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u/Careful-Training-761

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▲ 2 r/DIYIreland

Capping chimney top

Questions for people that don't use their fireplace.

Did you cap your chimney off at the top, or close it at the bottom with a fireplace balloon / stuffed something in there, or do you leave it open?

If you capped it off at top Im aware it needs ventilation from the bottom (either leaving fireplace open or closing off but installing a vent), however does it still need some ventilation at the cap at the top? I'm considering capping it off.

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u/Careful-Training-761 — 4 days ago
▲ 1 r/Chimneyrepair

Quick question re capping disused chimney

I live in an old 1950 terraced / townhouse in Ireland. Im thinking of capping the chimney to help keep heat in as I dont use the fireplace. I'm aware I need to keep the fireplace open to ensure chimney flu is part of the heated envelope and allow some air in, or if I close off fireplace in future I need to ensure a vent is installed. On the basis that the fireplace is kept open at bottom do I also need to ensure there is a small vent at the chimney pot cap / cowl. Or is that overkill and unnecessary?

For instance this website states that ventilation at top is also needed in addition to bottom: "It is important that unused chimneys are vented at both the top and the bottom, to allow a constant flow of air. At the top, the best option is to fit a terracotta cowl or elevated cap to the chimney pot, which keeps the rain out but allows the air to enter. In the room below, it is necessary to have chimney vent installed just below ceiling height." How To Fix A Damp Chimney Breast | Permagard. And I noticed this website advertises a cap cowl with ventilation Chimney Cap Capping Cowl | Unused Chimneys | Chimney and Stove Services Ireland

u/Careful-Training-761 — 9 days ago
▲ 2 r/paint

Trim - gloss or satin?

I will be painting trim - baseboard, architrave around doors and window sills. Views on gloss or satin? I'm not asking about the look, provided the surface is prepped well gloss can produce a nice finish, as can satin, prob give the edge to satin on looks though.

I used to prefer gloss for trim it's slick and attracts dirt less I have children so that's important. But I painted some trim a year ago in satin (had no gloss in the house at the time) and was fairly happy how it held up.

I noticed recently that if there is a bad stain and I scrub the gloss hard enough it can noticeably dull the gloss and leave a rubbing mark so it's prob not as bullet proof as I used to think it was.

The window sill beside kitchen sink will be gloss, splashes from sink etc it needs wiping down almost daily.

However I'm thinking satin elsewhere on trim including the baseboard, architrave around doors and window sills. Downside is that it's less slick and more prone to attracting dirt but I found it easy enough to clean them off.

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u/Careful-Training-761 — 15 days ago
▲ 2 r/Flooring

Questions re sub-floor in small entrance hallway

Context:

A floor fitter is installing laminate with foam underlay in a living room and small entrance hallway and doing some prep work on the sub-floor.

There's a concrete sub-floor in the living room, a small entrance hallway adjoins the living room with wooden planks and concrete beneath the planks. I've no idea why the concrete from living room just doesn't continue to the small entrance hallway and there are planks (I bought the place only 3 years ago). Right at the entrance door there is a concrete slab, at the other side is the stairs. The concrete sub-floor in the living room is isn't quite flat enough so some leveling compound is going to be laid. 

Two questions: 

1 Why are there wooden planks with concrete underneath at the entrance hallway? There is a wooden stairs there - so maybe that has something to do with laying planks just there? I don't know. I don't work in the industry but planks on top of concrete scenes a bit strange to me.

2 There is cupping on the planks (edges are higher than the middle of the plank) which I understand means moisture. It's an entrance hallway so it would be naturally damper people coming from outside bringing in moisture no shortage of rainfall in Ireland, and there's no radiator in that small entrance hallway so it's colder. Or who knows maybe moisture could be coming from the concrete underneath (I'll check this separately, planks are bone dry though).

I'm getting leveling compound in the living room. But the floor fitter said he would take out the floorboards at entrance hallway and replace with plywood. We discussed it right at the end and I mentioned laying concrete / levelling compound but didn't press him on it, when he left I thought more about it - why replace with wood?

