Home Improvement and House Projects

[LineSkiCat14]

I've wanted to ask a few questions and get some input on projects around the house for a while, but never felt like they deserved their own thread.

So I present to you, the "Home Improvement and House Projects" dedicated thread, where you all can help me with my DIY projects as needed.

Post what you're working on, what tools you use, home improvement mishaps, etc etc etc.

 

[blubo]

If it can’t be done with a hammer, duct tape and caulk then i got nothing.

 

[DSmith21]

A plumber once gave me a good tip for clogged drains. He said to never use chemicals like Liquid Plumber because it turns the clog into permanent sludge that stays in your pipes and restricts flow. He said that a Zip-It is the best cheap ($1.00) and easy way to clear a drain (especially hair clogs.) More of a repair tip than an improvement.

 

[BlueBallz_rivals30790]

Youtube has definitely been my friend. I just had to replace the washing machine shut of valve. It literally broke off. The pipes were frozen (I'm in Texas), and when the pipes thawed water was shooting everywhere. It was a bit of a pain, mainly because the builder didn't make accessing with tools very easy. I had to cut away part of the drywall and box to be able to turn the wrench. Also, turning off water to the house, could have been a pain. At least in my area, the city "locks" access to the water meter and shut off. Luckily, the last time a plumber was here, he kept it open because he said I would probably need to access at some point.

So if you are replacing the washing machine shut off, I"m your man lol.

 

[Deeeefense]

A plumber once gave me a good tip for clogged drains. He said to never use chemicals like Liquid Plumber because it turns the clog into permanent sludge that stays in your pipes and restricts flow. He said that a Zip-It is the best cheap ($1.00) and easy way to clear a drain (especially hair clogs.) More of a repair tip than an improvement.

The best and easiest way to clear a clogged sink drain is with a shop vac. You just set it on suction, place the hose over the drain, and cover the vent hole with you thumb or finger. Turn on the shop vac and hold it in place for about a minute and the sink should drain normally.

 

[Tinker Dan]

This could be a very good thread. Thanks for starting it.

I plan to do some refinishing on my basement this year.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I actually need some guidance. I need to repair a small hole in a plaster wall for a tenant. It really just needs to be patched. I plan on dry-walling some of the rooms once she moves out, but for now, I'm just bandaging the apartment as needed.

Because it's not just a crack, but an actual hole the size of a silver-dollar.. should I put something in the hole before applying plaster or some sort of compound? I've seen some sort of tissue-like material that goes in first before plastering it up. Any ideas what this is? And What's the best compound to use for plaster walls?

 

[rudd1]

-durabond 45.

-buy a metal square patch from the drywall aisle...fill the hole with insulation if you wish.

-laminating plaster with 1/4" drywall is a great fix...but pay attention to your trim profiles...may make more trouble.

-for fixing lots of cracks in a plaster wall and not screwing up trim details...glidwall is a helluva a product...but there is a learning curve.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

-durabond 45.

-buy a metal square patch from the drywall aisle...fill the hole with insulation if you wish.

Is Durabond good for Plaster walls? I keep seeing some facebook videos of stuff that comes in a tube, that they make look super easy.. but not sure if that's a gimmick.

I see a few products at Home Depot, but 25lb bags?

 

[rudd1]

-absoluetly. Best thing unless you wanna mess with actual plaster.

-its cheap and it keeps...so long is it doesnt get wet.

^or stop by a jobsite with a ziplock and say please. Just dont gwt pulled over on the way home.

 

[ukalumni00]

Saved thousands of dollars thanks to YouTube how to videos. Currently doing 2 major addition projects on the house and had to hire out due to the complexity of the jobs. Incredible how expensive building materials have gotten on top of labor costs due to supply and demand.

 

[Spica Orbit]

Youtube has definitely been my friend. I just had to replace the washing machine shut of valve. It literally broke off. The pipes were frozen (I'm in Texas), and when the pipes thawed water was shooting everywhere. It was a bit of a pain, mainly because the builder didn't make accessing with tools very easy. I had to cut away part of the drywall and box to be able to turn the wrench. Also, turning off water to the house, could have been a pain. At least in my area, the city "locks" access to the water meter and shut off. Luckily, the last time a plumber was here, he kept it open because he said I would probably need to access at some point.

So if you are replacing the washing machine shut off, I"m your man lol.

---
BB, you should have a water main shutoff valve wherever the water line enters the house. If not, I think you might have another project!

I had the hot water valve at the washer shear off just as you describe. In my finished basement, I have an access panel that opens directly to the main water line, which has a handle operated shut off valve attached. It was a simple matter to shut it there. I called a plumber for the washer valve repair, so next time this occurs, I'm calling you.

