Can I regrout my tile shower stall myself (I’m NOT very handy around the house) or should I hire somebody? If I can do it myself, how do I do it?
[QUOTE=scotandrsn]
Thanks for the response! It’s a true plaster wall (the house is 50 years old), I wouldn’t call it wavy, and the board is, judging by your description, colonial, but not too ornately so.
The issue wasn’t so much the nails not holding into the wall, but the board slipping over the heads. Is a #6 and a 6d finishing nail the same thing?
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refers to the shank size (diameter) of the screw, as in drywall/wood/machine screws. The d designation is for ‘penny’ of nails, and refers to both shank diameter and length. Like Klaatu, I use a pneumatic finishing or brad gun for trim work, but in difficult situations, square drive drywall finishing screws can be the ticket. The heads are slightly larger than finishing nails, but should still preclude pull through. Square drive is better than #1 phillips which cam out easily. Drive slowly, until the head is just below the surface of the trim board-then apply something like MAB Minit-Patch-sand and spot finish.
[QUOTE=SnakesCatLady]
Is there anything that can be done about tile walls in a bathroom, other than taking a sledgehammer in there? My bath has pink tile about halfway up the wall. I hate pink. I really can’t afford to rip out all the tile right now, so if there is something I could put on it to make it not pink I would be thrilled.
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If the tiles are well bonded, you can install a new ABS/fiberglass/solid surfacing shower enclosure over it. The problem is that tile can look good even though the substrate behind has deteriorated. I urge customers to do it right-do the demo, but up CBB and then be worry-free.
[QUOTE=Caridwen]
Do I have a question for you!!
I have about a 5 inch crack in my fiberglass bathtub. I do know that I need a new bathtub but was wondering if there’s anything I can do until then.
Once before in an old house I bought one of those fiberglass repair kits used for cars/boats that seemed to work pretty well so I though I might try that.
With this tub when I press down, the area where it’s cracked gives a little bit.
I didn’t know if there was damage to whatever was underneath. I tried to look where the faucets are (don’t know what you call it, there’s a piece of wood I can remove in the closet and see the back of the faucets) to see if I could slide a piece of wood in but can’t get to it.
This is what I was thinking-will this work?
If I drill some holes around the crack and use that insulation foamy stuff and spray it in there, then use some kind of patch kit. Would that work?
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Fiberglass and other acrylic tubs need good solid support. If the subfloor beneath has deteriorated, everything you’re suggesting is a band-aid on larger wound. That piece of wood is called an ‘access panel’.
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.]
How do you get rid of a ‘popcorn’ ceiling? How do you refinish it afterwards?
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How old is the dwelling, has the ceiling has been painted after texture application? Popcorn may contain asbestos, and removal thereof would entail appropriate EPA regulatory observance, including hazardous waste disposal.
Johnny, an unpainted popcorn ceiling (off white looking) is very easy to remove. But very messy.
Spray it down, the entire ceiling, with water from a pump up garden sprayer. Wet it down good. Hopefully you have everything tarped off. Let the water soak in for a few minutes. Then, spray about a 8’x8’ portion again and scrape it off with a broad blade drywall knife.
Be careful not to gouge into the wall board, as the wetting down will make it soft. Keep on repeating in similar sized working areas til it’s all done. Then, let it dry for about a day. Use either the A/C or heater to help, whatever season it is for either one.
When dry, you can then sand out what’s left over and do whatever little repair needs to be done with a skim coat of mud. After that is dry and sanded, you either texture and paint, or just paint. Any method of texturing is a viable choice, depending on personal taste. And a flat paint is usually a better choice for any ceiling than a sheen (like eggshell or semigloss).
If it’s been painted, it’s all a lot harder.
A lot harder.
And as DWC pointed out, you probably don’t want to be involved as a DIY if it’s asbestos. Lots of regs to deal with. Hire it out.
Sounds as if I should just let the handyman do it. 
Anyway, the room is empty and I want to get rid of the ancient carpet. (And yes, the overhead has been painted.)
[QUOTE=gigi]
Is it the same as stucco?
[I thought you were a boy!]
[/QUOTE]
Not… exactly the same. At least the way we use “estuco” in Spanish, but heck, pretty much every Spanish word that’s ended up in English means a different thing!
Among other things, stucco is outdoors. The material used for gotelé wouldn’t survive outdoors. Maybe I should just leave the windows open and hope for a big storm!