Why not just lay concrete / leveling compound there? Like the previous boards could the plywood get water damage or could the plywood squeak as there is concrete underneath (unless concrete is perfectly flat)? Is a leveling compound or concrete better than plywood there? The guy that was with the floor fitter (not floor fitter) even mentioned putting a latex leveling compound over the plywood where it meets the section of concrete slab at the door to level it off, which to me sounds strange would that compound not just simply crack?

u/Careful-Training-761 — 15 days ago
▲ 8 r/DesignMyRoom

Which laminate for a small living room?

To me 1 is a little more natural looking but not quite as warm.

2 is a little warmer but doesn't look quite as natural looking.

The middle one is the previous water damaged laminate, I actually prefer it out of these 3. I paid a deposit at the store already it was only when I brought them back I realized they're not ideal, the other laminate in the store isn't suitable so it's really only these 2 options.

u/Careful-Training-761 — 23 days ago
▲ 0 r/Flooring

Simplified post to previous posts - question how to fix self-leveling compound problem

I posted this previously and got helpful responses, but my post was way too long winded. If you've already read that post and responded thank you this is for the people that it was too long for.

Contractor laid self leveling compound and created a 4mm hump where none was before, which floor fitters on the previous post said is a problem in the long run. I'm laying laminate.

Many in the previous post suggested self leveling compound the whole room, but the room adjoins another small entrance hall that has wood on it. So it should be slightly graded / levelled off at that point.

Or another option to try grinding back what's there to try level it off.

u/Careful-Training-761 — 25 days ago
▲ 38 r/DIYUK

What to do if a contractor screws up a job?

I went with the lowest quote valuable lesson learned I won't do that again. I also sourced him from an online tradesman website as I have only a limited window to get it done.

Anyhow the contractor has messed up and created a problem where there was none before - he laid self-leveling compound on a floor and created a raise in the floor where there was none before.

I don't really know how much of a job it will be to remedy it or how it is remedied. I've created a separate post on the flooring sub on that. However the clear concensus on the flooring sub is that it's a bodge job and it will create problems with the laminate down the line.

I'm thinking of cutting my loss at this point with the contractor. My question is how best do I go about doing it. I could just say he doesn't get any money until it's fixed? He'll just say it's perfectly fine I'm worrying about nothing. Or if he doesn't I might just never hear from him again and I'll be left to try remedy it. Any thoughts?

u/Careful-Training-761 — 25 days ago
▲ 71 r/Flooring

Self leveling compound - update and further questions

TLDR: contractor laid self leveling compound and has created unevenness in the floor. Is it a problem and if it is how do I fix it? (I've a few possible solutions listed below)

This is an update of 2 earlier posts I submitted earlier today (I panicked a bit when I saw the self leveling compound and asked should I try take it up when it was still wet.) https://www.reddit.com/r/Flooring/s/OFpvvGQHmm

https://www.reddit.com/r/Flooring/s/Y3xsxjk0gC

 I'll give the context again. 

(Just to note the furniture wasn't in the room when they were working it was only brought in after in case it rains overnight.) 

Contractor laid self leveling compound on the concrete floor as the baseboard was not flush with the floor in a section of the room in the corner near the window as a pipe came into that corner which raised the floor there. This stemmed from a concern of mine that the baseboard in that area was not level with the floor. So I asked him to lay self leveling compound to fix it. We discussed scribing the board too. But he advised to use self leveling compound to fix it and to prevent any flexing of the laminate.

But when I came back into the room he had a lot more laid than I originally thought he would including a track running down the middle of the room. 

I posted earlier at the time I was concerned about the lip at the edge of the self leveling compound. My concern was largely misplaced (or at least a lesser concern) but two further concerns arose from reading the feedback in comments: 

  1. As far as I'm aware he did not use any primer. I supplied the materials and he asked me to get the leveling compound but never asked me to get primer. The prep work was done v quick. According to others I need to check it tomorrow to see if it has a hollow sound. 

