Alex's Major Home Improvement Thread

[AlexThePalex]

I've been quite busy the past year, litterally working almost every single day on a large variety of projects. I had a lot of things to do for lots of people, but besides that I had to completely renovate my own home also. Unfortunately, due to all the work, I could not make very much progress in my own home, but yeah, the bills gotta be paid first. 

Nevertheless, now that a year has passed, looking back you can see that quite a lot has been done already, and I thought I'd share it here for those interested. Basically every Festool I have has been used by now in this project, but the main roles are for the T15, RO150, DTS 400, CS70 and the CTL Midi.

Most of the work I have to do is plastering all the walls, some just a bit, but lots of them from the bottom up. And I didn't really know how. But now that I've been practicing for a year I'm getting it under control, almost able to do a wall in one go, but in the beginning, the first few months, I really struggled very hard to understand the whole process. The walls I had to plaster, well, they learned a lot of bad words from me.  [embarassed]

And lots of other things have to be done too, I have to paint everything, but that's routine for me so not a big deal. I have to do lots of carpentry also, installing trim everywhere, make closets, fix doors and windows, basically every piece of wood in the house needs work. This was my parents house, now it is my home, and my father very enthousiastically renovated it two times, back in 1974 and 1984, but I am sorry to say, he was not very competent at it and I have to redo everything he did to get it to an acceptable standard.
 
I started with the hallway. It was actually the worst place of the house, because all the walls were almost in the same shape they were when they were originally build over 80 years ago. My father had never really done anything to make them better, he just just placed wainscotting over the old bad pieces, and covered everything else with wall paper. I had to remove it all, I want everything just straight, plastered walls painted with white latex.

Started by removing all the wainscotting. I lived here for 45 years now, I never knew this green goo was behind it.

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At the front door I found there used to be tiles there. Tiles were gone but the thinset was still there. And proud of the surface of course, great, now I have to remove it all.

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[mrFinpgh]

Looking forward to this thread.  I'm sure you have progressed by leaps and bounds, and will take my vicarious satisfaction where I can get it.

What is the plaster of choice over there? 

 

[DeformedTree]

I was going to make a comment based on the first door, but then all the other photos show a dutch door.  So they aren't a myth.  But I'm guessing you don't call them dutch doors there.  You made me happy that your house has one.

House reno can be a killer, but it can/should be seen as skills development.  You sound like you have been learning plaster, though learning the skill many decades after when most do.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Lot of damage to the walls, plaster's dropping off everywhere, and big nail holes because of all the wainscotting.

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After a lot of work, all the wainscotting and wallpaper is gone. So roomy suddenly!  I like! [smile]

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Then I had to chissel all the thinset away. I didn't have my hammer drill yet, so I had to do it all by hand. What a work, and apparently at the wrong time as my old neighbour politely but sturdily came to ask me to stop because I was interrupting him & his wife's special Bold & The Beautiful hour. So I went on the next day.

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And then fill it up again with a first layer of plaster. I also hid the wire for the doorbel under it in a piece of electrical conduit.

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After removing all the wallpaper I found this mess everywhere: my father cut slots for the electrical wiring, and filled them up with cement. Well, cement is nice for sticking bricks together, but you don't put it as the finish for your walls. And all very uneven and often proud of the surface again. And ofcourse cement is very hard, you don't just put the Rotex or the RAS on it to even it out, no, this needs hammering, again. Near electricity. Great. Again.  [mad]
 
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You see this often with older houses, due to the movent of doors, the bricks layer above them cracked. This is difficult to repair without taking all the bricks out. I tried as best as I could to inject the spaces with a caulk that was made to replace mortar.

You can also see the white spots around the cracks, this is the original wallpaint that was used 80 years ago, and it is terrible stuff that I needed to remove all. It is a kind of white paint that dries but always stays soluable in water ("Witsel" in Dutch). You can't paint or plaster over it without removing it all. So I had to meticulously wash all the walls in the entire hallway with a sponge to get rid of it.

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That poor wire of the doorbel had been hanging there since 1974, I thought I'd cut a nice little slot for it to cosy away. The layer of plaster was pretty thin there, no space to put a plastic tube in for protection.

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The original plinths on the hall were pretty big, I am bringing everything down to 9 cm height. I didn't want to remove this so I cut it with the MultiMaster.

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Radiator temporarily had to go. Was planning to put it back, but I found a nicer new one for almost nothing.

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This had some very ugly wooden slats here, took them out and put a shiney new board in.

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Then it was time to plaster. On the bottom there was a layer of green textured paint that I wanted to get rid of. But I know of textured paint and asbestos, so I asked an expert I know about it, and he said there was no asbestos in it. In fact, I did not have to worry at all in this house from 1938 because they didn't use it here until after the war for the rebuild. Well, that's a relief. So I sanded it all flat with my Rotex and put a first, thin layer of plaster over it.

