DIY Thread

[Glenn]

It's better to spend time in the actic now vs. July. Trust me on that!

 

[wa-loaf]

Do it today, so you can storm chase the rest of the weekend.

 

[hammer]

Now that my new prefinished wood floor and stairs have gone through a winter, I have a bunch of creaks and squeaks...

What's the best way to handle these DIY? Already had the stair guy back once and he didn't really fix the problem...just put in a bunch of nails which I have to go back and refill because he didn't bother matching the wood putty.

Times like these make me wish I had the time/talent to do flooring work myself...:angry:

 

[wa-loaf]

Now that my new prefinished wood floor and stairs have gone through a winter, I have a bunch of creaks and squeaks...

What's the best way to handle these DIY? Already had the stair guy back once and he didn't really fix the problem...just put in a bunch of nails which I have to go back and refill because he didn't bother matching the wood putty.

Times like these make me wish I had the time/talent to do flooring work myself...:angry:

Do you have access from underneath? You could put screws in from the bottom. Just make sure they aren't too long ...

 

[hammer]

Do you have access from underneath? You could put screws in from the bottom. Just make sure they aren't too long ...

Not unless I rip up the basement drywall...:-(

 

[ctenidae]

Get powdered graphite lube (not the liquid graphite for locks) and sprinkle some in the gaps between boards around the squeaks, then walk around on the squeaky bits to work the graphite in. Usually the squeak is wood rubbing on wood, and a little lube can fix it.

Be aware, the graphite powder is really really fine, and you want to be careful not to track it around (put a towel down over the graphite after you pour it in the cracks).

If that doesn't work, dust off, and nuke it from orbit.It's the only way to be sure.

 

[darent]

I had a grub invasion last summer so I have some repair to do. They also finally did the second coat of pavement on our road so I want to fix the front edge of the yard. Most of it will be for some more beds and another area of grass. I may need more... :-o

two words--milky spore, won't hurt the kids or dogs and works great. I used it on grass tennis courts and never had a grub problem again. I use it on my lawn because I have a dog and don't want to put down Grubex

 

[darent]

Any tips on grouting ceramic bathroom tiles? The tiles are glazed. I'm basically most concerned with even distribution of grout between the tiles such that it is smooth.

My contractor (brother) and I had a bit of a falling out prior to the work being completed, so I'm going to tackle the project myself.

follow directions on grout bag, that's when most mistakes happen{ Laticrete has good directions. use two hands when working grout into joints, float at 30 * angle moving it diagonally across tiles, stand float up to 90 and run diagonally across tiles again to get excess grout off, let stand for 15-25 minutes, sponge{lightly} excess off with a very wrung out sponge diagonally across tiles , clean up corners from excess grout and were grout butts walls,use a putty knife for flat grout line in these areas----- good luck, I do it for a living and I still hate to grout, finished a 850 sgft floor toda oh my knees

 

[powhunter]

Just finished putting in 20 sections of fence...Next week Im doing a complete lawn renovation (about 1 acre) Gonna till the whole lawn, Seed, fertilize and rake. Then the rest of the summer its just MTBing, and beer drinking.

Steveo

 

[MR. evil]

Just finished putting in 20 sections of fence...Next week Im doing a complete lawn renovation (about 1 acre) Gonna till the whole lawn, Seed, fertilize and rake. Then the rest of the summer its just MTBing, and beer drinking.

Steveo

Rent and an over seeder from HD. You will get a much better job that way, it also burries the seed so you don't have to worry about birds or water washing the seed away.

 

[hammer]

Get powdered graphite lube (not the liquid graphite for locks) and sprinkle some in the gaps between boards around the squeaks, then walk around on the squeaky bits to work the graphite in. Usually the squeak is wood rubbing on wood, and a little lube can fix it.

Be aware, the graphite powder is really really fine, and you want to be careful not to track it around (put a towel down over the graphite after you pour it in the cracks).

If that doesn't work, dust off, and nuke it from orbit.It's the only way to be sure.

I've done the same before except I used baby powder..,easier to clean up than graphite lube.

On the stairs I'll see if any of the white risers can be secured more...at least for those I can do a better job of filling in the nail/screw holes.

 

[Nick]

I've been wanting to redo my basement but I think I'm on hold right now. Way to busy with everything else giong on.

Plans for this summer: status quo. Keep the lawn up. Install hammocks. Pour drink. Relax

 

[darent]

Now that my new prefinished wood floor and stairs have gone through a winter, I have a bunch of creaks and squeaks...

What's the best way to handle these DIY? Already had the stair guy back once and he didn't really fix the problem...just put in a bunch of nails which I have to go back and refill because he didn't bother matching the wood putty.

Times like these make me wish I had the time/talent to do flooring work myself...:angry:

nails!! he didn't screw and glue the treads down,

 

[mishka]

my summer DIY project to make alpine skis. Currently working on design and tooling

 

[bvibert]

my summer DIY project to make alpine skis. Currently working on design and tooling

Take lots of pictures!

 

[mishka]

Take lots of pictures!

I do is I go alone.
So far most important piece of equipment .....50 tons press is done. Getting ready to make mold and core.
my goal to have at least 1, probably 2, different pairs of skis made by next season.

 

[hammer]

Bump with new question...

Thinking of getting a finish nailer so that we can install wainscoting and a chair rail. Should we go pneumatic or cordless? I know the cordless ones are more expensive but not having to purchase and lug around a compressor is appealing...

 

[Glenn]

I bought a cheap-o $40 air compressor from Harbor Freight. If you're just using it for bradnailing, it'll be totally fine. I used it to do some finish work and it held up just fine. I now use it for airing up my ATV tires ect.

I have a later air compressor I use for my air tools, but that's a PITA to lug around...especially up stairs.

 

[hammer]

Have a question for the electricians around here...

I have separate light and fan switches that are 17 YO, and the light switch went out so I tried to replace it with a new one (figured it was well within DIY scope). The new light switch has a ground wire (the old ones do not) so I connected the two black wires to the same connections that the old switch was connected to, and I also connected the ground wire to the ground wire that was in the box but not connected to anything. All was fine with the light switch but when I went to operate the fan switch I heard a pop and the switch went out. I quickly shut off the breaker feeding the switch and plan on getting another fan switch.

Did I make a mistake in connecting the ground wire or is this a case where I just need to replace both the fan and light switches with ones that connect to ground? I'm hoping I didn't fry the ceiling fan as well but if I did no big deal, it's also 17 YO.

If anything else isn't right after this then I plan on getting an electrician in, don't want to burn the house down...

 

[ctenidae]

Connecting the ground shouldn't have caused any problems. Much more likely that the connections weren't put together right. The circuit that gets created with the 2 switches, even though ostensibly to different fixtures, can get weird.

Could be a defective switch, too.