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cc_rider

cc_rider Avatar

Location: Bastrop
Gender: Male

Posted: Oct 31, 2008 - 10:21am

ScottFromWyoming wrote:

Cheap in every way. It's hard to find drain pipes that will stay in place if you bump them. Around here, anyway. Even metal ones are the flimsiest material with lousy threads that you can't actually tighten.

/I think I'll end this rant before it actually gets going.

Agreed. 'Drain pipes' are so thin as to be worthless. Which is why I'm only using Sched 40 from now on. To be fair, drain pipes have ALWAYS been flimsy: I put my finger through a brass one once, it was so corroded it crumbled away.

ScottFromWyoming

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Location: Powell
Gender: Male

Posted: Oct 31, 2008 - 10:16am
rosedraws wrote: The Sink Project! I was amazed at how cheap plumbing pipes are!! Cheap in every way. It's hard to find drain pipes that will stay in place if you bump them. Around here, anyway. Even metal ones are the flimsiest material with lousy threads that you can't actually tighten. /I think I'll end this rant before it actually gets going.

cc_rider

cc_rider Avatar

Location: Bastrop
Gender: Male

Posted: Oct 31, 2008 - 10:15am

rosedraws wrote:

Man, I would LOVE to be able to make a living going around fixing stuff like this for people! Damn money.

It really was easy. I mean, I know my way around a wrench alright, but the way the pipes just screw together these days (that sounds so dirty), it's a snap.

40 or 41? Don't know. The old was ABS, the new is PVC. Fortunately, then now make cement that adheres to both, so we could join them. They felt pretty thick and sturdy, and the old ones (have no idea how old they are... either 13 years or 40) were in great shape so I didn't replace what I didn't have to.

Must be Sched 40. '41' was a joke, but you knew that and were just razzing/ignoring me. Often drain tubes are really thin, since they don't have to hold pressure or anything. I like the extra sturdiness of 40 though.

Keep an eye on the glue joints for awhile. Unless you had the good sense to prime them properly (with purple or blue or whatever color primer), in which case they'll probably last a lifetime.

I want a new sink now, dangit! Look what you've started!

c.

rosedraws

rosedraws Avatar

Location: close to the edge
Gender: Female

Posted: Oct 31, 2008 - 10:10am

cc_rider wrote:

Nice work! Love that new sink!

Want to come do mine? It'll be WAY more fun, 'cause the countertop is thickset tile. And the house is 85 years old.

Your plumbing work looks good. Is that Sched. 40? 41?

Well done!

c.

cc_rider

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Location: Bastrop
Gender: Male

Posted: Oct 31, 2008 - 10:06am
rosedraws wrote: The Sink Project! Nice work! Love that new sink! Want to come do mine? It'll be WAY more fun, 'cause the countertop is thickset tile. And the house is 85 years old. Your plumbing work looks good. Is that Sched. 40? 41? Well done! c.

rosedraws

rosedraws Avatar

Location: close to the edge
Gender: Female

Posted: Oct 31, 2008 - 9:34am

The Sink Project!

The old pipes.

Removing the old sink.

The new pipes!
Because the new sink has drains in a diff location, it was a bit of a puzzle to redirect the drain pipes.
I was amazed at how cheap plumbing pipes are!!

Tadaaaa!
How beautiful is that?
We get SO much pleasure using this new sink, cause it's all such high quality.
Hubby (the dishwasher) is much much happier too. We love the bigger sink bowls too.
It was actually easier than we thought!

cc_rider

cc_rider Avatar

Location: Bastrop
Gender: Male

Posted: Sep 29, 2008 - 8:41am

rosedraws wrote:

The old sink does mount on top of the counter... it just has a very thin lip, instead of these new "self-rimming" fat lips. I think it will be easy to install (well, as easy as any sink) but I wonder what it will be like to have that fat rim instead of the flat rim we're used to.

new sink, "self-rimming"

old sink looked kinda like this... "tile-in"... hmmm... we don't have any tile...