  2. When I checked the leveling compound with the straight edge of a laminate plank a few minutes ago I realized there is now a hump in the floor where the compound is so it's not actually filling a dip in the floor, he just laid it along the where the pipework was previously cut out and laid in the past, which was subsequently filled up with concrete and laid presumably fairly level in the past, with the exception of the corner where the pipe comes in which is slightly raised (and which caused the unevenness in the baseboard beside the window). In my lay person mind I would have thought he should have used some sort of straight plank and only laid the leveling compound where there is a dip and used the plank or straight edge to level it off. Am I correct on that? See pic I can fit a €2 and 10 cent coin, which equals 4mm, on either side of the compound and apparently from responses on the other post it needs to be a gap of less than 3mm or it will create probems down the line (I understand splitting apart and a bounce in the floor)

I went with the cheapest quote and decided I would buy the materials needed as I am off work at the moment and have time, I could pick out laminate, baseboard etc in my own time. In my defense all things equal in terms of instilling confidence he was second out of the 5 quotes I received, 3 were more expensive but instilled me with less confidence. However if I was to do it again I wouldn't have gone with the cheapest quote a valuable lesson learned for again. 

When I phoned him earlier he said he'd come back to 'feather it with the same self leveling compound' and that the laminate 'should be able to accommodate that type of lip anyhow' (at the time I didn't know he created a hump I was concerned about the lip at the edges). Both of those responses sounded alarm bells to me. I thought to myself feathering with the same leveling compound - why didn't he just do that when laying it initially. 

In any event unless I am mistaken the compound was uneccesary and he created a problem when there was none in particular in the middle of the room. 

Is there a solution to this? 

  1. Does (a) the 4 mm hump and (b) the lack of a use of primer and (c) less of an issue the steep lip on the edge, mean that it should be just knocked out (with a hammer) and is it even possible to knock this stuff out with a hammer? In particular I'm thinking of the large section of levelling compound near the window and whether that could ever come out. 

  2. Or does he need to angle grind it so that it's level? Again is that even possible?

  3. Or does the whole room now need self leveling compound? (But that prob doesn't remedy the possible lack of primer with the current compound). 

  4. Do i stick with this guy and see will he work with me on it? 

  5. Or do I just cut my loss and another contractor remedies it and lays the laminate? It needs to be done this week so it will be difficult to get someone on such short notice. 

  6. Or am I making a mountain out a mole hill and he should just fire ahead with the job?

 

u/Careful-Training-761 — 25 days ago
▲ 8 r/Flooring

URGENT REQUEST RE LEVELLING COMPOUND

Contractor laid self leveling compound on the concrete subfloor as the baseboard was not flush with the floor in a section of the room in the corner.

When I came back into the room the contractor had laid lots of self-leveling compound including in the centre of the room where there was pipework previously laid. It seemed fairly flat before, but he did it when I wasn't in room.

There is now a very noticeable lip at the edges where the self levelling compound ends. My concern is that it will create a trampoline effect and could eventually snap the laminate at the joints.

Should there be a noticeable lip along all the edges after self leveling compound after it's laid? He said he'd come back to feather it with the same self levelling compound and that laminate should be able to accommodate that type of lip anyhow. Both of those responses send alarm bells to me.

Firstly why is he only feathering it after it's done with a second application of this SAME self levelling compound? Secondly from a response below it seems he should have used primer but I'm not aware that he used any, or at least he didn't ask me to supply any and I supplied the materials he asked only for self leveling compound.

My concern is that this guy was below average quote so I may well have messed up going with him, I suspect he's a painter and decorator and doesn't know how to lay leveling compound.

I am seriously thinking of seeing can I rectify it by trowling it at edges to try feather it, or just take it up before it sets. It's still setting and was laid only 45 mins ago. Whereas if it hardens I can't get it up.

Or am I over reacting? And if so what's the solution?

u/Careful-Training-761 — 25 days ago
▲ 9 r/Flooring

Views on self levelling compound prep work for laminate?

The contractor laid self leveling compound on the concrete subfloor as the baseboard was not flush with the floor in a section of the room in the corner.

When I came back into the room the contractor had laid lots of self-leveling compound including in the centre of the room where there was pipework previously laid. There is a very noticeable lip at the edges where the self levelling compound ends. My concern is that it will create a trampoline effect given the lip along the edges.

