City of Bloomington, MN Home Improvement Seminars, 17 Jan 2012

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From YouTube: Bloomington HRA: Do-It-Yourself Bathroom Remodeling (2011)

Description

Brief discussions on differ types of bathroom fixtures( sinks, faucets and toilets) and how to install them.

A

I'm holland, I work for the wilmington housing authority. We have many different functions. We do whole improvement roles. We also do growth redevelopment and I'm also responsible for tearing down the black potato properties and reselling the blocks.

A

Tonight we have marvin stone, who is a master plumber and is employed by home depot. The housing authority in the city of bloomington does not endorse any specific company or any specific product. However, they hope have been has been gracious enough to supply marvin, to make a presentation this evening he's going to be talking about different ways to remodel your bathroom from changing fixtures to basically gutting and retiring, so I'm going to uh just turn it over to marvin and let him take care of you and your questions this evening.

B

I do guys I'll tell you a little about myself. um I've been a master plumber for 14 years, been a plumber for almost 23 years. I started when I was 14 years old. I've seen just about every kind of bathroom and every kind of remodel job that went on from good jobs to bad jobs. My own mistakes included yeah.

B

I am human. I did my we had funny stories about myself too, so I'll be more than happy to share them as we go um I'll. Tell you what not to do- and this is what I did- I'm also a do-it-yourselfer. um I've done a lot of tiling jobs. um I've built three houses now um I've just about seen just about every aspect of the construction field.

B

The economy is what it is: everybody's kind of fixing up their own bathrooms to their own house. um Everybody's got questions myself included. I've been told, never to touch sheetrock again in my life.

B

Plumbing comes naturally to me so.

B

Where, when somebody first comes up to me, they say you know what I'd like to remodel my bathroom, I often say: do you have an idea? Can you picture it in your head? What you want it to look like and a lot of times they go? No, I never even thought of it.

B

um Remodeling is a lot easier and whether you're looking at catalogs pictures have an idea. It makes your job go a lot, smoother know what kind of finishes on fixtures you want. Just have a rough idea have a notebook and jot ideas down. It gives you a great idea, a great game plan to actually achieve what you want to achieve.

B

A lot of people get into the remodel job, they're working, they're, working the work and they're tired and often they get burnt out, and then it sits, there's nothing more frustrating than that, especially to your spouse that you're trying to impress.

B

So I do. I have a four-year job that I just finished tonight and she finally said thank you, so I'm guilty of it myself when I first get remodeling depending on the scope of what you're trying to do. um Some people want a very quick, easy uh upgrade to different finishes. The different fixtures.

B

The easiest thing to do is to change the color of the most wonderful thing in the bathroom, the faucets, the light fixtures, the handles the door accessories um change, the color paint it.

B

Some people want to go a little further. They want to re-tile, they want to gut it man. I can ask if anybody has any questions, some people don't like touching plumbing at all.

B

I do offer a lot of advice to people when they run into a problem and they don't know what to do they're pulling their hair out.

B

I literally get I've done this class three times now um they take my name, they come and see me. I can offer advice all day long. What I can't do is I can't go out to your job site and actually do the job for you. So simple, bathroom, modeling, first things. First, um if it's a big job, sometimes a dumpster is greatly helpful to actually get rid of the debris.

B

A lot of people like to pile it up in their driveway or in their front yard, make some wonderful yard ornaments plan, for it get rid of the things you want to get rid of right away, sometimes having all the debris.

B

Let's say, your old toilet, your old cabinet, your old top, your old faucets, your old tile, piling up in the bathroom is nothing but aggravating. So what I tell people is first things. First, let's get rid of the stuff. You don't want. If you don't want the cabinet, don't want that sink! You don't want that tub. Let's get it out. Let's get a fresh look at it clean it up. Let's you have to evaluate, as the job goes on, you will find things that you're not planning for that's remodeling.

B

um First things. First people like to come in and they go. I like a new trap. First thing I ask them, is: what's their size, traps come an inch and a quarter inch and a half depends on when your house is built. The inch and a quarter was very popular, the 40s 50s 60s and even early 70s. It was because of price.

B

You can see a huge difference in size, one inch and a half one inch and a quarter. Nowadays we don't use this. We just use the inch and a half. It doesn't clog as easy. It makes life very simple, but then people say well. The drain coming down from the sink is always inch and a quarter. How can I make that adapter in every trap.

B

There's a little lovely washer called an inch and a half to inch and a quarter adapter, there's little tricks to the trades here.

