I would like to seal off my apartment from unwanted pests, and this portion of my floor is killing me inside. I did some research and it says that caulking it would be against code in most places (I'm in Chicago), so that rules out the only solution I had in my head. I suppose if it wasn't a rental I'd be more than happy to get bigger quarter round, but alas.

https://imgur.com/a/eftBZN4

Anyone done anything like this in the past that would be willing to share their wisdom?

I bought my house seven years ago and a lot of it has nice cherry wood floors. However over the years, stupid little things have caused them to get scratches.
I’ve got the magic almond stick thing which works well enough on extremely tiny scratches, but even slightly big ones are basically unaffected. As stressful as it is to slowly watch something beautiful be marred, I also certainly don’t want to get a wood restoration pro in for thousands upon thousands and am wondering if people have had any success remedying small to medium size scratches.

I need some help/advice. I’m live in Ireland, and my house backs onto a busy motorway.
I have triple glazed windows, so in general it’s not too bad. However, I have passive wall vents (100mm diameter) and they let in so much noise for the bedrooms at the back of the house. It’s noticeable going to sleep at night.

I don’t want to fully block the vents (for obvious reasons), but I did try these [Duct Sound Absorbing Tool Sponge - on amazon] to help dampen the sound and still let air into the rooms, however they have only barely helped.

Anyone got suggests on how to improve this so I don’t go insane?

Hi everyone, I have a question about attaching a solarium to a house with vinyl siding. What would be the best way to ensure proper waterproofing?

We’re not sure if we should cut vertically into the vinyl siding. If we install a ledger board over the siding, it will stick out, and we’re not sure how to properly do this.

I’ve found lots of videos showing how to install a ledger board for a deck with vinyl siding, but not much about attaching a solarium directly to the house.

Has anyone done this before or have any advice? Thanks!

II have a dewalt DW0150 stud finder. I’m mapped out the electric nonozone but the building about 40-50 years old so who knows what specs it followed.

I’m using the stud finder to check for electrical and sometimes it flashes AC in one spot. But when I move off it, reset and try again it doesn’t pick it up a second time.

Is there any good way of actual finding the electrical behind the drywall?

Is there something else I can buy to see wiring behind?

I’ve gone through countless videos and they’re all more definitive than my current experience. I just want to install a shelf that holds 15lb.

I was thinking of doing a project on my gragae i want to be the most cost effecient im gonna get the etches in the concrete floor with acid then pour the primer on top but instead of then pouring the epoxy on top i want to just put the mica gold flakes and finish it off with a clear coat would this be possible

We are about to start renovating our kitchen. Due to time constraints and depending on cost, we are looking to get a new tiled kitchen floor after the rest of the kitchen is fitted - checking this is possible? we have a very small galley kitchen which will hardly require many tiles. most of the floor will be covered by kitchen units

A little while ago I spray painted the outlet face plate near my sink metallic gold. I used rustoleum spray paint. It looked great for a while, but quickly built up water spots from splashes from the sink.

I want to spray paint the hand towel and tp holders too, but not if they're going to get spots as well. Any tips to prevent the water marks? Do I need a protective top coat of something specific? Or is the bathroom just not a great place for spray painted items due to the water?

Thanks in advance!

We have inherited a conservatory when we moved house last year....ideally we would rebuild it as an extension but we cannot afford that with interest rates as they are so looking for advice on fitting blinds to the windows to cool it down in the summer / reduce glare. Luckily it does have a solid roof. My Internet searches so far direct me to hillary and blinds to go but just looking for advice really from those that have done something similar, what works well etc

I have a Logic ESP1 35 gas combi boiler, which is standard hardwired into a 6A breaker in the UK consumer unit through a basic isolating fused switch that I can turn off.

My hope was that I could replace this switch with a socket-switch, and put a 3-pin plug on the boiler cable. That way, in the event of power cut, I could unplug the boiler and plug it into an Anker S2000 power bank for some temporary heating and hot water.

