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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, how to get started on a project, questions about the design or aesthetics of your project or miscellaneous questions in between. There ar
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Hey /r/DIY!
We have found ourselves in a position where we need a few more hands to help out!
Once again - we're opening up our moderator application. If you're interested in applying feel free to enter your information and we'll contact you if chosen.
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-/u/DavidLuizshair
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Here is the damage - https://imgur.com/a/bK7ks3g. I've searched it online and I'm a bit scared to try white vinegar and a sponge and there isn't that much info online. Is it safe to scrub with a sponge? Is there another way to remove the stains, like a specific product?
Edit: For reference, I am in Europe and I am renting this apartment and leaving in two weeks, that's why I dind't want to paint the door and wanted to find a quick solution.
EDIT: Damn, I didn't expect this to have so many upvotes, I didn't realize the sub was so big. Anyway, I fixed it guys. I only needed good ol' vinegar and water and a shitty kitchen sponge. Some hard rubbing later, problem solved! No paint came off either. It was easier than I thought.
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I need to mount a baby gate at the top of some stairs, but the banister unfortunately does not line up with the stud. I’ve decided to mount two 2x4s to studs horizontally and then will mount the gate to each beam.
Without knowing the width of the drywall between the 2x4s and the studs, how long should the screws be to mount the beams securely without risking damaging wiring/etc? Thanks.
EDIT: Wow. I can’t believe how much this simple question blew up. And here I am the idiot who is asking basically how to attach wood to wood..
Current plan: 1)Use two 1x3s about 20” long 2)sand and Paint them with white primer to match the trim 3)Mount each to the two studs using a total of 8 2.5” screws (two different stud finders are giving me 17” between center, go figure. Bought another one for confirmation) i confirm with test drill holes and look for wood residue 4)Mount gate 5)not kill my son
Great subreddit and community by the way. I was hoping for maybe a response or two at best. All the advice and jokes were most welcome.
I’ll post a picture of my most basic DIY project when it’s done.
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Hey guys!
Im remodelling my bathroom and i have a question.
Ive extended the wall out a little where the vanity will be to create a shelf so i can put my toothbrush there to charge etc.
Ill be putting up hardibacker on the walls because im going to put a mosaic backsplash up but do i need to put hardibacker on the shelf? Im planning to put down some treated timber or something down but i wondered if i could just put it straight ontop of the frame ive built.
Thanks!
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I'd hung up a poster on a glass panel a couple years ago. Tried taking it off yesterday. The poster was incredibly brittle (The paper wasn't very thick) and the Scotch tape refuses to come off. Any ideas?
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-Belt(Inner tire from a bike) -Rollers(Plastic tube covered with glass tube, and teflon tube) -Axis to rotate the glass roller(Piece of Stainless steel) -Brushes(thin aluminium net connected to copper wires) -Motor(from fridge) -Sustentation pillar(PVC with large lumen) -Metal sphere(Two cooking bows facing each other and taped)
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The access panel isn't a door into the living space, but rather into the unfinished space under the stairs which is inaccessible from the living space. For fire separation purposes, does that count as penetrating from the garage into the living space? Am I completely disallowed from adding any kind of opening here? Can I add some kind of fire-safe fume-sealed door to stay code compliant?
Thanks!
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I have a Mammut stool ikea which is made of Polypropylene that I painted a design on the seat of with acrylic craft paint. I tried using a clear coat spray on it to protect to paint but with 3-4 layers it still chipped off, is there anything you guys could suggest that would put a good clear layer on it, i was thinking about some resin but wasnt sure if it would bond or even mess up with plastic, thanks for any advice
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Have a wiring question. Replacing some light switches around the house and the light switch on the right controls both a fan and a light. Want to break that one out into a combination device with two single pole switches on it (Like This) but i'm a little confused by whats going on in this box. There are 4 wires coming in (each with a black, white and ground wire). 2 of the black wires go straight to the switches (circled in red) and 2 of the black wires go into a wire connector (circled in blue) which has two additional black wires coming out to connect to the switches (can't say i understand why the two black wires coming from the wall don't go directly to the switches but i'm sure there is a reason). 4 of the white wires go into a wire connector which is standard.
I assume 1 wire is coming from the breaker, 1 is coming from light one, 1 is coming from light two and 1 is coming from the fan. How would i wire this? Identify the hot coming from the breaker and split that into two, one going to each "device" (1 standard light switch and one device with two switches on it)? Any ideas or am i missing something?
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The fireplace is full brick not a facade but either the mortar was weak or i managed to screw up with the hammer drill. I'm looking at alternatives and have two in mind. Plastic anchor insert with 250lbs pull out limit or wedge anchors. I've read that the wedge anchors will hold better overtime with movement involved as this stand swivels/tilts/drops down but I figured I'd ask here.
If wedge anchors are the way to go should I get a length that gets the expander towards the back of the brick or center?
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Help! I hope this is the right place to ask.
I'm trying to replace a heating element in my oven (similar to this) and I can't unscrew it!! There are two "simple" hexagonal screws (similar to these), but the head is maybe 1-2 mm (?) thick. With a screw this thin, I don't see how a hex socket driver will be able to turn it at all, and I really don't want to wear down the screw, especially when it is such a small important part to my oven.