Should there be a noticeable lip along all the edges after self leveling compound is laid?

When I asked Gemini it said it's not the correct way to lay self levelling compound a spiked roller should have been used.

When I phoned him about it he said a spiked roller is used for deeper levelling compound, not the shallow depth that was laid in my living room. He said that laminate flooring can accommodate it and that in any event they'd feather the edges with more of the same self leveling compound when they come back.

I asked Gemini which said that feathering with more self leveling compound will crumble as it's not one continous set / cure of self levelling compound.

What are your views? It was laid only 45 minutes ago.

u/Careful-Training-761 — 25 days ago
▲ 0 r/DIYIreland

I'm installing laminate which should I go for?

The current laminate has water damage along the joints I do like the color of it tho.

I already bought 1 and it was only when I brought it back to the living room I didn't like it looks washed out. Looked better on the showroom wall.

Of these I like 3 the best but might be a tad dark for a room that hasn't great natural lighting. Room is North West facing although gets some light from the other side of the terraced house.

1 is the safer option but for me lacks the character of 3.

I'm now tied to buying from this store as I need to swap the laminate, and most of the other options are greyish in colour, 1 and 3 are the best out of a bad bunch.

u/Careful-Training-761 — 26 days ago
▲ 1 r/DesignMyRoom

Best color laminate for a small living room in townhouse

The current laminate has water damage along the joints I like the color of it tho. Of these I like 1 the best but they only have it in 8mm so not the most ideal prefer 12mm thickness. 2 looked better in show room lighting and pics but less keen on it when I see it in the room color seems a bit washed out to me. I like 3 but might be a tad dark for a room that hasn't great natural lighting.

u/Careful-Training-761 — 27 days ago
▲ 2 r/Flooring

Could taking off baseboard that's glued and nailed on to the drywall damage the drywall above the baseboard?

I need new laminate laid in two rooms. I'm not going with scotia beading instead I want the laminate under the baseboard so it needs to come off and when it's off I'll be replacing it as it could prob do with replacing.

Some of the walls in the two rooms have studded partitions with drywall (other walls are concrete with skimmed plaster so no risk there) and the baseboard is glued and nailed on. Is it possible to take the baseboard off without damaging the sheet rock ABOVE the baseboard? I'll be putting new base board down that will be slightly higher half an inch than the current baseboard. Or could it damage sheet rock above the baseboard? If it is risky, how risky is it?

I will be getting a trademsan to do it but there is a shortage in Ireland where I'm from and a lot of cowboys about given the shortage so I want to check if it's risky first and if it is how risky.

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u/Careful-Training-761 — 30 days ago
▲ 3 r/DIYIreland

Would taking off skirting glued and nailed on to the plasterboard damage the plasterboard?

I need new laminate down. I'm not going with scotia beading instead I want the laminate under the skirting so the skirting needs to come off and when it's off I will be replacing it as it could prob do with replacing.

Two of the rooms has studded partitions with plasterboard and the skirting is glued and nailed on. Is it possible to take the skirting off without damaging the plasterboard? Or is it a recipe for disaster?

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u/Careful-Training-761 — 30 days ago
▲ 1 r/JustEatUK

Question for couriers re scheduled slots v open runs

Do you know does it make any difference if you schedule in times on the app versus just clicking on an open run opportunity when it comes up, in terms of the algorithm prioritising you / the amount of delivery opportunities the app sends your way? I know one benefit is that you're guaranteed a time slot if you schedule it in, but I'm asking a different question about priority for the algorithm sending you work.

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u/Careful-Training-761 — 30 days ago
▲ 6 r/Life

Anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get along well with? How did it work out?

TLDR - my mother is extremely interested in / obsessed with social status and I have not achieved good status. It's draining interacting with her and I try to keep my distance. One potential option is to open up to her. Has anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get on well with? How did it work out?

Background

42M and single. I have a mother who on the surface is very kind. However behind it she is obsessed with social status and having children.

