Woodworking, DIY, and home repair thread

[Armybrat 40815]

On 5/18/2023 at 5:33 PM, Gil Bang said:

Barn doors are not a good solution for bathrooms.  Not a lot of privacy with those things.   

I used one for my studio bathroom, because that's what the GF wanted, and because we only have 1 tenant at a time, so there is no privacy issue. 

At least there is a pocket door in the crapper.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10226]

4 hours ago, Celery Man said:

I’m not an electrician but I don’t think this is even wired up.

Wires will be in back, faster, easier for contractors... electricians love them as they tend to need work later when they come loose and then can use the screws on side.

[Celery Man 20929]

1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:

There are screws on the other side too. As well as shitty push ins on the back. You can see the ground wire on the plug.

I understand very little - I did see the one wire attached which google told me was the ground. It doesn’t look like anything was attached to the screws on either side between the two outlets (but I didn’t want to pull the foam thing off and fuck around especially since I’m not certain which breaker to flip) - does it look like I’m correct and this thing isn’t even wired up? I found outside outlets on the side and front of the house that are working/wired correctly. The tester on this outlet didn’t light up at all.

 

*edit*

35 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Wires will be in back, faster, easier for contractors... electricians love them as they tend to need work later when they come loose and then can use the screws on side.

Ah ok gotcha. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Celery Man

[Jkwellborn 6686]

Wires will be in back, faster, easier for contractors... electricians love them as they tend to need work later when they come loose and then can use the screws on side.

If your electrician used them, fire him.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10226]

58 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

I understand very little - I did see the one wire attached which google told me was the ground. It doesn’t look like anything was attached to the screws on either side between the two outlets (but I didn’t want to pull the foam thing off and fuck around especially since I’m not certain which breaker to flip) - does it look like I’m correct and this thing isn’t even wired up? I found outside outlets on the side and front of the house that are working/wired correctly. The tester on this outlet didn’t light up at all.

 

*edit*

Ah ok gotcha. 

 

It's still likely going to be a GFCI reset needing to be pushed. Find all you can for your house (will have minimum of 1, likely more).  They can be found in garages, bathrooms, outside, kitchen, basements. They can be in non-obvious locations depending on age of house.

Sometimes in your electrical panel they might even be labeled - "gfci main", etc so you might be able to know how many GFCI circuits you have.

Also check other outside outlets to see if working, usually they are all connected. If others work then check closest wet location like bathroom nearest the outlet to see if can find a GFCI receptacle to reset.

 

[uoftorange 1386]

Echoing others, but almost definitely a GFCI.  Literally just go room to room, no matter if it's nearby or not.  Heavily check bathrooms, garage, kitchen areas.  And even outside sometimes

[Antidean 200]

My son searches river and creek beds for arrowheads, he's found several hundred. He's quite good at finding them.

Built this for him to store and show off some of his better ones.

Made it with cherry wood and inlayed bocote wood on the top and made the drawer pulls from bocote as well.

The top section has a removable tray.

 

[Jkwellborn 6686]

That’s nice.

[Antidean 200]

Arrowheads have found their home in the case made above.

 

[UT_OB1 2213]

Help me out so I don’t lose my man card. Started with sanded pine for stair treads. I wanted a more grey stain but this is what wife picked. The stain does not look…even?  Just not what I was expecting. Will a second coat fix this?  Do I need to lightly sand first?  Heavily sand?  
 

 

[Jkwellborn 6686]

Did you use a pre stain treatment?

[utee94 15797]

^^^^

Yup, pine doesn't take stain all that evenly.  Pre-stain treatments help but even then, pine just doesn't do great.  That's why so many people paint it, or leave it natural and seal it.

[UT_OB1 2213]

47 minutes ago, utee94 said:

^^^^

Yup, pine doesn't take stain all that evenly.  Pre-stain treatments help but even then, pine just doesn't do great.  That's why so many people paint it, or leave it natural and seal it.

No pre stain treatment. Didn’t even know that was a thing. So I wonder if I shouldn’t just paint over it at this point? If I do paint with latex, do I have to use and oil based primer first?

 

like this?

