Every year, a few hundred waterbeds, large aquariums, and overgrown rock collections fall through upper story floors because people fall prey to a common misconception: They believe hard floors are synonymous with strong floors. The truth is, the two are not very well correlated. Strength and hardness are mutually exclusive materials concepts in general.  This is especially important in flooring.

Most local building codes require floors in residences be designed to support an average of 40 lbs. / sq. ft. Regardless of whether a floor is constructed of a hard or flexible material, it is likely designed to the minimum specification that meets code.

Concrete Floors

To illustrate the point on hardness vs. strength, consider a 1” thick slab of concrete. It is very, very hard. In fact, it’s just as hard as an 8” thick slab. But the 1″ slab isn’t nearly as strong. In fact, it’s less than 5% as strong as it’s 8” counterpart. 

So, when you’re standing on a concrete floor in, say, an apartment, you don’t have any assurance that the floor is stronger than a similarly built wood floor in another apartment. The concrete floor will certainly be harder, and therefore feel stronger. Unfortunately, it isn’t stronger.

Steel I-Beams

The same principle holds true for steel I-Beams. A 4” I-beam is far less strong then an 8” I-beam. Of course, both are equally hard, and a floor sitting on top of them will feel the same underfoot.

Wood Joist & Plywood/OSB Floors

Perhaps the most deceiving of all floors are plywood/OSB over wood joist floors. When weight is first placed on a wood joist structure, the structure bends (e.g. if flexes, or feels a little weaker). As additional weight is put on the structure, the floor actually bends less as it reaches the maximum stress point. Wood floors that are near failure hardly flex at all (as a result, they feel harder).

What do you think? Did this surprise you? Have you ever seen a floor that failed due to being overweight?

Photo by Paul Schultz

A few week’s ago I wrote a before and after post on using Rustoleum High Heat spray paint to refinish our fireplace ventilator.  The results were great and I decided it was definitely worth singing the praises of Rustoleum in a separate post.

After three weeks of fires (about 8 total so far), the ventilator is still looking like the day it was sprayed.  We even broke the rules a bit and used the paint on the area of the ventilator that is exposed to flame. Rustoleum says not to, and yes, we did it at our own risk.  Even on the parts of the ventilator exposed to flame, the finish still looks great.

Rustoleum recommends their High Heat product for an array of applications, including grills and wood stoves.  They do caution that the paint shouldn’t be used in areas that come in contact with food (like grill grates), or in direct contact with flames as I mentioned above.  Application is fast: it took us only 10 minutes to refinish the ventilator.

If you’re looking to get the product online, Amazon sells the entire range of Rustoleum High Heat products.  The first in the list is the BBQ Black Spray Paint that we used and were very happy with.

I looked around to see if other’s have had similar experiences with Rustoleum.  House In Progress also had a great experience with Rustoleum paints, noting that Rustoleum’s website is very helpful for finding the right paint to solve a problem.

What do you think?  Have you had a good experience with Rustoleum or another spray paint?  Have you done any high heat restorations?

I love integrating audio and video technology into my home, from little gadgets like iPODs to big purchases like a big-screen TV and home theatre components.  But in all of these systems, the quality of audio and video is only as good as the weakest link.  If you don’t make the right wiring selections, it’s easy to pick out a home theater system that looks and sounds great at the store and then disappoints when you set it up at home.  

You would think that selecting cables would be obvious: just look on the back of the TV and other components and find connectors that match, right?  Unfortunately, since audio/video manufacturers maintain backward compatibility with older devices, selecting the wrong cabling could make your state-of-the-art setup look and sound like something from the late 1990s.

So, what wiring should you choose to get the most out of your system.  Here’s some help.

High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

For HDTV, HDMI is the best choice.  HDMI transmits uncompressed digital audio and video in one cable. It’s good for video resolutions up to 1080p (Blu-Ray and HD-DVD produce this today) and the full range of audio codecs (Dolby Digital, DTS, etc.).  Even though HDMI cables are expensive, they can be worth the additional cost, especially in high-end systems and systems where you are transmitting the audio and video to the same device.  (The latter is a benefit because you only have to buy one cable). 

Component Video Cables

For HDTV, Component cables are the next best choice. They transmit luminance (Y), and two color signals (Pb, Pr) each on a separate wire.  Component cables are good for delivering resolutions up to 1080i, but you must have separate cabling for audio (usually either optical or coaxial).  While they won’t produce a perfect reproduction like their HDMI counterpart, on most DVD-television combinations you won’t be able to see the difference.  Beware,  RCA-style audio and video wires will fit into the component video jacks, but these wires lack the bandwidth to carry the video signal and will lead to degraded picture quality (or in worst cases, no picture).

