Leave it alone. Try and remove whatever is hanging off with a razor. If the surface is uneven enough that you think it will show through, apply a thin layer of drywall compound and sand it smooth once it's dry.

If you can't find a seam, it's probably the drywall paper. Is it brown underneath?

It's really not significant other than to provide a smooth painting surface.

Any recomendations for remving knockdown texture from walls?

It's not deep. We plan on painting with a textured paint. Not sure how it will turn out. I didn't think it was part of the drywall because it seemed like a very thin layer of white wallpaper. When I peel it off, it reveals a beige wall.

I really have absolutely no experience with any of this. Painting, or anything. Any advice would be welcomed.

How old is the house?

Don't worry about it. If you are using textured paint, it's no big deal at all. Just sand down any rough areas (loose paper), and paint right over it. Just try not to gouge the dry wall too much, so as to avoid spackling.

25 years. Condo.

Good point about the seam, I hadn't thought of that.


Now..about paint. I am really clueless as to what i'm looking for. The wife wants a textured, sort of "rough" paint. What all do I need?

Second issue:

I replaced some electrical receptacles recently because the plugs would not stay put in them. One of them was a "switched" outlet, meaning I could flip a switch and it would turn off and on. I wired the new receptacle exactly the same as the old one, and now it no longer has the switching funciton. What is weirder is, the other switched outlet (one I DID NOT replace) on the same circuit also no longer functions correctly. It is just "on" all the time.

Saul,

There is stuff you can "stir" into paint to make it textured, but I've never seen Textured paint.

usually, its drywall mud that is applied with an air compressor and a hopper through a texture gun. Most interior walls are what is called an "orange peel".

This list of Top 10 mistakes by Do It yourselfers was on Msn today...
http://realestate.msn.com/Improve/Ar...umentid=454916
I direct you to #'s 5 and 6

5. Using the wrong paint. One of the biggest DIY projects around, painting can make a place look great. Manfredini says flat paint should only be used for ceilings. Interior paints should have at least an eggshell or satin finish so you can scrub it. On outdoor decks, "sun and rain tear the heck out of the wood," he says. Clear sealers don't block the UV rays, and they peel. Use a linseed-oil-based stain; it drives the pigment into the wood and preserves it.

6. Improper preparation of walls for painting. A good, quality paint job is 90% preparation, Manfredini says. Clean the walls, sand them and patch any holes before you paint. Iannuzzi recommends a coat of primer or stain blocker if you're trying to cover over oil-based paint, stains or peeling paint, or if you're painting a lighter color over a darker color.

I'm no guru electrician, and get shocked more than Tim the Tool man....but I had that happen once. You've got 2 wires switched in a way that never opens the circuit.

Good article.

When we went to Lowes, they had swatches of "textured" paints or whatnot. I assume you buy the kind of paint you need, and they mix in the color and desired "texture" for you?

I saw a can of paint specifically made for bathrooms. Mildew resistant.

Just ask your wife. Isn't she an expert at rolling up your hose?

No, no, no, that is Donger you are thinking of.

I have seen stuff you can stir into paint.

If you do use that, I think I'd have them shake it good before you go, and paint when I got home...if not, be sure to stir it really well before painting, so you don't end up some that looks like Creamy peterpan and some areas that are Super Chunk.

She apparently didn't appreciate my homeade sollution to that problem, and this spring, showed up with a $35 plastic Rubbermade sollution.

A quick google gave me this:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio.../rightNavHowTo

Sounds like they have the stuff in stock. I'd have to paint that on, and then apply a 2nd layer of the color I want. It would probably be a good idea to use the textured stuff anyways since the wall might be in kind of rough shape. There is the big sheet of fake tile that is nailed on to the wall that I want to remove. Very ghetto looking, we are planning on painting whatever is under that.

I have a metal garage door and some punk-ass wannabe gangbangers decided to go garage to garage and spray paint symbols on all of the garages on my block. I need advice on the best way to remove the spray paint. My first thought was getting some paint thinner. Will that be sufficient or will paint thinner also take off the garage door paint? If paint thinner isn't the best method, what other solution is there?

Paint over it

Get a new garage

Make the symbol look like something cool

join the gang

kill yourself

I'd kick their little punk asses if I had any clue who did it.

You can try thinner but I'm guessing you'll need laquer thinner to remove spray paint. Thinner might not take off your garage door paint but it will definitely ruin the sheen. You're probably going to have to repaint the door anyway so I'd hit it with some kilz and then paint. It's an opportunity to paint the door, dude. You should be thanking those kids.

Not really. The door is only about 2 years old and it's metal. Shouldn't need painting for many years.

