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Palum

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I hate doing tape and bed work with such a passion... Luckily I have two nephews in the trade I can call upon.
I'm half considering calling a few local people with good recommendations and asking to pay them for a day or two of training.
 

Palum

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So brought home PMAP lightweight mud, didn't check the date, layer of brown slime... Tried to fish it out and mixed it up anyway because I really wanted to get it done but ended up scraping the 4x6 section I rolled it in off because it was full of debris.

Returned that trash, went to the other big box and got one with manu date of mid July. Got a really good coat overall rolling this on. The level 5 skimming blades are legit.

I reckon my first attempt with a 12" knife and regular PMAP mud I had some tearing or problem that couldn't be sanded out maybe once every 3-5 sq feet. Just wasn't consistent. Once I got the lightweight dialed in and with the actual skimming blade on the second coat I have maybe 2-3 in the whole ceiling and that's going over 12 can cutouts too.

Really impressed with the level 5 tool. It basically makes me feel like this is achievable where I started the ceiling skim coat with nothing but problems.

So 24" skimming blade and 14" taping knife for corners seems to work great.
 
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lurkingdirk

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Well, son of a bitch, my well pump died a sudden and horrible death last night. To be fair, it was 19 years old. I called a guy I know to see if he could come out on a Sunday, and he had a crew just finishing one job and said he would come right away. I have two wells, each with a 5 hp Grundfos pump. The newer one is only a few years old and runs all my irrigation and a couple outbuildings. The one that does the house (and the general yard near the house and the remaining outbuildings) was 19 years old. 150 feet deep. Dude had the old pump out and the new pump, control panel, and pressure tank in in under 2 hours. No charge for coming on Sunday, contractor price, no labor. We do work for each other when we can. I had that sucker installed for under $3,500. It's good to know people. I hate hate hate hiring anyone to do anything on my property, but with shit like this the manufacturer will not warranty the pump, tank, or control board if a licensed person doesn't install it. Plus they have the equipment. I don't know if any of you have ever tried pulling a submersible pump that's 150 feet deep, but holy shit, you'll destroy your back. And then reinstalling it without their special clamp that holds it in place while you screw the snappy joint back on, I'm not sure it's possible without about 4 guys.

So, only about 12 hours without water in the house, but there's a full bath in my wood shop, and another toilet out closer to the garden, so no big hardship.

However, he told me this job for the average Joe would have been about $7,500. I wonder, do most people have access to that kind of capital right on the spot on a Sunday afternoon?
 

lurkingdirk

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Separate topic in a separate post: do any of you guys ever use a roller to apply drywall mud? I was taking to my brother who just helped a friend out and he mixed the mud to about the consistency of pancake batter, dipped the roller in, scraped a little excess off, rolled it over the joints, applied the tape, then rolled another coat. After that he used a 24 inch paddleboard, scraping a lot off, but the paper stayed buried, and he only needed 2 coats to have a perfect finish.

Thoughts? I'm going to help someone with a garage where it doesn't have to be perfect, and if I can roll the mud on from the floor (10' ceilings), that would save so much pain in the ass it's hard to imagine.
 

Daidraco

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Separate topic in a separate post: do any of you guys ever use a roller to apply drywall mud? I was taking to my brother who just helped a friend out and he mixed the mud to about the consistency of pancake batter, dipped the roller in, scraped a little excess off, rolled it over the joints, applied the tape, then rolled another coat. After that he used a 24 inch paddleboard, scraping a lot off, but the paper stayed buried, and he only needed 2 coats to have a perfect finish.

Thoughts? I'm going to help someone with a garage where it doesn't have to be perfect, and if I can roll the mud on from the floor (10' ceilings), that would save so much pain in the ass it's hard to imagine.
I've never seen it, but Im guessing thats how they did it in a bigger house I manage. They mudded the entire wall and then used a wall sander to get an almost perfect finish on the drywall. Yet they were in and out in no time. My handyman and his crew bust through some rooms that do need joints and seams covered though - as this guy makes that process look slow and tedious.

