The Home Improvement Thread

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

We had them in our house when we moved in. I liked the look of them a lot but they are a pain in the ass.

To open our windows would sometimes involve moving furniture to deal with their swing radius.

The shutters themselves were entirely made of wood and held together with small staples. Those eventually come out and you have ghetto california shutters with open slats or going the wrong direction.

They also leak a ton of light and are no good with televisions and bedrooms.

We ended up replacing them all with the accordion style blinds.

TLDR, all show no go.

Thanks. The black-out accordion ones actually look pretty decent. We might to that route instead. I am kind of wondering now how much extra it would have cost to just get the magnetic operated blinds that are sandwiched between the panes. Our patio doors have those and they’ve worked well.

[81MC]

Anyone do mill work, or recommend a shop that does? Real small job:
Have 3 1 9/16 x 9 1/4 x 36” old Douglas Fir planks I need re-sawn, jointed and planed to 5/8 thick s4s stock. I’ll cut to final dimensions, but my hand tools woodworking skills evidently need some serious improvement that I don’t have time for. Boards are really quite flat and true already, but do need milling.

The original staircase treads being repurposed for a project, need to see if it’ll actually look good!

[hungryhun]

I would like to add a wall sconce to the top of my basement stairwell to give me more light. I have one light at the bottom of the stairs which is activated by a switch at the top and bottom of the stairwell. Am I correct in assuming only one of the switches would be a two way? I think I would have to wire the sconce into the two way. I know I could also run power from the light at the bottom. I would like to avoid this as it would be next to impossible without cutting multiple holes into the wall/ceiling. Any advice on how I can do this?
Thanks in advance!

IMG_8462 by hunrgyhun, on Flickr

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by hungryhun

I would like to add a wall sconce to the top of my basement stairwell to give me more light. I have one light at the bottom of the stairs which is activated by a switch at the top and bottom of the stairwell. Am I correct in assuming only one of the switches would be a two way? I think I would have to wire the sconce into the two way. I know I could also run power from the light at the bottom. I would like to avoid this as it would be next to impossible without cutting multiple holes into the wall/ceiling. Any advice on how I can do this?
Thanks in advance!

IMG_8462 by hunrgyhun, on Flickr

Both switches will be 3 ways and wired like this:





There are 2 choices here and one is a gamble. The first way is to take power from the existing light and run it to the sconce (is their a crawlspace or attic above the current light?). The second way depends if your switch at the top of the stairs has 2 things:

1) Is there an attic above it?
2) Is it the 3 way switch "closer" to the panel or to the light in terms of wiring.

If it is the 2nd 3 way switch (closer to the light) you could take power from there, run it inside the wall, drill a hole at the header of the framing, run it to above the sconce, drill another hole in the framing header, run it down the wall and to the box the sconce will be mounted to.

If you dont feel comfortable troubleshooting where your upper switch is located in the circuit, call a sparky

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Both switches will be 3 ways and wired like this:
-snip-

In theory...never underestimate the chance someone didn't know what they were doing...like my house. I still have a few mysteries to de-tangle. "what's that switch do?" "uh, best not to touch that one."

[hungryhun]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Both switches will be 3 ways and wired like this:





There are 2 choices here and one is a gamble. The first way is to take power from the existing light and run it to the sconce (is their a crawlspace or attic above the current light?). The second way depends if your switch at the top of the stairs has 2 things:

1) Is there an attic above it?
2) Is it the 3 way switch "closer" to the panel or to the light in terms of wiring.

If it is the 2nd 3 way switch (closer to the light) you could take power from there, run it inside the wall, drill a hole at the header of the framing, run it to above the sconce, drill another hole in the framing header, run it down the wall and to the box the sconce will be mounted to.

If you dont feel comfortable troubleshooting where your upper switch is located in the circuit, call a sparky

There is no attic above either the current light or the switches as it is a 2 storey house. I was hoping to just install a sconce above the top of the stairs switch and drop a wire straight down to the box (although admittedly I didn't think that was an option as I wouldn't be able to turn off the sconce from the switch at the bottom. Thanks for your advice, I might just call a sparky in the end!

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by hungryhun

There is no attic above either the current light or the switches as it is a 2 storey house. I was hoping to just install a sconce above the top of the stairs switch and drop a wire straight down to the box (although admittedly I didn't think that was an option as I wouldn't be able to turn off the sconce from the switch at the bottom. Thanks for your advice, I might just call a sparky in the end!

A sconce immediately above the switch is what you want, you can troubleshoot to find out if that is the 2nd switch in the circuit and install it easily enough

[Ahuch]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

In theory...never underestimate the chance someone didn't know what they were doing...like my house. I still have a few mysteries to de-tangle. "what's that switch do?" "uh, best not to touch that one."

I feel you on this. When realtors talk up finished basements, I think to myself I wish I could find one that was untouched. Lol.

