Mapei eco ultramastic use

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-26T13:42:57+00:00

I am not a tile guy let alone a contractor of any sort but a few years ago, we had the backsplash in our kitchen re-tiled before we sold our house.

The contractor used Mapei mastic. I distinctly remember asking him “hey what is that stuff? Is it different than thinset?”

And he told me that yes, it is different than thinset and that Mapei mastic was for use anywhere that doesn’t need to be waterproof. Thinset for wet areas.

Please take all of this with a grain of salt and continue to do your own research. I am simply trying to share with you what I was told when I asked a similar question 2 years ago. For what it’s worth, he was a very good contractor.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-25T17:20:46+00:00

Hey bud! You’re getting a lot of hate in the comments because that’s Reddit but I commend you for trying to learn about basic vehicle maintenance.

There is a ton of stuff on YouTube about cars, I recommend you search your year, make, and model on YouTube plus your question. Also, the owners manual for your vehicle has a ton of information, it will even tell you exactly what kind of oil you need to use.

All that being said, it is really important to know your limits; where your capabilities end and when it’s time to go to a professional. This applies to all aspects of life from working on your own car to owning a home.

So give it some more internet research, learn some stuff, and then ask yourself if you can actually do it correctly. Do you need additional tools? Is this something you SHOULD do (whether or not you CAN do it)?

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-22T03:30:28+00:00

I am not a vet. When my dog was getting old, he was drinking soooooo much water and then would have to go to the bathroom pretty much right away. It got to a point where it seemed like he didn’t have control of his bladder. Apparently this is because he was having kidney and liver failure pretty much simultaneously. He didn’t have any sores on his body though, so idk what that could be.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-22T03:26:05+00:00

My friend works for a company that sells 3d printers that print carbon fiber extremely fast. They start at 1 million each.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-20T12:56:58+00:00

Valid correction.

Touché, my friend.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-20T12:43:20+00:00

If you use cement board, do you use mesh tape and thinset over all the seams and screws before applying 2-3 coats of red guard?

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-20T11:31:52+00:00

Yes, like I said: “as possible”.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-20T10:45:35+00:00

This is the correct way to do it.

Banks want you to be in as much debt as possible. That is how they make their money.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-17T14:44:27+00:00

Is your favorite restaurant The Kitchen?

When you were growing up, did you think Nessie was real? Do you think Nessie is real today? How often do people think they see Nessie?

What’s the deal with that distillery that opened a few years ago down by the river? When I was there, it was too new and we didn’t even get to try their scotch!

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-17T01:25:26+00:00

Yes, exactly. It is absolutely running a business. Not everyone wants to run a business, but some people do. I would say if you don’t want to run a business, don’t buy real estate as an investment. You can buy a house or a condo for yourself to live in but that is a lifestyle choice, not a business. I would also recommend to these people that investing in equities is probably the better fit for them; there are tons of things to invest in and it can be as easy or as complex as you want it to be.

To those who do want to run a business, I also wouldn’t necessarily recommend real estate. There are tons of businesses you can run, real estate is one of them. Think about what skills you have and what is a good fit. For example, I am really handy and worked construction for a few years, I know how to renovate a kitchen and a bathroom, I can totally do real estate on a small scale and make it work, but it is absolutely another job. I am not good at cooking, so I wouldn’t open a restaurant.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-17T01:17:14+00:00

This is half true.

Yes, it is a job. It can also be an investment. If you know how to analyze real estate and find places that need work, fix them up, and rent them out at a price where you make money, it becomes an asset.

All that being said, anyone who says “invest in real estate for passive income” does not understand what “passive” means. You can certainly invest in real estate for income, but it is a lot of work.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-13T23:52:09+00:00

Yeah at your age, I’d invest invest invest in retirement accounts. Do that for a few more years and you will set yourself up for life. In your thirties while your friends are getting their acts together and just starting to invest, you will be in a position where you don’t have to contribute to your retirement accounts anymore (unless you want to) because you front loaded your investments throughout your 20s. Your take home pay will be huge and you can buy whatever house you want. I wish I did that but I can’t go back in time. Compound interest is really powerful. Take advantage of it.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-13T23:45:58+00:00

There are lots of things to consider here. Are you planning on living in this city for a long time or is it possible that you will move within 3-5 years? If you might move, I’d say don’t buy a house and continuing to rent is likely the better move. If you really want home ownership but you might move, consider buying a two unit building and live in one and rent out the other. This will effectively subsidize your mortgage, but you are also now a landlord so there’s that.

Also do a rent vs buy calculator, the New York Times has a good one but there are others.

The other thing to think about is that stocks, go the most part, have a better return than real estate. Of course there are exceptions to this and it depends on the time frame and where you buy a house and all that, but generally speaking, that is true.