I became a lawyer however I am not good at it so tend to be nearly always stressed, it got so bad I started drinking heavily to cope ended up in rehab twice. After rehab I was encouraged to get back to my legal career by my family and I went back. It's not a once off was the same in previous roles. (I don't have the right attributes to be lawyer such as being able to influence people well, be well liked / connected in the legal field, etc).

I own a small old house in a poor area and I don't have children, versus the big house my four siblings have in good areas all with children. I am not respected within the family and it's always mentally draining to engage with them.

In October of last year I took a 2 year career break. I am in limbo. I apply to other jobs outside the legal career. But I have no experience and also I imagine the moment they see "on a career break" and see my career history as a lawyer they will automatically think this guy is not a serious option he's still employed with his job.

I have the financial backing to look for work for a long while - I rent out two bedrooms in my house which meets my mortgage payments, I have a fair bit of savings and I do some below minimum wage food courier work for the time being which keeps me from dipping into my savings. My aim would be to do a job that is lower pay and less stressful than a lawyer.

I haven't explained any of that to my mother or siblings I pretend to them I am still employed in my legal job. In the past year or so I have however distanced myself from them and set some boundaries, which has helped a lot, but the engagements with them are still very draining.

I think I have 2 options:

1 Cut off my family either for a period or for good (can't further reduce my engagements more without creating significant drama), or

  1. Open up to my mother. I haven't explained to her how I view our relationship. I think if I do she might potentially react positively initially but after not long go into damage limitation mode to try and try to get my siblings to apply significant pressure on me to go back to law. She may start obsessing over what the neighbors think and her status in the community. She has a very obsessive mind when it comes to status and it might be wishful thinking to try get her to change her ways in her 80s and support me in what I propose to do. Even I myself am not convinced the path I am choosing is absolutely the right decision I just know I was miserable living my life the previous way and trying something different.

Question

Anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get along well with? How did it work out?

reddit.com
u/Careful-Training-761 — 1 month ago
▲ 1 r/familydrama

Anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get along well with? How did it work out?

TLDR - my mother is extremely interested in / obsessed with social status and I have not achieved good status. It's draining interacting with her and I try to keep my distance. One potential option is to open up to her. Has anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get on well with? How did it work out?

Background

42M and single. I have a mother who on the surface is very kind. However behind it she is obsessed with social status and having children.

I became a lawyer however I am not good at it so tend to be nearly always stressed, it got so bad I started drinking heavily to cope ended up in rehab twice. After rehab I was encouraged to get back to my legal career by my family and I went back. It's not a once off was the same in previous roles. (I don't have the right attributes to be lawyer such as being able to influence people well, be well liked / connected in the legal field, etc).

I own a small old house in a poor area and I don't have children, versus the big house my four siblings have in good areas all with children. I am not respected within the family and it's always mentally draining to engage with them.

In October of last year I took a 2 year career break. I am in limbo. I apply to other jobs outside the legal career. But I have no experience and also I imagine the moment they see "on a career break" and see my career history as a lawyer they will automatically think this guy is not a serious option he's still employed with his job.

I have the financial backing to look for work for a long while - I rent out two bedrooms in my house which meets my mortgage payments, I have a fair bit of savings and I do some below minimum wage food courier work for the time being which keeps me from dipping into my savings. My aim would be to do a job that is lower pay and less stressful than a lawyer.

I haven't explained any of that to my mother or siblings I pretend to them I am still employed in my legal job. In the past year or so I have however distanced myself from them and set some boundaries, which has helped a lot, but the engagements with them are still very draining.

I think I have 2 options:

1 Cut off my family either for a period or for good (can't further reduce my engagements more without creating significant drama), or

  1. Open up to my mother. I haven't explained to her how I view our relationship. I think if I do she might potentially react positively initially but after not long go into damage limitation mode to try and try to get my siblings to apply significant pressure on me to go back to law. She may start obsessing over what the neighbors think and her status in the community. She has a very obsessive mind when it comes to status and it might be wishful thinking to try get her to change her ways in her 80s and support me in what I propose to do. Even I myself am not convinced the path I am choosing is absolutely the right decision I just know I was miserable living my life the previous way and trying something different.

