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Silicone will not mold* *mold will still grow on it or behind it if moisture/soap scum is present. It is easier to clean than acrylic caulk and more durable, but it my experience it is harder to apply. Use lots of painters tape to mask off the area and have mineral spirits on hand to clean up mistakes. Wear gloves. Consider buying a caulk smoothing tool.
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Nov 4, 2021 17:24
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Caulk smoothing tools are really great, especially if you're a dumbass like me who isn't particularly handy. Even then, I'm way happier with my DIY caulk job (with a tool), than the one a handyman did (without one).
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Nov 4, 2021 19:45
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Cool, thanks. The only caulking I've really done is around exterior outlets, and I did a pretty poo poo job of making it look good (didn't really care, just wanted it to seal).
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Nov 4, 2021 19:56
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NomNomNom posted:Silicone will not mold* I would agree it's harder to apply, any small mistake can be annoying to clean/correct but I didn't know about using mineral spirits. Good to know for the future. The silicone I've applied to our shower looks as good as the day I put it on like 2 years ago. Pretty confident that would not be the case with caulk.
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Nov 4, 2021 20:31
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actionjackson posted:thanks, good idea! I'm curious if they replace the LEDs or they're actually adjustable.
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Nov 4, 2021 21:22
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Charles posted:I'm curious if they replace the LEDs or they're actually adjustable. I asked in the electronics thread as well, they said they may be able to do that, otherwise they mentioned using kapton tape
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Nov 4, 2021 21:57
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DaveSauce posted:Cool, thanks. The only caulking I've really done is around exterior outlets, and I did a pretty poo poo job of making it look good (didn't really care, just wanted it to seal). Exterior weatherproofing caulk is way less forgiving than your typical interior acrylic caulk which will basically form to whichever last wet finger swipe hit it last. If silicone just spray it with windex first.
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Nov 4, 2021 22:40
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I live in the UK and we had our ancient boiler unit replaced and moved out of the kitchen. There was only the most minimal ”make-good” work included, so the spot where the old boiler was now looks like this: As you can see, there’s some leftover electrics, plumbing bits, and other fun in there to deal with. Let’s not get into the caravan-style ceiling and the big hole it now has in it. Since we may eventually have a bigger kitchen remodel done, I am reluctant to spend a lot on getting this professionally fixed, but would very much like to get it looking less awful. Also got some IKEA steel kitchen shelves and a magnetic knife holder that I’d like to put up to make use of the space. I am not a very competent DIYer, which may show in these ideas I’ve come up with so far: - Try to fix the wall with filler and paint and put up some replacement tiles (found leftovers from whenever the kitchen was last done up). The problem here is that I am not very handy and own essentially none of the tools required for tiling, which I understand is a challenging job in itself. Also, there’s the remains of the old electrics etc, and I don’t know what the proper way of dealing with them would be. - Cover the biggest offending space (the window wall with the switch) with some kind of cut-to-measure board or sheet, add the shelves and knife holder on to that, then sort this out properly somewhere down the line – the ”sweep it under the rug” option, if you will. However, I’m not sure which material would be best, or if the idea makes sense in the first place. Anything to work with there, or should I just accept the facts and get a professional in?
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Nov 4, 2021 23:07
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Closing on a house Tuesday, and I need to fence the yard. There are no fence panels in place, but there are 4 foot posts already in place for whatever reason. The issue is that my girlfriend really wants a 6 foot privacy fence. Is there a non janky way to use the existing posts for a 6 foot fence? I can't think of one, but it's like 300 feet of fence line, and this would make my life significantly easier. And would be significantly cheaper.
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Nov 8, 2021 02:15
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Slugworth posted:Closing on a house Tuesday, and I need to fence the yard. There are no fence panels in place, but there are 4 foot posts already in place for whatever reason. The issue is that my girlfriend really wants a 6 foot privacy fence. Metal? If so some couplers, bolts, and pipe is all you need, iirc HD even sells kits, not sure how they price out when buying separate and cutting the pipe yourself though.
