# Spare bedroom remodel



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

This customer happens to be a neighbor of mine I worked for many times in the past...Kitchen job, new front porch, doors, siding, some roofing...pretty much taken care of things for him now that he is retired and taken things easy.

Don't get me wrong, this fella earned his wings through many years of facilities management for AT&T and knows his stuff. Very meticulous guy much like my last customer who is always prepared for when you show up and understands quite well the complexities of the trades.

Anyway, he approached me last year about redoing a back bedroom he uses as office space. 

He initially started the the job but ran out of steam and wanted me to finish. Since the schedule was quite busy last year, we had to schedule him this year so here we are...The ceiling is sagging quite a bit with a severley warped ceiling joist, the walls need updating and he wants to change out 5 passage doors and a closet slider. We'll be triming out a few windows as well as new flooring and baseboard when complete.

Day one was to jump up in the attic to see whats going on with the old rock lath plaster ceiling and attempt to jack it up and strong back it. 

I'll be furring this out for new 1/2" gypsum drywall but not before I try to work out this 3" sag. 

Good thing I got Kevin with me...the attic rat will fit perfect for this procedure :whistling


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

These are 2x6 ceiling joist which span about 12 ft and are tied into the rafters about 2ft above the plate. House is approx 75 years old and were never really plumb and level to begin with. Total length of the room wall to wall is around 17ft x 10ft wide

The attic has blown in rockwool insulation and appears Don topped it with some additional fiberglass batting.

The idea today is to jack up the one severely warped joist and then, one by one, jack up the others to remove 75 years of creep and secure to a stongback we'll run edge to edge down the center. This will aid in supporting the new furring and sheetrock as well as prevent further creep of the existing.

One 2x6x12 on the flat with and 2x6 upright and 2x4 glued and screwed to it. We used 5" ledger loks screwed straight down into the joist and then doubled down with H2.5's. Strongback runs from one interior bearing wall across the width of the room to a outside bearing wall.

Jacked it up as much as we could and next we'll fur out with 1x3 #2 pine furring.

This attic, being a cape, has some low headroom and you definitely ain't standing up...alright Kev, I'll be the cutman today :thumbup:

Is that bathroom fan venting into the attic? Certainly looks so...he'll be hearing my preach tomorrow :no:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

This puppy is glued and screwed and most definitely propped up this ceiling. The other puppy down below is just the inspector checking in on us. I told him to wipe his feet on the way out :whistling


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

I have a hotdog ...Is that one as mean as mine?


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

blacktop said:


> I have a hotdog ...Is that one as mean as mine?


Na, this one just barks at the mailman, then plays dead on his back every time we reach down to pet him :laughing:

He's a fat as a Phillies frank -that picture actually does him justice :laughing:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

I left the jacks up overnight while the glue set up on the strongback and everything was nice and tight when we removed them. 

Next is to fur/strap out the ceiling flat and level using 1x3's which will give us plenty of room for error in terms of attaching the drywall.

Moving right along we are..

What's my helper writing on the ceiling now... What a smack azz he is :laughing:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Drywall got here about noon today... 12 sheets total it looks like for now. We're up on the 2nd floor and the house is a little tight for finagling sheet goods so we decided to pop out a double hung Pella and come through the there. There's a little porch roof that gives us decent access and with the window sash removed, we could make it on the diagonal :thumbup:

Anyway, we got most of the ceiling up, ran some cable line for new Fios service and will be putting in a ceiling fan box to replace the existing light fixture box.

Man, today was one of those days were anything that could go wrong, went wrong. Nothing major, just pain in the arse kinda stuff where you feel you've worked all day and got nothing done...


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

That screw pattern looks about a quarter inch off in a few places.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

aptpupil said:


> That screw pattern looks about a quarter inch off in a few places.


