General Feedback/Getting Started Questions and Answers [Weekly Thread]

Submitted by AutoModerator t3_11cj95c in DIY

General Feedback/Getting Started Q&A Thread

This thread is for questions that are typically not permitted elsewhere on /r/DIY. Topics can include where you can purchase a product, what a product is called, how to get started on a project, a project recommendation, questions about the design or aesthetics of your project or miscellaneous questions in between.

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DietSodaExpert t1_ja8oyld wrote

Is it worth it to repaint a particleboard desk? I kept getting different answers from online and people i ask. Basically:

  • I got this desk 3 years ago on clearance. It isn’t bad- but I definitely would want to upgrade eventually.

  • it has a weird gray teal color and now the paint is chipping and revealing the particleboard.

I have a little money to use- but what money I do have would only be able to get me another particleboard desk. I’m keeping an eye out in thrift stores and Facebook marketplace, though!

So in the meantime i was thinking just sand, prime (oil based) and paint (glossy black or green). If I wanted to go above and beyond I could fill the (Wildly unevenly placed) hardware holes and get new hardware. But I’m feeling kinda stuck here! I mainly do small diy stuff (if you can call making your own shelves out of wood and brackets that, lol) so I’m not sure if if it’s even worth it? Any guidance or insight is appreciated!

Edit to add: or if anything would a quick sand and some contact paper be better?

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--Ty-- t1_jaar6n8 wrote

Financially speaking, most low-end DIY is not worth it, because the cost of mass-produced good is SO low, that you can't really beat it once you factor in the consumables (paint, sandpaper, primer, etc.) and especially your time. This often keeps people trapped in an endless cycle of buying cheap products that don't last (the "Boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness".) The reason to DIY low-end objects is more for the satisfaction, sense of accomplishment, and learning opportunity they represent, rather than for financial gain.

However, the cost to DIY something is often much less than a high-quality good, so it would seem to make sense to DIY it -- but only if the base material is decent.

If I had the choice between spending $75 on paint and materials for a particle-board desk, or $150 for a solid-wood desk on the marketplace, I'd go with the solid wood one every time, because then, if it does need repairs in the future, I know its actually repairable, and that those repairs will last another 20 years, rather than 2.

What is your budget? There may be better options available for you.

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ozymandais13 t1_ja3fq3f wrote

If I'm putting down a layer of polyurethane . Do I need to close the windows and turn the heat to a certain level , or can j leave windows open it should be mid 40s f all week to air the hoke out from the chemical smell

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Guygan t1_ja7zst1 wrote

Read the label instructions about application temperature.

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ozymandais13 t1_ja8ecjo wrote

Yea I had asked my wife she said she had read it already but we did miss the answer to this question thanks

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--Ty-- t1_jaarp1i wrote

Typically, paints have an application temperature between 15 C and 30 C as the ideal range, sometimes going as low as 10 C on the low end.

There are specialty products that can go as low as 5C or 2C, but you will need to check your product specifically (google it along with the word " TDS ") to see what its application temperature is.

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ozymandais13 t1_jaeqyhx wrote

Thank you everyone's comments helped , as a followup it went really well ! I had one area on ym second coat I didnt lay perfectly even , it's really only visible if your lookjng from an angle can I sand and reapply poly to an individual spot or would that ruin the whole job

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--Ty-- t1_jaer9xu wrote

You can't spot-treat with a brush or a roller.

You can technically spot-treat with a spray can, but it's still likely to be noticeable in some lighting / from some angles.

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Mofogo t1_ja48awh wrote

I have 8 recessed lights (LED ~9-13W, 750 lumens) in my living room on a single switch that all went out at once. Breaker not tripped. Thought maybe they were in series or something. As I take individual bulbs from kitchen recessed lights to the living room they light up but are much fainter, as if they were dimmed all the way, but we have no dimmer.

As I take the "out" bulbs from the living room to the kitchen they fully light up to regular brightness, but if I bring them back to the living room, nothing.

Just bought the house in December but not sure what would cause such a thing. Any ideas? Is there a fuse or ballast type thing in recessed cans?

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mirthfun t1_ja4ffa8 wrote

Any recommendations for how to fix exterior stucco cracks? Hairline to maybe a .5 centimeter wide but a foot or more long. Do I need to open it up or is there a way to just patch?

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bananafanafofeddit t1_ja4q9fq wrote

The freezer door of my Whirlpool freezer on top fridge can slide up and down - is there a way to stop this or tighten it? Everything I'm finding online is about replacing the gasket or stopping the door from opening on it's own - it's fully aligned, but seems like it should be sitting up and locked in place higher.

