Do it yourself

I heard or read of someone redo the bricks on their fireplace. The project was to take cement and fill in the areas between the brick to make it all level. I would like to do this and then proceed to place beautiful tiles on it to help make it a focal point in the living room. Has anyone ever heard of this, Do you think it SHOULD be attempted? What grade of cement should I use. I have 80 lb bags of Quikcrite here at home, ( going to use them to make my own stepping stones to backyard? Sometime people tell about a project and it really shouldn't be done. If anyone has exerience in masonary, I would love their input, or even better yet, if you have done it yourselves, I would love to speak with you. Thanks so much for all the great ideas and suggestions here at this group. I sometimes read them with great intentions and when I turn the computer off, I allow the notion of ripping off roof and putting on 2nd story to home to fly right away, LOL Thanks Lisa

We as intrepid do-it-yourselfers (and, in some of our cases, people who serve DIYers) know that beer is one of the best ways to get help for your larger, heavier projects. Putting up a deck? Three buddies and two cases of beer (one if you're not setting the pilings in concrete) and you've got it. Attempting to put a one-piece fiberglass tub in an existing bathroom? One buddy, preferably one who already owns a Sawzall, and a six-pack and you're in high clover. If you were asked to help someone with his large DIY project, what brand of beer would you hope to find in his refrigerator? It's Red Dog for me, but what about you? -- --jmowreader

if there is some type of restrictor or pressure reducer. I have seen in areas that have extremely high pressure, that the valve will not be opened all the way to restrict the water flow. *Definitely* check the valve (if any) between the street and your house. We used to own a duplex, and while the tenants' side had great water pressure, we had about half what we should have had. We limped along with that for four years, unwilling to spend money to find out what the problem was. Finally, when we decided to sell the duplex, we had to investigate it, and the plumber who came over checked the outside valve first thing (ours was located in a box in the ground), and discovered that our side of it was half rusted shut. He forced the valve open (with a screw driver, as I recall) and we had excellent water pressure for the first time! Duh. :) Ann

I do have many projects going on. Today I finished installing some more shelves in my sons closet. I had built him a window box a week or so ago, I got that put up above his window sill. His window is over 6' long. He is going to put his collectibles on this to display. He is 9 years old so his collectibles are John Deere equipment, cars and anything else that has wheels on it. I haven't started on my sidewalk. Hopefully I'll get that started within the next month. With all they advice everyone has gave me I hope this project will go well. Thank you so much about the advice on the ironing board cabinet. I plan to do that tomorrow. Wish me luck. This group has truly inspired me to get some of these things done. I will spare you with all the other projects I'm in process of doing or planning to do. I'm sure you will hear about it later when I run into problems! Thank you again. Happy Easter! Lisa

In a message dated 4/10/2004 8:11:28 PM Central Daylight Time, rmcoleman@... writes: I'd go with drywall mud. Thanks to you and the other person who answered. We're going with the drywall mud. We fixed some smaller problems with spackling today on a smaller wall behind the refrigerator but I think for the larger area we'll do the drywall mud. In a related matter, I was the one who had bought a mouse sander a couple of weeks back but had not tried it when the discussion came up about the advantages and disadvantages of a mouse. Well, I used it today to sand not the spackling but some areas of the drywall where the wallpaper simply would not come off without the wallboard top layer tearing as well. That little mouse, with the finest sandpaper was wonderful. It peeled the stuck wallpaper residue right up. I couldn't spray it with water or steam it, as it would cause the wallboard that is not primed or sized to get too wet. So the mouse sander did that job wonderfully well. I would never have been able to hand sand that area. Thanks again, Sidney

How can I up the water pressure in my home! Im on City Water!

I got the honey dew job done (is it realy ever done lol)............But here is my big problem I need help with, please. Appox. 2 years ago I installed ceiling tile in the bathroom, I DID NOT use wooden stringers, I cleaned all the wallpaper,yep wallpaper, by scraping, no steam. Then used adhesive and staples to put the tiles in place..............PROBLEM......the tiles are starting to come loose from the ceiling. I tryied putting the caluking gun thru the tiles at about 4 different places, fill it up with caulk and applyed extra firm pressure for 3 days with no luck. Could the paper and plaster becoming apart? Is there even a fix if there is? Any ideas would be a GREAT help...................Thanks in advance FOZ Remember the POW/MIA , theres still Hope

I just love this group. I can ask someone all these things and I don't get treated like I'm a complete fool!~ Ok, that being said, I'm almost done with the wallpaper stripping on the kitchen that wasn't sized or primed before being papered. This last wall was tough and I got into the wallboard in a few places. On the other walls I was able to just use spackling ocmpound to cover up the places where I had pulled the top of the paper off the wallboard (exposing the cardboard that coats the white stuff and is sort of rough). Should I use drywall mud on these larger areas or can I use the spackling compound there? Which would be better? I realize that the drywall mud takes much longer to dry, and if that is a better choice for these patches, that's ok, I've taken this long to do this, I can wait another day or two. What would you folks advise?? Thanks again, Sidney

I purchased an ironing board cabinet that to be installed in the wall. I'm sure you've seen these at Lowe's or Home Depot. I had someone come to my house yesterday to do several things that I didn't want to attempt, they said to install the cabinet in the wall would be a huge expense. From what I've read online I didn't think it was such a big deal. The instructions state to install between on 16" centers. Cut drywall 14 1/8 to 14 1/2" wide between studs and 46 1/2" high. Then you put in the storage insert & screw into studs. Then you proceed to putting on the outside cabinet, which simply screws into the wall. The outside cabinet would be screwed directly into the wall studs. The entire thing has predrilled places for the screws. Is this really that hard to do? If I attempted this myself what would I cut the drywall with? I only have a cordless drill and hand saw. Thanks for your help! Lisa

i have the railing that has a channel carved out of it, and the spokes that slide into it. I have the stain i'm going to finish it with. How do I go about attaching this so that it;s stable? Do I nail the spokes into the channel? Use liquid nails for the spokes to sit in? Its for the attack, so its not a full size railing but more like about 20" high Any thoughts on this? Wcb *****''¨¨))-:¦:- ¸.·' .·'¨¨)) ((¸¸.·'...·' -:¦:- Wendy -:¦:- ( (¸¸..·'*

I really appreciate all the good advice. The stump is too close to the house for burning so I think I'll hire someone to grind it out of the ground. Thanks again. Catphish

Hi ya, We had a break in they damaged a basement window and busted up or front door splitting it around the locks area and nearly kicked the hinges off. So now we got to get a new door, frame and window for the whopping amount of 230.88, thats it minus the deductible. Okay door is about 35 and something wide and 79 and something high. Solid wood and window is 35 and something by 27 and something. Does anyone know of a good source for doors and windows that wont cost too much more than the 230.88? And what prep work and tools do we need to reduce this with some sweat equity? We was thinking of going glass block for the window but insurance has it down for reglazing. I guess we should have asked about that? OT: Does anyone know how all this insurance stuff works? I like what question we should have or still should ask?

