Ask Home Repair and Improvement Questions.

[GoodGame]

Ahh. It's an interesting color for a stain. Interesting claim---a stain that adheres to a paint. I'm a skeptic myself, but chemistry makes much possible these days. What kind of paint was originally applied---an exterior paint?

I suspect that you'd have to power sand the deck before painting to do it properly, though not sure.

 

[Cutlass]

I bought my place brand new 1.5 years ago so there's no work needed here. Other than the (overgrown) garden. So if anyone has suggestions for plants for a low-maintenance garden I'd love to hear them.

Honestly, I'm a poor gardener and landscaper. When I was young my father was just more interested in doing it himself than in teaching us about it. I do know a handful of things. But only a handful. One thing I know is that if you are buying a plant or shrub to put in a garden, do not buy large ones. nurseries like to force grow plants so they look large and full. but when you do that in a tight pot it gets the roots bound up. And often when that happens and you plan the thing, it has to die back a bit for a year or two before the roots can spread out enough to allow it to grow naturally.

My boyfriend is looking to do some renos to his condo before renting it out. He's thinking about doing the floors himself (hardwood laminate, possibly tile in the kitchen) but leaving the bathroom for a contractor. If he doesn't do the floors himself, he's thinking of letting someone like Home Depot do them. Anyone know how reliable they are/what kind of quality their work is?

The hardwood laminate sections are pretty easy to put down. And the squares of linoleum self stick tile are also very easy to deal with. Rugs and sheet linoleum should be put down by someone who knows what they are doing. A guy I know recently had HD put down carpet in 2 rooms, and he told me the cost was low and the job was done quick and well. Cost will also depend on how good of a quality of rug you pick.

 

[Cutlass]

Ahh. It's an interesting color for a stain. Interesting claim---a stain that adheres to a paint. I'm a skeptic myself, but chemistry makes much possible these days. What kind of paint was originally applied---an exterior paint?

I suspect that you'd have to power sand the deck before painting to do it properly, though not sure.

This is what I used this time. http://www.pittsburghpaints.com/our_products/stains/sun-proof_solid_color_latex_stain/index.htm I used my brother's pro strength power washer to clean it up ahead of time. It was too complicated to truly sand it down. Would have taken forever. Will it work in the long run? Only time will tell.

The paint that used to be on it was an indoor-outdoor acrylic floor paint.

 

[Adria]

Honestly, I'm a poor gardener and landscaper. When I was young my father was just more interested in doing it himself than in teaching us about it. I do know a handful of things. But only a handful. One thing I know is that if you are buying a plant or shrub to put in a garden, do not buy large ones. nurseries like to force grow plants so they look large and full. but when you do that in a tight pot it gets the roots bound up. And often when that happens and you plan the thing, it has to die back a bit for a year or two before the roots can spread out enough to allow it to grow naturally.

I was actually looking forward to having a garden. Then I got a neck injury, which makes gardening much harder. And my brother (whom I co-own the house with) has no interest in gardening, so I need to get all the weeds out and find some low-maintenance stuff to put in. There are some shrubs planted in the front already, but a section of garden in the back was left empty. A covering plant of some sort (to reduce weeds) would be awesome.

The hardwood laminate sections are pretty easy to put down. And the squares of linoleum self stick tile are also very easy to deal with. Rugs and sheet linoleum should be put down by someone who knows what they are doing. A guy I know recently had HD put down carpet in 2 rooms, and he told me the cost was low and the job was done quick and well. Cost will also depend on how good of a quality of rug you pick.

He's thinking more along the lines of ceramic tiling; he wants to move away from linoleum. For the bathroom, it would be done by someone else, and he's not sure yet which flooring he'll put in the kitchen - tile or laminate.

 

[GoodGame]

I was actually looking forward to having a garden. Then I got a neck injury, which makes gardening much harder. And my brother (whom I co-own the house with) has no interest in gardening, so I need to get all the weeds out and find some low-maintenance stuff to put in. There are some shrubs planted in the front already, but a section of garden in the back was left empty. A covering plant of some sort (to reduce weeds) would be awesome.


He's thinking more along the lines of ceramic tiling; he wants to move away from linoleum. For the bathroom, it would be done by someone else, and he's not sure yet which flooring he'll put in the kitchen - tile or laminate.

Try a potted garden. Much easier, no weeding. Get some potting soil, saplings/seedlings/plantlings, and large pots and stands. The 'Topsy Turvy' stuff works as well, I've found, though preparing and mounting it requires a bit of muscle, but has the advantage of absolutely no potential for weeds and uses little space for the amount of plants you can grow in one.

 

[Cutlass]

Pachysandra? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachysandra


Ceramic tile can be tricky, but doable for the do it yourselfer. But if he could afford it I would hire someone. Unless he's done tile work before.

 

[Perfection]

Where should I go to get wood?

 

[Theige]

Where should I go to get wood?

East Setauket, New York.

