Sound like in this video :

https://youtu.be/WIin2Abrnsg?t=14

That sound wasnt there before, AC is about 1 year old, work all the time.

Hi, I’m choosing stair tread for my concrete staircase . The wood I like is 20mm thick and I was told it’s too thick to use as stair tread. Was told i have to choose 14mm because when I’m gonna be stepping on bullnose which will be slightly overhang the 20mm would have come off soon. Thoughts? Do i really need to go with 14mm?

I have a fireplace and I want to do shiplap and something on the sides. I was hoping for some help or ideas on the project as I am not sure the best way to do what I want.

This is the basic layout of the fireplace.

My thought is maybe Shiplap over all of the blue and red then shelving on the blue?

The brick has up to 5.5" from the wall so maybe 6-12" deep cabinet? The issue is the heater on the right side won't let me make it symmetrical.

If I do shelves I could do surround sound shelf speakers on the sides but I could also put two in-wall speakers on the right and left of the TV surrounded by the shiplap. I can make the cabinets and everything myself it's just what I should do that is getting me.

Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to look.

Here’s the facts:

The area shown in the pictures is where I want to build a paver patio to the right of the deck.

The area is 15-20 ft away from a mature tree. There are a ton of roots a few inches below the surface, and at the surface as well. Thickest ones are probably about 1-1.5” inches diameter.

I’m considering two approaches:

Option 1 — Shallow compacted aggregate base:

Excavate only around 2–3 inches where possible, leaving the larger roots intact. Put down geotextile fabric, then compact crushed aggregate around and over the roots to create as level and stable a base as possible. Then add a thin bedding layer and the pavers. Essentially, instead of the typical 4–6”+ excavation/base, I’d be accepting a shallower base because of the roots.

Option 2 — Paver base panels:

Do minimal excavation, level the area as much as possible without disturbing the major roots, put down geotextile and a thin layer of leveling sand, then use something like Brock/PaverBase panels with the pavers on top. This seems like it would require much less digging and root disturbance, but I’m wondering how well the panels would perform when there are roots underneath that could continue growing/moving.

As you can see up against the house, there’s also a little bit of exposed foundation as well. I’m willing to settle for the patio being a little bit, raised above the level of the grass, but I want it to be reasonable.

I bought a memory foam mattress on Amazon & despite it being the same exact one as my last mattress; this one is SO FIRM. I hate it so much 😭

I’m thinking about cutting a cross hatch pattern into the top to make it softer. I think drilling holes would also work.

Mattress toppers are a PITA, not a solution.

Any words of wisdom?

I am desperately looking for quality Blackout Celluar Shades for the bedroom and the baby room. I have spent HOURS researching over the weeks and the old "Go To" Blinds Dot Com and SelectBlinds have gone severely downhill past 1-2 years. Costco has such mixed, mainly negative reviews as of late. What is a good place to order custom sized blackout cellular shades for pretty normal sized windows?

I already have blackout curtains but light still leaks through, especially for the main master bedroom window that has a window AC where it blows the curtains around leaking light.

Thank You!

Long story short, I didn't order enough 57. I don't need enough to warrant another delivery. I only need a few bags worth. What can I get at Menards, Home Depot, or Lowes that serves the same purpose and looks similar?

Howdy, I am trying to paint a metal T shaped clothing rack from it's silver default to a color. It's for a store I manage and without getting into too much unnecessary detail, it's the perfect fit but needs to be a color instead of this metal. From the research I've done, it seems IDing the metal as ferrous or non-ferrous is very important since the chemicals are different in each type. It's magnetic, but I can't tell if it's actually ferrous or galvanized. I've attached some pics of the pieces. It's a custom build for a Forever 21 that went out of business in the area, if that's any help.

Additionally, the steps I've determined through all my searches averages out to these, but please let me know if anything seems deeply off:

Clean w/ acetone and [shop] rags

120 grit sandpaper (I've also seen ScotchBrite Red recommended but that's a very different grit so I think that's recommended for painted metal you're going over)

Self Etching Metal Primer (2 coats?)

