Home Improvement Today?

Last rental I updated we managed to talk the owner into some higher quality things then what he normally did. Plywood cabinets instead of MDF, a solid surface counter better bathroom setups the whole deal. The owner was a bit hesitant at first and he rents in a college town and was replacing fixing every year. So far that was 5 years ago and other then minor touch up I havnt been there since.

The older cast iron tubs are awesome and I would go with a refinish every time. Also they can be an absolute nightmare to remove.

 

Absolutely would not replace with modern tubs. I go to Urban Ore here in Berkeley Ca. They have old toilets, sinks, tubs, built-ins removed from old houses, it's a great resource for good used building material, and especially since the government leans on manufacturers these days for water conservation products. I had a long almost horizontal sewer run that would not clear with a modern toilet installation, went there and found a 1934 toilet, installed that and never had another issue. The new tubs, even the new cast iron tubs have a very low overflow drain, again, for water conservation. When I want a hot bath, I want a hot bath, not 6" of water.

Oh, and yes, solid counters and shower walls are really great. Several types, but I'd not advise granite due to the need to reseal to prevent stains. The resin types can stain or scratch, but can easily be sanded down to freshen up the surface.

 

Played a little Lumber Tetris today

 

Anyone have any tips/advice for doing crown molding. I've done baseboard but not crown before.

 

Either turn house upside down, or stand on your head, and it should be the same as baseboard.

 

Cope. Practice. A helper. And measure from each corner to a point instead of trying to do a whole wall.

 

Crown moldings are very impressive when done correctly. The big key is to make straight runs rather than to follow the imperfections in the wall. Caulking does wonders here.

 

Got the DeWalt 20V impact/drill kit tonight in the hard case. In love.

 

You got the best.

 

I love cordless tools , DeWalt is not my favourite brand but that's just me

 

Not my grail brand, but a huge leap from the 18V kit with same pieces I had before.

 

I had a bad experience with my old DeWalt cordless tools , I'm sure they're fine

 

Yeah. I read a few articles on the familyhandyman.com to familiarize myself. Your last til was probably the best one in terms of new information.

 

DeWalt makes good tools. I almost bought the kit they had on sale at Lowes. But then I found a killer deal on a Milwaukee Fuel impact/hammer drill combo.

My girlfriend bought me a corded DeWalt Oscillating tool for Christmas. Sucker is worth every penny.

 

Getting mixed input from my research. My basement is half partially finished/half unfinished. I am in the process of completely demoing the half finished side to make an entire unfinished basement (crappy job done initially, will do it my way in the future).

The walls of the half finished side have insulation in them, the ceiling for the entire basement is un-insulated. Would there be a benefit to insulating the basement ceiling, or because heat rises, leave it alone? The basement is not temperature controlled. Would try and place the wall insulation on the ceiling to save on the costs.

 

I bought a Dewalt twist cordless screwdriver two years ago and has worked like a champ. The LED lights are more functional than I thought they would be. Nice tool for the average home owner.

I know most of the posters here do the work themselves. At 65 I am just not up to a lot of the tasks in a kitchen gut and refinish job involves. Part of that is wanting to have the kitchen finished in a 3 to 4 week time frame.

I looked into helping the GC and decided I would just slow him down and realistically how much money could I save. I am the procurement officer, self imposed title to make me feel better, and the design chief. I am having fun finding deals on the items I want in the kitchen and watching them be delivered. If you think it is appropriate I will post up pics as the work progresses. The current kitchen is 25 years old and showing its age with wear and tear as well as being out dated.

 

Insulating a heated basement's ceiling is usually done for sound control rather than for thermal considerations , but for sure the joist ends on exterior walls should be done

 

Pretty much any compound mitre saw 10 yrs old and newer have marks on them for crown moulding cutting on the flat of the saw. Turn the saw to 31.5* and tilt to 34*. Always COPE the corners. Run one side butt to wall and cope the other at those degrees. You will need to do some practice cuts to fine tune the perfect angle. The side that butts to wall do not nail within 2' of corner, this allows the piece to move and adjust to cope when fit together.

 

Cope the inside corners

also cut a 45* mitre across the end to be coped , this will expose the trim profile and cope along the leading edge

 

What about an unheated basement?