Questions tagged [carpentry]
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254
questions
4
votes
8answers
818 views
Remove Trim/Baseboards Installed Prior to Hardwood Floors (No Leverage)
I am having a difficult time trying to remove the trim/baseboard in my walk-in closet. We have painters coming and a custom closet install in a few weeks. Neither of those teams can/will remove the ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views
Replacing stair risers: three issues
These stair risers had an unattractive tile on them so I removed it.
I have three issues I need to address:
I need to get the tile residue off. I'm thinking paint stripper will do the job here
I ...
1
vote
1answer
50 views
Is it safe to assume a wall is not load bearing if the studs are on 24” centers?
I am looking at remodel options in a 2003 built townhome.
In considering which walls may be load bearing is it safe to say that when walls are interior and have studs in 24” centers they are not load ...
1
vote
4answers
228 views
Secure dishwasher hoses under countertop with zip ties
Good Afternoon,
I need to tie the dishwasher hoses to the countertop underneath
I have decided to tie them with zip-ties in the event that I have to remove the dishwasher to access the plumbing (I ...
0
votes
0answers
71 views
Simple rustic DIY bunk bed, but is the plan safe?
I plan to build a bunk bed for a tiny cabin, used on occasional remote outings. I've slept in ones like this so I know what I am getting into, but I am not sure if my build plan is sufficient as I ...
0
votes
0answers
42 views
terms and prep for old style doorknobs
I like the look of old-fashioned doorknobs with a small rosette. I'm getting some new doors and thinking about boring and mortising them myself. My plan is to find old knobs, rosettes, locksets from ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
Replace rotten bottom plate
I have attached garage with room above it. It has three exterior facing wall. The wall sits on 3-4 ft concrete. I am seeing some water coming through one of the wall. On the other side of the wall ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
How easy is it to cut down a timber external door frame for use in a small door?
I have a small, weird side door with a rotten frame that needs replacing. The rough openening is around 680 x 1830mm. The wall is brick. The door opens into a garage with a concrete floor.
I was ...
9
votes
1answer
395 views
Is this a sign of my roof trusses sagging?
There have been cracking/snapping sounds coming from my ceiling. I can't see disturbance with the cornices. However, when I go up into my roof, I found that these hitches (which perpendicularly ...
1
vote
1answer
32 views
Door knob lock not moving when turned to lock
I have a bathroom doorknob that when I lock, nothing happens to the lock
(by lock I mean the thing that moves and stops the door from moving I don't know if there is a technical term)
I can pull the ...
0
votes
2answers
108 views
Cedar shims disappeared because of COVID-19
I've been hunting for contractor quality cedar shims - the super-wide kind that easily break along the grain. The big box stores don't have them and neither do the local lumber yards. At one of them I ...
3
votes
1answer
156 views
Pulling treads and risers back into position in a housed / closed stringer staircase
I recently moved into an 80+ year old house and am looking to fix up the main staircase. It seems to be the original (oak?) wood stair that is built using the closed / housed / mortised stringers that ...
3
votes
2answers
230 views
Fixing very old, very undersized ceiling joists
I own a 24x60' uninsulated building that's about 100 years old. The roof is matched 2x4 rafters (no ridge board) with 2x4 ceiling joist (technically rafter ties I guess). As you can imagine, the ...
0
votes
3answers
118 views
Wall-to-wall desk with battens
I'm planning to build a wall-to-wall desk in a brick alcove using wooden battens to hold the desk up. I'm doing this post to find out what size screws and plugs I need and if I'm using the correct ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
is it okay to flatten a slightly curved 2x4 against the wall with lag screws?
I bought a slightly curved (0.3 inch elevation in one corner if I lay it flat) 2x4 that I bought in order to mount a hanging bar on it. I need it to be flush against the wall so that it aligns with ...
1
vote
2answers
88 views
Help me make this rabbet cut in the top edge of a cabinet wall
I need to route out an edge in a cabinetry side to allow a top mounted handle to recess when door of the adjacent cabinet opens.
I have a portable router that accepts 1/4” shank bits and I am trying ...
1
vote
2answers
72 views
Suggestions for building plywood landing and connecting to concrete stoop?
