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H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

nwin posted:

I’m peeling off wall decals in my sons room and they are not coming off as advertised...they’re peeling the paint and it looks like the first layer of drywall with them, so it looks like brown cardboard on the wall if that makes any sense.

What’s the best way to fix this? I think if I just do a layer or two of paint, you’ll still see the circles where it took the paint and drywall off. Maybe a layer of mud?

Also-is there a better way to prevent this on other walls I’ll be putting decals on? Maybe the surface wasn’t prepped correctly or something?

Steam or goo gone probably will take them off.

Otherwise get some premix color change spackle and patch it first then paint it when dry. You will need a little knife thing to spread it on and feather it out plus some sandpaper to knock it down to match. How much texture is it? How many square inches of patching?

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nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

H110Hawk posted:

Steam or goo gone probably will take them off.

Otherwise get some premix color change spackle and patch it first then paint it when dry. You will need a little knife thing to spread it on and feather it out plus some sandpaper to knock it down to match. How much texture is it? How many square inches of patching?

There’s probably 5 pieces, anywhere between 1-5” diameter.

H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

nwin posted:

There’s probably 5 pieces, anywhere between 1-5” diameter.

Yeah I would just rip and patch. A whole square foot one dumb sticker at a time is easier than trying to not tear the drywall.

Corla Plankun
May 8, 2007

improve the lives of everyone
Is there any material I could build some raised garden beds out of that wouldn't be bitten by the "everything is sold out/marked-up" pandemic supply issues?

I was planning on just buying some lumber and making boxes this spring but I feel kinda bad about contributing to the problem when people need lumber for more serious projects. I briefly considered hay bales but it looks like I should've started that a month ago if I am looking to get things planted in the next month or so.

Hyrax Attack!
Jan 13, 2009

We demand to be taken seriously

Looking to fix several dime sized holes in hardwood floor. Previous occupant had run up cables from the basement. Any recommendations? Thanks!

tater_salad
Sep 15, 2007


Corla Plankun posted:

Is there any material I could build some raised garden beds out of that wouldn't be bitten by the "everything is sold out/marked-up" pandemic supply issues?

I was planning on just buying some lumber and making boxes this spring but I feel kinda bad about contributing to the problem when people need lumber for more serious projects. I briefly considered hay bales but it looks like I should've started that a month ago if I am looking to get things planted in the next month or so.

Cedar: which isn't super useful in home construction
No clue how well these will hold up for long term as we just assembled ours and are waiting for dirt.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Greenes-Fence-4-ft-x-8-ft-x-7-10-5-in-Original-Cedar-Raised-Garden-Bed-RC-4C8T2/202520864

they have severalsifferent sizes.

H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

Hyrax Attack! posted:

Looking to fix several dime sized holes in hardwood floor. Previous occupant had run up cables from the basement. Any recommendations? Thanks!

Run your own cables!

If you have a spare plank stained to match cut plugs and use wood glue. Wipe them clean a few times after you put the plug in. Otherwise a dowel cut as a plug will work, but you will need to stain it and it will be much more noticeable.

El Mero Mero
Oct 13, 2001

Corla Plankun posted:

Is there any material I could build some raised garden beds out of that wouldn't be bitten by the "everything is sold out/marked-up" pandemic supply issues?

I was planning on just buying some lumber and making boxes this spring but I feel kinda bad about contributing to the problem when people need lumber for more serious projects. I briefly considered hay bales but it looks like I should've started that a month ago if I am looking to get things planted in the next month or so.

I made mine this past fall from a single old solid-core door I had lying around. You could maybe find some of those at a salvage yard for cheap. Not sure if that would be cheaper than the corresponding salvage wood though.

Just be careful to paint/seal/line it if it's very old just in case there's lead paint.

ROJO
Jan 14, 2006

Oven Wrangler

El Mero Mero posted:

So we've got aluminum-sided french doors on our patio and as we've been coming into spring I've noticed that they're making loud popping noises as it starts to get dark and cool off. Some nights it's a pretty dramatic cracking sound that can even wake us up.