[Flames0910]

Looking for recommendations on an HVAC tech to run some wiring and install a thermostat. Happy to purchase a furnace tune-up to make it worth the trip too. I picked up an Ecobee the other day but it turns out the previous owners had a wireless thermostat. There's some old wiring behind the plate but I'm not sure if it works or is the right wiring (guessing not).

I called Action Furnace and they told me it would be $89 diagnostic fee before they could quote on it (even if the tech was already here doing a tune-up), plus they wouldn't warranty the work because I didn't purchase the thermostat from them.

Also I know Keith is the CP favourite and I'm sure he's great but he's already told me the parking in my area is just too difficult for him to bother.

[Nufy]

If you have at least 4 wires you can install the Ecobee and the PEK.

The install instructions are actually pretty good.

[Flames0910]

Originally Posted by Nufy

If you have at least 4 wires you can install the Ecobee and the PEK.

The install instructions are actually pretty good.

Ya that's what I had read and was hoping until I pulled the thermostat off the wall and found a different situation entirely — two wires instead of four, and neither of them hooked up to anything. Pretty sure the all important handyman skill of "knowing when you're out of your depth" applies here.

I was able to contact Ecobee and they recommended an installer so I'll be giving them a try next week.

[Weitz]

So in my kitchen we have one of those Delta Touch faucets. The Solinoid is no longer working so I shut off the water and went to remove so it would work like a regular tap. But when I removed it the 2 ends going into the solinoid aren’t the same size (). What are my options here? Is there an adapter I can get from Rona or something?

This is the tap without the soap dispenser.

https://www.lowes.ca/product/kitchen...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Has anybody put in those interior plantation shutters for their windows? Any complaints or problems?

I have a few in the house. I would only do white vinyl if you want them. Wood one are extremely dated and if they're real wood they will break eventually.

They do leak a bit of light, but not enough to bother us. They do need a lot of space to open so they're best on picture windows or ones that are rarely opened.

The ones I got from Calgary Window Fashions are waaay better quality than the Hunter Douglas (Shade-O-Matic) ones I have. The CWF ones are made in Canada.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Flames0910

Ya that's what I had read and was hoping until I pulled the thermostat off the wall and found a different situation entirely — two wires instead of four, and neither of them hooked up to anything. Pretty sure the all important handyman skill of "knowing when you're out of your depth" applies here.

I was able to contact Ecobee and they recommended an installer so I'll be giving them a try next week.

Double check, look in the wall for more wiring, I actually had 7-wire furnace cabling but all the unused wires were tucked way down the wall (I had to use tongs to get the rest). If you're very lucky like I was everything except the C-wire will be connected on the furnace, so all you have to do is connect that one wire on the furnace circuit board.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Double check, look in the wall for more wiring, I actually had 7-wire furnace cabling but all the unused wires were tucked way down the wall (I had to use tongs to get the rest). If you're very lucky like I was everything except the C-wire will be connected on the furnace, so all you have to do is connect that one wire on the furnace circuit board.

Check the furnace end too. You should be able to get a good look at the wire where it connects to the furnace and see what you are working with.

[CarlLester]

Two lights in our fridge died this week. Looking for this bulb:

https://www.amresupply.com/part/18998328

Is there anything special about these? $55! Will I be able to find something compatible in the regular light bulb district?

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by CarlLester

Two lights in our fridge died this week. Looking for this bulb:

https://www.amresupply.com/part/18998328

Is there anything special about these? $55! Will I be able to find something compatible in the regular light bulb district?

They are special like a Harley Davidson battery is special. They arent. You are paying for the logo. Call up an appliance repair shop, tell them what you want to buy and they will probably have a cheaper generic alternative.

[Wormius]

We picked up a few of the cellular up/down shades from HD and they actually look pretty nice and we easy to install.

My next question - the window installers used 3” flat fir for the casing. We actually like the look, so what should we use to preserve the look and colour? Would like easy to clean, but not super glossy.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by Wormius

We picked up a few of the cellular up/down shades from HD and they actually look pretty nice and we easy to install.

My next question - the window installers used 3” flat fir for the casing. We actually like the look, so what should we use to preserve the look and colour? Would like easy to clean, but not super glossy.

Are you talking a varnish? I built a oak staircase last year and used Varathane Nano Defense, it goes on easy, dries fast, three coats in a day is possible, and it's tough as nails.

https://www.rustoleum.ca/product-cat...r-floor-finish

[81MC]

Originally Posted by Wormius

We picked up a few of the cellular up/down shades from HD and they actually look pretty nice and we easy to install.

My next question - the window installers used 3” flat fir for the casing. We actually like the look, so what should we use to preserve the look and colour? Would like easy to clean, but not super glossy.

There’s a myriad of polyurethanes/varnishes/top coats out there, but if you want to keep it looking as is today make sure you use a waterborne product. I’m a fan of General Finishes, available at Lee Valley, Black Forest etx. https://generalfinishes.com/compare-all-topcoats

Oil products will provide some amber, and it will increase overtime.