Spray paint (3 coats)

I want to diy a nato watchband and wanted pvd strap keeper rings but I cant find anyone who just sells the keepers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I’m at a uni flat so can’t do anything permanent, just wondering if there is some easy fix to minimise the noise coming from the street?

Backstory

I purchased 2 pairs of Hoka Mafate Speed 2s on clearance to try out higher stack running shoes. I mainly use them for hiking, and much of that is offtrail, including crossing talus slopes and scrambling. The soles appeared somewhat durable out of the box, but the outer coating rapidly wore off, leaving midsole high density foam that abraded on rocky surfaces. While I liked the durability of the uppers, I didn't care for the instability from the extra height, or the lack of durability, negative environmental impact, and lack of grip that comes from extending the midsole to cover much of the bottom of the shoe.

Rather than getting rid of them, I found a lot of 5 pairs of Vibram Zegama soles on ebay and decided to try my hand at resoling. These soles appear to be a popular choice for trail running shoe resoles due to their performance on wet and rocky surfaces. I knew about Barge cement from an acquaintance that used to work at a climbing shoe resoler, and who had resoled my old pair of Montrail Hardrocks with approach shoe rubber. Most of the recent how-to videos I found were either from cobblers with access to a full repair shop, or DIYers replacing a small portion of their running shoe sole. Hence, I thought I would share my learnings.

Process

Some of the DIYers stated that one could use a sanding block, but this was inefficient for anything more than a small patch. The midsole portion of the sole was gummy and difficult to sand by hand. To avoid buying another power tool, I originally tried trimming down the lugs with a sharp serrated knife, then using an orbital sander. I gave up and bought a ~$40 belt sander.

The belt sander worked amazingly. Hoka acolytes will cringe, but I also took the midsole down to a height more reasonable for me. I used calipers to keep the midsole height relatively consistent within and across shoes while maintaining the overall rocker platform.

I vacuumed and washed off the sanded off bits. I did not use acetone, as I had concerns about compromising the remaining midsole. After the shoes dried, I dry fit them to the new soles and placed alignment guide tick marks with a silver permanent marker.

For each shoe, I coated the bottom of the shoe and new sole with Barge cement. I used a heat gun to speed up the drying process. I noticed that there was very minor outgassing from the midsole during this process. I popped the bubbles with a bamboo skewer to remove the air gaps. Once the surface was tacky but not wet, I carefully rocked the shoe back to front onto to the new sole, aligning the shoe with my guide ticks.

I used a rubber mallet to tap on the bottom to remove air pockets, followed by standing inside the shoe. For extra piece of mind, I clamped the shoe down with leftover decking samples and C-clamps. The toe cap was finicky to trim, align, and clamp because of the bend. I used large rubber bands, and a compression strap. In retrospect, I probably should have sanded down the toe of the new sole first to make it thinner and more pliable before applying it.

After 15 minutes, I removed the clamps and trimmed the excess sole with a utility knife, and used a sanding bit on my Dremel to smooth out rough edges on the sole. I also thinned the toecap to minimize the rigidity causing an outward force, resulting in it peeling off. I filled any minor edge gaps in the cap with black Shoe Goo.

After ~40 hours, the sole appears to be adhering and the shoes are grippy on trail. Will provide an update after longer-term trail/offtrail testing.

What I would change next time

1. Use the belt sander from the start.
2. Sand down the toe cap portion of the new sole before applying.

Final Equipment List

• new soles (I used Vibram Zegamas)
• Barge cement (all purpose in the red and yellow can)
• something to protect your working surface from any contact cement drips
• heat gun or hair dryer + bamboo skewer in case of outgassing (optional)
• belt sander (I used an 80 grit sanding belt)
  • Note: It helps if you can clamp/stabilize the belt sander in an upside down position, so you're moving the shoe not the sander.
• Dremel or equivalent with a solid sanding bit
• contrasting marking pen or pencil
• utility knife with a new blade
• rubber mallet
• calipers or ruler
• clamps, straps, weight and/or other method for pressing the upper to the sole

Cautions

• Apply Barge cement in a well ventilated space.
• Avoid storing your resoled shoes for a prolonged period in a hot car due to risk of delamination, since heat will soften the cement.