I think they may be doing this because they're expanding/contracting in the heat. Is there anything to be done to dampen/limit this? Or is it otherwise even repairable?

The Al clad wood slider in our master bedroom was doing that this past fall, primarily at night also when things cooled off (that part of the house gets direct afternoon sun). I assumed it was just the expansion/contraction of the framing it was tied into driving stress into jambs and their attachment points, and something slipping/letting go all at once. It was probably 5 years since we installed that door and this was the first year we had this issue, and it was LOUD - definitely a creak that would wake you up - much louder than normal house creaking with movement. It is resolved now, but you don't want to hear the solution....



Obviously, we didn't underpin and lift the house because of a creaking door, but it stopped making noise now that everything is level again. I'm not sure what you could do, other than re-hang the doors to reset the stress between the jambs and the framing.

ROJO fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Mar 28, 2021

FogHelmut
Dec 18, 2003

I broke a hex bolt and need to replace it but it's an odd size (3/8 x 9.5"). Is threaded rod an acceptable substitute?

Elviscat
Jan 1, 2008

Well don't you know I'm caught in a trap?

What's it for?

FogHelmut
Dec 18, 2003

Cross beam on a gazebo. It goes horizontally through the beam through the post. There is also a lag bolt into the post just below it.

Edit: I mean I'm going to get the replacement part, but I want to finish building this thing and not wait for it, so whatever it would be would be temporary.

I did try a 10-in carriage bolt, however the wood is cedar and it is the softest wood that was ever made. I used one of those carriage bolt washers that bites into the wood, and it tore it up when I was torquing the nut. I think the issue there was that I was using the lock nut that came with the hex bolt, and it reached the end of the lock nut before it tightened down to the wood. I think I can use a regular nut with a lock washer without blowing out the wood.

FogHelmut fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Mar 28, 2021

Elviscat
Jan 1, 2008

Well don't you know I'm caught in a trap?

Oh yeah, you're probably using ungraded hardware anyways then, allthread's a perfectly fine replacement.

KKKLIP ART
Sep 3, 2004

I’m going to rebuild some screen doors on our front porch. We don’t get a ton of rain, but I am wondering if I need pressure treated for the whole door? Can I use cedar and just do a wood sealer?

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe

KKKLIP ART posted:

I’m going to rebuild some screen doors on our front porch. We don’t get a ton of rain, but I am wondering if I need pressure treated for the whole door? Can I use cedar and just do a wood sealer?

If the wood isn't in continual contact with the ground or with materials like concrete that wick up moisture, then you should be fine with untreated wood. Paint or sealer is a good idea though. Paint won't sun-bleach over time the way wood can...I think there's some treatments that will help keep wood from turning gray, but I don't know what they are.

Elviscat
Jan 1, 2008

Well don't you know I'm caught in a trap?

KKKLIP ART posted:

I’m going to rebuild some screen doors on our front porch. We don’t get a ton of rain, but I am wondering if I need pressure treated for the whole door? Can I use cedar and just do a wood sealer?

You can do Cedar, and something like a spar urethane, my French doors are just hemlock.

They may fade eventually and need to be painted.

KKKLIP ART
Sep 3, 2004

Good to know. Looked at a guide and seems dead simple on the construction side of things, just wanted to check on wood. Now to hope I can find some good cedar boards locally.

alnilam
Nov 10, 2009

I have newly installed baseboards, in a room where I'm also planning to paint the walls. I need to caulk the top seam of the baseboards. Will it be better to paint the walls first, then caulk? Or caulk, then paint? Which will make it easier to get cleaner lines?

nitsuga
Jan 1, 2007

alnilam posted:

I have newly installed baseboards, in a room where I'm also planning to paint the walls. I need to caulk the top seam of the baseboards. Will it be better to paint the walls first, then caulk? Or caulk, then paint? Which will make it easier to get cleaner lines?

I’m not the authority on this. But I’ve done both, and I think caulk then paint looks better, but it is harder to get a crisp line. I have a feeling for the long walls though I’ll caulk it afterward.

