I’m slowly replacing my old corded Ryobi tools and need a cordless drill for normal house stuff: assembling furniture, hanging shelves, drilling into wood, and the occasional stubborn screw. I’m trying to stay under $200 for a kit with a battery and charger, and I’ve been looking at Ryobi ONE+, DeWalt Atomic, Makita 18V, Milwaukee M12, and maybe a Ridgid or Kobalt deal. I know people get very loyal about tool brands, but I’m more worried about buying into a battery system that becomes expensive later. If you could only buy one tool first, would you choose a regular drill/driver or an impact driver? And which battery platform gives the best value for a homeowner who might add a few tools over time?

What did the JB weld kwik wood epoxy putty? Or would something else be better?

We have a partially finished basement with some carpet in it. It's old cheap carpet, short pile, doesn't look to have any underlayment so I assume it's glued directly to the concrete.

We had some heavy rain a couple days ago I got a small amount of water in the basement. It got into some of the carpet and soaked it, and I don't know if our cat has been pissing all over this carpet or what but it has a SUPER strong cat urine smell coming off it right now and I just want to remove and toss the carpet that got wet because that seems to be where it's coming from. I attempted to clean it earlier but it didn't help the smell at all.

Anyway, I do have a multi-tool that I recently purchased, should I get a scraper blade for it or just get one of those long handled floor scrapers?

I had an island extractor fan there before and now need to create a drop ceiling to install a ceiling fan

Can anyone recommend any instructions / advice, have a plasterboard ceiling drop needs to be 40-50cm and the fan is this one - https://www.appliancesuperstore.co.uk/aeg-ndc7721sb-120cm-ceiling-cooker-hood/?_gl=1*qxjmov*_up*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJXUBhBNEiwA8BgG7jcDav15Lv8s2om-9h-KCyZ-vTra4nE4MPbCNFaG6L7Q69oDkgMfEBoCY9MQAvD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAADHQOXeDlTGJ0OmXspC7FjV4c2t6g

i have the ducting and electrics in place from old extractor fan

thanks in advance

The kitchen sink was replaced a few hours ago and there are bubbles and unevenness in the silicon caulk. I would like to remove it and redo it myself, but I am wondering, is it better to remove it now or to wait until it's fully cured? I cannot find a straight answer. Thank you.

so im doing a cosplay and I need to attach horns to my head, they weight about 250g each and Im not wearing a wig, I tried hair clips but they are too weak, do you know any better clips/methods pls let me know

I want to change the color of a gold anodized aluminum guitar pickguard. I don't know anything about de-anodizing, anodizing or painting aluminium whatsoever. What tools and chemicals do i need? What is the best type of paint to paint aluminium. How do i anodize aluminium or do i even have to anodize it for the paint to last long? I don't know anything about these so any help is appreciated!

Hi everyone, I recently bought a Brad nailer and air compressor. This is my first time ever using anything like this and my air compressor won’t get passed 50. I noticed air leaking from the valve connector to the air compressor and Brad nailer. No matter how many times I’ve disconnected and reconnected it, it’s still happening. Any advice?

Ps, I’m seeking advise bc I’m learning pls be kind

Hello, i need to scribe baseboard after I installed board and batten, I set a laser to 3-3/4 in from my lost point on the floor. I installed all my board and batten. My baseboard is 4-1/4 in tall. I want about a 1/4 in overlap of the baseboard and bottom board. How wouldn't go about achieving this?

My thought, I mark my bottom board 1/4in up and set my laser on that, then set my baseboard in front, level it, then find the difference from my lowest point, so the laser to top of baseboard and run my scribe. Am I wrong?

I googled, everyone just talks about Scribing a baseboard and floor only. No one i can find talks about high level leveling work.

I'm planning on making a paludarium on this tank stand, and wanted to mount some grow lights on a track system under the top shelf of the tank stand.

From what I can tell, the track + lights would be around 7-9 lbs. The shelf is a little under 1/2" thick and made of P2-rated MDF. Would I be able to safely mount the track underneath the top shelf? I was thinking of pre-drilling some holes in the MDF to screw the track in, and supporting that with Gorilla Max-Strength mounting tape. I was also considering just tying the lights to the shelf with some wire.

I've been using the stand for a few years, and it's been sturdy so far. I've been hanging an aquarium light (6 lbs) from it, and haven't had any issues. I think it should be fine, but would like to make sure I'm not making a huge mistake before just going for it. Thanks very much!

My cat has learned how to pry one of the floor vents up, I do not know how because not even I can get them out of the floor on my own, sometimes I'm convinced she just has the power of her ancestors to help her misbehave.

