The Home Improvement Thread

[Fuzz]

I used Diamondback when I did mine. Very easy to work with and no membrane required:


https://www.certainteed.com/drywall/...k-tile-backer/

[Bill Bumface]

My wife broke a friends storm window with her ass. Any recommendations for a cheap glass shop in the north central that I can get a new pane cut? Also any idea what the putty like stuff that is used to hold those old Windows in the wood frames is called?

[Realistic]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

My wife broke a friends storm window with her ass. Any recommendations for a cheap glass shop in the north central that I can get a new pane cut? Also any idea what the putty like stuff that is used to hold those old Windows in the wood frames is called?

Chinook Glass and Screen - 321 16 Avenue N.W. should have everything you are looking for including the glazing putty.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

My wife broke a friends storm window with her ass. Any recommendations for a cheap glass shop in the north central that I can get a new pane cut? Also any idea what the putty like stuff that is used to hold those old Windows in the wood frames is called?

What a pane in the ass.

[Fuzz]

Ya, I've used Chinook several times, they are great. Once for the same thing(though it was a drunk idiot, not an ass).

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I used Diamondback when I did mine. Very easy to work with and no membrane required:


https://www.certainteed.com/drywall/...k-tile-backer/

Commenting on this post and the other about Green board:

First, green board is just expensive drywall. Go look at any tiling forum with tiling pros and they'll basically just laugh you off for suggesting it as a backing material alone.

Densglass, Diamondback, etc, are all better than cement board as a "naked" backing material, which are all lightyears better than plain drywall, but there is a reason a proper installation features (you guessed it) proper waterproofing, both for tub and shower installations. This is something like Kerdi or Redguard (or the 100 other competing systems).

And yes, Diamondback, Densglass, or even cement board alone are likely going to be "fine" in most applications for a long period of time. But under regular use, or over time, they will fail due to moisture penetration. A properly waterproofed installation will be out of style long before it fails.

That being said, in my own tub installation I used Densglass alone, and I am fine with that. I don't expect infinite longevitiy, and given the light usage of the tub's shower, will last plenty long for us. If it were used daily or multiple times daily , I'd be waterproofing it properly.

[Split98]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Commenting on this post and the other about Green board:

First, green board is just expensive drywall. Go look at any tiling forum with tiling pros and they'll basically just laugh you off for suggesting it as a backing material alone.

Densglass, Diamondback, etc, are all better than cement board as a "naked" backing material, which are all lightyears better than plain drywall, but there is a reason a proper installation features (you guessed it) proper waterproofing, both for tub and shower installations. This is something like Kerdi or Redguard (or the 100 other competing systems).

And yes, Diamondback, Densglass, or even cement board alone are likely going to be "fine" in most applications for a long period of time. But under regular use, or over time, they will fail due to moisture penetration. A properly waterproofed installation will be out of style long before it fails.

That being said, in my own tub installation I used Densglass alone, and I am fine with that. I don't expect infinite longevitiy, and given the light usage of the tub's shower, will last plenty long for us. If it were used daily or multiple times daily , I'd be waterproofing it properly.

Thanks for mentioning Red Guard. I was going to use that as well considering I'm building a niche, and this confirms I should pick some of this up as well.

[bagofpucks]

Looking for advice for a minor stain on my ceiling. It is about hockey puck size and in a very discreet area. I went in the attic and there is no direct leak from the rough, so I’m assuming the stain was caused by condensation issues over the winter from all the snow we had this year.

My thoughts are to clean the stain with a bleach solution and then paint over it and monitor it to see if there are any future water issues. Any other thoughts? I’m thinking it isn’t time to call in the professionals just yet?

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by bagofpucks

Looking for advice for a minor stain on my ceiling. It is about hockey puck size and in a very discreet area. I went in the attic and there is no direct leak from the rough, so I’m assuming the stain was caused by condensation issues over the winter from all the snow we had this year.

My thoughts are to clean the stain with a bleach solution and then paint over it and monitor it to see if there are any future water issues. Any other thoughts? I’m thinking it isn’t time to call in the professionals just yet?

Try post #71 first. Let us know how it goes.

(side edit: holy moly that post was 4.5 years ago already. At least my memory is still proving alright)

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

My wife broke a friends storm window with her ass. Any recommendations for a cheap glass shop in the north central that I can get a new pane cut? Also any idea what the putty like stuff that is used to hold those old Windows in the wood frames is called?

So she broke it with her face?

[Madman]

Originally Posted by bagofpucks

Looking for advice for a minor stain on my ceiling. It is about hockey puck size and in a very discreet area. I went in the attic and there is no direct leak from the rough, so I’m assuming the stain was caused by condensation issues over the winter from all the snow we had this year.

My thoughts are to clean the stain with a bleach solution and then paint over it and monitor it to see if there are any future water issues. Any other thoughts? I’m thinking it isn’t time to call in the professionals just yet?

I would try a Killz spray before I bleached anything.

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.u...000139629.html

[psicodude]

I need to replace my front door. A few years ago, some drunk dude tried to break it down by kicking it in. At the time, insurance denied the claim because there wasn't any visible damage. Fast forward a few winters and summers, and there is now a visible crack in the wood edge and the door doesn't seal very well.

The frame itself appears to be in good shape so I was hoping to save some time/money and just replace the slab itself. Is it worth a few hundred bucks to purchase just the slabs? I'm concerned that the hinges and hardware holes will never line up perfectly and cause a bunch of issues. Do I just suck it up and buy a pre-hung door?

