Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

**Hopeless Sinner** · 11-24-2021, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by toast2266

Tamarack seems entirely plausible since there's boatloads of that stuff around here.

Here's a pic of the underside of a piece that we pulled out of a bathroom. Does this help with the wood species sleuthing?

Wood species sleuthing is best done w a cross section.

**Supermoon** · 11-25-2021, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by muted reborn

I should stay out of this but I won't - that doesn't look like oak at all.

Anyone here retrofit led lights to their old can lights at home? I'm thinking of buying a box of these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerci...-259/303780877

Then if I like them, retrofit all 20 can lights in my house to LED via this method. Much easier than taking out the old cans and putting in stand-alone LED recessed lighting. My question is - anything I'm not considering?

::::::: will say the light quality may shift over the years and buy more expensive ones that cost $500/each, that's all I can think of.

Put something similar to this in my living room. Huge improvement over the old trims that were on them, and they match the cans we installed some other places in the house.

They were a bit finicky to get so they wouldn’t sag in the can, but have had no issues with them otherwise.

**Core Shot** · 11-25-2021, 06:35 PM

Did someone ask about

The Larch?

**spanky** · 11-27-2021, 07:46 PM

To revisit the table saw discussion, I just ordered this Skil table saw for $250…

SKIL 15 Amp 10 Inch Table Saw with Stand- TS6307-00 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F9RFJ2K/

**ski-wpk** · 11-27-2021, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by Supermoon

Put something similar to this in my living room. Huge improvement over the old trims that were on them, and they match the cans we installed some other places in the house.

They were a bit finicky to get so they wouldn’t sag in the can, but have had no issues with them otherwise.

I did this with about 20 cans last year. Bought the ~$15/ea option from HD with adjustable temperature. Some sagging given the cheap spring mechanism, but nothing a thin bead of caulk around the trim didn’t fix.

**BC13** · 11-27-2021, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by spanky

To revisit the table saw discussion, I just ordered this Skil table saw for $250…

SKIL 15 Amp 10 Inch Table Saw with Stand- TS6307-00 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F9RFJ2K/

That Skil looks like a nice portable saw. Good choice.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

**DLD in UT** · 11-28-2021, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by ski-wpk

I did this with about 20 cans last year. Bought the ~$15/ea option from HD with adjustable temperature. Some sagging given the cheap spring mechanism, but nothing a thin bead of caulk around the trim didn’t fix.

Make sure you get the adjustable temp ones. HD had a terrible batch of the fixed ones this year, you'll see it in the reviews. During our remodel we put in a bunch and in the first month about 1/4th of them shorted out. The adjustable temp ones are fine.

**::: :::** · 11-28-2021, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by DLD in UT

HD [snip] and in the first month about 1/4th of them shorted out

#valueproposition

**DLD in UT** · 11-28-2021, 12:47 PM

Our contractor had it happen at 3 other homes as well. He replaced them all and is handling it with HD. If I had done it on my own, I wouldn't have gotten them from HD in the first place... The amount of material waste is ridiculous, too. The whole housing, etc just all gets thrown away now.

**muted reborn** · 11-28-2021, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by Supermoon

Put something similar to this in my living room. Huge improvement over the old trims that were on them, and they match the cans we installed some other places in the house.

They were a bit finicky to get so they wouldn’t sag in the can, but have had no issues with them otherwise.

I have some that sag a shit load and a thin bead of caulk is not going to help. is there a trick to working getting them flush to the ceiling? I can't tell if it's the can design, the flip clip, or the combo of both.

I'm thinking of buying ones that are designed well but there is no way to tell if they are designed well until you try installing it. Just threw one of those cheap fuckers across the room - I'll give them credit for not breaking easy, but that's it.

**muted reborn** · 11-28-2021, 01:06 PM

Never mind - I watched a youtube video.

**Supermoon** · 11-28-2021, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by muted reborn

Never mind - I watched a youtube video.

Oh nice. My existing cans have a few slots in them that the metal spring arms sit in. Not sure if that’s how it’s meant to go, but it works.

**tgapp** · 11-28-2021, 03:45 PM

I have a 30" sink base cabinet with a 28.5" opening. Wifey fell in love with a 29" sink - is there any way to make this work?

Also I have the concrete trash can video for you bastards, I'll upload it and share shortly.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

**I Skied Bandini Mountain** · 11-28-2021, 04:07 PM

Yes. Difficulty is depending on what's next to the sink cabinet and if you have a subtop or not, sink is undermount or not.

I'm guessing a DW is on one side, and a drawer bank on the other. If you cut away the sink cab sides to allow the sink to fit, you can reinforce the DW side behind the faceframe to hold up the counter. If it's an undermount sink, you might have to preinstall it to the counter before the counter goes on the cabs (but that's a pain in the ass). If you do a subtop on top of the cabinets, and it's undermount, you can do a tight sink cutout in the subtop material, let in the sink lip into the subtop material, then install the counter with lots of goop to seal the sink.

Hope that makes sense, and yes I've done this thing many times.

