u/jyl8

Hi everyone, I’m going to be tiling the walls of my bathroom and kitchen, and want to know if today’s “best practice” is to put Kerdi or other membrane over the greenboard for walls in these rooms?

The bathroom is just a W.C., no shower or bath - it is the restroom for a small cafe. I’m required to have a floor drain, so I’m planning to use Ditra and Kerdi to waterproof the floor and the lower 6” of the walls before tiling (on the theory that when staff see a floor drain, they’ll assume the floor is waterproof, so it better be).

But I was not going to extend the Kerdi any higher on the bathroom’s tiled walls - unless you all say I should?

The kitchen is a small commercial kitchen for that same cafe. Similar plans for the floor (Ditra then tile on subfloor, Kerdi for bottom 6” of walls). There are multiple floor drains and if staff get very enthusiastic about cleaning and dump buckets of water on the floor, I want the floor to watertight.

Again, I was not going to extend the Kerdi higher than 6” up the walls - unless I should?

Some of the kitchen walls will be tiled, in the cooking and dishwashing areas the wall covering will be stainless steel sheet.

Thanks for your advice!

https://a.co/d/0eY3OeIl

Has anyone used a glue on toe protector like the ones above?

How well does it work and how hard to install?

Hi! New to PNW boots. But I like boots and live in the PNW, a couple hours drive from the makers’ locations, so I guess I should learn about them!

What 8-10”PNW boot is the most waterproof? And how waterproof is that going to be? Are we talking working in the rain, working in the rain on a puddly jobsite, working in the rain in a muddy flooded trench, etc?

Similarly, what 8-10” PNW is the warmest? How warm is that? 40F and rain, 30F and freezing rain, 20F and tramping through snow for hours, etc?

Would be coming from Goretex and Thinsulate lined Danner work and hunting boots.

What is this good for exactly? Who uses the 36v backpack vacuum? Or any backpack vacuum?

The only thing I can think of is drywall sanding.

I have always thought the tool brand jobsite radios were silly. Get a JBL or other bluetooth speaker and stream music. Sounds good, battery lasts, you probably already have it, no commercials.

A BMR100W Makita LXT radio is $50 on Marketplace. It is white and an older model, but I imagine it will do the same thing as the current teal XMR06B at HD for $214. Yes, we always want brushless, AVT, XGT, but c’mon it’s just a bluetooth radio.

Talk me into or out of “investing” (wasting) my money on this.

It won’t make up for missing the Makita coffee maker, heated blanket, and bedroom slippers, but maybe it will help.

Is there anything about a Japan market tool that is an issue using it in the US?

Some JIS thing that makes US bits not fit, or some difference in arbor size, or whatever?

What trap lies for the unwary Makita novice?

I have to convert an exterior wall shesthed with Densglas (fiberglass wallboard) and want a smooth surface for a future mural.

Densglass literature says to wrap the wall in metal mesh before plaster or stucco, so I’ll do that.

I was then going to do a base coat of Structolite and a veneer coat of USG Imperial Veneer. Will this hold up to the elements? Portland Oregon so lot of rain.

If not, what materials would you use instead?

Thanks!

I have two boots I want to condition, and would appreciate some advice.

The first is my 40+ year old Danner "Hood Winter Light" hunting boots. These boots are very used, some would say "used up", and the leather is quite cracked and worn in spots. They have been conditioned with typical hiking/hunting boot products over the decades, most often Sno-Seal. I have scrubbed them with saddle soap, trying to remove all the old conditioner and get down to the raw leather, and dug decades of built-up wax and silicone out of the eyelets and seams. The boots are drying now; I think I've also removed some of the original dye finish too as the leather is dry, lighter-colored, and rough in the most worn spots with only a few areas of the cuff still deep brown with any shine.

I'm thinking I should first restore the deep brown color (how?), then thoroughly condition with something that penetrates rather than seals (what?), then apply polish (but should I apply a waterproofing wax first?). What do you recommend I do?

The goal is to give these boots another few years of life, before they get finally retired and replaced with the new, unworn pair of Hood Winter Light I bought as a backup.

The second is my new pair of Danner "Quarry Alloy Toe" work boots. Only a few days of wear, I am still breaking them in. I don't know if they need conditioning, but want to have a plan and know when to do it and what to do. What do you recommend?

The goal is to help these boots last as long as possible in work boot duty.

I'm not trying to make either of these into shiny dress boots, but wouldn't mind them looking good too.

A Dyson stick vacuum is $400 and up, a Miele stick vac is $600+, while a reconditioned Makita stick vac is about $100 . . . Is the Makita stick vac as effective as those others, or is it just a glorified Dustbuster?

For general household use.

I’ve been looking for a thickness planer. Used.

Came across a Makita “2040” planer.

Tell me about this machine. Is it better than the Dewalt 745 that seems to be the best affordable thickness planer?

I’m looking to get a long skimming blade whatchamacallit for plastering. I’m in the US. So far I am only finding drywall skimming tools. Will these work okay? Or should I find a plastering-specific tool and what brand/model and source should I be looking at? Thanks!

