Some homeowners like the idea of using the attic for storage space, and some choose to install an attic ladder, but you can't just leave a big hole in your ceiling.
The hole in the garage ceiling breaches the fire rating, and restoring the rating will take measures that you may prefer not to do. Many homeowners enjoy the attic's storage capacity, but many are unaware of the increased fire risk. It's always safer to repair the fire rating of the ceiling rather than just cover the hole.
It is a code requirement to use fire-rated drywall in the ceiling of your garage. The drywall is five-eighths of an inch thick and has "type-x" stamped on it. It also has noncombustible fibers added to it to achieve fire-resistance ratings, and its thickness slows the transfer of heat during exposure to fire.
If you have a big hole in your ceiling and a fire starts in the garage, it can get into the attic. You can buy a fire-rated access door, but these are typically special-order items and cost several hundred dollars. They are fairly easy to install though.
The fact that you want to cover the hole for cosmetic purposes is personal preference, just be aware that the danger of an attic fire exists.
So, to make your ceiling hole semi-attractive again, you will need a piece of type-x drywall, as well as some molding to hold it in place. Realize that using the fire-resistant drywall panel alone isn't going to restore the fire rating. There will be a gap around the perimeter of the panel, and the panel will be held in place with wood molding.
You want the drywall panel to be slightly smaller than the actuall hole in your ceiling. You can make the panel one-half inch smaller in both length and width, so that when you do go into the attic, the panel will be easy to remove.
You can easily cut the drywall with a drywall saw, or you can use a utility knife and score the paper on one side, break the drywall along the score line, and then cut the paper on the back side.
To hold the panel in place, buy some molding and cut it to fit. You want the molding to have a one-half inch lip along the inside perimeter of the opening. That way, the drywall panel will rest on it as it sits inside the opening. Try using a miter saw and cut 45-degree angles at the ends for square corners and a clean appearance.
Nail the molding to the ceiling and into the ceiling joists so that the nail penetrates the joist by at least three-quarters of an inch. If you feel froggy, you can texture the drywall and paint it to match the surrounding ceiling.
A customer's father was coming home after a lengthy stay in the hospital and he needed some shower grab bars installed to help him maintain his footing as he showered. He wanted some advice on where to install them.
My brother is a licensed Physical Therapist and works exclusively with home bound patients. He runs into this all the time and so I questioned him on his opinions. He said that each situation should be individually evaluated. However, here are the main points:
1. Vertical Bar At Entrance To Shower Or Tub
A 12" bar seems to be a good length, and it is typically located near shoulder-height.
2. Diagonal Bar Along The Back Wall.
This would be a longer bar, typically 36-48 inches, and installed at around arm pit height at its highest point and sloping downward from there.
3. The Length Is Up To The Individual As Is The Finish Of The Bar And The Thickness.
These details would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For example, if the patient has smaller hands, then a smaller diameter grab bar would be in order.
4. Don't Forget The Toilet
A vertical bar at the toilet on the wall approx 6 inches in front of knee when sitting and located slightly above the shoulder when sitting, so the patient can pull upwards and go from a sitting to standing position.
If you would like information on how to install grab bars, read my article on Shower Grab Bar Installation.
The edge of your kitchen countertop takes a beating. I can't tell you how many houses I've been in where the ceramic edge tiles on a counter are broken or cracked. Either someone drops something on them or hits them from underneath. The result is a sharp edge that needs replacing.
The job gets easy if you have a replacement tile. You can find several colors of white and off-white at home centers, as well as different colors of grout. You will be looking for a V-Cap edge tile. This tile is pre-molded with a round over built in, so instead of creating a corner with 2 tiles, this one tile is shaped like the letter "L".
1. Remove The Rest Of The Broken Tile
You can remove the grout from around the tile you are replacing with a grout grabber tool or a Dremel tool. Once the grout has been cleared, pry up the broken tile with a screwdriver or pry bar.
2. Remove The Old Mortar
Use a flat blade or a scraper and get rid of the old mortar so that you have a nice smooth surface to work with, then vacuum up the debris.
3. Mix Up A Batch Of Thin-Set Mortar
Mix up a small amount of thin-set and let it slake per the manufacturer's specifications (usually around 10 minutes). Use the suggested notched trowel and apply the mortar.
4. Install The Tile
Cut (if necessary) and install the new tile and use blue painters tape to hold it in place. The last thing you want is for the tile to move slightly causing you to do the job all over again. The tape can easily be removed when the mortar hardens.
5. Grout And Clean
Finally, mix up some grout and fill the voids. After that it's a matter of sponging off the excess grout and buffing the tiles with a clean cloth. For more information, read my article on ceramic tile replacement.