We checked on renting the stump grinder last summer. It was $80 for the day. We had 4 huge stumps to remove. So I called around and found a highly reccommended guy that did it for $100. Actually his price was 80 but I gave him 20 tip cause he was in and outta here in 2 hours. Just be sure if you call for estimates, to let them know if you have drive-up access to the stumps. Ours were in the fenced backyard with no driveable access. That greatly reduced the number of people with the type of equipment that could be used. So you know, we had had the trees cut down 4 years before and began putting all those stump rot products around them. Waste of time. It might work for smaller trees, but all of ours were 3-4 ft diameter. The only regret I have is that we waited so long to call the man and get rid of them. Casey in GA

Although my tube is shorter, I just used my shop vac to suck the lint out (the shop vac has a long extension). Most tubes are flexible that I have ran into. I am surprised the Sears guy didn't offer to do it, or tell you who could...I would call Sears and ask. Last week I cleaned mine out really well...I also took off the kicker plate at the bottom and vacuumed the inside of the dryer....good thing too because there was lint stuck in the motor. Kati

I have recently painted the hallway to our bathroom a white color, and due to a boys will be boys accident it has blood splattered all over it now. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get it off? I have been scrubbing on it and most of it is coming off, but there are still outlines where it was and alittle of the paint is coming off on the rags. I really don't want to have to repaint it but if I have to will Kilz stop the blood from showing through? Laura in OK p.s. Trinity, I know this is a little off topic but was hoping that some on the list would know how to handle this. :o)

Hello: If anyone has any info on framing an Arched Ceiling please email me .I've checked around and cannot find any plans for it. Thank You John

I've seen that new kind of exterior "siding" that ats being put up I don't know what its called . First they nail up "boards" of foam board,,then some sort of plastic screening, and then they trowel on a coating from a 5 gallon bucket. does anyone know anything about it???

Well, the welcome message said to give an intro so here goes.... I am an avid DIY kinda guy. About 10 years ago, I bought my folks' house from them and it needed a LOT of work (still does for that matter). I was finishing up my degree work so I put it off a while and a few years delved into my first project -- the bathroom. Now, bear in mind that the house is 110 years old and as such it has plenty of places where a DIY project can go wrong. Wiring was knob and tube, plumbing was a mix of galvanized and copper, termite damage, stone foundation that leaks like a sieve, cut into a hill that has several levels going back a solid mile and eventually reach at least 200 feet higher in altitude...lots of potential issues. :) As one would expect, such was the case with our minor bathroom remodel. The bathroom was about 8'x4.5', with a tub across the 4.5' side and a closet adjoining the remaining 4 feet of the overall room. In front of the two was the master bedroom. The goal was to simply repair a damaged floor beneath the tub. As we went further into the project, we found that the floor was totally shot as was the wall between the bathroom and closet. Since my wife wanted a bigger bathroom, we decided to take the wall out and put in a new tub enclosure as well as new subfloor/underlayment on that section. That's when we found out that a tub to fit was an oxymoron -- the tub was 50 inches long and that's all the more space in there but they apparently don't make tubs like that anymore -- it's all special order and very expensive. So we decided to take the wall between the closet/bathroom and bedroom out since it wasn't load bearing and had two doors anyway -- we figured it was just as well since we had that second doorway to deal with in the first place. All went swimmingly until we tore a little more floor out to accomdate a new subfloor/underlayment and the hammer suddenly fell into the basement...through the floor. That's when we discovered that the floor previously support a king sized waterbed was hollow. When all was said and done, we tore out the entire floor, a closet, a bathroom, all plumbing, and all electrical. We skinned the back wall and part of the two side walls (where the bathroom would reside since we'd be using greenboard on part and reframing on the other). The project then became a full rehab of that portion of the house -- new bathroom fixtures (tub enclosure, sink and cabinet, toilet), new walls (including refacing the existing plaster and metal/wood lathe walls of the bedroom with 1/8" drywall), new plumbing, new electrical (GFCI, fan/light in ceiling), ceramic tiles and of course a new subfloor and underlayment. During the work on the floor we determined new joists were needed as well and replaced 6 or 8 of them, sistering them to the existing wood and laying them across the foundation. Aside from minor plumbing (hot water heater, faucet repair, tapping a new drain line into the sewer pipe, etc) this was my first SERIOUS foray into the DIY world and OH what an experience. Since then, I've worked several smaller projects and we're preparing for a couple of big 'uns including a kitchen remodel. Although the kitchen floor needs some repair, we do not anticipate it will need quite the level of effort the bedroom floor required! We'll replace and/or add new underlayment and some new baseboards but that should be the extent of the floor work (well, other than tiling that is). The unpleasant side of the kitchen project is the walls -- about 20 years ago, my father glued and tacked some paneling on the lower half of the walls and we'll need to take that down so we can then repair plaster and repaint. I am not looking forward to that task. Other than that, I'll be putting up a new island, partial wall, new cabinets & counters, plumbing, and booth-style seating area. The second major inside project is a 7' x 12' add-on that serves as the laundry room. This was added about 50 years ago and not done well. We're going to try to salvage it by reframing within then replacing the roof and windows but may end up having to tear it down. The back wall actually rests on about 2-3 feet of stone and behind that is the hill. We suffer water damage and major heat loss through this room. With new framing, external repairs, new windows and lots of insulation, we're hoping to turn this into a source of heat for the home not to mention a laundry room and pantry area. The basement leaks through the walls as well as the floor (someone put in some weep holes). We'll be adding a sump pump and terracing in the back yard (with drainage behind the walls) should help reduce pressure/water flow along the walls. If that does not work, the only other option is to dig down around the foundation and effect repairs -- at an expense of well over $12,000. We also have other landscaping type plans, some insulation work, removing aluminum awnings on the south side of the house (I know, not a smart place to put them -- especially since the north side is totally bare of them, go figure), rainwater catchment, and a hot water heater replacement (probably go tankless -- been researching them for about a year now). Our first outside task will be to get a 6 foot tall fence up in the back yard to keep our dogs in (big ole Saint Bernard among them). So that's the skinny on MY upcoming DIY type projects. I do electrical, plumbing, basic carpentry, drywalling, flooring, decorating, basic masonry, gardening/landscaping, computer & networking, AV, and a few other things. :) I'm looking forward to picking the brains of the group and sharing my own experience & knowledge. James

I have a sears dryer that is only about a year old. I just had the yearly inspection that sears does and the sears guy told me to have the dryer vent cleaned. The dryer is in the middle of the house and is vented to the outside via a long tube or hose that is approximately 15-18 feet long. How does one go about cleaning this? If it involves going under my house I'll call some one. WHich leads me to question 2: who does one call to clean a dryer vent? Sidney

How do I go about moving a circa 1920's cast iron bathtub? Anyone know how much this thing may weigh? Will I be able to strap it to a hand truck? Suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Here in Iowa at Home Depot, Menard's, and the like they have sub surrounds. These are fairly common and they come in 3 or 5 pieces. They surround the walls above the tub and shower and usually have molded in shelves and soap dishes. Pretty easy to cut into...even says in the brochure about cutting for windows. Check your local home improvement place. I don't know if this is the info you are looking for, but thought I would give it a try anyway. One of these days I will be able to help someone! Kati

Acrylic paint is "acrylic plastic paint" Its another man- made plastic with an alcohol base instead of a water base (i think) Its got a hard surface,like enamel.

