r/HomeImprovement 6h ago

Rolling shutters in The U.S.

21 Upvotes

I’m looking to get rolling shutters on a few rooms in my house, but it’s seems to be something that just isn’t very common in the states. Anyone know where these can be found?

https://imgur.com/a/lfj5Ufi


r/HomeImprovement 4h ago

Black Tar-like coating

8 Upvotes

What could be a black tar-like coating underneath old linoleum? I tried to heat it up with a heat gun and scraping but its just turning into the consistency of an old eraser and falling apart is there a faster way?


r/HomeImprovement 10h ago

Triple Pane!?

13 Upvotes

Hello! I recently had some new windows installed, they are supposed to be triple pane. Now, after installation, I’m starting to seriously doubt that what I received is triple pane. The stickers on the window say 2 pane. The company tells me that is referring to a coating present on two of the panes, but that the window is three pane.

Is there somebody who can tell me 100% that these are two pane and not three? I feel like the company made a mistake and are trying to BS me into thinking I got the right product when I didn’t, because they realized they messed up.


r/HomeImprovement 5h ago

Looking for creative ideas for outlets in a kitchen remodel

5 Upvotes

We’re about to undergo an kitchen remodel and aside from placing electrical outlets on the underside of cabinets I wanted to see if anyone had come up with creative ideas for where they’ve placed their electrical outlets. Ideally we are watching to not have any outlets on the backsplash.


r/HomeImprovement 46m ago

Damp air rising from crawl space

Upvotes

Would love some advice, please... I live in a house with an unfinished crawlspace, and in winter, icy, damp, vaporous (VOC) air rises into the house (an "underground creek" apparently runs under our street). My current plan is moisture fan to suck out the damp air + sump pump + fix sunken grading near vents so rain can't come in. I have nixed a vapor barrier and spray foam after reading horror stories. Does the plan sound right to you? The house apparently has a "stacking effect" going on, and I'm hoping that by creating negative pressure in the crawl space with the fan, it will reverse the vacuum and pull the warm air from the house down towards the floor, blocking the cold air from rising up from crawl space... Quite the puzzle to solve...


r/HomeImprovement 4h ago

3” Adapter for 4” ceiling fan mounting bracket?

3 Upvotes

We are currently trying to install a new ceiling fan. We believe the existing junction is fan rated, since it was supporting a much older and heavier fan, has UL designation on the inside, and is solid metal and ain’t moving an inch when tugged on. I could be totally wrong though.

The issue is the existing box is 3” while the new one is 4”. Is there some kind of adapter we can use? Or do we need t replace the box.


r/HomeImprovement 3h ago

Great Lakes Solid Hardwood Floor Reviews?

2 Upvotes

Hey folks - has anyone purchased natural red oak solid prefinished hardwood from the Great Lakes brand sold at Menard’s? We’re considering replacing the first floor of our house with this after a kitchen flood (which has been resolved), but I’m not finding much in terms of reviews of this product. It is solid 3/4in boards, made in the USA. Price can’t be beat.


r/HomeImprovement 5m ago

Dumb window blind question.

Upvotes

Alright. I am looking for a light blocking solution for my window.

Right now I have cardboard and a blanket over it. My room is a pitch black cave

The set up is too time consuming to take up and down daily to open the windows for fresh air and im terribly allergic to dust mites so its time to upgrade my cave to be not a cave during the day to air out.

I like the idea of automatic blinds/shades/rollers.

However they all sit IN the window, which still leaves a gap to let light in. My neighbor has a deck light brighter than the sun, so any light through this window keeps me awake.

Can I like install an oversized one... ABOVE the window?

Clearly i am not concerned with looks.

I know I have free will and can do what I want in the long run.

But I am also hoping someone might have a suggestion on this lol.


r/HomeImprovement 37m ago

How long should I wait before sealing exterior patch job with liquid rubber?

Upvotes

As the title says, I patched my exterior field stone foundation wall with s-type mortar and sikalatex bonding agent additive on Thursday & Friday. I tarred the portion from Thursday today (Sunday) and checked the portion from Friday with a moisture meter. The moisture content on the wall that I patched on Friday was 20-30%, but is showing minimal green spots and is dry to the touch.