Maybe you should remove all the paint and just have the metal shining in all it's glory for all the neighborhood to see. That would be a neat look I've never seen before.

Just kick everybody's ass. You'll be sure to get them.

Shit like this is ****ing irritating.

I need a new fridge. They don't make fridges under 30" deep anymore. The fridge that is dying is 27" deep including handles.

:LOL: Not a bad idea. I'll just go door to door and start kicking asses. Although the downside is that I might get tired out after awhile.

Seriously, I'm thinking I need to put a motion light on the back of my garage. Funny thing is that this same crap happened several months ago. They hit every garage on my block except mine. That one had me baffled.

Not exactly sure what you're getting at. By deep, do you mean measured from the front to the back? Is this a problem because you live in an apartment and can't fit anything over 27" deep/thick?

Correct. I might be able to fit something a little larger than 27, but not sure.

Can you not buy one and take it in with the doors off, then reinstall them back on?

I saw just checked the sears site and see they have several that are 29" deep including door handles.

If the problem is getting the fridge in, it isn't usually too hard to remove the doors. We used to do that all the time to get fridges in when I was doing apartment maintenance.

You could try this stuff, it's available at most paint stores.

http://www.valspar.com/val/resident/...F%20LINEUP.jpg

If you have any carburetor cleaner around it might help too. Get on it ASAP before the paint fully cures.

I'll have to check that out. Usually the 29" deep ones are very small. I need at least 17 cubic feet.

The problem is not getting the fridge in the apartment.

That's what I was thinking. It's kind of pain in the butt to do that. But he might not have any other choice.

Here you go, my large cranium aquaintance.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...000057+5001088

Lowes also usually has some great financing options and prices on appliances....6 months no interest..stuff like that.


if you just need to get it in a smaller space, measure first, but its only a couple of pins or screws to remove the doors. A donkey fan could figure out how to do that if a raider fan was reading him the directions.

I might look into that stuff. Although it may take off the garage door paint. It's looking more and more like I'm going to have to repaint the whole door anyway. Uggh. I absofreakinlutely hate painting.

Use it sparingly, your garage door is probably powder coated which is a much tougher finish than spray paint. If it's not weathered and dull you should be able to get it off without too much harm. If it does dull the finish like Phobia warned, you might be able to shine it up with some car wax. Good luck.

Yeah, I saw those..but damn. Those are 500-600 more than their counterparts. Very annoying. Like I said, not a problem fitting it through the door.

The ones I looked at were on Sears' site and all were larger than 20 cubic feet. They are listed in the "Counter Depth" section. The one thing you will have to watch for though is width. We had an Amana that was shallow, but it was wider than normal so we had trouble when we moved getting it to fit in different spaces.

Just a followup to my graffiti problem. We used WD40 and it worked like a champ. The key is to spray it on and leave it for a couple minutes. Then, just wipe and/or scrub with a cloth. My wife came up with the idea. She remembered an email she received awhile back about the many uses for WD40. There's even a website for those many uses, but I can't remember the address. Though I'm sure you can find it with a Google search.

Next thing I plan to do is put up a motion detecting security light. If you guys have any other suggestions, I would be open to them.

Darn it. I was hoping this was a thread about men who are good with their hands.

I havea a stubby screwdriver that has a two-sided head. phillips on one side, pull it out, switch it around, it's flathead.
I keep it in "that kitchen drawer" (you know the one) and it is the most handy tool I use.

It'll take a little diggin, but I'd suggest one of these with some ganster-bait first

http://www.gonomad.com/globalroam/up...rap-735544.jpg

Eh..hmmm...it's handyperson...you sexist! :mad: :p

I'm all thumbs though when it comes to this stuff.
This one thing men are good for!

Other than that I have lots of craft bins...and over several hundred cookie cutters! Some I made myself. I also used them at one time to make lollipops for B'day parties.

I was going to suggest a cleverly disguised machine gun nest. Effective..........and fun.

Another use I found for WD40... out of complete desperation.....

WD40 will relieve the sting and smell of a skunk spray. I stumbled apon a skunk once while siding a house in the country, and got squirted pretty good. All I had in the truck was Gatorade, paint, and WD40. It greatly eased the pain and reduced the smell. Anybody that's been sprayed will contest how bad a skunk spray is. My last option was gonna be pissing on my own shoulder.... so I'm pretty glad the WD40 worked....

Saul,
Make a trip to the Sears Outlet on Front street in KC. It's well worth your time. We picked up a stainless fridge with a tiny scratch for less than half of retail a couple weeks ago. They have hundreds available there. I'm thinking you should be able to find something that works for you.

