| Should I stop the Contractor or let him continue trying to level the floor? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 02:21 PM PST We are installing provenza LVP flooring in our downstairs. We hired the workers who did some similar work for my parents. When I asked my parents who did their work I was given the name of the worker and not the contractor. Needless to say the bid the worker gave me was about half what the two other contractors we had gotten bids from were. Scope was to tear out about 400 ft² of tile on slab and 6 00 ft² of carpet. Level the floors, remove the old baseboards, install owner provided LVP flooring, and install owner provided baseboards. The first red flag was that he couldn't rent the chipping hammer because he didn't have a credit card, so I rented it for him. He was not able to get the thinset up with the chipping hammer and said he would come back and scrape it up by hand. The next day he came and tried to use a small angle grinder with a diamond wheel but he gave up on that. During this time my wife and I were gone and he started putting down the self-leveling cement over the remaining thinset. I looked it up and this is an okay practice as long as you level it out correctly. The problem is that he seems to be spreading it out with a trowel in it is nowhere near level looking. He just asked for more money to go by some more leveling cement. I went in and looked at it and it seems pretty bad. The provenza install guide says it needs to be level to within 3/16 of an inch over 10 ft. At this point I'm willing to call this job off and hire somebody else to do it. Am I overreacting? Or should I let him continue to level out the floor? Floor Levelling? https://imgur.com/gallery/Dt0ucxf (edit) The guy came back this afternoon and I brought up many of these points. He said it was just the first coat to fill in the large voids between the level of the remaining thinset. He said next he would scrape down the trowel marks then do another coat with a screed to do the actual levelling. He kept assuring me he does this all the time and it turns out perfect. It wasn't dry yet so he is going to come back tomorrow to finish levelling. He said we have already paid him for the leveling and he wants to finish it. Someone asked what product he is using. It is Planipatch by Mapei. Description reads Fast setting, polymer modified, cement based, patching compound. [link] [comments] |
| Is $3500 reasonable for new quartz counters and subway tile backsplash? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 04:52 PM PST I just bought my first home (yay!) but the kitchen counters are a yucky plasticky laminate that go all the way up the wall. Above the range, the laminate on the wall has warped a little because of the heat, giving it a puckered look. All of that said, I obviously want to replace the laminate ASAP. I am in the process of collecting quotes. My kitchen is VERY small. 27 sq ft of counter space, 30 sq ft of backsplash needed (according to the person who came and measured today). She quoted me a range of $3500-$4000 for what I'm asking. I have no experience with home reno, so I have no way of knowing if this is reasonable or not. Based on my light research, I feel like it's a lot for such a small amount of space, but again I'm not sure. She did mention they would have to replace my sink, so that may be part of why it's so high. I am getting another quote tomorrow, but I'm just trying to figure out what my expectations should be at/around. Thank you for any help you can provide! [link] [comments] |
| Seal gap between bathtub faucet and tile Posted: 12 Nov 2020 07:05 AM PST We've got a 1/2 inch gap between our bathtub faucet and the tile, and as you can imagine water has been leaking through and sometimes even dripping though the wall to the floor below. The tile is starting to wear out and chip off as well, so I'm not sure if caulking will hold or even work for such a large gap. We are saving up for a bathroom reno but need some sort of solution to hold us over for the next few months at least. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2020 10:18 PM PST Hello all! We recently moved into an old home in Illinois with a brick foundation. One of the basement rooms had exposed brick that had been painted. I had the brilliant idea to strip the paint off the bricks for a cool basement bar. I started by coating the walls in Citristrip and going at them with a scraper. I quickly discovered that a)there are at least 6 layers of paint, and b) some of the mortar came off when scraping. I upgraded to a Warner paint eater with the stripping agent and got most of the paint off. However, there are several very stubborn bits that haven't come off for anything. I've tried extra stripping agents, epoxy remover, and even power washing. All that I've done is remove more and more mortar so that I'm almost worried about the state of the wall. I wouldn't mind so much, but the remaining paint is bright orange and bright turquoise. The remaining bits are mostly stuck to mortar. Any advice at all? Besides crying on them, I've tried that. [link] [comments] |
