I was thinking something similar to Rafi89's reply just a bit ago:
If you can get to the plumbing from the other side of the wall, it could be what you need to do. Go to Youtube and look up Vancouver Carpenter on how to cut, and then patch a hole in drywall. He's got lots of great drywall vids. Once you've learned a little about how to do it RIGHT, it isn't so hard. But it's easy to do bad drywall jobs. I was doing bad ones for years until I found his vids.

Maybe you DON'T have to do this, and you can find cartridges that will replace what you've got. If you don't see the right thing at Home Depot or Lowes, find a plumbing supply, and pay a little premium for the free advice they've given to help you find - or not find a replacement.

However, I also do NOT like the looks of that grout. I suspect if you took some of that tile off you'd find black mold from moisture underneath. If you started taking tile off, you'd quite possibly end up putting up complete new concrete board to replace the sheetrock and doing new tiling. I wish you luck, and hope that regrouting does what you need!

You know, having sat on your comment here for a couple of days, I'm going to walk back my statement that a sheet can't be BIFL. 20 years is a good long time. And since I've got some sheets of my own that have been in use that long, perhaps not so unusual. And, I suppose they WOULD fit under the group definition of BIFL, namely: "Products that are well-made and durable (even if they won't last an lifetime) are accepted.". Now, having walked that back, I've thought of something else. In a high thread count sheet, the threads are smaller, so are they then LESS durable? And I don't know the answer.

But I can google "life expectancy of sheets" as well as any other person! BTW, I'll bet you there is somebody who has researched this, but I don't know of it. One of the links I found (below), said it will depend more on the quality of the original cotton, but if all things are equal, a higher thread count should yield a higher lifespan. But that's a manufacturer's website, so, grain of salt? IDK. I saw a lot of sites saying a lifespan of 2-5 years was normal. Do a search yourself. You might be interested in some of the results, and it won't take you long to get through a couple.https://www.verolinens.com/how-long-do-bed-sheets-last/

Perhaps somewhat ironically, washing is also a huge wear factor for sheets!

Still, although I'm not surprised at a 20 year lifespan for sheets, I'd also bet those sheets are no longer white, and they aren't very far from being at the fragility point where the fabric will tear from the simple action of making the bed.

Cabbage, dude. That's yer ticket! Cabbage!

3x4 FEET? Or 3x4 meters. Actually, it doesn't matter. My answer would be no to either. Something that small might look impressive, and they might make big claims, but the reality is that your satisfaction with it's performance is going to be smaller than it's size.

I say this as someone who's been using room air filters for decades for an asthmatic wife. I've tried a bunch of products. The only ones that have come anywhere close to BIFL are the Honeywells that use honking big air filters like those you'd find in a car. Except bigger. Much bigger. They aren't the quietest. They aren't the smallest. But they work, and when the filters get full, you can replace the filters. That can be surprisingly important - the ability to replace the filters. Surprising how many manufacturers products I haven't been able to keep going for the simple reason that I could no longer get an essential part - like a filter that fits.

Pans warp because of the way they are handled during cooking. Or, more likely, AFTER cooking. Give your pans time to warm up (warm, not hot) before putting the oil in, and don't let them overheat. When cooling, don't COOL them too fast, like by dumping them hot into a sink full of cold water. Let them cool off first.

Otherwise, thicker metal is better than thin. Cheaper pans sometimes use cheaper alloys, but I haven't seen any REALLY cheap stuff around in a long time. Then again, I don't go looking, either. Carbon steel, seasoned and kept oiled are a good option. But they are also easy to warp from mis-handling. Hardened aluminum is more durable that way, but less popular these days because of the aluminum/dementia scare (back in the 90's, IIRC?).

Also, these days, you'll want to get something that will work with induction. If you're not using it now, you will very likely be using it in the future.

Oh - and btw - you can season s/s and carbon steel the same way you do cast iron, with the same non-stick results when done properly. They won't be shiny, but the eggs come out better!

There is no such thing as a BIFL sheet. And I see you're looking for orange piping, not blue (as pictured). I would say get yourself some good quality sheets, and continue letting the wife do the custom piping. Unless you have a LOT of money to spend - then you can pay a seamstress to do it, or if you REALLY have a lot of dough, you could pay for a big enough lot the manufacturer will make a custom run just for you!