If they're having a stainless steel sale you may be able to pick up a Delorean for cheap too...

Delorean...

Moooo, who is drunk

seriously...

Available
IOWANIAN.COM is available!

get a blog man... tear it up. you would have a killer site to check out.

I've thought about it....but honestly don't have a clue how to begin to start it. I'd probably just end up stealing stuff I put here already.

So, you're saying a skunk's spray stings as well as stinks?

Ok, i'll be getting my fridge delivered on Saturday. It has an icemaker - however, I do not have a water line on the side of the kitchen that it will be on (for the icemaker). The fridge will be right across from the sink, along the wall.

You live in a condo, don't you?

1. Do you have unfinished basement below the kitchen?
2. Do you have some other form of water supply behind the fridge?
3. Do you have any plans to replace the flooring in the kitchen at any point in the future (because you could run the water supply under the floor but you'd have to open the subfloor temporarily and replace the flooring).

Adding a saddle-valve to tap into existing water supply is really easy. Your problem is getting it to the back of the fridge. Good luck.

This stuff works great.

Our clothes dryer takes 3-4 cycles to get clothes dry. It is a 2-3 year old Maytag. The heating element is working as it is putting out warm air, the lint trap is kept clean and there are no obstructions or kinks in the exhaust hose.

Any ideas?

You've covered all of my ideas. Replace the hose, clean the trap (you sure there's nothing blocking the line or the outside vent?).

It may still be the element. Is it putting out warm air or hot? Try just running a few pieces of clothing to see if they actually get hot.

I'm sure you've checked the heat settings....

Heat settings! :banghead:

(Just kidding)

:)

If you have oil spots on your driveway, spray some brake cleaner on the spot and then pat it with a thick paper towel. Repeat if necessary. Lifts the oil right out!

Anyone know how to remove knockdown texture from walls?

I don't know about removing it....

I think you might be able to sand it, but that would probably just make a mess.

Is the current texture orange peel? If its not, I think I'd just take a flat putty knife (4-6") and scrape the tops off the bumps.

Others might have a different opinion, but I almost think it would be easier to buy a bucket of mud, water it down and smoothcoat the walls than sand the other stuff off.

This crap.

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3...9knockdpv9.jpg

Or take some laundry detergent, the powder kind, sprinkle it on the spots and grind it in with your shoe. Rinse it off.

Does it have a knob to change multiple temp settings? My dryer has that and the knob is plastic. Over time, the inside of the knob (where it connects onto the metal) broke. The knob still stays on the metal just fine and looks normal. But when you try changing the settings, it doesn't work. Not sure if I'm making sense.

Go to the outside vent and see if there's good flow and warm air coming out.

The only other thing that may be happening is that your washer isn't spinning enough to get rid of excess water after the final rinse.

penq....I'm not sure what others would do, but I'd buy a bucket of mud and smooth coat it. That would be quicker than trying to sand it off, seal the drywall and then fill dings and paint.

The easiest thing to do is fill it in with joint compound and sand as necessary.

That was my thinking also but wanted to see what other suggestions might be available. I hate the crap. Takes forever to get a good coat of paint on and takes more paint to do so. Also want to put crown molding up but it would look like a$$ on walls with this texture.

Check you lint trap by running it under some water. Some fabric softeners will leave a film on the trap that is invisible to the naked eye.

How much should I expect to pay for tearing out an old tub/shower unit and installation of a new one?

What's the complete scope of work, Saul? Based upon what little information you've provided my best guess is $750-2000. Plus materials.

It depends on what is found when it's ripped out..was the old one leaking???

as an old plumber i can say this with confidence. it may cost a little, it may cost alot. but whatever the case may be, it'll cost you.

by the way, don't skimp on quality. buy a good product.you'll thank yourself down the road.

No.

Uh...i'm not sure what details I need here. I'd actually prefer to rip out the tub and put in a shower door + wall.

I wouldn't know then..I had 2 of my bathrooms gutted..one was a shower and a toilet and a sink..whole new floor..wonder board around the shower..tiled the whole thing..$8,000..the other one is a toilet bathtub walk in..redid the floor..sink..toilet andbathtub..tiled around the tub..$12,000..those bathrooms killed me

So what you're saying is you want a walk-in shower instead of a tub?

Yeah - that's the ticket.

They sell those capsule enclosed all in one showers that fit in the corner of a room..they are great if you want just a shower..and save alot of room..

http://www.originalbathroomcompany.c...SideAcc_sm.jpg
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...icial%26sa%3DN

You want a crappy plastic one piece unit or are you looking to do a halfway decent shower unit with tile?