Like everybody is saying, installing a new self-rimming sink is a piece of ca... er, pie. The trickiest part of the whole thing always seems to be getting the new drain plumbing all set up and aligned properly.

If your old sink is the same vintage as one I replaced about ten years ago (looks about right), the drain pipes underneath are probably shot. They're usually made from THIN brass, chrome-plated, or thin plastic. Cleaning chemicals and plain old corrosion will eventually eat through the brass, or at least weaken it so much you can't loosen it without it falling apart. The thin plastic tubes are okay, but sometimes are hard to get to seal.

When I built the two sinks in my garage, I used Schedule 40 PVC instead of the thin stuff. Better yet, they make new traps that have a little screw-cap at the very bottom, in case you drop something down the sink, or have a really nasty clog. They cost more than the flimsy ones, but they're still cheap in the grand scheme of things. You'll need a few adapters and some PVC primer and cement, but once it's done you're not likely to have to worry about it again.

Just accept the fact that getting all the plumbing sorted out will take at least three trips to the store. It's the curse of plumbing projects.

Keep us posted...

c.

MsJudi

MsJudi Avatar

Location: Houston, TX
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 29, 2008 - 7:30am

rosedraws wrote:

old sink looked kinda like this... "tile-in"... hmmm... we don't have any tile...

Easy-peasy, you should be able to follow the directions on the box for mounting it to be sure you use the product they recommend, but it should be a breeze to install.

oldviolin

oldviolin Avatar

Location: esse quam videri
Gender: Male

Posted: Sep 29, 2008 - 7:30am

rosedraws wrote:

old sink looked kinda like this... "tile-in"... hmmm... we don't have any tile...

Well, the one your showing has that stainless rim and underneath has the clips to hold it tight. They can still be done that way, but you have to look for that type of basin. I think that they're still available.

rosedraws

rosedraws Avatar

Location: close to the edge
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 29, 2008 - 7:26am

MsJudi wrote:

I'm not a contractor, just a home DYI'r, so maybe take what I say with a grain of salt until our carpenter buddies log on and answer. Is the new sink mounted above the counter? (I'm assuming it is from your description but it never hurts to be sure.) If so, you should be able to mount it with plumber's putty on top of the counter and then seal it with clear silicone caulk. Do you have a photo of the new sink?

old sink looked kinda like this... "tile-in"... hmmm... we don't have any tile...

oldviolin

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Location: esse quam videri
Gender: Male

Posted: Sep 29, 2008 - 7:23am

rosedraws wrote:

Kitchen sink question:

We're thinking of replacing our very beat up sink. (Hoping to do it ourselves.) It was a cheapo version and chipped pretty readily.

New sinks (cast iron enameled) all have a pretty high raised edge (called self-rimming.) Our current sink has a flat edge, that we had to put a kind of molding on (not great looking.) I'm not crazy about that high edge, but it seems to be the only option available if I don't want to replace my countertop. (Which I don't).

Any thoughts?

Rose, if you have room, you can mount it under counter, but that brings up a set of issues...
Is it a solid surface or natural stone counter?, because the hole edges need to be dressed. (how do you like my turn of phrase?)
Then, there's the problems with space underneath because the new basin has to be blocked underneath very solidly.
The DIY version has you mounting it on top and learning to like the raised edge I'm afraid.

MsJudi

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Location: Houston, TX
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 29, 2008 - 7:06am

rosedraws wrote:

rosedraws

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Location: close to the edge
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 29, 2008 - 7:02am

MayBaby

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Location: Savannah, Georgia
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 19, 2008 - 5:55pm

Leslie wrote:

Wow, I just checked out your website as well. I LOVE your wood carvings and the ceiling of that bedroom is really cool. Way to go, MayBaby!

