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Post by WKRP Jimmy Drop on Apr 2, 2018 16:10:20 GMT -5
Yeah, it's out in the front yard, and when everything is off, it doesn't move at all. If the meter's not moving, it's a pretty safe bet you no longer have a leak. If you wanted to do an experiment, you could turn on the suspect toilet for a while and check to see how much the meter moves from that. That could give you an idea how much water it's letting go by. Have you been turning it off long enough now to see if that has helped your water usage to go back down? Replacing toilet guts usually isn't very complicated, especially when you have a shutoff nearby. On ours, you shut off and disconnect the water supply, and there is one plastic nut on the bottom of the tank to remove. The whole thing comes out and the new one goes in, and you replace the plastic nut and hook it back to the water. I was able to pick up a new "flushing mechanism" at Menards (home depot knockoff) for around $10-15. First thing I'd do is take the top off the tank and see if you can see why it's leaking. It might just be the flapper stuck or something. Sometimes I was able to just jiggle a thing, and it would work for a few weeks. Anyway, good luck, and happy flushing! I looked at my bill, and it's for February, so yeah, it probably hasn't been off long enough to see if the turning off helped the usage go down. And there was a whole long stretch of cold in there, where I had to keep my water trickling for a while, to keep the pipes from freezing. But I've had to do that every winter, and it's never gone up so much. I've replaced that thingie before, for my grandmother's toilet, which is why I've been putting it off, cause I remember it as being a huge pain. Not all that complicated, like you say, but just a pain for some reason. Maybe just the angle is weird or something. Guess I better do it, though. *sigh* Thanks! |
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Post by Not a real doctor on May 16, 2018 10:44:29 GMT -5
I like this idea ganews This winter I need to tackle: 1)Shoe molding in living room/ dining room 2)Picture rail in dining room3)Paint living room/ dining room/stairwell/entryway 4)Deal with garbage disposal/dishwasher/light over the sink electrical situation 5)Put up shelves in the living room 6)Primer over the hideous red walls in the kitchen in preparation for summer kitchen remodel We'll see... Hmmmm, I guess add in "decide to redo all of the window and door trim" and "insulate the basement" which stand at "partially accomplished" |
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Baron von Costume
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Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
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Post by Baron von Costume on May 16, 2018 12:36:09 GMT -5
Last year's focus was mainly on outside stuff so this summer I'm hoping to get the next round of inside stuff done. I'm getting close to having all the cheap renos done at which point it'll be more about saving for bigguns.
Remaining home reno for 2018:
1) Re-shingle (or metal roof) the sunroom on the back of my house.
2) Rebuild the front and back step railings (realistically the front one just needs to be completely rebuilt.
3) Get front section of the house (long ago converted porch) crawlspace re-sprayfoamed as it's clearly the big heat suck in winter
4) Paint 80% of main floor (Main hallway, stairwell, kitchen outside wall, spare bedroom) - Paint already purchased but based on already confirmed plans and wanting to do it all in one go can't see it happening until August?)
5) Touchups on paint in living room.
6) Redo hideous ground floor closet doors (both builder grade mirrored/white plastic hideous things that don't even run on their runners)
7) Finally drop some money on more basement shelving so I have less crap sitting in those same closets.
Maybe one of:
1) Investigate a bay window replacement for front window, hopefully on a Hydro Loan. The front of my house is quite dull and I think this would add some visual appeal and the dog would love it.
2) Redo entire main floor in hardwood or engineered hardwood, ripping out the awful laminate in living room/worn and ugly grey carpet in rest.
3) Think about putting in vent hood in Kitchen (not sure about doing this before a full reno as I don't love the stove location as is)
Hahaha not without winning lottery:
1) Kitchen reno (top to bottom, basically only my stove would stay)
2) Build Garage (I'm torn on this anyway because I'd love a garage but don't really want to give up the extra bits of my yard that a full garage will take up over the parking pad.
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Post by ganews on May 19, 2018 17:33:03 GMT -5
Re-sorting the pantry wasn't on the list, but it was still very satisfying.
Stupid spring - horribly cold, gobs of pollen, or constant rain. Well, it's all the more reason to hire a professional to install a new front door so that we have less time with a hole in the house during the summer.
