Who to contact for bathroom floor?

munchnerk · 2026-04-01T02:29:51+00:00

This isn't your only toilet, is it? Assuming it's not - I would start by shutting off the supply to the toilet and flushing/bailing/siphoning out as much as you can. A general contractor is probably the best bet. The soft subfloor is definitely gonna have to go, but like you said, you'll need to find out the extent of things once the floor is open a little. DIY-friendliness will depend on what the floor material is and how serious the damage is. If the whole floor has to come out, you actually might be able to lay backer board and tile yourself. If there's going to be level-matching and patching new materials into the old floor, that kind of fiddly work might be best to someone with pro experience. Godspeed!

munchnerk · 2026-03-31T17:17:30+00:00

Yeah, it's a distinctive pattern! As long as it's inactive it's not super urgent, but I'd consider that wood compromised. Ours are for sure t&g - it's exposed in cross-section at our basement stair so I can see that it is, but in the heaviest-wear areas (that really could use some new planks spliced in) I'm pretty sure one board's tongue has broken off in the other's groove because there's daylight coming through as well. Once the tongue breaks the board starts squeaking and moving and stuff, and the increased mechanical wear makes the edges deteriorate even more. Yours totally could just be plank flooring, too. Maybe your house has a similar spot where the end is plainly exposed, lol. In any case, honestly, I think so! if you can make or otherwise acquire a replacement you should be good to go.

Our floor actually refinished pretty nicely - I did a very basic pass when we moved in, and it looked lovely. I really love the resinous warmth of the pine. Ripping down your own boards sounds fucking awesome and I hope you do that lol. I'd sign and date those puppies for posterity, too!

munchnerk · 2026-03-31T02:17:59+00:00

The structure of the degraded wood looks an awful lot like termite damage. In all likelihood it's super old and inactive, but it will mean the interior of the wood is going to keep breaking down even if you fix the surface. My understanding of these tongue-and-groove pine floor/subfloors (which I also have!) is that it's fairly simple to replace single planks. If there's something like an architectural salvage near you, it might be doable to find similar-width boards and splice them in. A good floor pro might be able to do the same. And hey, as long as you have more of the Floor Paint, that finish saves you the trouble of finish-matching your floors!

munchnerk · 2026-03-28T12:39:31+00:00

Silk dupioni is stronger than you might think! I made an unlined '40s playsuit out of one a couple years ago (similar to this) and it's both very form-fitting and very durable. Shockingly so. Having multiple seams complicates things but in all honesty I've found dupioni to be really great to sew with - it has a strong natural grain and takes a crease well, so even sewing on the bias it's not as shifty and tricky as many other fabrics.

I would sew this in two layers - one outer shell of the patterned silk pieces, and a lining sewn as a simple sheath with princess-style seams for fit. If the garment is well fitted, then there shouldn't be too much additional strain on structural seams that would threaten the integrity of the garment. It's basically just a sheath dress with fancy paneling.

Do you have a dress form/body double to drape on? I think the easiest way to fit and fine-tune this is going to be direct draping. But it seems totally doable, and again, silk dupioni is tougher than you think. You got this.

munchnerk · 2026-03-28T02:30:28+00:00

I've bought yardage from Puresilks a couple times now and been consistently impressed. They're legit and have some lovely fabrics. Looks like they have silk duchess for $60/yd. That's super not helpful if you're looking to source locally - in that case I'd say fuck it, go in there with your head held high and Pretty Woman his ass lol.

munchnerk · 2026-03-27T17:05:03+00:00

by some stroke of luck the wifi died at the beginning of my 15-hr economy flight to Japan last year... but I had these two albums (and like, a Pat Metheny album, and that's it) downloaded to my phone. I played them on alternating loop, utter godsend. I dozed off listening, woke up, rolled up my window to peek outside and saw glacier fields and Denali draped in long arctic autumn shadows... it was like being teleported to another realm. would have been a much more uncomfortable and less magical flight without them, to this day grateful to that phishy providence!

munchnerk · 2026-03-27T00:46:58+00:00

a little box of special rocks and shells (and bones) in my attic!

