Recent comments in /f/DIY

king-one-two t1_j26ux3t wrote

Reply to Help hanging a shelf I found! I'm at a total loss because I'm a noob... by Megraptor

Shelf is solid wood, looks nice enough, if you like the style.

I'd hang it with some angle brackets under the shelves. These brass ones come in a 4 pack for $3: https://www.lowes.com/pd/ReliaBilt-RB-3-4-IN-SB-CORNER-BRACE-4-CT/5001634841

Screw one side into the underside of a shelf with the provided brass screw, other side into the wall with longer screw. It'll hold 100+ pounds if you get 2 of them in a stud.

You could use picture-hanging hardware as others are suggesting, but eventually somebody is gonna put something heavy on the shelf. Also, someone could grab it for support.

Nobody ever regretted making a shelf stronger...

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Felaguin OP t1_j26ol5i wrote

Reply to comment by dsmaxwell in 2-wire motion sensor/light on a 3-wire fixture by Felaguin

So the current sensor doesn’t have a red wire which is why my brother capped it off. I’m assuming replacing the sensor with a 3-wire sensor would re-enable the pathway lights by reconnecting the red wire but they will only light up when this sensor detects someone in the driveway heading to the gate. Is there a way to make the pathway light up when someone at the gate heads for the driveway?

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dsmaxwell t1_j26mkxf wrote

Reply to 2-wire motion sensor/light on a 3-wire fixture by Felaguin

I suspect that the red wire goes to the hot input for the pathway lights that now don't work at all. First, check the red wire at the sensor and confirm it does not have AC voltage present when disconnected, then pull the nearest light to the sensor and I bet you'll find the other end of that red wire. A quick continuity test will confirm that.

That being the case, just wire that red line in with the sensor's output and they'll light up just like they used to.

Now, that all changes if you have AC present on that red line with it disconnected, because then they ran 220v to it for who knows why. I strongly suspect they just ran the 220 wire because they intended to use the 4th leg as a separate switched circuit kind of thing, but still on 110v

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EmoInTheCreek t1_j26lkxl wrote

Reply to comment by flamingoeater in Garage door stops closing midway and reverses - sensors seem aligned by simon_on_trails

I have this problem too, especially in the winter months when the sun is lower in the sky.

Was getting really frustrated on this as I had to do the same thing and provide some shade.

Then figured out that if I hold the garage door close button it puts the door into a "manual override" mode and will ignore the light beam and close the door.

Who knew that little booklet that comes in the box details all this.

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falderol t1_j26jfxf wrote

Reply to comment by belleandhera in New painter questions about old paint on walls, unpainted popcorn ceilings and primer! by thatoneguyovertheres

I dont think that is true. If you are mobilizing asbestos there are (maybe) laws about doing it. I think I have heard that if you find asbestos anywhere, you are required to use approved contractors to control and remove it. They use plastic doors and negative pressure enclosures to keep the fibers from contaminating the neighbors. The stuff kills people...eventually.

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m_n_d_12 OP t1_j26iq5q wrote

Reply to comment by PeteyMcBuds in Base of porch column gaps/cracks by m_n_d_12

Did you mean “agreed” re porch sagging or wood shrinking? In person the steps look totally normal so I’m not sure the joints have actually widened. Also that spout is just for the small porch overhang. I don’t see obvious soil erosion and hard to imagine this suddenly occurred on a 100 year old place…

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Rubbytumpkins t1_j26i1ps wrote

Reply to New painter questions about old paint on walls, unpainted popcorn ceilings and primer! by thatoneguyovertheres

I'm probably too late to this but I am a restoration specialist. I'm the guy that makes the natural disaster/fire look like it never happened. So here's what matters:

  1. Popcorn ceiling absorbs moisture. Water mist will remove it and so will latex paint since latex paint is water based. If you put latex over popcorn the popcorn can start to fall off or make a bald spot etc. If you are not planning to remove the popcorn then what you want to do is prime it first with an oil based stain block primer (SW has a good one that I use).
  2. The stainblock primer will stop any nicotine or grease spots etc from weeping back through. If you skip straight to latex, nicotine is oily and will bunch up and make orange blobs in your finished product. BUT, primers also absorb. If you only use primer the ceiling will yellow with age and pick up dirt faster. So you need both.
  3. Cover the stainblock primer with the flat paint they already sold you (this is the right product for ceiling). Both primer and paint can be rolled on with a 15mm roller just fine, just do one coat front to back and another coat side to side of each product so that you dont have missed spots.
  4. The popcorn ceiling will look great for many more years and can be washed with a cloth or repainted for maintenance...but it won't be easily removable with water anymore.
  5. If you have bare patches of popcorn DO NOT buy the spray can popcorn from the local hardware. It will not look good I can almost guarantee it, just going to make a mess.
  6. If you are kinda handy and want to give it a shot, spraying popcorn is actually kinda easy because if it doesn't look how you want you can scrape it off in 10s with a wide trowel and try again. Equipment is rentable. There are 3-4 main types of ceiling texture, take a picture of your ceiling then do down to the place that sells it and compare your ceiling to the samples. Once you have the correct texture then spraying it just becomes a game of getting the ratio of water content, nozzle size, and air pressure correct. So spray at a blank wall and start dry, spray high and low pressure. Then add water, spray at high and low pressure. Eventually it will look close enough, apply to ceiling.

Good luck DIYers.

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