What did you do today?

[Tom Picciani]

I bet the edges were turned under about an inch on both sides. That is the way I was taught back in the 60's. The nails[blue lath] pulled the turn down tight. So maybe he wasn't a moron after all.

That's exactly what he did.

But I have a method now. I take the cutting tool and run it straight down each side of the stair. Then I pull the carpet off. More learning curve stuff. Should have the last of it done in the next day or two.

I'm getting my carpenter friend to cut off the nosing though. Too many nails near the spot where I would plunge cut with the circular saw. He knows how to deal with that I think.

 

[highup]

I cut 2 inches away from the walls inside a motor home once to remove the majority of the factory carpet. Paneling is installed on to of the carpet in those. Tacked down with 1/4 inch crown 18 gauge staples.
I was then able to use my Fein Multi-master saw to cut the staples flush to the underlayment and the slide out the 2" strip carpet. Getting most the carpet out of the way allows you to get at the fasteners.
I pulled up carpet metal from an entryway at a sliding glass door entry once. It was fastened with framing nails.
Yes, the house had a 2x6 subfloor.

 

[highup]

I made a stair template.

Tom, I did take images of a template I used a number of years ago.
I had a sheet metal business cut and bend a scrap or galvanized steel to fit these steps. It was short of fitting the sides and the backs.

 

[zannej]

Mentioning of the metal reminds me that my late elderly friend left us a bunch of hardware & I think some of it was for installing flooring & other stuff. There were metal strips with holes in them for screws. I should take pictures at some point.

I've been feeling a bit under-the-weather last few days. Was really exhausted from the heat the other day. All I've managed to do was work on more planning for the plumbing for the guest bathroom. I realized that if I put the P-trap for the tub directly under the overflow (like normal tub rough-in setups) I won't have enough room to run the trap arm before it hits the main vent- so I decided to go with a "direct drain" where the P-trap is below the drain after I run the overflow over. I'll use a 2"x1.5"x1.5" sanitary tee so I'll have a 2" trap for better flow. Then I'll have plenty of room to run a trap arm directly to the main vent. I was pricing out & choosing what fittings I'll use-- I'll go w/ a watco overflow kit (no screws that can get stuck/stripped) w/ a westbrass straight extender instead of a tub shoe. The drain body threads into the extender & then I can connect to the sanitary tee. I found if I just buy a half kit w/ a drain body, stopper, gasket, & overflow elbow (along w/ it's gasket) plus the straight adapter, it's cheaper than trying to buy the individual parts separately & I'll have a spare tub shoe for my old tub. I made sure they all have the right thread size to be compatible.

We also ordered some awnings from amazon made from metal & ABS. The back door has gotten pretty much wrecked by water splashing too close from the rain. I'm going to see about putting in a new header & some reinforcements on the inside of the wall to make sure it can be anchored. We got two of the awnings. I can also put one over the sliding glass door bc the sill for it has rotted. Its going to be trickier figuring out where the studs are for the sliding glass door-- I'll have to look for the nails in the wall panels, draw it up, measure, & then measure on the outside to mark the studs. I'll probably have to use some boards nailed/screwed to studs to attach the brackets.

I'm debating whether or not to install the new door & put in a pet door before working on the floor. I suppose worst case scenario I could remove the threshold at a later date. I'm also debating whether or not I should paint the door before installation- that way I can do it down in the workshop away from pets & bugs & if it gets any scratches or dings I can do touch-ups later. I'm thinking either white or blue for the door.

My mother has a foot doctor appointment coming up on Wednesday so I'll get her out of the house for a bit. I've actually gotten her to go to the post office with me a few times-- just riding in the car. She needs the exercise bc she pretty much only goes from her bed, to the bathroom, to the living room, and then back to her bed. She rarely leaves the house anymore.

