DIY to the Rescue

HELP! WHERE CAN I FIND PATTERN FOR BUILDING A REDWOOD CHAISE LOUNGE THAT BACK FOLDS TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS AND HAS A KNEE LIFT TOO?????

Hi Nancy,

I am in the process of trying to find you a company with that pattern. If I cannot find it for you I will draw you a diagram myself that will give you those options. I can fax it to you.

Best regards

Karl

I JUST SENT INQUIRERY RE: CHSISE. ALSO NEED HELP ON A DECK FOR AN ABOVE GROUND POOL.

Hi again,

Fire your more detailed questions back to me as there are so many talking points with pool decking.
Here are some points of the top of my head:

* Slip resistant surface. Important!
Personally I am not a fan for faux wood products, however the technology has come a long way and these wood substitute decking materials are looking good. They also guarantee them for up to 50 years. These guarantees amuse me a little as you can never age test a product unless it has done real time. With that said, they look great, low maintenance, does not rot and the best reason, no splinters. It can cost you a little more $$ as some of these products require you to have a smaller span between joists = more joists. Choose a board with texture next to a pool to avoid that big slip.
* Posts and supporting timbers should be pressure treated so they will not rot out. All brackets and fixings should be galvanized.
* If timber decking is your choice. Coat/protect it with an appropriate sealer. However do not use a coating that will make it slippery. A penetrating sealer is a good way to go. A poorly applied surface coating will not last with the pool water and sun.
Cedar is always a good choice. It one of the best exterior timbers as it does not require any finishing to preserve it. However care and some sealers will enhance the color.
* Do not use the structure of an above ground pool to support your deck. Keep it independent to your pool.
* Canter leave the decking boards over the top edge of the pool edge as this prevents a trip point (sometimes a good laugh with guests) this also keeps prevents damage and weight to the pool supports.

Again, send me your questions as I could rattle on for hours about this stuff.

Good luck and best regards

Hi Nancy,

I am in the process of trying to find you a company with that pattern. If I cannot find it for you I will draw you a diagram myself that will give you those options. I can fax it to you.

Best regards

Karl

Hi Karl,
I love your show.I have a deck that has been painted dark red last year now the paint is chipping and the wood has alot of splinters the deck is 6 years old .it is time for me to replace the deck or sanded and paint it again?Thanks, Carmen

Hi Carmen,
Thanks for watching! Could you understand me with that strange accent?
OK it sounds like the preparation on the prior deck coat was poorly done. Poor preparation prevents the finish coat to fully adhere to the surface. Then it’s essential that it is primed prior to the finish coat. Preparation is one of the most important stages of painting or coating anything.
Another reason for this is when a new deck (green timber) is painted before it has had adequate time to dry out.

I would recommend that you sand it back to the wood as best you can, re-prime and paint it. Only use a quality brand paint, stain, oil or polyurethane. You get what you pay for. A suggestion is Sherwin Williams. Good quality and if you are a member of AAA they will give you 30% off. It’s better than trade.
Good luck and let me know how it turned out.

Cheers

Karl Champley

I love your show. When will there be new ones comming up. I have a tape all ready to send in for "The Biggest Packrat." I am just waiting until pay day. Payday doesn't come often enough around here. Your friend June

Ps. Heep up the good work.

Hello,

I love your show. How can I tell if a wall is load bearing?

Thanx!

There are many factors to why a wall is load bearing. Generally if you can climb into the attic or floor above, view the area above the wall you wish to remove. If there is nothing above it you are fine. However some walls act as braces and can support the outer walls. In the State of CA especially in Los Angeles all walls are very important to your structure as some are shear walls and are commonly anchored into the concrete footings. This is due to the earthquakes.
So it depends what part of the country you’re in and where the wall is located.
Even as a builder and home inspector I always have a structural engineer look over what I plan to do. It’s your best and safe bet.

I have a question our roof is leaking and in our bathroom the ceiling is coming apart. i was going to apply for diy to come and help. what do i do. and my husband put up a bedroom door and it isnt right. it doesnt stay shut. you have to lift it up to work right what should we do. love your show watch it all the time

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for watching!
Go to our website: diynetwork.com and log onto be on diy. that will lead you to an application. Fill it out and send it in. make a note on the application that we have chatted about this over the net so they will contact me.
Try to fix that leak ASAP. Could be a number of reasons and the door frame needs to be plumb and level for the door to operate correctly.