I need to find the studs in the wall in my closet. I never could hear any difference when you hit on the wall. I had purchased a stud finder but my son played with it so much I finally hide it and naturally I forgot where I hide it. Couldn't I measure from the corner out so far to locate a stud. My house is 5 years old. How far apart are the studs? I guess by now you have realized that I'm divorced and attempting all these wonderful projects is a new experience for me. Thanks for your help. Lisa

My experience includes remodelling a kitchen and half bathroom from subfloor to ceiling. However, my wife now wants a new upstairs full bathroom, and although I have experience with plumbing, electricity, and carpentry, I'm at a loss when it comes to the tub. The existing unit is a 90-year-old antique claw and ball tub which probably weighs several hundred pounds. Removing that will be a matter of brute force, and I plan on selling it (if anyone in the NYC area is interested, please message me). My biggest question involves the bathroom window over the side of the tub. How do you fit a fiberglass enclosure around the window AND make it look good? I'm assuming that there is some sort of custom- sized casing available and that I can cut a reasonably nice opening in the fiberglass with a jigsaw, but the casing would have to be custom made to fit the inside of my window, right? Any suggestions?

Looking for the best way to remove a large maple tree stump. The stump is about 4' in diameter. Thanks Catphish

I'm looking forward to seeing the questions/answers on this post.

Hi All, I had my floors sanded a few years ago, their were black spots where nails were from water damage. They came out when they were sanded but as soon as the finish was put down they came through. I want to go back and hand sand each mark but not sure what process to use to prevent the same staining. Thanks in advance for any advice you can share. Candy

Hi everyone...I primed and painted with latex paint some new cabinets a dark brown color and noticed after I hung them the cabinet doors showed a few brush marks. Several weeks later I started sanding them and the paint is sanding off very goopy, almost like it is still wet (but I know it is not) and uneven and in certain random spots it is extremely hard to get off. Should I start all over and use a stripper? If so, what kind do you recommend? The cabinets were just stock cabinets from a supply house but real wood. Thanks for the advice. Iman

Peggy, Have you thought about using drywall mud, and texturing the entire ceiling? This way you not only mend the crack with tape and mud, but you eliminate the need for sanding and smoothness. It doesn't have to be elaborate, just a skim coat should blend everything in. I haven't done it on a ceiling, but so far all the walls I have done are not showing any signs of recracking where the previous cracks where, and no sanding, a major plus in my books. Laura in OK

Hi all, I am planning on moistureproofing the block walls of my basement this spring. There is not alot of water seepage through the walls, just some moisture that is sometimes visible on the blocks. I have seen two products for this: UGL Drylock (oil and latex) and Xypex. Any recommendations for either of these two or for other products? I am also planning on finishing the garage, including putting on a floor coating. Does anyone have any suggestions for a coating for a concrete garage floor to prevent oil staining and make it easier to clean? Thanks in advance. Tom Geiger

How do you cut the matting that goes into a picture frame to frame a picture? I'm afraid if I attempt this without any advice I'll mess up my mat. I appreciate anyone's advice. Thank you, Lisa

With all the recent discussions on hardiboard, my mind has been working over time coming up with ideas for it. I have a question though, would it work on the interior of a house? I have to eventually redo my entire bathroom and was thinking that might just solve all the problems, ie no backerboards around the tub, etc. Laura in OK

Peggy, When we moved into our first house with plaster we had lots of repair to do, so I found a handyman who knew how to repair walls and paid him to come over for a few hours to work with me and show me the best techniques. It didn't cost much and provided a great eduction! Or, if you have a friend who can show you maybe you could barter services and help him/her with a project at their house. There's nothing like learning from someone who has done it before. Also, when buying supplies, spend a little more for the stuff the contractors use. I forget the name, but there's a drywall/plaster mud that comes in a square box and is tinted so you can see where you've worked. It is much, much easier than working with those tubs of Spackle. Ask at Home Depot -- they'll know what it is. And, of course, if you're working with lead paint, take precautions. Another tip -- try faux finishing the walls -- you can hide a multitude of sins that way! Good luck! Allison www.renovatorsplace.com

I want the side walk level to the ground so I can mow without the side walk catching on the lawn mower blades. There will be a curve in the side walk to bring it out from the house some and give it interest. The mold is 2" thick so the concrete will be 2" thick. I beleive the measurements are 24" x 20". My side walk will be approximately 30' long. How many bags of concrete do you think I'd need? The ground is rarely level where the sidewalk will go. The instructions that were written in the directions stated to put in the concrete, leveling it out then go ahead and take off the mold to continue with the side walk. Thank you so much for your help. Lisa

Hello Group, I'm a new nember of this group but interested in remodleing and rehabing. Have been a maintenance tech in the rental property field for a number of years and have recentely moved to N E Texas with my wife where we purchased a house in the country which is very livable but needs some cosmetic interior work which we are doing. However, I have encountered a problem that has me stumped. We can call out on our telephone (and use the internet) but the phone will not ring when a call is coming in. We had a neighbor help us and when we checked the box on the side of the house, the telephone will ring, so it is an internal problem. I checked the wire that runs through the attic and replaced a section that looked like it could be crimped and maybe have a broken wire, but it didn't solve the problem. Before I have a retired telephone company employee come in for about $75-$100, I wonder if anyone has any suggestions? Sorry for the long post. Thanks for any help in advance sunnytxson

If you go to Home Depot or similar, you will be able to locate concrete colorant, or grout colorant, either of which should work. (Read the label to be sure.) I have also heard of people using latex paint to color concrete (mixing it in). And the grandfather of a friend of mine used to mix in *food coloring*, of all things, to color his concrete projects! (He made little garden gnomes and bird baths.) BTW, a search at Google for "concrete colorant" turned up all kinds of links! If they don't have the color you want locally, I'm sure you could mail order it. Luck! Ann

I've purchased a concrete mold to attempt my sidewalk project. Don't laugh at this question, they do make concrete in different colors don't they? I don't want it to look like concrete. If anyone has done a sidewalk using one of these molds please send my any suggestions that will make the job easier. I tend to learn the hard way when I start a new project. I ordered the mold online through ebay, I'm guessing it will come will all instructions since it's new. I think I have to dig out for the sidewalk then put down sand then do the concrete mold. Do I have the general idea? Thanks for everyone's help. By the way the broken lamp is history, I did keep the wiring, switch and all that in the event I need to repair another light one of these days. I throw nothing away, never know when you can use it. Probably need the next project to be on outbuilding to hold all the things I hold onto. Thanks to all, Lisa

In a message dated 4/3/2004 7:23:39 AM Central Standard Time, pat6801@... writes: I've looked at consumer reports, but I'd like to hear first hand what which uprights are favored and why? Thanks Pat I just love my Oreck. I've had it for years. It's lightweight and it runs great. I had a Eureka and hated it. It weighed a ton and sometimes I had to pick lint and strings up off the carpet by hand because it wouldn't pull it up! JMO, Sidney

