Razkal719

Razkal719 t1_j6515sf wrote

>I’ve just been put on an improvement plan so assume they’re trying to get rid of me

Don't assume this, especially if you have 10 years with this company. Work the plan, apply yourself and show them you're willing to improve. Going forward, whether with this company or another, don't vent to your boss. Vent to your friends after work. Your boss is not your friend. It's an axiom of business that you don't bring a problem to your boss if you don't have a solution, it doesn't have to great solution and don't expect it to be implemented, but it shows that your thinking and not just complaining. Also if your lucky enough to have a good boss and good relationship with them, support them both in your work and your words. Don't mean to sound cringe, but this is a real learning opportunity.

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Razkal719 t1_iy6rh97 wrote

A cordless drill is not going to last long mixing mortar. It's a matter of horsepower and temperature more than torque. Torque measures how much leverage the drill can apply to a screw. Mixing is a continuous high load over a fairly long time and will burn out the winding or brushes. Although most cordless drills are brushless nowadays. If you're going to do a lot of mixing, go to harbor freight and buy a cheap 1/2" corded drill. Because even a 3/8" corded is insufficient for heavy mixing jobs.

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Razkal719 t1_iy2wvkm wrote

I'm assuming the metal frame has an angle profile with holes for screws to go into the door frame at 90 degrees to each other. So some on the face of the frame and some on the inside of the frame. I'd mount the 3/4 screen molding an 1/8 or 1/4 in from the face of the door frame so that the holes in the metal angle line up with the center of the 3/4 molding. Pre-drill your holes or the molding will split. This will leave a small gap in the inside corner but that shouldn't make the metal frame loose or unsupported provided you get good connection from both the face and inside screws. You may want to buy screws for the inside holes that are a 1/4 inch longer so you still get good grip into the wood door frame.

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Razkal719 t1_ixy5by9 wrote

Yep, remove the little PF cover, use either your fingernail or a pocket knife. Then loosen the set screw and pull up to remove the handle. Then there's a bonnet cap under the knob, the bottom of it actually shows under the knob in the pic. Remove this bonnet nut, which will reveal the hex retainer nut that holds the cartridge valve in. Turn off the supply valve before removing or loosening the retainer nut. It may be enough to just tighten the retainer, but more likely you'll need to replace the cartridge. Remove the retainer nut and pull up on the cartridge. Take it with you to the store to get a matching one. It'll be a price fister.

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Razkal719 t1_iug8wrf wrote

The ONLY mortar for putting down Ditra is regular unmodified thinset, A118.1 Because it has to cure purely from the chemical reaction of the cement as it will be covered by the plastic Ditra. Don't use anything with "crack preventive" or "modified" in the name.

As to your floor, as long as the glue is well and truly stuck to the concrete and doesn't have any large bumps or trowel lines you can lay the thinset and ditra on top of it. Looking at your picture, I'd go at it a bit with a bladed floor scraper, but no need to get too picky. The Ditra is an isolation membrane so it'll separate the concrete from the tile bed.

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Razkal719 t1_iuc7uaw wrote

Remove the set screw on the shank of the handle to remove the handle. On the same side there's a setscrew on the seam of the middle and the escutcheon, then you can remove the escutcheon. That should expose the screws that go through the door and hold on the opposite handle. Tighten those screws.

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Razkal719 t1_itnd8vn wrote

After you've removed the tile, cut or scrape any hanging bits of paper off. Then paint the paper and any exposed areas of drywall core with PVA primer. Then you can use thinset. Although for backsplashes I prefer to use mastic, you can apply it with an 1/8" V groove trowel and avoid it pushing through the grout lines on the mosaic tiles. Also the OmniGrip brand is very sticky and so holds the individual small tiles better than thinset.

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Razkal719 t1_itmfukx wrote

What LED can lights are you looking at? Usually the springs are to secure the LED into an existing can as a replacement for an incandescent bulb. The springs hold up the LED like the baffle trim is secured in a standard can light. I've not seen ones designed to secure directly to drywall, that doesn't sound UL or IEEE approved at all.

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Razkal719 t1_isvnhz0 wrote

Are they faucets or just sillcocks or spigots? Are they made to connect to a hose or is there actually a faucet and sink with separate hot and cold and a drain?

A standard sillcock, spigot or hosebib is generally a "freeze proof" which means it extends into the house usually 12 to 20 inches and closes the water flow there. This prevents frozen pipes and valves. Be sure to disconnect any hoses so the spigot can drain, newer modes will have an air break. You can also get a removable styrofoam cover to insulate them from the outside cold.

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Razkal719 t1_isvl6kp wrote

As SwingNinja said an oscillating tool is good, but if the wood is oak it may struggle to make the cut. It'll cut through pine easily enough, but for hard wood a circular saw will cut straighter. Although you'll want to stop short of the end of the cabinet and finish the cut with a hand saw or skill/saber saw. If your in a tight location because of the counter, you may want a compact circular saw like a Rockwell Versacut.

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