 
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Palum

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Well, son of a bitch, my well pump died a sudden and horrible death last night. To be fair, it was 19 years old. I called a guy I know to see if he could come out on a Sunday, and he had a crew just finishing one job and said he would come right away. I have two wells, each with a 5 hp Grundfos pump. The newer one is only a few years old and runs all my irrigation and a couple outbuildings. The one that does the house (and the general yard near the house and the remaining outbuildings) was 19 years old. 150 feet deep. Dude had the old pump out and the new pump, control panel, and pressure tank in in under 2 hours. No charge for coming on Sunday, contractor price, no labor. We do work for each other when we can. I had that sucker installed for under $3,500. It's good to know people. I hate hate hate hiring anyone to do anything on my property, but with shit like this the manufacturer will not warranty the pump, tank, or control board if a licensed person doesn't install it. Plus they have the equipment. I don't know if any of you have ever tried pulling a submersible pump that's 150 feet deep, but holy shit, you'll destroy your back. And then reinstalling it without their special clamp that holds it in place while you screw the snappy joint back on, I'm not sure it's possible without about 4 guys.

So, only about 12 hours without water in the house, but there's a full bath in my wood shop, and another toilet out closer to the garden, so no big hardship.

However, he told me this job for the average Joe would have been about $7,500. I wonder, do most people have access to that kind of capital right on the spot on a Sunday afternoon?
Dang glad mine is like 3 years old lol
 
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Palum

what Suineg set it to
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Separate topic in a separate post: do any of you guys ever use a roller to apply drywall mud? I was taking to my brother who just helped a friend out and he mixed the mud to about the consistency of pancake batter, dipped the roller in, scraped a little excess off, rolled it over the joints, applied the tape, then rolled another coat. After that he used a 24 inch paddleboard, scraping a lot off, but the paper stayed buried, and he only needed 2 coats to have a perfect finish.

Thoughts? I'm going to help someone with a garage where it doesn't have to be perfect, and if I can roll the mud on from the floor (10' ceilings), that would save so much pain in the ass it's hard to imagine.
As someone who just did this, yes. You just have to make sure the mud is saturated. My first time I used regular PMAP mud and a 3/8 microfiber roller cover. The regular mud was probably doable but finicky. It didn't turn out great.

My second coat u used 3/4 nap fake wool thing and lightweight PMAP. Also used a 24" skimming blade on a pole. Worked really well.

I also am kinda mixed on using a paint screen. I think it takes too much off the roller, but you do have to be a bit careful because it will glob off. So I used mostly the bucket rim to scrape the ends and the bottom after dipping. You probably can get away with the screen but just have to be careful you really want to load it up. And pre moisten the roller cover.
 
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lurkingdirk

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As someone who just did this, yes. You just have to make sure the mud is saturated. My first time I used regular PMAP mud and a 3/8 microfiber roller cover. The regular mud was probably doable but finicky. It didn't turn out great.

My second coat u used 3/4 nap fake wool thing and lightweight PMAP. Also used a 24" skimming blade on a pole. Worked really well.

I also am kinda mixed on using a paint screen. I think it takes too much off the roller, but you do have to be a bit careful because it will glob off. So I used mostly the bucket rim to scrape the ends and the bottom after dipping. You probably can get away with the screen but just have to be careful you really want to load it up. And pre moisten the roller cover.

But did it save you time and energy? Would you do it again?
 

Palum

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But did it save you time and energy? Would you do it again?
I mean I'm a complete amateur and skim coated about 260 square feet of ceiling in 2 hours without climbing on anything so... Yes. I'm going to be doing the walls this way as well. Just less gravity being a complete asshole in that case.
 

Palum

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So here's what we're thinking for new interior colors.

Whitetail trim

Rest Assured walls

Bosporus for a few accent walls

Since we have red oak hardwood throughout I am going with a slightly warm off white to tie in all the wood grain that will remain. It will also provide a contrast to the pure white ceilings and maybe eventually cabinets if I choose to paint those.

I also have walnut furniture and beams in the den which I think will coordinate nicely.
 

lurkingdirk

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I mean I'm a complete amateur and skim coated about 260 square feet of ceiling in 2 hours without climbing on anything so... Yes. I'm going to be doing the walls this way as well. Just less gravity being a complete asshole in that case.

Tell me again why you skim coated the ceiling, and why you're going to be doing the walls? Why not just do the seams and call it a day?
 

lurkingdirk

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So here's what we're thinking for new interior colors.

Whitetail trim

Rest Assured walls

Bosporus for a few accent walls

Since we have red oak hardwood throughout I am going with a slightly warm off white to tie in all the wood grain that will remain. It will also provide a contrast to the pure white ceilings and maybe eventually cabinets if I choose to paint those.

I also have walnut furniture and beams in the den which I think will coordinate nicely.

I like the combination, but the last one might be overly exuberant. However, that's merely a matter of taste.
 

