The Home Improvement Thread

[photon]

Anyone recommend someone to refinish cabinet doors? Hopefully able to match with existing doors so I don't have to refinish the whole kitchen.

[rayne008]

Originally Posted by photon

I don't think I'd ever buy window coverings locally (other than in stock stuff at Lowes or whatever), the online stores are so much cheaper (even for the same name brand stuff). Or at least they used to be.

Crossroads Furniture Market, Ashleys are a couple that are in that next tier of furniture stores I guess. Bondars is probably above those but I really like them and they sometimes have great prices on stuff.

Any store in particular you recommend? I bought cheap home depot ones and they look like ass after 5 years.

[Canehdianman]

I just ordered some from selectblindscanada (or something like that).

Prices were good. I should receive the blinds in about 2 weeks.

[photon]

I've used mostly blinds.ca, but know people that have used selectblindscanada.ca as well.

I've done a whole house in wood blinds, and got cellular blackout blinds for my basement and am pretty happy with both.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by photon

Anyone recommend someone to refinish cabinet doors? Hopefully able to match with existing doors so I don't have to refinish the whole kitchen.

I've got a guy, ill PM you when I get home tonight

[photon]

Cool thanks, my dad knows a guy from a company he used to work for but wanted to get a 2nd opinion and/or have a backup plan.

He suggested maybe doing just the bottom doors for a 2 tone look, might be interesting and wouldn't have to try and match, but might be hard to come up with something that looks good.

[photon]

Anyone following this?

https://myheatworks.com/

In line hot water isn't new, but this seems to try to be better than the rest.

You can pre-order and put in Canada, but seems like something that would have to go through CSA or something first wouldn't it?

EDIT: Hm, given that it's electrical it would probably be a lot more expensive to heat water, though it's more efficient. I wonder if it'd end up being cheaper or still more expensive.

[Regular_John]

So anyone have any experience/thoughts on doing a built in wardrobe/shelving into a bedroom closet? I've seen some of the Ikea Hacks online and I'm leaning towards that route right now as there's no door on the closet so I'm looking for something to give it a finished/built in look.

But if anyone's got any good info on custom cabinet/shelving for a master bedroom closet I'm all ears. Looking to paint & do the closet this summer, so I've got some time to shop around.

[fredr123]

Could anyone recommend someone to do the drywall/taping/mudding/sanding for our basement? We are doing most of the rest of the renos ourselves but given comments on this forum and from other people, I'm not even going to tempt fate by trying to do that stuff myself.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by fotze

More likely to actually get someone out the more they do. If its just mudding they probably won't want the job since you could have boarded ######edly.

Yah, I've heard that from others. I would be happy if they came in and did all the drywall install, taping, mudding, sanding, etc.

[Hockeyguy15]

What size screws should I be using to put a railing on the wall? I have the railing and brackets but no screws, the people who owned the place never put it back up before they moved out.

[hungryhun]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Could anyone recommend someone to do the drywall/taping/mudding/sanding for our basement? We are doing most of the rest of the renos ourselves but given comments on this forum and from other people, I'm not even going to tempt fate by trying to do that stuff myself.

pm sent

[photon]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

What size screws should I be using to put a railing on the wall? I have the railing and brackets but no screws, the people who owned the place never put it back up before they moved out.

Handrail kits don't seem to come with anything special.



As long as it's going into a stud you'd have to be pretty strong to rip out 3 screws.

If you are really concerned use a 3" screw and just hope there's nothing behind

[photon]

Also if anyone ever needs to get rid of soap scum, I was wasting tons of time and effort trying to clean a shower at a rental, and the retail stuff wasn't doing squat, so I looked online and tried the Dawn dish soap + heated vinegar solution (mix half and half, or 1/4 Dawn 3/4 vinegar if it's Dawn ultra) in a spray bottle and wow did it ever work. Almost no effort at all.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by photon

Handrail kits don't seem to come with anything special.


As long as it's going into a stud you'd have to be pretty strong to rip out 3 screws.

If you are really concerned use a 3" screw and just hope there's nothing behind

Thanks! Just wanted to be sure that something like 1 1/2 or 1 and 3/4 would work.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by photon

Also if anyone ever needs to get rid of soap scum, I was wasting tons of time and effort trying to clean a shower at a rental, and the retail stuff wasn't doing squat, so I looked online and tried the Dawn dish soap + heated vinegar solution (mix half and half, or 1/4 Dawn 3/4 vinegar if it's Dawn ultra) in a spray bottle and wow did it ever work. Almost no effort at all.

Hot vinegar is probably the best cleaning agent out there for soap scum or deposits from hard water.

[Nyah]

If I wanted to hire professional painters to paint my newly developed basement (including ceilings), does anyone know roughly how much I would be spending? If I supplied the paint and materials?

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by photon

Also if anyone ever needs to get rid of soap scum, I was wasting tons of time and effort trying to clean a shower at a rental, and the retail stuff wasn't doing squat, so I looked online and tried the Dawn dish soap + heated vinegar solution (mix half and half, or 1/4 Dawn 3/4 vinegar if it's Dawn ultra) in a spray bottle and wow did it ever work. Almost no effort at all.

I concur. We stumbled upon that same recipe a few months ago.
Works like a charm on shower doors and anything stained with hard water.

[Northendzone]

^ a friend of mine (who did not want to sign up for an account here) was wondering if this solution could make a persons underwear white again?

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Nyah

If I wanted to hire professional painters to paint my newly developed basement (including ceilings), does anyone know roughly how much I would be spending? If I supplied the paint and materials?

Without seeing it to get anything close to a real answer,

Sqft?,
# & size of rooms?
how are you planning on finishing the ceiling?
Is the Taping down? Did they do a good job?
do you need Baseboard/Moldings/Door finished at all? how?