GD_American
Jul 21, 2004

LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!
I'm putting glass subway tiles over painted drywall. I was all set to get the adhesive when I did a little reading and saw not to use mastic adhesive with glass tiles, to use mortar instead. That's fine, but I can't find a real answer anywhere on whether I need to prime or prep the drywall first for the mortar. Any answers?

El Mero Mero
Oct 13, 2001

ROJO posted:

The Al clad wood slider in our master bedroom was doing that this past fall, primarily at night also when things cooled off (that part of the house gets direct afternoon sun). I assumed it was just the expansion/contraction of the framing it was tied into driving stress into jambs and their attachment points, and something slipping/letting go all at once. It was probably 5 years since we installed that door and this was the first year we had this issue, and it was LOUD - definitely a creak that would wake you up - much louder than normal house creaking with movement. It is resolved now, but you don't want to hear the solution....



Obviously, we didn't underpin and lift the house because of a creaking door, but it stopped making noise now that everything is level again. I'm not sure what you could do, other than re-hang the doors to reset the stress between the jambs and the framing.

:stonk:

hooboy. Yeah I sure do hope that's not what's happening. Thanks for the nightmare fuel though. How did you end up diagnosing that issue?

GD_American
Jul 21, 2004

LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!
That is some "nope, insurance fire" poo poo right there

lol internet.
Sep 4, 2007
the internet makes you stupid
Ughh soo.. I bought this
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Interbuild-Acacia-8-ft-L-x-2-1-ft-D-x-1-5-in-T-Butcher-Block-Countertop-in-Brown-Wood-Oil-Stain-670809/315431012
SKU# 315431012

8ft right so it should be 96 inches?
What I received was something that was 86 inches..

Counters aren't measured with some crazy calculation are they?

tater_salad
Sep 15, 2007


Specs say 96 inches so I'd take it back and be like WTF.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

Over the past few weeks A woodpecker has made its way around my chimney. It’s been very intermittent, probably 3-5 times over the past few weeks and maybe for 10 minutes at a time.

The house is vinyl siding and when he pecks it sounds like he’s hitting some type of metal flashing maybe-without going up to the roof I’d assume it’s the metal flashing to prevent water from getting down into the chimney, but I have no way to verify this

I rent and the landlord had the fireplace cleaned professionally before I moved in last year and he always used to use the fireplace. We’re in northern Virginia and we have a toddler so I haven’t had the need to mess with the fireplace when our gas heat works fine.

So...besides calling my landlord-is there anything I can do/should be on the lookout for? Would running the fireplace once or twice maybe scare the thing off? It’s a wood fireplace, not one that uses a natural gas line.

Alarbus
Mar 31, 2010

nwin posted:

Over the past few weeks A woodpecker has made its way around my chimney. It’s been very intermittent, probably 3-5 times over the past few weeks and maybe for 10 minutes at a time.

The house is vinyl siding and when he pecks it sounds like he’s hitting some type of metal flashing maybe-without going up to the roof I’d assume it’s the metal flashing to prevent water from getting down into the chimney, but I have no way to verify this

I rent and the landlord had the fireplace cleaned professionally before I moved in last year and he always used to use the fireplace. We’re in northern Virginia and we have a toddler so I haven’t had the need to mess with the fireplace when our gas heat works fine.

So...besides calling my landlord-is there anything I can do/should be on the lookout for? Would running the fireplace once or twice maybe scare the thing off? It’s a wood fireplace, not one that uses a natural gas line.

We periodically have a woodpecker that makes a racket on our siding and was going nuts on one tree. This kept it away pretty thoroughly: https://smile.amazon.com/Dyvicl-Bird-Scare-Owl-Holographic/dp/B07D7S4YFP

Bonus, from a distance the neighbors thought we hung up some of our 3yo's art. :D

Edit: I took the jingle bell off because gently caress that. Still worked great.

Blowjob Overtime
Apr 6, 2008

Steeeeriiiiiiiiike twooooooo!

