Home Improvement Today?

Try a "sand-n-clean"??? I think that is what it is called. Hand sander with hose attached to s a small (1 gallon bucket??) and another hose from there to a shop vac.....keeps dust somewhat under control and collects in the water bucket. Otherwise, I got nuthin'

 

Ive done a vacuum close to the actual work site (ie where you are cutting/sanding) (with a HEPA bag) and then done two different methods. 1) box fan with a HVAC filter on the suction side. Pulls the air in that space through the filter and collects the dust. and 2) use a "shop air filter". pretty much same as the box fan but actually made for it

Also adding a second (even third) plastic sheet wall can help. Off set the entrances on them. Then take them down from the dirty side first.

 

From a couple days ago. Changed out the kitchen light to 2 separate pendant lights over the island. You can see the non box that was in use when I pulled the old light out, from the previous owners. Luckily had enough wire to run to the new light and didn’t need to splice or run new wire. Used ceiling rated boxes and patched the bastard holes.

 

how to make it nicer really comes down to how much money you want to throw at the problem. pvc conduit might be the nicest, but really any conduit solutions will require entirely re-wiring the system from the transformer. one thing i'd suggest is to replace the plastic remodel box holding the splices with an outdoor-rated weatherproof box and cover. i like the pvc weatherproof versions, as they don't rot out. they do make cable glands that make the wire entry sealed, but they aren't always stocked, and it's just as easy to seal the cable entry into the box with a tube of silicone.

the official install guidelines for those low voltage lights state to use waterproof wire nuts, the ones with the 'fingers' in them, and full of dielectric grease. however, the vast majority is done by landscapers and is installed exactly as you're not happy with. so it's not like there's a better method that's being actively sold these days either


one thing i found after installing those waterproof wire nuts is that the twisting action to tighten the wire nut usually squeezed all of the dielectric grease out. so to prevent call-backs, i'd use a can of this to re-fill the wire nut after tightening to ensure that it's as waterproof as i can make it.

there's zipwall products. https://www.zipwall.com/shop/dust-barrier-zippers-and-doors/

a contractor i used to work with on high-end remodels used them on every single job. he'd always include the zipper closure into most jobs, and had a few of the spring-loaded poles to hold the plastic sheet up.

HOWEVER, he always did what you've already done with blue-taping the plastic/drywall intersection, as most dust otherwise got past the seam. but the zipper opening was a huge improvement to work access, as we weren't moving/billowing the entire sheet and creating a small wind near the area that would suck/blow debris out of the work area. another thing to make sure of is to tape off any air duct returns in the work area-- those will also pick up and distribute the dust through the house. no solution is perfect, there's always going to be some dust that gets out and through the rest of the house, but it's greatly reduced via those methods.


another post mentioned the vac attachment. i recall the kit he was talking about, but can't seem to locate it anymore-- it was an all-inclusive vacuum/sander kit.

this one that popped up in my search is the hose/sander attachment that connects to any standard shop vac.
https://www.menards.com/main/tools/...it/09165/p-1444433725663-c-8951.htm?exp=false
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hyde-Mini-Dust-Free-Sponge-Sander-292932/316803235
https://www.homedepot.com/p/MARSHALLTOWN-Vacuum-Sander-with-6-ft-Hose-VS792/100645895

alternatively, there's also the wet-sanding method that uses this sponge.
https://www.menards.com/main/paint/...p-1110455652168-c-1528807000872.htm?exp=false
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Armaly-ProPlus-Drywall-Finishing-Sponge-Case-of-6-00610/314973515

my dad absolutely loves the sponge sanding method, and prefers it over any other method. i attempted it on my bathroom remodel, and couldn't get the technique right, and went back to normal dry-sanding.

 

For low voltage stranded, these might be nicer to extend wire cleanly and without water intrusion.

 

+1 on zip wall, like he said still need to tape..

if you don’t want to buy the whole kit, and no fancy zipper you can buy poles individually that essentially do the same thing from harbor freight.. I have both a zipwall kit and some of these poles for various projects

also can you box fan a window within the space?

 

Love these mother fuckers. Got boxes on boxes

 

that reminds me. never saw one on a professional job, but for a while i was on many jobs where the homeowners made their own and swore the results were worth every penny for dusty inside-the-house projects.

get 4 HVAC filters, tape them together and put a box fan on top:

 

Here’s the finish product of the butchered pavilion I helped recover… Wood work only. The hip roof was a debacle to put it mildly.

 

i'm surprised there's not a hanging fan in the center. that's usually one of the first things they always want to make sure gets installed in my area.

 

One is being installed, a 70”. I installed support framing for it. If you zoom in on the one photo you can see a yellow wire drop.

 

Here’s the fan

 

Nice, I have a fan that looks just like that on my outdoor patio too. I'm about ready to replace it with a 3 blade model though. The swallows love it and want to build nests there. For tiny little birds they sure make a mess. Every year I have to remove the blades in the spring and reinstall them for the summer, a 3 bladed fan would make that annual task quicker. Other than the nesting problem I do like it.

 

you could try bagging it with an oversized trash bag so there is no nesting surface held in place with a zip tie or 2

 

I have a little trim to put up on the chimney, then some touch up work. But I just painted my house inside and outside. I'd say I have about 5k in materials, but I replaced a bunch of trim and siding so I'm fine with a 5k summer project. Now I have Solaris loaded to go camping for a few weeks. Starting in the sand dunes, then off to the VLA in new Mexico. Then over to meteor crater painted desert petrified forest, back up through dinosaur into wyoming and home to FOCO!

I also replace all the overhead lighting, and put all new bathroom kitchen sinks and hardwares. The whole house feels bright and fresh after i got rid of all that dark stained Regan era wood. The house is still a 1980s pig, but now it atleast has lipstick... I can get back to being a man child again.

What do you think? Upgraded life right?










Edit: I'd love some inexpensive suggestions for the chimney. Even once I put the rest of the trim on fix the rain gutter paint down the side of the house (fix it all) it will still look weird. It always did. My neighbor suggestions are 1x1 batons run vertical spaced so that I have about 3 or 4. I think it will look fucking stupid. I'm then drawing attention to a pigs ass. Any real home improvement ideas I'd love some advise on this project . I have a thick skin. Give me some truth. I know the roof needs replaced, what how can I rehab the overgrown 1980s zero scape? My current plan, I'd to rent a skid loader put the thickest landscape black shit down directly over the surface. Fuck sifting rocks all summer with a separator. Is that crazy or should I make some kind of shaker ( I grew up in Alaska in mining culture) to salvage the old rock? My land is .25 archers and was originally zero scaped. Not enough rock was originally added so spots are bear now!

We also discussed using the ditch feature as a 4x4 track. Any ideas?

 

cool looking place
They have all kinds of faux rock or brick panels would look better than that. Just my .02cts

 

Yup, I'm looking hard at the fake rock.

 

Self leveling concrete recommendations?

tearing out this old brick/tile floor whatever you call it. Turns out there’s like 3inches of concrete/mortar they formed in and poured for this. Not tearing all that out so just getting the surface off and going to use some self leveling compound on top to even it up with the rest of my subfloor. Then I’ll put my vinyl plank across it.

 

Making window frames for the gable ends of my greenhouse. I have a ton of leftover redwood, so I'm cutting it down to 1x3/4, then cut an L to hold the glass. I cut them to length needed for the triangles. Lots of redwood sawdust was made on this day.

 

Wife wanted sage cabinets so I had to test one to make sure I can make it look good and she likes it. The color goes from green to gray in different lighting.