Home Improvement

Ok so I trimmed out one side of my kitchen doorway last night and I'm not looking forward to the other side. On either side of the door way is a lightswitch, the trim that I'm installing is 3.5" wide. Each lightswitch is close enough to the doorway that there is a 1/8" to 1/4" overlap. So I have to do one of three options:

1) Rip out the old boxes and move the box over 1/2-1" and patch up with a strip of drywall/patching. This would let me remove the old boxes and put in new ones (the wiring is terrible here).

2) Cut a small portion of the trim away so plates fit.

3) Raise the plates and frame around them. Raise the switches so they are flush with the level of the trim, and add additional trim around the plates on either side.

Bah, so much extra work.

Are you doing 3.5 inch casing or is it like the other pictures and 1x4 wood? You could rip down the trim for the complete doorway the 1/8 or 1/4 you need all around if 1x4. You could also trim the plate. Been known to do that as it is the least invasive and have it terminate into the side of the trim.

If you decide to go with the move box route, reconstruction boxes would save you from drywall repairs if you are careful and only going over a 1/2 inch or so. Likewise you could use existing box, pry it over , put a spacer piece of wood between box/stud and a screw into side, just sink it well and use existing box without replacing it.

Yeah, honestly I just have to decide on how I want it to look. The boxes are 50 years old, original. And they are those steel boxes that have a 4" nail going straight through it from the outside into the framing. To remove the box, I'll have to cut the nail. I'm thinking about just boosting the plates up 3/4" so I can frame underneath it. Might look awkward but It's probably the best solution for the cleanest look.

I'm using 1x4s and not actual casing and I don't want to rip them because the measurements on either side are different. It's also a doorway that is in a larger open area and it's the first thing you see when you walk into the house. It needs to be uniform.

Sounds like trimming around the box or using a prybar to move the box over what you need, drilling a hole into side and putting a screw in it into stud to tighten after you wedge is the best options then.

Edit- When I say trim around the box I mean rip 1x2s or so and extend the plugs with 8/32 screws outwards, which may be what you meant as well. When you put the cover on it only about a inch of wood will show on 3 sides of the switches but it will blend better.

I would rip the trim on both sides. I dont think you will notice 1/8th of an inch even with the opening that close together.

Olebass_sl said:

Edit- When I say trim around the box I mean rip 1x2s or so and extend the plugs with 8/32 screws outwards, which may be what you meant as well. When you put the cover on it only about a inch of wood will show on 3 sides of the switches but it will blend better.

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This is what I'm thinking of doing. Yeah.

But I would like to avoid doing it though, because it might look like this on both sides:


I might attempt to shift the outlets over a bit. I have to get inside them and see what I can do

Remit_sl said:

I would rip the trim on both sides. I dont think you will notice 1/8th of an inch even with the opening that close together.

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1/8th no, but one side is 1/8th the other is 1/4" to 1/2".

Picasso: 2.5 won't work because the other side is 3.5

Draegan_sl said:

1/8th no, but one side is 1/8th the other is 1/4" to 1/2".

Picasso: 2.5 won't work because the other side is 3.5

Click to expand...

Oh I missed that part. I still doubt you would notice 1/4" though. Just rip both sides 1/4" and shift the covers as much as you can?

EDIT: Are you doing a reveal? I had one door that I ended up not being able to do a reveal on, and I thought it would bug me like crazy since it didnt match. It bugged me for a week, but nobody has noticed since and Ive forgot about it.

If you rip out the existing boxes and put new ones in that bring the face plate of the light switches RIGHT to the edge of the new trim, you could probably do it without drywall work, as the hole will be hidden by trim and switch plate. I did that in a couple spots in my house.

We'll see if I have enough energy to do this tonight. Might skip it and do it tomorrow. I still have my large window to frame out. Then it's all downhill from there.

