Replacing a light kit on a ceiling fan with a cap?

I want to remove the light kit from a hunter fan. What product do I use to cover the opening where the light kit was attached? Question from user user105382 at stackexchange. Answer: The major problem with this are finding those caps. Wherever that fan was purchased, I'd be surprised if they sold let alone had any caps. I wish you the best of luck in your search though ?. I've done many fan installs for people and have those instances too, where a person just wanted that light kit removed and the cap replaced. I got lucky a . . . [More]

Replacing a light kit on a ceiling fan with a cap?

I want to remove the light kit from a hunter fan. What product do I use to cover the opening where the light kit was attached? Question from user user105382 at stackexchange. Answer: The major problem with this are finding those caps. Wherever that fan was purchased, I'd be surprised if they sold let alone had any caps. I wish you the best of luck in your search though ?. I've done many fan installs for people and have those instances too, where a person just wanted that light kit removed and the cap replaced. I got lucky a . . . [More]

What to do with these darn OSBs during rainfall?

So we just started replacing an old roof as the forecast seemed promising. All of a sudden, it changed to full on rain every day. We have managed to remove half of the old roof (2 out of 4 sides) and put OSB3 sheathing covered with underlayment before the rain hit (no shingles). I'm not sure if it's standard or I might be using a wrong term, so just in case let me clarify - we're in Europe and the underlayment membrane we got we were told was waterproof and supposedly allows vapors from underneath to pass through - they call it & . . . [More]

What to do with these darn OSBs during rainfall?

So we just started replacing an old roof as the forecast seemed promising. All of a sudden, it changed to full on rain every day. We have managed to remove half of the old roof (2 out of 4 sides) and put OSB3 sheathing covered with underlayment before the rain hit (no shingles). I'm not sure if it's standard or I might be using a wrong term, so just in case let me clarify - we're in Europe and the underlayment membrane we got we were told was waterproof and supposedly allows vapors from underneath to pass through - they call it & . . . [More]

How To Tile on uneven floor?

I want to put tile down in my basement. The floor is concrete and feels like a basement with some furniture on it. I’m hoping the tile will change that. I measured the level of the floor by putting my laser level on a shelf then measured the distance from the level line to the floor throughout the room. It turns out the floor is way out of spec compared to the 1/4” per 10’ guideline. But, I wouldn’t have known it was out of level without measuring. Can I get away with slapping tile down on the uneven and unlevel floor . . . [More]

How To Tile on uneven floor?

I want to put tile down in my basement. The floor is concrete and feels like a basement with some furniture on it. I’m hoping the tile will change that. I measured the level of the floor by putting my laser level on a shelf then measured the distance from the level line to the floor throughout the room. It turns out the floor is way out of spec compared to the 1/4” per 10’ guideline. But, I wouldn’t have known it was out of level without measuring. Can I get away with slapping tile down on the uneven and unlevel floor . . . [More]

Is it safe to daisy-chain power bars/power strips?

So, is it safe to plug a power bar in to another power bar that is connected to a power source? I don't really want to try it, as if it is unsafe, then I don't want to burn my house down or something. Question from user XxHarvzBackxX at stackexchange. Answer: Yes but only if the total power drawn is less than the rated capacity of the source and the ratings of the power bars. So you cannot exceed the power rating of source, bar 1 or bar 2. I assumed 15A just as an example, respect the ratings and regulations for your . . . [More]

Is it safe to daisy-chain power bars/power strips?

So, is it safe to plug a power bar in to another power bar that is connected to a power source? I don't really want to try it, as if it is unsafe, then I don't want to burn my house down or something. Question from user XxHarvzBackxX at stackexchange. Answer: Yes but only if the total power drawn is less than the rated capacity of the source and the ratings of the power bars. So you cannot exceed the power rating of source, bar 1 or bar 2. I assumed 15A just as an example, respect the ratings and regulations for your . . . [More]

Why does my microwave oven and hood combo suck in air from the top?

I have a 12 year old Whirlpool Microwave and vent hood combo (model GMH5205XVS-1). As far as I know, it should be configured to vent outside (via vent on an exterior wall). If I open the cabinets in the picture, there is a large vent and I can often smell cooking smells outside when the fan is on. However, the suction above the cooktop is weak, even on the highest fan setting. Yesterday, I noticed there is a big vent at the top of the oven that is also sucking in air. I temporarily blocked it off and noticed it increased suction above t . . . [More]

Why does my microwave oven and hood combo suck in air from the top?

I have a 12 year old Whirlpool Microwave and vent hood combo (model GMH5205XVS-1). As far as I know, it should be configured to vent outside (via vent on an exterior wall). If I open the cabinets in the picture, there is a large vent and I can often smell cooking smells outside when the fan is on. However, the suction above the cooktop is weak, even on the highest fan setting. Yesterday, I noticed there is a big vent at the top of the oven that is also sucking in air. I temporarily blocked it off and noticed it increased suction above t . . . [More]

How far out to install French drain so water cant pass underneath it and still get into house?