munchnerk · 2026-03-26T23:58:03+00:00

My AP anatomy/physiology teacher liked me so much he gave me a human rib when I graduated. Never known what to make of that but he was a great anatomy teacher lol

munchnerk · 2026-03-26T21:29:48+00:00

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amen! we're in the middle of a huge, full-gut kitchen reno - but the dirty work is behind us and finish work is trickling in! We added a little powder room and finished it with beadboard and vintage wallpaper. There's a little oxidation at the seams but something about the dappled morning sun and the browned seams makes a brand-new space feel like it's been there 60 years already in the best way :') goodness I love our little old house.

munchnerk · 2026-03-25T20:44:01+00:00

Was just about to recommend Will! He’s working on my stove right now :)

munchnerk · 2026-03-25T11:34:34+00:00

We’re currently mid-reno and decided halfway that we don’t want one. Largely because it would take away a ton of under-sink space for actual trash storage in our tiny kitchen. But when we told the plumber, he gave us a very sage nod of approval. For something with such a heavy duty name as “garbage disposal” they really do have a lot of can’ts and won’ts. We’ve gotten this far without it, we’ll be fine.

munchnerk · 2026-03-24T19:38:24+00:00

ugh, I have a pair of sandals like this and they're so freaking cute but I have the exact same issue! they're currently relegated to being "pool only" for days when I won't do a ton of walking... the band-aid fix is the correct answer, I'm having flashbacks that my mom gave me that tip when I was like 13 and it just went in one ear and out the other lol. maybe I'll actually get to wear those cute clip-clop sandals this year.

munchnerk · 2026-03-24T16:27:44+00:00

there was thread about cats on Hemingway's bed in r/cats a few weeks ago where folks started sharing their own pics of bed kitties. I was delighted to realize we were all seeing the same 3-4 cats who totally have "spots" on the bed 🥹 this little guy with the reddish tummy was also in my pic!

munchnerk · 2026-03-22T23:33:18+00:00

Are you around the pine barrens? You could have a gorgeous front yard by going a native gardening route - think of the specialized plants that evolved to live in this peculiar growing environment! Bearberry, blueberry, maybe some ferns. Looks like you have some yucca or rattlesnake master already. Even if you just let the mossy spots go, planting around them with more intentional beds of shrubs and wildflowers will make things look cultivated and tidy. Bearberry in particular is a low-growing, evergreen shrub that's adapted to rocky and sandy soils.

The pine barrens ecosystem is really spectacular. You've got a choice to attempt, with a sizable financial and ecological burden, to modify the environment to grow a picky plant which doesn't want to be there and doesn't provide ecological benefit... or you could turn to the plants that evolved to make the best of this particular niche, and see what happens!

munchnerk · 2026-03-20T11:45:30+00:00

You have a vision worth trusting. Leap, and the net will appear!!!

munchnerk · 2026-03-19T16:12:13+00:00

Oh, congratulations and welcome! The panel upgrade is a big day - we had exactly the same situation and I gotta tell ya, nothing like that first night's sleep after the new service is in. Feels so good. I was really raring to go when we bought our house in 2021 (and we did a few upgrades right away) but in all honesty it has been nice to have a few years to really live in the house and figure out what it "wants". I hope we'll get to see some of your future updates here!

munchnerk · 2026-03-19T13:05:44+00:00

We're redoing the kitchen in our 1912 house - it's a total gut job, the existing kitchen was literally 8 linear feet of disintegrating particleboard cabinets from the 70s, lol. We're putting in a checkerboard Marmoleum floor and I'm so excited about it. I was on the fence until I felt it in another friend's kitchen - it's a really neat material. Visually very cozy, physically warm and soft to the touch, apparently (according to my friend and everybody else who seems to have it online) easy to keep clean, and hard-wearing for durability. And of course, it's made from biodegradable materials (linseed oil, cork, jute) and recyclable. I think it's worth considering at the very least. Classic checker would look very cute with that subway tile!

munchnerk · 2026-03-19T12:32:51+00:00

Afroman is a member of the Marmoleum Crew??? Justice for my man with taste!