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Post by nowimnothing on May 20, 2018 10:37:41 GMT -5
I have this low spot in my yard and I figured I could just grab a few bags of gravel and it would be a nice place for the fire pit. From there the project got a bit out of hand.   Two weeks, 6 trips to the store, 60 bags of pea gravel and an assortment of pavers later, it is finally done.  |
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Post by ganews on May 25, 2018 9:11:39 GMT -5
So last night about 11:30 I went downstairs (we have a split level) to get my conference poster tube out of the closet and I found a wet spot on the carpet outside the folding door. Wifemate had been in that very spot earlier in the day and hadn't felt anything, so it was fresh. I dug everything out of the closet and felt around. It was definitely not coming from the water main valve, no wet spots on the drywall beneath. I traced it back to the rear door crawlspace, the bit underneath the front door and stairs. At the opposite downstairs room there was also a bit of moist carpet behind the couch on the same wall side. I set up a fan to blow on it and went to bed.
Fortunately no carpet got wet except for the few square feet closest to the crawlspace. Unfortunately we are about to have another ten days of rain. I'm going home a bit early to go in the crawlspace and look for cracks in the foundation and cement wall, something to blow and brush out and fill with sealer. We've had buckets of rain in the past two weeks, but the past three days were actually pretty sunny and dry; the sump pump still runs but still, I wouldn't have expected this to happen right this moment.
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Post by ganews on May 26, 2018 8:37:03 GMT -5
Yesterday after work I got myself into the crawlspace under the stairs where the water was coming from. The insulation on the cinderblock wall was damp so I just ripped it off and chucked it. I couldn't find any cracks in the block wall or the slab (though I did find two construction helmets tucked away off to the side where its hard to see). There's a quarter inch of mortar in between the base slab and the cinder block wall, and it is just slightly bowed for about two feet in the middle, which is odd because it's mortar?
Thinking more about leakage under the front door and the concrete step, I went back outside. I know the step has sunk into the ground over an inch, you can see where it was formerly sealed to the house concrete. It was that way when we bought the place, and it's been vaguely on my to-do list. Pulling back the mat, I discovered quite the any colony that came pouring over the step slab from where it was chipped in the back. I think just enough water was getting onto the step slab for it drain toward the house, even though I was pretty sure that my new gutters reach beyond.
Anyway I took some polyurethane caulk and applied liberally to the outdoor step slab to seal it to the house, and while I was at it I filled the mortar gap in crawlspace. I also picked up a medium-sized dehumidifier, which filled itself up overnight. I didn't really have time to check the crawlspace because I have to leave for a wedding in about 20 minutes, but the carpet at least is significantly more dry.
I'll just have to hope that these steps are enough to handle the big rains forecast for the next ten days. After I get back from my conference that step slab will be top priority.
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Post by Not a real doctor on Jun 4, 2018 10:43:50 GMT -5
I like this idea ganews This winter I need to tackle: 1) Shoe molding in living room/dining room 2)Picture rail in dining room3)Paint living room/ dining room/stairwell/entryway 4)Deal with garbage disposal/dishwasher/light over the sink electrical situation 5)Put up shelves in the living room 6)Primer over the hideous red walls in the kitchen in preparation for summer kitchen remod Living room ceiling is painted, we're making actual progress.
Also, I guess add: 7)Window trim in the dining room, living room, sunroom 8)Rough in electrical in the garage and shop 8a) Hang switch/outlet boxes 8b) Pull wire
9)Build a deck 9a) Break out old concrete steps on back of house 9b) Deck Frame 9c) Deck posts 9d )The actual damn deck itself
It doesn't seem like it's snowballing, does it?
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Post by nowimnothing on Jun 4, 2018 13:36:18 GMT -5
We are starting to throw some real money into the new house. After my adventures in landscaping, I took advantage of some Memorial Day sales to score a new suite of kitchen appliances for $2,500. Of course that meant I had to rip out the old 36" range hood and install some new cabinets around the range to make the opening more standard. While I was doing that I switched out the over the counter lights for some pendants. Then I realized the pendants were much dimmer, so to compensate I replaced the halogen spot lights in the ceiling with a giant LED fixture that puts out 4,700 lumens. Now everything looks dirty under the bright light of truth.
The appliances come next week, then I can start on the counter-top and back-splash. Meanwhile I still need to schedule someone to replace our tub and shower this summer.
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Post by Dr. Rumak on Jun 5, 2018 8:48:23 GMT -5
All this rain in NC has shown us that we're still getting some water in the basement. So further work to be done, but I think we still got the house at a good enough price that we made the right decision. Plus, we bought a better dehumidifier than the previous owners had been using.