I heard back from my friend & he said that after trying to negotiate with the bank, they said instead of paying the $1800 (or whatever it was) up front, they would double the monthly payments in order for them to keep the vehicle. He told them they might as well repo it bc he can't really even afford the $400/mo. It will tank his credit again (although, it still hadn't recovered from his ex taking out multiple credit cards in his name, maxing them out, & then not paying a dime). And he was dumb enough to think taking on this car payment thing was going to help his credit. I love my friend, but sometimes he makes the dumbest decisions-- but, he didn't exactly have good role models. Both is parents are/were drug addicts (his father died & his mother is still alive & using) & he had to be raised by his grandparents & they were never financially responsible-- always having to pawn stuff & live on payday loans & such. I'm hoping he learned from this & won't make the same mistake again though. Same with his fiance-- I'm hoping she will retain this lesson & know not to over-extend when it comes to financial commitments.

 

[highup]

Tom, I did take images of a template I used a number of years ago.
I had a sheet metal business cut and bend a scrap or galvanized steel to fit these steps. It was short of fitting the sides and the backs.

Here's a couple images.
The metal was bent to fit the face of the riser, and once set in place I glued some Formica strips on to each side of the metal.
I put 2-pea sized dabs of hot glue on the back side of the Formica then placed it snugly against the skirt boards (last photo)
The right side of the skirt board was bowed slightly to you can see I used two pieces of Formica on that side.
I then placed the metal and Formica pattern on the oak stair treads and instead of marking with a pencil, I used a utility knife to score a cut line. I used a jig saw and a blade with no kerf. Lennox makesthe blade and there is virtually no tear out or chipping.

 

[highup]

To remove the Formica from the metal to make re-use it for the next tread, drizzle some 99% rubbing alcohol on the metal and it will break the hot glue bond almost instantly. Don't bother with the 70% kind. Peel of the flattened dabs of glue and you are ready to go for the next tread.

 

[Ernesto]

That's not accurate enough for me, Tom. Take a plank and chop it into 4 inch strips and click them together. Now add a strip of duct tape so they don't keep falling apart as you slide them around. Stagger the sections a tiny bit so you can see where each plank starts and stops if you want to mark anywhere along the storyboard.
I usually snap a line where I want the Coretec to start, then slide this story board both directions to see where it will end up. It's really fast and deadly accurate.
Compare the width of those extra planks to one out of your box.

I use a digital caliper. You can never trust what it says on the box. Especially if it is of foreign origin in metric and they try to convert it to imperial.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Got all the carpet out of stairwell. Bottom of stairs covered with carpet. Came up easy. No staples or glue under padding. It was laying loose. Tack strips were tough. They were 1 1/2 inch wide. Held down with concrete anchor nails. Cutting tool would eat blades. Took crowbar and pried up wood. Nails were 3/8 inch. Crowbar took out all but 2. Used oscillating tool to get last 2. Done!

 

[Tom Picciani]

I need to pick something to go at the bottom of the stairs. Thinking of the Lowe’s knockoff of Coretec. Maybe a tan travertine tile

 

[highup]

I use a CP brand air chisel, set low to 40 to 60 lbs. Vibrates the nails loose like no hammer can do, and it's fast. I'm late to the party and didn't know you were doing this.
You can't use a $19 air chisel for this. They are typically a short blow or short stroke chisel. Not enough power. Mine is a long stroke. Think engines. Small engines need high rpms to make power. A diesel is a long stroke and will pull stumps.

 

[Tom Picciani]

I got some 5.5 mm planks from lowes under the Smartcore name. I put together some but the locking mechanism is different from Coretec even though they said it had coretec technology. I botched a few pieces but still have enough for the tiny area I'm doing. Got to get more end cap though. I think it will look OK. If it doesn't, I'll eat the cost and buy something better.

 

[Tom Picciani]

I looked at the planks and realized too many had either dents in the surface or broken locking pieces. Used Lowe's chat. They said take them back and I can get my money back.

They have 7.5 mm planks that connect just like Coretec. I spotted one I like. Might take 2 boxes but that's only $52/box. I need 15 sq. feet and the box is 15.75 sq. ft. Sucks to be that close!

Heading to Lowes.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Just bought 2 boxes of Smartcore Ultra Blue Ridge Pine. Thicker and has the same locking system as Coretec. 7.5 mm with pad. Will start tomorrow. Got to glue down 3/4 inch door threshold under door leading to garage. Will butt up baby threshold to that. Have to undercut trim first. Got work to do tomorrow.

Never ends!

 

[highup]

Never ends!

But you're so good at never-ending.
No really, what you do is perfect. Not many flooring installers take the care that you do. You pull out all the stops.