 

[BlueRaider22]

I actually need some guidance. I need to repair a small hole in a plaster wall for a tenant. It really just needs to be patched. I plan on dry-walling some of the rooms once she moves out, but for now, I'm just bandaging the apartment as needed.

Because it's not just a crack, but an actual hole the size of a silver-dollar.. should I put something in the hole before applying plaster or some sort of compound? I've seen some sort of tissue-like material that goes in first before plastering it up. Any ideas what this is? And What's the best compound to use for plaster walls?

Sometimes holes are too large for plaster/putty. In this case, cut out a square around the hole........then put in a new square of drywall to fit......then putty the seams.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Sometimes holes are too large for plaster/putty. In this case, cut out a square around the hole........then put in a new square of drywall to fit......then putty the seams.

I picked up this stuff on a whim. I'm sure I'll catch heat for it lol.

https://safemend.com/pages/safemend

 

[BlueBallz_rivals30790]

---
BB, you should have a water main shutoff valve wherever the water line enters the house. If not, I think you might have another project!

I had the hot water valve at the washer shear off just as you describe. In my finished basement, I have an access panel that opens directly to the main water line, which has a handle operated shut off valve attached. It was a simple matter to shut it there. I called a plumber for the washer valve repair, so next time this occurs, I'm calling you.

There is a shut off valve a couple of feet outside the house. The problem is, it's so cold here right now and they get so old, there was a good chance it would have broken off. It would be nice if they had the shutoff inside the house, I"m sure there's a reason. Luckily, the access to the meter wasn't locked, so I turned it that way. It wasn't a difficult fix, just tedius and the first time is always the hardest. If I had to do it again, I probably could in half the time.

I have a project, probably in the next few weeks, to clean up the front bushes and will probably check the condition of that valve. The front of the house is an amazon forest lol.

 

[Spica Orbit]

There is a shut off valve a couple of feet outside the house. The problem is, it's so cold here right now and they get so old, there was a good chance it would have broken off. It would be nice if they had the shutoff inside the house, I"m sure there's a reason. Luckily, the access to the meter wasn't locked, so I turned it that way. It wasn't a difficult fix, just tedius and the first time is always the hardest. If I had to do it again, I probably could in half the time.

I have a project, probably in the next few weeks, to clean up the front bushes and will probably check the condition of that valve. The front of the house is an amazon forest lol.

---
Ok, yeah you didn't have much choice there. You are lucky the plumber left the meter unlocked. Good luck with the Amazon forest project! BTW, you're 100% correct on home repair projects, you need to do one first to find out what not to do next time.

 

[80 Proof]

Sometimes holes are too large for plaster/putty. In this case, cut out a square around the hole........then put in a new square of drywall to fit......then putty the seams.

It will eventually break out if you dont support it better than that.

Get a piece of furring strip or other scrap wood to insert into the hole, just make sure it's a couple of inches longer. Screw it off at the top and bottom to secure, then screw the replacement drywall to the furring strip. Then you can finish it with no worries.

Or just do what Rudd said.

 

[rudd1]

^what do i know?

 

[BlueRaider22]

It will eventually break out if you dont support it better than that.

Get a piece of furring strip or other scrap wood to insert into the hole, just make sure it's a couple of inches longer. Screw it off at the top and bottom to secure, then screw the replacement drywall to the furring strip. Then you can finish it with no worries.

Or just do what Rudd said.

Yup. But it depends on where and how back it is.

 

[CB3UK]

Youtube has definitely been my friend. I just had to replace the washing machine shut of valve. It literally broke off. The pipes were frozen (I'm in Texas), and when the pipes thawed water was shooting everywhere. It was a bit of a pain, mainly because the builder didn't make accessing with tools very easy. I had to cut away part of the drywall and box to be able to turn the wrench. Also, turning off water to the house, could have been a pain. At least in my area, the city "locks" access to the water meter and shut off. Luckily, the last time a plumber was here, he kept it open because he said I would probably need to access at some point.

So if you are replacing the washing machine shut off, I"m your man lol.

You have a main line water shut off in your house. Everyone does. You do not need access to the water meter.

Edit: Read further and saw your followup. That sucks! You were indeed in luck then!

 

[Elbridge]

A plumber once gave me a good tip for clogged drains. He said to never use chemicals like Liquid Plumber because it turns the clog into permanent sludge that stays in your pipes and restricts flow. He said that a Zip-It is the best cheap ($1.00) and easy way to clear a drain (especially hair clogs.) More of a repair tip than an improvement.

Thanks for posting that DS21. I went to HD today and bought two of them. It worked perfectly. It looked like I had a piece of floss somehow go down the drain.

