DIY Home Improvement Thread..

[mjah]

My (supremely handy) wife is redoing her sister's deck with some kind of deck restore product while I do grade and drainage work on our own property.  Divide and conquer.  Not sure which product she chose for that deck, but her research indicated that you definitely can go wrong if you think they're all the same.  

 

Early reviews are that even with a relatively light color, the applied product retains noteworthy amounts of heat in the hot sun.  She imagines the darker tints would make for an uncomfortable situation in bare feet.  The stuff rolls on like wet concrete and dries ultra solid.  Since it's a surface layer she suspects it will peel at least a bit within a few years, but this deck only gets light traffic so she's basically banking on it lasting a long time.  I can't imagine it being easy to remove that product from a wood deck, so it's a calculated risk with a big downside.  

 

We built a 40' wheelchair ramp for her mother a couple of years ago, and simply coated the wood rolling surface with acrylic latex deck stain mixed with sand.  That stuff hasn't given an inch despite being the wrong material for the job.  Looks good too.  It makes me wonder how much better the deck restore product ultimately will be.  Sometimes good enough is good enough.

 

We built a composite deck in 2009, but with TimberTech instead of Trex as we were warned to stay far away from the latter.  Five years on, the TimberTech is marvelous and still looks fantastic.  I scrub it once a year with mild soap and a push broom.  Last year, for the first time, I pressure washed it on loooooow setting to freshen it up a bit.  Kept the head far away from the deck surface for fear of ruining it.  Turned out great.  I am a TimberTech convert.  

[Corcaigh]

I use the Hotshot clear gel product that comes in a syringe.  Putting blobs of the gel wherever the ants are moving wipes out the ants very quickly, when sprays and other products are much less effective.

[Vilandil Tasardur]

I'll post details tomorrow, but I'm going to be redoing a patio style walkway for my father, and completely redoing an entire patio for myself in the coming weekends. I have a strong general idea of how to do it conceptually, but thought I'd ask for specific advice since some on here mentioned they've done it recently. 

[twa]

I use the Hotshot clear gel product that comes in a syringe.  Putting blobs of the gel wherever the ants are moving wipes out the ants very quickly, when sprays and other products are much less effective.

 

Texas fire ants use that to brush their mandibles , orthene is the best I've found stinks something fierce tough

[MattFancy]

I'll post details tomorrow, but I'm going to be redoing a patio style walkway for my father, and completely redoing an entire patio for myself in the coming weekends. I have a strong general idea of how to do it conceptually, but thought I'd ask for specific advice since some on here mentioned they've done it recently. 

 

I just did a patio with pavers. Really wasn't too hard to do. The hardest part is getting up the grass. Thankfully, my house is still new so the sod hasn't quite caught full root yet so it wasn't too difficult to pull back the sod. All in all, to do a 13x24 patio, it took about 8 hours. And that was with my dad and I having never done one before.

[GoSkins0721]

I'll post details tomorrow, but I'm going to be redoing a patio style walkway for my father, and completely redoing an entire patio for myself in the coming weekends. I have a strong general idea of how to do it conceptually, but thought I'd ask for specific advice since some on here mentioned they've done it recently. 

 

We didn't put in our patio ourselves, but here are a few things we considered while deciding what we wanted. Some of this might be "yeah, I know that" but I thought I'd post anyway: 

 

Pavers come in all shapes, sizes & colors. Make sure you have some samples & put them in your yard to be sure it's what you want. 

Decide on the pattern of the pavers so you can determine how many of each size you want. Here's a link that will show you what I'm talking about      http://www.eaglebayusa.com/pavers/cottagestone/  We chose the "Cottage Stone 3 I" pattern. One of the contractors who gave us an estimate said this pattern was a good option for smaller patios. We used a tumbled style paver.

The style of the paver is important as it determines how many cuts you will need to make. Our patio is kind of a semi-circle with a long winding sidewalk. They cut a TON of pavers to keep the pattern throughout the patio & sidewalk. So, be prepared to cut pavers. They used a handheld power saw with a diamond blade.

They used a plastic edge, hammered in with large spikes to set the edge. It keeps the edge straight & keeps the pavers from moving. These things bend easily to patch the layout. 

If you're thinking about adding a wall, make sure the paver you're buying has a matching wall blocks. 

 

That's about all I can think of right now. Here's a pic of part of the finished patio, with the fireplace my wife & I put together: 

Edited July 8, 2014 by GoSkins0721

[Vilandil Tasardur]

First of all, your Patio is beautiful. Excellent job, and excellent taste.