 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-Cover-Stain-1-gal-White-Oil-Based-Interior-Exterior-Primer-and-Sealer-3501/100398377?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D24-024_022_PRIMERS-NA-Multi-NA-PLALIA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-FY21_Multi_PLALIA&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D24-024_022_PRIMERS-NA-Multi-NA-PLALIA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-FY21_Multi_PLALIA-71700000075826637-58700006498654198-92700058683659550&gbraid=0AAAAADq61UcRAv3DG-04fC3_qek1RgLcA&gclid=CjwKCAjw44mlBhAQEiwAqP3eVkeQKJQ2pNm1ozUoV9TILkkZUKbrfMAu5Nrk4gES7KGttiNpUFEjBxoChsUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Jkwellborn 6686]

Wouldn’t hurt to use it.

[Okie State 3804]

No pre stain treatment. Didn’t even know that was a thing. So I wonder if I shouldn’t just paint over it at this point? If I do paint with latex, do I have to use and oil based primer first?
 
like this?
 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-Cover-Stain-1-gal-White-Oil-Based-Interior-Exterior-Primer-and-Sealer-3501/100398377?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D24-024_022_PRIMERS-NA-Multi-NA-PLALIA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-FY21_Multi_PLALIA&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D24-024_022_PRIMERS-NA-Multi-NA-PLALIA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-FY21_Multi_PLALIA-71700000075826637-58700006498654198-92700058683659550&gbraid=0AAAAADq61UcRAv3DG-04fC3_qek1RgLcA&gclid=CjwKCAjw44mlBhAQEiwAqP3eVkeQKJQ2pNm1ozUoV9TILkkZUKbrfMAu5Nrk4gES7KGttiNpUFEjBxoChsUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I think that would work. I also like Zinsser BIN which is shellac based. Both stink like hell. Use a quality hard wearing paint to finish it.

Or see if you can sand it down and just leave it natural with a clear sealer.

[utee94 15797]

32 minutes ago, Okie State said:

I think that would work. I also like Zinsser BIN which is shellac based. Both stink like hell. Use a quality hard wearing paint to finish it.

Or see if you can sand it down and just leave it natural with a clear sealer.

Yup, agree with all of the above.

I like the look of natural wood on the treads, and you can always put color on the risers if you want something more interesting.

[Gil Bang 25907]

that's a semi-transparent stain. It's supposed to look like that. 

[dieucla98 2942]

The only product I've used on pine that turns out ok, pre treat or not, is Rubio monocoat. In general, pine is a bitch. Even if you paint it, you have to primer + sand a few times or you'll see the grain.

[Okie State 3804]

Rubio Monocoat is actually probably what I'd use if you could get that black stain off.

[heso 2785]

On 6/2/2023 at 8:13 AM, Antidean said:

My son searches river and creek beds for arrowheads, he's found several hundred. He's quite good at finding them.

Built this for him to store and show off some of his better ones.

Made it with cherry wood and inlayed bocote wood on the top and made the drawer pulls from bocote as well.

The top section has a removable tray.

 

I love the look of cherry. What did you finish it with?

[Antidean 200]

13 hours ago, heso said:

I love the look of cherry. What did you finish it with?

Waterlox Original. 3 coats.

[Spaulding Smails 1552]

On 7/4/2023 at 8:37 AM, Okie State said:

Rubio Monocoat is actually probably what I'd use if you could get that black stain off.

Same.  It's expensive, but it goes a long way and is almost idiot proof.  We did the majority of our cabinets with Rubio Monocoat.

[Orale 1087]

Here's a tiny house I did on some family land. I was learning as I went, so far from perfect. But I think it came out pretty good all things considered. Ended up painting it twice as I didn't care for the first color we did. 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Orale

[deadshank 24652]

@Orale that must have been a fun build.   Very nice work.
 

Did the same thing 15 years ago with a derelict mobile home.  Rebuilt it all in my warehouse then had MH movers tow it to deer camp.   7 or so years ago we rebuilt an old job shack for a bunk house.  Had a great time doing the work. 
 

 

[Jkwellborn 6686]

Did you spray foam it yourself?

[Gil Bang 25907]

you did a great job, but why on a trailer?

[Orale 1087]

3 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:

Did you spray foam it yourself?

No, hired a local guy. About $2,300. 

[DougO 5243]

I have a wonky flush bolt on the double doors out back. Has this been covered up in here?

[deadshank 24652]

8 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

you did a great job, but why on a trailer?

Temp structure that can be relocated or used a guest quarters or sold out right.   It’s not a bad idea for a tiny house.  

[Orale 1087]

36 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Temp structure that can be relocated or used a guest quarters or sold out right.   It’s not a bad idea for a tiny house.  

