The Home Improvement Thread. Successes and Failures

[burd]

Bosch also makes very good woodworking tools, for the most part.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Most modern dishwashers have adjustable upper racks to allow for taller items in the bottom.

I meant general fit, not height

One of the dishwashers I looked at had the plates almost at a 60-deg angle given the curvature of the plates. Would have been impossible to load properly.

our deeper bowls don't fit great anywhere. Major PITA to wash several at a time. Wouldn't have been a dealbreaker but it was did the plates didn't set right.

 

[dxmnkd316]

I'm a dummy and didn't realize this until six months after moving into this house with a newer one. Complained like curmudgeon for that time any time we used large plates. Sister in law who had recently shopped for a new one was over for dinner one night was helping load the dishwasher and grabbed the sides of the top rack and moved it up. My brain didn't really comprehend what happened for a second, it was like magic.

The washer in question is a kitchen aid, by the way. We love it. Always heard great things about Bosch though. Make nice windshield wipers, too. :^)

I bought an adapter for the back water port that the middle rack connects to. I can take out the top two racks and wash an entire sheet pan in it. Not the sheet pans most of us have, I'm talking a legit full sheet pan.

I sometimes use it with smoker runs. I can fit that sheet pan and most of the rest of the smoker parts in one load.

 

[Scarlet]

So, I went to the appliance store where I bought my washer and dryer last year. Told the guy what happened, that I needed a dishwasher pretty quickly, how maybe I would need to get a dishwasher/stove/fridge so they would all be the same color, how I may seriously start thinking about a kitchen re-design, etc. He finds a GE dishwasher (my current one is a GE) that is cream colored. It was in stock. Bought it, it's going to installed in a week. I think I was there maybe 10 minutes. At the very least, this will buy me time to think about an overall kitchen re-deisgn. If I get a year out of it, it's a major plus!

 

[Swansong]

We had Phase III of project "Upgrade the Electrical" in our nearly-100 year old house last week. Now, all outlets are grounded and updated inside. The next phase will be in the spring when we tackle outdoor lighting.


Phase I: upgrade service to 200 amps
Phase II: update/upgrade wiring on first floor
Phase III: update/upgrade wiring on second floor

MA has a stupid circuit breaker fee, where if an electrician does work on a line, they have to trace it all the way back to the breaker and make sure it's a new GFCI switch (and a $200 fee per circuit, apparently).

 

[Spartanforlife4]

For those with hardwood floors, what do you use to keep furniture from scratching/marking?

Just had them redone and obviously don’t want that investment to go to waste. We got felt/EZ glide pads for chairs and tables, but the consensus seems to be that those aren’t a great idea couches because if it slides at all the weight will dig any dust or dirt into the floor and scratch it even with the pad.

Rubber pads look to be a good option, but some reviews say they messed with the finish on the hardwood and left yellowish squares. They’re a small percentage of reviews, but it’s hard not to be paranoid when any spot fix essentially requires the entire floor to be redone.

Rug may be what we end up with in the future, but the cost and time to find something big enough that looks good enough and isn’t some cheap plastic thing isn’t the most efficient solution at the moment.

 

[LynahFan]

For those with hardwood floors, what do you use to keep furniture from scratching/marking?

Just had them redone and obviously don’t want that investment to go to waste. We got felt/EZ glide pads for chairs and tables, but the consensus seems to be that those aren’t a great idea couches because if it slides at all the weight will dig any dust or dirt into the floor and scratch it even with the pad.

Rubber pads look to be a good option, but some reviews say they messed with the finish on the hardwood and left yellowish squares. They’re a small percentage of reviews, but it’s hard not to be paranoid when any spot fix essentially requires the entire floor to be redone.

Rug may be what we end up with in the future, but the cost and time to find something big enough that looks good enough and isn’t some cheap plastic thing isn’t the most efficient solution at the moment.

I don’t have a good suggestion, but definitely stay away from the felt pads, especially for things like dining chairs that you expect to move frequently. The pads won’t stick over time, and if there is anything worse than a floor protected by felt pads, it’s one that you *think* is protected. Ugh - been there.

 

[burd]

For those with hardwood floors, what do you use to keep furniture from scratching/marking?

Just had them redone and obviously don’t want that investment to go to waste. We got felt/EZ glide pads for chairs and tables, but the consensus seems to be that those aren’t a great idea couches because if it slides at all the weight will dig any dust or dirt into the floor and scratch it even with the pad.

Rubber pads look to be a good option, but some reviews say they messed with the finish on the hardwood and left yellowish squares. They’re a small percentage of reviews, but it’s hard not to be paranoid when any spot fix essentially requires the entire floor to be redone.