It's glued as well


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## Contractor Joe (Sep 28, 2011)

superseal said:


> This puppy is glued and screwed and most definitely propped up this ceiling. The other puppy down below is just the inspector checking in on us. I told him to wipe his feet on the way out :whistling


Wow... must have been stuffy up there.. Good work though. :thumbup:


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

Good job with the wood and shims. :notworthy

1-5/8'' metal studs and track for me.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Super has a confession to make that probably won't sit well with the die hard mud men that do it daily...I'm a mesh addict and I can't help it.

I've used every tape and mesh known to man over the years except Fibafuse, which by the way has the potential to ease my addiction based on what I've seen on youtube video's and what I've heard mentioned here...and I still always seem to reach for the mesh.

Ever since it came out, I've used it. I've used it on new work, old work, patchwork, inside corners. Never any problems, never any callbacks. I've done my own houses with it and and see the results everyday... no problems. I've seen USG test results as well regarding paper tape vs mesh...I just can't seem to believe that mesh is that far inferior to tape.

Anyhow, now that i'm out of the closet, we got the rest of the board up today and started the bed coat.

And if I haven't insulted you enough already :laughing: I've decided on metal corners for this one since I only needed two and happened to have them handy...They were installed with SS trim nails that I use for capping aluminum...they're like the bee's knees for this application.

Materials used, Fibatape perfect finish (love that stuff) and I'll be using multi dimensional extra strength along the ceiling joint were the rafters and ceiling joist meet. We're going to ease that joint with a radius so I have plenty of room to hide this monster 2 3/8" mesh. Inside corners will be mesh as well and set with my trusty homemade pvc tool :whistling

Oh yea, 90 min easy sand and the rest will be green lid.


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

PVC tool?


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

aptpupil said:


> PVC tool?


You'll want to keep this quiet til the patent paperwork goes through :whistling but since I like ya, I'll let you in on my little trick.

Another thing, don't tell Icerock or Blacktop...at this stage, they'll have me committed to the loony bin :laughing:

The idea here is purely a shooting from the hip solution for bedding fiber mesh neatly and quickly into your corners.

You take a piece of shiny new pvc 1x2 and cut it approx 1ft. long.

Take fine sandpaper and ease the edges and end corners but don't over do it.

Finally, take Emery cloth 200/400 grit and make it smooth as glass.

The thickness of the jig allows a quick 3/4" pencil line to be scribed down one side of your corner allowing easy tape alignment.

The remainder of the jig is simply used to push the mesh into the corner and a quick slide up and down sets it to perfection. 

Maybe it needs a handle :laughing:


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

PVC tool? Corner Trowel? Mesh Tape?

Someone close this thread and ship this guy to the DIY chatroom.:laughing:


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

I'm speechless! Is this where I talk about all the foam veneer stone and vinyl brick that I've been secretly using over the years??













Joking, of course.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> PVC tool? Corner Trowel? Mesh Tape?
> 
> Someone close this thread and ship this guy to the DIY chatroom.:laughing:


Don't forget the metal corner bead :laughing:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

blacktop said:


> I have a hotdog ...Is that one as mean as mine?


Speaking of hot dogs...I got one myself and today's her 7th birthday.

Not quite a Phillies frank, but rather the Welsh variety.

She's checking out my new boots...Diehard oxfords. Always wanted to try a pair of these and have been complaining lately that my Cat low tops are worn out. The wifey swooped them up today whilst I was working and surprised me an early B-day gift.

This July is my big "50", might spring her a trip to Vegas for putting up with me all these years :thumbup:


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## JR Shepstone (Jul 14, 2011)

Let us know how those Diehards work out. I've always thought they were... interesting, to say the least. I've never really thought of them as high quality, or being that comfortable.


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

I have been wearing only Die Hardshell for 25 years. Similar to those but taller. They take a long time to break in, but after that they are comfortable and durable.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Old school carpentry teaches you to bevel the side of your doors to prevent sticking/binding over the long term and that exactly what we do.

Basic rule of thumb has the bevel set at 2 or 3 degrees and it's always located so the high side of the bevel is on the barrel side of the hinge or in other words, the pull side of the door.