B

So if this is an inch and a quarter drain and we got an inch and a half trap, it literally kind of just plugs in and maybe some people do, everybody have any ideas of a project. That's up and coming. They have a question right away. Maybe I'm skipping over something.

B

B

Absolutely I will try um so that washer like I, was saying it literally adapted it from the enchanted quarter to the inch in half and just by me, tightening it it literally snugs it up what most people do wrong when they're changing out or they have a leak on their traps? Is they don't get new seals?

B

You can buy new seals for like a dollar each and that's why most traps actually leak. They don't tighten them up with new seals.

B

The other biggest thing is these loosen up about every six months from anybody know why hot and cold water is expansion and contraction they loosen up if it's metal, if it's plastic plastic, is a little more prone, but it does work well, and all you have to do is literally just get under there and just grab it turn it tighten it.

B

Anybody doing tiling in their bathroom okay, how many people have the old cast iron clawfoot tub that they'd like to get rid of? um Are we doing projects where we're or clawfoot or cast iron nope? um You can actually yeah absolutely they're worth about 100 each in scrap metal. um It depends on where you bring it I'd call around um anybody. I have an idea on how to get those out of the house: wear safety, glasses and gloves. Wear protection that porcelain on there comes off like razor blades.

B

Fours twos threes um yeah, it does come out. It's a lot more manageable getting out um when people like to replace their tub. They think that they can maybe just take out a couple inches all the way around the tub, and that would be suffice.

B

No a lot of times you're doing a lot more remodeling than you're, anticipating.

B

The faucets, the tubs, how many people have two handle tub and shower valves?

B

Have you shopped around trying to find out um where you can get replacements in different colors?

B

The two handle faucet is no longer code. They do actually still allow it. If you do any certain percentage of your bathroom, if it's over, I believe it's 50 or 60 percent. They ask you to get this up to code. These are not anti or posse temp or anti. Have you ever been in that shower somebody flushes a toilet in another bathroom, and also you get a nice either hot shower or really really cold.

B

The two handles and three handles, don't have that the only way you can get that faucet, so it doesn't burn you or freeze you. You got to go to a one handle faucet. Now some people have their tile. They have three holes in there or two holes from their old faucet. They say: well, I just retiled that bathroom, but I'd like to get it up to coat.

B

I like to make it so I enjoy my shower a little more often there is wonderful remodeling plates and what it does is it covers the three holes it's about. 12, you can switch those out relatively easily.

B

um You need an access hole from the back to actually work on the plumbing, though, but it does save your tile, wonderful, wonderful, little tricks, um how many people have changed out a vanity sink and they went to replace it either with a larger one or a smaller one, and then they realized things just don't line up and they're buying this flexible trap adapter or this flexible little joint.

B

The cities don't allow those. Those are an accident waiting to happen.

B

What we tell people is you want to line up the drain in the wall to the actual drain assembly for the actual bathroom faucet, you line them up. You have a wonderful time, putting everything back together when they're off. We call it a window of opportunity, six inches the traps actually pivot and people like to replace things exactly how their old one was. If they've seen it where.

B

It's coming out of the wall and it's looking very very straight. What people don't realize is it's okay, you can actually turn it sideways. You can extend this out left or right. You can also they sell them in 45s. It makes life very, very simple.

B

Anybody have an idea what this is or what I call this most homeowner's third trip to the hardware store the elevations between your old vanities to your new vanities, sometimes there's differences. There makes a wonderful extension if you're too low, if you're too high the drain's coming down for whether it's your kitchen, your laundry tub your bathroom sink people always say I should have listened to you.

B

I should have grabbed this and I'm like it is now how many people have that older house, where they have the cast iron piping in their house and they've, always wondered. How do you make those adaptions or conversions over to the pvc they're metal pipes, um home depot sells home depot, menards, lowe's, ace hardware, everybody sells these. What's called emission coupling, it adapts the metal pipe to a pvc pipe or abs. Whichever you choose it's okay, to go right on the threads, I forgot to bring one. I had a couple other things.

B

I grabbed and said um anybody know why they call it a mission coupling because you're on a mission to join two dissimilar materials. Plumbing is very simple. There. People who came up with these names didn't really put a lot of thought into it. It just is what it is. You'll find a lot of funny names and things in plumbing the other thing people when they have their drain or their trap, and it's not lining up.

B

Let's just pretend this is coming straight out of the wall and we're trying to get into this trap.