I would like to add a plywood landing to the garage and kitchen door entryway from the concrete stoop. The Cinder block garage, which was built later and abuts the house, has a horizontal crack that ...
0
votes
0answers
16 views
What kind of sealant should I use for the exterior
The sealant that was used before has degraded and air is leaking from the outside into the room. Additionally there is a gap between the floor and the wall. For interior of the room I was going to use ...
0
votes
2answers
46 views
Renovation Planning [closed]
We would like to do the following in our two-family house, ordered by priority
Sound-proofing bedrooms, potentially other living spaces (we are getting woken up at 4-5am from tenants on the second ...
0
votes
2answers
54 views
Attic knee wall custom ripped top plate - Will it work?
Can I use a table saw to cut a 4x4 at an angle to replace the top plate in this knee wall to salvage the wall?
Background: I have an attic bedroom which lacked insulation. The rafters are only 2x4s so ...
0
votes
0answers
38 views
Large 16'×24' “He-Shed” Foundation Needs Fixing
I have a one year old 16×24 shed, 2×8×16 treated floor joists, 2×6 trusses, 2×4 stud walls, box soffits with vents, barn side panels, trim boards, shingled roof, gutters and downspouts, insulation, 3/...
1
vote
1answer
132 views
Leaking Door Newly Installed By Pro
We just got a new door installed by a professional and there seems to be a bunch of leaks in the door. I am not sure if this is normal or not on a new door install and if they are easy to fix myself ...
1
vote
3answers
173 views
How can I safely install a frameless melamine wall cabinet that has a thin pressboard backing, and no hanging rail?
This frame-less wall cabinet is melamine with a thin press-board backing, and it has no hanging rail. The press-board backing is set back from the rear of the cabinet about 5/8". The cabinet ...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
Correct Screw length I should be buying
Can you help me out. I am planning to install this (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-70-in-White-Twin-Track-Upright-for-Wood-or-Wire-Shelving-FG4B8900WHT/100047070) in my cabinet to add ...
14
votes
8answers
3k views
Gluing two halves of a door together
Needed a door that matches that the doors from 1940s in my house. So I bought a 30" door on Craigslist and cut it down to 23" by cutting out the middle of the door as you can see in the ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
How do I fix a wooden retaining wall?
I need suggestions on how to fix my retaining wall.
Is there a quick and cheap way to fix it? Unfortunately, I don't have the money right now to spend on replacing everything.
You will notice that ...
0
votes
0answers
54 views
Door jamb and threshold: what goes on top?
Working on a doorway between two rooms where the floor heights differ by 3/4" so there will be a threshold that spans the two heights. Can't quite decide whether I should install the threshold ...
0
votes
2answers
108 views
Two-car garage construction
I’m looking to build a 2-car detached garage that’s 24ft wide with a loft above for storage. I’ve been searching and I can’t seem to find any lumber that spans 24ft. If I had 2x6 (or 2x8 or 2x12) that ...
0
votes
1answer
47 views
Appropriate slack for door jambs
Generally speaking, what's an appropriate gap to leave between the door jamb and the stud?
In my particular situation, neither wall is plumb. On the left, I adjusted for it with some padding that you ...
0
votes
1answer
229 views
Can I skimp on the jack stud?
Installing a closet in the very corner of an old house. Note, I don't have a proper king stud, but two 2x4s with a plywood spacer in the middle. This is a load bearing wall.
I'm working with very ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
What type of saw to use on a wall of windows, removing glass but keeping wood framing
1950s home has a wall of windows, was initially exterior now within an addition added before we bought the house. We want to remove the windows but keep the look. I started the project, then testing ...
1
vote
2answers
63 views
How to rectify a heavy door?
The following picture shows how one of my very heavy doors got "skewed" in the door opening. The numbers indicate the gaps between the door and the jambs on the sides. The door used to shut ...
1
vote
1answer
293 views
Installing fascia boards on uneven roofline
I am doing some repair work on an old shed. I cut back rotted rafter tails and installed new eave trim. I plan on adding drip edge and new asphalt shingles next. When I installed the eave trim, I ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
Converting housing stairs to open treads
I am in the middle of a remodel. I'm looking for ideas on how to cut the outer to make this open tread [under stairs left side stringer stringer
2
votes
1answer
110 views
Better to sand down floor or trim door?