Easiest way I know to achieve this status is with a good electric planer that has the bevel fence included. Makes for easy accurate work every time and shouldn't take you more than 2 minutes to do it right.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

The closet frame and bathroom door frame will remain as mentioned earlier, but all the others go. Some of these suckers are whacked out for sure...more than an 1 1/2 out of plumb,...level, no where to be found :laughing:

What complicates things is that they put the moldings up over the rock lath base coat and then diamond finish plastered all around the trim leaving a permanent home for the old outline of the entire door assembly.

No doubt, they'll be plenty of patchwork to do around the new plumb perimeters even though i'm crafting these doors as big as they possibly can be given the racked openings.

Interesting joint on the old door frames...kinda like a locking half lap.

Did they have to use so many friggin' nails


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

The bathroom door frame was replaced some time ago so I'm keeping the 2 ea. 5/8" radius 3 1/2" hinges and adding another to the center...all the remaining had 2 square hinges. The new doors will have 3 hinges, no radius and will be set at 7" from the top, 11 from the bottom and one center line of the two. I'm not really worried about weight as much as keeping these pine doors straight. 

Certainly not setting any land speed records routing out these doors and frames, but my whittling skills are good enough to get them done :whistling


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

To make sure your hinges line up, just clamp your hinge jamb to the door with the appropriate 1/8" head gap and transfer your marks using a razor blade for nice, tight hinges.

Once you remove the plastic covering these doors are shipped in, you own them. And, any humidity owns them as well. When I'm done for the day, I always clamp several together to keep them straight. 

Nothing like watching a perfectly good door spaghetti out on you before you can get some finish on it


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Ah,... the things we take for granted whilst hanging pre-hung doors certainly become apparent when your trying to pre-hang them yourself :blink:

One slip of the chisel at this stage and you'll be cursing out the Pope :whistling

I got a old Buck Bros. gouge...still sharp as a tack and great for cleaning up the these devilish 1/4 radius latch plate corners.

I know I should be using a router, I just ain't that smart :laughing:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

That gouge is as old as me and cuts better than me as well....dang that thing is sharp!

Like my new Dewalt chisels?...I like'em cause they come with those bullet proof caps that actually protect the heads so I can finally keep a set sharp instead of smashing them up like I usually do


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

About 6 pm Tuesday, a wicked thunderstorm packing winds of 75 to 100 mph ripped through our area knocking power off until just earlier tonight causing extensive damage of homes, trees, telephone poles and anything they hit. Needless to say, i was knocked out of commission on this job and was home most of the time running a generator for the essentials.

Feels good to be back in the saddle!

At the top of my street, a neighbor almost lost her fairway columns and rails as her awning apparently lifted from the winds. There was also a 12ft trampoline on the loose smashing about. 

At what speed do slates start blowing off you might ask?...


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Last week sucked...the wicked storm knocked out power most of the week and Mom, who lives next door had a bad fall on her concrete sidewalk.

I was home at the time it happened since I'm working in the neighborhood and a neighbor two doors up came running down and was pounding in my door telling me Mom was down.

In shear terror, I ran out front and saw her laying in a pool of blood, glasses smashed, head on the concrete sidewalk. I dialed 911 and told my co-worker to grab some shop towels and water. A few neighbors came out to help as well.

She was unconscious when I got to her and I feared the worst...she's 82 years old, but has been getting around pretty good lately. I just installed a bunch of grab bars for her at the house as I'm always trying to keep ahead of things safety wise for her. It just broke my heart to see her laying lifeless on a pavement I know so well.

After about 30 seconds of shouting her name, she starting moving around and I was able to access her head wound with towels to stop the bleeding. Her eye/head area was swollen like I've never seen before and she had this helpless look to her...it was just killing me to see her like this.

I told her I had an ambulance coming and to sit still...I checked her over for broken bones and asked her lots of questions. The paramedics and a cop now arrive after the slowest five minutes of my life and jump into action. Neck brace goes on, gurney comes out and off they go to a local hospital.

All this happened the day after the storm (Wednesday) about 9 in the morning and she was admitted to intensive care after suffering some brain bleeding, a concussion, a broken nose, some stitches and black eyes.