B

You got to know the pipe size for one to get the right trap inch and a half does not go inch and a quarter. It's just laws of physics, but if their drain is off, people want to buy that according style little adapter. We do have 45s that we can glue on or screw back on and we can actually change the route of where that trap is going.

B

We don't have to usually remove any of the pipes. We can actually just add a new one and we can actually convert back to a new trap. It is a little bit simpler than people think. The other thing is before you start putting all the metal pipes onto metal pipes get the mission coupling it's about five dollars. It literally will save you hours and frustration, and some hair in my head um very wonderful, very easy.

B

Any questions so far.

C

D

When you put them that any of those couplings or the mission coupling do you.

B

D

Seal the new they.

B

Actually have what's called a hose, clamp and a hose clamp is um it's literally a stainless steel ring with a nut on the end that you tighten with a screwdriver or a wrench or a socket, and it literally squeezes right onto the pipe whether there's thread there, whether there's no thread there. um I wish I would have bought one, uh let's move on to on toilets or sink repair, our sink installation. Maybe that's a better way of going.

B

Anybody have an idea what they would call this spread for a bathroom sink, there's two different kinds: four inch on center and eight inch on center, very vital that you know that it helps you choose the right. Faucet.

B

Wow that could have been prepared.

B

I know where this is going to wind up, so I'm automatically putting on the floor where it's been gonna go.

B

Has anybody changed out faucets in here before? Okay, one of the best inventions ever to be made by the plumbing industry are the flexible water lines. Now people always ask me: what do I need to put these in? You literally need a wrench and a little bit of smarts there's a rubber washer in all of these. A lot of people have the directly connected faucet right up or direct hard pipe water lines right up to the faucet.

B

Replacing with these it's so much simpler. It is code. It is vital to every city since about 1970 to actually have shutoff valves underneath your sinks. It makes life very simple in case you run into that trouble and you have to shut down the entire house. If you have these under there, they literally um make it. So you can just shut just that fixture off now. There's two different types here.

B

Some of them have what's called the football handle this one. Doesn't it's literally a chrome handle the football handle is shape of a football.

B

Anybody have bad water pressure in one particular fixture or sink it's normally due to either the valve underneath or the supply line. Cities have cast iron galvanized water mains. They like to decompose from the inside out. There's flakes, there's all kinds of wonderful things dissolved within water. These plug up very, very simply very easily slowly diminishing your water pressure.

B

These also can collect the new ones that are quarter turn. They actually have done their homework. These don't fail like those old football handle ones.

B

So if you have, if you look underneath your sink and you have a handle, that looks like a football, if you haven't moved it in a few years, two three 5 10, you might want to consider moving it just to check to see if it actually moves a lot of times they get frozen in the open position, and then they always say well, why isn't it shutting off? Well, the debris has literally landed right on the flat washer.

B

It just keeps collecting it just keeps building up next thing. You know they're, not working, they don't shut off, then you're, shutting off the whole entire house.

B

So if you are looking to replace them, do the quarter turn valve it's a much much better valve. It doesn't fail like the old ones that did.

B

Anybody looking to change out their bathroom vanities.

B

Okay, um size definitely come in with either the dimensions of it. It will greatly help you out. The other thing is have an idea: what kind of countertops, what kind of sink.

B

They come with porcelain, cast iron and even fiberglass. The price greatly reflects everybody always asks. What do I seal the bottom of a faucet with they usually come with their own plastic seal? If they're installed properly, they will actually seal. If you want peace of mind, cheap insurance put some silicone underneath here and then put it down.

B

It works very, very well. They normally don't leak. What you don't want to put underneath there is plumber's putty. All it does. Is it elevates your your actual faucet up from the sink plumber's putty actually dries out over time. It cracks it crumbles. um It literally leaves a void there. That's where you get the leak coming down from the back side, where the water lines protrude through.

B

So that's why we tell people use silicone it squishes down, but absolutely nothing. That's a lot easier.

B

Is anybody a pedestal, sink or a kitchen sink, and you just don't, have the right tools to get up in there to actually tighten them on um they used to not have these tools available to the actual homeowners or do-it-yourselfers.

B

Anybody know what that is one of the plumber's best friends: it's called the basin wrench. What what it does is, there's jaws on here. It opens up.

B

It also turns 90 degrees out if it wasn't stolen the package, but regardless you can get it up in there and you can literally tighten it without having to have your head in there your hands it's about nine dollar tool. It works wonderful.

