What did you do today?

[zannej]

The puppy we tried to rescue didn't survive. Think it had Parvo. It hid from me when I was going to take it from the vet & I found it after the vet closed. Went to get it early next morning and the poor thing had passed. Buried it near some flowering plants.

Got to use the toilet liftmaster jack to pull the old toilet, scrape up the nasty wax, clean up the pipe opening, put a repair flange over the broken PVC, put the new ADA height toilet in & put a new seat on it. It looks great. Too bad the floor looks awful. LOL. Used a waxless seal in case the toilet didn't line up right the first time. With the flange & the new seal it still had some movement to it so we used toilet shims at the front.

That jack is going to make installing other toilets a lot easier. Comes with tubes to put over the bolts to help line up the holes on the toilet when lowering it & the jack sets it down slowly. Bought my friend lunch & gave him some gas money (even though I drove him- his car would not be able to handle my road after the way the logging trucks tore it up) so he could get to work. He was out of gas & is waiting for Unemployment to restore his benefits.

My brother got an email from his medical insurance saying something about him needing to login to his employee page to see something about his severance benefits-- which indicates he's been laid off but his employer hasn't told him anything. Last he heard from a supervisor was that he still had a job but was on furlough. He started doing a tiny bit of cleaning in front of our friend but stopped & went back to his room before we even got to the door to leave (but after we left the room). If my friend had stayed he might have continued cleaning up more, but he tends to quit after about 2 minutes of work when it comes to stuff at home. I joked with my friend that I bet he had stopped right after we left. Didn't realize he stopped before.

The dog, Princess, really likes the new kittens. I've been telling her that they are her kittens to protect & love. She wants to go in the room a few times a day to see them. Runs over to their condo, wags her tail, and wants to touch noses with them. They seem to like her so far. There were dogs at my friend's house so they are used to having dogs come over and sniff them. I'm hoping Fippy will take to them instead of being a territorial jerk. Some of the cats have already hissed at them, but I'm hoping they will get used to them soon. The one short-haired solid black cat that is an adult seems Ok with them.

I'll have to get pictures of the floor & hope it does justice to show the problem with the bathroom floor & get ideas on how to fix it without having to tear the whole thing up. I'm not sure if a layer of luan or underlayment plywood would help the situation. But, worst case scenario we could remove the vertical shelf support & move stuff out of the bathroom to replace the subfloor entirely. I'm just hoping there will be some easy fix. The floor moves a lot when I step in a certain spot. It's a bit squishy there. Wish I hadn't been busy with college finals when the floor broke in the first place. Then I could have helped more to make sure the floor had been repaired correctly instead of the awful patch job that was done.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Building a hobby bench. Also doubles as a shelter in case the house falls on my head!

Planned out main beam and first cross tee location. Marked with string. Also going to build 3 wall cabinets. I have 2 sheets of mdf, 1 sheet of 1/2 inch plywood, and 2 sheets of 1/4 inch lauan. Going to make a lot of sawdust!

 

[zannej]

Looks great, Tom! I see you're keeping busy. Hobby bench looks sturdy.

My tub surround arrived at Home Depot the same day that the shower kit arrived at Lowes. Fortunately, both of them fit in the back of the truck with a little room to spare. Wish I'd been able to fit the makeshift pallet they had for the shower kit. I wanted that scrap lumber. LOL. Lowes doesn't have the same curbside pickup options as HomeDepot so I had to go into the store (after spending 15min on the phone before I left the house to make sure they could actually find the kit so I didn't have a repeat of the time they couldn't find my stuff). The clerk who helped me (Allison) was the one I heard the lady I talked to on the phone (Mary) speaking to when I called. I had to wait for them to bring it to the front so I looked around the store. Found the laminate samples I'd ordered (which never arrived) in stock for free. Explained to the clerk that I had paid for some online & they hadn't even shipped yet but there they were in stock. LOL. She asked when I ordered them & I said "Last month". So, I canceled the order for the samples & just picked up the ones that were there for free. Friend can use them to patch some spots on his countertop sides.

