Home Decorating, Renovations & Remodeling

Oh I know. I just thought I'd throw it out there to see if you people had any good suggestions. A guy I know suggested the chamber of commerce, but they tend to deal with big money contractors rather than little guys.

My best advice is if someone does a good job, ask him who he'd use for other trades. Good people know each other.
 
Gunna do up our bedroom. Decided not to pinch a bit of another room for a walk in robe. Based on other peoples experience probably going for building in a few modules of IKEA Pax and building my own top up to ceiling.

In other news I found 2 pair of chinos I'd lost and it seems like I have around 150+ shirts. Probably 100 Button down 50 of them OCBD. 10 linen shirts, 8 Hawaiian short sleeves. Culling down a bit.
 
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In other news I found 2 pair of chinos I'd lost and it seems like I have around 150+ shirts. Probably 100 Button down 50 of them OCBD. 10 linen shirts, 8 Hawaiian short sleeves. Culling down a bit.

If you're a 16-16.5 neck, let me know!
 
If you're a 16-16.5 neck, let me know!
I'm 16.5 but they get filtered down from
  1. Wear With Tie + Jacket, to
  2. Wear w/o tie,
  3. Stitching on foxing then -
  4. Weekend Casual Only,
  5. Wear Around Home only,
  6. Wear While Building Etc only, ultimately
  7. Wear While Painting then turn into
  8. Throw Away Rags.
 
hey doghouse doghouse - I notice on videos that USA people seem to do more repairs of lath & plaster and have more little gizmos, like plastic big washers to screw drummy plaster back up - to help - there's not anything here like that.

You had much to do with fixing/patching lath & plaster ceilings?
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hey doghouse doghouse - I notice on videos that USA people seem to do more repairs of lath & plaster and have more little gizmos, like plastic big washers to screw drummy plaster back up - to help - there's not anything here like that.

You had much to do with fixing/patching lath & plaster ceilings?
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You don't see lathe and plaster much anymore, it's mostly on early 20th century houses. Depending on the severity of the damage, you could just stick on some mesh and skim coat over it. The problem with lathe is you don't really know how bad the damage is behind there. The anchor washers work pretty well if the structure is good.
 
The original half of my house was built in 1920, it's written behind fireplace mantelpiece in front room with builders name. Same bloke built next door at same time but as a mirror image. The patching is simple, I use cornice adhesive and pertile (I think that's what it's called garden pellet stuff) or cloth mesh. It's the drummy bits and loose keys I worry about. Can't get those anchor washers here believe it or not. I been improvising using a 1/4 inch bit and squeezing liquid nails up and pushing up ceiling with acro props for 24 hours. It's does OK mostly but not that happy. I'm thinking I'll get up in ceiling, pull away insulation, prop up ceiling from inside room then pour a slurry of cornice cement over keys and lathes and let it set. Pain in arse but works well and properly.

I was wondering if usa had some neat tricks that might be easier.
 
The original half of my house was built in 1920, it's written behind fireplace mantelpiece in front room with builders name. Same bloke built next door at same time but as a mirror image. The patching is simple, I use cornice adhesive and pertile (I think that's what it's called garden pellet stuff) or cloth mesh. It's the drummy bits and loose keys I worry about. Can't get those anchor washers here believe it or not. I been improvising using a 1/4 inch bit and squeezing liquid nails up and pushing up ceiling with acro props for 24 hours. It's does OK mostly but not that happy. I'm thinking I'll get up in ceiling, pull away insulation, prop up ceiling from inside room then pour a slurry of cornice cement over keys and lathes and let it set. Pain in arse but works well and properly.

I was wondering if usa had some neat tricks that might be easier.

If you like I can send you some anchors. Not sure what time frame you are dealing with though, it takes a while to get stuff from here to Oz.

The only issue I could possibly see with your method is weight. Probably no worry, but if you put too much on top it might sag the lathe a bit if they are already rotted.
 
Time frame - to be finished last week!! Got waylayed.
Thanks for the offer to ship but I'll go with my solution. The laths are solid as a rock - its all Australian hardwood in rafters, braces, joists and laths and after nearly 100 years its like trying to drive nails or drill in iron.

Spookily today in another context altogether I was working with a bloke who was a musician but said he had been earning extra $$ as a plasterer.
I said "What about lath and paler ceiling repair" - he said.... wait for it... "On heritage places with lath and plaster ceilings we used to mix up a bucket of slurry of cornice adhesive and pour it over keys and laths in ceiling in between joists"
 
Time frame - to be finished last week!! Got waylayed.
Thanks for the offer to ship but I'll go with my solution. The laths are solid as a rock - its all Australian hardwood in rafters, braces, joists and laths and after nearly 100 years its like trying to drive nails or drill in iron.

Spookily today in another context altogether I was working with a bloke who was a musician but said he had been earning extra $$ as a plasterer.
I said "What about lath and paler ceiling repair" - he said.... wait for it... "On heritage places with lath and plaster ceilings we used to mix up a bucket of slurry of cornice adhesive and pour it over keys and laths in ceiling in between joists"

Yeah, if the wood is good, then you are golden.
 
I got up in the ceiling today and had a quick squiz. Its bloody dusty as buggery and walking across joists carefully is a pain. Even though I have a few flat planks up there. Then I had a look at the bits of ceiling I'd fixed up with Liquid Nails and holes before from inside room. The ceiling was remarkably solid where I'd repaired with drill holes and Liquid Nails. So I went over rest of ceiling from inside room - marked drummy spots, and decided that fuck it - I'd do the drill holes and Liquid Nails trick. Easier, quicker and less dusty etc.
 
Does anyone know what to do about centipedes?