Anyone ever try installing an exterior door themselves? I consider myself to be quite handy and it doesn't appear to be an overly complicated job. Too much hassle for a few hundred bucks?

Also looking for recommendations on where to make the purchase. I'm in the deep South and am thinking either Supreme or Maxgreen.

Thanks.

[puffnstuff]

Interior doors I have done just the slab.
Exterior I have gone with the pre-hung. Wanted make sure they fit properly, no gaps, no extra holes, and would seal, open and close properly.
Its not complicated but making sure its level and true is really important. Take the time to make sure.
No idea about where to buy them these days, havent needed to for a while now.
Instead I need to find a good torque wrench that doesnt cost an arrm and a leg.

[OMG!WTF!]

The frame itself appears to be in good shape so I was hoping to save some time/money and just replace the slab itself. Is it worth a few hundred bucks to purchase just the slabs? I'm concerned that the hinges and hardware holes will never line up perfectly and cause a bunch of issues. Do I just suck it up and buy a pre-hung door?

It definitely will not line up with your current door. Typically what you would do is buy a slab and take it to Timbertown along with your existing door and they will mortise the hinges and lock set to match your old one exactly. But that would leave you without a door for a week. So you could hire a carpenter with a jig who can hang it for you. Or, if you're capable, buy a router and try it yourself. But it does take some special knowledge. Replacing the whole door is a bit more work than you think. And it could also be quite a bit more expensive.

[psicodude]

I have a router but the jig is very specialized and I wouldn't want the first time I try it to be on an $800 slab lol. Hiring a carpenter makes a bunch of sense. I've had a couple of quotes, and a decent quality (I think) fibreglass slab is $800 while a prehung is about $300 more. Installation is another $500 or so. So basically double to get an installed exterior door. That being said, a poorly installed exterior door could lead to all sorts of nasty issues.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by psicodude

I need to replace my front door. A few years ago, some drunk dude tried to break it down by kicking it in. At the time, insurance denied the claim because there wasn't any visible damage. Fast forward a few winters and summers, and there is now a visible crack in the wood edge and the door doesn't seal very well.

The frame itself appears to be in good shape so I was hoping to save some time/money and just replace the slab itself. Is it worth a few hundred bucks to purchase just the slabs? I'm concerned that the hinges and hardware holes will never line up perfectly and cause a bunch of issues. Do I just suck it up and buy a pre-hung door?

Anyone ever try installing an exterior door themselves? I consider myself to be quite handy and it doesn't appear to be an overly complicated job. Too much hassle for a few hundred bucks?

Also looking for recommendations on where to make the purchase. I'm in the deep South and am thinking either Supreme or Maxgreen.

Thanks.

If, in some perfect world, you managed to cut out the hinges to perfectly match your existing opening, the rest of the door won't fit either. You'll find there might be some binding, which will need to be planed down or machined down, there will be some twisting, where one corner makes contact with the doorstop, but the other corner does not, , you'll find that the strikeplate and latch might not line up well with your slab details, you'll find you have to push harder than expected to make it latch, you'll find that there may be large gaps at the top, or the base, or the sides, you'll find that the door may scrape along the ground.

The doorframe was built to fit the door that is in there. Even the prehung doors are adjusted to the opening and the door that is inside it. Swapping out the door slab can work, but you may find a series of issues you may not know how to deal with. One way to possibly test that, is to take another door in the house that is there already, and install it in the frame you want to replace. Just keep that in mind. Getting a prehung door and frame is likely the easiest and fastest way to get a decent job done.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Knalus

If, in some perfect world, you managed to cut out the hinges to perfectly match your existing opening, the rest of the door won't fit either. You'll find there might be some binding, which will need to be planed down or machined down, there will be some twisting, where one corner makes contact with the doorstop, but the other corner does not, , you'll find that the strikeplate and latch might not line up well with your slab details, you'll find you have to push harder than expected to make it latch, you'll find that there may be large gaps at the top, or the base, or the sides, you'll find that the door may scrape along the ground.

The doorframe was built to fit the door that is in there. Even the prehung doors are adjusted to the opening and the door that is inside it. Swapping out the door slab can work, but you may find a series of issues you may not know how to deal with. One way to possibly test that, is to take another door in the house that is there already, and install it in the frame you want to replace. Just keep that in mind. Getting a prehung door and frame is likely the easiest and fastest way to get a decent job done.

While you are correct for a "lazy man" swap out, (FYI I tried doing my own replacements with a jig, DO NOT DO THIS - endless issues as you mentioned above), as someone else mentioned, Timbertown does a "machine to match" service where they'll have the new door's hinges, width/height machines to (you guessed it) match exactly to the existing door.

I think its a great service, but personally, I'd never do it for exterior door. Weatherproofing and security could be questionable so usually just easier to do a nice new prehung and not have to worry about it not closing perfectly.

[psicodude]

Thanks for the awesome advice guys. I will suck it up and pay for the installation of an entirely new door and frame.

I'm just Googling some companies and getting quotes from them. Lux, Maxgreen, Supreme. Good/bad?

[Fuzz]

Did you try the insurance company again, now that you are having actual issues and the door is cracked?

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by psicodude

Thanks for the awesome advice guys. I will suck it up and pay for the installation of an entirely new door and frame.

I'm just Googling some companies and getting quotes from them. Lux, Maxgreen, Supreme. Good/bad?

Make sure you know what's included with the install too. In particular the trim on the inside and outside of the door. You might have to repaint inside or get slightly wider or slightly narrower trim to cover up the old dap line or the larger gap.