 

[Cutlass]

Where should I go to get wood?

Where do you live and what do you want?

 

[Adria]

Try a potted garden. Much easier. Get some potting soil, saplings/seedlings/plantlings, and large pots and stands. The 'Topsy Turvy' stuff works as well, I've found, though preparing and mounting it requires a bit of muscle, but has the advantage of not needing weeding and using less space.

The garden is already there though, and would be difficult to remove. The empty section of garden is in the back, in a raised section. There are already some shrubs planted in the front. Something small to go between/around the shrubs would be nice.

The only photos I have are from before the sod was laid, when I first looked at the house. Here's the back, with the raised planter that goes the length of the backyard and around the corner a bit,

Spoiler :

I don't have any photos of the front yard itself, just the front of the house. You can just make out some of the shrubs just behind the fence. There's a strip of garden immediately below the living room window, and a strip right behind the fence.

Spoiler :

In regards to Pachysandra, I don't think that would work very well here. "Well-drained" soil doesn't exist in the Pacific Northwest. The garden sections also get a fair bit of sun. I might just have to ask around at work and see what others have done here.

 

[Fifty]

Holy crap this thread came just in time!

So I'm moving in to a place that could use some TLC. I plan to do some of the jobs suggested by these questions, depending on your answer (i.e. how costly or difficult it will be to accomplish these things). I'll just randomly list questions:

1) What would be the best way to clean years of accumulated crud off of some windows, both on the indoor and outdoor sides? For the outside, pressure washer is not an option.
2) What would be the best way to clean paint off of the edge of windows due to someone's careless painting?
3) Is there any way to significantly spruce up a worn down wood floor other than a full sand and refinish?
4) If I have old countertops that seem to be made of some sort of plastic or laminate, is there anything that is the rough equivalent of wallpaper for countertops, so that I can have non horrible looking countertops without buying and installing new countertops?
5) How cheap can one buy decent wooden blinds, and how easy are they to install?
6) What is the most effective way to clean built up rust and mineral junk off tubs and sinks? CLR?
7) How difficult is it to install a new front door?
8) Can you think of any relatively cheap, relatively easy way of making an old in-window air conditioning unit look less horribly old and ugly? Buying a new AC unit is not an option.


THANKS!!!!!!!!

 

[Cutlass]

yeah, it's a regional thing with plant choices.

 

[Cutlass]

Holy crap this thread came just in time!

So I'm moving in to a place that could use some TLC. I plan to do some of the jobs suggested by these questions, depending on your answer (i.e. how costly or difficult it will be to accomplish these things). I'll just randomly list questions:

1) What would be the best way to clean years of accumulated crud off of some windows, both on the indoor and outdoor sides? For the outside, pressure washer is not an option.

Is there a reason you can't use a pressure washer on the outside? If it's dirt, and you can't use a machine, then it's just get a cleaner and scrub. If it's a LOT of dirt, then don't start with windex, get a bucket and a scrubber sponge and something like lestoil or mr clean or some strong cleaner like that. Don't be too afraid of really stepping up to a STRONG cleaner, like the stuff that takes you get from an auto part store rather than a supermarket. But wear rubber gloves if you do.

2) What would be the best way to clean paint off of the edge of windows due to someone's careless painting?

A wire brush attachment for a drill.

3) Is there any way to significantly spruce up a worn down wood floor other than a full sand and refinish?

Other than covering it with a carpet, Depending on how bad it is. you can take a putty knife and scrape loose any of the old finish that is loose and then take a hand sander and go over the entire thing and then polyurethane it. You can restore it to a fair appearance that way with a bunch of work.

4) If I have old countertops that seem to be made of some sort of plastic or laminate, is there anything that is the rough equivalent of wallpaper for countertops, so that I can have non horrible looking countertops without buying and installing new countertops?

Not that I know of, really. Though if the counters have square edges you could try ceramic tiles. Laminate counter tops aren't too expensive, though.

5) How cheap can one buy decent wooden blinds, and how easy are they to install?

I can't price things for you. You need to pick what you like. But they're pretty easy to install. One tip: Throw away the screws they came with and get a box of self tapping strews from the hardware store and save yourself a ton of time driving them in with a drill.

6) What is the most effective way to clean built up rust and mineral junk off tubs and sinks? CLR?

You can try that. But many rust stains will never come out. I haven't had good luck with anything.

7) How difficult is it to install a new front door?

Pretty easy if it's a standard size door. Kinda hard if a custom size door. Most doors are 80 inches high, 32, 34, or 36 inches wide. If so you can do it. Let me know what you have and I can work with you on it.

8) Can you think of any relatively cheap, relatively easy way of making an old in-window air conditioning unit look less horribly old and ugly? Buying a new AC unit is not an option.

From the outside most are just metal. Clean. Lightly sand and spray paint. From the inside most have a plastic face. Take it off and soak it in a tub of something like lestoil to remove years of accumulated greasy dirt.