B

Sometimes you can get it without having to buy one of these, but if you run that spot where it's tight, which is what plumbing is it's always hard to get to, they also have the new and improved I'll pass this around, but it won't it allows the water line to slip through it has a couple different dies, a couple different jigs in here. When I first seen it. I said you know what it's just another gimmick, I'm not going to do it.

B

um When I had apprentices and in a company that was running, I literally had each one of my apprentices running with one of these. They can get up in there. They can tighten it, they don't have to get their wrenches in there and then question gee. I hope I got it tightened up. This is actually worth its weight. It is a very nice tool. The pictures kind of show it if you want to pass it around.

B

So in just mere talking, I got the faucet installed in here everybody likes to be human and or he-man they like to over. Tighten these. What I tell people is, get it hand tight and then about a half a turn with a wrench, the wrench that they're passing around works. Wonderful for that um the other trick plumbers do. Is we actually pull these out and we get it.

B

So we can look at what we're working on a lot of people like to set it in the hole and then put your eyes underneath it and then drop all that wonderful stuff into your eyes, and it's not fun work on it, where you can see it put it down on the floor. Tighten it up, works very very easily, getting back to the water lines, water lines with the rubber grommets, and we have to be careful that we see them in there. Some of them have metal metal.

B

We have to get a little tighter, but they basically are hand tight and then about a quarter turn to a half a turn past hand tight. That's pretty much done if it leaks you grab onto it and turn it a little bit more, but if you over tighten it all you're doing is shortening the life of it. It in the model, and plumbing, though, is if it doesn't leak, don't touch it leave it alone.

B

um The drain assembly there's a couple different ones on the market. Most manufacturers because of the economy, have gone to plastic with their drain assemblies. They do work. Well, if you over, tighten them, they crack it's plastic. You can easily get the standard, which is the brass. They literally go right in everybody likes to ask.

B

How do you put them in.

B

The top part it's actually the drain, it's where the finish is it's one of the most easily destroyed parts, especially when you pour drano. On top of this, it eats it up immediately. It's a soft chrome.

B

What I tell people if you're going to do drain cleaners, get it wet first, pour the liquid in and then dump a lot of water over the top, get it out of the trap, get it into the drain where it needs to be plumber's, putty silicone.

B

This has been around since the standard of plumbing or the beginning of plumbing. They used to put it underneath toilets they used to make the wax seals out of this. Then they learn that in about seven years it fails it dries out in plumbing or in sinks, when they're actually compressed and there's literally in a non uh breathable environment, meaning when it's compressed between a sink and a drain, it works wonderfully well.

B

If you have a culture, marble top or a solid surface like granite, plumber's putty is actually made with some petroleum products, it's yellow in color. It actually stains things. So if it's porcelain cast iron or something with an enamel finish, it's okay to use, but if it's a soft product like marble culture, marble any kind of question whether you think it's going to stain, don't use it. The manufacturers actually put a bunch of stickers on things. Do not use plumber's putty here a lot of times, people don't read, I'm guilty of it too.

B

I've done a few of my grandparents house.

E

You go ahead and use your silicone again.

B

Exactly silicone, that's the alternative, yep yep! The other thing is how to put it on.

B

You don't need a whole lot. You just need to cover that put it on, so you can't see the base when you put it in.

B

Lower the bottom nut there's always a rubber seal on the bottom.

B

B

It literally screws right on.

F

Well, I don't have it low enough.

B

Like I said, I do all this work before I put it back into the actual top. It's a lot easier.

B

Any questions I'll put on the sinks.

B

I can't quite do it holding it like that.

B

Anybody have trouble with the linkage on the stoppers.

B

Because american standard has actually come up with a solution for that.

B

They have actually what's called an easy speed connect that is basically the industry standard. What a drain drain is.

B

On this type of faucet, they literally have.

B

And everything's wrapping real nicely. I have what's called a cable, it really works well, people when they first see it. They say what what are we getting ourselves into here? um You can actually do this with two left thumbs.

B

It has a little quick screw together to actually put that on. It's literally just tighten it on that's done. I can literally open and close that if I took the cover off you'd see it.

B

Oh there's even a protective thing.

B

So you don't have that. How do I adjust it? How do I make it, so it doesn't leak? How you know it's not quite right, but america, it's a very easy thing to do. You can literally take it off it. Doesn't you can be not even looking at it just as long as that screws onto place.

B

Only comes right now in the actual faucet, um with the faucet.

B

Correct, if you needed to work on it or something was going wrong with it, you can go right through the manufacturer. They have the 1-800 numbers on there. um They will literally all right boy, I'm having trouble today.