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Nov 8, 2021 02:48
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Rakeris posted:Metal? If so some couplers, bolts, and pipe is all you need, iirc HD even sells kits, not sure how they price out when buying separate and cutting the pipe yourself though.
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Nov 8, 2021 03:24
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Definitely easier to tie them than repour a bunch of concrete. Almost certainly cheaper too. Uglier though. Could sink a piece of dowel into it with wood glue, pop the top part onto it, and plenty of wood glue on the dowel post and mating faces. Put a stout rock on top to provide clamping force. 1" diameter cut to 6"ish lengths is probably what I would do.
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Nov 8, 2021 03:46
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Slugworth posted:Sorry, should have been more specific - Wood privacy fence is the goal, existing posts are 4x4, approximately 4 feet high by eyeball. Ah. Could buy some 4x4s, lap them, and tie them together with a couple carriage bolts. Should be fine for a fence. Edit: like this is what I was thinking.  Edit2: Could just use some strap ties, less work, won't look as nice, but depends if that matters. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-HTP-3-in-x-7-in-ZMAX-Galvanized-Heavy-Tie-Plate-HTP37Z/202329565 Rakeris fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Nov 8, 2021 |
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Nov 8, 2021 04:33
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I think sistering something on is probably the best option. You could screw or bolt a 6' 2x4 to the face of the existing posts and use that to attach the fence panels to, or use 2 2x4 sisters on either side of the post to hold on a 2' 4x4 extension to the existing post, or get some big damned carriage bolts and bolt a 4x4 sister right on the side.H110Hawk posted:Definitely easier to tie them than repour a bunch of concrete. Almost certainly cheaper too. Uglier though. Could sink a piece of dowel into it with wood glue, pop the top part onto it, and plenty of wood glue on the dowel post and mating faces. Put a stout rock on top to provide clamping force. 1" diameter cut to 6"ish lengths is probably what I would do.
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Nov 8, 2021 14:25
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:This is easy advice to type but hard to do well in practice imo. They would need to make sure the tops of the existing posts are really good and square with a very clean cut, and some sort of jig to make sure both dowel holes are aligned on the top/bottom of the posts and, more importantly, are straight along the long axis of the posts. Even in a controlled shop environment I struggle with this, and any misalignment will become veeery obvious over 2'. A dowel like that isn't really that strong, especially if the dowels aren't perfectly perpendicular to the mating top/bottom faces and I can't say I've ever seen a pressure treated dowel. Most wood glue doesn't really like treated wood either, especially if it is wet. Epoxy might be better but honestly 2x4s are probably cheaper than epoxy and stronger to boot. Fair enough, I didn't know treated wood wouldn't like wood glue.  Drilling straight would be hilariously hard but maybe they are a drilling prodigy.
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Nov 8, 2021 14:56
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H110Hawk posted:Fair enough, I didn't know treated wood wouldn't like wood glue.
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Nov 8, 2021 15:12
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Not sure the best place to ask, so I thought I would start here. I'm looking for recommendations on a quality general use respirator. I want something I can use for sanding, generally dusty environments and the occasional interaction with concrete dust and wood finish/paint. I wear glasses so kinda wary of anything with a full face mask. I don't mind paying a decent bit for something good that will last, all suggestions welcome.
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Nov 8, 2021 17:28
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emocrat posted:Not sure the best place to ask, so I thought I would start here. What you're looking for is something NIOSH approved for the work you're doing. General dust a 3M Brand N95 mask is perfectly sufficient. If you want something that gets those last 5%, or requires further filtration (e.g., Lead hazards) then a 3M half-mask cartridge respirator is perfect. Do not buy them from Amazon - too many fakes. If it's fogging your glasses on either one they are improperly fit. For the half-face N100 or P100 cartridges they are trivial to test. Put your hands over the inlets and breathe. Can you? It's improperly fit. It should suck against your face and be impossible to get a breath in. If you're outside the USA then whatever your local government equivalent of NIOSH is would be the stamp you want.