I've been working on installing a sliding "barn" door. Unfortunately, I hung the door too low by about 1/4 inch because the directions that came with the hardware to do so are incorrect. As ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
Calculating Stair Strings - Is 7.92" Too High of a Rise for Patio Stairs?
I'm adding steps from a house down to a patio and am trying to build the stringers:
23.75" Total Rise
12x2 nominal lumber for the stringers. Total of 4 stringers @ 48" wide
.92" ...
0
votes
0answers
181 views
How bad are these knee walls?
First, I am going to show this to a structural engineer that I've been working with. I am posting this to be better prepared to ask him questions. So if you see something wrong but are not sure, ...
2
votes
1answer
156 views
Is it better to pull old nails or hammer them flat?
When doing work like replacing drywall and trim, I'll pull all the old unused nails from the studs, joists, etc. I do this mainly for two reasons: a) so they don't get in the way of new fasteners ...
0
votes
2answers
333 views
How to remove baseboard installed behind hardwood floor?
The hardwood floors in my house were installed after the baseboards so the lower 3/4 inch of the baseboards is covered. This is real tongue and groove oak hardwood floors which I want to keep but the ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
My Dresser Drawer is stuck closed
I have a dresser drawer that is stuck closed without anything inside it blocking it. The inside of the drawer is empty, so I assume it is blocked on the rails somehow, but as far as I can tell I don'...
2
votes
2answers
228 views
Adding a pergola to my deck; ok to replace corner railings posts with pergola posts?
Planning to add a pergola to my deck for shade and growing grapes and need help deciding if I should extend the posts of the pergola to the ground on a concrete base or if I can just attach it to the ...
0
votes
1answer
221 views
T-bevel vs Protractor angle finder
Is there something that a T-Bevel can do that a Protractor/Angle driver can't? The protactor is able to give the angle measure which is a plus.
0
votes
1answer
48 views
T-Nuts for Granite/Plywood table?
I have a 30"x50"x3/4" granite slab that I would like to use for a table. I'm thinking of putting 5/8" plywood underneath (20"x40"?) and before mounting the granite on top, inserting a few T-Nuts for ...
4
votes
1answer
145 views
Safely securing a 4x4 vertically and horizontally
I'm looking to find the safest way to secure a 4x4 to act as a beam for rope-climbing. In the picture below, the "top" beam sits on-top of two 4x4 posts.
The rope will extend from the far right of ...
1
vote
0answers
117 views
Sheet metal behind drywall…why?
I’m trying to install a niche by my bathtub. when i cut into the drywall which is on an exterior wall there was a full sheet of metal behind the dry wall. it runs the length 60 inches and height 6 ...
1
vote
2answers
235 views
letting-in two-ply 2x12 girder to 6x6 beam
I am doing a project where I'm supporting a girder made of two 2x12s with a 6x6 post. (But this question really applies to 2-by-anything). For added strength, I want to "let in" the girder to the ...
2
votes
3answers
91 views
How to remove built-in shelf without damaging
I have an angled shelf I'd like to remove from an old built-in unit in the house. However, I can't see how it is secured. It is solid wood and is very sturdy. Appears to be some glue at the seams (...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
reinforcing existing header
My house has an existing header, which I believe is somewhat undersized. For context, it's two-ply 2x10s, 12ft long (but I don't want to get into the sizing calculation here).
I would like to ...
2
votes
4answers
1k views
Trying to mitre a finished panel but results are not great
I have a kitchen cabinet that I need to [install a finished corner piece on][1]. I am planning on using the Ikea finished cover panels.
(for this I used a piece of scrap cover panel)
I used a ...
0
votes
0answers
65 views
Is it normal for an experienced Finish Carpenter to put so many blemishes on walls during a kitchen cabinet install?
I recently hired a Finish Carpenter with “30+ years of experience” to install my white finish, plywood cabinets. I paid $1400 for him to mount 10 boxes (he only mounted 9 but still charged $1400 plus ...
