Home Improvement Today?

So our house came with water service by Palomar Water. They installed a large vat and would come by once a month with a pump truck and fill the vat with water. The previous owner plumbed the sink's drinking water faucet and refrigerator outside to the water system. We decided it was too expensive for us especially if we didn't use that much water (about $40/month).

So we had them remove the system. I needed something to replace it since the refrigerator used it to make ice. The line was still plumbed to the outside of the house so I bought a Flo-jet bottled water pump. It basically hooks up to 3, 4 or 5 gallon water bottle and pumps it out a line. I bought two 5 gallon bottles of water from Lowes. They cost $14 but $7 is returned if you bring the bottle back and buy another so it makes the cost of one bottle $7. Another option is to keep the bottle and refill it for $1.50 at one of those water pumping units but I don't really trust those things.





The pump works great. I used a lot of water the first week since it much of the water went to making ice. But we still have some water left in the first bottle. The water comes out pretty strong even though the line runs about 40 feet. At our current usage, I'd guestimate it will run 2-3 bottles a month, so $14-21/month instead of $40. The whole pump system was about $120 so it should pay for itself in about 6 months or less.

I'm going to build a cabinet for it that matches the house since it sits outside.

I've seen some people put them in their cabinet under the sink to pump bottled water up for drinking. It's a cheap alternative to buying or renting a bottled water system.

 

Wow nice house!

 

anyone have tips on how to make a 18" florescent light shade? I have the light already but it didn't come with a shade, it's one of those black light lights, but I am going to put in a reg. light into so i can use it to light up my room (got a new ceiling fan installed but it didn't come with a light). looking to get something like this out of it.

 

So, this weekend was wallpaper removal weekend. As you all know, my new house has wallpaper EVERYWHERE. The lady who did it was very good at it, it's just some of the patterns were horrible. Plus, she wallpapered everything including switchplates and the electrical box. Fortunately, it looks like it is all just one layer of paper on the walls. We started in the dining room, went to the kitchen and then the stairwell.

Here's a sample of the papered switchplates.


For the electrical box, I pulled as much as I could get off by hand. I then used the DIF solution (below) and applied it to the paper that was still on the box. I applied it by spraying the solution on a rag and then wetting the paper backing and let it soak in. I didn't spray directly on the box as electricity and water are never a good mix.

We used two methods to get it off. First we tried the Wagner 915 On-Demand steamer in the dining room. It works well but it's slow going. Plus, I wanted a different method for getting the stuff off the kitchen ceiling and the stairwell. The stairwell in particular is too high to be trying to manipulate a steamer while standing on a ladder.

I found this video series on YouTube. Though his videos are a little long, his method works well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma0-X8mo9tQ&feature=plcp

It's a chemical removal using DIF (NOT THE GEL) that's available from Home Depot. I bought the little concentrated bottle. Two capfuls to 1 gallon of water.

We still use the steamer to clean up small spots of glue or difficult to access spots. The DIF solution is messy, especially if you have to spray it directly on the pattern so make sure you use drop cloths. For the kitchen we bought some thin plastic sheeting and covered everything that wasn't wallpapered.

For removing the glue residue after the paper is off, we used the DIF solution to get the glue to a consistency so it could be washed off. Then we scrubbed it with a drywall sponge (course on one side). You can also use the steamer as it works well on the walls without using a bunch of chemicals or making a huge mess. It's more difficult for the ceiling areas though. We didn't care too much about getting the chemical on the floors as we're going to eventually replace them.

Dining Room before:







Dining Room After:






Kitchen Before:


Kitchen After:




The upstairs master bedroom and the stairwell leading up to it have the same paper. The stairwell is pretty tall at it's highest point (about 15 feet from a stair to the high point of the ceiling). Whoever papered it went all the way to the ceiling.


Master Bedroom/stairwell before:




For the stairwell, I was able to get the paper face off in large sheets without using the DIF solution. It left the paper backing on the wall. I then sprayed that with the DIF solution and let it soak in a bit. It came off pretty easy, much easier as it soaks directly into the paper and doesn't have to go through the shinier face paper. You'll want to soak it in and look for any dry spots. Dry spots will not come off with the sheet. Also if it drys while you're pulling it off, you can just spray a little more of the solution to wet it and it will come right off. A paint scraper works well for getting it started or for coaxing small dry spots.

 

I hate wallpaper! WOW that house was stuck in the 70's. Thats alot of work, good job!

 

Yep. It was built in the 70s. I still have 2 1/2 bathrooms, the yellow bedroom, both master bedrooms, the living room and the hallways to do. The bathrooms are hideous as well, but the living room, the downstairs master and the hallways aren't too bad (neutral design). Plus the paper is really thick so it should pull off easily.

The upstairs bathroom has the same paper as the upstairs master. Here's the downstairs master bathroom and the yellow room:

 

Here are pictures of the other rooms:

Hallway:


Downstairs Master:




Downstairs main bathroom:




Living Room:






Entry way. This is more like a tongue and groove paneling. The wife doesn't care for it (it's deeply cratered). I don't mind it but I don't care if it's removed either:

 

Good God, that yellow room. I don't envy you dealing with that. Beautiful house though! Great view!

 

trying to convince the wife to replace the carpet with laminate or hardwood...any suggestions? whats the difference with mm thickness on the laminate?

 

I don't think laminate is actual wood. I believe it's simulated. If you want actual wood, another option is engineered hardwood. It has a plywood backing with a veneer of actual wood on the top. It's price point is between actual hardwood and laminate flooring.

 

Get a quality click together engineered wood floor with a 1/8" wear layer on top

 

Yeah, it's pretty bad. When we first saw it we were like, "OH....MY....GOD!!!!"

My son's 19-year-old girlfriend stayed over the night before our trip to see him graduate Army bootcamp. Even she didn't want to sleep in the yellow room.

 

Good for you for seeing past it though. My wife watches those house hunter shows, and the people will walk into a nice house... and won't buy it cause they hate the paint color on the walls, or the wallpaper. I'm always blown away by that.

 

You are correct. Although I around me there price point isnt to much different between the hardwoods and the engineered. But there is a difference.

 

Correct, It's usually an MDF core with a simulate "picture" of wood on top with a clear hard resin type coating. If you don't have pets, go with an engineered hardwood for sure. It looks better.

Back in February of this year, I put down a higher end laminate floor in my house only because I have 3 dogs and their nails destroyed the hardwoods I had in my foyer in a period of about 4 years. I didn't want to put real wood in again because their nails would scratch & dent it all to hell. So far, the laminate is holding up very well to their nails. It doesn't scratch or dent like the real wood does.

 

this ^^^ is what I have in my new home. we have a slab sub floor so a nail down wood was not in the equasion (although it's what I dis at the last place w/ wood subfloor)

we covered the ENTIRE floor with it...including kit...baths...laundry...bedrooms...study...etc...

we found a super sweet looking reclaimed heart pine in a glue-down engineered wood flooring...and it looks OUTSTANDING!!! It has old nail holes and worm holes and knots and pine sap lines...I LOVE IT!!!

I love wood flooring...hate carpet & tile. I could not be happier with the product or installation.

It has a micro "v" at the t&g's that almost looks like feild sanded & finished.

(sorry the pics are not better, I'm a carpenter not an Ansel Adams)

 

Looks awesome!

 

X2

 

Thirded...freaking amazing.

 

Here ya to Oz.

Another day or hanging doors



Door bench is the only way to go