Question

Anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get along well with? How did it work out?

reddit.com
u/Careful-Training-761 — 1 month ago
▲ 1 r/family

Anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get along well with? How did it work out?

TLDR - my mother is extremely interested in / obsessed with social status and I have not achieved good status. It's draining interacting with her and I try to keep my distance. One potential option is to open up to her. Has anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get on well with? How did it work out?

Background

42M and single. I have a mother who on the surface is very kind. However behind it she is obsessed with social status and having children.

I became a lawyer however I am not good at it so tend to be nearly always stressed, it got so bad I started drinking heavily to cope ended up in rehab twice. After rehab I was encouraged to get back to my legal career by my family and I went back. It's not a once off was the same in previous roles. (I don't have the right attributes to be lawyer such as being able to influence people well, be well liked / connected in the legal field, etc).

I own a small old house in a poor area and I don't have children, versus the big house my four siblings have in good areas all with children. I am not respected within the family and it's always mentally draining to engage with them.

In October of last year I took a 2 year career break. I am in limbo. I apply to other jobs outside the legal career. But I have no experience and also I imagine the moment they see "on a career break" and see my career history as a lawyer they will automatically think this guy is not a serious option he's still employed with his job.

I have the financial backing to look for work for a long while - I rent out two bedrooms in my house which meets my mortgage payments, I have a fair bit of savings and I do some below minimum wage food courier work for the time being which keeps me from dipping into my savings. My aim would be to do a job that is lower pay and less stressful than a lawyer.

I haven't explained any of that to my mother or siblings I pretend to them I am still employed in my legal job. In the past year or so I have however distanced myself from them and set some boundaries, which has helped a lot, but the engagements with them are still very draining.

I think I have 2 options:

1 Cut off my family either for a period or for good (can't further reduce my engagements more without creating significant drama), or

  1. Open up to my mother. I haven't explained to her how I view our relationship. I think if I do she might potentially react positively initially but after not long go into damage limitation mode to try and try to get my siblings to apply significant pressure on me to go back to law. She may start obsessing over what the neighbors think and her status in the community. She has a very obsessive mind when it comes to status and it might be wishful thinking to try get her to change her ways in her 80s and support me in what I propose to do. Even I myself am not convinced the path I am choosing is absolutely the right decision I just know I was miserable living my life the previous way and trying something different.

Question

Anyone ever opened up to a parent they do not align with or do not get along well with? How did it work out?

reddit.com
u/Careful-Training-761 — 1 month ago
▲ 2 r/Flooring

Engineered Wood v Laminate floor

Initially I was thinking of laying laminate to replace the current laminate in my living room. However when I was quoted the labour cost of taking up the laminate, skirting board (or base board in US), and fitting new underlay, laminate, and skirting board it got me second guessing the laminate and is pushing engineered wood into the picture as it can be re-sanded in the future without needing to take it all up like I am now doing with the laminate and skirting. However if I go with engineered it should be glued down and my living room floor will def need levelling work as it's an old house which will add more cost. Engineered wood floor generally costs three times the cost of laminate per sq metre but that can vary more or less.

If you considered the two when you laid your flooring, did you get laminate or engineered and why did you pick what you picked? I'm not so keen on tiles or luxury vinyl tiles for a living room so they're out of the picture.

reddit.com
u/Careful-Training-761 — 1 month ago
▲ 7 r/DIYIreland

Engineered Wood v Laminate floor

Initially I was thinking of laying laminate to replace the current laminate in my living room. However when I was quoted the labour cost of taking up the laminate, skirting board, and fitting new underlay, laminate, and skirting it got me second guessing the laminate and is pushing engineered wood into the picture as it can be re-sanded in the future without needing to take it all up like I am now doing with the laminate and skirting. However if I go with engineered it should be glued down and my living room floor will def need levelling work as it's an old house which will add more cost. Engineered wood floor generally costs three times the cost of laminate per sq metre but that can vary more or less.

If you considered the two when you laid your flooring, did you get laminate or engineered and why did you pick what you picked? I'm not so keen on tiles or luxury vinyl tiles for a living room so they're out of the picture.

reddit.com
u/Careful-Training-761 — 1 month ago