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Ham Equity posted:I am very tempted by the siren call of "just pretend it's not there, it's behind the entertainment center, anyway." But I also want to learn to do some of this poo poo on my own, and this is an area that isn't going to be very visible when I'm done, so if I gently caress it up, it's not a big deal, and it'll teach me better for next time, so I'm gonna take a run at replacing the junction box.  doing it right feels good. I was originally going to swap a single gang with a single outlet (that the PO was using a splitter on lol) to a duplex receptacle, but ended up swapping the junction box out when I found it was screwed haphazardly to the stud using a deck screw just through the box and not where it was supposed to go lo
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Sep 26, 2023 02:51
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Shifty Pony posted:Not sure exactly what tank cleaning product Gary was putting in here but id hate to run into any of the germs that survived it. Those flavor/color cakes can do that, too. Ham Equity posted:Is there anything I can do about this short of calling an electrician? It doesn't seem dangerous or anything, I just don't like knowing it's there. Do I need to let it go? Been there. Bigger sheetmetal screw.
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Sep 26, 2023 02:54
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Ham Equity posted:I am very tempted by the siren call of "just pretend it's not there, it's behind the entertainment center, anyway." But I also want to learn to do some of this poo poo on my own, and this is an area that isn't going to be very visible when I'm done, so if I gently caress it up, it's not a big deal, and it'll teach me better for next time, so I'm gonna take a run at replacing the junction box. This could be a good move, but consider also saving some of that gumption. There are lots of things you haven't found yet. It's challenging to find the balance between avoiding laziness, and not biting off more than you want to chew all at once.
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Sep 26, 2023 04:10
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The thumbnail makes it look like David Lynch is directing Youtube repair videos
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Sep 26, 2023 06:55
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Epitope posted:This could be a good move, but consider also saving some of that gumption. There are lots of things you haven't found yet. It's challenging to find the balance between avoiding laziness, and not biting off more than you want to chew all at once. Yeah a lot of this seems to really spiral out of control. You uncover problems that are actually lovely solutions to much worse problems, and that goes all the way down to the studs. Or maybe that’s just because my house is almost 100 years old.
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Sep 26, 2023 11:42
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tuyop posted:Yeah a lot of this seems to really spiral out of control. You uncover problems that are actually lovely solutions to much worse problems, and that goes all the way down to the studs. My house is over 100 years old. So, one of the "how to switch out a junction box" videos I was watching had I've that just, like, clipped in on the plaster without having to be nailed to a stud; is that a particular kind of junction box? How do I buy one of those, specifically? Another question: the shower rod in our master bathroom is 1.5" diameter; how the gently caress do I find hooks for it? Alternatively, how hard is it to replace a shower rod? Ham Equity fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 26, 2023 15:26
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my house needs a complete rewiring and repiping. it sucks rear end.
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Sep 26, 2023 15:34
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Ham Equity posted:My house is over 100 years old. retrofit junction box bend the hooks larger is the easiest, cheapest solution. replacing a shower rod is as easy (screw adjustable / extendable) or as hard ((permanent mount) not really difficult)) as you want it to be
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Sep 26, 2023 15:34
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The term you'll see at the hardware store is "old work" box, Old in this case meaning you're working on an existing finished wall as opposed to a "new work" box where you have direct access to the studs because the wall you're dealing with is new and not skinned in drywall yet. Since you'd be installing it next to a stud you may want to look into a different type of old work box that includes the ability to screw into an adjacent stud for a sturdier connection, here's an example from Home Depot. (this specific box you can break off the extra tab and just use the internal screws minimizing the amount of drywall work to be done. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwire-Smart-Box-1-Gang-Multi-Mount-Adjustable-Depth-Device-Box-MSBMMT1G/203343441 If you are hoping to replace that box without drywall work the hardest part is not going to be installing a new-old work box, it's going to be removing the old one which assuming it is a new work box means it's nailed to a stud and those nails aren't accessible without cutting the drywall. Personally for me this definitely falls under the "not worth it" category of home repair, as long as you can get an oversized screw to hold there're probably better uses of your time.
