Beyond Blue Home Improvement Thread

[geoff]

Hi everyone. I'm Geoff and have been a dedicated Volunteer on the forums for 13 years. I am proud to have stopped some of the stigmas that are associated with mental health as well as doing my best to help others too

Before my health went south I was a builder in all aspects of home construction and renovation. If you don't have a handyman around I hope I can offer you some tips that may be of help. I have had many years of experience in home renovation and will do my best to help you out if you are stuck and need some advice

I hope my experience may be of help to the people on Beyond Blue and make their life a little bit better. Even if you need help with the most basic painting job or putting up a shelf I can help there too with some tips

I will do my best to get back to anyone that has a question when I can as this is social yet important thread

Geoff

[geoff]

Hi MF, I'm sorry about the powerboard, so are you using double adapters?

Maybe if you go to 'garage sales' on the week end you might be able to buy one for a couple of dollars, but make sure it works first.

You can buy handsaws at about $15 that would be cheaper than hiring them, but I'm not sure you can hire a handsaw and tin snips are about $25 again I don't think you could hire them, I maybe wrong,

The red colour painted on the end just tells the hardware store what type of timber it is and it's grade, or you could ask the tradesmen if it's hardwood or suitable for edging that will last, remember soft wood is also suitable but won't last that long.

The screws with a hexagon shaped top are easily screwed in and out, but you will need a 'bit' that fits into your drill, these self drill and are commonly used.

The bit only costs a couple of dollars, but there are a couple of different sizes, these would be quick and easy to self drill and any drill will do.

Please let us know how you get on.

Geoff.

[geoff]

Hi RX, he'll have to wait and see what his next bill is like, if the $97 is wrong then his next bill will be atroscus.

Just a concern, where is the chipboard, only in the extended loungeroom, if so then you might want to sand and polish the rest of the boards and put carpet in the extended area.

Where we lived I put down parquetry in the lounge room, kitchen, hallway and 'office', then slate in wet areas and where the coonara was, then carpet in the extended lounge.

An idea is to polish the boards then put 'floating floor' in the extended lounge, the only thing you will need to take care of is the slight difference in height between the polished boards and the floating floor.

The only trouble with a floating floor is that it can't be sanded back like parquetry can if it's scratched.

Let us know what you think.

Geoff.

[Music_Freak]

I'm happy enough to buy a new powerboard, but since there's no double adaptor or anything, should I get the powerpoint checked out? It's a double one with my fridge plugged in one side (powerboard in the other). The board may have been a cheap 6 plug one, but could that be the reason it blew? I wish I knew...

Would tin snips be enough to cut the roofing? Just asking because I'd be making horizontal long cuts. I did think of maybe drilling a hole in each upward wave to maybe make it easier, or something. The ones I have currently may not be the sharpest/best etc.

I had an idea that if I use softwood, which I think the painted ones are I could somehow wrap them in the scraps of roofing I have left. Could I just use a piece of timber and hammer it around the shape etc. and put the shaped bits in the ground (still wrapped around the softwood) I possibly have some hardwood pieces but maybe not enough. Would "spikes" made from the scraps be enough to hold it all up, maybe?

Any idea what the drill bit is called? Or could I perhaps just use phillips head pointed screws, since they'll be covered from the rain? I think the hexagon ones aren't pointy at the tip.

Sorry Geoff, I probably sound so dumb and am confusing you...I wish I at least knew the tradie lingo to use...

[Guest_1584]

Hi one and all .

beautiful day here and l got out and back onto the new deck some more , finished prepping it for painting . There were nails everywhere in the roof beams l had to get out and one original wall with old flaked up paint all over it. She's all good to go now.

l also sanded down my stereo stand , been gonna do that for about 2years and took 70ml off the coffee table legs finally too. That things always been too tall , not anymore haha.

Gorgeous weather , love Autumn , hope your all having a good wkend and getting out into it and some stuff done.

Fire and a few wines tonight , perfect.

