What home improvement work did you do today?

It was a really hard purchase LOL. It’s $285.00 per 5 gallon bucket, and the Eagle sealer at Home Depot is $100.00 per 5 gallon bucket, with excellent reviews.
After talking to a bunch of concrete contractors, the $285.00 stuff just lasts 3X longer.
The HD cheap stuff works and looks great right after install, but you have to apply it 3X more often. I’m all about work smarter, not harder - and buy once, cry once.

And you’re supposed to use a metal sprayer to install or roller. The concrete guys said sprayer is best for an even application (vs roller) so I sprayed. Probably 10X quicker than rolling too.
The $125.00 sprayer should last me a really long time.

 

For that the easy way is to take the screws out of the bottom hinge and get a shim in thick enough to square the top. Then put the screws back in tight. Don’t be shy about using longer drywall screws to secure it again. Should take you about 3 minutes total. Don’t file anything off - it’ll square right back up.

 

Going for a more open look in the house. Just finished building a garage and mud room and am in the process of integrating it all so doesn’t look all cut up. Installed LVLs this weekend and hung the wall board. Put the first coat of mud on everything and left it for next weekend. Home improvements never end!

 

I'm getting ready to put solar panels on the garage roof. Here's my SketchUp drawing of the layout.
The garage is a steel building with steel I-beams @ 14' OC and 2X8 purlins between the beams @ 3' OC going up the roof.

 

The report came back from the engineer and the roof failed the structural analysis.

I now need to sister on new 2X8s onto the existing purlins.

I already knew I had to replace the metal roof so now my fall just got a lot busier, and more expensive.

 

First of my new windows

 

The screws in the door hinges are usually only long enough to grab into the door jamb. When you have a solid core door or an exterior door they typically sag overtime from the heavy weight. If you remove two of the upper hinges screws and replace them with 3”-3 1/2” screws you will anchor the hinge into the jack and king studs. This should help remove the sag in the existing door and realign the door lock again.

 

Tried this tonight. No dice. May have to try the shim as suggested above. The original screw heads were nearly stripped so it appears the previous owner was screwing with it as well.

To be clear, I replaced the screws on the frame, not on the door. Is this what you were suggesting?

 

If you can take off the one side of interior trim to see the space between the door jamb and the framing on the hinge side. Those screws should have grabbed into the stud. What size screw did you use? Sometimes I’ll use an exterior deck screw because it has a larger diameter thread and a larger head to grab the hinge. If the door itself is having issues you can replace the whole door and jamb for around $300-$500 pending your door selection. Those screws in the photo look like drywall screws. Make sure they have a larger thread like an exterior rated screw to grab into the framing.

 

You're right, I just check and these screws are the longest I had but they are only 2.5". They looked longer. I'll buy some longer ones and report back later this week. Thanks for the help.

 

Take one of the short screws out of your door. Make sure when you get the longer screws the thread is as big as your existing screw. This is very important. I also like the exterior rated screws because they have a larger Phillips head with a square drive, so they don’t strip like a standard Phillips screws head will.


They look like this.

 

Thanks, I got an exterior french door that ain't square, will take a look at this when I get a chance.

 

Just my .02 cents here. Ask 4 guys and get 5 answers. Not trying to argue and there are many ways to skin a cat.

Putting longer deck screws in to the studs might buy you enough so the door latches for awhile but soon enough the weight at the top of the door is going to eat away at the wood around the those threads too (just as has happened now with the shorter screws) and you’re going to be back to square one... because you didn’t address the real problem that’s been created. Your frame has a deformation at the bottom hinge which was caused by the screws at the top loosening up and the door pressing against the bottom for a long time. The problem at the top is what is causing (and allowing) the top of the door to sag like it is... thereby pushing the bottom of the door in to the frame as I see in the picture. If you put a properly sized shim down there (you should have to tap it in with a hammer... and you might have to cut the thinner part off first to get it to snug up in there... but the space between the door and frame should be even all around when you’re done)) and then tighten everything back up... you’ll be set for awhile because the top screws won’t be being pulled like they are now. The weight will be evenly distributed among all 3 hinges and all the screws holding them in. Good luck. You can get a whole pack of shins for about $2. Or you can make your own easily enough. It’s a 3 minute project. Easy peasy.

 

I have a suggestion for you. If your removing casing with the intent to reset it. When you pull the casing either pull the trim nails from the backside of the trim or cut them off. Do not push them back through face of the trim as this will cause more damage to repair later. I like to use a set of end cutting pliers to pull the trim nails from the back side.

 

@FirstGenVol

Reference photo for you. I typically like to use the screws closer to the center of the the frame for anchoring. Since you are already on the edge of the framing you do need to have the screw at a slight angle.


Solid core and exterior doors should be installed with shims along both sides of the door frame between the framing and jamb, unfortunately a lot of trades never do this because it takes them more time.

 

Right boss, we'll do.

 

X2

 

Just in case the even longer screws don’t work... and before you mess with the frame... here’s a step by step for option 2...

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/shim-door-hinge-41988.html

 

My plumbers and concrete guys are hating me for this one. I had them box out the concrete on my barn foundation to install 334’ of precast trench drains. The steps to get here haven’t been easy but the end results will be well worth all the hurdles. I have four clean out basins to catch any debris before it goes to the tank. This design required me to get my engineers to redesign the slab so we could use a z shaped rebar under my boxed out drain. After all the drains have been set and water tested they will be incased in concrete. The whole center aisle will have a 3/4” thick rubber troweled floor system to cover all the expansion joints.

You can see my 100’x200’ arena structure in the background and it’s 95% completed.

 

Wow that barn is going to be massive, and the arena looks great. This project is absolutely incredible. The scale is something that I have never seen before. Amazing work

 

But sometimes you do need to swing a dead chicken over your head.

 

I love watching your projects come together.

 

If I don't have a dead chicken, will some chicken wings work?

 

Work bench is pretty well done. Just finishing touches left.

 

Final product, all cleaned up with everything put away. All I need are the LED lights to mount under the upper shelf and a proper power bar. I'm super happy how this turned out.