A nice finishing touch in a room is the paint. A big complaint that I hear from do-it-yourselfers is that when they are painting the wall one color and the baseboard a different color, the paint line between them is poor. You've probably seen them...due to the texture on the wall and the roughness of the baseboard, the paint is not very crisp.
What we want is a perfect line between the baseboard and the wall. This is easy to do with a thin bead of caulking and some tape. Use a tube of paintable caulking loaded in a caulking gun and squeeze a consistent bead of caulking along the top edge of the baseboard. The smaller the bead the better, as you don't want a big glob of caulking to paint. Take your finger and, starting in a corner, smooth the bead out along the entire perimeter of the room. If you lift your finger mid-baseboard, the paint will show it, so make one long continuous sweep. When you are done smoothing, let it completely dry.
Getting a perfect line between 2 colors of paint requires that you first paint one surface, let it dry, then paint the other. Which ever you choose to do first, paint beyond where you want the line to fall. For example, if you paint the baseboard first, paint a little of the wall too. Then, use blue painters tape, and in one continuous piece, cover the area you do not want to get the second color of paint on. The edge of the tape must fall on the caulking, so that both colors end up on the caulking. This is crucial because the smooth caulking will allow you to pull the tape and leave a perfect line.
Remember the old skinny light switches that were usually almond color? They were great in the 1970's but now...not so much. It is easy to upgrade that to a more modern rocker-style light switch and while you are at it, upgrade the electrical outlets too. The rocker switches are wider and taller than the traditional switches. You can really go crazy with all the choices you have. Some switches are illuminated, and some don't move at all, instead they operate by sensing your touch.
You can buy new switches, outlets, and wall covers by the box and save some cash buying in bulk. Installing them is easy and requires only a screwdriver. Before you start, take an inventory of the number and kind of switches you will need. For example, the number of regular switches, dimmer switches, 2-way switches, standard outlets, GFCI outlets, etc. It's probably a good idea to get them in white rather than almond, as white looks cleaner is more modern.
Here is some information on how to replace a light switch. Replacing an outlet is virtually identical. Match up the wires to the switch or outlet terminals and connect them in the same positions...just make sure you turn off the power at the main panel.
What do you do when you discover a cabinet shelf is sagging? Well to start, it's probably a good idea to remove some or all of the weight off of it. The chances are good that it started sagging due to poor quality of the shelf material, and maybe that the shelf got wet and the weight on it started the sagging process. We see this a lot underneath kitchen sinks...a leak will develop and won't be discovered until it's too late. By that time, the water has saturated the shelf, and the weight of detergent, trash can, water filtration tanks, etc. will cause the sagging.
You can always build a stronger shelf out of ¾" plywood and put a solid edge on it. The edge acts as a brace to stiffen up the shelf. The edge can be made of 1"x2" solid wood and can be painted or stained to match the existing shelves.
When replacing the base of a kitchen cabinet, you really have to plan on the cabinet base getting wet. At some point, there will be a leak and the floorboard will likely be exposed to water for a period of time.
Melamine is a good product to use. It is basically particle board covered by a water-resistant plastic. If water leaks into the cabinet, the wood won't be exposed to the water and won't become damaged. The challenge is that the size of the cabinet floor is fairly large. You can't get a replacement board in there without either cutting it in half or by removing the cabinet support, installing the replacement floor, and then reinstalling the support.
Sometimes the support is held in place with a plastic bracket which can be removed. The other option is to cut the support with a hand saw, install the board, and resecure the support.
Cabinet drawers can also suffer from abuse. Here is some information on cabinet drawer repair.
An instant hot water dispenser is a convenient kitchen appliance. Instead of using the regular kitchen faucet and waiting for the water to get hot, an instant hot water dispenser delivers hot water instantly. Very hot water. Although you can set the dispenser to deliver hot water like a traditional kitchen faucet, this dispenser delivers very hot water. In fact, most come pre-set at 200 degrees. You can use them for instant soup, cofee or tea.
Sometimes though, they don't work correctly. However, there are several things you can do before you start thinking about replacing the unit.
1. Press The Reset Button
Some units have a reset button that restarts the unit. If it overheats for example, the heater will stop. Depressing the reset button will restart the unit.
2. No Power At The Outlet
If the outlet that the unit is plugged into is not providing power, the unit will not heat. You may need to reset a circuit breaker or GFCI to restore power.
3. Make Sure The Outlet Isn't Switched
Some outlets are "half-hot" or switched outlets under the kitchen sink. The top half of the outlet is for the garbage disposal to turn it on or off. If the hot water dispenser is plugged into this outlet and the switch is "off", it will not receive power to operate.
4. Adjust The Thermostat
If your hot water dispenser is spitting out steam and water, it is set too high. Conversely, if the water is not hot enough, you need to adjust the thermostat to your desired temperature.