GD_American posted:

I'm putting glass subway tiles over painted drywall. I was all set to get the adhesive when I did a little reading and saw not to use mastic adhesive with glass tiles, to use mortar instead. That's fine, but I can't find a real answer anywhere on whether I need to prime or prep the drywall first for the mortar. Any answers?

I'm not a pro like some of the people who frequent this thread, but I would still do a TSP wash or something to get rid of as much surface oil as possible. Doubly so because it's a backsplash.

ROJO
Jan 14, 2006

Oven Wrangler

El Mero Mero posted:

:stonk:

hooboy. Yeah I sure do hope that's not what's happening. Thanks for the nightmare fuel though. How did you end up diagnosing that issue?

This was just from watching part of our house sink and fall away a little bit more after every wet season (expansive soil and probably a lack of proper site prep when the house was originally built). Once you have to belt sand a custom walnut front door to keep it opening and closing, then two years later re-hang the whole thing again to keep it operable.....you start to get frustrated. And you really want to make sure you stop/fix the problem before you drop gods know how much money on a new kitchen. 32 push piers and 36 screw jacks in the crawl space later, we have a level house again that hasn't budged since. The push piers made it 45 feet down before they hit enough bearing material to take the house weight.

edit: bonus contour map we made of our floor joists and stem wall that made us say, "yeah gently caress, we should do something about this." House is about 32' on the short ends:

ROJO fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Mar 29, 2021

HycoCam
Jul 14, 2016

You should have backed Transverse!

lol internet. posted:

Ughh soo.. I bought this
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Interbuild-Acacia-8-ft-L-x-2-1-ft-D-x-1-5-in-T-Butcher-Block-Countertop-in-Brown-Wood-Oil-Stain-670809/315431012
SKU# 315431012

8ft right so it should be 96 inches?
What I received was something that was 86 inches..

Counters aren't measured with some crazy calculation are they?

The measurements for that particular item are: 86.6 in. x 25 in. x 1.5 in.

quote:

The Acacia solid hardwood kitchen countertops, island tops and food prep stations add a touch of warmth and drama to any kitchen. Acacia has inherent oils, the same as teak, suitable for use in wet conditions, which gives it outstanding water resisting properties. Plantation grown in Vietnam and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified as a sustainable resource Acacia is the most used hardwood for wet environments including kitchen countertops, garden furniture, outdoor furniture, deck tiles and decking world-wide Acacia is a hardwood that is extremely heavy, hard, strong and tough with a density of 600 kg/m3 comparable to Teak with a density of 655 kg/m3. Butt-Edge and Butcher Block Construction Panels glued with a class D4 glue, suitable for outdoor use, with no formaldehyde. Oiled with a proprietary plant-based Food-Safe Hardwax Oil free of any peanut-based products, uniquely approved for contact with foodstuff.
86.6 in. x 25 in. x 1.5 in.
Solid Acacia hardwood - not veneer
Add warmth and drama to your kitchen
Forest stewardship council certified as a sustainable resource
Finished with all-natural food-safe hard wax oil, no peanut products used in formula
Acacia has inherent oils, the same as teak, suitable for use in wet conditions, which gives it outstanding water resisting properties
Acacia is the most used hardwood for wet environments including kitchen countertops, garden furniture, outdoor furniture, deck tiles and decking world-wide
Can be used as kitchen countertops, island tops and food prep stations

DaveSauce
Feb 15, 2004

Oh, how awkward.

HycoCam posted:

The measurements for that particular item are: 86.6 in. x 25 in. x 1.5 in.

lmao



trust nothing

edit:

holy jesus:



Either this is baby's first metal render, or that sink contains a portal to an alternate dimension

DaveSauce fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Mar 30, 2021

Elviscat
Jan 1, 2008

Well don't you know I'm caught in a trap?

HycoCam posted:

The measurements for that particular item are: 86.6 in. x 25 in. x 1.5 in.

HD hosed up the specifications on the website then.



I'd say that's good enough for a refund.