I'm hoping someone will have a good suggestion for me. I found a lamp at Goodwill that matched a lamp I already had. I bought it for $15.00, it's over $100.00 new. I guess I was so excited when I got it in the house on my end table when I went to move it over just a little I knocked it over and broke it. I tried to glue it back together which was a waste of time. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can do? I've thought about trying to piece it together around another lamp sort like a mosaic piece. Any thoughts? Would this look OK or would that be a waste of my time? I'm just sick over the whole thing. I finally fought a wonderful deal and then I broke the thing. Lisa

You're the coolest, Michael. They are inside corners...sorry I wasn't specific. But I think you made my day! Kati

DH and I just got done drywalling and mudding a bedroom in the house. The corners were a little wide, but we thought we wouldn't need the corner bracket things (no idea what they are called). So we just used some self-adhesive mesh drywall tape and a corner trowel for the mud and had a pretty thick layer that while wet looked great. But as it is drying, it is cracking. I think it's because we didn't mud underneath the tape. He thinks it's the wide gaps alone. Any ideas on what caused this or the best (and fastest) way to fix this is? Thanks!!!! Kati

Like Laura S said maybe it would be a good idea to start painting ceilings different colors, but white is the color of choice since it reflects the light well throughout the rest of the room. bedroomsw might be a good place to start, maybe a more soothing color on the ceiling would be restful. theres a thing called a color wheel that they use at some paint stores to help people match up compatible colors.

Seems like a repaired ceiling would look nicer than tiles. How much are the tiles going to cost? If the tiles are $300 and a plasterer could fix the cracks for $200 then you wouldn't have to DIY and save some money in the process.

I have an old scripto lighter. the kind with the lighter fluid and flint and the "see thru" plastic view that was popular about 25 years ago before butane took over the world.Well the wick finally gave out and I can't figure out how to change the wick. Does anyone out there have one of these??? ever changed the wick?? They are different than the other lighters and i need some expert opinion. I really like this lighter.

Trinity is right about this stuff. You can get it in concetrate and dilute it. I have used it on concrete and it works great. I had cats with the cat box in the garage (a small cat door next to the door to the garage allowed the cats access). No need for details, but the cats didn't alway use the box. I used the enzyme stuff. Cats have passed on. I did one last treatment with the enzyme stuff----no more ordor, even in the humid times when the concrete is damp. Be gentle with YourSelf Sue

The previous owner of the house I just bought had a dog! He spent alot of time in the garage! My question is: What is the best way to eliminate that dog oder? What I need is to probably clean the concrete floor! What should I use? Should I also pressure wash it? Thanks for any help!

We are in the process of working on our basement. We contracted out the plumbing, electrical and framing (on a time crunch - he's being sent overseas). My husband & brother are now working on the drywall. So much work. Loving the fact that it will add living space and increase the value of our home. Will keep you posted of process and problems. Enjoying all of the advise and ideas being given. Kris

Phil-Thank you for sharing your pictures of the notty pine office room. You do very nice work. I will be keeping my knotty pine walls. I like to idea of a knotty pine ceiling. Alice (Pudgiebunny) a..

I stained a coffee table and finished it with a polyurethane product from Lowes. It keeps it water proof and protects it from scuffs well enough, I guess. I have a toybox for my soon to be daughter that I am planning to paint. Will polyurethane go over the paint like it did the stain on my table? Is it worth it? I ended up putting about 5 coats on the table with sanding btwn each. Is it worth it for the toy box? Is there anything that would be better? Thanks

I would greatly appreciate anyone's suggestions on how to build a sidewalk to my front door. I want this project to be fairly easy and of course done as cheap as possible. I was thinking about using broken slate. I would appreciate anyone's input to help me with this. Thank you, Lisa

I appreciate all the suggestions for a sidewalk. I don't have any slate. I was hoping to find some broken pieces somewhere at a discount. One thing I didn't mention is this is a fairly long sidewalk - sorry I'm not good at estimating the length just guessing I'd say it will be around 30'. Right now I have those round stepping stones which I don't like because no one using them plus they don't match my house. Do they sell broken slate at a discount anywhere? Thanks, Lisa

After spending the coldest part of the winter working inside the house, I am now going to start on the outside, but I have run into a problem. We have some type of tree that puts up new trees off the roots. The little ones will just get cut down by regular mowing but after two years of no yard maintance, I have some that are about 2 inches around. There are also 'stumps' all over the yard where the city brush hogged it, these stumps are a hazard and have caused many twisted ankles and faces full of dirt. Is there any way or anything I can put in these to stop them from growing more? A stump remover product would probably be too much as none of the ones I am dealing with are bigger than two inches, and we are planning on removing most of the large parent trees so we can save our roof, and pipelines from any further damages. Would round up work since they are small, or maybe a brush killer? Thanks for any and all advise. Laura in OK

Hello, I just joined this group today. I have a question about a knotty pine wooden walls in my living room. I am really tired of looking at it. i would like to paint over this wooden knotty pine wall but I am afraid that the knots will bleed thru the paint. Can someone tell me of any product that will seal the knotty pine wood and assure me that the knots will not show thru? Also, I would like to know what type of paint I should buy and what prep work I need to do to the walls before I start to paint it. Thanks. Alice

well its been a few days since i posted whether anyone on the site had used PEEL AWAY paint stripper, so I guess no one has.

I have never used it, but I am also interested in whether a peel-away type paint stripper would work well or not, since I have a project I would like to use it on. If you do try it out, please report back and let us know how it works! Ann

Hello, My wife just purchased a cast acrylic kitchen sink made by Thermocast. We're re-modeling our kitchen and she loved the fact that they came in a variety of colors. It's a beautiful sink but I'm worried that it might not stand up to normal wear and tear over time. Does anyone have this type or sink installed? What is your opinion of it? Mike

OK. I have a 3 year old cedar deck. I finished it two years ago with Home Depot's semi transparent stain from Behr. As usual my wife and I weren't as happy with the color as we thought we would be but figured in a couple years when it needed refinishing we'd clean it off and start over with a transparent stain. So, a couple years have gone by and it's time. So what's the best/easiest way to clean off the old stain and start fresh? Also, can someone recommend a traditional cedar (not red) transparent stain. Thanks! Jim O'Shea St. Louis, MO. jimoshea@...

I started to frame a pony wall that runs 90 degrees from the main wall. It is attached at one end to the existing main wall, and the other end is free standing (ie the pony wall terminates and does not get attached to anything but the floor framing). The pony wall is very wobbly at the free end and I am afraid that it will be too unstable to attach drywall to it. It can sway about an inch either way without much lateral force. How do I stabilize it so it doesn't sway so much and have it accept drywall? The pony wall is 42 inches in height by about 34 inches in length.

Anyone ever use PEEL AWAY paint remover?? Is it any good??