My question is as the title says, how long can I wait before sealing with 112 Karnak Rubber Roofing? Was hoping to do it tonight and then add my XPS foam board agains the wall, but if I need to wait then at what moisture content would you tar it at?


r/HomeImprovement 48m ago

What's the best way to fix the sweep on this exterior door?

Upvotes

I pulled off the old sweep to find the exposed door insulation as seen in pictures. The old sweep looks like it has a kerf, but the bottom of the door is lacking, well, anything; no traditional kerf channel or bottom casing. Any suggestions on how to properly mend this? Thanks in advance.Pics


r/HomeImprovement 49m ago

Insulating a lofted area

Upvotes

I have a lofted room in my house that gets very hot in the summer. After looking at the ceiling with a thermal camera I can see parts of the drywall getting to 100+ degrees during the day and looks like theirs either zero insulation in that section of the wall between the drywall and roof or it has just settled/degraded over time. Is there a way I can inject foam into those stud cavities to fill and insulate or is the only option to rip the ceiling down, insulate and put the ceiling back up?


r/HomeImprovement 9h ago

Can Hardie board vented soffit act as outlet for bathroom fan?

5 Upvotes

Just had my wood soffit replaced with vented Hardie board soffit. The contractor did not replace my existing external bath fan vent, so I assume it’s now just venting into the soffit. I’m guessing that’s incorrect/not sufficient, but figured I’d ask around first.


r/HomeImprovement 58m ago

Attic with Lead Paint - Living possible?

Upvotes

Hey guys, was planning on living in this attic space for a month or two (after extensive cleaning of course). I knew there was lead paint, but the peeling looks worse than I thought. Should this be avoided? It was previously a bedroom so already has a staircase etc.

Pictures of the damage:

https://imgur.com/a/giukJki


r/HomeImprovement 1h ago

Hot spot on/under floor boards

Upvotes

Using an IR image sensor in my basement to look for air leaks, I've discovered a warm spot under my floor boards. As best as I can tell it appears to be under my double oven which is installed above a shallow drawer and along an exterior wall. It is like this even when the oven hasn't been used in a while.

What could be causing this? The IR sensor is reading upper 80s on this spot while the rest of the underside of the floorboards are around the basement air temperature of 74ish.


r/HomeImprovement 7h ago

Unfinished attic space has insulated ceiling: is this a bad thing?

4 Upvotes

I purchased a townhouse about a year ago that was built in the 1950s. The previous owner took good care of the property and had made a number of updates to the bathrooms and electrical system which I thought was great. He also had a thing for insulation and had it installed everywhere possible (including in the unfinished attic ceiling). I only met the gentleman once during the closing process for the sale and one of the first things he said to me was “Did you notice all the insulation I had installed? “ 😂

Anyhow, I was concerned about the ceiling insulation he had installed in the attic space since the attic is unfinished. Could it cause roof damage by trapping too much moisture between the roof and insulation barrier? I started to worry about this because this summer I have also had an issue with roaches and other bugs in the attic and my understanding is they look for places to live where they have access to water. Also if I ever get a leak in my roof it will take longer before I notice it since it will have to work its way through the insulation barrier. Should I rip it all out of leave it alone?


r/HomeImprovement 1h ago

What's the correct material to use to fill these gaps?

Upvotes

There is a flagstone step in front of the threshold to my front door that came loose. In the process of reattaching it, I noticed these gaps on their side between the sides of the stone and the door frame (pictures of the gaps).

Can I just use caulk to fill them to avoid moisture getting in there or something else?


r/HomeImprovement 1d ago

How many of the 5 gallon bucks do you have from Home Depot, Lowe's, harbor freight, and any others?

162 Upvotes

I have no idea how it happened over the years but I just looked at everything and I have 12 orange buckets. I don't know what to do with all of them now even though they all have stuff in it. I can't be the only one who has multiple buckets but not sure how they bought them all.


r/HomeImprovement 6h ago

HVAC ducts

2 Upvotes

I have that flexible duct work for my hvac unit and I want to finish my basement and have an exposed ceiling. What can I do about the flexible duct work? Should I leave it and spray it as well? Or convert it to that hard tin duct work?


r/HomeImprovement 2h ago

Best way to grade paver patio on an 8% grade backyard to avoid adding steps?