 

 

We're going far simpler. We have a tiny little yard (the entire fenced yard to our townhouse/condo is maybe 13/14. We pretty much want to cover the entire thing in pavers. Preferably 16x16, but 12x12 would be okay too. Nothing circular and no pretty shapes or anything. This isn't out "forever home", we just want a nice space to enjoy and possibly up the value. 

 

My idea was to build a flower bed (something well within my capability) that would sit in a corner and be built to the exact dimensions of the yard that would allow me to not have to cut any stones. It would be the width of the excess plus one paver, or something like that, 

 

I have a basic understanding of how to do it conceptually. I've already dug out all of the existing pavers. They were put in right, and there's not much but sand underneath. 

 

I plan to dig down maybe 4 inches below the level where I want the new patio to sit. Fill in with 2-3 inches of sand or gravel depending on the price, and then rake them nice and flat. After that, I planned to put the new pavers in and fill any gaps with more sand or gravel. The flower bed I've done before and know I can knock that out in an hour or two.

 

Conceptually speaking, am I missing something? Is there something else I need to do for this to work?

 

Also, while I was digging out the old pavers, I found a pipe. It's a metal pipe that goes straight into the yard (its in the middle of the yard) and has a cap on it that is labeled water. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be an old drain, or what. I live in a townhouse association, so I highly doubt it's an old well or anything. Any ideas what it may be? It WAS covered over by sand and then the old pavers were placed on the sand over top of it. So it was essentially buried below the old sand and pavers. Is that bad? Should I not do that? Do I need to build my new patio around it?

 

[GoSkins0721]

Thanks for the compliment. I fought planting grass in this area for 20 years & finally decided to bite the bullet for a patio.

 

The only thing I would add to your comments is: rent a gas tamper to tamp down the sand or dust you put down. You could make one out of a small piece of plywood & a 2" x 2" for the handle. Also, constantly check the level. I would try to have a slight pitch away from the house so water drains off & away from the house.

 

That looks like your water shut off valve. You should be able to see a faucet & gauge in there. If so, you're fine covering it over with new pavers. I would somehow mark the paver(s) near it so you know where it is in case of emergency. 

[MattFancy]

For my patio, we dug up the sod and leveled it out with a slight slope towards the back to keep water away from the house. Then we put down a layer of sand and leveled that out. Then, we got a tip for a guy my dad knows that does patios for a living, and he suggested using mortar instead of gravel to help set the pavers. We just sprinkled a little layer of mortar down and then wet it and set the pavers down. Definitely helps keep them from moving around afterwards. Then once that was done, just dumped 5 or 6 bags of sand and brushed that into the gaps and wet that and then brushed off the excess sand.

[GoSkins0721]

For my patio, we dug up the sod and leveled it out with a slight slope towards the back to keep water away from the house. Then we put down a layer of sand and leveled that out. Then, we got a tip for a guy my dad knows that does patios for a living, and he suggested using mortar instead of gravel to help set the pavers. We just sprinkled a little layer of mortar down and then wet it and set the pavers down. Definitely helps keep them from moving around afterwards. Then once that was done, just dumped 5 or 6 bags of sand and brushed that into the gaps and wet that and then brushed off the excess sand.

 

That's a good idea. Some people prefer the "rock dust" instead of sand. That's the stuff they use under roadways. It can get as hard as concrete but isn't permanent. Also, putting that plastic edging nailed down with large spikes will keep anything from shifting. 

 

VT can't use mortar because it looks like his water shutoff will be underneath the pavers. 

 

Here's a good visual of the steps including the plastic edging:

 

http://cleancutproperty.com/landscaping/paver-patio/

[MattFancy]

That's a good idea. Some people prefer the "rock dust" instead of sand. That's the stuff they use under roadways. It can get as hard as concrete but isn't permanent. Also, putting that plastic edging nailed down with large spikes will keep anything from shifting. 

 

VT can't use mortar because it looks like his water shutoff will be underneath the pavers. 

 

Here's a good visual of the steps including the plastic edging:

 

http://cleancutproperty.com/landscaping/paver-patio/

 

Yup also used the edging as well.

 

The nice thing about a patio is that it seems like you can always add something to it. I orginally made our 13x21. But after it was done, I decided I wanted to expand it a smidge more and added 3 more feet to make it 13x24.

 

I used these: http://www.lowes.com/pd_477094-215-205261_0__?productId=4686349&Ntt=patio+pavers&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dpatio%2Bpavers&facetInfo=

 

Made it easier since I didn't have to worry about a pattern or locking them all in.