Cheers/ rx

[Guest_1584]

Hi Geoff , thanks for that mate.

Yeah the extended part starts from dead center of longe now , so they doubled it's size. Point with that is there's no hiding the floor difference because it's smack in teh middle of the lounge, except to cover it somehow and there's about a 4ml drop where the chipboard starts .

Funny , you could feel it under foot a touch before with the carpet but hardly at all. They did like you said and packed it up a bit with extra under felt . But l put a fireplace in that part now so l ripped up the carpet and found out about the floor. The lounge is about 8 or 9mtrs long and it'd be really nice to just have the one floor or whatever kind , right through.

l agree with you l don't really like that packet floor stuff and yeah when it wares , your stuffed.

funny l was watching some real estate show and they were showing through a gorgeous old italian villa 200yrs old with floor boards . l just loved them , l dunno how old the floor boards were but very old too and just stained straight over the top as is , probably sanded up a little bit but no filling or fancy stuff just all the cracks and chips , marks left 100% natural and it was the most beautiful floor l ever saw.

l really don't like the glassy smooth fishiness they put on them now myself .

So that's what l wanted to do with my lounge because the floor boards in this place are old and pretty shytty as is but painted up like that villa , would've looked gorgeous . But then l found out it's half chipboard. Bugger.

rx

[geoff]

Hi MF, I'm just wondering whether there was a 'reset button' on either side of the power board and if so just press it and try again, but yes the power point with the refrig connected might be too much power coming off it.

Can you attach your refrig to another power point so you can use the power board.

Tin snips would be OK to use but it's best to have new ones to cut the colour bond, because if they are blunt then that will drive you crazy, I know that feeling, it's like trying to start a lawn mower.

If the framing for the house/flat being built is timber then the wood would certainly be pine, hardwood is too expensive to use.

You could always the timber going into the ground which will give it extra time, not necessary, but you can.

Why not just hammer the wood into the ground and then screw the metal to it, but it's probably best to dig a trench and have the bottom of the metal sit in this, then fill in the trench, that would be better when you have to use the wipersniper, just remember the cord on the wipersniper is going to break off a bit quicker.

The bit you use is only about 50mm or even longer ones and are called 'hex head or tex bit', just say that you need a bit to screw in hex self drilling screws, they will know.

Don't worry about the lingo the hardware store will know what you want, and they will be behind the counter.

Geoff.

[geoff]

Hi RX, polished floorboards are gorgeous, I love them, and they are usually painted in a gloss, a shiny finish.

How about getting a handyman or someone who knows what to do to take up the chipboard floor and then put down some other floorboards, maybe you could go to any 2nd hand or a junk shop that sells everything from a nail to large sheets of timber, they may have floorboards to fit.

It doesn't matter if it's different timber, it would be a high light in the middle of the floor and it's an easy job to replace the timber, something I would have loved to do.

Then polish all the floorboards and coat them with a 2 pack polish or floor estapol, it would look fabulous.

Let me know what you think.

Geoff.

[Music_Freak]

There's no other powerpoint for the fridge and yes it had a reset button. It was always needing resetting. Nothing works now and it smells, so you're probably right too much power.

Lord knows how you're meant to function in a kitchen with only one available powerpoint (toaster and microwave are in the other ones)...maybe I'll just have to...yay. Sounds like it's not worthwhile trying with another powerboard.

[Music_Freak]

I'm trying an old 4 plug powerboard with a reset button...maybe it's the 6 that's too much, I'm not its ever had six things plugged into it at once though, only 4 or maybe 5

[geoff]

Hello MF, if you have the toaster and/or microwave plugged into the power board then you will have to press the reset button as they draw too much power.

Is there a powerpoint on the same wall in the opposite room where you want to put the pboard, not right behind the ppoint for the frig. or perhaps through the pantry and the wall 90 degrees which maybe the hallway or even laundry, just curious.

There will be some way.

Geoff.