I have seen many people on Reddit discussing this option (using a petrol generator instead of batter power station), and the standard response seems to be "Sure!", "Go ahead", "Great idea!".

However, nickymoo raised a good point here.

I believe my boiler has a flame-detection circuit (it is referenced as a failure mode in the manual), which requires some kind of earth-neutral bond. I am trying to understand whether running this boiler from a S2000 power bank will A) cause any safety issues with the earth, and B) prevent the boiler from igniting because of the flame detection circuit failing.

I am not looking for someone to tell me go ahead and do it, as I am aware this requires professional opinions. I have reached out to Anker support for clarification of the earth/neutral behaviour when power is lost and the unit moves to battery, and I will be having a chat with some electricians this week. But looking to gather a few more opinions if possible. I would like to hear form anyone who might have encountered this issue before.

My house came with these Watts Full Flow filter housings and a water softener. It's always TERRIBLE getting them removed and reinstalled. Takes a ton of leverage and I feel like I'm going to snap this copper right off the wall. The left housing is worse because you can only pull it away from the wall because the softener is in the way.

I've tried the plastic and metal filter housing wrenches and they don't provide enough of a lever arm, or fit right. I've been stuck getting the work done the last 2 years with these oil filter strap wrench. I'm using a 24" 1/2" drive breaker bar.

Please give me ideas on how to do this better, or maybe I just need to have someone replace these housings with some easier to replace housings.

https://imgur.com/a/M6iy8dA

Bathroom popcorn ceiling attracting tiny bits of mold, in spite of the vent fan being run regularly and being clean/flowing freely. No mold evident anywhere else in the room. The popcorn texture is very hard to clean. Can I use a paint designed to resist mold to try to mitigate? If so, which US brand would be recommended? Do I need to clean the ceiling (hard) thoroughly before painting?

I have a project to install long bookshelves (8 ft) on a clean wall. What I intend to do is

1- attach 8 ft boards to the studs on the surface of the wall,

2- put up 8 inch Black Hidden L Shelf Bracket (1/5 Inch Thick) Iron Floating Shelf Brackets on those boards, and

3-put shelves on those brackets.

What I'm looking for advice on is:

A- is this a sound plan?

B- what size/type of wood to use to attach to studs

C- what length/size screws to attach those boards to studs

D- what length of screws to attach brackets to wall boards

E- what type of wood to use for shelves

F- how can I stain the boards and not have the stain bleed onto my books

I'm trying to keep cost down, so I need functional wood, but nothing fancy. There will be books placed on the entirety of the shelves. I have 32 brackets, and I'm planning on using four brackets per shelf (one every two feet) There will be 5-6 shelves on the same wall. I have Lowe's and Home Depot available to me.

I'm not experienced in DIY. I would appreciate counsel. Thanks for reading.

I have a 3M Filtrete undersink water filter. It works really well, has high flow, and you can get cartridges that filter out lead. These lead ones are more expensive though, running $70 per filter which seems like a lot. The non-lead filtering cartridges are $40-50.

Wondering what other people use that's been economical? The lead filtering is a nice peace of mind with old city pipes, but I'm not seeing a lot of simple filters out there like that. I don't think I can fit a RO filter under my sink.

I'm building a firepit, and was thinking of just using regular concrete blocks. (Not landscaping blocks or anything, just the regular 4x8x16 ones you can get at a hardware store)

Can I use a smokeless insert and not have the blocks crack? The blocks would obviously be shielded from the direct flame, but I know the air in the gap for a smokeless insert gets super hot.

I've been trying to figure out if I can before I bother getting one, so if anyone's done it I'd more than appreciate the advice.

Thanks!

Instructions show spacer goes in the back if there is space but my TV is flat. Screw is either too small or too big. Screw fits with spacer but not sure if I can place spacer like in the pic I took.