You have got to be joking if you think I will ever hang a sheet of wallpaper in my life! LOL This is my MIL's house. Absolutely every room is wallpapered. This includes closets, bathrooms and doors. We have finally talked her into painting the living room, hall, stairwell and downstairs bathroom. I just have to get this damn four layers of wallpaper off and prep the walls. Now I wish I had shopped for a solid color wallpaper and hung it over the other four layers. :) Sheresa

This is my first post so hello to the group. I'm lining out a narrow boat and part of the line out is painted wood. I intend to use acrylic wood primer and acrylic eggshell paint as I understand this can tolerate greater changes in the woods dimensions than other paints and is also good in humid conditions. I also intended to use a wood preservative. Cuprinol Clear, an organic zinc preservative which is solvent based. The thought occurs to me that water based Acrylic may not sit ideally on a solvent based product, or will the solvent evaporate as the preservative penetrates the wood. So should I change my choice of paint or choice of preservative? Thank you in advance for any advice Kesh

Dale: A little bit completely off topic, but have you ever thought of comedic writing? Seriously. Kati

What are the best and most durable "Motion Sensing" security lights! There are so many out there!

Hi, I just joined this group because I'm looking for all the help I can get. So here goes...... I'm doing some remodeling around the house and my next project is the kitchen floor..I know, I put kitchen walls as the subject..hang on, I'll get there..lol. I've done some work in the living room where I used louan (I guess that's how you spell it)on the walls and ceiling. I had all intentions on painting but discovered I like the "raw" look and I'm wanting to carry this look into the kitchen. My concern is moisture. I would like to use the louan on the walls in the kitchen but I don't want to paint. Is there a type of water sealant I can use that won't discolor the louan? I know if you put something on it the color will change because it's wet, but I want something that when it dries, the wood color is at least very close to it's original color if not the same as the original color. Is there such a thing?

We recently bought our house, and there was a mold problem in the attic. I thought maybe not enough ventilation was getting into the attic (even though there's already a ridge vent), so I installed two turbine vents on oppostie sides of the house. I'm going to spray the existing mold with a bleach solution and then paint it with Kilz. How many parts water and how many parts bleach should the mixture be? My other question is about my roof. In the parts of the attic where the mold was very present and dark, the shingles on the roof in that area were a mossy green. I thought it had something to do with the ventilation in the attic. It hasn't cleared up yet. I also have some overhanging trees that I noticed block a lot of the sun from that part of the roof. I've tried cutting back some of the branches that I could reach, but otherwise I think I would have to hire someone to finish. Is there something I could put on the shingles to prevent them from turning that color, and if I do hire someone to cut the trees will the mossy color go away once a good amount of sunlight reaches it?

In a message dated 3/25/2004 6:53:55 PM Central Standard Time, flamnembr@... writes: ok, after reading this thread, i have made a promise to me: NEVER EVER EVER put up wallpaper... Actually if it is hung correctly, it isn't that bad to take it down. And if you like wallpaper, and I do in some rooms and some patterns, then you get used to putting it up and taking it down. The problems usually come when you have old wallpaper on an old house (that was really not made to be stripped, and it really comes off in little flecks) or where you have wallpaper hung on walls that were not sized or painted. Sidney, who spent another hour on mine today

I asked last week, but I"m looking for tips for stipping wallpaper and prepping the walls for paint. I agree with Michael. How easy the paper comes off depends upon what kind and how old it is, was the wall primmed before and much more. So, you have to go slow and then plan techniques as you go. If there are any lose edges, gentle pull on them and see what happens. If the top paper of the dry wall starts to come off----stop. If it is paper-paper---not vinyl covered the best method is to go to the wall paper department at the Home Depot, Lowes or what ever. You can fine a round disk. underneath the disk is several wheels with sharp points. The have directions. Basically roll the disk all over to puncture the paper (this also works with vinyl paper that dosen't want to come up and with the paper left over after peeling off the vinyl part). Then use the DIF--get the concentrate and mix it as to directions. I get a "plant sprayer" so I can mist one area at a time. DIF has an enzyme that helps dislove the glue. It works best at a warm temputare, so I keep the bottle in warm water in the sink in between usages. It has to sit a bit to work and then you can use a plastic scraper to try to get off the paper. Be gentle as you don't want to take off the top layer of the sheetrock--it can be fixed, but is more work. Also, you don'w want to get the are too wet or the sheet rock paper, if primer wasn't used gets soggy. It's a try this and try that method until you find what works. There are so many different ways people put the paper up and so many different paper. I had vinyl papaer. The top layer came off easy as it was in a bath room and had been there a long time and there was primer under it. But the glue was left. I used the DIF to get the glue off. I sprayed, waited and used a damp, warm sponge, rinsing often to get the glue off. The small closet where the toliet is was not primed and it was much harder, meaning I had to go much slower. I had to be careful not to tear the sheetrock paper. Using the roller thingy and then sprying with the DIF didn't help much as it didn't pentrate the vinyl. The vinyl seperated from the paper bacing and then the DIF worked better on the paper. Go slow, try stuff. I sometimes used the DIF and stuff wasn't coming lose, but adding more would make thing soggy, so I let it dry and tried again later. I think the last resort for old paper is using a steamer, but I have no experience with that. After the paper and all glue is off. Patch any holes left by rods and other things. Make walls smooth as possible by filling and sanding. As for the areas where the sheetrock paper was torn, depending on how deep, I either used the filler or just used the wall paper primer. After finishing all sanding, wipe the walls down with a damp rag or sponge to get all the dust off. Get all the dust out of the room. Use a wall paper primer to cover the wall. I jsut rolled it on big areas and brushed on smaller areas. Do this even if there was something there before. It rolls on quickly and you don't have to be as neat as paint. The wall paper primer helps hold the paper better and also will help in changing later. I hope this helps. As with any project the prepration can be the hardest, longest part of a job, but it will make the end result look great or just OK. It is worth the time and effort. Please if you have any more questions or I have confused you. I hope others will help correct anything that I have said that might be wrong. :-) Be gentle with YourSelf Sue

In a message dated 3/24/2004 7:12:19 PM Central Standard Time, Sheresa@... writes: I asked last week, but I"m looking for tips for stipping wallpaper and prepping the walls for paint. I can tell you what I do. I'm in the midst of redoing my kitchen right now. I am certainly no professional but my mother and my grandfather were both paperhangers by trade. I learned from my mother to hang paper. When I was a little girl my job was to paste for her (back before paper came pasted) Mama never could believe that paper came pasted. The last paper she hung was prepasted and she STILL pasted it. Because she could hang paper like it was the easiest thing in the world, we had wall paper in about every room growing up, and we would strip it and replace it regularly. ANYWAY, here's what I do. I have a little round tool that is called, I think, a tiger paw. This little deal pokes tiny holes in the paper. take this tool and go over a section of the paper. You'll have to just get the feel of it to know how hard to press. The idea is to go thru the paper to the wallboard but not mark up the board. Then you spray a section with a wallpaper remover. You can buy several different brands or make your own. DIF is very popular. Golden Harvest (a company that has made wallpaper paste for many many years) has a product or you can make it with fabric softener andvinegar. (I'm not in favor of the homeade one and I think there are several variations of the homemade one) I've heard that a steamer is good but I haven't tried it. Anyway, you spray the remover on. Most of these require a 15-20 min. soak. Don't short that. It's worth the wait. Then you find a seam and you start to peal. I use a scraper that is similar to a wide putty knife. You just keep at this. Then you wash the wall, and wash the wall until you get all the residue of the paste and the remover off. You'll find little bits and pieces of wallpaper to take off to be sure its clean. I'm really picky with this. Once you have it nice and clean you'll need to patch any holes or gouges that you made! I use the spackling compound that turns white when it dries as I tend to be impatient and if its still pink, I KNOW I can't sand or paint. Once you've patched, you sand lightly. Then you prime and paint. If your paperhanger did what he or she should have done, your wall was primed before the paper was hung and it'll be easier to strip. If not, it can be a long and tedious process. Either way, it is slow and tedious and nasty messy process. You just can't hurry it. I hope I've covered it all. I've spent about 3 hours today working on a section of my kitchen. Sidney