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Sep 26, 2023 18:32
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Okay. I'm looking into getting the electrical set up for an induction oven. I'm in Chicago and everything will be conduit. I've got room in the box. There's a slightly complicated indoor route from the box to the kitchen that you can see the main kitchen conduit take that has to bend in a few awkward ways and I'm going to have to punch holes in the drywall. Not a huge deal, but it's there. The complication will mainly be getting the conduit in though. The other alternative that's being floated by the electrician I'm probably gonna use is that since the panel's on the outside wall, just route the conduit around the back and up through the outside wall into the kitchen. Would there be reasons to not do that? distance and number of bends would be about the same it's just the bends would be easier and easier to get to. I've also been assured by a couple people that this is something I could do myself and the main reason to pay someone else would be to not have to do/gently caress up the conduit. Benagain fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 26, 2023 18:32
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Since I can't buy this house just yet I'm on a mission to gently caress it up in the meantime.  My husband wants to install a monitor mount arm on the wall (we tried a cart, it doesn't suit his purposes). The hardware and monitor are 30-35lb together. The walls are skip-troweled plaster over drywall and it's thick, so we intend to use a scope camera to make sure nothing gets holes that shouldn't. The current plan is to mount onto 1/2 plywood, use that to span two studs, and fasten into the studs with, I dunno, wood screws or something? Is that stupid? Is there a better way? It's not a goon cave, it's nice plywood and I might make him paint it, we'll see. E: a joist is not a stud
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Sep 26, 2023 19:51
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Okay so.... Removed all the carpet from the whole upstairs:     I took H110Hawk's suggestion and they hauled away the stench as well as the foul carpet, so the curse is now lifted. H110Hawk posted:call a junk hauler and they will come get it. Sketchier the better. And yeah it looks like you folks were right, the wood looks pretty lovely so sanding, filling, priming, painting/staining the floor seems like a shitload of work and fumes for something that will ultimately look like rear end... though I welcome any other thoughts on this! TooMuchAbstraction posted:The subfloor 100% will not be usable as an actual floor. Even if they installed the carpet on top of hardwood flooring (which was installed on top of the subfloor), that flooring would be badly damaged by having a carpet stapled to it and would need to be cleaned up and refinished. As I said, we have some straight-up holes:   General sinking in the middle of the rooms:   Weird poo poo like this:    And I guess the stairs are a whole other issue, but every step is sunk in the middle as well:  What should I do here? I have 575sqft. Can I just patch the holes with that stuff I bought and hope for the best? Should I masking-tape over every single hole and between every board, prime it all, and pour self-leveling stuff on the floor? It seems like it'll cost a fortune, like I'll need 50 bags of that stuff! Even more if the floors are all sloping which they probably are?? And what about the stairs!? Anyway thanks for all the help as always <3
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Sep 26, 2023 19:58
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Vinyl plank flooring is pretty forgiving about the floor not being totally level. Is the floor level enough that it wouldn't drive you insane?
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Sep 26, 2023 20:09
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Could you lay some 3/8 plywood over that floor and plank on top of it? Not sure what the gap is around your baseboards and you'll probably still want to deal with the worst spots. Also, we went with plank throughout our home and did this to our stairs to give you an idea. The rise is good quality plywood painted in a semi gloss white with a brushed alum nose. Our builder said the aesthetic would look a little better than matching our other baseboards/trim. We're happy with but, but we have zero taste for decorating/color matching. slidebite fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 26, 2023 20:11
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Those aluminum noses are pretty! Our staircase has painted treads whose paint is rubbing through to the previous layer. If we paint it again, we're just kicking the problem down the road. Two questions: 1. What brand of nonskid tape would you suggest? I keep nearly falling. 2. Would vinyl planks be the best solution? Carpet treads? Other?
