What did you do today?

[zannej]

I didn't want to reorder because then it takes even longer to get the stuff and there's no guarantee it will be delivered to the correct address or won't get lost like some of my packages in the past. HD checked up and said Fedex claims they will get back to me on Monday. Fedex did call to say they got my complaint and will look into it. I don't know if whoever got it didn't see who it was for and brought it inside or if they just left it or if they didn't see it or what.

Had to reschedule dr appointment. I was going to get bloodwork but they were booked up and couldn't take blood. Said the earliest they can do it is the 18th (a week before my newly scheduled appointment). So, that gives me more time to get things done. I want to shower before my appointments so I want to have the mortar done before Sunday at the very least. Fiend can bring over his miter saw and we can set it on my stand. Tempted to buy his miter saw off of him. LOL Not sure if he'd want to sell it though. I just realized the one I ordered doesn't have LED. His does though. But, I've never worked with one with LED before so I can live without it.

Ate half a salad and waiting for stomach to settle before I resume working on organizing my bathroom a bit more. I labeled some of the buckets- one for water-- I will have clean water in it to dip my tools/trowels in to clean them off. Another is for mixing. Another is for just the powder once I open the bag. I'll put the whole bag in, but want it to be contained and capped so it won't get as much moisture sitting around.

Maybe a dumb question: If I have enough left over, can modified thinset type mortar be mixed slightly dryer than usual to make a mortar bed for a showerpan or tub? (I have Mapei modified mortar mix).

 

[DarisMulkin]

It is 80 here as I type this. For me that is about 5* to much. 90* and I'm in the basement with the a/c on.

 

[Floorist]

It is 80 here as I type this. For me that is about 5* to much. 90* and I'm in the basement with the a/c on.

82 here, 95% humidity. Coolest day in a week.

 

[zannej]

I don't like anything above 70. I start to sweat. But I am fat and am on meds that make me heat sensitive. I sweated my ass off in the coveralls trying to mud the cementboard. I suck at it. LOL. And I made too large of a batch of mortar. It dried too fast. If I hadn't been so slow it might not have been so bad. Toward the end I was picking up handfulls of "mud" and slapping them on the walls and then running the knives over it.

Stuff dried before I was halfway through. This is as far as I got (and I need to do some touch-ups & maybe knockdown some bumps).

At first the mix was too dry following the instructions so I had to add more water. Good thing I wore coveralls and had a bucket of water nearby to rinse stuff and add more water to things. I need something better for holding the mud that is out of the bucket. Even with the lid on the bucket the stuff still dried too fast. I'm going to have extra water next time and I will chill it first. But I will only do a half batch. Poor bucket got ruined though. I've already ordered a new bucket to replace it.

I could have done worse but I also could have done a lot better. All the videos in the world don't prepare you for the actual feel of stuff when trying to spread the mortar. It looks so smooth in the videos. LOL.

 

[Floorist]

 

[MSLI]

I sweated my ass off in the coveralls trying to mud the cementboard. I suck at it. LOL. And I made too large of a batch of mortar. It dried too fast. If I hadn't been so slow it might not have been so bad.

It happens ! Next time you’ll do better. Ditch the cover alls, wear old clothing and be as comfortable as possible. In your case speed has no factor, so work slow and smart and try not to aggravate the shoulders by keeping them as close to your body as possible. Have fun and smile as you progress.

 

[zannej]

I prefer the coveralls over old clothes. I'm a hoarder type and hate throwing out old clothes. LOL. I'd still be sweating in old clothes anyway. I was going to attempt working on it today but I've been dropping things, tripping, and stumbling so its a bad coordination day. Took mom to try to return her phone and get a better one (she got it less than 10 days ago) but they said that they would only credit $80 for trading in the $800 phone because we traded in another phone for it. The deal for trade-ins is over and the type of phone they credited $800 for was only worth $20. Decided to keep the phone.

Went to Golden Corral. Waitress was very nice. She gave me a hug after I left a tip. She seemed surprised when I said "Please" when asking for more water and when I thanked her for it and for clearing plates.

