Recent content by scotw

The tiles are bonded to the plywood with thinset? If so, it will never work. There should be a cement backerboard or ditra between the tiles and plywood. Blocking never hurts either. I had 800 sq feet of tile installed in my new house by a professional using latex modified thinset directly to...

I also converted my garage into a bedroom suite and laundry room. A new garage was built in front of the old garage. The main house sits on a crawl space, and the old garage was a concrete slab on grade. I did standard 2x10 floor framing 30 inches above the old garage slab which made it even...

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have a three gang switch box which contains 3 SPST switches. Each switch switches two separate 12 watt LED loads. Into the box: 1 14/2 hot 6 14/2 LED Loads Each switch requires a ground, so there are a total of 10 grounds in the switch box. Too many for a single wire nut. I have some 8...

I received a similar product yesterday that I ordered for evaluation last week. http://www.aspectled.com/collections/led-recessed-ceiling-lights/products/6-ultra-thin-recessed-light-9w It is not UL listed and I won't be installing it. I just wanted to see how warm they get and how bright they...

Here is a calculator that the ceramic tile people use to determine approximate floor deflection: http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/deflecto.pl Your floor has a deflection of around L/185, depending on the type of wood used in the joists. You need at least L/360 for ceramic tile. You can do...

Install 5/8 inch type X sheetrock on ceiling. Install 1/2 inch drywall strips to cover the gap. Doesn't have to look good, just fill it in the best you can. Coat with drywall compound and imbed the following product. It has a metal core inside of paper sheets and will not come apart...

Try one of these arlington boxes http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=arlington+recessed+box&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=3482630332&ref=pd_sl_4lshric59a_bb On some of the boxes you can gain an additional 1/2 inch of depth, since the faceplate on some units can be an extender. I use...

I am converting the finished room above my GARAGE into a home theater. Currently the room is finished and carpeted. I am adding a riser platform to elevate some of the chairs. The platform will be built using a 2 x 8 frame and plywood top. I would like simply to place the riser on top of the...

Here is a patch that may work for you (not cheap), if you are willing to texture the patch. http://www.all-wall.com/Categories/Drywall-Repair-Patches/Straitflex-Drywall-Patch.html Otherwise, use a large trim ring.

One of my neighbors is using the following product to resurface his driveway. http://www.stardek.com/ Does anyone have experience with the product?

Sending a copy of the letter is the correct action. People forget, it happens. On the subject of HOA, I used to live in rural NY in an area with no HOA and I won't do that again. I have lived in my current house in NC since 1988 which has a HOA, consisting of 32 houses. It is run by the...

I was a ham operator from 1967 - 1975. Had an "extra" class license while in high school (WA3JQU). Made most of my own equipment but I did eventually get some Collins S line stuff. Still have it, but I don't have any power cords for them. We had a tiny house, so I kept the equipment in the semi...

Charles, I will easily meet the requirements in your diagram. The picture of the panel behind the door is exactly my situation. Having it behind the door ensures nothing will be placed in front of it. While I can ask one town inspector if it is ok, we have multiple electrical inspectors and...

My house has a main panel with disconnect and HVAC circuit breakers mounted on an exterior wall near the service entrance and two sub panels inside the structure. One of the sub panels is in the garage and the other is in a laundry room. I am changing the 5 by 7 laundry room into a walkin...