OK, so… in the rooms that don’t have much paint, it may be worth it to sand, and in the ones with the plastic overcoat (sigh), just use sponge techniques to hide the thing… thanks, Klaatu
(No, I’m a girl - but I realized many, many years ago that my kind of mind, tastes and attitude would be much more acceptable “if it was a boy” - sue me. No, don’t, I have to pay the mortgage!)
[QUOTE=danceswithcats]
refers to the shank size (diameter) of the screw, as in drywall/wood/machine screws. The d designation is for ‘penny’ of nails, and refers to both shank diameter and length. Like Klaatu, I use a pneumatic finishing or brad gun for trim work, but in difficult situations, square drive drywall finishing screws can be the ticket. The heads are slightly larger than finishing nails, but should still preclude pull through. Square drive is better than #1 phillips which cam out easily. Drive slowly, until the head is just below the surface of the trim board-then apply something like MAB Minit-Patch-sand and spot finish.
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Thanks for the tip.
I have to put in a plug for my favourite tv DIY show - Holmes on Homes. He re-does the botched abortions that other, inferior (sometimes criminal) “renovators” have perpetrated on unsuspecting homeowners. He gets all mad and sweary, and at least once, every show, he says, “It’s all going to have to come out,” and then proceeds to tear out the whole previous renovation and re-do it. It looks like you can see him in the U.S. on Discovery Home channel. He also seems to be involved in trying to get legislation and education to prevent shady renovators from ruining people lives. He seems like a very cool guy.
[QUOTE=NoClueBoy]
If it’s been painted, it’s all a lot harder.
A lot harder.
And as DWC pointed out, you probably don’t want to be involved as a DIY if it’s asbestos. Lots of regs to deal with. Hire it out.
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**Thirded. **
Even if it’s asbestos-free and has never been painted, scraping off popcorn is *miserable * work. Damp glop is raining down on you and you’re stretching and bending yourself in funny ways that your back will hate you for the next day. You’ll feel like you should have invited Mike Rowe (host of TV’s Dirty Jobs) over, and feel like you need five hours with a chiropractor to un-kink your neck.
FWIW, a sort of sparkly or shimmery glint is almost an assurance that you’ve got asbestos on the ceiling. Or some whacko put glitter into the popcorn, but it’s usually pretty easy to look at it up close and tell if it’s tiny squares of foil.
Hire someone and let them get messy. Retire to the veranda for mint juleps. They’ll also be done faster than you’d ever hope to do on your own.
1- My new house has the most annoying ceiling tiles… they appear to either be fiber of some sort, or styrofoam. They feel like styrofoam, but when I trimmed a hole to install a ceiling fan, it cuts like a fibrous material. It’s 1x1 squares that seem to sort of dovetail together (sort of. Not flared. Just slots and a raised line down the side). Any idea what I’m talking about, and if it’ll take paint?
2- Is it possible to paint a toilet/sing/bathtub? Our fixtures in the main bath are blue. Annoying blue. Kinda the windows default blue. The rest of the bathroom, including carpet and cupboards, is pink. We’re going to redo the paint and such, but we were thinking of how to get the look of new fixtures without having to spend the money/time on putting in a new tub and such.
Thank you for all your hard work!!
[QUOTE=Tristan]
1- My new house has the most annoying ceiling tiles… they appear to either be fiber of some sort, or styrofoam. They feel like styrofoam, but when I trimmed a hole to install a ceiling fan, it cuts like a fibrous material. It’s 1x1 squares that seem to sort of dovetail together (sort of. Not flared. Just slots and a raised line down the side). Any idea what I’m talking about, and if it’ll take paint?
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They’re tongue and groove mineral fiber acoustic tiles. Armstrong and a few other companies still make them. I’ve painted them-if they’ve never been painted since the factory finish, and particularly if they have any stains, a coat of stain sealer like Kilz or Zinsser’s Bin 1-2-3 gives a good base to which you can apply your topcoat.
When remodeling bathrooms where the tub is in sound condition but has a dated color, I’ve subbed out to tub recoaters who chemically clean and prep the tub surface before applying a new color coat. They were able to match major manufacturer’s colors, so if I’m installing a new toilet and ped lav, the tub looks identical. Never saw them do a toilet, though-and replacing the sink could be cheaper than recoating it. Check the yellow pages under tub refinishing, get references of jobs they did a few years ago and call those clients. Everything looks great when it’s new-see if they’re still pleased with the appearance after a few years.
Hey, I think that one was my ten thousandth post. Cool. 
Now I’m binary, baby.
Dammit - I was binary. Now I’m just analog again. 