u/me-2b

The Last Guy used semi-gloss on a couple large bedroom ceilings. Is there a way to avoid toothing this with sandpaper before repainting flat? Magic super primer of some kind? Which? TSP? Is TSP adequate and can you still buy it?

The underlying ceiling is old plaster on lath. In addition to being lazy, I'd rather not stress it sanding. The paint is old and tired but intact.

I tend to use Muresco ceiling paint out of habit, but can use something else. I don't like it as much as I used to anyway. Too thick, but I do have some on hand to use up.

EDIT: Old paint is oil. New will be latex.

Are there any historical records describing how Wiitches Crook chimneys were made? I'm wondering if they needed a wooden frame to support it while being built. The attic photos I've seen have a batten across the roof trusses that touches the chimney and I'm guessing that batten supports the lean of the chimney. So, did they need a frame while building until they got up to the trusses?

There is a cement laundry tub in the old house we just bought. As part of the preservation, I'd like to keep the tub and because it is so solid and heavy. But, the drain is rusted out as are the feet. I can build a new stand, but can the drain be repaired / replaced? I'm talking about the rusted mess underneath. I'm guessing that is a lead pipe going to a trap below the floor. We're about to redo the floor in that area and the drain line will be replaced so that the trap will be above the floor. There's no vent anywhere near.

Can this be replumbed, or smash it to pieces, dispose, and go buy a plastic junky one?

Old Cement Tub

Twi basins, each with a drain

Drain inlet, one side, from above

Rusted mess underneath

Rusted drain underneath and rusted legs

I hired a company to reroof (asphalt shingles) and hang gutters. Because of decorative facia with a sprung molding, they need to use straps. They are telling me that if they place the straps under the roofing, that over 5 years of thermal expansion / contraction, the nails will work free, the the straps will become loose, and the shingles will be damaged. This is an area with hard winters and a lot of ice dam challenges. They want to use a screw fastener with grommet on top of the shingles because the grommet will take up the expansion / contraction.

What's reality here? I think it will look awful and I don't like penetrations through the new shingles.

This is the nameplate from an old (1991) gas fired furnace. It lists an input BTU/h or 175,000 and alternate input BTU/hr of 140,000. Can someone explain what the alternate number is and how to determine which of the two values corresponds to the actual installation?

Also, does anyone know how to estimate the original efficiency of this old beast? Not current, but when new.

https://preview.redd.it/63vpor0xwszg1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ffd369b71eb40940ee6fbeeeab61c54080e1ee4

In a house that we just purchased, I am finding 5.6 pCi/L (6.7 peak) in the basement and 1.8 pCi/L (2.4 peak) on the first floor (2.5 story house). This is only 4 days of data with a pair of AirThings Corentium 2 monitors. I hope to use the basement as a workshop, so even though the main living areas are looking good so far, the basement is a concern.

This is an old house (roughly 1900).

The basement floor is heaved from water issues and we plan to install an interior tile drain. I could live with the floor as it is, but am considering putting in a new slab with vapor barrier when we do the interior tile drain. My questions are:

• Is it reasonable to hope (expect?) that a vapor barrier plus new slab would reduce the basement levels even without an active system?
• The block foundation has multiple imperfections (cracks). If there is a benefit from replacing the slab, do the cracks between the block keep us from getting that benefit? Just how perfectly must we chase down all the cracks and seal them?
• If we need to install an active mitigation system, would we be forced the replace the slab anyway for there to be any hope of it working reasonably efficiently?
• When we do the tile drain, do we need to ask for anything special in order for that to be a head start on later installing a radon system? The person I spoke with seems like a good contractor, but he does not have radon experience. I'm not going to rely on him if I really need radon mitigation, but want to ask for the right things when doing the drain.

My thinking is that, if there is a chance that just doing the slab might bring the 5.6 pCi/L down to the 2-ish range and if replacing the slab will be mandatory anyway if we don't get to 2 pCi/L, I might as well do the slab.