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Post by ganews on Jun 10, 2018 14:32:43 GMT -5
The water saga continues here as well. Things seemed to hold up while we were at the wedding Memorial Day weekend, then a few days later (one week after the initial discovery and sealer application) I found water in the same spot on the carpet. So then on Friday I really went to town with the polyurethane, sweeping out the crawlspace and slathering it all along the cinder block wall/slab junction. Then while I was in San Diego last weekend, it poured on Sunday and Wifemate found water coming in yet again.
Well now that I'm home it's not raining any more than sprinkles, and the sump pump isn't even activating. Wifemate couldn't find any obvious water source either. Asking around the neighborhood, it seems like basically everybody has gotten some water in the bottom. The new construction next door up the hill apparently got water in too, and he had a talk with the neighbor even further up - who is now redirecting his sump pump flow out to the street. I wonder if this is just the new reality, if there is nothing I can do. I've got to deal with that step slab.
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Post by Floyd Dinnertime Barber on Jun 10, 2018 18:58:30 GMT -5
The water saga continues here as well. Things seemed to hold up while we were at the wedding Memorial Day weekend, then a few days later (one week after the initial discovery and sealer application) I found water in the same spot on the carpet. So then on Friday I really went to town with the polyurethane, sweeping out the crawlspace and slathering it all along the cinder block wall/slab junction. Then while I was in San Diego last weekend, it poured on Sunday and Wifemate found water coming in yet again. Well now that I'm home it's not raining any more than sprinkles, and the sump pump isn't even activating. Wifemate couldn't find any obvious water source either. Asking around the neighborhood, it seems like basically everybody has gotten some water in the bottom. The new construction next door up the hill apparently got water in too, and he had a talk with the neighbor even further up - who is now redirecting his sump pump flow out to the street. I wonder if this is just the new reality, if there is nothing I can do. I've got to deal with that step slab.
I don't know if any of this will apply to your situation, but is the ground surrounding the area where you suspect the water entering flat, sloping towards the house, or sloping away from the house? How is the guttering over the area? You mentioning the mortar bowing in makes me wonder if water might be building up outside it.
Our farmhouse basement is concrete block construction, as was common when it was built, and at 60+ years, it now has some cracks. Re-sealing that kind of wall effectively is a major project we're not ready to tackle yet, so a bit of seepage is a fact of life for us for the immediate future. What I learned was that while we have decent drainage in normal situations, our gutters had become blocked and rusty, and water from our roof wasn't being led away, but overflowing and soaking the ground directly around the foundation, increasing the water coming in. After we replaced out gutters, the water seeping in decreased a lot, and our sump pump runs a fraction of the time it used to. You might want to check the gutters and how the drainage is in the area that seeps. Anything you can do to reduce the amount of water (if any) standing or soaking in near there should help a lot.
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Post by ganews on Jun 10, 2018 20:00:02 GMT -5
The water saga continues here as well. Things seemed to hold up while we were at the wedding Memorial Day weekend, then a few days later (one week after the initial discovery and sealer application) I found water in the same spot on the carpet. So then on Friday I really went to town with the polyurethane, sweeping out the crawlspace and slathering it all along the cinder block wall/slab junction. Then while I was in San Diego last weekend, it poured on Sunday and Wifemate found water coming in yet again. Well now that I'm home it's not raining any more than sprinkles, and the sump pump isn't even activating. Wifemate couldn't find any obvious water source either. Asking around the neighborhood, it seems like basically everybody has gotten some water in the bottom. The new construction next door up the hill apparently got water in too, and he had a talk with the neighbor even further up - who is now redirecting his sump pump flow out to the street. I wonder if this is just the new reality, if there is nothing I can do. I've got to deal with that step slab.
I don't know if any of this will apply to your situation, but is the ground surrounding the area where you suspect the water entering flat, sloping towards the house, or sloping away from the house? How is the guttering over the area? You mentioning the mortar bowing in makes me wonder if water might be building up outside it.
Our farmhouse basement is concrete block construction, as was common when it was built, and at 60+ years, it now has some cracks. Re-sealing that kind of wall effectively is a major project we're not ready to tackle yet, so a bit of seepage is a fact of life for us for the immediate future. What I learned was that while we have decent drainage in normal situations, our gutters had become blocked and rusty, and water from our roof wasn't being led away, but overflowing and soaking the ground directly around the foundation, increasing the water coming in. After we replaced out gutters, the water seeping in decreased a lot, and our sump pump runs a fraction of the time it used to. You might want to check the gutters and how the drainage is in the area that seeps. Anything you can do to reduce the amount of water (if any) standing or soaking in near there should help a lot.