Went to Samsclub after that. Riding cart ran out of juice on Mom so I had to go get another one for her. I hurt my back getting the water cases so I'm resting it now. I had to listen to music on the way home to avoid falling asleep. I decided not to unload anything from the car since I'm too exhausted and need to rest my back. I'll get stuff later.

Oh, I popped in to HD and grabbed a little thing to hold the mortar in so I don't have to keep bending down to the bucket. I'm hoping it will help. I think for now though, I'm in need of naproxyn and a nap.

As an aside, I'm chilling some water for the next mortar mix. Slows the curing process.

Any suggestions on where I should start when I do the next batch? That corner? The top back panel? Rest of the taped seam on middle? Somewhere else? If it were you, where would you start? I still have to pack some "mud" under one of the trim strips on the right side to make the wall plumb.

 

[highup]

My Davis instruments weather station showed 100. This one hangs off the back side of the decks railing/fencing.
It read a max of 84 in the shade all day.
Why the discrepancy?
Had to check it out. It was 84 degrees in the shade, on the ground. It's been there a while.
It felt a lot warmer than 84.

 

[highup]

I prefer the coveralls over old clothes. I'm a hoarder type and hate throwing out old clothes. LOL. I'd still be sweating in old clothes anyway. I was going to attempt working on it today but I've been dropping things, tripping, and stumbling so its a bad coordination day. Took mom to try to return her phone and get a better one (she got it less than 10 days ago) but they said that they would only credit $80 for trading in the $800 phone because we traded in another phone for it. The deal for trade-ins is over and the type of phone they credited $800 for was only worth $20. Decided to keep the phone.

Went to Golden Corral. Waitress was very nice. She gave me a hug after I left a tip. She seemed surprised when I said "Please" when asking for more water and when I thanked her for it and for clearing plates.

Went to Samsclub after that. Riding cart ran out of juice on Mom so I had to go get another one for her. I hurt my back getting the water cases so I'm resting it now. I had to listen to music on the way home to avoid falling asleep. I decided not to unload anything from the car since I'm too exhausted and need to rest my back. I'll get stuff later.

Oh, I popped in to HD and grabbed a little thing to hold the mortar in so I don't have to keep bending down to the bucket. I'm hoping it will help. I think for now though, I'm in need of naproxyn and a nap.

As an aside, I'm chilling some water for the next mortar mix. Slows the curing process.

Any suggestions on where I should start when I do the next batch? That corner? The top back panel? Rest of the taped seam on middle? Somewhere else? If it were you, where would you start? I still have to pack some "mud" under one of the trim strips on the right side to make the wall plumb.

I think the mortar needs to be thinner. This is basically, cement so it's not going to be easy scraping it. It's too thick if it's not possible to make smooth.
Is that cement board? I think you just need to fill the corners. ( No, I do not do tile)
You're probably going to want one of these if you need to knock off any material.

 

[zannej]

I only did the corners, seams, over screw holes, pits in the cement board, and over L-bead trim. Yeah, it needed to be slightly thinner but when it was thinner it kept falling off the trowel. But, I powered through and got it finished. It is very sloppy but I'm hoping it will do. I mostly wanted to secure the tape and the trim and it seems to have done that.

I visited my friend and went to the store before that. Friend spotted a tiny kitten in the middle of the road and jumped out to rescue it. So now he has 3 kittens again. I was too tired to get pics. Did the mortar after I got back.

I used icewater this time. Wasn't intentionally icewater but I put a brita filter pitcher in the fridge. Mixed it in a bag inside the bucket. Made it harder to mix in some ways but kept it cooler and fresher longer. It got lumpy toward the end so I was using my hands to put it on, dipping the knife in the water and smoothing it out. Cleanup is going to suck, but I think it is ok for now. I will need to check for square after I rest my back. It hates me right now.

Mom is in a bad mood because she wants me to cook for her but I don't know what to cook for her as she rejected or ignored everything I listed and then started sulking and whining and claiming I'm not willing to cook for her. I told her I needed to lie down after cooking bc my back really hurts. So she's acting like a child again. I sent my brother in to see if he can cook for her. He had a bit of a tantrum over me asking him but he still went to do it.