Wasabi the J
Jan 23, 2008

MOM WAS RIGHT
They are selling another version as well as the eight foot at my store, but I don't know what happened here

mr.belowaverage
Aug 16, 2004

we have an irc channel at #SA_MeetingWomen
Not sure if this thread or the plumbing thread is best, but I'll start here as it's more likely to be seen.

My mother's gas water heater keeps tripping the limit switch, or what the appliance manufacturer calls the 'resetable thermal switch' and 'burner high limit switch'. This is the one behind the lower access door, mounted on the inner door to the combustion chamber. I thought it was a spill switch, but it seems to be a thermal triggered safety switch. Anyway, it trips after about 5 minutes of running. If I take it off the inner door panel, it won't trip, so seems combustion chamber temperature is the factor.

Water heater is a Giant UG40-38LF-N2U. It was installed in 2018.

I have checked the following:
1. The chimney. It has a steel liner and seems to be clean all the way up. I vacuumed out a small pile of dust at the bottom where the water heater vent pipe connects.
2. The vent pipe. It is clean, sloped up properly, and gets hot with the water heater running. It does not seem to back draft, and the plastics on the tank are not melted or deformed at all. They look brand new.
3. The intake area. All outside vents are clean, I scoped under the combustion chamber floor and it all looks pristine. Vacuumed out a few cobwebs.

We also had the gas company, who she rents the water heater from, come out twice now. They did the following:
Visit 1. Replaced the limit switch and the inner door it's mounted on
Visit 2. Replaced the anti-scald valve for some reason

So far, no change. She is currently without hot water, unless I unscrew the switch and let the tank heat up. If I do that, there doesn't seem to be any obvious issue. No gas or exhaust odor, etc. CO detector has not gone off or anything.

We're calling the gas company again, but it take a day to get an appointment, then they give you an all-day window to sit around and wait. Her husband is in a palliative care ward, and she spends the middle of every day there, so this is becoming a bit of an issue. If I can solve it for her, I'd be very relieved.

TL;DR: My mom has no hot water and the gas company is useless. Please halp

PainterofCrap
Oct 17, 2002

hey bebe


ROJO posted:

This was just from watching part of our house sink and fall away a little bit more after every wet season (expansive soil and probably a lack of proper site prep when the house was originally built). Once you have to belt sand a custom walnut front door to keep it opening and closing, then two years later re-hang the whole thing again to keep it operable.....you start to get frustrated. And you really want to make sure you stop/fix the problem before you drop gods know how much money on a new kitchen. 32 push piers and 36 screw jacks in the crawl space later, we have a level house again that hasn't budged since. The push piers made it 45 feet down before they hit enough bearing material to take the house weight.

edit: bonus contour map we made of our floor joists and stem wall that made us say, "yeah gently caress, we should do something about this." House is about 32' on the short ends:


Jesus! Your neighborhood built on a landfill or something?

I had a loss with an inground pool in the back yard of a house built in the late 1950s. The coaming and sidewalk around the one corner & short side closest to the back property line kept cracking. Finally, the wall started to fail. The pool was installed in the mid-1970s. So they contracted for a new liner.

Pool guys pull the liner and find the short wall is failing. They start digging and immediately hit a steel-spring mattress and a spoked steel wheel from a '32 Ford. Later they found livestock bones (horse or cow)

Turns out that the development was built partially on & alongside what used to be the town dump (a couple miles out of town), in the middle of nowhere - at least up until the mid-50's, it was.

The developer had to know about it, since the rear yards on the block all stop at this little 'wilderness area.'

I think the original pool installers had to have known when they dug the pool, they were probably too far into the job & just hurried up & concreted the thing before anyone could see.

Xenix
Feb 21, 2003
While 45 feet is deeper than I'd expect pipe pipes to have to go for a 1-2 story house, they have a small cross section and are usually designed to develop and end bearing resistance of 20 tons, which is way heavier than the section of house they'll be supporting. I hope the settlement is not related to slope movement, because 2 inch steel pipe has effectively no lateral resistance. They also have very little skin friction, so if your soil is highly expansive you can still get some heave pushing your foundation up unless you installed perimeter drainage or something like void forms under the foundation.

lol internet.
Sep 4, 2007
the internet makes you stupid

Elviscat posted:

HD hosed up the specifications on the website then.