[GoSkins0721]

Yup also used the edging as well.

 

The nice thing about a patio is that it seems like you can always add something to it. I orginally made our 13x21. But after it was done, I decided I wanted to expand it a smidge more and added 3 more feet to make it 13x24.

 

I used these: http://www.lowes.com/pd_477094-215-205261_0__?productId=4686349&Ntt=patio+pavers&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dpatio%2Bpavers&facetInfo=

 

Made it easier since I didn't have to worry about a pattern or locking them all in.

 

Yep, those are a good option, too.

 

The one thing I would caution about buying any paver/brick is be sure you are buying the same lot number. Regardless of what they tell you, the color does vary by lot. I've worked with several brick clients over the years and it varies by run/lot. I forgot to mention that earlier.

 

And you're right, you can always add on to a patio. Not having to cut them is the key. 

[Larry]

I'm wondering whether to start a project. 

 

The "tactical situation", as it stands: 

 

There's a bathroom, in the back of the house.  Been unused for years.  There's parts of it that have really failed, over the years.  And there's some kind of scale on all the water parts.  (All the plumbing in the house has this stuff that I call "lime scale" on it.  But CLR doesn't seem to put a dent in it.  This buildup includes the insides of the pipes, as well.) 

 

As long as it was unused, I decided to try to dress things up a bit.  Bought new trim rings and chrome pieces for the plumbing fixtures.  Figured it would at least make things look better. 

 

One of the things I bought was a replacement for the "drain" at the bottom of the tub.  (It doesn't have a shutoff valve or anything like that.  just a drain, and you use a stopper.) 

 

That's where one problem happened.  Bought a tool that you stick into the drain, to unscrew it.  And the thing is seriously stuck.  The tool goes into the drain, and engages the x-shaped piece at the bottom of the fitting, so you can turn it.  Well, I turned the thing so hard that the x-shaped piece snapped off, without turning the actual fitting. 

 

But, in the course of working on this, I found a bigger problem. 

 

The tub, itself, is cracked.  On the bottom.  Leaks. 

 

So, the tub needs to be replaced. 

 

I called a plumber (since I, apparently, can't unscrew the drain). 

 

The tub is a one-piece thing that has a tum, and three walls.  Goes up like 6 feet high.  And the plumber tells me that this design is a unit that is installed before the drywall goes in.  (The fiberglass actually extends under the drywall.  They put the unit in, nail it in place, then put drywall over it.)  This means that, when they remove the tub, they'll have to remove several inches of drywall, around the tub, too. 

 

(He also tells me that these kinds of units won't fit through a door.  So, they'll have to cut the thing to pieces, to get it out.  And they'll have to replace it with a four-piece unit.) 

 

Now, all of the walls and ceilings in this place have been covered with stucco or some such.  What I assume is drywall plaster, swirled around and applied. 

 

This means that they'll have to try to blend these things back together, when they install things. 

 

Now me, I absolutely loathe these textured walls.  Because they make things like this so difficult.  The walls aren't smooth.  (And, after the plumber puts in a new tub, I'm the one that's going to have to paint the bathroom.  And I'm going to loathe trying to paint the stupid textured walls.) 

 

What I'm thinking about doing. 

 

I'm thinking about going in, removing everything from the bathroom.  (Toilet, sink, vanity).  Tear all the drywall off the walls and ceiling.  And, once this is done, I can do several things. 

 

I'd like to install two shutoff valves, that will shut off all water to the bathroom.  (This bathroom shares a wall with a second bathroom.  I might make these valves shut off hot and cold water to both bathrooms.).  Once these valves are installed, then I, or plumbers, can work in the room without the entire house having to be without water.  (Which I really can't do, because of Mom.) 

 

I wouldn't mind installing a small hot water heater.  These bathrooms are at the opposite end of the house from the hot water heater.  Literally takes five minutes to get hot water to the sink or bathtub. 

 

(I'm not sure how well that would work, though.  Yeah, I would turn on the faucet, and get hot water almost instantly.  but then I'm taking hot water out of a five gallon water heater, and cold water is flowing into it (even though it's the "hot water" pipe).  After a while, hot water would begin flowing into my five gallon heater, but, would my shower run hot almost instantly, then cool off five minutes later, then warm back up five minutes after that?) 

 

I'd like to install a bathroom exhaust vent.  The room has a window, but it's like 12 inches square, and only opens to like three inches by 12.  (But, the roof is just 2x4s, and a flat roof.  Don't know if I could find an exhaust fan I'd like, that would install into a 3 1/2 inch "attic".) 