I made a rookie mistake here that I hope won't come to haunt me later. I didn't use a primer, because the plaster package said you could use it almost everywhere without priming first due to special additives. Almost. [tongue]

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[AlexThePalex]

What is the plaster of choice over there?

All gipsum based. We have two major brands, Knauf and Gyproc, and they have many different types for different applications. I like the type Knauf MP75 best.

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I was going to make a comment based on the first door, but then all the other photos show a dutch door.  So they aren't a myth.  But I'm guessing you don't call them dutch doors there.  You made me happy that your house has one.

Hm, a Dutch Door, I had to look that up. A door that can open the top half. Yep, that's my door. We do call them dutch doors, because we call all our doors dutch doors, just like we call all our houses dutch houses and all our streets dutch streets. And have you seen our dutch carpets? [smile]

House reno can be a killer, but it can/should be seen as skills development.  You sound like you have been learning plaster, though learning the skill many decades after when most do.

I've learned quite a few skills over the course of my life already, and I never stop adding them. But I must say, of all the DIY skills I have learned, plastering is most certainly the most difficult one.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Well, buggers. Disaster struck.

This part certainly needed primer. I noticed a big bubble forming a few days later and with a few jabs of a putty knife it just all came down.

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But so far the other parts of the hallway remain solid. This part was the only part that was dark green, while all the other parts where light green. Apparently someone put a different coating on this wall alone. Well, let's start over. WITH primer this time. And that's what I learned, ALWAYS PRIME!
 

 

[six-point socket II]

Great to see you starting a home improvement thread, Alex!

Your latest disaster reminded me of the time when such a bubble formed on our ceiling, but literally decades after it had cured ... That was a big mess.

Looking forward to see more of you work! Have fun!

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Bob D.]

I feel for ya Alex. I can relate to a lot of that work having done the same on my first home back in 82, well started in 82, didn't finish until 89. Then sold it in 1990. It felt like every hour I wasn't at work I was working on that monster 4600 Sq. foot house of 27 rooms and 64 windows.

That 10 foot tall Christmas tree was our first there having just moved in the month before.

The leaded glass window is about 38"W x 66"H. If I stood on the rim of the tub my head
was even with the top of the window and I'm 5'-11".

Luckily I did not have to do any plastering, only some minor repairs.

 

[DeformedTree]

I was going to make a comment based on the first door, but then all the other photos show a dutch door.  So they aren't a myth.  But I'm guessing you don't call them dutch doors there.  You made me happy that your house has one.

Hm, a Dutch Door, I had to look that up. A door that can open the top half. Yep, that's my door. We do call them dutch doors, because we call all our doors dutch doors, just like we call all our houses dutch houses and all our streets dutch streets. And have you seen our dutch carpets? [smile]

House reno can be a killer, but it can/should be seen as skills development.  You sound like you have been learning plaster, though learning the skill many decades after when most do.

I've learned quite a few skills over the course of my life already, and I never stop adding them. But I must say, of all the DIY skills I have learned, plastering is most certainly the most difficult one.

Well, if you had to look it up, it just matches up to my comment.  While they aren't a common door here, they are called "Dutch Doors" for some reason, and I have always guessed if I went to Holland/Netherlands there would be no such doors.  Your house having one gives me hope that not all random named things are without basis.  So do you have a name for that style door verses a "one piece door".

Yeah, never stop adding skills.  Plaster is not high on my list for sure, of course it's largely dead in this country as discussed in a different thread. Buying a house and rebuilding it causes one to learn lots of stuff, the older they are, the more random things you have to learn that often you could do without learning.

 

[AlexThePalex]

[member=61712]six-point socket II[/member] Thanks Oliver, got plenty of pictures right now, so I'm not done posting yet.

[member=60461]Bob D.[/member] Wow, nice house. That's a lot bigger than mine.

So do you have a name for that style door verses a "one piece door".

Had to look that up to, I never had a second thought about this type of door before. It is called a "boerendeur", which translates to "farmer's door". Apparently it is a style of door that became popular with farmers when they made their stables and wanted to have a way to open it for fresh air without letting their livestock get out. My door doesn't farm anymore though, both parts were bolted together long ago. It is a very solid teak door, but due to movement of the wood there was always a problem keeping the door insulated in the winter.

 

[Bob D.]

Thanks, I no longer live there. Bought it only as a fixer-upper and to make enough to get into the house I really wanted. Took 8 years but once sold I had enough to buy a lot and new 1600 sq ft home with no mortgage. I learned a lot along the way though. I hope you enjoy your project as much as I did that one.