I'd say that's good enough for a refund.

Yeah not 100 percent what's going on but the website might be slightly messed up. I ordered a 8ft stained but received a 7 foot oil wax finish.

So long story long.

Initially I ordered a 8ft oilwax butcher block. I went to home depot for a pickup and what they gave me was a damaged butcher block which was shipped from out of state by ups.

I couldn't re order that because it was out of stock so I settled for what I posted which was essentially the same thing but it wasn't hard wax finished just stained. It was cheaper by 50 bucks and they gave me like a 50 dollar discount for loving up my first order. I figured I'd just finish it myself with polyurethane.

I goto pick it up, put in 3 coats of polyurethane ... And my wife mentions it doesn't even look that much bigger then your previous desk which was 6 feet. I didn't think much of her comment until I was laying in bed about to goto sleep. At that point I got up to measure it to find out it's 7ft. Which I'm slightly annoyed now because I don't have a truck and everytime I'm asking a family or friend to help me pick it up.

So home depot today said they'll pickup the old table and refund me. They put in a new order and will cover the shipping so I don't need to make another trip. They also gave me another 50 dollars off so I'm getting like 100 off retail plus 50 off shipping.

I really hope they don't gently caress this up because it won't be jn for 2 weeks and I would of gone 1 month without a computer desk.

Elviscat
Jan 1, 2008

Well don't you know I'm caught in a trap?

Good news is, if they mess up again you're in for a free table!

angryrobots
Mar 31, 2005

PainterofCrap posted:

Jesus! Your neighborhood built on a landfill or something?

I had a loss with an inground pool in the back yard of a house built in the late 1950s. The coaming and sidewalk around the one corner & short side closest to the back property line kept cracking. Finally, the wall started to fail. The pool was installed in the mid-1970s. So they contracted for a new liner.

Pool guys pull the liner and find the short wall is failing. They start digging and immediately hit a steel-spring mattress and a spoked steel wheel from a '32 Ford. Later they found livestock bones (horse or cow)

Turns out that the development was built partially on & alongside what used to be the town dump (a couple miles out of town), in the middle of nowhere - at least up until the mid-50's, it was.

The developer had to know about it, since the rear yards on the block all stop at this little 'wilderness area.'

I think the original pool installers had to have known when they dug the pool, they were probably too far into the job & just hurried up & concreted the thing before anyone could see.

There's several new subdivisions here that we've hit compacted garbage when installing utility power. Dug up a 4cyl engine block on a ~$220k custom built house lot, one time.

I think it's potentially fine, and a good use for a former landfill, so long as it's planned for. Another common uncool thing that developers do, is to clear forest and either leave or bury large roots and stumps. Hard for utilities to install, and obviously a problem for any structures built over them when they inevitably rot.

Xenix
Feb 21, 2003
My favorite fun time settlement problem was with a house that was built as part of a big development about a decade ago. No other homes in the area were having issues, so I pulled up google earth and flipped back through the historic photos. The portion of the house that was settling was right over the corner of a giant detention pond (about 10 feet deep) that was built during grading operations to control runoff during the rainy season. Come time to build the houses over it, they filled it up, obviously, but with the tight corners on the pond, it seems they didn't do a good job compacting soil there. I'm guessing the large compaction equipment couldn't hit the corner at all. Maybe they ran a jumping jack over it, maybe not. The house was on a PT slab, which is quite expensive to relevel, unfortunately.

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Omne
Jul 12, 2003

Orangedude Forever

The threshold transition strip from our LVP to our pool door fell off. I was able to pull up the headless nails. Should I:

a) put a bit of Liquid Nails over the dried glue and weigh it down for a few hours, or

b) scrape up the dried glue blobs in a manner that somehow doesn't damage the floor and put a lot of adhesive, weigh it down for a few hours

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