Update...the first three days in the hospital were tough. She was drugged up and being monitored 24/7. A total of 4 cat scans showed the brain bleed subside over the days which was good news for us. The broken nose is fixed and her swelling is going down. Yesterday was the first good day she had when the PT came into her room and walked her down the hall and back, then made her sit in a chair for an hour. I was visiting her at the time and had breakfast with her in her room. She just wants to come home she says.

Docs called today and told me they're confident shes ready to leave the hospital tonight and they're getting her a private room in an accelerated PT and OT therapy program which is right up the street from home. They said a week or two and she should be home if everything goes well.

Needless to say, Super's week wasn't so good...Mom got hurt, not much work got done other than feeding 3 houses with with temp power, my house, Mom's place and my customer/neighbor on the other side. I kept all the refrigerators running and had enough extra power for some lights and a fan. In between shut downs, I visited Mom, the rest of the time was spent relaying info to family and friends on her condition.

Sorry to derail the thread, it wasn't my intention. I needed to get this off my chest and the CT crowd is a good place to do so.

I'm thankful she's getting better and salute all you first responders who handles these type calls. Sometimes seconds matter and time was on my side that day.

Now lets get back to that spare bedroom remodel shall we :thumbup:

First day back since last Tuesday! Thank God, I'm so backed up with work it ridiculous...


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

To get you up to speed, we made custom frames out of select pine and installed them in these ridiculously crooked openings. We then custom fitted and bevel edged the doors which Kevin mostly did and nailed it well. He took a liken to my Bosch and was planting the cut perfectly to the marks. The 5" palm sander was the final tool used to fit the door and what a nice fit they are.

Now they go back out to the shop to get sanded, conditioned, stained and poly'd. In the meantime, I start trimming out in Ranch molding to match the rest of the place and I need to stain with windows as well.

Still a little bit of work here for me...


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

So the doors and windows are getting stain and the moldings and jambs are getting paint. The Zar Provincial finish is not a gel stain, but certainly acts like one. It's thick and goes on with some power. I'm using a mix of brushes, microfiber sponges and foam brushes to get her done and it's seems to require two coats to even things out. 

Two other doors are already complete with four coats of poly satin and they look pretty nice. I may not be the best finisher in the world, but they seem to pay me for it anyway :laughing:

The moldings are up next and I like to pre-assemble and glue them up to speed up the install. A little Tite bond 3 and a few 1 1/2" nails and it's like hanging a picture frame... Plus, you seem to ride out the bumps a little better as well and you don't need sixteen hands to hold everything up.

What on earth did we do when we didn't have the Multi tool! :blink:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Yes, what took them so long to give us the Multi tool  it really is a marvelous invention that aids our cause...such a time saving device whilst easily making very difficult situations easy. 

Even the base board is crooked in this place :laughing:


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## Contractor Joe (Sep 28, 2011)

superseal said:


> Last week sucked...the wicked storm knocked out power most of the week and Mom, who lives next door had a bad fall on her concrete sidewalk.
> 
> I was home at the time it happened since I'm working in the neighborhood and a neighbor two doors up came running down and was pounding in my door telling me Mom was down.
> 
> ...


No good!! :thumbdown: :thumbdown:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Mom's doing great with her recovery and the physical therapy team say's she'll be released July 7th to come home. Needless to say she's very excited that she'll be coming home without many restrictions in terms of health or activities. In between jaunts up to the hospital to see her and taking care of her personal needs like paying bills, keeping the house going, etc...I've managed to make more progress at work.

Ranch moldings are all up, nail holes filled, sanded and caulked, primer is on followed by a first coat of alkyd on the trim. Late today we we delivered all the doors and set the stop moldings and mortised the latch receivers. 

Owner seems very pleased with the tone of the stain...


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

This stain is hard to capture good pictures with all the crazy lighting and tight quarters. Ultimately, everything received two coats of stain with a preconditioner base followed by four coats of poly.


The Pella windows in this house are 30 years old and in pretty good shape. The stain was beat to hell, but we sanded and re-stained them as well.