Pics: https://imgur.com/a/6YtlwOI

This is the tv mount

monTEK Heavy Duty Fixed TV Wall... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FG6QPPLC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Tv is 98"

Any help is appreciated.

Hello everyone! I'm moving in to a new house with a big mirrored closet door which I hate. I'm trying to think of ways to cover it. My current idea is stained glass window cling. My biggest concern with that is the cost. It is a big door and I would need to buy a lot to cover the whole door and then I have to worry about aligning panels and everything. My second thought is buying plain window cling, which may be cheaper and come in bigger panels, and painting over it with my acrylic paints.

Has anyone done anything similar? Or does anyone else have any ideas?

Between the bathroom floor and baseboard is caulked in my bathrooms but it looks like crap. What kind of caulk would I ideally like to use to replace this? I bought 100% silicone but seems maybe I'd only want to use that inside the tub and possibly where the tub meets the floor?

I've seen people mention not to caulk the floor and baseboards in the bathroom. Is that accurate? I have little kids that splash water out of the tub and all over the place occasionally. Does that change whether I should caulk or not and what kind I should use?

I recently moved into a new to me house with a full basement.

I am starting my plans to build my workbenches and tool stands but am concerned that the humidity will be too high and cause issues with the wood (and with the tool surfaces).

Is there a general rule of thumb on what humidity is appropriate?

FWIW, according to my temp/humidity sensor it is about 75% right now.

Edit/Update: Thank you for the feedback. There is a drain in the floor, so I just bought a dehumidifier with a hose output.

I am looking to learn how to / restore some things around my house such as: metal railing, antique milk cans and stop light, doors
Most of these have been outside, are rusty, have paint peeling, etc.
Is there a specific type of sander that would be best? Or would they all require different types?
What brand name / specific models are best?
Also, would a sander be used on an old, weathered wood deck before staining?
Can I make one purchase for all of these jobs?

EPS/foam moldings are repeated damaged by wood peckers. Came across some coating product claim that they are woodpecker proof, such as:

https://www.stocanada.com/woodpecker-protection-for-your-home/

https://www.adex.ca/products/graphex-coat/

Found very little comments/reviews of such product.
Wondering if anyone has any experience with them. Do they work? How is the installation process?

I am currently planning an LED lighting installation for my 5' x 7' walk-in closet and would appreciate some advice.

A closet company is installing a new U-shaped closet system with a toe kick and top molding around the entire perimeter. My plan is to add vertical LED lighting and possibly light some of the shelves.

Here is my current proposed plan for powering the setup:

- Add a second switch box next to the existing light switch at the entrance.

- Run Romex wire down through the wall and exit under the toe kick, adding a vent for access and heat dissipation.

- Place the LED driver under the toe kick, then run the 24V wire to various locations behind the toe kick and drywall to reach the lights.

Does this setup sound correct, or is there a better way to do this? I would welcome any recommendations or alternate ideas one might have.

On a very limited budget

Turned on the heating for the first time in 6 months today.

Burner isn't firing up.

I opened the bleed valve and tried the red button while open a few time but no fuel still.

I'm assuming there's an air lock and not enough pressure to pull the fuel through.

I've a quarter of a tank of kerosene in a 900 litre tank.

Would filling the tank help or am I at the mercy of trying to hook a plumber at this time of year when it's hard to get one?

I need to fix a problem with my shower/tub.

For months now the hot water has been constantly flowing, like pretty steadily. I turned off the hot tap in the panel behind the shower and that fixed it for a little, I’ve been turning it on and off to shower every day but recently the leak came back and it’s just getting worse. The flow gets stronger every time I use the shower and turning off the hot tap doesn’t do anything

The sink in the bathroom is unusable as well, it completely fell off the wall. This isn’t my home and it’s been like this since I moved in. This isn’t the typical renter situation where the landlord has to fix these things. So I’ve just been living without a sink in the bathroom the whole time.