 

[Tom Picciani]

And to add one more skill to the mix, I’m detailing my ‘14 4 runner. I washed it and tried TW bug and tar remover. Only worked so well. Got out the detailing clay. Only did the trouble spots; front nose and fenders, and front of mirrors.

I use a cleaner called Klasse all in one to prep the paint. It’s wipe on wipe off. Used it under sun. No problem.

But I pulled car in garage and have a fan blowing to cool room. Applied 4star ultimate paint protection. You apply it then wait half an hour to let it bond with paint. Wipes off easy.

So no flooring work today!

 

[highup]

Me neither.............. just gonna look for an uncommon thinner pad for a Monday restretch/repair job.
If I did what you did to my '77 van, I'd have bloody knuckles from the rust.

 

[Floorist]

Me neither.............. just gonna look for an uncommon thinner pad for a Monday restretch/repair job.
If I did what you did to my '77 van, I'd have bloody knuckles from the rust.

You have the van going again?

 

[zannej]

Tom, it's looking great!
The awnings we ordered arrived but I will need to replace the header on the door, straighten it out, & add some braces for the external brackets to anchor to. I've heard it takes 2 people to put them up. I'll first need to get the weeds cleared out of the way though. Will have to set up a couple of ladders I'm thinking of using some painted pressure treated boards on the exterior to attach the brackets. If I have a sort of frame to hold the awning together, I might be able to just secure that way rather than trying to put it together while on ladders. It's got brackets and a translucent plastic sheet that slides in between. It allows light in but protects from rain. It had pretty good reviews so I hope it will work out.

My brother bought me all 3 seasons of the syfy series "Defiance" so I binge-watched them. Still feeling tired but I made sure to go for a walk yesterday just before sunset. I need to walk more when it's not too hot outside. Been cleaning up more & trying to keep up with cats knocking stuff down. I'll have to go to the store today. It's my brother's day off so he can help me carry stuff in.

I've been cooking for Mom the past few days. Beef Stroganof with potatoes & corned beef hash with eggs.

I heard from my friend who keeps having troubles with his ex. I think I mentioned in the past that he didn't want their daughter left with his grandfather unsupervised bc the grandfather isn't reliable. Without his knowledge & against his wishes, it turns out the ex has been dumping the kid over with the old man anyway. Yesterday the old man had a stroke & got in a wreck with the kid in the car. I think he's in the hospital now. Not sure about the kid. I think she's ok but complained of leg pain. The mother doesn't have a job & does nothing but sit on her fat useless behind watching Netflix & playing on the computer or phone. She doesn't bathe the kids so the girl keeps getting UTIs. She doesn't clean so the kid's bag of medicine was full of cockroaches. And she lets the older brother beat up the little girl. She never plays with the kids & most of her interactions with them involves swearing at them, hitting them, telling them they are "f-ing retarded", or telling them to get out of the trailer & go bother someone else. She constantly pawns them off on other people but never pays them for babysitting. The boy was caught by neighbors playing with knives & has threatened to burn people's houses down (he previously burned my friend's house down a few years ago). Kid is destined for prison. DCFS couldn't care less though. We are trying to get my friend to file for full custody of his daughter & only let the ex have supervised visitation. The only reason she wants custody is to get $ from my friend. Otherwise, she wants nothing to do with the kid. The bint's father has Lupus but she constantly dumps her son over with him. Sorry, ranting. It just makes me mad that the kids are suffering bc of this. My friend's fiance just turned 22, is very immature, & is not very bright-- but she's a better mother to the little girl. She bathes her, brushes her hair, plays with her, gives her attention, keeps her out of trouble, & genuinely cares about her.

 

[highup]

You have the van going again?

No, it's just setting. Too much dead space between jobs. Windshield is about $150, but if the old rubber is to stiff, it's that much more for as new one. Just finished an $800 job, but I only had a few repairs for two weeks before that. Have a couple ready to do. Two repairs then a $900 carpet job..... on concrete. So it's getting better, maybe then, I will buy the windshield and cross my fingers I don't need the rubber.

 

[Floorist]

Donated a 150 ft. CAT 5 cable to a church. They needed it for services. I had a new one in my electronic stuff.