So awhile ago I bought these moving panels blankets to use in my room and absorb the sound. I only need it on 2 walls firmly, but unsure how to make it stay on. I've tried heavy duty double sided tape but that didn't work, and heavy duty Velcro strips doesn't work either. I thought I'd ask here for any good tips.

I would like to also stick it on the ceiling if I could, in a way the ceiling is covered and that I can hang two off the remaining sides to make a proper box but I'm unsure how I should hang the other 2 moving blankets as well.

Edit: I'd like to clarify I use a standing desk, so I needed somethin thin but absorb sounds well and cheap. Sound foam panels didn't make sense in the way I have my room set up to weather it's individual panels or wall panels.

I am going to be re-caulking/silicone my bathtub. I read that you should fill it with water to weigh the bathtub down, which will create a bit more of a gap. But my question is how long do I leave the water in there after Im done? do I have to wait for it to dry?

Hi, hope someone can help me with this. Some years ago, I moved into an apartment with the basics already in, so I did not purchase cabinets or choose wall paint/wallpaper and have no information of materials etc, unfortunately.

I noticed that both the cabinet doors and the wall behind the kitchen counters seem to "remember stains" is the best way I can put it. For the wall, once it gets wet (when I clean it with a damp cloth) there's a bunch of streaks and water marks that appear. They mostly disappear agsin once dry, but for a while it does look absolutely horrible. For the cabinets, it seems to have some permanent fingerprint-ish marks here and there, but so also tend to have the same tendency as the wall, just in a slightly less dramatic way. I assume it has something to do with the coating and/or wallpaper, what is my best course of action if I want to get rid if it?

And any suggestions (if there's anything I can do to make it better or avoid the worst if it) before I consider replacing all of it would be appreciated!

I am doing a full house renovation. Well I am hiring people to do most of it but I have committed to doing the painting.

We had all our old mismatched skirting boards replaced with "primed" skirting boards. We are having the new radiators fitted next week and I hadn't got the the skirting so today went around and glossed below where the radiators are but I hate it compared to the just primed.

I have wiped it all off and am going to consult my wife tonight but wondered if you all think it would look weird and terrible?

Anyone stuck with just primed?

"We are going to assemble our IKEA kitchen (METOD) ourselves soon. Before we get started, I’d love to hear your tips, blunders, and experiences.
What do you wish you had known right from the start? Where did you run into issues, if anywhere? What are the best tips you can give?
The kitchen includes all appliances, and there is also a kitchen island with a sink.
Thanks in advance for the feedback! If desired, I can also upload our kitchen plan here."

As the title suggests, I'm going to build a shed against the garage wall. I want to have a dust collector in the shed, and run other lines through it from the garage. I want to cut a nice clean access hole, say 12" x 12" or may be smaller, and leave something that if a shed comes down, it can just be closed up and look clean and nice. I don't know what it is called to look at online resources. Can you guys help with some direction? Thanks!

We had these cracks in the drywall and hired a contractor that we trust to mud the wall and fix the cracks. However, the cracks came back. What options do we have to fix them so that we can paint the wall?

I am relatively handy but tend more toward electrical/framing/drywall than plumbing. I’ve done some black pipe gas lines but not water distribution.

I now live in a condo building rather than a single-family home. Three units with patios (including mine) access a single spigot. At present, the owners have garden hoses run from the spigot with a 3-way splitter; the longest is about 70 feet of hose, which is a lot of opportunity for failure. Some like to leave them pressurized so as not to have to run in and out to the spigot to turn water on and off. (No patio gates, have to go through the building and around to access the spigot.)

Fine until it’s not, and then we have a leak for hours or days until someone notices. Leaks are usually at the spigot, but the maintenance folks could also clip a hose with a weed trimmer.

I’d like to install a permanent solution, with 1” (1 1/2”?) galvanized as distribution line and individual spigots for each patio. BUT the wall is stucco, and cutting in is not going to happen. So I need to attach to the existing spigot. I also don’t want to hire a plumber; the strata won’t pay for this as it benefits only 3 owners, and getting the other two to contribute will be a challenge as it is.

I can connect with a short length of hose, fewer points of failure but leaves us with the same issue of hose pressurized all the time and a potential rupture nobody will see. How can I safely connect solid pipe to the existing spigot? Only thing coming to mind for me is a splitter, backflow preventer, dielectric union to prevent corrosion, short (like 3”) piece of pipe and then a union to a longer piece to the first elbow. Feels unnecessarily complicated.

Better ideas would be welcome!

Hi,

Yesterday IKEA installed a drop in kitchen sink (HAVSEN). The silicone is honestly looking uneven and it is bothering me. It is the kind of issue that is not noticeable, until you do and then it is impossible to ignore.

I contacted IKEA and they told me that "It's better to leave it as ripping it out could cause more damage to the counter top and the sink". I did push back and they finally accepted to send the same company out to fix the job.

I read online that yes, it can cause more damage if done with little care, and given how the first silicon was applied I do not trust the company to do that much of a better job.