We have Bilco doors in our backyard that go down into our basement. Our basement is cinder block foundation. Unfortunately our entire back yard slopes downward toward the house, and so during heavy rainfall we end up with water pooling around the Bilco doors. This water seeps into the ground and eventually presses up against the outside of the cinder block foundation, and over time has damaged the cinder blocks enough to allow the water to weep through and start pooling in our basement:. I believe a French drain system is the proper solution . . . [More]

How far out to install French drain so water cant pass underneath it and still get into house?

We have Bilco doors in our backyard that go down into our basement. Our basement is cinder block foundation. Unfortunately our entire back yard slopes downward toward the house, and so during heavy rainfall we end up with water pooling around the Bilco doors. This water seeps into the ground and eventually presses up against the outside of the cinder block foundation, and over time has damaged the cinder blocks enough to allow the water to weep through and start pooling in our basement:. I believe a French drain system is the proper solution . . . [More]

How should I mount a 1x6 valance board to my ceiling for curtains?

I am trying to hang a 1x6 from my ceiling to make a wall-length cornice box for blackout curtains. I'm stuck on the best way to attach the wood to the ceiling. I will be mounting two curtain tracks between the box and the wall. The wall is about 11 ft long. The rafters are perpendicular to the wall. The 1x6 is basically just a full wall-length valance or cornice box. I want to space it 4-6 inches from the wall, running the full length of the wall. I'm using dual ceiling-mounted curtain tracks--one for a sheer curtain, one for a bl . . . [More]

How should I mount a 1x6 valance board to my ceiling for curtains?

I am trying to hang a 1x6 from my ceiling to make a wall-length cornice box for blackout curtains. I'm stuck on the best way to attach the wood to the ceiling. I will be mounting two curtain tracks between the box and the wall. The wall is about 11 ft long. The rafters are perpendicular to the wall. The 1x6 is basically just a full wall-length valance or cornice box. I want to space it 4-6 inches from the wall, running the full length of the wall. I'm using dual ceiling-mounted curtain tracks--one for a sheer curtain, one for a bl . . . [More]

Uneven Paint Layers

I have some spots that look like the wood was scraped and painted without sanding or filling so you can see the different layers / heights. Please recommend grit to use on my random orbital sander to bring it all down to the same level. Question from user BrentW182 at stackexchange. Answer: The aesthetics are up to you and off topic. If you want it smooth, sanding aggressively is probably more likely to be very smooth at the end. Just make sure you don't have lead paint under there. The alternative is to fill with a wood fi . . . [More]

Uneven Paint Layers

I have some spots that look like the wood was scraped and painted without sanding or filling so you can see the different layers / heights. Please recommend grit to use on my random orbital sander to bring it all down to the same level. Question from user BrentW182 at stackexchange. Answer: The aesthetics are up to you and off topic. If you want it smooth, sanding aggressively is probably more likely to be very smooth at the end. Just make sure you don't have lead paint under there. The alternative is to fill with a wood fi . . . [More]

Is having a gas stove with a recirculating hood a bad idea?

We currently have an electric stove and a recirculating hood (microhood), and we don't like either. Ideally, we'd go for a gas stove and a proper venting hood. However, adding a venting hood is tricky in my house, so I'm thinking of converting the stove to gas, for a partial improvement. Is that a bad idea? I had that in an NYC apartment years ago, but all houses I've been to seem to pair a gas stove with a venting hood. Question from user qweruiop at stackexchange. Answer: It's a matter of fact that gas stoves p . . . [More]

Is having a gas stove with a recirculating hood a bad idea?

We currently have an electric stove and a recirculating hood (microhood), and we don't like either. Ideally, we'd go for a gas stove and a proper venting hood. However, adding a venting hood is tricky in my house, so I'm thinking of converting the stove to gas, for a partial improvement. Is that a bad idea? I had that in an NYC apartment years ago, but all houses I've been to seem to pair a gas stove with a venting hood. Question from user qweruiop at stackexchange. Answer: It's a matter of fact that gas stoves p . . . [More]

How can I deal with a short bottom step on a stairwell?

I've got a interior stairwell with 20 steps of 7 1/2" rise on wood treads, except for the bottom step that's a concrete tread 6 1/2" up from a slab. The top of the stairwell features a pocket door with more or less a 3/8" sill (so technically that top step is 7 7/8"). Despite the somewhat uneven stringer cadence, it has been fine for many years. But now we want to add a basement subfloor (dricore venting style) which adds at the very least 7/8". What can we do to even back up the stair treads? How bad is a sh . . . [More]

How can I deal with a short bottom step on a stairwell?

I've got a interior stairwell with 20 steps of 7 1/2" rise on wood treads, except for the bottom step that's a concrete tread 6 1/2" up from a slab. The top of the stairwell features a pocket door with more or less a 3/8" sill (so technically that top step is 7 7/8"). Despite the somewhat uneven stringer cadence, it has been fine for many years. But now we want to add a basement subfloor (dricore venting style) which adds at the very least 7/8". What can we do to even back up the stair treads? How bad is a sh . . . [More]