Good luck

Hello Karl,

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have a two family brick home that needs renovating from top to bottom, front to back. The house needs all new electric, plumbing, roofing and floors. I don't know where to start. Can you give me a start. Hellllpp.

I just love your show,I cannot stop watching and wishing if its possible to get my house done. I have so much to do at my house, do you thnk ou could possible come to jamaica w.I. I have this big beautiful house , but irs so bear and need so much to be done. Keep up the good works. answer me and probably we could work something out.
Paula Hoo

My family recently went through a very difficult time in an ugly divorce. In an effort to maka new start, my daughters and I have decided that we want to do some muh needed work on the house. We want to replace the carpet which is so..... old with wood. Our kitchen is in dire need of a total makeover. Every appliance is out - the stove only has one working burner, the dishwasher has been out an the rfrigeraor is barely hanging on. The walls throughout the house need t be repainted. Outside, the back yard has overgrown and really needs to have work. We are willing to do the work ourselves; we just have no idea how to get started. Do we just start painting in one rrom at a time? Help!! we feel overwhelmed.

Hi Karl,

I'm in a similar situation as Debbie. I just bought my first home and it needs to be refinished top to bottom. I'm a single mom of two with a limited budget, but I have big dreams for this house. I would like to start in the basement, I know that sounds odd, but I figure I would work my way from the innermost part of the house out. Plus all of the major plumbing starts there, which all needs to be updated. I am also having problems with my warranty company and their contractors. I pay the deductable to them, they diagnose with a promise to return and finish the job and then I never see them again. I have contacted the warranty company several times and they are simply no help. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much and love your show!
Vanessa

Want to clean grease off my wood cupboards. Any suggestions?- Thank you

I would like to build a very simple long, low cabinet with sliding doors to use as a buffet to hold linens, extra dishes, etc. I've looked at books, magazines, the internet and at your projects. Can't find any instructions on this type of cabinet or what material is best to use. Help!

I have taken off an exterior door and I am goint to repaint it. I have a can of interior latex and just wondered if it would be ok to use? It is an old wood door.

I have replaced my front door with a pre-hung model. That went great, but I am trying to build out the frame so i can finish it the way i want ( the pre-hung frame is not as deep as my old door frame was) My question is: I have a concrete header as the top with block sides that i had to rebuild with 1" instead of 2" wood. How can i drill into the header to mount the wood to build out the top? I dont know that i should be drilling into header. Should i notch out the side pieces to hold top piece. Your guidance would be a help. these pieces are only for beauty nothing structural of course.

The concrete around my pool is very slippery! Is there a clear coat that can be put on it that will make it less slippery?

Hi, I was wondering if you would know a product or a home remedy i can use for my bathtub walls. It has mildew and mold and i have used several different bathroom cleaners and none of them work. What can i do?

I would like to know if there is any paint that I can use on ceramic tiles. I have gold tiles in my bathroom which are outdated but don't have the budget for a remodeling project.

Love to watch your program I've already used some of your helpful info,

We currently have our washer and dryer in our basement, but would like to move them to the first floor. We have a small bedroom that is located next to our hall bathroom, and would like to convert it to a utility/laundry room. Where should we start?

I Have To Remodel My House, I Have A (3) Bedroom 1&1/2 Bath CBS Home -- I Want To Install Laminated Wood Flooring , Can I Install It In The Bathrooms Without Worry Of Water Damage If The Toliet Runs Over??. The Way I Understand It Laminated Wood Flooring And Water Don't Mix. Or Should I Just Put Peel & Stick Vinal. I Love The Show I Watch It All The Time Thanks Tom.

Hi....I am going to wallpaper my ceiling in our living and dining rooms, with the heavy duty wall paper, and would like to know the best way to do it...would appreciate info. on this.
Thank you Wanda

I want to fill in a hole in my basement wall to stop the obvious leak of controlled air. The problem is that my furnace is located inside the 8x8 enclosed room that the hole is in. The hole goes to my garage and there are of course two of them for in and out. Can I use simple door vents to change where the fresh air is coming from? (GAS furnace and water heater.) Or am I in need of getting a fan installed to guarantee air circulation? Any help would be great.