I asked last week, but I"m looking for tips for stipping wallpaper and prepping the walls for paint. Sheresa

We are going to be laying carpet- all one piece so no seams. My question is= are there different size "power stretchers"? My room is 15x25- if there are different sizes, what size should I get? Thanks for any advice or help. Marcie

Costco has what looks like a good deal on a small (medium?) sized pressure washer; under $100. It's electric, 1500 psi Would that be sufficient to pressure-wash a house before painting the exterior? The next step up is 2500 psi for $300, which is more than I can justify spending. The 1500 psi doesn't list "'cleaning house siding", while the 2500 psi one does. Thanx

I don't know if this is the "approved" way or not ... but we recently installed baseboard molding throughout our house, and since it was very hard wood (Brazilian cherry) we ended up having to drill every single hole before nailing it. It was more work, but at least the wood didn't split all over the place! (We had a couple of small disasters before concluding that yes, we did need to take the extra time to drill first.) Ann

Make sure when you do buy; always get extra sheets of drywall for mistakes. Otherwise you will be making a lot of extra trips to the local home improvement store. DH learned that one the hard way when we started DIYing. Kati

Hey folks, There has been some talk about air compressors and nailers for installing trim molding. I've installed some shoe molding before using a regular hammer and brad nails and just remembering that it was a bear to keep the molding from splitting. So, I'll go ahead and say it, maybe I nail "like a girl" so that it takes me several wacks at it for the nail to go in vs a guy with one or two. And yes, I hold the hammer at the end and not right at the head. So, I am in the process of updating the trim in my livingroom and hall and even contemplating putting in some shoe molding. My question is how do I keep the trim molding from splitting when using a regular hammer and nails? I really do not want to or can afford to lay out the money to get an air compressor and a pneumatic nailer. Are there such things as nailers that do not require an air compressor? Looked form them at my area's (central North Carolina) box stores and all they have are pneumatic nailers. I did see a non pneumatic nailer once on a design show on HGTV which got me to thinking that I could maybe afford that. So, does anyone on this group know of a non-pneumatic nailer? Or can you give me suggestions as to how to avoid splitting trim molding as I nail it in with the old fashioned hammer and nail. Last time I went through about 3 times as much molding as was necessary since I kept splitting it and it was a very unpleasant experience. On the real small pieces around corners and doors I just used wood glue and I've had luck that they have stayed in. Don't think I could be that lucky on long pieces or on crown molding--might lead to a dented head! Any advice would be appreciated. Ande

We are looking to finish our basement. We contracted out the plumbing, electrical and framing and now we will be doing the drywall. Anyone out there have any suggestions - where to begin. We are novices in the home improvement area and would appreciate all your expertise!! Thanks Kris

Working on the basement, and I'm ready to install floor covering. I was going to go with carpet, but I am hearing that it is very diffcult. Difficulty is relative, but I would like some opinions on the subject. For this project, I need to carpet two small rooms. One is 7X12, and one is 12X12.

I'm going to put shelving in my basement, and two walls are wood, one is concrete blocks. I would prefer not to use free standing shelves I'm going to use if for pantry space, you know, cases of water, etc. Any suggestions for sturdy brackets that will hold 70 lbs or wood types that may be best. The basement is dry. On the concrete walls, I am not sure howto tackle shelving. THe metal strips you screw into the walls have flimsy holders for my needs. Any suggestions for options & ways to attach? Thanks in advance~ wcb You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him think~~

Hi, I'm new to the group. My husband and I do most of the work in our home, and most time we are quite pleased with the way our projects work out. However, in our main bathroom, I removed wallpaper. I used a commercial product to remove the adhesive that was left on the walls and sanded. I could not see any residue. I primed the walls with a latex primer and then used a latex semi- gloss paint. Before very long the paint started bubbling in places and then began to flake and peel off. I have been putting off the job of repairing this mess because I don't have any idea how to begin. I'm afraid if I just remove the flakes and reprime and paint that the flaking will happen all over again. I would really appreciate any suggestions you might have. Helene

On Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004, at 14:49 US/Eastern, shane@... Yes, you install fence posts in concrete. I don't know why anyone would tell you not to. The Groundmaster post spike is a good product if you have real dirt for soil in your area; my area has nearly-pure sand as its soil so I'm a bit hesitant to recommend those. Get your phone book out and look in the front of it. You'll find a number for the One Call agency in your area. They will come out and tell you where to put the fence post. -- --jmowreader

In a message dated 3/23/2004 4:37:54 PM Central Standard Time, SacredHeartSchool@... writes: Just a quick question: Are mouse sanders effective and worth the money? TIA, Suzanne I just bought one and haven't used it yet. I hope they are! I got a black and decker on sale at Lowe's for $30 Sidney

In reference to depth of gas line : I called our Gas co. for I wanted to know how deep down it is buried " 18 inches " and this is on L.I. N.Y. I have no idea if this varies in other locales. As long as you know where the line is - I would avoid it. Had fence installed and it had to cross the line - no problem, just do not sink the post near it. Lucie

Just a quick question: Are mouse sanders effective and worth the money? TIA, Suzanne

Is there any sort of cement that a person can use in a spot where it is near impossible to sweat copper together. I have tried the cold weld and that doesn't seem to work either. It's in a low spot and all the water is drawn there when the torch hits the pipe. There is ductwork right behind the joint, so it's hard to keep stuff from catching fire. Tried the bread trick and that didn't work. HELP!! Thanks, Roger.

Hi all, has anyone had any experience with knockdown texturing on interior walls? Is there any advantages/disadvantages to using the textured paint over using drywall mud to create the texture? For mud applications: what is the best way to manually apply the initial coat if I will not be using a hopper gun? Thanks, John

I have a new porter-cable pancake compressor which I hooked up to a pneumatic brad nailer for installing some trim. Never having used an air compressor before, I read the instructions thoroughly, though they didn't include directions for connecting the hose to the quick connect and then connecting the nailer to the hose. I found that when I filled the air compressor, there was air leaking from the quick connect coupling both at the compressor side and the nailer side. I was able to get enough pressure to operate the brad nailer, but the machine kept cycling constantly to keep up the pressure. Can you recommend something I can do to make the coupling tighter? Also, I'm not sure how to adjust the pressure. It's around 100 psi now, but I'm sure I can operate the nailer at less than that. Thanks!