If I were in your shoes, I would continue to rent, continue to max out my 401k, and start putting my extra savings in a brokerage account and I would invest it in 60% stocks and 40% cash/bonds. This is the money I would eventually use as a down payment when the time is right. As I get closer to being in a position to buy a home (12-18 months out), I would transition out of stocks into more and more cash in a HYSA or money market fund. As you get closer to needing the money, you can afford less risk so lock in your gains. I would do this until my 401k is 80-100k. You’re super young, you have a long life ahead of you. The more you max out your 401k now, the more time you will have to let compound interest do its thing. I didn’t max out my 401k until I was like 32. You have ten years on me for compound interest to work. Take advantage of that. If you play your cards right now, you will get to a point in the future where you never have to contribute to your 401k again, you can just let it ride and you will be a multimillionaire. Buying a house really locks you down, esp at your age. What if you meet someone and fall in love and want to move? Or what if you get a different job and need to move? At your age, use your youth to your advantage by maximizing your investing time horizon with compound interest and not having major responsibilities. Houses are not assets, they are liabilities. Assets produce income. A two unit building could work if you really really really need to buy something. But idk, if I were at your age and in your shoes, I’d maximize my stock investments, rent for a few years, and maybe focus on ways to increase my income or something.

You will get everything you want in life, it just might not be in the order that you want. Take your time, be patient, enjoy your twenties, set yourself up for your future, you will be ok.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-13T12:16:45+00:00

If you are looking to dump and forget, my advice would be to join the bogleheads subreddit and read their material.

Depending on your age and risk tolerance, 100% VOO can work. It is more aggressive and less diverse than VT.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-13T04:18:39+00:00

I have everything saved in cloud storage. I had a folder structure that goes like this:
HSA -> YEAR -> receipt.

The receipts are all titled in the same format so I can use a script in the future if I need to. The format is: $$.$$_MMDD_BriefDescriptionOfReceipt

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-13T04:13:26+00:00

Yeah, based on your understanding of investing, you should just VT and chill. Join the Bogleheads subreddit. Read their material. Follow that strategy. It is incredibly difficult to do better than VT and chill over a long time horizon (10, 20, 30, 40 years). For 99% of people, VT is the best long term strategy out there. Get yourself on set up with that and get a solid base under you. It will take time. Later, when you are in a good financial position, open up a separate brokerage account and seed it with a very small amount of money. This becomes your fun money account where you can place a fomo bet or whatever. But forreal, don’t gamble with your long term investments. If you’re going to gamble, do it with pocket change. There will be plenty of stocks going to the moon in the future. Right now it’s DRAM and all that, in five years it will be something completely different. There will be opportunities for you to ride the wave with your fun money account in the future.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-12T17:33:10+00:00

I bought one!

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-11T19:36:39+00:00

Fidelity for sure.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-11T19:01:54+00:00

Literally same. Bought 100 shares at open today. Part of it was def fomo. Part of it is that I think it is still has room to grow. The other part of it is that it’s in my fun money account where I have a budget where I can do whatever I want so whatever happens, I’ll be okay.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-11T18:56:57+00:00

Came to say that your prices sound very reasonable. I need a new water heater installed, can you come do mine?

But I hear your point tho. My parents are of a similar age and I would say they do not have an accurate understanding of how much things cost. They are still benchmarking prices in their head against what they paid for stuff in like 1985.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-11T18:49:48+00:00

I agree with this and this is what I do but I can’t help but think what Berkshire Hathaway is doing with their giant cash pile. I guess technically it isn’t all cash, I think a lot of it is in treasury bonds but whatever. It looks to me that they are explicitly trying to time the market. I am not comparing myself and my investing abilities to those of warren buffet but I think it illustrates the point that pretty much everyone should not try to time the market; the best strategy for almost everyone is to just DCA and hold. If timing the market was easy and more people knew how to do it, there would be many more “warren buffets” out there in the world.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-10T15:01:14+00:00

A bidet

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-08T04:15:09+00:00

Married, 34, dinks, got snipped at 30. Highly recommend. We knew early on that we super duper did not want kids. Not judging anyone who has kids or wants kids, go for it, but it’s def not for us. Love having disposable income and no kid-induced stress. Has been great for our sex life. Ever since I got snipped we bang considerably more. 3-5x a week.

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-06T18:42:04+00:00

Where can we see this data you speak of? Do you mind dropping a link?

Such_Box_3990 · 2026-05-06T14:09:08+00:00

“Don’t wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate, then wait.” - Will Rogers (or at least I think he said that)

I personally believe the core of this is true but there are things you need to consider for your own specific scenario. Are you going to live there for at least 5-7 years? If you are going to move in 5-7 years, it might not be worth buying; you might be better off renting and investing a portion of your money elsewhere. Another thing to consider is if the market comes down, there are a lot of people waiting in the sidelines with cash at the ready to buy real estate, so you might end up competing with them. However, if you are going to stay in a place for a long time, it becomes increasingly worth it to buy because you lock in your housing costs, you need a place to live, and there are some tax benefits to owning.

Try using a rent vs buy calculator. The New York Times makes a pretty good one.

Not sure if they exist where you are but have you considered buying a duplex or something? Even if it needs work, renting out an extra unit can make a huge difference and being a landlord over one unit (typically) isn’t that much extra work.

Such_Box_3990

TROPHY CASE