 

[GoodGame]

Holy crap this thread came just in time!

So I'm moving in to a place that could use some TLC. I plan to do some of the jobs suggested by these questions, depending on your answer (i.e. how costly or difficult it will be to accomplish these things). I'll just randomly list questions:

1) What would be the best way to clean years of accumulated crud off of some windows, both on the indoor and outdoor sides? For the outside, pressure washer is not an option.
2) What would be the best way to clean paint off of the edge of windows due to someone's careless painting?
3) Is there any way to significantly spruce up a worn down wood floor other than a full sand and refinish?
4) If I have old countertops that seem to be made of some sort of plastic or laminate, is there anything that is the rough equivalent of wallpaper for countertops, so that I can have non horrible looking countertops without buying and installing new countertops?
5) How cheap can one buy decent wooden blinds, and how easy are they to install?
6) What is the most effective way to clean built up rust and mineral junk off tubs and sinks? CLR?
7) How difficult is it to install a new front door?
8) Can you think of any relatively cheap, relatively easy way of making an old in-window air conditioning unit look less horribly old and ugly? Buying a new AC unit is not an option.


THANKS!!!!!!!!

@1 Murphy's Oil Wood Soap is cheap, good on painted surfaces and wood, and very cheap. Some of that, a bucket, some gauntlet neoprene gloves, and a roll of shop rags, and you'll be good to go. For the interior, a squeege sponge mop will help the work move faster.

@2. Be careful with paint removal, since it sounds like you're fixing up a crappy old house. Lead paint is a major concern. Sanding/scrapping can produce lead dust. Found a pamphlet that explains it.

Best bet is professional removal if you test and find that you do have lead paint.

If I wasn't worried about lead, I'd try a thin putty knife to scrape the paint. If it didn't come up easily, I'd assume it was an oil or epoxy paint, and maybe try soaking the paint in some mineral spirits/paint remover before scraping to see if that helps.

Definitely get some protective gear for removing paint----appropriate masks and at least $2 goggles (ones that look as dorky as possible).

@3 Try the Murphy's Wood Oil Soap there as well.

@4. Not sure. I'd try to see if a pro can do a spot patch---remove the chipped wood and spot replace it. Probably just sand it the damage areas and patch with some filler material, probably wood filler. Then repaint---preferablly the whole counter, but that might not be possible. Old particle board tends to leak formaldehyde vapor, so you might just want to see about replacing it.

@5. Don't know. Check like Home Depot, then Lowes. Probably nothing more intensive than measuring, marking and drilling mounts into the wall.

@6. Yeah I believe CLR is the way to go with that stuff. I think there's something else called Lime-away.

@7. Just need a helper to hold the door, screwdriver, screws, hammer/mallet.

@8 paint it.

If you're renting, you can probably get your landlord to do the work as a condition of rent, but it requires some skill to do it and retain your lease, if the landlord is belligerent.

 

[GoodGame]

The garden is already there though, and would be difficult to remove. The empty section of garden is in the back, in a raised section. There are already some shrubs planted in the front. Something small to go between/around the shrubs would be nice.

.

Well if you can't get much help/can't afford much, the easiest & cheapest solution would be to lay some lining mat to block weeds, and then mulch generously on top of that. Probably could be done for less than $100. Probably so easy, a lazy relative could be convinced to do it one time.

Then just put large pots with/without stands on the mulch.

Looks like the area is pretty well shaded, but otherwise I might be tempted to put in a small greenhouse if I had the money and didn't want to do weeding.

 

[Adria]

Well if you can't get much help/can't afford much, the easiest & cheapest solution would be to lay some lining mat to block weeds, and then mulch generously on top of that. Probably could be done for less than $100. Probably so easy, a lazy relative could be convinced to do it one time.

Then just put large pots with/without stands on the mulch.

Looks like the area is pretty well shaded, but otherwise I might be tempted to put in a small greenhouse if I had the money and didn't want to do weeding.

I could probably get my brother to do some work, albeit complete with some whining and grumbling. I've been thinking about putting down mulch, at least in the front.

The area isn't very well shaded. The house faces east so the front garden sections get morning and midday sun. The back sections get midday and some evening sun (fence blocks some of the evening sun).

 

[mrt144]

For waste drains what is the best material type of plumbing for a 5-10 year period?

 

[Cutlass]

PVC is typically used these days. Unless it's the heavier pipes near the stack. What's the project?

 

[mrt144]

PVC is typically used these days. Unless it's the heavier pipes near the stack. What's the project?

I remodeled my kitchen and put in a dishwasher and had to redo all the piping under the sink. I used PVC and just wanted to confirm I did the right thing. But now I have a followup. Do you use an epoxy when joining a metal drain in the base of a sink to the PVC pipe? I didn't and Im worried about leaks one day.

 

[Cutlass]

I typically use rubber coupling between them in that situation. I'm blanking on the proper name of it. But it is a short section of rubber pipe with a heavy hose clamp on either end.