Rug may be what we end up with in the future, but the cost and time to find something big enough that looks good enough and isn’t some cheap plastic thing isn’t the most efficient solution at the moment.

I've used felt pads for years with good results. Just try to lift some of the weight when you move big pieces. Also, add a dab of CD adhesive (super glue) to the pad when you attach it. The self adhesive is good, but it will dry and ultimately want to fall off. First, though, don't put furniture on the floor for 30 days to allow the finish to fully cure. All my floors are hardwood, and I installed or refinished all of them. The only place I experienced damage was a chair with rubber wheels, even though I had a mat underneath, and that was just carelessness on my part.

 

[burd]

All clear now? (Smiley)

 

[Spartanforlife4]

All clear now? (Smiley)

Perfectly clear. Don’t use them and use them exclusively (apparently smilies don’t work so throw a wink at the end)

Good news is I used just in a relative term. We’re already passed the 30 day mark so making sure it’s cured isn’t an issue.

 

[burd]

I’m sure Lynah is accurately describing his experience, and I have no reason to question it. I’ll just add that if you do try pads, use high quality, thick ones—3/16 - 1/4 inch range.

 

[dxmnkd316]

So I'm moving my office downstairs and painting it. Trying to decide on paint colors. I want to do a light anthracite gray and have a stencil M on maroon and gold. For the fucking life of me I cannot find a maroon or a gold that matches the official colors on an authentic jersey i own. Nor can anyone take the Pantone colors from MN's branding site because Pantone (obviously) is a different system and they don't translate exactly. It's just so effing frustrating.

I think I've grabbed every maroon I can find at Home Depot and Menards. I suppose I should swing by Lowes and some of the legit paint stores.

I'll probably end up just doing it by eye like I should have from the start and just lived with it

 

[burd]

Good luck on finding the right color, dx.

I've come so far

 

[Slap Shot]

So I'm moving my office downstairs and painting it. Trying to decide on paint colors. I want to do a light anthracite gray and have a stencil M on maroon and gold. For the fucking life of me I cannot find a maroon or a gold that matches the official colors on an authentic jersey i own. Nor can anyone take the Pantone colors from MN's branding site because Pantone (obviously) is a different system and they don't translate exactly. It's just so effing frustrating.

I think I've grabbed every maroon I can find at Home Depot and Menards. I suppose I should swing by Lowes and some of the legit paint stores.

I'll probably end up just doing it by eye like I should have from the start and just lived with it

Given the U itself can't ever seem to get a consistent color scheme I'm not surprised by these events.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Given the U itself can't ever seem to get a consistent color scheme I'm not surprised by these events.

Yeah, I have one authentic and an authorized replica from VintageHockey. None of the colors match. I could throw every M&G clothing item in a pile and never find the same maroon or gold twice.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

That's like trying to match MTU gold. I gave up and picked a nice calming shade of teal for my office accent wall, and I'll worry about MTU gold as I build out the basement man cave in the coming months.

Home Depot home delivery grinds my gears. I had to reorder a bunch of materials for our kitchen remodel, after our contractor told us what we originally purchased would not work (of course). HD said they'd be here this Friday. This morning I get an email that - surprise! - it's all being delivered today, the day after I ordered it. FedEx Ground truck shows up at 10:30a and an overweight driver with no help has to unload an 8 ft. piece of maple butcher block. He was NOT happy and was already on the phone to his dispatcher or supervisor or whatever to complain. Fiance then has to clock out for a work "break" to help me drag it into the house.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Yeah, it's mostly going to be a gray somewhere between light and medium gray here most likely.

SOmething along these lines, though, on a much larger wall...

 

[Swansong]

FYI - my 95ish year old house is almost entirely hard wood flooring. We use felt pads of appropriate thickness to avoid scratching. No issues so far. Just need to be careful if moving things so the pads don't slip out.

 

[SJHovey]

FYI - my 95ish year old house is almost entirely hard wood flooring. We use felt pads of appropriate thickness to avoid scratching. No issues so far. Just need to be careful if moving things so the pads don't slip out.

Yeah, we have a 100+ year old Victorian with hardwood floors, and we've just used pads. However, up until about two years ago it didn't matter because we also had a golden retriever and german shorthair.

 

[Swansong]

Yeah, we have a 100+ year old Victorian with hardwood floors, and we've just used pads. However, up until about two years ago it didn't matter because we also had a golden retriever and german shorthair.

So, mobile scratch machines.


I also got floor pads to go under my wheelie office chairs. The ones for carpets have the teeth to hold them in place, the ones for hardwood/pergo are flat and smooth.