Wood Floors on Concrete, Plumbing Repair and Finding Carpet Stains

This is a very full show covering many different topics. We start off commenting on a article in Fine Home Building magazine about wood floors over concrete, address two listener questions (one on leaky faucets and one on garbage disposals), and then we wrap up the show with a tip from Brian about how to find pet stains in carpet.

Wood floors on concrete

Can this be done? Sure it can. Brian and Paul comment on an article in Fine Homebuilding. The Author, Charles Peterson, discusses a technique that uses two layers of plywood and a vapor barrier to create a stable, floating, subfloor for installation of your finished floor. Check it out and listen to The Handyguys comments in the podcast.

Drippy faucets

The Handyguys love getting questions where the answer is simple and inexpensive. We received this question from Cheryl

I have a leaky bathtub faucet, it started dripping and it has gotten worse, do I need to replace the entire faucet? My house was built in 1953 and I’m guessing the faucet is probably that old too! It consists of two knobs, one of hot and cold and the spigot of course. I think both the hot and cold are leaking, I can’t really determine which one it is! Thanks for any help you can provide.

Cheryl – Thanks for your question. NO, you do not need to replace the faucet. The fix is pretty simple. We assume you mean the drip is coming from the spout, not from behind the handles. Our friends over at hammer zone have put together some instructions. I’ll let you read them instead of my recreating the steps here. Check out HammerZone’s how to replace a washer article and listen to our podcast for details.

There could be a few other issues. Give the washer replacement a try first, its easy to do.

Some possible pitfalls

• The washer screw is broken off
• The seat (what the washer presses against) is damaged
• Parts are corroded preventing removal
• The handle you have may remove differently than in the pictures at hammerzone

If you have trouble please let us know. You can hear our discussion of the issue in the podcast.

Garbage Disposal Smells

This stinky issue keeps generating interest. We have received many tips and tricks. We thought we would answer Dave’s question and pass along his tip.

I always shut off the circuit breaker to the disposal anytime I am going to stick my hand in there. Just to be sure that it will not turn off.

Have you guys used Draino? I had a problem where soft foods weren’t getting shredded enough to go down the drain so I started getting an odor. I poured draino down there and after it sat for awhile I ran it again and the food and smell were gone. Do you know of any problems in using draino in a disposal. ex corrosion or other problems?

Good tip about the circuit breaker Dave, better safe than sorry. As for Draino. Yes and No. It depends on which draino product you are considering. Check the label. The crystals are not recommended for garbage disposers, the gel is fine according to the manufacture. Bottom line, check the label.

The Handyguys upgrade their faucet hardware and provide videos to prove it!

Paul installed the Grohe Arden

Many weeks ago we promised to talk about faucet installation. Brian recently installed a great Price Pfister Ashfield for his powder room.  Paul installed a Grohe Arden mini set in his master bathroom.

But  before we can talk about basic plumbing and installing fixtures, we have some other matters to address.

Handyguys Video?

Both Brian and Paul filmed their installation to provide an overview of a faucet upgrade.  If you have not installed a faucet before, we hope these videos will be helpful.  We are going to include links to both videos.  While the videos are similar, we produced them in slightly different ways.  The intent of both videos is to quickly show each step of the process.  In Handyguy Brian’s video, he narrates each step,  but in Paul’s video we just use text to explain the steps.

These are really just sample videos.  Neither sound or video quality is very good. We are looking for your feedback. We would like to know if you value videos like this and how you might view and utilize such media.  Remember, these videos are just prototypes.  If we decide to continue with regular video, we will probably upgrade the quality.  So please let us know what you think, after watching both videos, by answering the questions in our short survey. Thanks.

Grohe Faucet Installation from Handyguys Podcast on Vimeo

Price Pfister Faucet Installation from Handyguys Podcast on Vimeo.

After watching the two videos, please take our survey.

Grohe and Price Pfister Installation

Brian installed the Price Pfister Ashfield in his powder room.

In this week’s podcast, The Handyguys discuss the process of upgrading faucet hardware. Brian talks about his beautiful and stylish Price Pfister Ashfield faucet in rustic bronze. It is a faucet that looks like an old well pump.  Not only is it stylish, but it is solid and works great with just one hand! In addition, this is a a “watersense” faucet which means that it saves 30% water which protects the environment and saves you money!

The Handyguys talk about the water sense program.  You can find more info here:   http://www.epa.gov/watersense/ The bottom line is that a home with watersense faucets can save a significant amount of water. The Handyguys hope to analyze this water savings in a future show to find out exactly how much is actually saved in their homes with watersense faucets.

Paul also installed a water sense faucet, but his faucet comes from Grohe.  His Grohe Arden faucet is a solid and sleek addition to his master bathroom.  You can learn about Grohe’s amazing line of products at http://www.groheamerica.com/.  Don’t expect to see their products at the big box store though as they are only sold at local plumbing distributors or through special order. Fortunately, it seems that many plumbing suppliers carry Grohe and you can also find their parts on the Internet. Check out Grohe’s site for local distributors.

Brian and Paul determine that most handyguys can handle this project with only a few tools and a few supplies. You will need an adjustable wrench, channel lock pliers and possibly a basin wrench.  You will also need some supplies such as plumbers putty or pipe dope and some braided hose. Listen to the podcast for more details.

The faucet upgrade is not a difficult job but it does require some patience and some agility to work with all the connections on the drain, stopper and supply lines.  Hopefully the Handyguys’ discussion of their installs will give you the confidence to upgrade your sinks as well!

Survey

Click HERE to take the survey or alternatively, copy and paste the following URL into any web browser:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=jtaPUTKWr2N_2fg0wGqcMEUQ_3d_3d

For other shows on saving energy click here