 

[buckethead1978]

I bought a little $30 hand crank drain auger from Amazon. Ran it in my wife’s drain.

The glob of hair, makeup and whatever else that was wrapped all around it made me want to vomit.

 

[theoledog]

I actually need some guidance. I need to repair a small hole in a plaster wall for a tenant. It really just needs to be patched. I plan on dry-walling some of the rooms once she moves out, but for now, I'm just bandaging the apartment as needed.

Because it's not just a crack, but an actual hole the size of a silver-dollar.. should I put something in the hole before applying plaster or some sort of compound? I've seen some sort of tissue-like material that goes in first before plastering it up. Any ideas what this is? And What's the best compound to use for plaster walls?

Get a 3 inch square of drywall ... make a half dollar size circle back and in middle of square.. cut the paper around circle... cut lines to edge of square from circle and peel drywall away leaving your patch in the middle... smear with mud and press it in... easy

 

[Mojocat_rivals48469]

Youtube has definitely been my friend.

Saved thousands of dollars thanks to YouTube how to videos.

Amen, and amen. After finding the way to do something on YouTube, I always think, how did we survive before the internet and videos? Amazing, really.....

 

[Tinker Dan]

I bought a little $30 hand crank drain auger from Amazon. Ran it in my wife’s drain.

The glob of hair, makeup and whatever else that was wrapped all around it made me want to vomit.

You know that your post set up a ton of bad jokes right? lol

Sorry, too much coffee already this morning.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Talked to a buddy who is a contractor. He said to pull some of plaster out thats already loose... spackle with 90 min, fill it all in... let dry.. tape it.. then spackle over that with all-purpose... then sand.

I guess all-purpose joint compound is a bit too runny for larger holes and will need a 90 or 45 minute set joint compound..

Gonna try this in a few days.. ill post pics of my **** up lol.

 

[buckethead1978]

You should do what Rudd said to do

 

[LineSkiCat14]

You should do what Rudd said to do

His posts make more sense after talking it out over a beer with my buddy, so yeah, you're right.

Although I still don't know what the zip lock and jobsite part is lol.

 

[buckethead1978]

Take a bag, visit a construction site, ask for some compound and be personable.

now you aren’t storing a big bag of compound

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Yeah I really only need a smidge.. but I am prolly gonna **** it up. And I'm gonna have to do more of this in both apartments.

 

[80 Proof]

Yeah I really only need a smidge.. but I am prolly gonna **** it up. And I'm gonna have to do more of this in both apartments.

Just get a small container of 45 minute compound. And do what rudd said.

 

[jtrue28]

Don’t buy the 5 minute compound. It comes in a smaller size zip lock bag, but 5 minutes is no joke. Haul ***.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Don’t buy the 5 minute compound. It comes in a smaller size zip lock bag, but 5 minutes is no joke. Haul ***.

Yeah Im not ready for that. Need to grab the 45 min and a trowel.

 

[Get Buckets]

The corners/seams on a my gutters have leaked in a few places and rotted the wood below it. Any thoughts on how to repair? Am I going to have to replace the entire piece of wood or can a do some type of cut out on the rotted section?

 

[jtrue28]

inserts photo of that Billy Mays guy and flex seal...

 

[buckethead1978]

The corners/seams on a my gutters have leaked in a few places and rotted the wood below it. Any thoughts on how to repair? Am I going to have to replace the entire piece of wood or can a do some type of cut out on the rotted section?

Cut out all the rot and see what you are working with.

not sure of your budget or position but you may want to think about wrapping the fascia in metal and putting in some vinyl soffit.

 

[UK4number9]

I bought a little $30 hand crank drain auger from Amazon. Ran it in my wife’s drain.

The glob of hair, makeup and whatever else that was wrapped all around it made me want to vomit.

Had to get a thing that catches hair for the shower to catch my wife’s hair.

 

[80 Proof]

The corners/seams on a my gutters have leaked in a few places and rotted the wood below it. Any thoughts on how to repair? Am I going to have to replace the entire piece of wood or can a do some type of cut out on the rotted section?

If the gutter has to be removed, you might as well replace the whole facia if it's rotting. Like mentioned above, get it wrapped with metal before putting the gutter back up, and you shouldn't have to worry about it ever again.

 

[buckethead1978]

Yeah, if your facia and soffits have water damage, metal is the way to go. No more painting or rot.

not really a DIY job though unless you own a metal break for some reason.

 

[Get Buckets]

You all don’t think I can seal the metal seams and cut out the rotted area and replace it with some wood pieces somehow? Don’t really know how I would be able to anchor the wood replacement pieces if that was an option.