Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house? | Page 436 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house?

Jampy00 said:
When can you start... lol
I was thinking of doing it myself, but will have to wait for nicer weather (I have indoor projects to do)
I'll have to attend Youtube university for some pointers as this is something I have never done and want to only have to do it once.
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@mimico_polak and his dad were looking for a side hustle… eaves and soffits could keep them busy. $1000/day plus material and they’ll be booked till the end of time.
 
jc100 said:
One other thing the collective brains may be able to help with. This is somewhat simpler:

We have an on-grade lower room with a concrete floor (with a floating engineered wood floor on top). It’s part of an old addition. There’s a door to this room that leads outside and the door is set onto a small concrete step. So part of this step is outside and part is inside the room. With it being the lowest room in the house it can get humid at times and as a result of the temperature discrepancy between inside and outside the step gets stained with mould stains on the inside from condensation. So we scrub it down, and have painted it in the past but it just keeps coming back. I’m tired of it now and it looks ugly when it’s stained so is there something I can do to stop it getting mould on it? I was wondering if I could glue a panel to the front face of the step to insulate it a bit from the temperature difference or something?

We do have a good furnace and decent AC that is effective in this room but there’s obviously just enough condensation for mould to form on that step.
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So there is a piece of concrete exposed to the inside and outside of the building envelope? That sucks.

As a first cut, air circulation (fan) probably fixes the mold issue. You are losing even more heat than now though.

I assume that R&Ring this step is more work than you are interested in. I would be tempted to lift the threshold and saw cut to create a break. Not perfect but far better than straight conduction. Capping the step could work but I suspect you will have issues with space to accommodate the required insulation. If you cap it the concrete will run even colder than now. I'm not sure you can seal it well enough to prevent water from collecting there. Burying the mold isn't better imo. If you can R&R the step, reinstalling in two pieces with a layer of foam in the middle will solve your problem.

A simple solution would be a heated mat on the step on the inside. That adds a bit of heat to that room and more importantly makes the concrete run a few degrees warmer. Expensive heat compared to the alternatives though and obviously heat conduction down into the concrete won't be great. A small forced air heater would work too (air movement plus heat really put a hurting on the mold) but looks like hell and costs a bunch to run.
 
jc100 said:
One other thing the collective brains may be able to help with. This is somewhat simpler:

We have an on-grade lower room with a concrete floor (with a floating engineered wood floor on top). It’s part of an old addition. There’s a door to this room that leads outside and the door is set onto a small concrete step. So part of this step is outside and part is inside the room. With it being the lowest room in the house it can get humid at times and as a result of the temperature discrepancy between inside and outside the step gets stained with mould stains on the inside from condensation. So we scrub it down, and have painted it in the past but it just keeps coming back. I’m tired of it now and it looks ugly when it’s stained so is there something I can do to stop it getting mould on it? I was wondering if I could glue a panel to the front face of the step to insulate it a bit from the temperature difference or something?

We do have a good furnace and decent AC that is effective in this room but there’s obviously just enough condensation for mould to form on that step.
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Beer can condensation. That cold sill is condensing moisture from the house, mold likes that.

1/2” of styrofoam glued to the concrete will stop that. Then glue on the drywall or wood trim and your problem is solved.
 
GreyGhost said:
So there is a piece of concrete exposed to the inside and outside of the building envelope? That sucks.

As a first cut, air circulation (fan) probably fixes the mold issue. You are losing even more heat than now though.

I assume that R&Ring this step is more work than you are interested in. I would be tempted to lift the threshold and saw cut to create a break. Not perfect but far better than straight conduction. Capping the step could work but I suspect you will have issues with space to accommodate the required insulation. If you cap it the concrete will run even colder than now. I'm not sure you can seal it well enough to prevent water from collecting there. Burying the mold isn't better imo. If you can R&R the step, reinstalling in two pieces with a layer of foam in the middle will solve your problem.

A simple solution would be a heated mat on the step on the inside. That adds a bit of heat to that room and more importantly makes the concrete run a few degrees warmer. Expensive heat compared to the alternatives though and obviously heat conduction down into the concrete won't be great. A small forced air heater would work too (air movement plus heat really put a hurting on the mold) but looks like hell and costs a bunch to run.
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Concrete work in a confined space is a painful mess but, as mentioned, a thermal break is a big help. Anyone that had an aluminum framed patio door without a thermal break can testify to the run off.

Heating the sill with an embedded cable would help and the power of ~150 watts would be a few cents per hour. The installation would consist of messy concrete removal, ordering a custom cable, providing a low voltage GFI supply plus control, concrete replacement etc. It might be easier and cheaper to build a mud room.

In the "Anything is better than nothing" school of thought, would a couple of slots cut by a diamond blade in a skil saw and filled with foam be worth the effort? Dusty as a sandstorm.
 
Since I'm a sucker for punishment, what would one use to build something like this (concept not exact) in our basement for a TV wall unit?

1701961032504.png

Or is it not even worth it and just buy a set from IKEA that will most closely match the available space?

