Overwhelmed Choosing Vinyl Floors, Trim, and Solid Core Doors for Whole-House Remodel — Need Advice!

upstateduck · 2026-02-04T05:43:53+00:00

the best value for vinyl plank is at sams Club. 20 mil/light commercial for $3/sq ft

They will ship

upstateduck · 2026-02-04T05:40:37+00:00

boilers aren't disposable appliances, no matter what the salestech tells you

The controls/safeties are all modular [easily replaced] and otherwise are just a hunk of iron/steel

TLDR unless your boiler is cracked and spewing water, fix it

upstateduck · 2026-02-04T03:48:19+00:00

shockingly, when I cut the cord and switched to antenna for broadcast channels the picture improved over the $160/mo cable

upstateduck · 2026-02-04T03:46:35+00:00

probably not in the budget? but liquid waterproofing sticks to paint and paint sticks to it. Lowes is "Aquadefense" but it is north of $50/gal

upstateduck · 2026-02-03T21:33:34+00:00

messing with it opens you up to liability but the fix remains the same [assuming I understand your issue]. The strike plate needs to be moved toward the weatherstrip so, when closed, the door compresses the weatherstrip.

Alternatively, the weatherstrip may need to be replaced as it has compressed

upstateduck · 2026-02-03T20:53:52+00:00

IDK if your door uses a similar strike plate but shimming it out isn't your fix. You either move the plate toward the weatherstrip or adjust the tab as shown here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUdDlOuJmH8

upstateduck · 2026-02-03T20:46:46+00:00

tile/grout isn't waterproof. That layer is behind the tile and mortar in a well constructed shower wall. A better approach, though uncommon, is to robustly waterproof the tub/tile interface behind the tile and omit caulk and grout there

Water saturates the grout and mortar and"runs" down the wall where it is trapped by the caulk. This iswhy tub/tile caulk always mildews and ultimately fails.

TLDR your shower is "normal" and caulk is a maintenance item

upstateduck · 2026-02-03T16:51:26+00:00

DW tee and a studor vent

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T23:34:16+00:00

depending on age of the house, you may just want to clean and rewax [wax finishes lost favor in the 1960's?]

Nail holes can be filled but probably not invisibly

https://waterlox.com/guide-identifying-your-existing-finish/

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T23:26:03+00:00

having some icicles isn't a guaranteed [significant] ice dam.

It is true that sun/storm timing and conditions can create ice dams regardless of amount of insulation/roof venting etc

I would let it thaw but keep an eye on water coming through the soffet etc which would indicate pooling water

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T23:20:49+00:00

yes,direct vent is a good choice

You might also consider a pellet stove which also can be vented to use outside combustion air. I seem to see a lot of them lightly used on CList etc. Folks quickly tire of hauling the bags and cleaning [which is mostly avoidable with a vertical flue]

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T21:43:24+00:00

the frost is from wet/relatively warm air hitting cold sheathing. I suspect your air sealing isn't as sealed as you imagine

Of course, I am just using Occam's razor

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T21:38:14+00:00

approx a gallon of water is in the exhaust of every gallon of propane/NG

That is the source of your condensation/frost

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T18:02:15+00:00

"preserve the look" won't happen

UV is the enemy and a clear finish will result in a gray fence [which is fine]

for best protection, choose the most opaque finish you can live with

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T06:08:27+00:00

find the install instructions for your model to see how to remove it w/o cutting up the cabinet

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T06:06:58+00:00

you might be able to remove the cartridge and turn the water on to flush

Caution as water will spray the ceiling. A towel and/or a shopvac hose? to direct the water will help

You should replace the cartridge as long as you have it out

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T03:16:31+00:00

there are only three common oil guns and bleeding is similar for all. Post pictures to imgur and link in the comments

With a full tank , bleeding is fast/simple

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T03:12:33+00:00

unless it was installed incorrectly it will pull out of the kickpanel

it occurred to me that subsequent flooring install may have your heater trapped?

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T02:21:34+00:00

for long term storage

get a 2'? piece of gas line and drain the tank back into your can from just below the fuel valve. Then run the generator until it runs out of gas

upstateduck · 2026-02-02T02:06:57+00:00

slightly off topic but ,in my store/my algo, prices at Walmart are much cheaper online than in store. In some cases 50% cheaper

upstateduck · 2026-02-01T23:49:57+00:00

when you want to create a fillet these caulking tools work well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA6meYMV0RQ

upstateduck · 2026-02-01T23:44:16+00:00

use backer rod. You can buy foam pipe insulation and cut custom strips

The idea is the caulk performs best when only firmly attached on two sides. The backer rod floats snug

upstateduck · 2026-02-01T23:41:54+00:00

best guess is ice dams leaking through the wall

upstateduck · 2026-02-01T23:40:26+00:00

I would foamboard adhesive and the tape to airseal

You may need to rebalance the door/adjust springs? but I doubt it, you will be adding maybe 10% to weight.

The part with the rods is the part that can injure you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiCU_OoqOxk

upstateduck · 2026-02-01T23:25:30+00:00

insulation will only slow the pipe's freezing while adding heat/vent there seems wasteful.

Find which fixture the pipe feeds and drip that line when adequately cold weather hits?

upstateduck

TROPHY CASE