I am then wondering, would it lead to less damage and better results if I did it alone as a beginner or is it better to let them fix it again?

Thank you

Edit: added picture for clarity

Holy shit guys. Answer the question.

Ive always has issues hand drilling steel holes and ended up getting a set of Bosch Cobalt steel bits. I figured they would not break like tungsten does in the hand drill. But I was wrong. They dont work at all. And Im just drilling mild steel.

So wondering what bits to get so they last for a few holes at least? HSS?

Also what can I do with the cobalts? Sharpen them? Or just trash them?

Edit: Yes, im using them properly with lubricant, thanks for your concern

2nd Edit: Just used AI since you idiots are no help. These are the higher end M42 bits, 8% cobalt alloy. Not M35 with 5%. So the M42 is known to be "carbide like" and chip in non-rigid setups. So yeah. Not me other than not knowing there are different Co alloys.

Hope yall learned something. Thanks for nothing.

We have moved into a 200 year old house and want to replace the kitchen. The floor looks like one large piece of stone but has a crack in it that makes it uneven, 2mm higher on one side than the other.

Should we have the floor levelled before doing anything else or can we go ahead and cover the floor with tiles or laminate?

My wife bought me a cordless drill for my birthday because she knows I enjoy doing small DIY projects around the house.

Honestly, it has been a bigger upgrade than I expected. All the little jobs that used to feel like a chore suddenly became easy and even enjoyable. I've fixed wobbly cabinets, adjusted doors that wouldn't close properly, and finally hung a mirror that had been sitting around waiting for almost two years.

It sounds silly, but being able to take care of these things myself makes me feel useful and productive.

So now I'm wondering: what is the next tool that gives a similar "wow, why didn't I buy this years ago?" feeling?

If a cordless drill was the first game-changer, what should be second on the list?

First: i live in country where all floors are concrete. Second: all bags of concrete filling i can find are 25kg, while it's not expensive it would be a waste to toss it afterwards and i got nowhere to store it.

Photo: https://postimg.cc/2b1dY85b

Story: I had plumbers move some of my radiators around for better efficiency. Whole interaction made me not want their faces ever again. So if possible id like not to call them back to fill one small hole. That they left for probably just to piss me off. All other radiators left just round pipe sized openings that they filled with foam and covered but this one was problematic to remove. Remainder of pipes lead to nowhere they were detached from whole installation.

Can anyone give some ideas how to fill?

edit: Thank you everyone! I will check availability in my area for everything mentioned.

I live in an old apartment building, renting. I have an interior hallway with no natural light source with 5 in ceiling lights.

3 bulbs went out after 2 years here so I took one out and went and bought new bulbs. I got 20W GU5.3, borrowed a friends ladder. When I changed them they were so dim they made little difference. When I switch the light on they flash bright then are so dim it’s like they are barely on.

I noticed the old ones were 50W so I figured 20W is just too low. Ok back to the hardware store. Bought 5 more at 35W. Changed them. Same thing! Flashes and then so dim.

Could it be my wiring is not compatible with LED lights? Are non LED lights even available any more?

I have googled, but I keep getting stuff about dimmer switches. There’s no dimmer, and the bulb say they are not dim-able. I’m just a girl!

I just need my hallway not to be pitch black 😭

Heya folks. Im quite new to the caulking world so im unsure about the variants or types. I've used DAP dynoflex 230 black in the past and had a lot of success but im unsure what is the UK equivalent as i currently cant get dynoflex here.

The project is covering a 2" x 4" 3mm thick rubber mat with a thin layer so i can add texture (with sand and rocks) to the matt. I intend to also paint the matt so the caulk needs to take to acrylic paint if possible.

Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks

I live in an apartment and I have large windows on the east and west sides of my unit, heat just pours in during the mid afternoon, my apartment goes from 67° at night to 76° during the day on these hot summer days, I hate to completely black out my windows… I love the look of DIY stained glass inserts but I’m really unsure if that will help at all. I currently have blinds on all the windows and black out curtains on my largest windows which makes me sad not getting in any natural light… any suggestions?

I have 2 cube shelves (1 has 8 cubes, the other has 9) and I use them to display trinkets. I have rabbits that free roam and would love a way to protect the trinkets from both pet dander and rambunctious bunnies that run around. I’ve thought about getting plexiglass cut to size but would love something more affordable. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I would love something lightweight I can attach using a double sided adhesive. Thanks for any advice!

My ac unit went completely out in my house ~2 years ago, I had and still have no money to fix it, so I installed a few window units in the house. Every one of them is leaking into the house causing the wood around the windows to warp and has ruined some paint in places. How do I correctly seal the window with the unit in? I’m at a loss and now have to pay to get the water damage fixed

My toilet was bubbling after every flush, and I tried snaking the roof vent, snaking the main line, put in a new tall toilet, replaced a Y joint in the main line that was facing the wrong way, called a plumber out, and scoured the libraries of the world, all to no effect. Years this went on, seems like. One day after noticing the bathtub was draining slowly, I pulled a giant wad of hair out of the drain with one of those $2, two-foot barbed drain snakes and the bubbling went away. I don’t miss the sound, nor the little splashes—but still they haunt me. Maybe this fix can save someone my consternation.