Home Depot sells a patching compound called "Fix-It-All" its a green box with 4 1/2 lbs of dry powder which you mix yourself. It says it drys hard in 30 minutes. I'm wondering how much time you have to work with it before it starts to set-up. Has anyone out there ever used this stuff???

Is there a cheap way to repair the finish of our cheap bathroom vanity and toilet topper? I (stupidly) used duct tape to keep the vanity door shut (little hand and an abundant supply of TP don't mix) and when I pulled it off, of course the fake finish came off with the tape. I taped a note to the kids to the toilet topper (don't ask). Someone suggested using crayon and some artistic skills to try and color it in, but I was wondering if there is a better (but cheap) way to fix this. Thanks! Kati

In a message dated 3/20/2004 2:48:05 PM Central Standard Time, jrbluebonnet@... writes: So...I am thinking about just replacing all of it with more carpet..which isn't really what I wanted because I know it will look awful in less than 5 years. I dunno...what do I do??? I had my stairs redone so that they are hardwood and I've absolutely LOVED THEM. I'd bite the bullet and do it. Of course I'm a hardwood lover. Our stairs were just like yours. Build so as to be covered in carpet by necessity. When the carpet wore out (and that didn't take long since it is the only staircase that goes upstairs to the bedrooms) we had it removed. We had to replace the treads with oak treads and the carpenter did put something over the risers to make them look better than the junk wood that was there, I can't tell you what. I do have an oriental pattern runner running down it and it is secured with brass rods on each stair. That runner has held up much longer than the original carpet and it still looks good 10 years later. I get more compliments on my stairs than anything else! Good luck, Sidney

I have been reading all the post on hardwood floors, I have them also and want to bring them back to life in my house also. Then a light came on, a friend helped a group of men work on their childrens school a few years ago and passed along this idea. ( A private school, no school district would allow parents go in and hel nowadays, things might get done without a work order, Oh NO,LOL) He told me about a product used for gymnasium floors, one coat and its done. If it can take all the abuse from kids playing on it using it on my floors here at home will be a piece of cake. I do enjoy the look of high gloss so the finish is great for me. I am unsure if there is a formula that is a lower sheen. Guess you could check it out. Thanks for all the wonderful help and hints and tips from all. I so want to give back to you for the great things I have been reading. Maybe I could be of some valur to someone. Have a great day

I am so frustrated right now, I could just spit! Some days I just hate this stink'n house! Anybody get like this?? LOL Ok...now that I am done complaining (plz forgive), on to my problem and possible solution. I have carpeted stairs right now...ugly ugly carpet made even more beautiful by a quart of paint spilled on it. Anyway...we had intended on replacing the carpet anyway with hardwood floors...that is until I saw the price tag! Geez...I can do two rooms in hardwood for the price of what it is going to cost me to just do the stairs. So...I am looking for other alternatives. I thought pulling up the carpet and painting them, but the way they were built is so crappy there is no way I can make them look good because of all the gaps! There is a good inch gap between the top of the tread to the bottom of the riser! In addition most of the risers look like they were cut by a 5 year old they are so crooked. So...I am thinking about just replacing all of it with more carpet..which isn't really what I wanted because I know it will look awful in less than 5 years. I dunno...what do I do??? Thanks for listening to my ramblings and for any suggestions or empathy you can offer. LOL Jen

does anybody know what kind of grease i can use on the light bulb sockets of my car to stop them from rusting out? remember when you got a new car and the bulb sockets were oozing with some kind of grease? it kept out the water and yet it did not interfere with the electric system. I ask around ,even in the auto stores , and never get a straight answer. some say use lithium grease, some say vaseline,the list goes on and on. also would like to know what to put on the ends of the spark plug wires.I checked around som websites and found zilch

Hi all, We laid the ceramic floor in our bathroom, and to make things easy, we placed a full tile over the circular cut-out for the toilet. I now need to cut out that hole in the ceramic. I'm thinking I could drill holes in the circular pattern from below with a masonry bit and then knock out my circle. Will this work? Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks, Shane

I struck gold today, my mom had a solid wood entry door, that while age wise is old it has never had a handle or deadbolt installed so it is basically new, that she was going to throw out!!!!!!!! Well I have to pick it up this weekend. I know you all said not to do the doors and windows ect. until the foundation is fixed but the bottom of our current door is crumbling from rot, so I can't wait to replace it. What I need to know is since this door is larger than the opening we have should I cut the door down, or reframe the opening for a larger door? I don't know exactly how much too big it is yet, I didn't have a tape measure with me this morning, so that info will not be available until some time this weekend. Laura in OK

I'm aware of a saddle bridging the 2 rooms, but haven't heard this term. What is it? Wcb ~~~~ You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him think~~

Well i have talked to many people (including you fine folks) about refinishing the floors. I had one person who used to work in the flooring biz, tell me that it would be cheaper for me to buy laminate. Anyone agree with that? I also had one guy tell me that all I had to do is sand the floors down and seal with a coat of linseed oil. Any thoughts? Kati (still researching) in Iowa

You must take this test!! MC

I Am putting down tile in my kitchen and need to raise my back door sill and threshold. Have added 1/2" plywood and there will be 1/4" hardibacker and 3/8" tile plus thinset which will bring me up about 1 3/8" higher. Any suggestions as to how to do this would be appreciated.

I need some direction - I am painting a bathroom with water damage behind the toilet. The base board has rotted and the dry wall is puffy and peeling. How do I get the dry wall to flatten out for the paint? Plus the base board is rotted in a small section, does the entire board need to be replaced or only the section that has the damage?

I just bought a neat old cast-iron dinner bell that has a fair amount of rust on it. I actually like the look of the rusty patches, and I was wondering if there is something I can put on it to keep it from rusting any more, but not change the look of the bell. So basically, I guess, something clear? or some kind of oil? I want to hang it outside on my back porch (to call the troops in from the back forty) and I know it will just rust away completely in a few years if I don't protect it. Suggestions? Thanks! Ann

Growing up broke has made me a frugal adult so I have had lots of experience with applying manure to my yard, and gardens but I have never had composted manure, always gathered it fresh out of the field. Here is what I have learned in the past twenty years, rabbit manure the is put in a barrel with water added is better than any miracle grow on the market, it is also the best all around manure to till into the soil as rabbits eat only vegetable proteins. For my entire yard I spread a layer of horse manure, or let my horses do their thing naturally. Not only does this fertilize my grass but for some reason grass burrs and goat heads hate it and will no longer grow!!!!!! I really haven't noticed cow manure doing much but keeping the ground loose around my root veggies. Chicken manure has to be very DRY, or it will burn anything green it comes into contact with. I have tried all of these but most only after being told to by my grandpa who learned it in 4-H/FFA and made a very good living raising veggies to sell at a roadside booth. Laura in OK

Does anyone know if they make sheet material like a 4'x8'x1/2" plywood only made out of the recycled plastic milk jug material like they use to make new deck boards and exterior benches?? And if they do where can it be purchased?