Everything seems to get crystally so fast and I think it's a problem with the seal overall, even though the gasket is tight and flexible. I realized that the door itself sort of seems to be sliding up and into place when I close it, and that when closed/sealed, the door can be moved vertically up and down.

Model info:

Whirlpool WRT518SZFM00

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glycinedream t1_ja5kvc3 wrote

Would like feedback for how I could do this better next time. Pantry style shelves in a closet, screwed the supports into the plaster (no anchors but thinking that’d be upgrade #1), and then the walls aren’t square so there’s a lot of gaps when I put the shelves in themselves. I do flooring and I know how to trace for difficult cuts but this was not making sense to me. It’s fine for a closet that no one is going to go in but I want to get better at craftsmanship. Here’s a link of the install. https://imgur.com/a/rAVUe3U

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Freds_Premium t1_ja6gtu1 wrote

Need to improve a drying rack for clothes.

The rack I'm talking about is called, STORAGE MANIAC Sweater Drying Rack (google will show first amazon result).

I purchased this and it works as intended. However, the problem is loading clothes on the middle and lower portions of it. It isn't meant to become unstacked easily. You first start by placing the first 1/4 of a shirt on it, then you spin the whole rack 180 degrees so you can reach the shirt to pull it all the way into position. This sucks and strains your knees.

A better product would be a rack that has slots, and removeable "cassettes" that you can load a shirt on at a nice standing desk height, and then insert the cassette into the rack.

This product doesn't exist but I want to create my own. Can you please give me advice on how to make one? I do not have a ton of tools (really just have a drill and some hand tools). But I am thinking that pvc elbows, tees, and connectors are easily available at hardware stores. Is pvc pipe going to even be strong enough? The plastic tubes on this Amazon product do not flex or sag.

Edit: After I finished typing this, I look over to my right at my Ikea metal shelving rack (Google: Omar). Possibly I could craft a cassette style rack out of the 4 metal posts. But I just need them to be 27 wide and 27 deep (so no Ikea shelves are like that). But maybe they make custom parts for that style of shelf. And then do pvc and mesh net cassettes.

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bikesiowa t1_ja80vq0 wrote

I have an old t connection water pipe where the end of the T is now capped off. The capped end hangs a bit lower making it to I can't enclose or put a cover or that part of the ceiling. Is it easy enough to cut the line and then put a fitting over the two ends of the copper line?

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Wordlywhisp t1_ja87t42 wrote

Found a baby doll head on a hike. How do I turn it into a lamp? The inside of the head has two bulging mounds of plastic where the eyes are. How do I remove them?

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tincanbanjoman732 t1_ja89jkc wrote

Building a DYI jukebox with large catalog book -- stumped on what to use as a page or card turner to flip through selection pages in an enclosed case. Any ideas are helpful!

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flyize t1_ja8x9qv wrote

I need a sanity check. I'm about to redo this bathroom:

Master bath

I have some reno experience, as I just tore out a bunch of the guest bath. However, the shower is perplexing me, particularly the shower door.

It seems like a nightmare (for someone with limited experience) trying to get a corner enclosure ordered and installed with that knee wall there. Instead, I was thinking of building up the knee wall to just above the height of the tiles. That way, I only need a single side glass enclosure. After that, I'm going to put up some of those waterproof panels. While they're not amazing, I personally have a deep-seated hatred of grout.

Since that light in the background is the only one in the room, and the removal of the knee wall glass will make the shower darker, I'll be adding a new light over the shower as well.

Does all this make sense, particularly with the shower door?

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Freds_Premium t1_jab8ykg wrote

I want to build a cassette style drying rack for clothes. The rack will consist of a frame and then rails to slide each cassette into. The cassettes will be a 37"X37" frame (probably pvc and pvc elbows) and then nylon mesh net for the clothes to rest on (look at the first img I uploaded to see the idea).

I'm looking for cheap and easy and have no experience building things. I have almost no tools aside from a drill and hand tools. Here is a link with several ideas. https://imgur.com/a/mcR8cfD

Note: I own the first product linked. Works well but each tier does not slide out. It's hard to place clothes on each tier and you need to work crouching which is hard on your knees/legs. That's why I need a system with removable cassettes where you can lay a piece of clothing flat on it, preferably on a standing height table, and then insert the cassette in the rack to dry.

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Routine_Left t1_jaempyp wrote

re-asking a removed post:

Should a noob be trying to install Herringbone hardwood floor? (self.DIY)

I'm not a professional, but I did install laminates twice so far (and baseboards ) in the house.

On the main floor, however, my wife would like Herringbone (engineered maybe) hardwood. I do not have experience with the nailer nor with the pattern itself, though from youtube it doesn't look too bad of a thing. A bit tricky at the ends, but not fantastically so, it seems.

Am I wrong to try and attempt such a project or should I better leave it to the professionals.

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