Exterior standing water would make this easy. I was fully expecting to find a seeping crack, but I've never been able to trace it. I sort of had the idea that after the first urethane patch the slab area nearest was the driest spot, but if it's still getting in with all the rest sealed I don't have much I can do except wait until this happens again where I can observe it.
I got new gutters last year, and they do a fine job. The only thing I can figure is that step slap outside. Since it'll take some filling anyway to raise that slab up, I'll take the opportunity to add some around the door to improve grading.
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Post by Not a real doctor on Jun 13, 2018 9:36:53 GMT -5
My attempt at running a hose from the basement dehumidifier so I could stop having to empty the bucket every day led to a leaking hose conection and more soaked carpet in the basement.I think I've got it fixed and I don't really care about the soaked carpet since I'm tearing it out anyway (because carpet in an old sandstone foundation basement is dumb as hell), but ugh.
I'll tear the carpet out in that room this afternoon and along with the debris from doing the upstairs trim I'll have a load of stuff that makes a trip to the dump worth it. So I guess getting some old trim and other project junk out of the yard (!) is a minor plus to this whole thing.
My eventual plan is to do plank vinyl flooring in the basement because I do want it to be a usable space, but the previous owner's carpet is just ridiculous down there. I had to rip it out of one room already (the way the rooms are set up down there is a whole other dumbly laid out thing) when a floor drain he carpeted over (!) backed up so it looks like we'll tackle room 2 sooner rather than later.
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Baron von Costume
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Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
Posts: 4,684
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Post by Baron von Costume on Jun 13, 2018 9:57:36 GMT -5
So shocker of shockers my 2nd floor AC seems more balanced with the lower floor after I realized this winter that the base of the vanity in my upstairs bathroom felt warm as though there was a vent under there. There was! So now instead of just a register on each extreme end of the floor there's a central one creating airflow throughout and also better cycling in the stairwell.
I love my house but the person who did the renos on it before selling it to the person before me was a bafflingly useless handyman.
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Post by Dr. Rumak on Jun 13, 2018 11:54:16 GMT -5
My attempt at running a hose from the basement dehumidifier so I could stop having to empty the bucket every day led to a leaking hose conection and more soaked carpet in the basement.I think I've got it fixed and I don't really care about the soaked carpet since I'm tearing it out anyway (because carpet in an old sandstone foundation basement is dumb as hell), but ugh. I'll tear the carpet out in that room this afternoon and along with the debris from doing the upstairs trim I'll have a load of stuff that makes a trip to the dump worth it. So I guess getting some old trim and other project junk out of the yard (!) is a minor plus to this whole thing. My eventual plan is to do plank vinyl flooring in the basement because I do want it to be a usable space, but the previous owner's carpet is just ridiculous down there. I had to rip it out of one room already (the way the rooms are set up down there is a whole other dumbly laid out thing) when a floor drain he carpeted over (!) backed up so it looks like we'll tackle room 2 sooner rather than later. Your basement sounds like our basement except we are still dumping out the dehumidifier bucket at least once a day, and are not quite ready to deal with the carpet. In the meantime, chunks of the plastic exterior of our microwave keep falling off, so any day now I expect to either die of radiation poison or develop superpowers. |
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Post by Buon Funerale Amigos on Jun 17, 2018 9:09:52 GMT -5
Replaced a leaky toilet flange seal yesterday. Now there's a fun job.
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Post by ganews on Jun 18, 2018 21:37:38 GMT -5
As (until recently) the only white guy on my street, I've made a couple jokes about being "an early-stage gentrifier". But seriously though: Terry from San Diego bought the new construction next door to rent out/live at part time when working out here, and when I got home at 10 tonight he was running his lawn sprinkler. As if Maryland didn't have record rainfall in the past two months; as if he himself did not have water drainage issues from runoff and the sump pump further up the hill. Maybe he's just not used to having water.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jun 22, 2018 12:32:21 GMT -5
Mostly I have no real problem with our HOA; they keep the yards mowed and the snow shoveled and replaced our roof, etc.
But occasionally they call out really dumb "violations". We got a notice yesterday of a cable lying alongside our house that needed to be secured.