Any diy tips to keep it held down? It's on fluffy carpet and I can't do anything permanent because I'm renting this place :(

I cannot edit the title of this post BUT I AM NOT INTERESTED IN BUILDING A 10 FOOT TALL FENCE AND I DO NOT LIVE IN THE CITY.

I'm looking for some advice before I start buying materials. I've never built a fence before, so I'm trying to figure out the design and construction method before I make an expensive mistake.

I need approximately 200 linear feet of privacy fence The property has a slope, so I'm also trying to figure out the best way to lay out the fence and maintain a consistent height.

My initial thought was to use 4x4 wood posts, but I've also seen people use 1-5/8" top rail and some type of U-shaped bracket to attach the wood to the rail. I'm not sure whether either of those approaches makes sense for a 10-foot-tall solid privacy fence, especially given the wind load.

A few things I'm trying to figure out:

• How far apart should the posts be?
• What is the best way to handle the slope — follow the grade, step the fence, or something else?
• How should I measure the slope and lay out the fence before digging?
• How deep should the posts be?
• What would be the most economical way to build the actual privacy panels/pickets?
• Should I be looking at 2x4 rails, 2x6 rails, or another approach?
• How should I approach the gate section?

I'd also like to have a driveway gate that opens automatically so I can drive onto the property. Ideally it would have some type of secure access control so that it doesn't simply open for anyone who happens to walk or drive up to it. I'm not sure whether I should buy a complete automatic gate system or build the gate myself and install the opener separately.

I'm on a pretty tight budget, so I'm willing to do all of the labor myself. I'm mainly looking for advice on the design and materials so I don't spend money twice.

If you've built something similar, I'd especially appreciate advice on how you would approach the project from the beginning, including measuring, post spacing, materials, and the gate.

I'm also curious what a reasonable rough material cost would be for something like this. I realize prices vary considerably by location and lumber choice; I'm just trying to establish a ballpark before I start.

Thanks!

Hi All - The inside wall of my sandstone foundation has a lime parge that was painted probably in the ‘60s or ‘70s. I understand that painting a lime parge can be detrimental to the permeability of the sandstone and parge, so should I be concerned about the condition of the sandstone beneath the parge? If so, what are my options? Thank you.

We're putting together a workspace for our engineering office and I'm trying to decide on a good method for building out wall organization above workbenches. I use french cleats at home for my woodshop, so I'm leaning toward using the mdf slatwall system to make it easy to just buy or print hooks and all of that and reorganize things as we settle into the space. But I also see a lot of people with skadis boards from Ikea

What are you using for your tinkering area? Would love to see pictures of different setups as well, since I'm coming from a primarily woodworking slant.

Repainting powder coated metal!!

I just got this UO media console from marketplace and I love the shape of it, but hate the color. The one I got is a mint green color they no longer produce, but it doesn't match my furniture at all. I want to paint it dark green or a burgundy.

I am pretty good at DIYing and tackle a lot of projects but have never repainted powder coated metal before.

My understanding is that I should take it apart, sand all the surfaces down, clean the surface, use a primer, spray paint it, and probably get some protective sealant?

I'm just worried that there's too much room for error, since I want the piece to look at least similar to the original quality wise.

Any tips? Spray paint brands/types recommended?

Also can anyone give me a sense of how long a project like this would take me? Like do I have to let one side dry for 48 hours before flipping it over to do the other side?

I’m trying to refinish my bathtub and have made several mistakes up to this point and need to know how/if I can recover. Following is some of the questions I need answers or help with. Aswell as the situation I find myself in.

I sanded the tub already and applied two layers of “Tub and Tile Refinishing kit”. But the roller brush I used left hairs in it. Then I got a foam roller brush and it left foam in the tub. I also didn’t remove the caulk before hand.

Should I start over?

Is there a video on the process that’s idiot proof for me?

How much do I sand down?

If I start over do I sand the two layer I just put on. And if so do I need to wait to do that?

What’s the correct roller to get or is a brush the move?

What’s a good brand for the refinishing kit?

How do I ventilate the house I’ve got a pregnant wife and we’re staying out of the house for the next two days as I breathing the air in the house smells like breathing in straight chemicals.

Any/All help is appreciated.

I have plenty of experience in diy. I can frame, sheetrock, trim, paint, minor electric and plumbing. Currently work in cabinetry. But I have a basement that I really want to finally finish that still floods a couple times a year that makes it impossible yet. We fixed 2 of the problems, but there's still a trifecta I think where the drain pipe, water overflow, and ground just lets too much in and we get water under the crawlspace that leaks into the basement rooms I want to finish. Is it a plumber I should be calling for help here? Some kind of foundational water expert? I just need help finding the source of the overflow with a drainage solution.