 

I might install a medicine cabinet that installs into the wall, instead of the current one that's just nailed to the surface of the wall. 

 

I could bring the wiring up to current.  (There's no GFI on it, now.) 

 

Probably install some insulation in the walls and ceiling.  (There's pretty much no insulation in the whole house.  Fortunately, weather in central Florida is pretty mild.  And I know that insulating one bathroom, and ignoring the rest of the house, is not going to change the utility situation a bit.  But at least I'll know that that one tiny room was done right.)  (The exterior wall are cinder block.  Assume there's furring strips on the inside.  And if not, I'll have to add them.) 

 

Might do a new floor.  (Although, ceramic tile floors look nice, but they're cold on bare feet.  The existing 12 inch adhesive linoleum might be the way to go.) 

 

Assume I'd still have the plumber remove the old bathtub, and put in a new one.  but, as long as he's at it, maybe he'd replace the existing uniball bathtub valves (which are no doubt full of this buildup) with new ones, and put in new chrome pieces in the shower, itself. 

 

I'd probably replace all the trim boards in the room, which are pretty ugly looking, right now. 

 

My concern. 

 

I've never really done anything involving drywall.  And, once I tear the old stuff off, I'm committed.  I have to fix what I've started. 

 

(And yes, I assume that, if nothing else, trying to put drywall on a ceiling, single handedly, is going to be a real thrill.) 

 

Although it also occurs to me that, if I do this, and if I succeed, then there's another room or two in the house that I might like to do the same thing, to. 

 

My big question is:  Should I start this? 

 

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Would say the nice thing is you have another bathroom so you can take your time. We only have one bathroom so when we finally do our full overhaul we may need to pay someone to do a lot of the drywall work because how much faster they would be....drywall is pretty easy to put up...even on the ceiling. You can make a pretty handy tool with just some 2x4's that will hold the drywall up while you screw it in....taping the lines is what is a major pain in the ass. Seem like unless you have a lot of experience or know someone who has a lot of experience its difficult to not see the tape lines. But if you planning on putting tile on the wall or something it may not be an issue.

 

Good luck tho if you give it a try.....i updated my bathroom a few months ago..pain, new toilet, sink and floor and i hated every second of it. lol 

 

So next project for me will prob be in September. Planning on building the kid a playhouse and also have to build myself a shed...anyone have any blueprints or tips for building a playhouse?

[zoony]

Larry the hardest part about your project will be the plumbing. Before you start the demo have a plumber come out and cap off your supply lines.

As for the shower, don't install a 4 piece. They look bad. If you cannot fit a new shower in, do a tiled shower

I have been doing nothing but home projects since February. I'm exhausted, seriously. I am physically sore.

-12 yards of mulch (~120 wheelbarrows full)

-uprooted 12 mature bushes that the sub zero temperatures got this winter and replaced with 12 new bushes

-uprooted 7 forsythia (root system straight from hell) and replaced with fruit trees

-built a shed from the ground up

-painted exterior of house

-built all new custom shutters

-replaced all of the screens on my screened on porch

-pressure washed both driveways

-chased cracks in driveways and filled them with epoxy

-put in a garden

-caulked entire exterior of house

-new hot water heater (okay I paid a plumber for this one. I hate plumbing with a passion)

I'm broke and I'm tired of this **** hahahaha

Here is an after pic with new landscaping, paint, and shutters.

[LD0506]

Bathrooms are a big job, don't let it scare ya off but do your homework ahead of time. Research any and all materials, fixtures, finishes, etc., so you know exactly what is involved.

 

The exhaust fan is a no-brainer, gotta find a way to do that.

 

I'd consider a corner shower stall instead of a tub assy. if it's a second/other bathroom, there are advantages to it beyond just a roomier bathroom.

 

If you're going to do a floor do it, it sucks to pass on something like that and a couple months later you're beating yourself up because it detracts from all the other work you did.

 

Zoony nailed it, tile, everything else is a distant second, and you put all your effort into making the finished tile layer look good and don't worry about the looks of the wall behind it. Redguard rocks, Google it, it makes the process easier.

 

[Larry]

I've done plumbing. Basic plumbing. Garbage disposers. Faucets. Replaced water heaters. (Gas and electric).

I've soldered copper pipe. Which is almost certainly what's in the wall. That's what the exposed parts are.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Larry

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Larry the hardest part about your project will be the plumbing. Before you start the demo have a plumber come out and cap off your supply lines.

As for the shower, don't install a 4 piece. They look bad. If you cannot fit a new shower in, do a tiled shower

Here is an after pic with new landscaping, paint, and shutters.