It's the cable for our ...well... cable. And internet. It's not just lying there loose; it runs from underground up along the siding to the box. And I mean, I can certainly try to either leave it off the ground or bury more of it... but that's the problem. I have no idea what they want me to do with it. There were no instructions, it's not like I can just rip it out. I sent an annoyed email to the property manager, we'll see if they can give me more info.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Jun 22, 2018 18:00:41 GMT -5
But occasionally they call out really dumb "violations". We got a notice yesterday of a cable lying alongside our house that needed to be secured. It's the cable for our ...well... cable. And internet. It's not just lying there loose; it runs from underground up along the siding to the box. And I mean, I can certainly try to either leave it off the ground or bury more of it... but that's the problem. I have no idea what they want me to do with it. There were no instructions, it's not like I can just rip it out. I sent an annoyed email to the property manager, we'll see if they can give me more info. Apparently they do this in the City of Chicago too. The cables outside your house have to be secured against the side of the house. I just used zip ties to gather it up and leaned it against the house. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jun 22, 2018 22:06:01 GMT -5
But occasionally they call out really dumb "violations". We got a notice yesterday of a cable lying alongside our house that needed to be secured. It's the cable for our ...well... cable. And internet. It's not just lying there loose; it runs from underground up along the siding to the box. And I mean, I can certainly try to either leave it off the ground or bury more of it... but that's the problem. I have no idea what they want me to do with it. There were no instructions, it's not like I can just rip it out. I sent an annoyed email to the property manager, we'll see if they can give me more info. Apparently they do this in the City of Chicago too. The cables outside your house have to be secured against the side of the house. I just used zip ties to gather it up and leaned it against the house. I mean... that’s fine, I’m just not sure how. It’s running along the side of the house, without much give. I could try to shove it under the siding, or stick it up with command strips, I guess. I just wish they’d been more specific. It’s such a small thing. |
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Post by Buon Funerale Amigos on Jun 24, 2018 10:13:55 GMT -5
The cables on the outside of our house are secured with something like this:  Our house has wooden clapboards, so I dunno if they'd work with other types of siding. There's probably something similar made for those sorts of applications. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jun 24, 2018 11:20:57 GMT -5
The cables on the outside of our house are secured with something like this: Our house has wooden clapboards, so I dunno if they'd work with other types of siding. There's probably something similar made for those sorts of applications. I’m not allowed to damage the siding at all, plus it’s concrete under that, but I went out and looked and it could be tucked under the siding, I just need a little electrical tape or something to help secure it. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jun 27, 2018 18:56:05 GMT -5
I went out to tuck the cord up with some command strips and I think I was successful. I also discovered the vent hood pest cover for the dryer vent is totally crumbled so I ordered a new one from Amazon. It also has the flappy things but I want the extra protection (also we probably need to get our dryer vents cleaned soon).
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jul 1, 2018 7:43:31 GMT -5
Came home from Minnesota last night to INSANE flash flooding in Des Moines. Like, “we are damn lucky we found a drivable route to our house” flash flooding.
Anyway, we of course had water in the basement. First time in over 5 years owning the house. Sounds like we got relatively lucky compared to some of the neighborhood though
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Post by nowimnothing on Jul 1, 2018 11:14:21 GMT -5
Busy last couple of weeks. I finally ripped out the nasty carpet in the downstairs bath. I went with a grout-able vinyl. Maybe not the most durable, but a lot better than the carpet.  Then this week I got the new appliances installed and stained the kitchen cabinets with a gel stain. I think it turned out alright. Best of all it involved no sanding. Now I just have to replace the countertop and backsplash. Before:  After:   |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Jul 1, 2018 23:28:54 GMT -5
nowimnothing - You are to be commended for eliminating both honey oak cabinetry and bathroom carpet from your home. I only had to rip carpet out of the dining room and the basement (wall-to-wall white shag!). As for my cabinets, I used bullseye primer and white milk paint, which has turned out pretty well. The only downside is when cracks form at the edges and I have to re-coat. Today I installed a wall-mounted 'workstation' in the basement so that I can raise my prices on airbnb. Although it can be a pain in the ass, I like hosting overall and it basically pays for my home maintenance and improvement. Other summer projects include installing a wooden storm door to replace an ugly aluminum one (and to match the pergola I put in over the back window), pulling some hideous carpet off the front steps and refinishing the concrete, and putting in a second flowerbed with a mowing strip. In the winter, I'll change out a bunch of light fixtures and maybe finally get that exhaust hood I've been dreaming of.
