Type of wood board
There are several types of composite and fiberboard. medium density fiberboard (MDF) is made of refined fibers and is often used in furniture and mouldings. It h...
Discussion History
Saltillo Tile
I sincerely doubt dirty motor oil will enhance the floors. Saltillo is very pourous and any oil would penetrate and ruin the tile forever. I renovated over 1000...
2
answersupdated over 14 years ago by tomh
Carpenter Ants
I'm certainly not a pro exterminator, but I can buy most of their chemicals and get good information at www.bugspray.com . They have an excellent article on carp...
1
answers
updated over 14 years ago by tomh
siding replacement
I would leave the current siding sheets in place. Most likely it performs a bracing function, at least in the corners. By your description, I assume this is 5/8...
1
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
stain cedar
Cedar will look best and be more water resistant and last longer if you maintain it. In California, stains have been reformulated to use lower VOC solvents. The...
2
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
Old subject new post
You should be able to level the low spot using a floor leveling compound. A floating installation of laminate floor would avoid the need to remove or nail throug...
13
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
build a shower pan
You need to build your own shower pan for the room. The old method was to hot mop tar then overlay with a mortar bed and tile. Modern construction uses a waterp...
2
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
gravel backfill
The main problem with gravel backfill is adequate compaction. Concrete is a semi liquid and tightly adheres to the hole and post making a stable post that doesn'...
5
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
mineral wool
The material you describe is mineral wool or rock wool. It is a manmade fiber that preceeded the manufacture of fiberglass insulations. It is not associated wit...
3
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
Spray applied textures
The professional approach is to spray apply textures to achieve orange peel, knock down and other effects. If you already own an air compressor, its a no brainer...
3
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
Saving Money buying paint
What most folks don't know is that all premium paint stores will give you up to a 20% discount just for asking for their preferred customer card. They won't tell...
7
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
I'm no decorator
But I hired one recently for a similar situation. The recommendation was Kelly Moore Sand Pebble on most walls with Rockford as an accent color. The sand pebble...
2
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
wall plates
You have two ways to approach this wall plate business. You could buy a simple wall plate blank or one with a coax connector and attach it to the wall with a pai...
1
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
Marble Floors
Try spelling Butyl and do an internet search. Unless you have a moisture issue from under a slab, this should not be necessary. A quality tile and stone supplie...
2
answersupdated almost 15 years ago by tomh
New gas stove
Any clearance requirements are specified on the installation instructions that came with the stove. In most cases, zero clearance is fine, as long as the doors a...
1
answersupdated about 15 years ago by tomh
Asbestos
The test for asbestos is simple and inexpensive. Simply take a piece of the material or core with the full depth. Deliver it to a local analytical laboratory (se...
4
answersupdated about 15 years ago by tomh
Low pressure after replacing water heater.
Just to cover the simple things first, check the strainers at the faucet outlets and shower heads. Replacement of the heater may have dislodged sediment that cou...
3
answersupdated about 15 years ago by tomh
How do I determine wire guage
When adding to a circuit, match the existing wiring. Most commonly, for a 15 amp service 14/2, for 20 amp 12/2. There is no harm in using 12/2 wire on a 15 amp ...
1
answersupdated about 15 years ago by tomh
Sump Pump Drain
You have received good advice from the other posters. I wanted to comment on your question whether you should add something to the water to prevent freezing. The...
8
answersupdated about 15 years ago by tomh
Access to Crawlspace from Basement
Crawl spaces may be insulated in one of two common ways. The most energy efficient is to insulate the floor of the heated structure above and allow the crawl spa...
1
answersupdated about 15 years ago by tomh