A few years ago I helped bank roll a complete carpet replacement and painting of my parents' house. This was preceded by a kitchen renovation. Nearly all the increasingly large centipedes disappeared for a few years so I thought everything was good. This year they seem to be back. We've had awfully wet weather but is there no way to get them out of a house without shaking everything up again?
 
Does anyone know what to do about centipedes?

A few years ago I helped bank roll a complete carpet replacement and painting of my parents' house. This was preceded by a kitchen renovation. Nearly all the increasingly large centipedes disappeared for a few years so I thought everything was good. This year they seem to be back. We've had awfully wet weather but is there no way to get them out of a house without shaking everything up again?

Get some millipedes to hunt them
 
Does anyone know what to do about centipedes?

A few years ago I helped bank roll a complete carpet replacement and painting of my parents' house. This was preceded by a kitchen renovation. Nearly all the increasingly large centipedes disappeared for a few years so I thought everything was good. This year they seem to be back. We've had awfully wet weather but is there no way to get them out of a house without shaking everything up again?
Centipedes? You have a pic of them? I've never heard of this.
 
Centipedes? You have a pic of them? I've never heard of this.

Just Google centipedes. I get traumatic experiences looking at them. Half of them have dry wall bits clinging on to their longer legs. The top two photographs are small ones. The one I killed was about the size of my middle finger - although Monkeyface will now say I am short and make a snarky comment about my manhood.

It creeps my mother out because she had one hiding in a bath towel and it crawled on her. I reckon it's about annoying as roaches down south.
 
Just Google centipedes. I get traumatic experiences looking at them. Half of them have dry wall bits clinging on to their longer legs. The top two photographs are small ones. The one I killed was about the size of my middle finger - although Monkeyface will now say I am short and make a snarky comment about my manhood.

It creeps my mother out because she had one hiding in a bath towel and it crawled on her. I reckon it's about annoying as roaches down south.

Could be millipedes. They will eat wood and houses.

They are coming up from the basement or around the foundation. Call Orkin to kill them but you also have to look where they are getting into the house from and seal/foam up those gaps. Dehumidifier to dry things up.

Centipedes eat other bugs. They love carpet beetles so maybe you have those too.
 
Could be millipedes. They will eat wood and houses.

They are coming up from the basement or around the foundation. Call Orkin to kill them but you also have to look where they are getting into the house from and seal/foam up those gaps. Dehumidifier to dry things up.

Centipedes eat other bugs. They love carpet beetles so maybe you have those too.

I just figured out rereading a few times that Orkin wouldn't foam or seal up the place since they want repeat business. The house is made of wood with a brick exterior save the basement. Running a dehumidifier on a 2100 Sq ft house effectively will be costly given we run on clean energy here in Central Canada.
 
Could be millipedes. They will eat wood and houses.

They are coming up from the basement or around the foundation. Call Orkin to kill them but you also have to look where they are getting into the house from and seal/foam up those gaps. Dehumidifier to dry things up.

Centipedes eat other bugs. They love carpet beetles so maybe you have those too.
Is that a Canadian thing? doghouse doghouse you deal with centipedes?
 
I just figured out rereading a few times that Orkin wouldn't foam or seal up the place since they want repeat business. The house is made of wood with a brick exterior save the basement. Running a dehumidifier on a 2100 Sq ft house effectively will be costly given we run on clean energy here in Central Canada.

In your basement. Need to dry it out especially if it's been a wet year as you say
 
They are more out Fwiffo Fwiffo 's way in Southern Ontario
Think I'll go out to Alberta
Weather's good there in the fall
I got some friends that I could go to working for
Still I wish you'd change your mind
If I ask you one more time
But we've been through this a hundred times or more
 
fwiffo - you sure they are centipedes? have you actually counted their legs?
 
fwiffo - you sure they are centipedes? have you actually counted their legs?

Why pray tell would I actually count their legs? I have enough issues getting enough tissues or toilet paper to kill them. They do disintegrate quite easily. They don't look like millipedes but my concept of centipedes and millipedes are from old video games.
 
Why pray tell would I actually count their legs? I have enough issues getting enough tissues or toilet paper to kill them. They do disintegrate quite easily. They don't look like millipedes but my concept of centipedes and millipedes are from old video games.
If you don't count their legs - how the hell are you going to know if they are centipedes or millipedes?
 
If you don't count their legs - how the hell are you going to know if they are centipedes or millipedes?

Centipede was green in the videogame. Milipede was red. But honestly what does it matter? I just want them dead. I just saw to dehumidify a basement it takes $50 a month in electricity.
 
Not only were the walls and ceiling lumpy, the floor was out of level by about 2" at one end and a bit out from front to back. So I had to make a base of yellow tongue.Good job I did get the base perfect as the tolerances all round were pretty tight
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I was initially a bit ambivalent about the trouser rack slide out thingo - but I'm beginning to think its ok

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So a slowly leaking wax ring turned into an emergency last night. Massive clog where the line exits the house, and water everywhere in the downstairs bathroom.
 
that sounds fun. the wax ring on the toilet?

Yeah, it's been slowing degrading for awhile, but not a huge deal because not that much water goes through a toilet. The clog downstream basically backed up the whole ground floor system high enough to where it started running out from the toilet floor joint. Yeesh.
 
Yeah, it's been slowing degrading for awhile, but not a huge deal because not that much water goes through a toilet. The clog downstream basically backed up the whole ground floor system high enough to where it started running out from the toilet floor joint. Yeesh.
what clogged up the drain?
 
what clogged up the drain?

A bunch of accumulated shit (no pun int ended). My house is a smorgasbord of various types and sizes of pipes, and we have to unclog the upstairs every so often. I think all of that piled up at the transition from cast iron to PVC at the front of the house.
 

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