What did you do today?

[highup]

Oh and you mentioned cats.....
The job I just mentioned is where I tore out the carpet, pad and base.
I'm installing the pre-finished hardwood. I got my starting rows in yesterday, and only got another 4 rows installed today. I stopped installing because the floor snapped and popped here and there when walking on it. It's just next to the walls. I weigh 210, owner might weigh 100, so no issues that I can see.
Anyway, I stopped and waited for advice from a wood floor guy.... the one that loaned me his stapler. He finally called back and told me with engineered wood, he glues the T&G so they can't move or flex against each other.
While waiting for that phone call, I got a call from David Hunt. I left him a message asking about a hand made carpet runner a potential customer wants to buy for me to install on stairs.
He said........... well, let's just say I'm hoping we can convince the customer to make a different choice. We don't want a customer to buy $$$$ "crap" . David initiated my very first flooring forum comment many many years ago.
He was arguing with someone, and me being new to the forum, well, I jumped in feet first and said he (and the other guy), were acting like 5 year olds, and I added "how is anyone going to get their question answered with you guys arguing?"
Someone immediately sent me a PM, and saying "do you know who that guy is?"
I said no, and I don't care. The guy asking a question wasn't getting his question answered.
Back on the topic, David agreed and apologized as I recall.
That is how I met the world's best woven carpet guru. He saved me again. He's doing well and his passion for his occupation is as strong as ever. He's a really neat guy to know.

 

[DarisMulkin]

I can't see my lines if I flip it upside-down.
I've never cut from the bottom. If I flipped stuff shiney side down, I'd be scratching it on something somehow.

Hi I don't think we are on the same page. I think I read faster than you or something like that. lol

 

[DarisMulkin]

Oh and you mentioned cats.....
The job I just mentioned is where I tore out the carpet, pad and base.
I'm installing the pre-finished hardwood. I got my starting rows in yesterday, and only got another 4 rows installed today. I stopped installing because the floor snapped and popped here and there when walking on it. It's just next to the walls. I weigh 210, owner might weigh 100, so no issues that I can see.
Anyway, I stopped and waited for advice from a wood floor guy.... the one that loaned me his stapler. He finally called back and told me with engineered wood, he glues the T&G so they can't move or flex against each other.
While waiting for that phone call, I got a call from David Hunt. I left him a message asking about a hand made carpet runner a potential customer wants to buy for me to install on stairs.
He said........... well, let's just say I'm hoping we can convince the customer to make a different choice. We don't want a customer to buy $$$$ "crap" . David initiated my very first flooring forum comment many many years ago.
He was arguing with someone, and me being new to the forum, well, I jumped in feet first and said he (and the other guy), were acting like 5 year olds, and I added "how is anyone going to get their question answered with you guys arguing?"
Someone immediately sent me a PM, and saying "do you know who that guy is?"
I said no, and I don't care. The guy asking a question wasn't getting his question answered.
Back on the topic, David agreed and apologized as I recall.
That is how I met the world's best woven carpet guru. He saved me again. He's doing well and his passion for his occupation is as strong as ever. He's a really neat guy to know.

Well that didn't work as planned. I only wanted to quote the last paragragh. Anyway I've know David for quite a few years. Excellent individual to know if you do wovens and has bailed me out a few times.

 

[highup]

On the hardwood job I'm doing, I screwed up on the second row. First row had to be skinny to make everything else fit best, so this skinny strip was face nailed with my brad nailer. I got row two finished last night and then realized I didn't use the stapler on row one at the door opening leading to the living room...... that's the only place on row one a stapler could be used. Well, the long planks are exactly the same length, do I dug out the staples in row two, carefully slid out the board, stapled row one, then replaced the board I ripped out. Fun morning.

 

[highup]

Hi I don't think we are on the same page. I think I read faster than you or something like that. lol

Everyone does.

 

[highup]

Oh, one more thing. While I was waiting for the wood floor guy to call, I didn't have much to do. The lady has had a lot of work going on in the house for the past few months.
I went to the basement to check the furnace filter.
It needed cleaning.

 

[zannej]

That reminds me, I forgot to go change my HVAC filters. Mine have been worse than that in the past. There was a point where I didn't know that there were filters that had to be changed & I found out about it from the HVAC guy. My dad had always taken care of that but I think he forgot a lot. Now it's my responsibility. Need to find the vacuum to clean up the grille.

Got a call from my friend's GF. Their internet is out & his new cellphone service isn't working. He'd had a visit from the paramedics earlier but they said he was not needing to go to the hospital but to be ready to go if he felt worse. My brother went over to sit with them to make sure he's OK and to take him to the hospital if he got worse. Girl didn't tell me too much detail-- she's absolutely terrible at giving information. She can't focus of relate events in chronological order so it takes a lot to get info out of her & I was in the middle of making dinner so I didn't have the time to get the info. She was using another friend's phone. We had initially missed the calls bc it's a friend my mother HATES so she refused to answer.