Question, i'm purchasing a house with birch hardwood flooring, it's brand new. While the floor is beautiful, it's already showing a scratch or two just from normal foot traffic. In doing my research i've found birch is a softwood.. so, what can I do to "finish" these floors in a way that wont sacrifice the beauty of the wood itself (I dont' want to stain it) but will make it more durable // scratch // water resistant? I assume some kind of clear. I did a quick google search and it gave me six different types, so now i'm anxious about doing it right.

Also, in doing it myself, is it easy to mess up? I'd assume just some light scuffing (brillow on a broomstick?) and apply it with a roller evenly. I have a "handyman" friend who does all manner of work for very, very cheap. I've never used him but he's done a few of my friends houses (sheetrock, installing floors, light fixtures) i've never been impressed with his work , but it's almost literally 20% of the cost of a contractor - is this something he could screw up if I give him the clear?

I use scotch-brite pads to scuff up my hardwood jobs, cheap and abrasive enough. Even being brand new it has a risk of having many things already bonded to it. I usually strip the clear off to coat floors. Is it 3/4 or engineered or prefinished sealed wood? Used to be able to get some poly that was like armor back in the 60's / 70's. Everything back then was like that, course it was bad for you and everything else but it was tough and lasted longer.

While I do and have done lots of hardwood, I am not entirely sure to be honest about your question. I'll ask the floor guy who has been doing it a long ass time when I run into him about it. I see him usually every week.

Edit- I guess I could answer the other part.
After you scuff up the floor, use a tack cloth to clean it and get everything up. Work from a corner of a room out make sure to clean it VERY well. I turn off the AC/Heat during this to keep from stirring up more dust. Every spec of dust is a tiny little spot in the clear. You will never do a 100% perfect job but it will be fine and professional if this step is done right.

You apply most with a lamb's wool pad on a painters pole. I mix my clear up good and pour it in a pan for this , coat with grain one side to other in rows of 1-2 feet at a time.
Wear a headband to keep sweat down. If you start to sweat to point of dripping, finish the room you are in, switch shirts, dry off with a towel, swipe over the last run in a doorway and continue on.
Putting on Poly is easy as pie. Depending on the type you can recoat in 4 to 8 hours or next morning. Some new ones don't even require you to scuff between coats as long as it has been before a certain time.

If you don't mind taping up the shoe/base with blue tape you can skip the cut in, otherwise take up shoe mold before you do it, use a disposable bristle brush and cut in a 3-4 inch strip away from baseboard around the room before you use the pad. Very important to do this as fast as you can and get to padding room, or it becomes tacky.

Step back during all this at times and look at the sheen from a angle off the light. Make sure you have no big drips, ponding, or areas complete dry.

It really is easy, just want to make sure you know all the steps.

Thanks man, great reply. I just have to figure out what clear to use, and maybe I can hire this guy to do it (i'm sure he'd do it for like $200 and he's not clueless) but at least i'll know what the technique should be if I ask. Maybe i'll even try a room myself and see how it goes first as a test.

Christ I just cannot catch a break. I was in the garage yesterday and noticed a spot near the far door where the foundation has developed a crack. It isn't bad yet, but that shit is never cheap to fix.

I'm assuming the MASSIVE rains we've had this year have soaked the soil and caused weight to shift, placing undue pressure on that corner of the house.

If it is just a small thin crack I wouldn't worry too much about it. It sucks but it happens. Take some mortar and fill it in, that way you can monitor movement.
In the event your whole house gets swallowed by a massive hole under the house you was not aware of, then you should panic.

Anyone deal with cluster flies before? It rained and the temperature went way down and all of a sudden a hundred flies on all of our windows (inside). I've been vacuuming up the ones my dog isn't eating but more keep coming back.

How to Get Rid of Cluster Flies | How To Get Rid Of Stuff
Never had a invasion of them myself. They lay eggs in earthworms though. I guess from reading that site they had a hibernation nest someone in home, it details where to look then just zap it with bug spray.

I have had termites swarm in a house once, that was no fun either. Millions of wings on EVERYTHING in only 2 hours.

Goodluck!

Its pretty low invasion level now so hopefully it is manageable