Thank you, Leslie! That bedroom was my first and last job on scaffolding. But it was fun, like most of the work I've done : ) Just couldn't make money doing it, so after fifteen years I closed the shop and moved to Savannah to be with my girlfriend. I always hated the "money part" of business. That is, I could only do my best work but could never charge enough for it. I still have the shop and when I visit Augusta I wander around in it's silence... I kinda miss it. I love the art but hate the business.

Leslie

Leslie Avatar

Location: Antioch, CA
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 19, 2008 - 3:32pm
Wow, I just checked out your website as well. I LOVE your wood carvings and the ceiling of that bedroom is really cool. Way to go, MayBaby!

MayBaby

MayBaby Avatar

Location: Savannah, Georgia
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 19, 2008 - 9:16am
phineas wrote: MayBaby wrote: (I've been a cabinet maker for 32 years and see this happen all the time) I took a look at your site — you really know your craft! Thank you! I sort of fell into woodworking when I was 15 years old. Fell into it, fell in love with it : )

phineas

phineas Avatar

Posted: Sep 19, 2008 - 9:13am
MayBaby wrote: (I've been a cabinet maker for 32 years and see this happen all the time) I took a look at your site — you really know your craft!

MayBaby

MayBaby Avatar

Location: Savannah, Georgia
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 19, 2008 - 8:19am

MsJudi wrote:

Does anyone know much about what to expect when your house starts to settle? At what point does "settling" become "slab damage"?

Most often "house settling" isn't what one would think it is - like settling into the ground. It's usually the fact that new building materials start out with a relatively high moisture content and then continue to gain moisture as the building is erected. After the homeowner moves in and starts the air conditioning or furnace, everything starts drying out and shrinking. That causes cracks to form and gives one the impression that the house is somehow sinking. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just that it's usually the fault of wet materials drying out.
(I've been a cabinet maker for 32 years and see this happen all the time)

MsJudi

MsJudi Avatar

Location: Houston, TX
Gender: Female

Posted: Sep 19, 2008 - 7:57am
Does anyone know much about what to expect when your house starts to settle? At what point does "settling" become "slab damage"?

Xeric

Location: Montana
Gender: Male

Posted: Sep 19, 2008 - 7:08am

cc_rider wrote:

I would not use laminate on stairs. Stairs see more wear than anything else, and it'll show. With solid wood, when it wears down you see, uh, more wood. Plus it's gonna be hard to make the edges of laminate look good. I would try to find matching (or contrasting) solid wood for the stair treads: I think you can get pre-finished treads made to match solid wood pre-finished flooring. I have not installed laminate flooring myself, but it doesn't SEEM too challenging. A good miter saw is gonna be crucial though: the trim cuts make or break any project. You'll also need basic stuff like a carpenter's square, a rubber mallet (always handy to have anyway), and maybe knee pads (insert off-color remark here.) Plus a tape measure (duh) and a chalk line. I would find a friend who has a miter saw, or invest in one. Used is okay, 'cause you're going to buy a new, fine-cut blade for it. A 10" saw is the most common size: smaller ones are too cheap (usually) and 12" is WAY more than you need. I know there's TONS of online instructional material on installing the stuff, that's where I'd start. The specific manufacturer probably has an installation video too. The trickiest part of any project is when the room is not square: you have to adjust for it at the outset, otherwise you're gonna end up with weird slivers at the end. Measure out each area before you start laying flooring, so you don't have any surprises. Keep us posted... c.

As has been made clear, a smooth and flat floor underneath the laminate is the crucial first step.

And while, as a trim carpenter/cabinet maker, I agree that the trim cuts make or break a project, I'd say that they sometimes aren't so critical on floors. Why? Baseboard. It depends upon the layout, but it's often the case that all the required cuts will end up under the baseboard (most likely exception: around door jambs). If all your ends will be against walls, you can just about hack 'em off with a dull ax . . . and then borrow/rent/hire a good miter saw to do the baseboard!

And let me also add that while I agree that a 10" miter saw is your most common best bet, Hitachi's 8 1/4" slide compound saw is a proven workhorse and might be around used at good prices.

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