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Sep 26, 2023 20:21
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The flooring you want will specify how level it needs to be. From memory, HDs Lifeproof flatness is defined as 1/4" in 10 feet, 1/16" in 3 feet, along with a level requirement of 1" slope over like 5' or something. That self levelling stuff is the go to choice but it is not as easy to use as they'll make it seem at the store, and as you've discovered, you will need a lot. In my case, I ended up spot patching the problem areas with thinset and screeding myself. It is NOT flat. But flat enough.
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Sep 26, 2023 20:25
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slidebite posted:Could you lay some 3/8 plywood over that floor and plank on top of it?
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Sep 26, 2023 22:43
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I guess mark me as the crazy one that thinks those would look really great sanded and finished. Those little patch squares aren't great but a good floor guy could get some matching style / aged wood and patch it. Again I'm into rustic and rougher floors.
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Sep 26, 2023 23:49
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The Dave posted:I guess mark me as the crazy one that thinks those would look really great sanded and finished. Those little patch squares aren't great but a good floor guy could get some matching style / aged wood and patch it. Again I'm into rustic and rougher floors. To me that looks like getting a livable result is more on the "restoration" side of things than "renovation". I'm going to guess we're not dealing with a restoration budget. You could maybe pull off a shabby chic thing, but what I'm seeing in those photos are areas that are so damaged that you'd have to sand below nail heads to get them even close. Which means wavy floors (low in those areas) or a ton of work hoping you don't run out of hardwood as you literally plane off 3/8" of everything with a drum sander. The areas with patches can look absolutely look fine if done well......in the "this is a patch that that's okay!" style or with blending, which is obviously a lot more work. But those would be the least of my concerns based on the provided photos. I'd be more worried about "just how deep does this paint and mastic go in the spots where I can't see wood yet considering how bad the spots I can see look?"
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Sep 26, 2023 23:57
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Motronic posted:To me that looks like getting a livable result is more on the "restoration" side of things than "renovation". I'm going to guess we're not dealing with a restoration budget. It seems like some of the individual rooms aren't as bad as others, but trying to do something different in different rooms also seems like it'd be an extra layer of tricky.
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Sep 27, 2023 00:55
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Shifty Pony posted:Not sure exactly what tank cleaning product Gary was putting in here but id hate to run into any of the germs that survived it. I discovered these https://www.amazon.com/Kaboom-Scrub-Toilet-Cleaning-System/dp/B00LPEO64G , which you install between the bowl fill tube and the bowl... they seem fine, and I'm not soaking all the toilet internals in that poo poo all the time.
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Sep 27, 2023 02:20
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Motronic posted:To me that looks like getting a livable result is more on the "restoration" side of things than "renovation". I'm going to guess we're not dealing with a restoration budget. Not to say someone couldn’t use them as finished flooring! They just aren’t the 16’ long, 2” quartersawn white oak floors from 1921 that someone covered in carpet in 1957 that we all dream are under the carpet in any given old house.
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Sep 27, 2023 03:23
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100 HOGS AGREE posted:Vinyl plank flooring is pretty forgiving about the floor not being totally level. Is the floor level enough that it wouldn't drive you insane? slidebite posted:Also, we went with plank throughout our home and did this to our stairs to give you an idea. Jenkl posted:The flooring you want will specify how level it needs to be. From memory, HDs Lifeproof flatness is defined as 1/4" in 10 feet, 1/16" in 3 feet, along with a level requirement of 1" slope over like 5' or something.
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Sep 27, 2023 03:31
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:They aren’t even hardwood. They’re softwood (and from the looks of it, a softer softwood like spruce or hemlock or fir) and probably wouldn’t make particularly good or durable floors even if they were sanded and finished. They were never intended to be flooring that actually saw feet.
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Sep 27, 2023 03:33
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smashmyradio posted:Is it really just a matter of personal preference? I'm not sure the effect of uneven floors on the end result... Are the planks going to crack or squeak or wear out on uneven floor? The vinyl is flexible to some extent and can "lay flat" on a mildly uneven surface. However, if the floor is sloped, and that kind of thing bugs you, then this is the time to fix it. Usually floors aren't sloped so badly that it's noticeable. If you walk around on the floor and don't notice anything then it's probably fine.