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Post by ganews on Jul 2, 2018 8:02:12 GMT -5
Other summer projects include installing a wooden storm door to replace an ugly aluminum one Somehow I have never before considered this as an option that I could do. I guess in my mind a storm door is aluminum and a screen door is wood, painted white, and pulled with a bare spring so it slams. Of course there must be nicer versions. Seeing as how I still haven't gotten around to having the front door replaced, this is something I must think about. |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Jul 2, 2018 21:58:15 GMT -5
Other summer projects include installing a wooden storm door to replace an ugly aluminum one Somehow I have never before considered this as an option that I could do. I guess in my mind a storm door is aluminum and a screen door is wood, painted white, and pulled with a bare spring so it slams. Of course there must be nicer versions. Seeing as how I still haven't gotten around to having the front door replaced, this is something I must think about. Yeah, normally I wouldn't give the storm door/screen door a second thought, but I'm trying to restore some historical accuracy and add curb appeal to the entry of my vintage bungalow. Step one was replacing the ugly motion detector flood light with a nice craftsman porch light. I also designed a custom stained glass insert to fit behind the single pane glass panel in the front door. I broke with tradition to install a ring doorbell, but that's totally worth it to deter package thieves (plus it doesn't look completely out of place). I also scored very cheap brass stair railings from a website that sells grab bars for people with disabilities - $50 shipping included for 5'. I ordered the wooden storm door from a company called Vintage Woodworks, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them. They charged me an extra $200 for shipping and it was delayed because the glass insert was broken. I am now over my $500 budget  but I figure the entrance is a reasonable place to splurge. Thanks to nowimnothing's post, I've now figured out how to easily complete the transformation of the front entry door: I'll gel stain it and replace the hardware. Then I'll get some UV coating film for the glass insert in the storm door (no need for a screen because no one in Chicago leaves their front door open) to protect the new finish on the entry door! Once I rip out the godawful carpet on the front stoop and repair cracks, my shit will be straight out of This Old House. |
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Post by nowimnothing on Jul 3, 2018 7:13:24 GMT -5
Somehow I have never before considered this as an option that I could do. I guess in my mind a storm door is aluminum and a screen door is wood, painted white, and pulled with a bare spring so it slams. Of course there must be nicer versions. Seeing as how I still haven't gotten around to having the front door replaced, this is something I must think about. Yeah, normally I wouldn't give the storm door/screen door a second thought, but I'm trying to restore some historical accuracy and add curb appeal to the entry of my vintage bungalow. Step one was replacing the ugly motion detector flood light with a nice craftsman porch light. I also designed a custom stained glass insert to fit behind the single pane glass panel in the front door. I broke with tradition to install a ring doorbell, but that's totally worth it to deter package thieves (plus it doesn't look completely out of place). I also scored very cheap brass stair railings from a website that sells grab bars for people with disabilities - $50 shipping included for 5'. I ordered the wooden storm door from a company called Vintage Woodworks, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them. They charged me an extra $200 for shipping and it was delayed because the glass insert was broken. I am now over my $500 budget but I figure the entrance is a reasonable place to splurge. Thanks to nowimnothing's post, I've now figured out how to easily complete the transformation of the front entry door: I'll gel stain it and replace the hardware. Then I'll get some UV coating film for the glass insert in the storm door (no need for a screen because no one in Chicago leaves their front door open) to protect the new finish on the entry door! Once I rip out the godawful carpet on the front stoop and repair cracks, my shit will be straight out of This Old House. This is the stuff I used: www.amazon.com/General-Finishes-JQ-Stain-quart/dp/B001DSY50Y/ref=lp_3029218011_1_1?srs=3029218011&ie=UTF8&qid=1530619537&sr=8-1It was kind of messy and it took me a couple of practice runs to get the hang of it, but it was a lot cheaper and easier than a real refinishing job. I just brushed it on and wiped off each section with a clean paper towel within 5-10 minutes. I was mainly wiping off the brush strokes and letting the wood grain come through. I see other people treated it more like paint, but I like the effect I got. I used less than half a quart for my whole kitchen. It does take a few days to fully dry and it will probably need a poly coat on top, but I am really happy with it so far. |
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but I figure the entrance is a reasonable place to splurge. Thanks to