Home Improvement Forum

Yeah, i like those wafer lights. Im actually going to use the directional one for my staircase ceiling. Only thing i know about the wafer ones is that light is very direct since it is on the surface rather than the cans. I have a laser level which is super handy. However my room is longer perpendicu...

Hey guys, Im planning on putting in recessed cans in my basement ceiling which is open for now. Im planning on putting up shiplap panels once done. So here are two things im thinking about: 1) my joists are seriously out of level (like 1/2 o 3/4 difference between lowest and highest spot) so i need ...

Thanks. Yeah im doing wood panel on ceilings so there is really not much of noise isolation there. Some floors above get cold but thats most likley due to the rim joists not being sealed. I bet spray foaming it will make huge change since the heat is not escaping from those areas and get channeled t...

Hey guys, Is it worth it to insulate the ceiling in the room im finishing? Very mixed opinions. Some people believe all it does is to help with noise isolation and some believe it keeps the floor above warmer. We are spray foaming the wall and rim joists so no heat loss will occur so the heat has to...

Yeah i have a Milwaukee multitool with a plunge cut head

Unfortunately i think this was the original builder... yeah my house has all conduits and EMTs but i take super caution when cutting into walls. I usuaully cut a small hole and use my camera in unknwon walls. Which tool to use for cutting? Sawzall is unpredictable

Hey guys, I have a weird situation and I am wondering if you have runt into before or not. For some unknown reason to me (im baffled by it and it does not make sense), the tongue and groove panels were installed before the stringers. To make it even more confusing, the skirts were installed before t...

Thanks Shannon.

Thank you. Im putting down a new bottom plate so it going to be covered. Im just going to slide the anchor a bit down. I have been using the 5/16 large hex Tapcons and they have been very nice so far

Hey Shannon, This is a non issue but i was curious about the typical depth of i beams in older houses. My house is from the 60s and 2 main beams run in the middle. Each beam is embeded in the foundation and it has posts supporting in in few places. Im framing close to one and had to remove a rotted ...

No need to pull. Just screw the subfloor into the joists ever 8 or 12 inches. If any nail pops up, just hammer it down. Nails have great holding power but due to movement and people walking on floors, the board can push the nail head up, hence the squeaking noise. Screws bite into the materials and ...

The subfloor is usually around 3/4 inch. Flooring is not structural and does not need to be secured to the joist. You want your subfloor and flooring to be able to move with seasons. I think securing it into joists can make it buckle it easier. Just imagine tiling. Backerboards are screwed into the ...

Thanks guys. Im going to stick to the tape and maybe spray some great stuff around the opening. Another thing, do you guys think it would be fine to leave the cavity uninsulated? So this rim joist and joist setup runs for 50 ft. The basement is divided into two rooms. Im framing the one which would ...

I should be able to do it with tape with no issue. Mastic gets a bit tricky since i have to apply the top with gloves.
The butyle tape is much stickier and stronger than regular foil tape

Thanks. I thought about that too. Another thing i thought of is spray foam. Touch N Foam has a 15 ft kit for small applications and the nozzle is pretty small.

http://www.touch-n-foam.com/system-15.html

Hey Shannon, Juat wanted to see your preference on duct sealing methods between foil tape vs mastic. Most HVAc folks love mastic as it has better lifespan. I see some butyl mastic tapes such as the masticfoil from Nashua which claima permanent bond and an alternative to mastic. I have a duct that go...

Yup. I ordered matching color caulk from Andersen. I will be doing that next. Thanks a lot for thr help

Hey Shannon. I ended up just setting it with foam. The mortar was not as good as i thought. I shimmed pretty tight without distorting the frame. Even without the foamni was unable to move it. I dont think this window is going anywhere anytime soon.

I mamaged to hack it and kind of make it work. The mortar fills very dence. I have a hard time chiseling it. All left is shimming the sides and tapcon. Im really hoping the tapcon does not give me a hardache. If it sticks the foam will make it rigid.

Hi Shannon, As expected it is complicated for no good reason :D So they embeded the bottom plate with a slope and now im left with a tiny peak and two sloped on each side. Im having a hard time setting the window since it wobbles. Really cany shim the bottom well. Making this thing plumb is a nighte...

Any tips on tapcons to prevent issues? I heard 1/4 performs bettern than the 3/16

Thanks Shannon. Yeah I look at that manual before. The jamba are 22 inches tall. I was planning on keeping the outer slope for sure. I am in the process of framing the basment but held off on this section to not have the framing in the way of window installtion. After I posted I thought of maybe cre...

Hey guys, I previously posted about this but now have some ideas as Im getting ready to replace the windows. My basement windows are set in mortar (only bottom) and they are in a bad shape (leaky and rotting). They are almost 70 years old. I ordered Andersen 100 series since the masonary opening is ...

Thanks Shannon. Yeah the R20 sounds great. I will still insulate the duct and add more the the box so i can get close to R 40 or higher. As for the bend, my joists run prallel to the side wall. So i have to make a turn. I can do 2 45s. I will use smooth round duct just for future cleaning purposes. ...

hey fellas, I have a bit of a weird situation on my second floor. I have already asked about it but during my drunken night, I came up with something that kind of make sense but might be a PITA as well. Long story short, none of my bathrooms in my 1960 house has bath fans. 2 out of 3 of them have ac...

Thanks for all thr input. Im definitely getting an exterior vent with a damper. I believe the Panasonic fans also comes with a built in damper.

Thanks Shannon. I read somewhere that aside from the noise, an immediate bend can cause the air to comeback in like an obstruction. But is taking a turn and going over the joist ok? I guess thats my only option

Hey guys, A portion of my second floor rooms have inaccessible attic above it (above rooms and bathroom). My second floor bathroom has no fan and this has been an issue with moisture making all walls and windows moist. We are in Minnesota so opening windows in winter is really not that an option . I...

My 2 cents here. I had same situation in my 30x15 family room. Asbestos tile and mastic. I had it professionally removed. However the guy doing it also mentioned that you have to do a lot to release any harmful amount in the air. One small area wont do anything. Just spray with water if you need to ...

Hey Shannon, I was wondering if you guys have plans on doing a video for basement window replacement? Setting replacement window in cinder blocks for example. For example my old windows are all made out of wood so no wood buck was used. However new one can be either be placed in with a buck or direc...