Man, if you turn around in this hallway you bump into something...tight it is.


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## NDW (May 28, 2011)

superseal - I am a little late, but you will never have to use 3 coats again if you use a PVA primer. Regardless of what the occasional painter will tell you, there is a reason every major manufacturer recommends a PVA for new drywall. It seals drywall better than any other type so your paint will sit on the primer rather that soak into the drywall.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

I've used PVA's in the past and hate them to no end...Trust me, zissner 123 is thick and a superb base for new drywall. There is no absorbing of the top coats you mention with that high build of a primer. 

It was not a primer issue IMO but rather a paint issue. 

Most of my work is purely two coats and it's more than enough...this time around, no go. I really should have tinted the primer.

I know I'm probably wrong hating PVA's...I just don't like how thin they are in terms of combating flashing.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

duplicate post sorry


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## kwunch (Apr 27, 2014)

Also late to the party, but I picked up one of those old Marshalltown trowels after working for a finishing sub for a month last winter (he swore by them - everyone else called them homeowner tools).

Guys on the new crew called them homeowner tools, I kept mine at home until a bathroom I've been working got to the mud stage. Brought it in to try out since I was working alone, I like it. Maybe I suck with the 6", but first coat I applied with a 4" and finished with the corner, second was 6" and skimmed with the corner trowel. All the corners are nice and crisp, super straight. Especially on the ceiling.


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## kwunch (Apr 27, 2014)

I forgot to mention the most important part, I found it at a garage sale for $1.50. That's probably my favorite part, keeping the masking tape with the price on the handle as long as it will stay. Unless I notice a problem down the line it'll probably be the cheapest tool I've ever bought that gets actual mileage on it.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

superseal said:


> Mom's doing great with her recovery and the physical therapy team say's she'll be released July 7th to come home. Needless to say she's very excited that she'll be coming home without many restrictions in terms of health or activities. In between jaunts up to the hospital to see her and taking care of her personal needs like paying bills, keeping the house going, etc...I've managed to make more progress at work.
> 
> ....


She's lucky to have you there; I hope she recovers well.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Wrapped up phase 1 here on Saturday as we still have a 6ft closet slider, flooring, baseboard and a closet door downstairs to do. 

These were after thoughts by the owner once the job began and since the schedule is tight I had to move on to decent size window job which was scheduled starting today.

How many brushes does a painter really need for a small job like this... Well, first we had 123 primer, Superpaint on the walls, Pro mar 400 ceiling white, Pro classic beige for the room and closet trim, MAB alkyd for the interior door trim (older bedrooms) and hallway trim was MAB alkyd in a slightly darker shade and hallway walls were MAB rich lux satin finish. Oh, and don't forget, wood conditioner for the doors, followed by Zar provincial stain and a four coat poly finish...

I think I'm going to need more brushes :laughing:

I'll keep you updated once I get back here in a few weeks...

PS. the MAB paint line was bought up by SW awhile back but the owner had a lot of it left over from the last paint job a few years back. It was a joy to smell and feel my old fav paint once again. I sure do miss that stuff.


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## NDW (May 28, 2011)

superseal said:


> I've used PVA's in the past and hate them to no end...Trust me, zissner 123 is thick and a superb base for new drywall. There is no absorbing of the top coats you mention with that high build of a primer.
> 
> It was not a primer issue IMO but rather a paint issue.
> 
> ...


I cant blame you. Zinsser makes some badazz primers.


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## ROVACON (Apr 19, 2010)

Nice work. Here is the real question. Are we going to get a new thread for that window job you are starting?!?


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

ROVACON said:


> Nice work. Here is the real question. Are we going to get a new thread for that window job you are starting?!?


I guess so :laughing:

http://www.contractortalk.com/f33/vinyl-replacement-job-207938/


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Man.... I LOVE your threads. You take lots of pictures and really detail what you are doing. Not to mention your obvious joy of working your craft.