I’m exploring alternatives to traditional tool belts, so picked up a used TA-WB to try out.

Put it on, and was instantly as rigid as the Tin Man. You can’t bend over with the TA-WB on. At all, if it is worn snugly.

It isn’t just tools digging into your gut, the apron itself is a stiff thing located right where your body has to fold.

Of course, if worn very loosely, the apron lets you bend over just fine - because it is soon sitting around your ankles.

Maybe the full apron TA-XL allows more mobility, if you wear it loosely around the waist and let all the weight hang from your neck and shoulders. I don’t know.

However, I think the TA-WB might still be useful, to people who have to bend over, crouch, kneel, etc, if worn to the rear like a sort of open pocket fanny pack with hammer loops. You’ll be locating everything by feel and memory, though.

Anyone wear the TA-WB in front as it is intended to be worn, and have found a way to get low and down with the thing on?

I’m curious if you normally wear your Veto bag while you’re working, either on a toolbelt or slung over your shoulder with a strap?

Or do you normally carry the Veto bag to where you’ll work then set it down on the ground?

The smaller bags like TP3 and TP4 seem designed for either.

I’m exploring alternatives to traditional carpenters’ toolbelts.

Ok, Team Red boys and girls, I’ve decided to get my first M12 tools, and am looking for advice/help.

I want to get a 1/4”impact driver or 3/8”impact wrench in pistol form factor, a 3/8” angle wrench, and two M12 batteries + charger.

This is for working on my cars. Not for high torque fasteners/lug nuts, but for the smaller 20-40 lb/ft fasteners, largely acting as nut runners. I’m happy to do the stubborn breaking manually and the final torquing with a torque wrench. Priority is short, compact tools that fit in a cramped engine bay. Probably favor the smaller M12 batteries for that reason.

Can you all point me to a kit or deal with the approriate tools you’d recommend?

(To be honest, the profusion of M12 choices and here-now-gone-tomorrow Milwaukee promotions at Home Depot confuses me - but I know some of you track this stuff closely! I’m more used to the Makita buying process, which you may know is quite different. Preference to buying at HD so I can use my Pro account.)

Any tips or tricks for lacing your boots?

Anyone use speed laces, zipper inserts, or anything other than the stock laces?

Starting to look for a pex expander. For DIY use.

The M12 kits are all over the place for $400 ish used but looking new, and not much more actually new at Home Depot. I guess people buy these, use them for one project, then put them on Marketplace. From videos, they seem pretty good? Only obvious disadvantage is they only go to 1”, but for residential you seldom (never?) see larger.

The M18 kits are way more expensive, like $1000 to $2000 depending on the heads included, for the one that will expand up to 2” pex. I did find a used (well-used by its appearance) M18 kit with three heads, one battery, no charger for $350 which seems cheap but maybe its been “all used up”, I don’t know how robust these are.

The DeWalt 20v tool is a little bigger than the M12 but goes to 1.5”. I’ve read it is more powerful but not seeing that clearly in videos for 1”. Doesn’t show up used much; new is about $460 in kit with three heads.

I’ll be adding some bathrooms and other water lines, potentially repiping a small house, in the coming year or two. So call it medium DIY. Looking to buy a tool to keep long-term, not to use and dispose. I don’t have any M12 or DeWalt, so far all Makita with a little Bosch with a single M18 tool for a specialized purpose. I don’t mind getting different battery systems for specialized tools, they don’t need to share batteries with my more frequently used tools.

What would you get?

Ugh, I’m spending over $300 for an impact driver . . .

Hello everyone, I’m visiting from r/makita land. Almost all of my power tools are Makita with some Bosch. I’ve never had a Metabo, although the coming new nailers look awesome - is the framer really only 8 lb?!

I’ve recently gotten serious about hearing protection, after seeing my dad lose his, and while I now have super effective muffs (Decibel Defense, best I’ve ever used) I notice that I sometimes forget to wear them. So that got me interested in oil impact drivers and my sense is the best (quietest) one is the Hikoki.

So I started trying to figure out how to get the WHP18DA here in the US of A. eBay prices are over $300, Amazon.jp has the WHP18DA for under $200 (weak yen helps) but in addition to shipping and FX fee, Amazon is now charging $107 as an “import fee” which seems exorbitant - the (stupid) US tariff on Japanese goods is not 50%. I waffled and dithered, then thought of how isolating it is to lose one’s hearing, and clicked.

So, I’m spending $324 for an impact driver. Without knowing if it is really any better than the Makita XST01Z which is available in the US, though expensive at $280.

Oh well, I figure if I hold on to all the original packaging and keep the tool pristine, I should be able to get at least $200 for it in the US, so if I don’t like it, I’ll only be out $124 ish. Plus the $112 I spent for a Metabo HPT drill-and-driver kit, just to get the (two 2 Ah) batteries and charger.

I have no point, just rambling, and excited to get my first Metabo/Hikoki tool.