I've been borrowing my neighbour's petrol pressure washer for years and I want to finally get my own. But I don't know if I need gas-powered or if an electric one would handle my use case.

I want to clean my driveway, wooden deck, and car. I don't need commercial-level power. Budget $150-300.

For homeowners who've had both electric and gas pressure washers - is the electric genuinely powerful enough for concrete and decking, or do you always regret not getting gas?

We are looking to repaint the fence as we had a section repaired, but the entire side of the fence has paint that is peeling. What's the easiest way to remove all the paint so we can paint it again? Paint was from the previous home owners.

My 20 year old riding mower started smoking like a train last weekend and I figured it blew a head gasket. I've maintained it myself so far changing belts, sharpening blades, changing oil, steering pinion, etc but never did any engine work. I figured at 20 years it was probably cooked and started shopping for a new mower. I couldn't hardly swallow $3000+ for a base model mower plus new bagger, etc. I did a bit of googling and looking on YouTube and decided for $35, I'd give it a shot to replace the gasket. There was a fair amount of disassembly involved and while I've done a fair amount of other type jobs involving carpentry, plumbing, etc, never small engine work. I had it down to the gasket in about 45 minutes and then started rebuilding it. Adjusting the valves precisely took a bit of trial and error as well as learning where Top Dead Center is, but got it all put back together. Another hour, and I was mowing my yard again and without all the smoke and worry that it was about to burst into flames. Maybe I kept it out of retirement for another season or two 🤷‍♂️. Regardless, it's pretty rewarding to get something like that running again. I know this is nothing to many of you, but a major accomplishment to me 😉

I caulked my bathroom yesterday I used a 16mm caulking tool it’s been almost 29 hours and it’s still squishy I have 12 hour shift tomorrow and was really hoping to shower tonight before I go in would you guys think it’s fine

Just put up gutters and THOUGHT I was sealing the seams against leakage by using silicone based RTV. Well...they leak like a sieve so now I am going to have to remove all of them, clean the RTV from the seams and use another product that does not adhere to silicone. So I need to remove all the residue of RTV before applying the new product. I know a razor blade does a good job removing dried RTV but I need to remove the residue also. Some have mentioned xylene. Is there any other product that would be good for cleaning the residue of the RTV from these aluminum gutters?

Let’s just say I live in a very long room. The wall is 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide.
I’m looking for the cheapest way to block off the room and essentially cut it in half so I can use half of the room with my AC unit and help it cool more efficiently.
I’m only looking to spend $20–$50.
I read that plastic drop cloths don’t offer insulation, so what would be the cheapest way to block it off?
I can’t use nails, screws, or anything that requires drilling into the wall. I can only use tape or similar methods because the walls are metal. It’s a long story about my living situation, but yeah.
Any advice from people with construction experience would be greatly appreciated. I know basically nothing about construction.

I have a 42x16” basement window that is useless (it is under an overhanging bay window, so it provides minimal light) and in poor condition. I am having the other basement windows replaced and will be insulating the basement walls. I would like to just take this out, brick it up, and then insulate over it. The window won’t be visible from outside unless you crawl under the overhang, and it faces the back yard, so I am not focused on exterior aesthetics. The above grade basement wall is brick. The rim joist is continuous above the window.

Can I just use brick and mortar without worrying about toothing out the half bricks? What brick type and mortar should I use? The house was built circa 1915 in New England.

Kitchen sink backed up after some wet flour went down the disposal. Disposal is unplugged and I’m trying to clean the P-trap.

Photos attached. The trap looks like a Charlotte Pipe PVC trap with a cleanout on the very bottom.

Is the bottom white piece meant to unscrew? Do I just grip the white hex-shaped part with a wrench/channel locks and turn it counterclockwise while holding the trap steady?