Palum

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I like the combination, but the last one might be overly exuberant. However, that's merely a matter of taste.
Yea will have to see if it's too dark. There's a wall in an entryway with a ton of sun we might use it on.

Still may have to go down one tier in saturation for both.
 

BrutulTM

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Well, son of a bitch, my well pump died a sudden and horrible death last night. To be fair, it was 19 years old. I called a guy I know to see if he could come out on a Sunday, and he had a crew just finishing one job and said he would come right away. I have two wells, each with a 5 hp Grundfos pump. The newer one is only a few years old and runs all my irrigation and a couple outbuildings. The one that does the house (and the general yard near the house and the remaining outbuildings) was 19 years old. 150 feet deep. Dude had the old pump out and the new pump, control panel, and pressure tank in in under 2 hours. No charge for coming on Sunday, contractor price, no labor. We do work for each other when we can. I had that sucker installed for under $3,500. It's good to know people. I hate hate hate hiring anyone to do anything on my property, but with shit like this the manufacturer will not warranty the pump, tank, or control board if a licensed person doesn't install it. Plus they have the equipment. I don't know if any of you have ever tried pulling a submersible pump that's 150 feet deep, but holy shit, you'll destroy your back. And then reinstalling it without their special clamp that holds it in place while you screw the snappy joint back on, I'm not sure it's possible without about 4 guys.

So, only about 12 hours without water in the house, but there's a full bath in my wood shop, and another toilet out closer to the garden, so no big hardship.

However, he told me this job for the average Joe would have been about $7,500. I wonder, do most people have access to that kind of capital right on the spot on a Sunday afternoon?

Sheesh. I wouldn't hire that guy. $7500 to pull a 150 foot well and replace the pump? Around here I would expect to pay $7-800 over the cost of the equipment and that's with them driving an hour to get to me. I don't pull wells myself if they're over about 60 feet deep but I would if it was going to cost me $4000 to have it done.
 

Palum

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Sheesh. I wouldn't hire that guy. $7500 to pull a 150 foot well and replace the pump? Around here I would expect to pay $7-800 over the cost of the equipment and that's with them driving an hour to get to me. I don't pull wells myself if they're over about 60 feet deep but I would if it was going to cost me $4000 to have it done.
You don't live in Expensive County like the rest of us.
 

lurkingdirk

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Sheesh. I wouldn't hire that guy. $7500 to pull a 150 foot well and replace the pump? Around here I would expect to pay $7-800 over the cost of the equipment and that's with them driving an hour to get to me. I don't pull wells myself if they're over about 60 feet deep but I would if it was going to cost me $4000 to have it done.

The pump by itself is $2,000, and the control board is almost another $1,000. Add a pressure tank and I'm paying nothing over cost. It's what it is man.
 

BrutulTM

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The pump by itself is $2,000, and the control board is almost another $1,000. Add a pressure tank and I'm paying nothing over cost. It's what it is man.

$3500 isn't bad, but $7500 is what I was reacting to. That's a hell of a lot for a couple of hours work even with a well truck.

Grundfos pumps are crazy expensive. They're supposed to be top of the line but I've had two die after about 5 years. The ones on our solar wells are pretty crazy. They list the input voltage as like 30-300 volts, AC or DC. It's pretty handy because we just use a regular home electrical outlet to connect them to the panels so if the solar panels aren't keeping up we can unplug from the panels and plug them directly into a generator.
 
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Palum

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So learned a lesson. I have a vacuum pole sander with screens, and a regular pole with just sheets of sandpaper.

The lightweight mud does not like either even fine grit. I ordered some sponge backed sanding pads, that's supposed to be the ticket.l so we'll see.

Unfortunately, the reality is lightweight mud is easier, but it's not just a little bit "easier" to sand, but a lot less resistant to scratching and gouging. We'll see how it do...
 
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Daidraco

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So learned a lesson. I have a vacuum pole sander with screens, and a regular pole with just sheets of sandpaper.

The lightweight mud does not like either even fine grit. I ordered some sponge backed sanding pads, that's supposed to be the ticket.l so we'll see.

Unfortunately, the reality is lightweight mud is easier, but it's not just a little bit "easier" to sand, but a lot less resistant to scratching and gouging. We'll see how it do...
When I was doing a whole bunch of DIY stuff with sheetrock and mudding - its definitely back breaking work and makes you find a new appreciation for the guys that do it all the time. But I really enjoyed how just out of no where, shit would just "click" in my mind and stuff would just come together perfectly. Im sure you're going through that now - as figuring that type of shit out usually ends up making you feel accomplished in its own right.
 
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