18
votes
How to drain a toilet bowl?
A wet-capable vacuum cleaner
If you only have a dry capable vac you can buy or build an interim canister that traps the water
Any canister with a wall strong enough to resist being sucked flat will ...
- 1,322
16
votes
How to drain a toilet bowl?
Professional plumbers, like Richard Trethewey of This Old House, use a turkey baster to remove water:
- 6,188
9
votes
How to stain bleached wood to match its original natural colour (and then finish)?
It is going to be very difficult (on a really good day) to color match that and smoothly blend it in along the edges so that nobody knows that there's been a "patch" there.
Matching stain is ...
- 43k
8
votes
Accepted
How to drain a toilet bowl?
I have done this for years. I just pour a bucket of water in the toilet bowl, pour it all at once so the force of the water is swift.
For getting that coral like "growth" off, I use a pumice ...
8
votes
How to drain a toilet bowl?
You ask what you can do to push the water down. That is like pushing a wet noodle. I do it the easy way and use my shop vac (wet/dry). I clean it out first then place the correct filter in it. When ...
- 6,899
7
votes
Accepted
Can I make my stamped concrete a uniform color if there are pieces that are different colors?
There are 3 options:
1) Solid Color Concrete Stain: Just like solid body stain for wood, this is provides a uniform color and should cover the two different color stains you have. However, many feel ...
- 23.1k
7
votes
How to drain a toilet bowl?
The city water in our area is fairly hard, so handling these coral reefs is a recurring chore for us (our toilets will build up a rim of limescale a millimetre thick around the water line if left ...
- 2,303
7
votes
How to drain a toilet bowl?
I genuinely can't tell whether people are having fun with you here... I'd only ever use a turkey baster if the toilet drain was leaking or I was in a drought and the shop-vac/leaf-blower ... forgive ...
- 171
6
votes
How to drain a toilet bowl?
Location: USA. Standard house toilet with tank and bowl.
Whenever I (DIYer, not a plumber) have replaced a toilet or a wax seal, I have:
Turn off supply to tank.
Flush toilet
Use a large sponge to ...
- 171
5
votes
How to drain a toilet bowl?
A length of hose can be used to siphon the water out, epecially if your toilet is upstairs and you have a tap downstairs
Obtain some small-inner-diameter hose hose (smaller than a garden hose is good ...
- 1,322
5
votes
What is this black substance in my pool area?
That looks like black mold, caused by water ingress.
Longer answer:
Theoretically it could be something else, but the root problem is the water ingress. Water in contact with masonry is always bad, ...
- 3,064
5
votes
What are these circles on my ceiling?
First and third look like there was a different light fixture there that had two ceiling mounts. The one poking out from under the current light fixture base strongly supports this idea. If the second ...
- 200k
4
votes
Accepted
Prevent washer from leaving brown splotchy stains on clothes
An answer, buried in the question text by the OP 5 years ago:
I also stumbled upon an errant bobby pin, which I suspect has been the real culprit here
4
votes
Staining a 130 year old pine floor
There is a good possibility that the pine boards in a 130 year old house are very dense wood. Old growth timber from that time was quite different from what we experience as "pine" today. As such that ...
- 64.1k
4
votes
Winterizing new wet-treated pressure treated pine deck
Leave it exposed to the elements. You're not doing it any favors by sealing it with plastic. In fact, you'll run the risk of staining it by trapping moisture and/or fostering mildew and other ...
- 129k
4
votes
What can I do when coats of paint won’t hide/cover the shadow left on a wall by wooden shelves
I use a shellac based primer for things such as this. It has better hiding ability then just paint or regular primer.
Give it two or more coats and see if it hides the problem and then you can ...
- 13.5k
4
votes
Accepted
How can I prevent water trail stains on bathroom drywall?
As Kris said in a comment, the solution is to not let that much moisture accumulate. Run a well-performing bath fan every time you use the shower, even in the dead of winter. Vary run duration ...
- 129k
4
votes
Why is the paint around my ceiling air vent discolored?
To me that looks like a water leak that is being pushed by the air flow. I would be checking for a leak above that location.
- 102k
4
votes
Sealing a stained cutting board
Yes. The extent to which that is "sealed" is debatable, but there's certainly no issue with finishing over cured stain - it's done all the time.
Just stay food safe (and be sure to check ...
- 200k
3
votes
Accepted
Best way to protect a new fence from weather before it can be stained
Cedar does not need to be stained, if you don't mind it weathering to gray; that's part of the point of using cedar.
Or you can stain it after it has dried out a bit.
No rush.
- 27.5k
3
votes
how do I remove copper stain coming from plumbing?
There are products sold for your specific issue. Check your local hardware store or home improvement center for CLR (Calcium-Lime-Rust) cleaner. CLR is a specific brand name but there are many ...
- 11.2k
3
votes
Yellowing around crown molding
Most likely, if you are certain it is NOT from moisture it can be the simple fact that it is some inexpensive painters caulk that was never painted.
In a commercial settings ie. eateries, we use ...
- 1,593
3
votes
Accepted
Why is the paint around my ceiling air vent discolored?
It's a water stain, either from a leak as Ed stated or condensation. Check the ductwork for leaks. Once you have fixed the problem, brush on two coats of stain blocker, prime and then paint. Whether ...
- 78.6k
3
votes
How do I remove white beverage stains from my dark finished wood table?
I had a similar problem with water stains on my bar. I used a 50-50 mixture of vinegar and olive oil and wiped it on the stains in the direction of the grain. The vinegar removed the stain and the ...
- 78.6k
3
votes
Drywall stain bleeding thru after 5 coats of paint
Fortunately there are not many things that are soluble in both oil and water.
If it's a water stain use an oil based undercoat, or a shellac based sealer.
If it's an oil, grease, or wax, stain use a ...
- 19k
3
votes
Accepted
Cleaning dried up hand-disinfectant from lacquered wood floor
I think you're going to have to sand and refinish the floor, or at least a portion of it.
Hand sanitizer contains a high concentration of alcohol which is a good solvent for many types of wood ...
- 23.1k
3
votes
Cleaning dried up hand-disinfectant from lacquered wood floor
Many disinfectants contain alcohol which will have damaged the lacquer - so it will need relacquering...
This means you either try to do a patch or the whole surface.
- 26.2k
3
votes
Why is my new pine fence turning black? Can I stain right over it without creating a bigger future headache?
That is natural aging , the most rot resistant wood redwood turns gray within 5 years , cedar within 3 and that’s in Oregon.
If you stain it a color or paint it it will hide the aging but this is ...
- 102k
3
votes
Sealing a stained cutting board
My dad used to seal all his handmade cutting boards with mineral oil. What I noticed was an odor which I didn’t care for. MOST mineral oils are petroleum based.
I found and use food grade board oil, ...
- 29
3
votes
Accidentally splashed surgical alcohol on a plaster wall
Alcohol acts like a paint remover. So rather than thinking of this as a stain on the surface that can be washed away you have to realize that the paint finish has been partially degraded.
This means ...
- 4,245
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