Talusen

Talusen t1_j965xrj wrote

Reply to HELP!? TV Wall Mount Fail? by TheNorthernSaint

How many bolts are supposed to go into the wall to hold the bracket? (You said you had 6 that held firmly)

...any idea of their weight capacity, or of the total weight for the TV + Bracket?

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Talusen t1_j1l1w10 wrote

Reply to comment by HopeOk8502 in There's a weird gap in my foundations and I want to fill it. Its packed with stones ATM and there's big spaces between them. How would you create a moisture barrier here and seal it? by Vegetation

The bonding agent won't do squat as a moisture barrier; it's a form of glue. It's only there to make sure the bond between old concrete and new is sound.

All told, this looks bad but is probably ok.

That said, I am a person on Reddit. If you want sureity, hire a structural engineer who'll come out and let you know what's going on. The few hundred it'll cost will pay for itself if you ever sell the house and the buyers go "what's this?"

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Talusen t1_j1kgff2 wrote

Reply to There's a weird gap in my foundations and I want to fill it. Its packed with stones ATM and there's big spaces between them. How would you create a moisture barrier here and seal it? by Vegetation

Do you only care about the moisture barrier?

A lot of suggestions are going to do what you've mentioned, and try to:

Make it structural.

Tie it into the existing foundation.

Prevent water intrusion

(in that order)

Moisture barrier alone? Get a piece of dimpleboard on the opposite side, possibly with some cementboard backing it to give it some strength.

Moisture and vapor? Peel and stick on the cement board, then as above.

Properly fixing it? Check to see if they did something fun with a sill plate and the rubble you're seeing. Clear out the rubble.

Drill into both sides of the gap about 6" and use simpson set-xp to install 4-5 pieces of #4 rod. (fitting the rod in both sides vs wiring 2 pieces that are in one side apiece together in order to develop the connection properly is above my paygrade)

Get plywood on both sides of the gap, and secure it to the foundation. (do more than just this, but I don't know forms well enough to tell you specifics) Put a bonding agent on the existing concrete to prevent a cold joint. Talk to the staffer at ( Whitecap/your concrete supplier ) and fill with the self-consolidating concrete or no-shrink grout they recommend.

Wait a week or so (mist the top daily with cool water) before you pull the forms and see how you did.

Edit: whoever did your foundation should get a good kicking for not doing their job properly, ditto the inspector for the city, and whoever inspected your home at time of purchase.

It LOOKS like they framed around it, so there's a chance this is only a cosmetic problem, but that needs an engineer to say for certain.

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Talusen t1_itvfvh4 wrote

Reply to comment by im-here-to-argue in Question about fluorescent light fixture replacement: how much light do I need? by ChronoMonkeyX

80 is a bare minimum.

90 is great. (replace all your CRI 80 bulbs with these)

More than 90 is better still.

--

Kind of like your mattress affects how you sleep, the lights you use affect how you see the world around you. They're invisible in that way, and the extra $5-10 is less than pennies a day over the lifespan of the bulb.

Good lighting will show you what's there.

Bad lighting will make what's around you look dingy, dim, and terrible.

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Talusen t1_itutt37 wrote

Reply to Question about fluorescent light fixture replacement: how much light do I need? by ChronoMonkeyX

This topic is more complicated than you think, but this should help:

Short form: it's possible (but difficult) to have a workspace that's too bright. Many designers/builders are stingy with fixtures, and we don't realize how dim a room is until it's properly lit.

For a 100 sq ft kitchen, 10K lumens may be a touch high but it's not exceptionally bright.

About 100 lumens per square foot (10k lux/M^2) is what I think of as "drugstore bright" - it's good enough for workbenches etc. It's equivalent to a shady spot on a bright sunny day. (50-100 lm/ft is a good go to for a well lit area)

Remember to get as high as CRI as you can; it makes a difference!

Here's a guide that's focused on workshops, start at

"How much light do I need?"

https://www.woodcraft.com/blog_entries/workshop-lighting-1

Edit: this is a few years old, but addresses kitchens specifically.

https://www.proremodeler.com/sites/proremodeler/files/Kitchen%20Lighting%20Done%20Right_PR0216.pdf

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Talusen t1_is84vf7 wrote

Reply to does anyone know how to trim styrofoam? by friggityfrogg

Just remember to slice, and use a sharp knife!

If you press, it'll break into an uneven edge.

Heating a wire/knife and then using that will melt/cut through it but make sure you have a place for the fumes to go if you do.

(You can use a butter knife and a cigarette lighter, the amount of heat needed is pretty low)

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