General Upgrades & Ideas

[Donuthole]

Looks nice DH.

I am trying to figure out your pool deck. Is that some kind of stained concrete? Looks cool.

Pretty standard “cool decking”. I wasn’t home when they applied it, but I think they spray it on. It’s basically the next step up from bare concrete. Nothing fancy, but definitely quite a bit cooler on the feet than exposed concrete. We looked at travertine, but for the size area we needed to cover, that was going to be an extra $30k. Pass.

[Clark Addison]

Looks great. I am jealous.

[Donuthole]

Before:

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Mrs. D wanted to tie the wood decking in with the pool somehow, so we decided to cover the stucco pool wall. Painted it up, attached the studs, then added the decking. It’s not quite done, as I need to get some plugs due the screw holes and touch up the corners where the construction adhesive dried.


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[Donuthole]

Semi finished. Still need some touch up.

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[Moliere]

I may hire you to redo my pool deck soon.

[Bo Diddley]

Really looking forward to the next CS Pool Party.

[Donuthole]

I may hire you to redo my pool deck soon.

Ha. This is child's play compared to the stuff you do. This wall was a bit more complicated than the back wall, because I needed to miter around the corners. My old fixed miter saw isn't quite big enough to cut through these planks all the way with an upright cut, so I was 45ing them one direction, flipping them over and rotating the saw back to 45 the other direction and eyeballing them. I got pretty dang good at it after the first few misses. But I kept thinking to myself, "I should just order a $1500 festool miter saw. I can justify it with how much I've saved on labor."

[Donuthole]

Really looking forward to the next CS Pool Party.

BYU-Notre Dame Pre-game swim party. Early October is lovely outside, and even if it's a bit chilly, we can heat the pool to 87. And now that I think about it, the way ticket prices on that game are looking, I may well decide to host a party and watch on our outdoor screen anyway.

[Bo Diddley]

BYU-Notre Dame Pre-game swim party. Early October is lovely outside, and even if it's a bit chilly, we can heat the pool to 87. And now that I think about it, the way ticket prices on that game are looking, I may well decide to host a party and watch on our outdoor screen anyway.

I've had that date circled. But might not be able to go. Grandchild #4 is due just before that.

[Pelado]

The kitchen cabinets in our new house are in need of some new stain. The prior owner said the wood is naughty knotty alder. I matched the stain at Sherwin Williams.

I've been reading some online guides this morning on the process of restaining:

- remove hardware
- clean with TSP
- lightly sand
- apply sanding sealer or pre-stain wood conditioner
- stain (possible multiple coats)
- apply polyurethane sealer

How important are the steps for sanding sealer/pre-stain wood conditioner and the polyurethane sealer?

Any other tips/tricks for making the project go smoothly?

[Moliere]

Pre stain wood conditioner is usually used to prevent blotchiness when the stain is applied. It’s effectiveness depends on the type of wood. I’ve never used alder and I hate stain so I have no advice there.

polyurethane sealer will be a protective coat over the stain. I’d think this is step is necessary given how much kitchen cabinets are used. You can generally find different finishes (matte, glossy, etc) and it’s cheap to buy.

Good luck. I’ve never redone kitchen cabinets and I doubt I ever will because it would suck.

[Bo Diddley]

The kitchen cabinets in our new house are in need of some new stain. The prior owner said the wood is naughty knotty alder. I matched the stain at Sherwin Williams.

I've been reading some online guides this morning on the process of restaining:

- remove hardware
- clean with TSP
- lightly sand
- apply sanding sealer or pre-stain wood conditioner
- stain (possible multiple coats)
- apply polyurethane sealer

How important are the steps for sanding sealer/pre-stain wood conditioner and the polyurethane sealer?

Any other tips/tricks for making the project go smoothly?

I've never restained anything. I've finished a gunstock from scratch, but restaining seems like it could go south. I suppose if it turns out bad, you could always paint them. Alder being a hardwood might do well with that. We painted our maple cabinets in our kitchen. You have to buy a thick self leveling paint that's expensive, but it really turned out nice. Of course, there too you need to lightly sand for the best results.

[Pelado]

My wife thinks the tile backsplash in our new kitchen is boring. She wants me to hang this decorative metallic thing above the stove to improve the aesthetic appeal. The issues:

- I don't want to drill any holes into the tile.

- The outer rim is very narrow and the only part that comes into contact with the tile.

I tried using some 3M Command strips to hold it, but they weren't getting enough contact to hold it in place. I also tried putting a bead of clear caulk on that outer rim, but holding it in place while waiting for the caulk to firm up and adhere didn't work out so well.

Any ideas on how to get this thing to stick to the tile without having to drill into the tile?

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[old_gregg]

My wife thinks the tile backsplash in our new kitchen is boring. She wants me to hang this decorative metallic thing above the stove to improve the aesthetic appeal. The issues:

- I don't want to drill any holes into the tile.

- The outer rim is very narrow and the only part that comes into contact with the tile.

I tried using some 3M Command strips to hold it, but they weren't getting enough contact to hold it in place. I also tried putting a bead of clear caulk on that outer rim, but holding it in place while waiting for the caulk to firm up and adhere didn't work out so well.

Any ideas on how to get this thing to stick to the tile without having to drill into the tile?

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maybe call a pier 1 imports from 2003 and ask how they did it

[Pelado]

maybe call a pier 1 imports from 2003 and ask how they did it

I'll get right on that.