DIY Chatroom - DIY Home Improvement Forum - General Discussion http://www.diychatroom.com en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:36:32 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.diychatroom.com/images/misc/rss.jpg DIY Chatroom - DIY Home Improvement Forum - General Discussion http://www.diychatroom.com Mold in my brand new house ! http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/mold-my-brand-new-house-80625/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:00:32 GMT Hi
I"m a new member here, so thank you for your time upfront!

We bought a house that was built on spec 2 months ago, and while I was installing some wiring in the basement, I pulled off a piece of insulation on the pony wall (the short wall above the foundation and the bottom floor, where the floor joists attach) and noticed what I thought was surface mold behind it. (nothing crazy but defiantly mold) After debating on it, I called in a company who deals with this type of thing and they felt it was mold, and indicated that the lack of vapor barrier over the insulation would have caused the condensation over the winter (while the house was being finished).

Now this being a brand new home, with a Lux warrenty we called up the builder and he agreed to look at it. He brought the subcontractor who would have installed the insulation and they tried to convince me that it wasn't mold. In the end they agreed to install the vapor barrier but I told them I would get back to them as I wanted to check on what to do about the mold.

I decided to clean this mold myself as there wasn't much on the osb so I pulled down all the insulation and sprayed the osb with diluted bleach water and I attempted to clean off the surface mold...but without any great success.

My question is now do I spray it again, put up the insulation after it dries, have them vapor barrier it and forget it? Or should I have more done to remove the mold from the OSB?

Thanks again for reading this and your answers. ]]> General Discussion dumbguy5689 http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/mold-my-brand-new-house-80625/ mower quits after running for 20 seconds http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/mower-quits-after-running-20-seconds-80503/ Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:27:22 GMT Hi People, Man, dont know what else to do.....I have a sit down mower, Yard Machines, 13hp, and I drained all fuel, filtered it on bench, drained/dried carb, verified needle is clear by blowing into barbed gas fitting inlet, verified fuel filter is not clogged, and after starting the thing runs... Hi People,

Man, dont know what else to do.....I have a sit down mower, Yard Machines, 13hp, and I drained all fuel, filtered it on bench, drained/dried carb, verified needle is clear by blowing into barbed gas fitting inlet, verified fuel filter is not clogged, and after starting the thing runs after being engaged with gears (no bladed turning), and boom, it quits.

Any tips on maybe something I can look into further, guys?

Thanks, Men! ]]> General Discussion noquacks http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/mower-quits-after-running-20-seconds-80503/ New Here At http://www.diychatroom.com http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/new-here-http-www-diychatroom-com-80465/ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:34:11 GMT Hi all glad to be here posting carpentry info and questions to :whistling2: can i find deck repair pictures on this forum?? please HELP Hi all glad to be here posting carpentry info and questions to :whistling2:

can i find deck repair pictures on this forum?? please HELP ]]> General Discussion AaronSharp http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/new-here-http-www-diychatroom-com-80465/ concrete humps to block flooding http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/concrete-humps-block-flooding-80454/ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:47:04 GMT I've seen them, but no one i know has made one.

Basically, our garage and our back patio flood every time it rains. It starts by pooling on the patio, and then slowly seeps under the back door and part of the wall which faces the patio. In the long run, I am going to replace the door and part of the wall. In the long run we're also going to put a roof over the patio. Because of various reasons we can't do anything of those things right now.
What we want to do is make a concrete hump, close to the door and wall so when the patio floods the garage doesn't. Has anyone else done this before? Any advise? Everyone I've talked to about it has said "oh, that's a great idea" but hasn't done it before... ]]> General Discussion afox http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/concrete-humps-block-flooding-80454/ Making a platform (likely just a board) attach to the head of a tripod; help? http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/making-platform-likely-just-board-attach-head-tripod-help-80415/ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:10:33 GMT I got a new tripod for my camera recently and would like to convert my old one into something resembling a nightstand or tv tray; I was thinking of using a board or flat surface with a nut or something similar attached to the bottom that would be the right thread size to screw onto the tripod. The... I got a new tripod for my camera recently and would like to convert my old one into something resembling a nightstand or tv tray; I was thinking of using a board or flat surface with a nut or something similar attached to the bottom that would be the right thread size to screw onto the tripod. The idea would be to have a platform/tabletop surface that could have its height easily adjusted up and down; I know they make things like these, but I'd rather not pay $85.00 for a 15 inch piece of plastic that's ready-made to screw on to tripods (like this: http://amzn.to/9k4i2N) or $150.00+ for an adjustable end table (like this: http://amzn.to/a6UExN) when I can probably make something very similar myself for a fraction of the cost with the right equipment. problem is, I'm not very handy with this type of stuff and don't really know how to go about attaching a threaded hole to a board or what type of threaded hole I should even be looking for. I figure it can't be that hard, though. Any help? ]]> General Discussion tjst http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/making-platform-likely-just-board-attach-head-tripod-help-80415/ French door opinions http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/french-door-opinions-80399/ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:01:57 GMT Hi all. We are considering upgrading from a standard door to one of those french doors. This will be a back door that opens onto a patio. I am looking for opinions on Jeld Wen and Reliabuilt since that is what Lowes and HD offer. Or should I look for another source? On that note what are my... Hi all. We are considering upgrading from a standard door to one of those french doors. This will be a back door that opens onto a patio. I am looking for opinions on Jeld Wen and Reliabuilt since that is what Lowes and HD offer. Or should I look for another source?