I've got the heated massage pad on my back for now.

 

[highup]

Mudding is an art form and vertical is definitely more of a challenge.
But yeah, once it's on the wall, keep smoothing until it's flat enough that it won't need further scraping. Once it sets ...
.....well, you know

 

[zannej]

The ONLY modified thinset mortar mix available in my area was rapid set. I think that complicated things. I found that for some reason the mortar stuck to the wall better when I slapped it up with my hands. LOL. I had to keep dipping the gloved hands in water to rinse. My back was hurting so much when I was done that I didn't take the time to rinse out the little pan thingy I used for holding the mortar and scraping the knives off. I cleaned all the knives and trowels but the pan was ruined because I didn't think about it until later. I can live with that. It was less than $10.

It's bumpy and sucky but its as good as its going to get and the surround is thicker and has ridges on it and takes 1/4" bead of adhesive so hopefully that will help. I used a 1" putty knife and carefully pulled the trim in the middle of the right panel away so I could stuff mortar under it and once it was filled enough I pressed it against the mortar and spread some on top. That should keep the surround more plumb when I put it in. I will probably have to remove the tearaway strips. I'll be putting PVC boards around the perimeter to cover up the edges. I'm going to use the L-bead trim on drywall between the wall and the surround on the guest bathroom. I hope drywall compound is easier to work with. Overall, I'm happy with myself for getting this done even if it is sloppy. I'm hoping I won't need to do touch-ups to square up the walls with the corner grab bar.

Looks kinda like someone had explosive diarrhea in there. LOL.

 

[highup]

Well it's all cleaned up and back in place didn't even need new batteries because I put in lithiums last time. I'm trying to remember when, maybe a year ago at Christmas and they still read 1.5 volts.
After cleaning it I took the back off.
Looks worse than it is the battery contacts aren't corroded at all this little rusty tab just holds the bottom battery contact piece in place.
Anyway, its back up where belongs, almost 7 feet above the ground. Instead of wrapping the wire around it, I drove a hole through the center of this little stick of wood that it hangs from. The wind isn't going to make it fall to the ground again. The plastic bottle has 7 or 8 leaf shaped cut outs for air circulation.
My Davis reads 65 right now and the Acurite station reads 67. My deck is suspended 4 feet off the ground, but the surface is red interlocking pavers. They are still holding heat and affecting the thermometer. How much?
I'll know in the morning when everything is stable.
I'll finally have these thermometers in tandem and I'll know how much the sun is affecting the Davis station above the roof.
Not the most productive day, but finally, I know the Acurite weather station isn't dead.

 

[highup]

You still might want to get one of those carborundum stones to knock down any high spots.

 

[zannej]

I soaked some rusty pliers in white vinegar over night. Letting them still sit some more and will try to brush them off later.

Got up early to go pick up my new miter saw from HD. Got new pex cutters bc mine keep disappearing. These ones came with extra blades and a case. The cheaper ones were out of my reach in the store and I didn't feel like searching for an employee to help.

Used Stowsen tub repair kit. Color didn't match right and it didn't go on smoothly bc of the way the nozzle is designed. Ended up pretty lumpy but I don't really care. Going to try to grind it down later, but if it is still bumpy I an live with it. It is less obvious than the big black scrape. Plus it won't rust.

I might take a nap because I had about 3 hours of sleep.

 

[C.J.]

Ain’t been back home but for 4 days and my tools are still in transit prolly for another week. Don’t matter, we need you. Looks like I’m the cut bitch for a few days. Lol.

 

[Floorist]

Went out to mow, blades would not engage on my rider and then push mower would not start. Now it is raining.

 

[highup]

...so it all worked out just fine?

 

[highup]

This morning, my boss said to me, "have a nice day"

.........so I went home

 

[JPfloor]

Ain’t been back home but for 4 days and my tools are still in transit prolly for another week. Don’t matter, we need you. Looks like I’m the cut bitch for a few days. Lol.

View attachment 16963

Why such a long wait on the tools? Movers?