The mention of Chinese food... We got Chinese takeout yesterday. The buffet is fully opened again but we didn't have time so we got take away plates. I'm really tempted to go back for dine-in but I worry about the other customers being sick & spreading germs-- and not just Covid. I get colds & other respiratory viruses very easily.

At least I found some better allergy meds at Sams and I found some Lobster Bisque that Mom really likes.

She ordered a new showerhead and shower arm. Not sure which bathroom it will go for. Maybe mine or maybe guest bathroom. Wanted to get 2 of each but they only had 1 of each left in stock.

My good neighbor is here with his nepphew now bush-hogging the yard, mowing down blackberry bushes & weeds, & cleaning up trash & burning it. yard looks so much better. I gave him money- at first he refused to take it and argued until I convinced him to take it as an early Christmas gift. He's a really sweet man. We did give him a few thousand dollars worth of tractor equipment & sold him the tractor for about half price but he comes and bush hogs and brings us hay for the cows. I tried to help pick up some of the branches but got winded & overheated so he told me I should go back inside. He knows I'm not supposed to be in direct sunlight & it started getting warmer.

 

[Floorist]

One of my cousins passed this morning from covid. He had been in ICU for weeks.

 

[DarisMulkin]

One of my cousins passed this morning from covid. He had been in ICU for weeks.

Sorry for your loss Rusty.

 

[Floorist]

He told them he was ready.

 

[Jon]

He told them he was ready.

Sorry to hear about your cousin Rusty

 

[highup]

Sorry to hear about that Rusty. Does anyone know where or how he got it?
I'm doing what I can to keep away from it, but I'm still doing my regular routine. I'm working for the next few days before Thanksgiving not just for the customer who's expecting relatives to stay at the place. But I've got to eat myself, so I just try on work smart.

 

[highup]

I'm working today tomorrow all the way up till Thanksgiving if I'm allowed to. I was hoping to get more done that I have so far but my compressor broke.
It's an old Emglo twin tank and has two reed valves on the head. Took it off and shure enough, the compression side had shattered.
Oh MacGyver has to do what he has to do. Nearest ones around are probably 100 to 200 miles away, so I did like I've done before and improvised. I had to buy a new automotive feeler gauge because the read valves are .010" thick. I cut the feeler gauge with my Dremel tool, then finished it off with a small grinder and some 800 grit wet dry paper.
It's 5:00 and I'm heading back to work. what a waste of time I thought I was actually going to get something done today.
Here's the feeler gauge one good valve one broken valve and the replacement I made from the feeler gauge. Kind of a fun little project but it slowed me down two and a half hours to drive home and tinker with this.

 

[Floorist]

Sorry to hear about that Rusty. Does anyone know where or how he got it?
I'm doing what I can to keep away from it, but I'm still doing my regular routine. I'm working for the next few days before Thanksgiving not just for the customer who's expecting relatives to stay at the place. But I've got to eat myself, so I just try on work smart.

Think he got it from his daughter. She is a waitress and thinks she got it at work.

 

[highup]

That would be scary if it came from a resturaunt. I don't eat at resturaunts much.

 

[highup]

Put the compressor back together and the new valve works fine. Got out to around 60 inches. Next piece goes into the closet doorway. It was 7:00 or so, a good place to stop for the night. I was hoping to get one row further by 5:00, but the compressor got fussy.
If the owner stopped by while I was gone, she didn't see what I accomplished later. I know she'll be happy. The planks are going together we'll. Takes a lot of time trading planks back and forth making the floor balanced, grain and colorwise.
I'm happy.

 

[Jon]

Yeah you wouldnt want too many of those dark ones together

 

[highup]

That's the trick. Not just the color, but also by the crazy grain differences.
I've been trying to pair those darker ones staggered, lengthwise yet still side by side to some degree.
It's quite a challenge. The boxes of boards have 7 or 8 full length planks and three sizes of "random" planks making up the rest.
In smaller rooms, the 3 sizes of smaller planks would pan out well as starting planks.
This bedroom is long.... 24 feet. That messes up the algorithm built into the long planks per box.
I am going y use up the short planks that I've piled up in the closet and the smaller bedroom, where shorter planks would like better.
It's a dance. Not one that's making me any money. Work is work. I need to make this customer happy.
She's a very cool lady. She heads a non profit that helps people with mental issues to get employed. She matches clients to employers.

 

[havasu]

Beautiful job blending the colors and grains.

 

[highup]

Thanks hav. That's the hardest part. Lots of variation in the grain. Some of it closet material..... too wild. But that's where I planned to use up the smaller pieces. So far, waste isn't too bad.