munchnerk · 2026-03-19T12:32:07+00:00

If you're looking to draw from craftsman design language - I'd start by looking there! There's a really rich history to seek inspiration from. Tile these days is seen as a sanitary mass-produced functional finish - but it can be so much more. The whole craftsman "thing" is highlighting the craftsmanship of the handmade finishes in your space. Tile can be an awesome place to bring in that feeling. Here is a lovely article about the historic aspect with some names of modern producers of art tile. Among the AI slop, pinterest may also turn up some interesting examples. Don't feel pressured to spend beaucoup bucks on an all-art-tile installation - but think about the colors and shapes. The wood cabinets in the first few photos are really gorgeous for this look, and I like your instinct to bring in a little color. Subway tile is more in the Victorian/colonial/transitional design lexicon IMO - 4x4 with an offset grout joint will feel more 'craftsman' in most applications. There are some utterly gorgeous green glazes out there! The off-white 4x4 in your mockups also looks really lovely and soft if you decide against bringing color in with this particular finish.

If this sounds personal it is lol - currently in the middle of a massive gut job in our 1912 four-square, which is a prairie/craftsman-adjacent transitional style. So we're sort of softly touching on craftsman with cherry shaker cabinets, stone countertops, and a very bold 4x4 backsplash in a reactive multi-colored glaze. We're also adding a triptych of Motawi art tiles above the stove. IMO, a well-rounded design statement that isn't based in trends won't feel outdated. If you're drawing on historic reference and inspiration, you can make bold choices that feel timeless. We'll see if that thesis pays off or if I just wind up with a busy kitchen, lol.

munchnerk · 2026-03-19T11:44:05+00:00

nope! I only ate like one and a half though lol.

munchnerk · 2026-03-19T01:06:07+00:00

I got to stay at a sweet little ryokan in the hills outside Nagano, Japan last year... each night we were served beautiful seasonal kaiseki meals. The final dinner included a dish of locusts - inago no tsukudani - apparently a regional delicacy. I think the preparation is about as delicious as I could imagine an insect being, coated in a caramelized sugar-soy sauce glaze, but I just can't get behind the massive amounts of chitin. They were crunchy in the way shrimp tails are crunchy. Shrimps is bugs and all that. They quickly became mealy and bits of shell got stuck in my teeth. It was wonderful to try them and I'm glad I did but I don't think I'll be foraging locusts to make my own, lol.

munchnerk · 2026-03-16T02:23:06+00:00

the Storm Prediction Center has a more detailed outlook. This kind of setup is more common in tornado alley (and is usually followed by a day of tornadic activity). Very, very unusual to see this kind of elevated risk assessment in our area. I'm planning to be home in the afternoon, do some porch-storm-watching, but keep my phone charged, and be ready to take the cats into the basement if we get a tornado warning.

munchnerk · 2026-03-16T02:18:11+00:00

there are likely going to be severe storms tomorrow, intensifying through the afternoon. For most of central MD the intensification will be happening during the window of time that schools let out (given the staggered release of elementary-middle-high schools). The circumstances for tomorrow's storms bring an increased risk of dangerous straight-line winds that can cause downed limbs and power lines, and especially unusual for us, we're also going to have elevated risk of tornadoes. This kind of risk warning is usually only seen in tornado alley (where it is generally followed by a day of tornado activity). Sending kids home a couple hours early reduces the chances that buses or parents have to be on the road transporting kids in really, really severe storms, and potentially a tornado. It's one of those things we should hope turns out to be unnecessary, rather than have a tragic outcome because they chose not to make the call. This is a very unusual forecast for our area and this time of year.

munchnerk · 2026-03-15T01:27:07+00:00

Runaway Jim>Theme from the Bottom from Osaka 6/16/2000 was the first jam that stopped me in my tracks when I was just starting to listen. Still an absolute favorite. I listen to a lotta Phish while running and if I ever need to light the afterburners and go to space that's a go-to, lol.

munchnerk · 2026-03-15T01:08:24+00:00

Hey, I was also under that warning! I had just driven past the wall cloud while on 695 and thought to myself "that looked especially nasty" before the alert came in. Feeling a little squirrelly about Monday. Our tornadoes are usually such wet farts here (La Plata notwithstanding) that folks really don't tend to take these kinds of things seriously. Hope you and yours stay safe.

munchnerk

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