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Nov 8, 2021 17:39
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emocrat posted:Not sure the best place to ask, so I thought I would start here. https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Pro-Medium-Multi-Purpose-Respirator-with-Quick-Latch-65023QLHA1-C/206408988 You need Organic Vapor or Acid Gas cartridges for wood finishing.
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Nov 8, 2021 19:08
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The half mask respirator with the cartridges will work better while being a million times more comfortable than some disposable n95, and the cartridges are pretty reasonably priced for the use you get out of them. If you will use it with any regularity at all go with the half mask imo.
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Nov 8, 2021 19:30
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Wonderful, thanks for the advice all, it is very much appreciated.
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Nov 8, 2021 20:19
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H110Hawk posted:Fair enough, I didn't know treated wood wouldn't like wood glue. Tie plates were my original plan, so I may end up going that route, although I do really like Kaiser's idea about sistering a 2x4 on, I think that would be a cleaner look than a tie plate, and pretty beefy. A bit more money, but if I can reuse these posts, it turns it from a hiring out for big money job to a me spending a weekend swearing job. My main concern was that it was gonna be one of thos questions where everyone's like "No, you idiot, here are the 14 reasons you're overlooking that make this the worst idea ever".
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Nov 8, 2021 21:31
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Fire Safety Doug posted:I live in the UK and we had our ancient boiler unit replaced and moved out of the kitchen. There was only the most minimal ”make-good” work included, so the spot where the old boiler was now looks like this: Was this in the wrong place/too broad in scope? Or perhaps just too dumb to merit a reply?
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Nov 8, 2021 23:06
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Fire Safety Doug posted:Was this in the wrong place/too broad in scope? Or perhaps just too dumb to merit a reply? The wall - Proper repair is to sand down any high spots, grab some plaster/mud, float that whole area with a large knife (trowel), sand, prime, paint. Floating an area this large nicely on your first try will be tough. Or, if you've got something to kind of cover/hide the area, just spackle the holes, clean the wall, throw a coat or two of paint on it, call it a day. The tile - Proper fix is go get a small tub of premixed tile cement and a small tub of premixed grout that roughly matches the surrounding grout. Watch a video on how to tile. It's pretty easy and all you'll need is a notched trowel and a grout sponge. Or, if this is all coming out soon and you don't care that much, grab some liquid nails, glue the tiles onto the wall, grout or caulk the grout lines. The abandoned electric box. If there's no wire in it, your temporary fix would be to pop out the existing tile, and replace it with a full tile. If there's wire in it, just buy a blank plate to mount to the box (You don't want to permanently cover wire junctions). The little bit of pipe, buy a nice houseplant and put it in front of if until you remodel. Which, honestly, a big enough house plant actually solves all of these problems until the remodel. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 00:04 on Nov 9, 2021 |
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Nov 9, 2021 00:01
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Slugworth posted:I think you sort of answered your own question in post to some degree, so people may have not had a ton to add. You mentioned a full remodel is coming, so I'm gonna give options of varying degrees of half assedness. Thanks very much, appreciate it. I don’t have any kind of date for a remodel and with a new baby in the house, it might be a while until we have sufficient funds, which is why I’m trying to figure out if I can DIY this.
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Nov 9, 2021 00:22
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Fire Safety Doug posted:Thanks very much, appreciate it. I don’t have any kind of date for a remodel and with a new baby in the house, it might be a while until we have sufficient funds, which is why I’m trying to figure out if I can DIY this.
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Nov 9, 2021 02:03
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I have a bunch of lip frame window screens that are trashed. The hardware store only has square frame for sale to build my own, and even online lip frame seems hard to find. The window frame has a little lip on the inside - if I build square frame screens, is there hardware to hold it in place here?
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Nov 10, 2021 01:57
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The hot water in my house has developed a sulphur/rotten egg smell. It is present at all taps in the house. And only the hot water. Strangely it disappears after running the hot water for a bit. But once you let it sit unused for a while it will be present again when turning the tap on. I've read it can be caused by a few things... From the water supply, the hot water tank itself, etc.. But the cold water does not and never has had this smell. I have city water. My house is 8 years old as is the water heater. All water lines are PEX. I would suspect it is likely coming from the water heater... but how to solve it?