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Sep 27, 2023 03:50
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smashmyradio posted:Is it really just a matter of personal preference? I'm not sure the effect of uneven floors on the end result... Are the planks going to crack or squeak or wear out on uneven floor? Those are all ‘we will only honor the warranty if’ conditions, and you can definitely install LVP in worse conditions but it may have raised lips at the edges of planks, they may not lock together properly, there might be hollows under them that make crunchy noises or eventually wear through etc etc. Or it might basically be fine! Whatever you do, I would definitely put some sort of plywood or other structural sheet good over the existing subfloor. It will go a huge way towards getting it okay enough to put floors on-I would definitely not try putting LVP on your existing subfloors with all the gaps etc.
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Sep 27, 2023 03:57
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:-I would definitely not try putting LVP on your existing subfloors with all the gaps etc.
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Sep 27, 2023 04:14
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smashmyradio posted:thank you so much for all this info, i feel a lot more prepared to manage this task Lifeproof LVP is pretty easy to put down, and plywood works beautifully for evening out the floor. You can go get a few sample squares from HD, I think they're a couple bucks apiece, and pick out a color at home. You can practice cuts on them a little, too. The learning curve is not bad at all; my husband put in about 980sqft in the space of about a week or so learning as he went, interspersed with taking care of me after surgery. The biggest thing he emphasized is that it's really hard to go wrong if you just follow the instructions in the box. Rule of thumb is to buy 10-15% more than you need for goofs, etc, but with irregular rooms and the hallway there, you'll probably want at least one extra box of planks on top of that. It's best to buy it all at one time so you get matching lots and have enough of one color to do the whole project with some spares in case of later damage. You can always return unopened extra boxes when you're finished, so keep your receipts. Watch the videos a few times and be sure to shuffle the planks before install (the colors still vary somewhat from box to box in the same lot) and pay attention to the joints as you lay it down; use your offcuts to vary the spacing. You need a certain gap between the planks and the wall, and the top of the plank and the drywall/baseboards so they're not pinned to the floor (it's specified in the directions). If you jam everything in there without spacing, you'll end up with gaps and buckling in the floor. Since you're putting in plywood you probably need to lift the baseboards up a little to accommodate the plank under them, and you're likely to bang up the bottoms of the walls during install. Before you pry off the baseboards, score the corner caulk/paint with a sharp utility knife so you don't tear the paint off the wall. There's a third party tool set that has a metal bracket type thing for grabbing and snugging up planks without ruining the interlocking edges, along with some plastic spacers, and it's absolutely worth getting. Depending on the space, he alternated between a rubber mallet, a dead blow hammer, and a regular hammer, so play around with whatever you have and see what's comfortable. For cross cuts he used our chop saw with a diablo blade for plastic, but you can score with a sharp utility knife and straightedge, then snap (check some videos). For long cuts he mostly used the table saw, but you can score and snap if you don't have power tools. If you have an oscillating multitool it can save you some time/effort on small odd cuts, and you'll probably want a fine/medium sanding block or paper just for cleaning up some of the cut corners if you use power tools. You can try masking tape over the cuts to help reduce some of the "tearout" but ymmv. I'm really excited for you, putting in floors is a very satisfying project.
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Sep 27, 2023 06:50
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right arm posted:retrofit junction box Thank you, junction box has been replaced, ground wire is way more secure, outlet screw is gripping, face plate is no longer flexing. Did do a little damage to the plaster, but it's fine. I think next projects are probably going to be new shower rod and installing a towel rack or two.
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Sep 27, 2023 07:17
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:You get a 10’ straightedge, lay it on the floor, and if anywhere your floor is more than 1/4” from the bottom of the straightedge, it’s out of spec. Repeat at various points and at various angles. If that’s all okay, then you get a 3’ straightedge and see if anywhere within that 3’ is more than 1/16” from the bottom of the straightedge. Then you do the same thing with a 5’ level, and if it takes less than a 1” block under one end of the level to make it level, then you’re good. I installed LifeProof as a completely ignorant first-time home improvement person and it went pretty well other than that the subflooring was indeed uneven, and I didn't know that I could level it, and so there are some areas that creak when I step on them 
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Sep 27, 2023 11:52
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Re: the wood floors No I totally get it. I think our floors were just a hair in better shape and were so happy we finished them, but they are nowhere near level, have gaps, they’re pine and very easily gouged, and if I turn my basement light on little stars start shining through the floor. Still exactly what we wanted though. 