That's right. We eventually want to build a larger home for R&R. The tiny house allows us to enjoy the land in the interim at a low cost in relative comfort, particularly for my retired folks. 

[UT_OB1 2213]

1 hour ago, Orale said:

That's right. We eventually want to build a larger home for R&R. The tiny house allows us to enjoy the land in the interim at a low cost in relative comfort, particularly for my retired folks. 

You showed a sea container but that doesn’t appear to be in the build pictures. Is that another tiny home to be or just a portable garage?

[deadshank 24652]

Our deer camp bunk house is very similar.  
 

Demo’d the old donor organ on site, put left over trailer frame and axles on a gooseneck and brought it back to the warehouse in Houston for the build.  Left all the snakes, scorpions, centipedes and spiders roosting up in it on the rancho.  
 

Towed it back out to rancho on the back of my truck.  Squared and leveled it up, built a deck and cover to attach it to our trailer.   

[Orale 1087]

3 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

You showed a sea container but that doesn’t appear to be in the build pictures. Is that another tiny home to be or just a portable garage?

It's just for storage. Our handyman was hauling his tools to the site every day and we were locking building materials inside the tiny house or leaving them outside exposed to weather and potential theft. So we bought the container to store everything. We've needed one for the property for a long time. It was a single-use container (i.e., only used on a single trip from China or wherever) so it's in great condition and only cost a few grand delivered to the property. It's much more secure and weather safe than a wooden shed.

To answer your other question, we are building a second tiny house which is why one of the photos shows a second trailer with just the OSB subfloor and bottom wall plates on it. We're pretty close to being done. It'll have a slightly different board and batten skin. 

[Orale 1087]

3 hours ago, deadshank said:

Our deer camp bunk house is very similar.  
 

Demo’d the old donor organ on site, put left over trailer frame and axles on a gooseneck and brought it back to the warehouse in Houston for the build.  Left all the snakes, scorpions, centipedes and spiders roosting up in it on the rancho.  
 

Towed it back out to rancho on the back of my truck.  Squared and leveled it up, built a deck and cover to attach it to our trailer.   

I was thinking about doing a corrugated metal skin siding with a kind of modern profile on one of our tiny houses. But I was worried my handyman wouldn't know how to work with it as he's primarily familiar with wood sidings. Maybe if we do a third one. 

[chikin23 384]

Attaching a beam to a post?

In the process of adding a pergola to our backyard, is it better to sit the beams on top of the post or, considering the weight on top won’t be very much, is it okay to use carriage bolts to connect the 2x6 to the 6x6 post?

[Spaulding Smails 1552]

6 hours ago, chikin23 said:

Attaching a beam to a post?

In the process of adding a pergola to our backyard, is it better to sit the beams on top of the post or, considering the weight on top won’t be very much, is it okay to use carriage bolts to connect the 2x6 to the 6x6 post?

I'd notch the 6x6 then run the carriage bolts through.  You have plenty of meat on the 6x6 for the carriage bolts and can still get the load to bear down vertically instead of relying on the carriage bolts to support the weight.  

[deadshank 24652]

7 hours ago, chikin23 said:

Attaching a beam to a post?

In the process of adding a pergola to our backyard, is it better to sit the beams on top of the post or, considering the weight on top won’t be very much, is it okay to use carriage bolts to connect the 2x6 to the 6x6 post?

Get heavy, milled cedar.  It withstands weather and insects and doesn’t twist like pressure-treated yellow pine. 

If you’re in the Houston area call Lucas Cedar.   We use them all the time.  

[gsoda3 3245]

@Orale that tiny house is awesome.  how are you getting hot water?  did you install a tankless water heater on the outside?  and is the wastewater going in to a cesspit?

[Orale 1087]

13 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

@Orale that tiny house is awesome.  how are you getting hot water?  did you install a tankless water heater on the outside?  and is the wastewater going in to a cesspit?

Thanks. We installed a tankless water heater initially but then realized that they draw a heavy amount of amperage versus a conventional small tank water heater. So we just built a little enclosure for a small tank water heater sitting on the front arms of the trailer. We installed a new water well and a septic system, more for a future conventional home we plan to eventually build but we have the tiny house hooked up to it. 

[Okie State 3804]

First time I've ever installed a door. Turned out pretty damn good for an amateur.

A few other progress pics.

[Orale 1087]

Well done! It's much harder than people think. The trim woodwork looks great as well. 