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Nov 11, 2021 15:13
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Gas or electric heater? Have you turned it off and drained it ever?
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Nov 12, 2021 01:47
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stevewm posted:The hot water in my house has developed a sulphur/rotten egg smell. It is present at all taps in the house. And only the hot water. Strangely it disappears after running the hot water for a bit. But once you let it sit unused for a while it will be present again when turning the tap on. tater_salad posted:Gas or electric heater?
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Nov 12, 2021 02:59
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tater_salad posted:Gas or electric heater? Electric.. and no I've never drained it. Never had a reason to.
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Nov 12, 2021 04:23
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I am replacing a rotting floor at our family cabin. It’s a kind of unheated porch/mud room we usually enter through and is above a cold cellar type room with a dirt floor. There is a bit of a moisture issue there that probably won’t be dealt with for another year or two. Any tips for waterproofing the lower surface of the plywood I’m putting down? Is some kind of coating best, or would poly be better? I’m thinking the poly/vapor barrier may do more harm than good.
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Nov 12, 2021 05:55
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mr.belowaverage posted:I am replacing a rotting floor at our family cabin. It’s a kind of unheated porch/mud room we usually enter through and is above a cold cellar type room with a dirt floor. There is a bit of a moisture issue there that probably won’t be dealt with for another year or two. Any tips for waterproofing the lower surface of the plywood I’m putting down? Is some kind of coating best, or would poly be better? I’m thinking the poly/vapor barrier may do more harm than good. Do you have a crawlspace or basement beneath? And what's causing that moisture?
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Nov 12, 2021 06:34
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:
stevewm posted:Electric.. and no I've never drained it. Never had a reason to. It's easy, but there's risks and you should follow the steps in order. It's basically hooking up a hose and running that outside or to your bathtub to drain. This video is very good and just the right length to explain the task. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs5N7HyDUWo
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Nov 12, 2021 10:39
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melon cat posted:Do you have a crawlspace or basement beneath? And what's causing that moisture? It's a basement. There are several causes to the moisture, the primary one in that area being the unfinished floor with a crappy sump pump. There are several planned projects for the basement that will help, including pouring a floor and a proper sump pit, but in the meantime the floor is unsafe and needs resheeting. In the interim, I want to protect it from the damp below as best as possible.
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Nov 12, 2021 12:39
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Wasabi the J posted:It's easy, but there's risks and you should follow the steps in order. But would draining it solve the problem?
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Nov 12, 2021 14:34
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Wasabi the J posted:It's easy, but there's risks and you should follow the steps in order. Something to note about this is that if you have an old - think more than 10 years - water heater and it's never been drained you might gently caress yourself if you drain it. Basically if the valve gets clogged with the poo poo that's in the tank you might not be able to get it closed again. But at that point you're into "use it until it fails and replace the heater" territory.
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Nov 12, 2021 14:46
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stevewm posted:But would draining it solve the problem? You need to replace your anode rod to solve the smell, but you should also periodically drain any sediment/precipitate out of the bottom. e: I should add that the anode rod protects the tank from corrosion. The smell is an indication that it has dissolved away and isn't doing that anymore, so you should be watchful for any signs of problems so you don't end up with an unplanned wading pool. glynnenstein fucked around with this message at 15:07 on Nov 12, 2021 |
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Nov 12, 2021 15:04
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stevewm posted:But would draining it solve the problem? When you open the drain (if you can - it may be corroded shut) all will be revealed. You don't necessarily have to drain the entire contents, just run it until the water comes out clear. It's a steel tank. They rust. You should open and drain the bottom sediments out annually.
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Nov 12, 2021 15:17
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glynnenstein posted:You need to replace your anode rod to solve the smell, but you should also periodically drain any sediment/precipitate out of the bottom. I'll give that a try.
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Nov 12, 2021 15:20
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