 

Man i need to get on the ES salary...lol

[Larry]

And BTW,

 

Yes, I to think that a well done tile shower certainly can look a whole lot better than one of those snap-together fiberglass thins. 

 

However, I'm not sure that any tile I do will qualify as "well done". 

 

And I've kinda got this "thing" about tile.  I don't think I've ever seen a tile job where there aren't cracks in the grout, and places where things have settled, and things have soaked into the grout and cannot be cleaned. 

 

I've always had this fantasy that, if I were even in charge of a tile job, I wouldn't use grout.  I'd use silicone caulk everywhere, instead.  Non porous, and if things shift, it does, too. 

 

And I'm a lazy ****.  I don't clean things regularly.  (Or almost ever.) 

 

I like the notion of at least the one-piece units, because everything is smooth and seamless  No cracks and crevasses.  And built-in shelves for soap and shampoo and things. 

[zoony]

Man i need to get on the ES salary...lol

It's the rural south. I paid $8.43

  

And BTW,

 

Yes, I to think that a well done tile shower certainly can look a whole lot better than one of those snap-together fiberglass thins. 

 

However, I'm not sure that any tile I do will qualify as "well done". 

 

And I've kinda got this "thing" about tile.  I don't think I've ever seen a tile job where there aren't cracks in the grout, and places where things have settled, and things have soaked into the grout and cannot be cleaned. 

 

I've always had this fantasy that, if I were even in charge of a tile job, I wouldn't use grout.  I'd use silicone caulk everywhere, instead.  Non porous, and if things shift, it does, too. 

 

And I'm a lazy ****.  I don't clean things regularly.  (Or almost ever.) 

 

I like the notion of at least the one-piece units, because everything is smooth and seamless  No cracks and crevasses.  And built-in shelves for soap and shampoo and things.

They make a lot of wonderful inserts for tile showers nowadays (backers) that essentially make the tile aesthetic, not functional. I wouldn't worry about water or movement.

Also, you can buy sheets of mosaic tile that go up pretty quick

Also also, you don't want to use silicone. Use a high quality polyurethane. Do not buy it at a home center. For instance, sika 1A

Also also also, use grout, not caulk. And when you use caulk, do not use silicone.

[The 12th Commandment]

For a thousand square foot one story townhouse with high ceilings, a 2 or 3 ton compressor? 

 

I've had evaporative cooling up to now so I'm guessing you guys from more humid climates know more about what is reasonable than I do.

Edited July 23, 2014 by KAOSkins

[Larry]

Well, got a little work done in the bathroom.  I've removed almost everything I'm going to remove. 

 

 

Next step is to 

 

1)  Shut off water to the house.

2)  Install shutoff valves that cut off water to this bathroom (actually, assume I'll shut off water to both bathrooms.  There's 2 bathrooms that share a "wet wall", and trying to shut off one of them would just be too much of a pain.) 

3)  Turn the water to the house back on. 

 

4)  Then I can do whatever other plumbing I want/need to do. 

 

Obviously, I would prefer for the house to be without water for the shortest possible time.  (Especially considering I'm living with a mother who can't really control her pottys.) 

 

Now, I'm quite capable of soldering copper pipe.  Done it several times, before.  But all the other times I've done it, the pipe was out in the air, easily accessible.  Getting things into this crowded environment will be trickier.  And I'll be working to the sound of a ticking clock. 

 

I'm considering simply using a different kind of plumbing.  By brother recommends just using PEX, which is somewhat flexible, and easy to use.  Home Depot stocks a lot of simply, push-on, connectors, like this one. 

 

Me, I've never used the things before.  They sure don;t look complicated.  But I have to confess to being nervous about using connectors like that, on plumbing that I'm not going to be able to get at.  If I were hooking up water to an ice maker, I wouldn't be nervous.  But I am, in this case. 

 

Anybody got any feedback on how well things like this hold up, over time?  Are these things going to be leak free, 20 years from now? 

[Bliz]

Question re water pressure in the kitchen faucet.

 

Everywhere else my house has noticeably good water pressure.  The showers are great, and faucets in bathrooms have a strong flow as well.  The one exception is the kitchen sink, where the water pressure is fair at best.  It has a separate sprayer, and water pressure through that is poor.  Is there anything I can do to improve it, short of replacing the kitchen faucet entirely? 

[Larry]

See if the shutoff valves are partially closed? (It's stupid, but quick.)

[Bliz]

See if the shutoff valves are partially closed? (It's stupid, but quick.)

I wish it were so stupid and quick, but nope. Not it.