Any ideas? I can't find any answers online, so I have no idea how to sort this.
E: The old heating element I want to replace is screwed into the back of the oven..
E2: thank you everyone! I really appreciate all the info. Hopefully Tonight I get the oven out to find the nuts behind the back oven panel.
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I have a problem with the wiring to my ceiling fan light in my bedroom that I was hoping I could get some pointers on.
A couple of days ago, I flipped the breaker to my master bedroom and replaced a dead electrical outlet. When I re-energized the breaker, I found the light was now stuck on.
I have two wall switches that go to that ceiling fan; one for the light itself and another for the fan. The switch to the fan still works properly but the switch to the light no longer works.
I replaced that switch to no avail. Any pointers on what I might do next would be appreciated.
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Recently I have noticed that my water heater (in my garage) was blowing off water through the T&P valve somewhat frequently. I replaced the valve with the same exact watts 150psi valve and also ran the blowoff pipe directly into a 5 gal bucket for measurement purposes and to keep my garage dry.
Over the course of this week it’s only blown off 4 gallons which isn’t quite as bad as I thought. However even with the new T&P valve it continues to blow off intermittently. I am trying to look online to find the next steps of what I could possibly do but information seems kind of scarce. Is there another DIY step I could look into at this point or is it time to call a professional?
Edit1- should point out, have tried turning down thermostat still same results.
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Hey there,
So I bought a house two years ago because I’m an idiot. I redid most of the switches and plugs because they all looked gross from being 60 years old and covered in the previous owners gunk. No problems there. Pretty sure nothing is actually grounded here. I held off on doing the switch my the front door because of just the looks of it made me think I would either have to figure out a new switch layout or track down this goofy looking switch. For some reason I got (kind of) motivated recently. The light switch dangling from the wall look just wasn’t doing it anymore. I did some internetting and found that this is a Despard style switch? The three little switches in the space of one made sure that the only option I could find locally was a single $16 dollar switch. Whatever I just want to get it done. Buy it, take it home, unbox it, compare the hook ups, put it back in the box and google every variation of “weird old wiring light switch” I can think of.
Top switch does a ceiling light Middle does porch light Bottom does an outlet
The is a bridge wire (?) going from what I’m assuming is the top to middle set of terminals, I think?
So here I am. Asking for your help, the first time of what I’m sure will become a thing any time I think I can DIY a project and realize I’m a dumb idiot and electrical is hard.
What in the world do I do with all of these extra wires.
Should I get a different switch?
Should I knock a hole in the wall and just see if I can figure out how to wire up three new switches?
Can I just make the outlet normal and not switch controlled?
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Hello! First time posting here. I'm looking to build a custom over-sized L-shaped desk using these for the top and black steel pipe for the legs. I don't have much experience doing projects, so this seemed like a relatively easy way to accomplish this rather than trying to build something that would require a lot of cuts using wood for the legs.
Here is what I was planning to use for the table tops: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hardwood-Reflections-6-ft-2-in-L-x-2-ft-1-in-D-x-1-5-in-T-Butcher-Block-Countertop-in-Unfinished-Birch-BBCT152574C/301812823
I drew up some initial plans for what I'd like it to look like: https://imgur.com/a/25f1guZ
The first picture is the front view with my attempt at a sketch of the leg configuration with a shelf on each side. However, a questions came up while creating the plans that I need some help with.
I'm planning to use 1" black steel pipe for all of the legs. The tops are quite heavy at 65 pounds, but some research into similar projects people have done online suggest that the pipe should be strong enough. Currently I don't have a leg in the corner where the two tables meet that would be in the way while using the desk. I'd prefer not to have a leg here as it would get in the way while using the desk. Will this be okay? What should I do to help give that corner some support? Run dowels between the two tables where they connect? Run something on the underside of the table?
I cannot glue them together as I'd never be able to get the desk in or out of the room I plan to put it in. So, whatever I do has to be easily removable. Do I have options, or do I have to live with a table leg in the way?
Thanks!
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I haven't hung a door before and have a number of questions. Online resources show a variety of methods and I'm not sure if this is the kind of project where I could do whatever works or if there's a single best practice. Any input appreciated.
A bit of background first: renovating a 1930 Craftsman home including new floor plan. We saved the solid wood doors but they need to be refinished + new hardware. Floor is the original wood, but were installing a new hardwood over it. Some doors are going in new door ways and may need to be trimmed, 1 is going back it its old door way where the jamb is still intact.
- Do I need to refinish the doors before hanging them or can I save that project for another time?
- Do I need to redo the jamb on the intact doorway given we're adding another .75" floor and may need to trim the door?
- Since I'm trimming doors anyway, can I maximize the size of the jamb first and cut the door to fit or should I cut the door square first and plan the jamb around the door?
- Is it better to route the jambs for hinges before or after installing the jamb? YouTube has examples of people doing both.
Thanks!
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Okay don’t want to spend a ton of money buying a doggy door. The giant size will take up my bottom half of the door anyways. I was thinking about just removing the bottom inside. Casing it. And adding mud flaps and a small door to close and lock. Mind you I have 5 dogs. 3 are Saint Bernards.
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