On that note what are my header requirements for a 72" opening? ]]> General Discussion Jim F http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/french-door-opinions-80399/ Repair question http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/repair-question-80323/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:26:00 GMT I am living in an apartment right now and for reasons i wont go into moving out or asking the landlord for repairs is impossible. currently the place is so full of holes that if some one smokes outside i can smell it in the kitchen on the second floor. attached is an ms paint drawing of one of my... I am living in an apartment right now and for reasons i wont go into moving out or asking the landlord for repairs is impossible. currently the place is so full of holes that if some one smokes outside i can smell it in the kitchen on the second floor. attached is an ms paint drawing of one of my bedroom windows.

The bedroom so hot in the summer that i get sick every day and so cold in winter that i am in constant pain. ac and heat doesn't work and i cant install a window unit because all the windows are sealed closed. i was hoping for some advice.
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]]> General Discussion detsuo04 http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/repair-question-80323/ sinking fluted masonry nails http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/sinking-fluted-masonry-nails-80319/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:09:32 GMT I had to pick up some fluted masonry nails (grip-rite fas'ners) to mount some wood to my concrete walls. The question is, what size drill bit do I need to pre-drill the hole for the nails? The smallest bit I got is 5/32" do I need a smaller bit?

The screws I got to mount the plates to the floor are 3/16" inch (tapcon) need a 5/32" bit for pre-drill and these look fatter then the nails I got. I wonder if I should have got more tapcon screws to mount the wood to the walls instead of using the nails. I would, after all, prefer to NOT have a tile wall in my shower fall down on me :eek: ]]> General Discussion ajtool http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/sinking-fluted-masonry-nails-80319/ Porcelain tile installation questions http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/porcelain-tile-installation-questions-80277/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:19:45 GMT I'm thinking about putting tile walls in one of my bathrooms. I have a few questions about it.

Can you install that stuff over a painted wall? Or would I need to remove the paint?

Also how do you install it over a power outlet or light switch? Would I have to cut the hole out and just screw the cover in over it? That's the only way I can think of to do it.

Thanks for any help ]]> General Discussion phil74501 http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/porcelain-tile-installation-questions-80277/ Insulating exterior walls with no vapor barrier or sheathing... http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/insulating-exterior-walls-no-vapor-barrier-sheathing-80265/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:41:38 GMT My house was built in 1915 and I am trying to cut down on heating/cooling costs. The ceiling is insulated, however, the exterior walls currently have no insulation, but they also have no sheating or vapor barrier. The walls are old lap siding which is attached directly to the studs. From my... My house was built in 1915 and I am trying to cut down on heating/cooling costs. The ceiling is insulated, however, the exterior walls currently have no insulation, but they also have no sheating or vapor barrier. The walls are old lap siding which is attached directly to the studs.

From my understanding, if I were to use blown-in insulation, this would create a mold, mildew and rot issue from water seeping behind the siding.

My questions is this: Is there any way that I can insulate the walls safetly without tearing off the interior or exterior walls?

I appreciate any help on this issue.

Thanks! ]]> General Discussion rush http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/insulating-exterior-walls-no-vapor-barrier-sheathing-80265/ <![CDATA[I'm popping off some old vinyl or plastic tiles that are on my kitchen wall. Is the o]]> http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/im-popping-off-some-old-vinyl-plastic-tiles-my-kitchen-wall-o-80262/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:20:05 GMT I'm popping off some old vinyl or plastic tiles that are on my kitchen wall. Is the old mastic (pale/yellowish brown) an asbestos hazard if I take an orbital sander to it? ]]> General Discussion Mr. Equator http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/im-popping-off-some-old-vinyl-plastic-tiles-my-kitchen-wall-o-80262/ How do I uncoil these crazy wires? http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/how-do-i-uncoil-these-crazy-wires-80253/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:46:59 GMT Hello, I have a little problem... How can I straighten these wires out??? When I unknot them they curl back up... Image: http://i52.tinypic.com/2efixyw.jpg Excuse the crappy quality. Hello, I have a little problem... How can I straighten these wires out??? When I unknot them they curl back up...


Excuse the crappy quality. ]]> General Discussion DEF http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/how-do-i-uncoil-these-crazy-wires-80253/ <![CDATA[construction noise & neighbors]]> http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/construction-noise-neighbors-80197/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:04:31 GMT I'm doing a lot of construction on a house I recently purchased. I mostly work on it mornings and weekends. My regular job is later in the day on weekdays.

I always feel guilty about all the noise I'm making, especially during demolition. I know I would be annoyed with all the construction noise. I haven't gotten any complains though (yet?). Just my own guilt, i suppose.

What do you guys do the appease the neighbors when you are working on a long term project? ]]> General Discussion acerunner http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/construction-noise-neighbors-80197/ Genovations Decking http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/genovations-decking-80188/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:56:18 GMT
Does anyone have experience with Genovations Decking? The descriptions I've read seem to be all positive.
Thanks in advance.
Mike ]]> General Discussion fiero87 http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/genovations-decking-80188/ <![CDATA[notched & drilled beam = structural issue or not]]> http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/notched-drilled-beam-structural-issue-not-80146/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:01:19 GMT hey there folks i thought i had a leak in my ceiling, the plaster was cracking a bit, so today i took a knife to it can cut out a section to take a peek. here is what i found - now there is nothing below this, it is my dining room. no support beam whatsoever and the nearest wall is probably... hey there folks

i thought i had a leak in my ceiling, the plaster was cracking a bit, so today i took a knife to it can cut out a section to take a peek.

here is what i found - now there is nothing below this, it is my dining room. no support beam whatsoever and the nearest wall is probably 3', 4' and 6' away in either direction.

the beam has three holers drilled in it, and notch cut out of the top.
the beam is almost 6.75" long, and the notch is 2.75" deep.

do i now have a structural problem and what can be done to correct this?

attached pics







here is where it is



]]> General Discussion quadred http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/notched-drilled-beam-structural-issue-not-80146/