Got the shower & tub walls unloaded into the workshop (after I rearranged some stuff), checked them all for damage-- not a scratch on them. Cow came over to play when we were leaving. She gets playful when she sees my truck so she was swinging her head, hopping up and down and charging. I stepped in between her & my friend and got him to get in the truck while I waved my arms in the air and clapped to chase her back a bit. When I got in the truck she ran around it in circles acting like a clown.

Found a package on the hood of the CR-V that was addressed to someone else. It was out in the open & about to rain so I grabbed it and drove it out to the lady's house. My good neighbor (the one who used to do flooring) was there to get something from his tractor. I think they are still dating, but am not sure. He said she wasn't home but he would put the package near her door & let her know. He said it was stupid of them to leave the package out where it could get rained on. It was good seeing him. I still need to call to check on the guy who bought our tractor to make sure he's doing ok.

I'm planning to do what Frodo suggested on plumbing forums & boost up the countertop in Mom's bathroom with some 1x4s, maybe add a decorate applique to the front, use some bondo to cover the seam, & paint it all. I'm thinking of putting this lever on Mom's toilet KEENEY Universal Fit Faucet Style Toilet Tank Lever in Chrome-PP836-71CPL - The Home Depot (or at least purchasing it so we have a replacement when the factory lever breaks-- they tend to break after 5 years bc they have plastic parts that wear out). I'm still debating whether to try to paint over the existing formica and seal it with a clearcoat or if I should try to glue down a laminate sheet over the old stuff. I know I'll have to do sanding & cleaning for both options. Also debating whether to refinish the sink or buy a new one. Current sink is green & fugly but sturdy. I suppose I could try painting the countertop 1st and if it looks terrible I can sand it off and put formica over it.

 

[highup]

Building a hobby bench. Also doubles as a shelter in case the house falls on my head!

Planned out main beam and first cross tee location. Marked with string. Also going to build 3 wall cabinets. I have 2 sheets of mdf, 1 sheet of 1/2 inch plywood, and 2 sheets of 1/4 inch lauan. Going to make a lot of sawdust!

I'd add a few more short 2x4's to support the work bench top, and maybe double thickness plywood for the top.... Or mdf.
Ya never know if the need to rebuild a Chevy small block might suddenly arise.
If you haven't figured a wear surface, 1/4" Masonite is a good choice. Just cap the edges with some strips of hardwood.

 

[Tom Picciani]

I'd add a few more short 2x4's to support the work bench top, and maybe double thickness plywood for the top.... Or mdf.
Ya never know if the need to rebuild a Chevy small block might suddenly arise.
If you haven't figured a wear surface, 1/4" Masonite is a good choice. Just cap the edges with some strips of hardwood.

I am putting a double layer of half inch plywood on top...

 

[zannej]

I was sick most of the day & it was raining. I looked up some stuff on the internet & then finally got up to do some cleaning in the kitchen. My brother refused to clean his pressure cooker & actually told me I needed to do it because he wants to keep it clean but he's not willing to actually clean it himself. I knew if I didn't do it that it would just stink & attract fire ants. It had some sort of condensation reservoir that was full of gunk and stunk horribly. Apparently he didn't know it was there.
He found an LED light in the pantry that he put out near the sink so we can see better at least. And the dog just busted in to my room like the Kool-Aid man and let cats in that are not allowed in here (the un-neutered males that spray).

 

[Tom Picciani]

Struggling a little with layout of grid because in an old house, no wall is straight. I think I made a good compromise where to hang first beam. Lot of step stool work.

 

[amandazag]

Do yall have an tips for installing the smartcore? Do I need to do anything to the plywood floor underneath besides scrape up this 1970 carpet pad that stuck to the floor?

 

[Tom Picciani]

Do yall have an tips for installing the smartcore? Do I need to do anything to the plywood floor underneath besides scrape up this 1970 carpet pad that stuck to the floor?

do you have padding and staples too? You might want to try a floor scraper with exchangeable blades. I left mine in backwards and it popped staples out easy as pie. Might work on glue too.

 

[Floorist]

do you have padding and staples too? You might want to try a floor scraper with exchangeable blades. I left mine in backwards and it popped staples out easy as pie. Might work on glue too.