As for buying the BEST sheets possible, go for a high thread count. I would also recommend you look into a synthetic blend. People talk 100% natural fibers up, but it's hype (other than comfort). Synthetics last longer, so synthetic blends are typically the best compromise. Natural fibers DO have advantages, but long life is not among them.

Also, go easy on the bleach. Bleach is way harsh on fabric life. Depending on your water, you may benefit from adding washing soda. You could also look into bluing.

You know, I just came back to this, and I have to add: I described the eastern OR soil as fine sand. It wasn't sand-like at all. It was dust-like. Incredibly fine. It would stain my work socks.

Back when I was doing framing carpentry in eastern Oregon - it was the fine sand. It was a boot killer - penetrated everything - and sawed off the stitching.

Nope. Frankly - you can get a fine edge on pretty much any commercial knife these days. It's more about your sharpening than the steel. This line of knives has a number of advantages over others:

1. the initial price is downright cheap compared to your big-name brands
2. they take a good edge easily, and hold it pretty much as well as any of the previously mentioned big-name brands, if not better
3. the stainless they use is an excellent compromise. It sharpens easily, as mentioned, with little metal loss, so they tend to last.
4. you can throw them in the dishwasher FFS! NO PROBLEM! I wouldn't do that with ANY of my other knives. Either the water is bad for the handle scales, or the heat is bad for the blade. With this line? It is NOT a problem.
5. they are designed for commercial use, and the handle design reflects that. The handles are a good and comfortable size and fit, and have a good, non-slip surface.

So what's the con of owning these? They don't have a fancy name or pedigree. They don't have beautiful wooden handle scales. Which IMO, is not a negative!

I've got quite a few knives that are just as old. A couple I've got are even older. But this brand is, IMO, significantly better for the cost, and wears significantly less with the same use. I got in a conversation on FB, and the other person was working on something in the kitchen, and just happened to have the same Sanisafe paring knife that I do. And I realized that it was a good candidate for BIFL. That's all, folks! :D

Are you kidding me? These days it's ALL stainless. It ain't goin' nowhere - even the cheap stuff. You need something cheap? I'd go to my local thrift shop, and sort through what's there. Just get something heavier weight. The Sam's Club idea sounds like a possible winner.

We've got some silver plate serving spoons from my Grandma. They never get used, for obvious reasons. My son, now adult, got entranced by "old stuff" somewhere along the way. He's picked up a fair supply of old silverplate - but none of it likely predates my childhood. Some has got the brass showing through. I have very clear childhood memories of having to polish the silver. Not fond memories, either. Nobody really cares about what the flatware looks like anymore.

I can't even understand why anyone would WANT a complete flatware set these days. Unless you were planning on "entertaining" - but in that case I'd worry more about the quality and presentation of the FOOD. Make that amazing, and nobody's gonna notice what the forks look like.

Hey Siri; open a reminder for this in 50 years.

Gave this an upvote for lasting longer than anyone would expect. That's a worthy goal.

Then almost took the upvote away when I saw the username. Dude! EWWWWW! Gross! (of course, that's probably his point.)

Yeah. For a rug that size, in wool, and for-real hand made, which in this case I think is hand-LOOMED (made on a loom), you got a good price. Was it the cheapest you could have gotten it over in Turkey? IDK, and I don't care, because I think if YOU feel like you got a good price, for a product you likely would have a hard time getting AT ALL in the US, then you got a good price. You may already know this, but "hand-made" in the rug/carpet biz often includes machine-assisted - but somebody had hands on the machine. Which, when you think about it, is an exaggeration of the "hand-made" quality, but "meh, whatever", eh? In your case, I suspect "hand-made" means a person made this on a loom, without machine assistance. You can find hand-loomed wool rugs in and around Chimayo, NM today. 40 years ago I bought a couple for about $300 each. It was off-season, and I got a slightly better price than in season. I sold one, 15 years later, in a Scottsdale AZ gallery for twice that much. I've still got the other.

LOL, yeah! I was driving my '95 Camry up until about 3 years ago. It's still on the road. I upgraded to a 2004 Camry! Things are a lot different from 1976, when I had a '64 TR4. That baby was ANCIENT already. I loved her, though. Had to sell her, as I couldn't afford a "Sunday only" car. The longevity difference in cars today and then is just mind-boggling when you think about it. When I was in driver's ed, a car over 100k was extraordinarily rare. Today, that isn't even high-mileage.

Yeh. I think the "rule" for antique is 50 years, except for cars (20 years, IIRC). Anything lesser is "vintage".