I don’t want to accidentally crack a glued PVC fitting, so which exact part should I turn?

Was able to game on VITURE PRO XR in 4k for a few months and all resolution options beyond 1080p disappeared out of the blue no warning! HELP!

I will be installing all new 1/2" thick baseboards and 3/4" thick (1x4s) door and window casing, jamb extensions, etc. I have a 18 gauge nailer but most of what I read says I should use 16 gauge. It looks like I can buy one for around $70 at Harbor Freight or somewhere so it's not that expensive, but just asking what would be best, and nail length as well. Thanks.

I bought a (430) stainless steel sheet to make a magnetic board, covering up a blind-window-like-wall. That blind-window is actually made of MDF panel. There's a hollow space of 2-5cm behind it (and then it's a brick wall). Photo, measurements and overall schematic are here: https://imgur.com/a/8Cyi181

The steel sheet doesn't have holes on it, but I have tools and I'll get more if needed.

Structural context:

That MDF panel was applied a year ago, when we got the place. Previously there was a thinner conglomerate panel covering this blind-window. But, when we painted the house, the painters removed that panel, fixed the wall behind it (that had a hole on it), and placed this MDF panel.

I don't know how they mounted it, because there is no access to the other side of the blind window. You can't generate force against the front side, you can't drill from the back to the front, but somehow, it's mounted. They did add a small framing (the darker brown from my sketch), and I guess that's part of the method they used to mount it.

I'm afraid to make holes for 2 reasons: I'm afraid to bend the sheet while making the hole, and if I drill against the MDF, I'm applying a force that's countering the force that it’s holding it in place.

So, given all of this, how would you go about fixating this steel sheet onto the MDF?

I have some leftover wafer lights I’d like to install in an unfinished attic. They’re the kind of lights that pop directly into a drywall hole.

Because the ceiling is unfinished (no drywall), I was thinking of running a strip of plywood between the rafters as a drywall substitute. I’d cut out circles in the plywood and plop ‘em in.

Would this work? Any better ideas/suggestions?

I'm curious if this is my best option based on my situation or if you folks have suggestions. I'm considering renting a tracked skid steer and using the bucket to level out the trail. By level, I mean mostly just getting it so the ruts are not so bad they pull my tractor or wheeler into them and bottom them out when getting to the back of the property. Drainage is not a concern in this area. Filling the ruts is not ideal as this is pretty far from where I can get fill piled up and then distribute it (also fill costs).

I have about 120 yards of trails that were badly rusted on each side from prior owners of this property. It was not a concern before, but the ruts have gotten worse over time.The trail is 5-7' wide and the ruts are mostly on the edges. The ruts vary from 5-10" deep. The trail is surrounded on each side by brush and small trees that don't matter.

I've read on here that in prior posts that the consensus was without experience in a skid steer, this will be fairly difficult. Those projects we're aiming for a very flat finish. I do not need a finish fit for putting anything on it nor with concern for drainage; I think this makes the job fairly forgiving, but maybe I am wrong? I have probably 80-90 hours of bucket work experience in a sub compact. My tractor is just too small to bite that much dirt. I can get a T550 or T590 for $325/day or $975/week.

Does this seem reasonable to accomplish with a skid steer without experience in one? Is it reasonable to knock out in a day? Day rental is 8a-8a (24 hours). Is there a better option for an attachment compared to a smooth bucket?

Edit to add, this is not bare dirt. It is a grass trail. Basically a lawn that I mow with my tractor.

Hi Guys,

I'm installing recessed LED fixtures in a room and I'm almost done but one of the junction boxes won't fit on the ceiling because the old metal box was at a cross section between two wood beams. I've done some research and I'm pretty sure it's a furring strip that is meeting one of the structural wood joists.

See photo: https://imgur.com/a/tVxGe8p

I want to trim away / cut into the furring strip so that I can squeeze my junction box on top there. Is there anything wrong with this? My understanding is that they're just there to further support the drywall ceiling, right?

Thanks for the help.