How-to Protect your home during construction

oh'mike

Nothing will spoil you fun faster than ruining your carpets or finished floors during a project----

A few hours spent protecting your floors and furniture will safe you a lot---and keep peace in the family.

I'll offer up a couple of my favorites--then you all,please add yours---

Carper protector-- --This is like a 30" wide roll of Scotch tape----
I use it for protecting the carpet-------also---when stripping wall paper

I lay heavy plastic over the entire room---then 'tape' the plastic around the base boards with the carpet protector----cover that with cloth runners and get out the garden sprayer---

Next---Sheets of Masonite or Luan ply to protect floors when moving appliances----I split a sheet into three pieces and keep moving them in front of the heavy appliance---well worth the cost---

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joecaption

Good tips.
Never ever make the mistake of using the carpet protector on any hard surfaced floor!
You will end up with a sticky mess that only mineral spirits will get off.

oh'mike

Cloth painters tarps----as many as you can afford----the use is obvious---and they will hold drywall dust so you can take the dust outside to dispose of it========

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rossfingal

Remember -
No matter what measures you take to contain any dust generated by the
remodeling project you are doing -
It will get everywhere.

If you're working in one room - some type of fan, blowing out a window will help.
Got to cut drywall/plaster with a saw? - have someone use a shop-vac,
close to the cut - to vac. as much dust as possible.

Depending on the extent of the project - forced air furnace? -
change your furnace filter(s) during or, at least after the project.

rossfingal

(Also - "Dust Masks" are your friend)

oh'mike

Plan ahead for trash handling--

The extra cost of good heavy duty trash bags will seem like nothing if you have to clean up a giant mess inside your house when a cheap bag splits.

A dumpster is often needed----best to spend your time doing the construction,rather than filling your garage with heaps of trash that must be handled a second time----

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joecaption

If your going to use a pick up to haul the trash away lay a tarp in the bed that's big enough to lay in the bed and up over the cab of the truck. Once it's full flip the tarp back to cover the load.
Once your at the dump often times you can pull on the tarp to dump it.
When stripping a roof lay some OSB down on the deck or stoops, lay tarps any place your dropping the shingles to reduce the time picking up the small pieces and nails. The OSB on the decks will stop all the black marks and give you something to run a pitch fork or flat shovel across to clean it up.
Lay a piece of OSB over the top of the

rossfingal

If your project involves the use of some type of V.O.C. compounds
(Volatile Organic Compound) - petroleum based.
Use protection for your hands -
We use latex gloves with rubber gloves over them.
Some of these can be absorbed through your skin.
(The result of this happening - I can attest to!)

Watch out for "fumes" - adequate ventilation, at all times!
If you're working anywhere, near sources of combustion -
furnaces, water-heaters, space-heaters, stoves ...
Anything with a pilot-light/ignitor.
Turn them off!

If you are using "strippers" or acetone, xylene, xylol, lacquer thinner ....
Don't make the mistake of throwing any rags/paper towels.... into a
bucket or a box, and leaving them somewhere, where you don't want a
fire to start.
"Spontaneous combustion" can occur - no, you don't need a match or spark.

rossfingal

oh'mike

During major demolition---cover furniture with plastic and tape it well----especially pianos----dust and grit travel a long way---and paying to clean and tune your spouses piano may cause a divorce--- ( or sleeping in the dog house)

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rossfingal

Yeah - worked in houses where the homeowner had nice, grand/baby-grand pianos.
They had someone come in and shrink-wrap them - to the extreme.
They had to be moved around - sometimes a lot.

After things were done -
"Piano Tuner"!
Piano tuning is not a "DIY" project!
Those people who do that piano tuning - got way, better ears than I have!
"RF"

(Remember - "you can tune a piano - but, you can't tuna fish!)

oh'mike

We drywalled a basement a few years back---there were several exercise machines----we wrapped them well---moved the dang things countless times --

When the project was about finished the homeowner asked," Mike, would you guys mind moving those out to the curb for me?"

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oh'mike

When you have plumbing drains open---cap or plug them up---

I don't want you to waste time ripping out drains because a fitting went bouncing down an open toilet hole---

( Don't ask me how I learned ---it was not a fun experience)

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rossfingal

Ha, ha, ha!
Yeah, seen that!

"Why didn't you ask us in the first place"
We've got a Saw-Z-All - we'll disassemble it - very, quickly!

"Bouncing down an open toilet hole"?
Just reach down there and grab it -
Bust up the floor!
No problem!!
(Got'a tell these kids, everything!)

federer

wow you really just reached down into the toilet hole?

oh'mike

Soap and water---a little dirt won't kill you--Wait till you find a separated sewage line in a crawl space-----

That's why plumbers get the big bucks!!!! It's a glamorous job.

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kwikfishron

Mike...it's still a little early in the morning for those kind of flashbacks.

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