1701961479346.png
 
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mimico_polak said:
Since I'm a sucker for punishment, what would one use to build something like this (concept not exact) in our basement for a TV wall unit?

View attachment 64749

Or is it not even worth it and just buy a set from IKEA that will most closely match the available space?
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You can always hack some ikea units to make that. Depending on dimensions the centre section can be kitchen upper cabinets (used, Ikea, or bigbox) and two book cases for the ends. That is the quickest way but maybe not the cheapest if buying everything new.

The other option is to do some cabinet making with sheet goods, plywood, MDF, etc. and paint it.
 
backmarkerducati said:
You can always hack some ikea units to make that. Depending on dimensions the centre section can be kitchen upper cabinets (used, Ikea, or bigbox) and two book cases for the ends. That is the quickest way but maybe not the cheapest if buying everything new.

The other option is to do some cabinet making with sheet goods, plywood, MDF, etc. and paint it.
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I agree with seeing if a Ikea hack will work.
 
I’d dice up some MDF so you can get exactly what you want , not cabbaged together misfits .
And don’t buy the MDF from the big box store , those guys buy the worst grade and it’s about 30% hardwood . You want all softwood in a plus grade .


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Mad Mike said:
Beer can condensation. That cold sill is condensing moisture from the house, mold likes that.

1/2” of styrofoam glued to the concrete will stop that. Then glue on the drywall or wood trim and your problem is solved.
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Thanks Mike. I’ll do that for the front face of the step. What about the top that would be stepped on? Is there a structural dense polystyrene that can be used or am I going to need to build some kind of wooden case for this.

Edit: actually, just checked again and it looks like the door jam on top of the step is doing a decent job. It’s just the front face inside. I’ll see about some styrofoam.
 
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jc100 said:
Thanks Mike. I’ll do that for the front face of the step. What about the top that would be stepped on? Is there a structural dense polystyrene that can be used or am I going to need to build some kind of wooden case for this.

Edit: actually, just checked again and it looks like the door jam on top of the step is doing a decent job. It’s just the front face inside. I’ll see about some styrofoam.
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You don’t need much, just a thermal break. The SM 1/2” should do.

If there is a lip on the top side, a small piece of hardwood flooring can be ripped to fit as trim.

Send pics when you’re done.
 
crankcall said:
I’d dice up some MDF so you can get exactly what you want , not cabbaged together misfits .
And don’t buy the MDF from the big box store , those guys buy the worst grade and it’s about 30% hardwood . You want all softwood in a plus grade .


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HDs etc are the Walmarts of building materials. They consider red oak, poplar, and birch exotic lumber.

Where do the peons find find better products in small quantities?

If a person is going to spend a week building something why have it look crappy over the convenience of a big box store. Better materials are also often easier to work with.

Hardwoods aren't too bad with several mills just outside the GTA but I find sheets are a challenge.
 
nobbie48 said:
Where do the peons find find better products in small quantities?
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Exotic woods in Burlington is decent. A lot like shopping at whole foods though. Puts a real hurting on your wallet.

Royal wood shop in aurora used to have some nice stuff. It got bulldozed and I have no idea what is happening with them now.
 
Jampy00 said:
I agree with seeing if a Ikea hack will work.
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I picked up an IKEA entertainment unit with a big screen TV opening for $50 at Restore. A quick modification to deepen the TV section to make it desk size gave me a Rec room office with some book shelves and storage.

While it isn't the exact right thing it was ten cents on the dollar and serves as a work horse while she who can't make up her mind makes up her mind.
 
MCFaddens in missisauga/oakville will sell to consumers if you know what you’re talking about when you go in . They have a good hardwood ply sht range and MDF variety . The Woodshed in Smithville is good , Exotic in Burlington are good guys , but as GG said , not giving anything away .
If you go to a wholesaler like McFaddens , take a truck , they are not putting anything on the roof of your minivan .


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GreyGhost said:
Exotic woods in Burlington is decent. A lot like shopping at whole foods though. Puts a real hurting on your wallet.

Royal wood shop in aurora used to have some nice stuff. It got bulldozed and I have no idea what is happening with them now.
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Royal has a spanking new shop at the SE corner of Woodbine and Green Lane.

I roll by it every day!
 
Realized I’d be horrible at hiding a body. I have reason to believe a neighbour at the cottage killed a raccoon and brought it to our property.

Single wound to the head, fresh blood and tracks in the snow. Camera didn’t catch it.

Buried it in the yard.
 
Single head wound , no bullet to dig out of the carcass . Bbq right there, opportunity missed .


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crankcall said:
MCFaddens in missisauga/oakville will sell to consumers if you know what you’re talking about when you go in . They have a good hardwood ply sht range and MDF variety . The Woodshed in Smithville is good , Exotic in Burlington are good guys , but as GG said , not giving anything away .
If you go to a wholesaler like McFaddens , take a truck , they are not putting anything on the roof of your minivan .


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I picked up a short piece of white oak at the Woodshed the other day. I don't like their cherry though. Otherwise it's a candy store for woodworkers.
 
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