Separate Video (S-video)

For non-HDTV, S-video offers the best alternative.  S-video transmits the brightness channel separate from the color data. It is noticeably better than composite signals and a good choice for an old VCR.  S-video is also strictly a video source, so you’ll need separate cables for audio (in most cases, this will be RCA cables).

Fiber Optic Audio

Optical audio cables are a must have for the true audiophile. These cables transmit data using light, meaning the signal won’t degrade over short distances. The only downside is that these cables break easily when bent, and they don’t transmit video.

Coaxial (Coax) Audio

Coax audio is a shielded copper wire used to transmit digital audio signals. Coax carries the same data as optical cables but  sacrifices some audio quality in the reproduction. If you’re like me, you probably can’t hear the difference, and Coax cables are generally cheaper than fiber.  Just like with optical cable, you’ll need a separate video cable to transmit audio.

RCA Composite Audio and Video

Finally, if you haven’t upgraded your TV or VCR in the last 8 years, you’ll probably be limited to RCA cables.  These mainstays of the audio/video world have been with us since long before I was born, and have only recently gone out of style.  These cables carry an individual analog signal and should only be used where newer options are unavailable.

Compatibility and Cable Length

Before purchasing any cables, be sure your equipment has the right inputs and outputs.  Extra coiled wire can also degrade a signal, so be sure to select the shortest length that reaches between the components comfortably.

What do you think? What cables do you use? Any major benefits / downsides I left out?

A few weeks ago I wrote about the toilet heck we seemed to be stuck in. We had four serious toilet problems (clogs or leaks) in less than a month. I hate toilet problems. Every one of them required us to pull one of the toilets and reseat it (requiring a new wax ring). The fourth problem was actually caused by a poor wax ring replacement on the third — leading to this post.  Here’s the details:

After I fixed the third problem and reseated the upstairs toilet (see the toilet heck post for details), I decided to go cheap on the wax ring. Home Depot offers Bol Wax as the low-cost ($1.39) alternative to No-Seep. I thought, “one wax ring is as good as another.” I guess I was wrong. The pictures speak for themselves.

This is the toilet I pulled with the Bol Wax ring on the bottom:

You can see that the Bol Wax ring didn’t make a tight seal all the way around the pipe. (Look to the left of the center hole). In this case I think the ring was just too thin and lacked the requisite structural integrity. Water was basically flowing out of the bottom back of the gasket and down into the kitchen!

This is the toilet after I applied the No-Seep ring:

Notice that the No-Seep ring has an integrated black gasket that fits into the drain pipe. This proved essential to making a good seal. Also, this particular No-Seep (a #10) was a little thicker than its Bol Wax counterpart.

Bottom line: since we made the switch we haven’t had any problems.

Now, I don’t think that Bol Wax is a terrible product. In fact, it’s currently in use on my downstairs toilet without any problems. I think it’s more an issue of the range of applications Bol Wax will work for vs. the range No-Seep will work for. The downstairs floor is perfectly uniform and has a small gap between the toilet and the plumbing. The upstairs floor is slightly unlevel with a slightly larger gap. I think the No-Seep just handled the height / level differences better.

The downside is that No-Seep is $3.99, or about 3x as much as Bol Wax. But for me, $2.60 is a small price for added peace of mind.

What do you think? Do you have a wax ring preference?

Just about every room has something anchored to drywall. But you don’t always have the luxury of a stud where you need it. So you (and I) turn to drywall anchors. They are packaged with everything from picture frames to towel bars. But some are better than others.

Expansion Drywall Anchors

Expansion anchors are the most common. A typical installation goes something like this. First, you drill a hole and press the anchor inside. Then screw into the anchor. Seems simple enough. Be sure to drill the right size hole for you anchor. Don’t force them as they will break (just like my picture). Expansion anchors can’t hold much weight. Only use them for hanging light objects. One good way to remove them is put in a screw part way. Pull on the screw to remove.

Threaded Drywall Anchor

Threaded anchors are available in nylon and metal. Metal anchors won’t break as easily but nylons have never failed me. They are self starting so you won’t have to bother pre-drilling. Simply screw them into your drywall till flush. Threaded anchors can also hold more weight, approximately 15 - 20 pounds. These anchors have a larger “face” so be sure the item your hanging will hide it.

These aren’t the only wall anchors available but should be enough to tackle most hanging projects. Be sure the anchor can hold the weight and the weight is directed downward (not leaning outward).

What do you think? What anchors do you use?

Many folks don’t know that receptacle (aka outlet) and switch plate covers come in three standard sizes. Home Depot, Lowes, and other improvement stores usually offer all three. They are: standard, mid-size (or mid-way), and jumbo.

Most decorative plates will either be standard size, or somewhere between standard and mid-size, while nylon (plastic) plates will generally be available in all sizes.