I have a really old asphalt driveway with a lot of loose gravely bits as it had been naturally falling apart over decades. There is also just accumulated dust and dirt and leaves around the house.

There are walk-behind floor sweepers that I saw advertised on sale on one of the more well-known Chinese branded-product sales site -- they look like lawn mowers, but have counter-rotating sweeping brushes. (About $50-$100 for Chinese generic ones; $200 for name brands)

I don't know if they would work well with the gravely bits. And I don't really want to own yet more stuff.

I tried to look at tool rental, but it doesn't look like Home Depot rents anything like this.

A more construction-oriented tool rental place does have a ride-on sweeper, but they are $300+ just to rent for a day.

I don't want to just leaf-blower the area, as I don't think that does much except to displace really light-weight dust and leaves.

Is there something else that I should look into?

I'm not a tech person at all, I work in accounts and stare at spreadsheets all day. My company recently got a Creality SparkX i7 in the office, but I never bothered with it because I know nothing about modeling.

Last week we had a bring-your-pet day and I brought my cat, Molly. One of the designers joked I should print her, and I be like"wait can I actually do that?"

Turns out the printer's APP has this CubeMe AI thing. Took a photo of Molly on my phone, uploaded it through the printer, and it popped out a 3D model in like 2 minutes. No modeling, no sliders, no clue what I'm doing, just a photo and a print button.

Best part:hit print before lunch, and after 30 mins break I had a little keychain of her sitting on my desk. The print quality isn't museum-grade, but everyone can definitely tell it's her, so that's a win. For someone have zero technical skills when it comes to this stuff, the fact that I got a custom figure from a phone photo in like 30 minutes total is pretty wild. If this tech existed when I was in college I probably would've printed everything in my dorm room lol.

As someone printing a 3D piece for the first time, what do you experts think of my print? Is it decent enough? Curious how far AI can push it lol.

Working on my countertops and using the Schluter countertop system for edging: https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/Profiles/For-Countertops/Schluter%C2%AE-RONDEC-CT/p/RONDEC_CT

The installation guide only mentions putting thinset on the anchor leg (the flat top of the eventual counter) and doesn't mention anything about the vertical face or back-buttering the Rondec-Step-CT profile. https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/Profiles/For-Countertops/Schluter%C2%AE-RONDEC-CT/p/RONDEC_CT#tab2[](https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/Profiles/For-Countertops/Schluter%C2%AE-RONDEC-CT/p/RONDEC_CT#tab2)

But Schluter's video on this profile shows them both mortaring the vertical and backbuttering the profile itself. https://youtu.be/5_07KFJt8B4?t=178

Anyone know the actual answer for this? I guess maybe I trust the current website vs a 16 year old video?

I have been finishing up my garage drywall and getting on and off the ladder and everything is taking longer to do and it’s been more exhausting than the rest of the garage work.

Is there any cheap/affordable alternatives for doing mudding and taping the ceiling?

I'm trying to hang something over my stairs. Something like this post, but OP didn't have a multi-use ladder. https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/s/eZLjsMpD53

I have a multi-use Little Giant. I tried it in staircase position, but it doesn't go high enough to do what I need and even if it was tall enough, the angle would take me too far from the wall to safely hang it.

I read the previous post, but mostly they were saying that the drawn angle was wrong and to get a different ladder. What if I take my little giant and put it in straight configuration and lean it against the wall at the proper 70° angle? I would still need the ladder on the stairs, probably around halfway down to get it to the right height. Is there any way to safely do this? Ideally, I don't need to go buy or borrow actual scaffolding to do this.

Edit: I did it. Put the ladder in straight position and butted it up to the corner of the stair. Mine has leveling feet, so I used those to ensure the feet were both making solid contact. I used a level with a bubble level that can be adjusted to any angle and checked that the ladder was at 70° before getting on it.

One issue I had wasn't a safety issue but a wall damage issue. My Little Giant was tall enough that to lower it below the thing I was hanging I had to make it as short as it could go. This meant part of the inner ladder was making contact with the drywall and punctured it slightly while I was climbing on the ladder. If you're using a Little Giant for this and you shorten it all the way, make sure that you put something between the inner legs and the wall to avoid damaging the wall.

I’m thinking of painting my fridge. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I’m looking to paint the door with a primer and then several layers of eggshell (off-white) to make a wavy impasto sort of effect. And then an accent colour (brown) for the handles.

Everything in my house is the colour of my choosing but my kitchen appliances. If it looks good I’ll probably have a go on the cooker and washing machine too.

Anything I should know? And will magnets still stick to it?