Hi. Has anyone ever poured a concrete deck around an above-ground pool? Our pool was installed in the side of a slope in our yard, so the dirt is built up surface-level on one side; I am wondering if there's a reason why we can't build a frame around this side of the pool and pour/stain/stamp concrete for the decking. I appreciate your input.

Jennifer

To all you do it yourselfers.I have been remodeling my house for 12 years one step at a time.One piece of advice...It always looks like a bomb went off when you start but it does get better as you go.Just do what has to be done for safety first and work your way out.This was especially for Debbie. As for cleaning grease off cabinets try Comet spray Bathroom Cleaner it works in my Kitchen and disenfects.

I want to extend my previous deck which is 12'x 12'out and I want it to have a circular type design.

What would be the easier way to do this? Extend it another 6' and then take a jig saw cut the deck boards??? I am not sure.

Someone please help! I am a huge fan of DIY and recently had the cheap vinyl shower we had installed a few years ago, crack. We removed it and now want to install a tiled shower.I know how to tile but am having a hard time finding a video that shows how to install a shower pan (if that's the right term) for the floor. I cannot find any videos. Print is okay but a (moving) picture is worth a thousands words. SOMEONE please give me something that will direct me to a video. I just keep going around and around with DIY's websites. Thanks

We live in a modular home that sets up off the ground. Our floor is very wavy and squeaky and getting worse! Now we have dips and "almost
holes" though out the house! Any ideas, suggestions on how to do this ourselves? I really appreciate any info ya'll can give me!
Deborah'

Wall mounted TVs?

My new home is being built and should be done in September. I plan to place Plasma TVs on the walls and have had electrical/cable outlets placed in the walls at the appropriate level on the wall. I thought I had it all figured out, but what I didn't plan for was the cable box! The only thing I can think of is to place the cable boxes in the attic, above the room servicing each TV. Hopefully, the TV remote will be able to send a signal through the drywall on the ceiling so I can change channels. Although it may seem odd pointing the remote at the ceiling to operate the TV!

Any suggestions?

We live in Minnesota and our 4 plus bedroom house was built in 1898 we have limestone/boulder foundation. The previous owners put cement on top of this and now the cement is cracking and falling off. We are considering downsizing so we half been trying to come up with an inexpensive way to fix this to improve the look of the foundation. Do you have any suggestions???? Thank you!!!

Hi Karl- Our 1886 farm home is needing a facelift. Due to the fact that we want to keep our memories (from past generations) alive- we only want to fix/repair it before it's too late to save it. All the wood in our home came from trees that were once growing on the property. The hardwood floors,all the door molding,cabinets,etc. The floors are 'heaving' and squeaking, otherwise ok. There is evidence of 'milk paint' on 2 floors- that is impossible to do anything with (need some help there). We would like to save all that we can and return it as much as we can to it's original state. I have stripped and stained doorways/molding and it's beautiful! Lot's of oak! Could you please give me some tips on what you would do to preserve our old home?

Hi, I am a mother of two and in seven months will be the mother of three! I dont want to buy a new crib, so I need to make/buy a bed for my daughter. I want a canope bed made out of wood closer to the ground than the average twin bed, with drawers underneath and with the canope not quite so high. I have 90 1/2 inch ceilings in her room. I cannot find even the roughest draft for an outline to build such a bed. Do you think you could help? Thank you for your time! Tami

Dear Karl:
I have just purchased some furniture made in Indonesia. I live on Guam, which has a lot of humidity like Bali, but will be moving to the States next summer. I'm very concerned about furniture cracking, as one table already has. The wood was dryed prior to construction, but I think this is not enough. Can you give me any advice on how to best care for the furniture, and when it cracks how to go about repairing it.

Best regards,
Cammy

Use an oil based product instead of a surface sealer. Plenty of it. This will absorb into the wood and preserve it.
It depends where it cracks as to how you fix it. But generally, drill and insert a wooden dowel use wood glue and clamp it over night.

Goodluck! I wish we could shoot a show there.