Which wall plate size is right for you depends on two things:

(1) Most important: how big of a hole you’re trying to cover. Good drywallers won’t leave much gap between the outer edge of electrical boxes and the surrounding wall board. If you’re lucky, the drywall surrounding the box will not only be cut close, it will be undamaged. If this is the case, a standard plate will work just fine. If you’re the victim of a less-than-optimal drywall job, you’ll have to use the mid-grade or jumbo variety. (If the job is really terrible, and a jumbo plate won’t do the job, you’ll need to do a drywall repair).

(2) Personal taste. Some folks, including me, actually like the look of bigger receptacle plates. If you’ve the luxury of choosing which size plates to install, pick the one you like best. I personally like the look of mid-grade white nylon plates with matching white receptacles, especially against darker paint colors (as found in my dining room). I find the standard plates just look too small, and jumbo plates look juvenile, for whatever reason.

Sassy switches offers a dimensional table at the bottom of their site which can save you that trip to the local big box to buy test plates for your job. Of course, there’s no substitute for seeing what you’ll end up with. Sassy also offers a variety of designer switch plates for those of you who need your switch plate covers to make a statement.

What do you think? Do you have a plate size preference? Is it just me, or do the jumbo plates look silly?

Jocie and I (mostly Jocie) decided to give some old furniture a new look. We used Valspar Interior High Hiding Primer and here are the results.

The Challenge
We have two pieces of hunter green furniture. One dresser and one end table, typical size. Both will be painted white after it’s all over. We wanted to test out a one-coat-primer and chose Valspar.
Valspar High Hiding Primer claims that it will cover
dramatic paint colors and dry fast (straight from
the website).

The Methods

We started with a quick sanding to remove any hidden finishing layers. This also helps prepare the wood for a new coat of paint. Make sure to clean up all surfaces if you sand before painting. We applied the primer with a paint brush and small roller combination.

The Results
One coat primer didn’t hold up to its name. The primer quickly soaked into the wood and dried. But a light green tinge and wood grain could be seen throughout (middle picture). It took another full application before Jocie and I were confident that no green would bleed

through (last picture). I doubt we will purchase Valspar primer again.

What do you think? Do you know a tried and true one coat primer? Have you used any competitors’ versions (Behr, Duron, Sherwin Williams, Ralph Lauren, etc.)?

Post update: Click here to see how Valspar responded (4/3/2008).

Decorative accents can really help make a house a home. A few that always catch my eye are crown molding and wainscoting. They are subtle additions that enhance almost any room.

Crown Molding

Crown Molding is installed to hide the corner where walls and ceiling meet. It can really dress up a room. Molding comes in a variety of materials like plaster, wood, PVC and many more each with pros and cons. Be careful to select a size and pattern appropriate for your room, otherwise, it might make a room feel

much smaller. Molding templates are a must have for the first time do-it-yourselfer.

Wainscot (wān-skət)

Wainscoting is wood panelling lining the lower portion of a wall. It will make a bold statement and can make a room feel larger. Framed beadboard and raised panels are the best applications. The panels are fixed using nails and adhesive. Beadboard also has a tongue and groove for a snug fit. Wainscoting not only looks great but helps protect your walls. Here is a helpful guide from This Old House for installation.

What do you think? What home accents do you prefer? Ever use a pre-fabbed install kit?

I saw a relatively neat product on another blog last week that provides a good alternative to the traditional rubber plugs put in receptacles to prevent children from gaining access to them. It’s a Child Safe Receptacle Cover. I like it because it doesn’t visually detract from the space. And, it automatically closes after use (so you don’t fumble putting the little rubber plug back in; or, if you’re like me, so you don’t lose the plug forever the first time you pull it out :-)These are most valuable in locations where you need to frequently use the plug and your 1-year old is likely to explore. I haven’t seen these at Home Depot or Lowes, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re there. You can also get them from Amazon here.

What do you think? Is this something that’ll make it into your home?

This week’s Before and After is brought to you from our kitchen. We’ve had a stack of 5 light fixtures in boxes in the dining room for about a month waiting to be hung in the kitchen and hallway. We finally made progress on two fixtures in the kitchen this weekend. We were close to completing a third, but when we opened it, we discovered the finish didn’t match the other two.

Both of these new ceiling fixtures are Portfolio Flushmounts I found at Lowes (Item #168093 on the box). The goal was to match the style of the hanging lamp in the dining room (which wasn’t easy for me - I’m not good at knowing whether things go together unless they already come as a set).

There was one frustrating step in this installation: The two screws that are supposed to hold the fixture to the cross-mount in the electrical box were 1/2″ too short! I ended up buying a box of 8/32, 2″ screws from big orange. Those worked just fine. Of course, what project would be complete without at least 1 trip back to the big box.

Before:

After:

Now it’s your turn! Link in your Before and After posts below using the post’s permalink and then leave a comment here. This B&A post will stay at the top until Monday evening.

P.S. You can click on the Before and After label below to see all before and after posts.