The Home Improvement Thread

[gasman]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Ya, I was there on Friday, but they all have a wall wart.

I have under cabinet led pucks, they had to be wired to a spot under the sink where they installed a controller/transformer. The wiring up to the cabinets is low voltage wire.

I think you will be hard pressed to find direct wired 120v led lights. That will fit in your cabinet

[Fuzz]

But I did, they Honeywell ones from Amazon fit the bill. I'm mostly buying time until I redo the kitchen, but some more light would be nice.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

What's the best option for dimable LED bulbs. I've got since 75W incandescent in my basement theater room that I run at a pretty low level when watching TV. I tried a dimable LED flood bulb before, but it didn't dim past about 25%.

I'm fine with replacing fixtures if I need to, but a good standard bulb would be preferable. I've already got an LED compatible dimmer installed. Anyone found an LED that dims really low?

With what you're trying to achieve, I think you should consider smart bulbs instead. Less time, effort and materials.

I use Sengled as cheap ones ($10-14 each other than hub cost) and I pair it up with an Amazon Echo in my nursery which allows me to yell commands like: on, off, 1-100% brightness. Or you could use the app to do something similar.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I was just at Rona and all they have is GE, so I wasn't going it to risk it. I was also looking for some under cabinet lighting, and some 2" pucks to replace the crappy halogen ones I have, but there selection is not good at all. I also wanted a carpet runner, but the carpet rack was bare. Trying to give you guys money here, you aren't making it easy.

Since we are on lights, I'd like some hard wired under cabinet lights, but all the ones I find have a wall wart plug. I've already got fluorescent tubes hard wired, I'd just like to replace the setup. Anyone know a good place to look for that? I don't want to just replace the tubes with LED ones, as there are only 2, and I want more.

Why not use strip lights? I guess the pucks will work fine though.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

With what you're trying to achieve, I think you should consider smart bulbs instead. Less time, effort and materials.

I use Sengled as cheap ones ($10-14 each other than hub cost) and I pair it up with an Amazon Echo in my nursery which allows me to yell commands like: on, off, 1-100% brightness. Or you could use the app to do something similar.

I'm not sure how that is less effort that swapping in new bulbs. I've already got a dimmer with a remote. I do not have an Alexa, nor want her anywhere near my house. I just need bulbs that dim to a low level.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I'm not sure how that is less effort that swapping in new bulbs. I've already got a dimmer with a remote. I do not have an Alexa, nor want her anywhere near my house. I just need bulbs that dim to a low level.

Oh, misread sorry. I addressing the part about you replacing a fixture.
Smart bulbs can be controlled via phone or tablet, but that seems like a moot point.

[scotty2hotty]

I would like to put laminate or vinyl over an existing tile floor in my basement.

Should I use laminate or vinyl? Is one better than the other in this application?

Also, is there a minimum thickness to consider? (so that there's no flex between tiles at the grout)

Thanks!

[Fuzz]

You will at least want to use some sort of underlay that will take care of the gaps. Even the really thin foam stuff is fine for that. I laid some about 5 years ago and it has been great.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

I would like to put laminate or vinyl over an existing tile floor in my basement.

Should I use laminate or vinyl? Is one better than the other in this application?

Also, is there a minimum thickness to consider? (so that there's no flex between tiles at the grout)

Thanks!

Laminate can get damaged with moisture. Go vinyl.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Laminate can get damaged with moisture. Go vinyl.

Isn’t this why they recommend laminate for basements? Because it is less prone to damage from moisture?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Isn’t this why they recommend laminate for basements? Because it is less prone to damage from moisture?

Isn't it just less prone to something like real hardwood? I'd assume Vinyl is superior to laminate for moisture resistance.

That being said, I had hardwood in a basement before and it was fine other than it creaking a little in some areas from the day it was installed. Adding a good underlay for an air gap helped greatly to keep the floors from being too cold.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Isn’t this why they recommend laminate for basements? Because it is less prone to damage from moisture?

Other way around.

Laminate can swell with moisture, damaging itself.

Vinyl is impervious.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Other way around.

Laminate can swell with moisture, damaging itself.

Vinyl is impervious.

Not that vinyl isn’t fine, but I understood that laminate was suitable for basement installations. Obviously not somewhere as exposed to moisture as a bathroom or sauna, but generally good for other areas.

[scotty2hotty]

Thanks for all the input, guys!

[Fuzz]

I put laminate in my basement bathroom, because I got it for free. I don't have a shower there, so moisture isn't an issue, unless something really goes wrong. No signs of any damage at all. Now, if I had a choice I'd pick vinyl these days.

[scotty2hotty]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I put laminate in my basement bathroom, because I got it for free. I don't have a shower there, so moisture isn't an issue, unless something really goes wrong. No signs of any damage at all. Now, if I had a choice I'd pick vinyl these days.

Why the preference for vinyl?

Vinyl seems to be more expensive on average ...but I actually find that it looks/feels cheaper.

[Fuzz]

Just because laminate is less water friendly, and the newer luxury vinyl actually can look pretty good. But ya, if price is an issue, the laminate is probably cheaper.

[MoneyGuy]

Okay, I had a humidifier installed and it has a hose from the unit to a floor drain. When the furnace runs the humidifier runs (so far so good).

The problem is that the water runs almost constantly in winter. Is it necessary for all the water to be running down the drain? I talked to my installer who said that this is a necessary price of having humidity, which I don’t know if that’s so.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Okay, I had a humidifier installed and it has a hose from the unit to a floor drain. When the furnace runs the humidifier runs (so far so good).

The problem is that the water runs almost constantly in winter. Is it necessary for all the water to be running down the drain? I talked to my installer who said that this is a necessary price of having humidity, which I don’t know if that’s so.

It really is a significant waste. I’d like to recapture mine to an underground greywater tank and use it for gardening in the summer, but that kind of setup would cost many times more than my lifetime water bill.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

It really is a significant waste. I’d like to recapture mine to an underground greywater tank and use it for gardening in the summer, but that kind of setup would cost many times more than my lifetime water bill.

Yours does the same? Would a different humidifier work differently or do they all work the same? I’m a water miser and this bothers me.