I have been following this post and have a similar situation. Bought new Maytag washer. Hooked it up 6 months ago. Water runs into basin like it should, both cold and hot. Now,all of a sudden, I am getting trickle of cold water into the basin of the washer. I remove the cold water connection hose from the back of the washer, and remove the small amount of "grit" from the screen attached to the washer. reconnect, and still, only a trickle of cold through the hose into the washer. the hot is flowing like it should. We are on a private well, in a rural area. Been here for 20 years and water pressure is fine, elsewhere in the house. bob

Well, I said it was easy, but not that easy. I dont kmow if you have cast iron or plastic for a waste pipe, but either way, you have to cut out a section and put in a Y or a T connection and go from there. theres also the matter of venting for the sink, and tying the whole thing together. If you arent familiar with plumbing connections and you still want to do it,,I would start reading some information about it. the other way is a plumber, who will install it correctly.

Has anybody used "Soil Buster" or similar product to loosen up Clay Dirt ???

You could also glue upholstery trim or a thin, decorative wood molding over the strips. Upholstery trim could be color-coordinated with the wallpaper, and wood molding could be stained or painted. (Not sure what kind of glue might stick on the aluminum strips over the long haul. Perhaps someone else might have an idea on that.) Ann

Can someone tell me what composition hardboard is?? is it just like pressboard? and does it have asbestos? I think my wonderful husband was wrong, according to the housing inspectors report our siding is the composition/hardboard stuff. I take it we need take no special precautions to remove it and put something better on? thanks again suzie

I love it! and its soo true, although you forgot growing up near toxic dumps, and riding our bikes on roads that the toxic waste was dumped on! suzie

Thanks for asking about what It is... When I sit on the futon, the frame squeaks in one of the 4 wheel areas.. Seems to be the plastic wheel that runs in a carved wood tract, and that is what seems to sqeak when weight is put against the frame. There is a codders pin made of metal that holds the plastic piece onto the wood frame and within that seems to be the origon of the sqeak. There are 3 other wheel configurations that are quiet as church mice. I'd like this one to quiet down as well. THanks again, Wcb

Hi Dale, Your post reminded me of this message that a friend sent me: People over 25 should be dead. To the survivors: According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's probably shouldn't have survived. Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.) As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors! We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you're one of them! Congratulations! Please pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before lawyers and government regulated our lives, for our own good. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors?

I have approx. 880 board feet of black walnut lumber for sale. here are some pictures of the walnut. we are in S W Missouri. about 60 miles N of Springfield Mo. On Hwy 54 near Lake of the Ozarks. This lumber was cut off our 160 acres in 2001 where we have an abundance on walnut , hickory , white oak etc. It has been stacked as you see and air dried since early 2002. It has been cut in a thickness of 1 3/8" thickness so that when you have it planed you will have a consistent 1" thickness. width s 4" 6". Lengths vary from 6" 8'and 10ft. get back with us if you are interested. asking $2.25 board foot or best offer. thanks for looking, Bob

Hi, I am new to this group and have a question about water filtrations systems. We just moved into an 1880's farmhouse in a small town. We have city water but it has a lot of "stuff" in it. I'm not sure what it is but if you boil water it leaves a thick calcium like substance in the pan. The water does not taste great and I would like to put in a whole house water filtration system. I don't know much about this but I have heard that reverse osmosis is a good system. Does anybody know anything about this? Benefits? Draw backs? Thanks, Christine

The futon has a wood frame, and one of the plastic wheels seems to squeak when it is pushed against the wood. It's annoying, any suggestions? Thanks in advance wcb You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him think~~

I found a gap in a drywall seam where I removed chair rail molding. At its widest point, the gap measures over an inch. I thought of patching it with some all purpose joint compound but I'm sure it will shrink and crack as soon as it dries. I've been told of two similar products that won't shrink or crack. One is "Fix-It-All" and the other is "Patch and Paint". Which of these would work better in this case? Thanks. Mike

Hi All I am contemplating doing something different to the wall surfaces in our bathroom. When we built our home over 37 years ago we put a type of paneling on our bathroom walls that has a slick shiny melamine surface. There are also narrow metal strips where the panels join. After so many years I am ready for a change. Tearing out the paneling is not an option. I have found some real cool wall paper that I would like to put in there but I'm not sure what I should do to the surface to make it ready for wallpaper. Could I get by with cleaning the walls with TSP. Then proceed with wallpaper preparation (such as sizing)? What about the metal strips? What if anything should I do about them? Any ideas on how to proceed. Hazel

We removed wood paneling from the stairwell in our raised ranch. We patched holes and sanded well to remove any residue of glue from the paneling. We've put three coats of paint on the walls, but they still look "messy". Does anyone know if you can put some sort of skim-coat over the painted walls to provide a fresh base for painting, or do we have to put up new sheetrock? Thank you, Janice

Hi Group, I'm new and I have wiring question. I have just completed adding a light to the end of a run of lights, and sadly, I have done it wrong. So at this point I have three set of wires coming into the previouslu last switch. I joined the copper grounds together with a wire nut into one copper wire to the screw on that switch. I joined all the white wires together with a wire nut. Then I put the black wire coming from the power into the top insert of the switch. I then, joined the black wires from that switch's light and the next switch into the lower insert. Of course, now the second switch can only be on when the first switch in on. This was not my intention. How do I correct it so that the switch function independently. Newbie

The siding on our house is asbestos and parts of it are starting to deteriorate. Can we just put new siding over it, or do we need to remove it? Can we do it ourselves or do we need to hire professionals for the removal?? And does anyone know how expensive this is?? suzie

Wondering if anyone knew where I could get aluminum "H" channel. I need it to interconnect the edges of plywood for a replacement wood floor system I want to fabricate for an inflatable boat.

Thank you for your reply to my query. It spurred me on to do a lot of research; found a good article in The Family Handyman with illustrations. Issue May 1998 - Drying up a wet basement. Thank you again for your help. Lucie

I was wondering how safe freon is and whether or not there is some other refrigerant to replace it. Need a new refrigerator and am curious to know any pros or cons about freon, or alternatives, and or if there is a new development in coolants. Thank you Lucie

You asked: how big is the slab going to be? lenghtx width? how big a shed are you going to put on it? are you going to run electric to it? or water. etc? The slab will be 20 by 22 with all utilities going to the building. Later it will become a "granny-flat" perhaps with another 200square feet added then (there a code reasons why I have to do it piecemeal for now). Also is large gravel good to put down to help level out the area? Thanks Group.

I'm getting ready to pour a slab to replace my old shed with a new "accessory building." I need to do a lot of prep to the site. Including removing a very large elm tree. The soil is fairly sandy. Another cool feature is an old 1960's bomb shelter that the old shed is built over. Basically it is a cellar, but I will need to pour a slab surrounding it. My question for the group is a request for advice on site preparation. How deep do I need to go to remove the tree stump? Should I treat the tree stump with anything before pouring the slab? If I have some old concrete debris from other jobs can I / should I put a layer of that down before the pour? Is there a way to prep the soil to reduce the chance of termites later? We have a lot of subterranean termites out here (Carlsbad CA). Also, should I try to compact the soil any first? I'm going to try to post a picture or two of it too. Kevin

Being a new member, I hope I am at the right spot to ask an important question. I would like to add a sunroom to our porch. We have been looking at factory built units, specifically a Brady Built. Without rambling