5. Check The Water Supply
If your unit won't deliver a good stream of water, or just drips when you depress the faucet, check to see that the lines underneath the unit are not kinked and that the valves supplying the water are fully open. Also you might check to see that there is no debris in the spout of the dispenser by unscrewing the end piece. Finally, if the water pressure is low (typically less than 30 psi), the unit will not operate.
I'm sure there are many ways to screw up a garbage disposal, but here are 6 common ones.
1. Don't Remove The Knockout Plug
When installing a new disposal, if you have a dishwasher you are supposed to remove a small plug in the side of the disposal inlet. This allows the dishwasher to drain into it instead of draining out of the air gap and onto your counter. When someone calls saying they have water on the countertop, I always ask if the disposal is new. If it is new, whoever installed it forgot to remove the plug.
2. Don't Trim The Airgap Hose
This hose runs from the air gap (that little nubby thing on top of your counter) to the garbage disposal and is made of thick rubber. If this hose is even slightly too long, it will tend to crease and obstruct the flow of water as the dishwasher drains. You guessed it...more water on your counter.
3. Don't Fully Tighten The Disposal's Collar
Where the disposal mounts to the underside of the sink is a collar will little tabs around it. These round tabs allow you to stick a screwdriver in and fully tighten it until it "bottoms out". Well a disposal vibrates as it grinds, especially when it's full of food, and if the collar isn't totally tight, the disposal could work it's way loose.
4. Grind Things You're Not Supposed To
We all know that there are foods that don't belong in a disposal. Grind them at your own peril. Things like potato peels and celery are kryptonite to a garbage disposal. These types of things will cause a backup and lots of unpleasant smells.
5. Let Food Scraps Pile Up In The Disposal
You have a disposal, right? Then turn it on! It is surprising to me how many people will put food down there but won't grind it up. The smell of rotting food will make you run.
6. Don't Upgrade To A Stronger Disposal
For another $20.00 you can go from a 1/3 horsepower disposal to ½ horsepower. The money is well worth it. A stronger disposal will plow through things that the weaker one will not, and that means you get to unjamb the weaker one or call someone who can.
Every week, a customer will call asking to convert their laundry area from gas to electric. Specifically, they have an electric clothes dryer but they don't have the electric plug in the wall. Typically, these are customers that have moved from the East coast out to the west. So they move into a house with a gas hookup but without the 220 volt electical outlet to power their dryer.
They usually don't like my answer. When I ask them why they would want to switch from gas to electric, they say that their clothes dryer runs on electricity. Fair enough. I tell them that an electrician is going to charge them a minimum of several hundred dollars to run power to the location, plus electricity is more expensive than gas to power their dryer over the next umpteen years. The answer is to buy a gas dryer.
Over the long run, it's going to be cheaper to purchase a gas dryer. Although a new gas dryer costs slightly more than the cost of a new electric dryer, the cost per load of clothes is lower for a gas dryer. A gas dryer heats up faster and runs hotter than an electric dryer. According to Southwest Gas, a gas dryer will dry clothes 20% faster than an electric dryer. According to NV Energy (at the time of this writing), drying a load of laundry in an electric dryer costs $.17 per load while a gas dryer costs $.05 per load. If you are considering replacing your washer and dryer, here is an article on how to install a washer and dryer.
A customer called the other day asking about a problem he was having with his tankless water heater. He said it was just installed and he bought it new from a home center. His complaint was that when he ran a faucet everything was fine and he got hot water, but when he ran a shower or bathtub...no hot water!
I started asking questions and he sheepishly told me he paid someone he just met to install it. Apparently, he met the guy in the parking lot of the home center and he was believable enough to get the job. The reason he was calling me was that he couldn't get ahold of the guy he met in the parking lot. Hello? Are you serious? This customer paid $1,500.00 for a new tankless water heater and let some shark trolling the parking lot install it on the cheap. This guy made a bad decision and he knew it.
After speaking to the customer, it was pretty obvious the installer didn't know what he was doing. This was a gas tankless water heater, and although they will save energy on your monthly gas bill, they demand a lot of energy when they are actively heating water. Most of our homes have a ½" gas line which is fine for a typical tank-style water heater. For a tankless, the gas line needs to be upgraded to a ¾" gas line. That was one of the problems with this installation. The installer (and I use the term loosely), simply added a ¾" adapter onto the existing ½" gas line. Big mistake. Although the guy was able to connect the gas line to the water heater, it still was a ½" gas supply. A new ¾" line needed to be run to properly supply the water heater.
With a tankless, there are typically venting considerations also, due to the venting being much closer to the burner, and consequently burning much hotter. The point is, this probably isn't a job for someone inexperienced in installing a tankless water heater.