| Ohhh boy it's 10 at night. Any help here? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 10:01 PM PST Yikes. Well we didn't want these office lights anyway. I'm not too knowledgeable about wiring, I am competent in basic safety though. I'm more concerned about /why/ it happened if anyone knows. We just moved in on Tuesday [link] [comments] |
| Best flooring for open concept main living space Posted: 12 Nov 2020 09:58 PM PST My house was built in the 1950s and it's time to put in new modern flooring. I have an open concept living space: living room, dining room and kitchen are all in one single area. What type of flooring do you recommend? I need something that can withstand high traffic (main entrance is on this floor), and be somewhat water resistant for splashes in the kitchen. Any advice would be appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Can a gas line be run through an existing downdraft vent trench to a kitchen island? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 02:54 PM PST Our new home has a kitchen island with an electric cooktop that has a downdraft vent. The home is two stories on concrete slab (not tensioned). The home is in Southern California. I wanted to convert to gas but am being quoted really high prices (~30-40K) to run gas from the main line at the front of the house to the kitchen island in the back of the home, trenching the last few feet. The trenching seems to be the most expensive part. Is it possible and within regulations to instead run the pipe through the wall to the downdraft vent outlet and then through the vent opening to the island? The vent duct would no longer be used as a range hood would be installed. The contractor didn't seem sure about this and said that everything would have to be trenched open for the permit inspector to view. If this doesn't work I'll probably remove the cooktop and just put a new range against an exterior wall (although the contractor is quoting 10k+ to run a gas line to the exterior wall as well which seems high). [link] [comments] |
| Goal is to save time, which DIYs should I do? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 04:55 AM PST We are working too many hours, but that's good because money. I can afford to pay a contractor. Should I DIY or contact-
I feel pretty capable to take these on, but research + mistakes + time makes me want to outsource. Any recommendations? [link] [comments] |
| I don't think our countertop people installed our sink correctly. Can this be fixed? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 09:38 PM PST Hello all. We had a quartz countertop installed yesterday with an undermount stainless sink. When the installers left I asked how long to wait before using it. They told me to wait 24 hours before placing any heavy items on the surface. That was the only instruction I was given. This afternoon 24 hours after the installers left my father and I hooked up the plumbing, disposal, and dish washer. Right away I noticed something was wrong. Water leaks from the space between the sink and underside of the countertop. When the sink is filled with water the added weight makes the sink bow down in the middle and creates a gap. Its hard to see but here is a picture https://imgur.com/a/UVLFbxb I looked under the sink and saw they did not place any anchoring posts/clips. The sink is only supported by the flared sink edge on the right and left sides where it is resting on the cabinet frame. There is no support at all along the front or back edge. What do I do now? Is this fixable without completely removing the countertop? Edit: pictures from below. https://imgur.com/a/8S1W2Dp [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2020 04:18 PM PST Hi all! I was wondering if I could get advice on a house that I just had an offer accepted. Here are the facts:
This is our first home so we have been trying to be diligent on what to look for and we want to be cautious. I know that all homes will have problems but does this seem like a lemon or a big money pit or house with potential major issues? Does not having permits for a down to the studs remodel present future potential issues? Would this be something you would purchase yourself or would this cause you concerns? Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2020 05:34 AM PST I have a new house in the midwest, and I am new to wood constructions. We have drainage issues in the heavy clay soil we have, so I am planning on installing french drains on each sides of the house with a dedicated drain for the gutters, going on a slope all the way down on backyard to finally drain into a pond. However, i am wondering how close should french drains from a house. We have a slab foundation. Should the soil at the surface of the drain be completely removed and replaced with gravel (not just the few feet above the drains)? I dont like the idea of gravel due to the maintenance with grass clippings or leaves in the fall, could I install pavers on top of a french drain? Alternatively, should I install a trench drain around the pavers on the sides of the house (pavers at a slight slope), and then start a french drain in the backyard? I want to be able to walk on the sides of my house without dealing with the muddy ponds of water after rainy days. Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Is this an old telephone line splitter in my basement? Looking for some info on it. Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:39 PM PST Photos in this album here: https://imgur.com/a/mK6uHW0 Been working in my family home's basement cleaning it up for the first time and planning a data wiring project. All the old phone jacks that we no longer use have wires that seem to converge at this device that's screwed into the joists. There are two black cables that look like the cables in an 18 gauge electrical wire which come off of it, out through the siding (the seen in one of the photos), and run up our house and then along lines to utility poles. Couple questions - A) Is this just an old school phone line splitter/whatever the name would be? It seems like a safe guess but I figure I'd verify. B) I plan on taking it down since we no longer use the phone lines and I'd like to clean things up (and potentially use the holes and paths the lines used). Is there any power that runs to this? I'll be getting a voltage tester soon but figured I'd prep. C) How much of this can I remove? As mentioned there are two black wires that run off of this, up our house, and connect to wires that run up to the utility pole. You can see the point where the wires meet outside in one of the photos. What parts belong to us? Is it worth calling our old telco to remove the lines that go from the pole to our house, or should we just leave it attached to our house in case it gets sold eventually in the distant future? [link] [comments] |
| Buying home with unpermitted work? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 07:08 AM PST We put an offer in on a house that apparently has unpermitted additions. does anyone have any actual experience with possible ramifications of moving forward? Do we need to insist that the current homeowners get things inspected and permitted? If we do not, how much does it cost to do it ourselves retroactively? Will we be able to get it covered by insurance (USAA) and if so, would insurance actually cover if something goes wrong? [link] [comments] |
| Convert interior door to half (Dutch door) Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:16 PM PST I'm just starting to build up my tool collection now that we've bought a home. My next DIY project is to switch a door at the top of my cellar stairs to a half door. I actually only want the bottom off of the door, as we want the top section open to access a coat rack inside. Are there any specific tools I would need to cut and remount the bottom half of the door? I think I can just grab a chisel to place the new hinge, but would my life be easier with a router? I have a circular and reciprocating saw. I think I'll have other projects down the road I'd use a router for, but would an oscillating tool or maybe a jigsaw be a better buy? Also willing to accept any advice for this project. [link] [comments] |
| How do I go about getting rid of an old bus on property? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:06 PM PST I'm currently doing some yard maintenance at my moms house and there is an old bus on the property that has been there prior to my parents moving in 23 years ago. The reason they didn't have a problem with it to begin with, was that my dad and grandpa used it for storage. Well.... now the family has slimmed down and my mom is the only one on the property. We are throwing out a lot of stuff and the bus is now empty. We don't have the title, nor do we know how it got on the property. Anyone have any idea of how to get rid of it? We are located in San Diego CA. [link] [comments] |
| Reduce front-load washer vibration? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:06 PM PST Background: We just replaced our 10 yr old front-load washer and dryer and renovated the laundry room. We made the following changes to the room:
The floor is floating above the crawlspace, so the joists sit on the foundation, but they are very long joists. Now the problem: We bought an LG front-load washer ( WM3900HBA ) with pedestals and that beast vibrates like crazy on spin-up and spin-down (very visible side to side motion on the top, but not walking). So much so the dryer nearby shakes and the floor/wall in the laundry room/surrounding room shakes. At full speed there is minimal vibration. It's perfectly level and the shipping bolts are out. I believe this may just be a result of the extra pedestal boost raising its center of gravity and perhaps the removal of that concrete board underlayment (though after searching, the cement board may have not done all that much). Does anyone have solutions before I say screw it and buy a top loader? I'm thinking of:
Any help would be appreciated. Our 10 year old front-loader never hit speeds this high so there was no vibration. [link] [comments] |
| Is there a light switch that can’t be easily touched? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 12:39 PM PST I have several outdoor motion detecting lights which can be turned on or off with an indoor switch. Problem is that the switches are often flipped on or off because they're located among other indoor light switches and they don't look any different. So I'm looking for a solution to stop accidentally turning the outside lights off. I'm thinking some kind of switch that has like a "safety" feature or something? [link] [comments] |
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