Beyond Blue Home Improvement Thread

geoff · ‎28-09-2017

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

Guest_1584 · ‎01-09-2020

Hey geoff , ahh is that what they do with some, that's a great way of holding them in. Funny , mine makes a racket at first but it settles down once it gets wound up, l kind of find the noise quite soothing , it's about 1000yrs old haha. l cleaned him up inside though and it's still doing a great job.

Hope your feeling better mat cheers. rx

geoff · ‎03-09-2020

Hi Hanna, Sleepy and RX and anyone else reading, if you have a second hand portable aircon where you have to keep adding water to it to try and make the room cool, these are well, useless, they only make the room humid and unless you're standing right in front of them, don't do anything, a big fan would be better.

Are you able to put an aircon on layby or use 'afterpay', HNorman would have people to measure and install.

Yo need to be kept cool and when summer arrives it will be 30 degrees and so uncomfortable, wish I could do it for you.

Geoff.

Hanna3 · ‎03-09-2020

Hi Geoff,

Thanks for that - you don't have to add water to the portable aircon I've got but it wasn't very effective last summer unless I sat right in front of it, as you said!

I'll have to take out a Centrelink loan to buy a window aircon but I think this summer is going to be bad, and I worry for my little dog who isn't young and he really suffered from the heat last summer. Thanks Geoff if I have more questions is it OK if I come back here and ask you - maybe about size of aircon, cost etc? You are a real help.

Hanna3 · ‎08-09-2020

Hi Geoff,

Hope you're doing OK...

I've heard that hosing the walls of a fibro house down at night in summer can help cool the building - do you know if this would work? I think they are going to ease the water restrictions here so would it be worth me buying a hose and doing this in the evenings? Thanks Geoff.

I'm also wondering about a misting fan indoors?

Ggrand · ‎08-09-2020

Hello Geoff...

I hope you’re feeling okay..

I want to paint my old bedroom suite..I think it dates back to the 50/60s...It’s all shaped and it’s varnished a light varnish with little circled wood Grain? on it...It’s solid wood I think with a patterned veneer over top of it..

Do I need to sand off all the varnish or sand it until the old varnish is dull?...

Then do I need an undercoat or can I paint straight on top?..with a sealant paint?...

Thank you so much Geoff, for your time and help..

Grandy..

geoff · ‎10-09-2020

Hello Hanna, no worries, I'm pleased you're on the thread.

A misting fan won't cool down the room as quick as an aircon but turn it on well before it's hot enough to cook a pizza and keep an eye on the water level.

You can hose down the outside walls, but the roof will be hot enough to cook an egg, and remember to hose yourself down.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

geoff · ‎10-09-2020

Hello Grandy, I do remember those suites and if there is a veneer on top just be careful not to sand this too heavily, otherwise chipboard may appear.

With the rest, you don't have to sand it all down to a dull finish, although it's preferable, but try not to use a very coarse grade, this will course grooves you don't want, if this has happened the future topcoat will fill them.

You don't need to undercoat it, but if for example, you're trying to paint over a dominant colour, like red, then use an undercoat this will be cheaper than trying, for example, to paint it white or yellow.

If you're painting a vanish over a vanish then rub it down to take the shine off, wash it down and remove any dust, then you can paint it.

The reason why a gloss finish needs to be rubbed down is that the new paint needs a surface to grab hold of, with a gloss this doesn't happen.

Please ask anything you want.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

Ggrand · ‎10-09-2020

Hello Geoff...

Thank you so much for your help...I would like to tackle this job late spring....I want to paint it a high gloss creamy colour...I cannot even budge it slightly it’s so heavy...So will have to sand it in the bedroom unfortunately....I have those lifting thingys (they were advertised on tv a few years back)...hopefully I can lift enough to place a sheet of plastic under the bottom part as I go...I will have to do that as I go..

I will more likely need to pop back in when I start..I have only a little sander that’s shaped like an iron...It will take a while to get it all sanded...

Thank you so much for your kindness....

Grandy..

Hanna3 · ‎10-09-2020

Thanks Geoff! I hope we're not in for as bad a summer as last year with the drought and fires..but a fibro house with no insulation is horrible... thanks for your help, can I come back if I have more questions later? This is a great thread BTW - really helpful thanks Geoff you're a star mate!

Hanna3 · ‎10-09-2020

Hi Geoff,

I hope you are keeping OK... when you are around here again, if you can help I have another question (poor you!) - do you know anything about gas heaters? I have a Rinnai gas heater which has been put in my old public housing fibro where the open fire would have been originally. The heater was new when I came in a year ago.

All winter when I've had the gas heater on I've had tingling feelings in my eyes and face and I've had to open the door and get fresh air in constantly, even when it's freezing. It gets very cold here and even snows. Now it's Spring but the nights are cold enough to put the heater on and it's worse, my eyes itch and my face stings and I have to keep going outside and/or switching the heater off. It's in the loungeroom where the computer and TV are. I think it goes out the front of the house, not through the chimney.

It's spring and there's lost of grasses etc around... is something being brought into the house by the heater or someone said it's not flued propertly whatever that means. Can you give me any ideas what is the cause? The itchy/tingling feeling goes away when I go into another room for a while or go outside or turn the heating off and open the door for a while.

Really appreciate your help Geoff, you take care. I understand if you can't help!!