Hope your Mom is doing well.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Thanks John and Mom is doing well. She's through her 3 weeks of home care therapy and is actually driving once again. She truly enjoys her independence and I can't blame her.

So I've cleaned up the schedule a bit and am back here for phase two.

We'll be installing a Mannington 3/8" x 3" engineered floor along with some base and shoe, new closet sliders, a downstairs closet door and redoing the ceiling tile in the closet.

Wrapped up a small job this morning and finished out the day here putting down 3/8" sanded ply underlay.

We glued the perimeters and stapled the chit out of it. I'm still waiting for my Spotnails floor stapler to arrive from nailgun depot. They said it was shipped yesterday from Ohio so I should get it tomorrow.

Also ordered the nylon coated 1 3/8" staples mannington recommends for the install. Still cant find details for staple spacing however so if anyone has suggestions, please fire away.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Yesterday, we fiddled around getting the doors we needed, some closet hardware, hinges, some stain and sealer and everything else we need to do this next phase. 

The Spotnails Stinger gun arrived on schedule late yesterday, but no bother, I'm still letting that subfloor acclimate.

Spent some time adding a couple of additional door shoes to the arsenal, mainly cause I wanted to check out my new Milwaukee fuel saw and my new Dewalt table saw as well. 

This is the latest model # DW7480 I believe it is and it's a mean mother. It's about $80.00 more than the DW745 but has a few additional features including RPM's that make it worth it.

I must say I'm impressed with both toys...very nice upgrade given my current stock.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

You can steal the design if you want,...I think I scarfed it off FH anyway and they do work well and are very compact. I made them so they're adjustable to different thickness doors or you can just use shims to tighten things up after your door is seated.

Hey, here's that stapler I'll be using on the Mannington floor we're doing. Just came yesterday so I haven't tried it out yet. I did buy a swivel connector as tools these days seems to come without them or even a nipple for that matter :sad:

Oh well, that what the Supers been up too.

Probably lay some floor down Monday...wish me well with that new stapler :thumbup:

BTW...My old 7 1/4" Milwaukee electric circular saw edge guide jives nicely with my new cordless 6 1/2". That's a nice touch :thumbsup:


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Somehow I missed this thread. 

Thanks for detailing your work method super. Looks good!

Sorry to hear about your mom. I had a similar experience being first to the scene of my sister in law's car wreck this winter. Helpless times...glad she's recovering well!


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

I hope everything worked out with you SIL. That's some scary stuff when it's personal.

I like your thread with the ceiling details and bookcase door...that's bad azz :thumbsup:


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

superseal said:


> I hope everything worked out with you SIL. That's some scary stuff when it's personal.
> 
> 
> 
> I like your thread with the ceiling details and bookcase door...that's bad azz :thumbsup:



She's good. Several broken ribs and a fractured vertebrae in three places but she's fully recovered already. She was in good shape and that helped a lot. She gives me more grief now than ever.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

I took off this weekend and caught up on some social time with the wife yesterday and a couple of friends today. Went to the local gun show expo with my BIL and company just to get out of the heat and enjoy the latest eye candy. I didn't plan on buying any guns since I'm alright in that dept. but just browsing the isles relaxes me to no end. 

I always pick up some of my favorite peppered beef jerky from the Jerky Hut and there's always a few tables that have various hand tools and such.

Actually ended up buying some #2 extension Phillips bits, a couple of small pouches for the tool belt, some hyde wire brushes, some round twisted wire brushes and a couple of Starrett 7/32" punches.

Since I'll be stapling this floor down tomorrow and since I would expect several staples may be set proud, I went to work on the bench grinder and dremel with an idea floating in my head. What if I were to grind a punch down and slot the center?...would it work as a staple punch?

I guess I'm gonna find out :laughing:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

By the time I picked up materials for another job this morning, stopped for a few estimates , got back to the job to set up...I decided to eat my lunch. Damn, looks like I'm not getting much flooring down today :sad:

I decided to re-shoot the underlayment a little tighter on center using 1 3/8" staples. I originally went 12" inches OC and 4" to 6" with the spacing. When I got there today, It seemed as though I could feel a little ballooning in spots with that 3/8" plywood between the 12" centers. 