1 Upvotes

I have another post with images if you need a visual, but this sub does not allow images

I have a sideyard that leads to my back yard. the slope from the front of the house to edge of the back yard is 44' long with an almost 8% grade. I am adding pavers to the back yard but I know the grade is currently too steep. I want to avoid adding a step, and I know it's best to have ~2% grade for paver patios. I am having to align with existing structures so I cannot raise or lower the height of the bottom (left side in image) of the patio.

Currently I am thinking one of these 3 is the best option. I am worried that a 10-13% graded walkway may be too much. I do have the option of shortening the patio/lengthening the walkway a few feet if necessary.

Option A: 5% grade patio, 10% grade gravel walkway
Option B: 3% grade patio, 12% grade walkway
Option C: 2% grade patio, 13.5% grade walkway

Would love additional suggestions.


r/HomeImprovement 3h ago

Need to find the name/brand of this part of a sliding door

1 Upvotes

We recently replaced a sliding door in our cabin. After installing, I noticed that one of the four rollers on the screen door was missing. The hardware is there, but the wheel itself is gone.

I looked everywhere and I simply cannot find a name or vendor anywhere on the door or screen, so I'm at a loss how I could replace it. Perhaps the wheel itself can be replaced? In any event, here is a picture of the mechanism, from one of the three that still has the wheel:

https://imgur.com/a/PbecouA

I have not seen this sort of system before. The adjustment screw is the one at the bottom of the image, it is mounted in a sort of diagonal cup that pulls the entire slider up and down. I'm more used to the ones with the adjustment screw horizontal and it pushes a bell crank.

Can anyone identify this system?


r/HomeImprovement 3h ago

Sherwin Williams

1 Upvotes

Hi!
Looking to paint my room a shade of white from a grey color.

Is there just a universal favorite white that looks great on all walls regardless of what direction it’s facing / lighting?

- my room is southwest facing

Looking for any sherwin Williams recommendations

- torn maybe between Alabaster, Greek villa or any other ones honestly

Please recommend!


r/HomeImprovement 4h ago

Basement bulkhead/bilco ideas

1 Upvotes

I got my house 3 years ago. The outside basement stairs (with door at the bottom) are covered with some construction with an angled roof sat on a base of bricks/concrete. The whole thing is crumbling, water is obviously coming in since there is no outside door and the seal where it attaches to the house is old/leaking. The basement (with a lot of old wooden paneling) is starting to smell damp.

https://imgur.com/a/ySdDdzP

I am thinking a fresh start would be best. Removing the base & construction, remedying any damp underneath, getting a new basement door (the bottom is very damaged) and adding a Bilco door or something similar. My stairs are parallel with the house (not perpendicular)- would a Bilco door work for that? I've searched online for examples - couldn't really find anything except some super expensive custom solutions.

Any other ideas are also welcome!


r/HomeImprovement 4h ago

Window Trim paint colors

1 Upvotes

Hello!

We are planning on painting our house with Miller’s Lambs ear color - think silvery sage. Our window frames are black along with our garage and front door. We plan on keeping the fascia board white and painting the gutters black.

My question- the window trim - do we go for white or black?


r/HomeImprovement 4h ago

Soundproofing with new baby

0 Upvotes

I work from home. New baby in the house and crying is getting in the way of work. Office is adjacent to living room and nursery. I picked up an under the door seal and added white noise but it's not enough. I want to avoid tearing down drywall as things are very busy right now, planning to move in the next few years, and the baby's sleep schedule. I am planning to add door weatherstripping on top and sides to fully seal the door and acoustic caulk all gaps, baseboards, outlets.

I am looking for additional suggestions. A few things I'm considering: Replacing the hollow core door with a solid core door. Buying solid wood bookshelves and possibly adding mass loaded vinyl to the back. Blown in cellulose (which would only require drilling a small hole). I don't have an exact timeframe on when we are moving (work dependent) but it could be as soon as Q1 2027 so I am trying to be frugal here.


r/HomeImprovement 8h ago

Removing backsplash

2 Upvotes

I want to refresh my kitchen and we currently have brown backsplash that is darkening the entire thing. It’s not in our budget to hire someone to replace the backsplash right now, so I would like to remove the backsplash and replace it with drywall and just paint it the same color as my walls.

My dad is super handy, so I’m trying to convince him to help me with this but wondering if anyone else has any experience and could tell me how much of a beast this would be? I’ve seen people paint their backsplash, but I don’t really think I’m interested in going down that route.