 

[Sparktrician]

Alex, your comments about your father's workmanship reminded me of my own father's attempts at home repair.  When I was growing up, I thought he could fix almost anything, including doing electrical wiring for lights, replacing switches, etc.  Then after I completed military electrician school, I returned home and was horrified at what he's been doing and set about redoing things to get them safe.  He asked why and I told him there were reasons for there to be a safety code.  Another early warning was him cutting off the tip of a finger using a radial arm saw.  He actually managed to live quite a few years beyond that time, but I think he must have had a large contingent of angels protecting him and my mother.  [big grin]

 

[DeformedTree]

So do you have a name for that style door verses a "one piece door".

Had to look that up to, I never had a second thought about this type of door before. It is called a "boerendeur", which translates to "farmer's door". Apparently it is a style of door that became popular with farmers when they made their stables and wanted to have a way to open it for fresh air without letting their livestock get out. My door doesn't farm anymore though, both parts were bolted together long ago. It is a very solid teak door, but due to movement of the wood there was always a problem keeping the door insulated in the winter.

Sounds like a future skill for you to master "doorwright",  restore the door to it's former agricultural glory.  Is a shame to hear it can't farm anymore.

 

[Cheese]

All gypsum based. We have two major brands, Knauf and Gyproc, and they have many different types for different applications. I like the type Knauf MP75 best.

Hm, a Dutch Door, I had to look that up. A door that can open the top half. Yep, that's my door. We do call them dutch doors, because we call all our doors dutch doors, just like we call all our houses dutch houses and all our streets dutch streets. And have you seen our dutch carpets? [smile]

Just curious if the 75 refers to the cure time?

This is how I became familiar with the term Dutch doors...from Mr. Ed the talking horse series, 1958-1966.  [big grin]

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[DeformedTree]

This is how I became familiar with the term Dutch doors...from Mr. Ed the talking horse series, 1958-1966.  [big grin]

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That is a joint development of Dutch and French door technology.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I hope you enjoy your project as much as I did that one.

Unfortunately I am pretty sure I don't. Too much pressure right now, everybody wants a piece of Alex and I get nothing in return. I am in an exceptionally complicated situation in my life right now. Ready to cross over into something new, but due to circumstances my old life won't let me go.

[member=7493]Sparktrician[/member]

That's about the only thing I have little to complain about, at least he did that right and all safe and according to code. Only thing that baffles me is he installed a two way switch in the hall to turn the lights on and off on the frist floor and the second floor. But he only installed it on the first floor, and not on the second. So when I'm downstairs I can switch the light downstairs and upstairs, but when I'm upstairs, I can't switch the light downstairs. To correct it, I have to shove an extra wire in the conduit up two walls, and break open two floors to get to the junction boxes.

 

 

[AlexThePalex]

Sounds like a future skill for you to master "doorwright",  restore the door to it's former agricultural glory.  Is a shame to hear it can't farm anymore.

Not sure I'm a master in it, but I can shape a piece of wood anyway I want, so that should not be a problem. But I don't want to. I think it is best currently, I don't need the top to open.

Just curious if the 75 refers to the cure time?

I don't think so. Not sure what it does stand for.

The way you work with it, you mix it, and then you have 30 minutes to apply it to the wall. Then you must let it sit for 2 hours to get stiffer, and then you have 30 minutes to plaster it all flat. Totaal work time 3 hours. And after that it has to dry, rule of thumb is 1 day per mm thickness, so if you applied 10 mm, you have to wait 10 days before it is fully cured and you can do the next thing, like painting.

 

[Cheese]

To correct it, I have to shove an extra wire in the conduit up two walls, and break open two floors to get to the junction boxes.

Or just install 2 new "electronic" switches that no longer use traveler wires. The switch downstairs would make the actual electrical connection while the switch upstairs would simply switch the downstairs switch on & off.

For 2-way, 3-way, 4-way...switching I haven't run a traveler wire in the last 5-7 years...all RF technology.

I've been using these exclusively for the last many years. There are also other brands out there available.
https://www.insteon.com/wall-switches

 

[FestitaMakool]

Alex, I’m gonna watch this space.. [big grin]
I’m too in the same dinghy so to speak. I’m considering a thread for my longish project too.
Now, plaster learning!  [wink]

And yes, farm door or stable door, quite common on cabins and small farms here too. Not so much in houses. There’s loads of sheep around mountain terrain, so it was just as well keeping these from a sneak peak inside too [blink] - still enjoying a half door open.
I think they’re cool, you should unbolt yours, have a lock inside to unlock when you’re opening for the sellers that puts a foot in the door!  [big grin]

 

[Bob D.]

"That is a joint development of Dutch and French door technology."

aka Double Dutch