You can also rub the blade on concrete and make them dull. Sometimes they are so sharp they will gouge the floor.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Funny thing. Last year I didn’t realize the blade was in backwards until I was done using it

 

[Tom Picciani]

I’ll tell you a secret. Nearly every vendor that demonstrates how to install laminate is wrong. You never should start at the wall. No wall is straight. No corner is square.

start by cutting one plank into 6 inch pieces. Connect them and estimate where your rows will end up. do this from one side to the other. Pay attention to obstacles like fireplace tiles, hallways, stairs, and molding.
Try to get planks to be at least half a plank at each obstacle. You can manage with less, using ca glue to attach to a full plank.

 

[Tom Picciani]

When you start, assemble 3 rows and check it to make sure it’s straight. Place the first row 3-4 planks width away from the starting wall. Measure as much as needed. Then take the cut up planks apart and connect the pieces to the assembly of planks on the side of the near wall. Put them at each end and each joint. Use a wood screw to secure them.

now the assembly won’t move as you tap the planks together. Once you have finished to the far wall, remove the braces and finish the last wall.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Got some pop rivets, a good set of impact rated Phillips bits, and a new pair of tin snips. And I replaced all the blades in the 3 utility knives. All I need is my buddy to pop over with the 360 laser level.

 

[highup]

When you start, assemble 3 rows and check it to make sure it’s straight. Place the first row 3-4 planks width away from the starting wall. Measure as much as needed. Then take the cut up planks apart and connect the pieces to the assembly of planks on the side of the near wall. Put them at each end and each joint. Use a wood screw to secure them.

now the assembly won’t move as you tap the planks together. Once you have finished to the far wall, remove the braces and finish the last wall.

Damn your good! You've done this before.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Look on YouTube for so that’s how you do it about flooring. Episode 2 shows exactly what I’m talking about

 

[zannej]

Thanks for the tips on that Tom. I'm hoping when we get around to doing vinyl plank that it will go smoothly.

Went to the store to get groceries & grabbed some soda for my friend. It was his birthday so we popped in for a brief visit. His fiance is not enjoying 3rd trimester & keeps having acid reflux. She's due in August but she's underweight still. She's got a small build so the doctors have to watch her carefully the next couple of months because she's at risk due to her size.

I couldn't sleep last night because I was worried about my cat so I went down to the workshop to make sure he wasn't locked in there. He heard me calling him and came out from the barn or somewhere to see me. He's been camped in the living room all day. It's been rainy and nasty. Got some gardening tips from Amish Heart on the homesteading forum & passed it on to my sister (who lives in the same area).

Tomorrow morning I'll be taking my friend to the hardware store to get supplies to patch up the laundry room. Still need to make a trip to Lowes to get the Reflectix roll for insulation. I'm going to see if it will let me apply military discount if I do in-store pickup since it's in stock. If not, I can go pick it up later & bring Mom's ID. They were nice last time I used the card bc I said she was 70 & is staying at home.

Found out another friend is sick & it could be Covid. Her co-worker had Covid & still went to work sick & got other people at work sick. Apparently she didn't have any PTO left & didn't want to get points against her for missing work. I'm worried about my friend because she isn't in the best health. She is in her mid-20s but she's got organ damage from a mercury thermometer breaking in her mouth when she was little. She's always been a bit sickly. Super sweet girl who doesn't deserve crap like that.

My brother still hasn't heard back from HR on whether or not he's still employed. We have both been having headaches from the rainy weather.

I was going to start some demo on Mom's shower but she was sleeping most of the day & I didn't want to wake her up. Now I'm lacking motivation & headache is bugging me. Maybe I can take a crack at it after I take my friend to the store tomorrow.

 

[highup]

Look on YouTube for so that’s how you do it about flooring. Episode 2 shows exactly what I’m talking about

Episode 2?

 

[zannej]

Connection is being pissy due to weather but SoThatsHowYouDoThat is the channel name. SoThatsHowYouDoThat
I can't seem to get it to load to show the exact flooring video because of my connection issues.
On the plus side, I was able to order the Reflectix for in-store pickup & get military discount so I can go pick it up once it's ready.

 

[amandazag]

Damn your good! You've done this before.

Wish yall lived in Wisconsin. I'd higher you faster than you can say Flooring