**climberevan** · 11-28-2021, 04:20 PM

ISBM nailed it.

We need that video.

**tgapp** · 11-28-2021, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by climberevan

ISBM nailed it.

We need that video.

https://youtu.be/gFLb7SOJWhA

How do I support the sink from the dishwasher side? I'm not sure I follow exactly what I need to do here. Sorry I'm dense.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

**I Skied Bandini Mountain** · 11-28-2021, 05:18 PM

Do you have a face frame on that side? If you do, you should be able to secure a 1x4 from front to back to hold up the counter/subtop.

**Foggy_Goggles** · 11-28-2021, 07:07 PM

What happened after you dumped the trash can? I'm guessing the "self leveler" just sat there is a puddle. Got that shit sucks.

About your sink, the answer is "it depends". A top mount sink is held up by the counter. An undermount is held up with clips to the counter, epoxy or the wall of the cab box or a combo of all three. It it a god forsaken farmhouse sink, the specs usually call for a support to be build into the cabinet.

It shouldn't be a problem. Measure twice, cut once and for fucks sake make some clean cuts because they will be visible inside the sink base.

**tgapp** · 11-28-2021, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

What happened after you dumped the trash can? I'm guessing the "self leveler" just sat there is a puddle. Got that shit sucks.

About your sink, the answer is "it depends". A top mount sink is held up by the counter. An undermount is held up with clips to the counter, epoxy or the wall of the cab box or a combo of all three. It it a god forsaken farmhouse sink, the specs usually call for a support to be build into the cabinet.

It shouldn't be a problem. Measure twice, cut once and for fucks sake make some clean cuts because they will be visible inside the sink base.

Aftermath.

It's an undermount sink. Total measurement is 28.75. I think we can make it work, maybe with a little bit of shaving of the cab box.

Here is the sink in question:

https://www.wayfair.com/home-improve...s-blc2039.html

Dishwasher to one side of it and a corner cab to the other side. I think I can figure something out?

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

**Core Shot** · 11-29-2021, 12:45 PM

That sink can work. But the installer is going to hate you.

And the cabinet is getting hacked.

As said above the sink gets shifted to the DW side and that cabinet gets hacked up.

PS. Cute waterfall effect on the sink. I guess that’s the new trend.

**tgapp** · 11-29-2021, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Core Shot

That sink can work. But the installer is going to hate you.

And the cabinet is getting hacked.

As said above the sink gets shifted to the DW side and that cabinet gets hacked up.

PS. Cute waterfall effect on the sink. I guess that’s the new trend.

Sink actually got changed to another single basin workstation unit - exact same dimension, etc, just with a cutting board and a colander that sits on top of the sink.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

**tgapp** · 12-05-2021, 01:52 PM

Today I took an angle grinder to the floor in an effort to smooth it out. This was my first time using an angle grinder, and it might be my favorite home remodel tool to date. Holy shit, you're telling me they make a chainsaw attachment for these things?! That might be the dumbest (and the most fun) thing I've ever heard. Fuck me what a bad idea. I'm really tempted to get one, you know, for science.

On the floor front: I've come to a deep acceptance of the fact that self leveling concrete is a total lie. $500 later and I'm still not level, but the angle grinder has taken out the worst of the issues introduced by the self leveling concrete. To whit - the garbage pour was my best work yet, but it still isn't perfect. No amount of self leveling concrete will result in perfection here, I'm afraid, which leads me to one of two possible conclusions:

1. I should just cut my losses and shell out a grand or whatever for a professional to fix this
2. Close enough is good enough. We ain't building watches here.

Thoughts on this one? Leaning towards #2, I'm just nervous because we're floating a floor and I wanna get this right (jong that I am)

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

**climberevan** · 12-05-2021, 04:54 PM

If only some kooks on the TRGz had warned you about the nefarious scam that is "self-leveling" mortar...

If you think an angle grinder for floor use is good, wait until you try the 10"+ diameter walk behind ones that you can rent. Those mf-ers will really eat some concrete, and they'll go through mortar like a 10,000rpm chainsaw blade goes through a quadriceps muscle. If you can get your floor flat with only subtraction, that's prob the route I'd recommend at this point.

Or if it's somewhere close to the spec listed by your flooring (for flatness--level doesn't really matter), just move forward and join the ranks of those burned by the evil SL mortar industry. Never forget, never forgive.

**nickwm21** · 12-05-2021, 05:40 PM

Self leveling is not magic - it gets you 90% there, there is always some floor prep to do after…

I’d move forward with flooring if you’re close enough.

You’d be surprised how bad FF/FL numbers professionals get on new slabs… no slab is perfect, most are far from it…

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**dan_pdx** · 12-05-2021, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by tgapp

https://youtu.be/gFLb7SOJWhA

How do I support the sink from the dishwasher side? I'm not sure I follow exactly what I need to do here. Sorry I'm dense.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Risky click of the day! I was scared it was going to be 2 girls 1 cup or something. Thanks for sharing - I might have tried self leveling concrete myself at some point if I hadn't seen your video