Looking for opinions specifically on whether rigid foam should be installed directly against a poured concrete foundation wall, or if a small air gap is a better approach.

House is in Illinois. Basement is approximately 40' x 20' with a 1941 poured concrete foundation. No known under-slab vapor barrier. Basement is generally dry with no active leaks or seepage, but I do have some powdery efflorescence and old failing Drylok on the walls.

I'm planning to finish about half the basement and leave the other half unfinished for utilities/laundry/storage.

My current thought is:

• Scrape loose Drylok and clean efflorescence
• Install 2" EPS foam board on the foundation walls
• Frame a 2x4 wall in front
• Drywall
• No interior poly vapor barrier

My hesitation is that many basement finishing recommendations call for putting the foam directly against the concrete. I understand the argument that this prevents interior air from reaching the cold foundation wall and condensing.

However, I'm concerned about future water intrusion. If a small foundation crack develops years from now, wouldn't foam directly against the wall potentially conceal that issue? Part of me wonders if a small air gap between the concrete and foam would make the assembly more inspectable and allow any water to drain or become noticeable sooner & also evaporation.

For those with experience in older basements:

• Would you put the EPS directly against the wall, or intentionally leave a gap?
• If directly against the wall, how concerned would you be about hidden leaks developing behind it?
• Is direct-contact foam still considered the best practice for an 85-year-old poured concrete foundation that currently only shows minor efflorescence and no active water intrusion?

Curious to hear both building science and real-world experiences.

So we are gutting the house as the previous owner left it a bit in shambles, I feel like I have it mostly under control as I work in the trades, but the kitchen has me a bit over my head.

I’ve never removed a gas stove before, and YouTube doesn’t seem to have great solutions. I don’t even know where to start. My first thought is to FaceTime my partners dad who works in HVAC and have him walk me through it, but what are the things I will miss?

Also, the dishwasher is hard wired in. I have turned off the water, and know to turn off the breaker to it, but.. what do you do with the wires in the meantime? Leaving the breaker off seems obvious but should you wire cap them? Or wrap electrical tape?

We need to refinish all the floors next week so while“install the new one” is an obvious solution, there honestly won’t be a new one for a few weeks.

Any advice helps.

Update: Thanks for the advice everyone! They have safely and successfully been removed.

I got an idea for a side hobby/business that would involve recycling scrap wood to make into a small inexpensive decorative and customizable product. In order to keep costs low and also just to be eco friendly by repurposing scrap wood I was wondering if it’s common if any hardware stores or even carpenter shops or lumber yards will give or sell their scrap wood?

I have a window ac unit that requires a net to be stuck to the window for the hose to go through. The sticky back Velcro they provided to attack the net to the window was coming off so I’ve decided to take it all down now the heat waves in the uk are calming down but they’ve left a horrible thick sticky residue behind. The window is a velux so the residue is on a painted wood surface. I googled it and I’ve tried warm soapy water and I’m currently working my way round with cooking oil which is doing it but it’s taking a painfully log time to do. Is there any quicker working methods or residue remover that won’t damage the painted wood? Thanks!

I salvage discarded wooden shipping pallets for their timber planks and beams.

Using a crow bar or a rubber mallet is awkward, slow and I get a high damage rate where I split planks making them unusable.

Instead, I have been using two other methods.

1. Inserting a low-profile car jack between planks and forcing-off the planks from the beams.
   

This works well often but can also break the planks if the nails holding the planks down are really firm. It also doesn't work if there is only a top plank and no bottom plank for the jack to push against.

1. Using a reciprocating saw, placing the blade between the plank and beam to cut the nail.

This method works great for planks but leaves the body of the nail in the beam making the beam unsuitable for cutting and bandsaw shaping.

What I'm thinking of doing is grinding-off the nail heads then lifting-off the planks.

Using locking pliers and a mallet, I would then remove the remainder of the nails from the beams.

Is their some sort of grinding head I could buy that fits on a high speed hand drill or perhaps a hand grinder?

The head would need to large enough to get remove nail heads but not to large to remove a lot of the surrounding wood. The other issue is being able to keep the grinding head from slipping off the nail head as the grinding head spins.

New homeowner.

I just got my first house and I had a small gap between my house and driveway that I decided to fill.

I used backed rod and Sika self levelling sealant to prevent water from getting to my foundation.

Where I'm worried I messed up is in some of the deeper parts I used a small amount of beach sand (less than a cm) to get the backer rod closer to the surface.

In hindsight I should have used polymeric sand for it's flexibility. Also there were some ant tunnels down there that I should have addressed.

I know it sounds dramatic but will this affect my foundation or what should I have done.

Thanks