[Okie State 3804]

I don't know what I'm doing on any of this stuff so I make it up as I go. I enjoy it though.

One more pic with the casing added.

[Orale 1087]

What wood are you using for the trim? Oak?

[Okie State 3804]

What wood are you using for the trim? Oak?

All the trim will be painted so it's poplar. The panels are maple plywood. I'm not good enough for stain grade.

[deadshank 24652]

@Orale still looking at your build and I have a few questions for you (none of which are meant to be critical).

Looking at the pic of roof, I see no soil vent stacks coming through.  How are you venting the toilet, sinks and shower so they will drain? Exhaust  point for a bathroom fart fan vent?  Also, venting a range top?  Are these to be installed before move in?

Did you consider fresh air intake since you have done the complete spray foam encapsulation?

Spray foaming the underside of your floor deck is a  brilliant move for temp moderation and keeping the varmint s from scratching their way in.

 

[Orale 1087]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

@Orale still looking at your build and I have a few questions for you (none of which are meant to be critical).

Looking at the pic of roof, I see no soil vent stacks coming through.  How are you venting the toilet, sinks and shower so they will drain? Exhaust  point for a bathroom fart fan vent?  Also, venting a range top?  Are these to be installed before move in?

Did you consider fresh air intake since you have done the complete spray foam encapsulation?

Spray foaming the underside of your floor deck is a  brilliant move for temp moderation and keeping the varmint s from scratching their way in.

 

No criticism taken. On the contrary, it's appreciated. I am very much an amateur builder and always trying to learn more. For the plumbing venting, I did an interior Oatey Sure Vent. I had heard the issue you mention about fresh air when spray foaming the envelope, but I don't really have an answer. I suppose I was counting on the occasional opening of the doors and windows. But that's a fair point. I'll have to think on how to address that to ensure good air quality.

The TH's are only going to have a countertop double induction top and maybe a countertop multi-mode air fryer for simple meals. They're not intended for elaborate cooking, and frankly, my family doesn't do much of that anyways. So we'll probably just open the windows over the kitchenette if we're not just eating out. Probably not ideal, but I'm trying to keep things simple for now while we see what works and what could use upgrading.

[Okie State 3804]

Paint progress. One more coat. Wallpaper where the white is.

[uoftorange 1386]

Interestingly, maybe only to me, I just did a full bathroom remodel as well.  Half bath downstairs.  Remodel isn't going to be for everyone, but we love it.  I'm a big fan of that 1920s style, but can't really do my whole house like it.  My wife wanted to wall paper something.  I loathe wallpaper.  But I relented if we got to go with an old school style

I didn't take any before pictures, but it was simple.  These are before we moved in.  We changed the mirror, toilet, rug and wall color, but otherwise it was pretty simple. 

I build the vanity out of hard wood from scratch.  Built the custom exhaust fan cover as well.  

Checklist of what I did:
-Wallpapered the entire room
-Removed and replaced the floor
-Built the vanity, added handles, installed the counter and sink
-New Faucet
-New Mirror
-Removed the old over mirror light to be side by side lights
-Installed the outlet for the bidet, installed the bidet (BB2000)
-Installed new hand towel and toilet paper holder
-Got a new picture for the wall, found a photographer I liked and they did an aluminum print for me.  
-Replaced the outlets and switches with black Lutron Caseta's (whole house is smart).  


Still need to find a new rug, And find a way to hide the bidet cord a bit more.  Also need to adjust the cabinet doors a tiny bit to get them completely level.  Adjusting hinges is always a pain in the ass.  

I bought the black BB2000 remote, installing that today instead.

 

[uoftorange 1386]

I've been busy.  I also built a kennel under the stairs for the dogs.  We had a pretty nice one that was next to the couch (for sale btw), but it meant you couldn't walk around both sides of it, and took up so much space.   

The inside edge of the door needs another coat of paint, and caulk the new quarter round at the joints, but that's happening today.  Otherwise I'm done.  

I cut the hole to the right, then realized that the space in the middle was a load bearing beam.  I should have freaking known, it was very obvious if I had been thinking about it.  But I think it actually worked out really well because it gives more light in there for them.

Drywalled the interior and painted it the same color as the walls outside it.  
Found two dog beds that together fit pretty much perfectly.  

Hard to tell from the pics but it's huge in there.  We have two smaller dogs so they have tons of space to chill

 

 

[Okie State 3804]

A few finishing details left, but pretty much there.