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Sep 27, 2023 12:42
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More bathroom fan chat! So I'm thinkin I'm gonna snag the Whisper Choice DC Pick-A-Flow 80/110 CFM Ceiling Bathroom Exhaust Fan with Flex-Z Fast Bracket but I'm having a tough time finding out if the timed switch I have (Intermatic something or other) would work with it. I don't want a humidity sensor because, well, timed switch, but is there anything else I can investigate to make sure they're compatible? In other news, I learned yesterday that cheap LED bulbs can (and will, drastically) gently caress with your garage door opener frequency!  Quick and easy fix at least, but I'm slightly salty that we had to call the technician out a second time, seeing as he was the original technician and just... moved the LED bulb from my old opener to the new one. Without any comment. 
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Sep 27, 2023 12:53
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Assuming it's not a smart switch, those things typically just require they be wired with a neutral running from the switch to the fan, which, if the switch worked with your old fan, is certainly the case now.
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Sep 27, 2023 14:08
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I installed that same fan with a Lutron timer switch recently and iirc nothing in the documentation mentioned anything special required to use it. Works great.
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Sep 27, 2023 14:14
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My toilet seat broke after 5 years since last replacement, and once again I am cursing this Kohler "one piece" toilet that has an inaccessible reservoir the bolts go into, jam/freeze/etc. I'm at the point where I should just get a new toilet instead of replacing this seat. It's the worst design in history
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Sep 27, 2023 14:21
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One day I'll finally own a house with neutral wires so I can enjoy timer and smart switches.
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Sep 27, 2023 14:22
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Just buy the ones that don’t need a neutral There’s a model of Lutron Caseta switch that doesn’t need one and Motronic won’t shut up about those
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Sep 27, 2023 14:24
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The bathroom fan switch box I tried to install a timer into was super weird. There were two wires coming into the box, both hot. One was split to go to both sides of two switches, then a red wire comes off the light switch back into a conduit at the back of the box. My dad and I think there’s a neutral running through the ceiling and they only ran the hot lines to the box where the switches break the circuit that way. Some bad pictures but I don’t want to turn off the breaker and pull out the switches again.    I haven’t had the heart to return the switch or open up more switch plates to see if they’re all like this. Way too many other things to do first.
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Sep 27, 2023 14:27
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smashmyradio posted:What should I do here? I have 575sqft. Can I just patch the holes with that stuff I bought and hope for the best? Should I masking-tape over every single hole and between every board, prime it all, and pour self-leveling stuff on the floor? It seems like it'll cost a fortune, like I'll need 50 bags of that stuff! Even more if the floors are all sloping which they probably are?? And what about the stairs!? Anyway thanks for all the help as always <3 Self-leveling compound is not going to work. Seasonal movement and varying moisture content of the wood floor means that it will separate and probably crumble in a year. You should either lift the floor and fix the joists before any finish floor work, or accept the fact that you are living in an old house  If the latter, you can ditch those high precision instruments you are currently using and replace them with a square made from two battens nailed together and 0.5 cm shall be your most accurate measurement unit.
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Sep 27, 2023 15:14
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Nice, definitely a rustic vibe but it looks really great! I do not believe anything even a fraction this beautiful lurks within my crumbling softwood lolBonerGhost posted:I'm really excited for you, putting in floors is a very satisfying project. So for the plywood underneath... would it have to be 3/8"? Can it be 1/4"? Does it matter if it's strandboard? I'm looking at the cost difference between $0.63/sqft for 1/4" strandboard or $1/sqft for 3/8" spruce plywood.
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Sep 27, 2023 18:21
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