A few more staples down the center of each 12" span got me down to a comfy 6" oc which definitely feels tighter and is probably more appropriate with the thin underlayment I'm using here.

Anyhow, I'm working solo today and I still need to set up that new stapler so I swung by Crepo for a swivel nipple... Husky brand I believe and it leaked profusely from the start. Took that back off and just used a standard Milton nipple which was quieter than an empty mouse trap. I gonna have to order me some of those miltons again...

First few courses were glued and hand nailed where necessary and after the usual 3rd. row, it's all gun.

Took me a little while with a floor mock up to adjust the tool for the proper thickness and to get proper seating of the staples. It's actually pretty easy once your familiar with it I will admit. Once it was set up, not a single misfire or any proud staples to be found. 

Looks like I won't be needing that punch after all.

Damn, is that all I got done :laughing:

Ended up using a real thin bead of PL Premiun urethane glue about 3/4" in from the tongue side bottom to help guard against squeaks.

So far it feels nice and solid and very quite :thumbup:

I love this new Spotnails stapler, the extended magazine holds plenty of staples so that should be a future time saver.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

couple more...looking good so far.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Is that gun limited to T&G applications? Wondering about the nose on it.


Looks great.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Tom M said:


> Is that gun limited to T&G applications? Wondering about the nose on it.
> 
> 
> Looks great.


Yes, 3/8" to 5/8 t&g engineered lumber only, at least I think so anyway.

Here's some close ups of the nose...


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Had my helper with me today and it was a pleasure having a good cut man feeding me flooring. This pre-finished stuff will make you batty if you stare too close at knots, small little dings and factory defects which weren't plentiful, but were abound in the boxes.

Even though you try to check each piece before she goes down, it's not hard missing these things until its too late. Needless to say, four eyes is better than two and perfectionism is something that doesn't quite happen often so you gotta take things in stride if you want to make any money doing this stuff. 

It also helps to have some colored putty and some matching stain which I happened to cook up and it's a perfect match. 

Absolutely no face nailing for starters and finishers was achieved by hand nailing, brad nailing and some glue. What was face nailed will be covered by the base and shoe.

Baseboard is primed and 1st coated so we'll be getting that installed tomorrow.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

What a fiasco trying to retrofit the duct vent...I was slicing metal, whacking plaster, pushing and pulling, but mainly hootin' and hollering all the way to a halfway decent fit.

Next up baseboard and shoe...base I provided and in full lengths, the shoe however, came delivered with the floor in 7' lengths only.

Owner then decides he like full pieces instead of scarfs so he places a call to Avalon flooring to see if he can order bigger lengths. No is the answer, only 7's so I sent him to another local flooring place and Depot to see what they had.

Apparently this is a Mannington specific color and nobody seems to have anything that matches on the money so I told him he has two options...One, for me to make up the entire assembly from red oak or two, just go with the 7's and I'll give him tight scarfs.

He decided on going with the scarfs so that'll be the plan for tomorrow.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

I took a little vacation so I've be gone a few days...back here today by myself while Kev started a little foundation job which I'm hoping to meet up on to bang it out real quick. Then it will be back here to finish up the closet doors, ceiling and downstairs closet door. 

On the list, thresholds for the entry and closet door, pre-stained quarter round, some caulking and touch up and skimming out the existing closet frame so I can paint this up as well.

The owner here is very good about my schedule being busy and doesn't get too upset when I sneak away for a few days.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

The Hunter ceiling fan came in and was installed on that nice new box and wire we fed to the new ceiling. 

Today was raining and super hot and sticky in between drops. I had no problem spending the day doing some odds and ends in the A/C whilst my nephew is on the foundation coating job.

Still have this drop ceiling in the closet to do, some touch up paintwork, I'm still fixing the closet jamb which was attacked by the previous dog who lived here and installation of the closet track and valance. 

I just have a couple doors to stain and we'll be wrapping this up for good this time around.


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