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1500 questions
12
votes
1 answer
Why would porch paint say "do not prime horizontal surfaces"?
A can of floor and porch paint says "do not prime horizontal surfaces".
The obvious question is, how are horizontal surfaces different from vertical surfaces?
But my real question is, what are the consequences if someone does prime the wood decking…
Ray Butterworth
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12
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1 answer
What is this piece of hardware?
My wife wants to know. Her sister has a giant bag of them. She thought I would know, but I don’t.
The outside diameter of the finely threaded side is 27mm.
kmort
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12
votes
7 answers
Can an ethernet cable look OK to a cheap cable tester but still have a problem?
My home office is at the end of a 15-20m ethernet cable that a friend ran 15 years ago, and it recently stopped working. I tested it with a cheap continuity tester, hoping to discover a fault near one end, or that there were still 4 good conductors…
Robin Bennett
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12
votes
2 answers
Plumber drilled through exterior 2x4s - that's bad, right?
I'm doing a bathroom remodel and adding a utility sink for my wife's art studio on the floor above. When we talked over the plan, I decided to go with the 2" drain they said I should use, but I had wanted to send it through an interior wall.…
hepcat72
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12
votes
6 answers
What are my gutter guard options?
As I mentioned in a prior post, I'm planning to add some gutters to my house. I see that there's wide variety of gutter guards available and was curious which ones are better?
As far as I can tell, there are basically two types:
Covers that go…
Mike B
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12
votes
5 answers
Should I reuse drywall screws?
I removed lots of them because it was easier to remove the drywall that way. Some of these screws were also used for carpentry work by the contractor who built the bathroom.
The only problem I am seeing is that some of them have drywall dust in the…
MiniMe
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12
votes
1 answer
Is my Non-Contact Voltage Tester from Klein Tools safe?
There are many questions regarding Non-Contact Voltage Testers. They are a great safety tool when used as recommended and when they are functioning as designed.
Has mine been recalled?
Model: Klein Tools NCVT-1
Date code: 1119C-G8
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
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12
votes
2 answers
"key will unlock the door" vs "key will *open* the door, but not unlock"
Can anyone help me with terminology to describe two different types of functioning in a door lock. (Please note, I am not talking about a lock that is broken.)
My front door and my back door both have regular old fashioned doorknobs which take a…
Lorel C.
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12
votes
5 answers
Can I mount a TV stand on drywall on only one stud?
I have a TV stand pretty similar to this one
It weighs about 20 kg (44 lbs).
I also have a TV that weighs about 10 kg (22 lbs).
Now because the TV stand is too low, I'd like to mount it on the drywall. I'm mounting the TV stand, which came with…
Rex911
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12
votes
7 answers
Is it appropriate to sand a hardwood floor with a 20, 60, 100 grit sequence?
I went to Home Depot to rent a Square Buff Floor Sander to refinish my Kitchen floor. They said I could use 20, 60, 100 grit sandpapers to do the job. Please note that they do not have any sandpapers of grits of 30, 36, or 40.
The floor is 35…
Bruce
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12
votes
4 answers
Do I need this special strike plate on my laundry room to garage entry? It's creating problems with a new lock
Good day everyone. I recently replaced my existing keyed Schlage lock with a keypad security lock on the door from my mudroom to my garage. The door is metal and the frame/jamb has thick rubber/silicone weather stripping. The new lock has been in…
Todd
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12
votes
4 answers
Can I use a single 20A circuit for two bathrooms?
Can I put two bathrooms on one 20amp breaker for the respective outlets or do I need a separate 20amp circuit for each bathroom? I am running out of panel space in my subpanel otherwise I would just run a home run from the subpanel to the bathroom…
Ron Hutchins
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12
votes
5 answers
Can I have utility location done well in advance of a fence project?
Disclaimer: Before any work is done I'm going to have all utility companies come out to properly mark the utility locations.
I'm looking to get a fence installed by a fence company. However, in order to do that, I need to cut down 3 trees that are…
William
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12
votes
1 answer
What is this metal pole in my backyard?
Can someone help identify this old metal pole in the backyard? It's very tall and seems to have a a hookup for water supply. The house was built in the 1940s and is located in the California East Bay hills
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user133324
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12
votes
8 answers
Is straight lumber a thing of the past?
I am working on a bathroom project, which is a brand new room. I've gone out to purchase 2x3" lumber for this project (I don't prefer metal studs). It seems like everywhere I go to buy lumber, almost all of it is bowed, bent, or twisted. Even worse,…
Mark
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