B

They will literally mail those out to you usually free if you have trouble with them or you need a replacement, um okay kind of touch base on plumbing um any questions on the plumbing part of it.

B

It will actually outlive steel. Steel will actually slowly decompose. The plastic doesn't decompose.

B

Are you referring to like the the white plastic like this? It actually is smoother on the inside. All metal pipes actually are very non-smooth. If you looked at them compared them underneath a microscope or if you really compare them. These are a lot smoother. They don't build up the the grease, the sludge, um they don't collect things as easily, so they actually do work a little bit better.

C

A certain age and then it deteriorates.

B

Sure I haven't heard of any of these actually failing unless they are actually soaking them in, like a drainage or doing something they're not supposed to with them. The pvc pipes have been around since, like about the 70s and that's literally pvc. It literally does really a really well job for the plumbing industry.

E

You can probably see them fail as you've got your output from your garbage disposal coming into that and the the abrasion of things like chicken bowl, and then they get ground up and the.

E

With virtually only the plating on.

G

E

Of the pipe holding it together.

F

E

Sure I've seen that no.

B

Like I said it depends on how or who or what is using them and what's actually being put in through they, they kind of do loosen up. They kind of do get really dirty. A lot of people will replace them when they're starting to look kind of dirty and grimy, and it's not so much that they're wearing out is literally that they've kind of um gotten dirty and they're kind of wore out the plastic nuts that come on these.

B

What plastic doesn't like is vibrations um or expansion and contractions, so they can actually wear out from tension or pressure. If things aren't lining up, things have a way of letting gravity take over when they're loose. Therefore they can do that, but you're right they can theoretically wear out. Then there are situations where they have, which is true about everything in plumbing plumbing, doesn't last.

C

B

Necessary, I don't recommend that nope nope. I don't recommend that yep.

B

Oh absolutely,.

B

Absolutely any other questions on plumbing. We can easily come back to it.

B

C

I heard kettle boiling water was a little bit of drawn liquid.

B

For the cleaning of pipes.

D

B

There's a bunch of things that people have come up with home remedies and some people say vinegar. Some people say this iron out, there's a bunch of things, there's also enzymes, which is a naturally occurring bacteria. I don't even know what it is, but regardless it's an enzyme, they literally like to eat the sludge and the grease and all the wonderful things that build up inside your pipes, especially coming out of your kitchen periodically. That is a wonderful product to put down there. um I'm a plumber by trade.

B

I I snake on my drains um yeah exactly um if it works, for you keep going yep toilets. When you are in your remodel project, you have your toilet off. You have either going to keep your floor or you're going to redo your floor. The most vital part to changing out your toilet is the flange a lot of times. We have these older houses where they have cast iron flanges and over the years. Whether something got over tightened. Something breaks we have replacements just about every harvester has them they fit inside their flanges.

B

But the critical thing is, you have to make sure it's secured. That is what the toilet actually bolts too, when you pull it off, there'll be two little slots. That's where these toilet bolts go into.

B

There's plastic, there's brass: they both work, it's whatever you're more comfortable with what I tell people is, if you use the brass, make sure you go down to in the nuts and hardware, get yourself an extra nut and an extra washer secure them.

B

Has anybody replaced the toilet and they use the brass closet bolts like this, and they go to set the toilet, and also these bolts are kind of flopping all over the place for about 17 cents. You can get yourself an extra nut, an extra washer bolt it to the flange, so it doesn't move. It makes life a whole lot, simpler, very, very wonderful trick. They like to send out these plastic keepers. They call them not many of those plumbers use them. They literally the minute. You even touch it, it's not keeping it.

B

It will hold it for about three seconds and that's about all you get out of it.

B

Anybody know what this is now. There's manufacturers have actually gone as far as to say that they have created an all-in-one box and all in one box includes one wax ring one seat: a toilet tank and the bowl.

B

When you're going to choose your all-in-one box, depending on your manufacturer, there's a couple things you want to know the flush rating um out of competition. All manufacturers have actually sent all their products to an independent study. They have what's called a flush rating, uh one being the worst, a 10 being the best we've tried, selling the four five six seven and eights they don't sell when they have a 10 right next to it for the same price. Why would you want a toilet that doesn't flush very well?

B

They, um whether you men, are menards home depot, lowes they're about a hundred dollars for the entry level.

B

If you want customer service go for the ones that are a little bit more name brand, the kohlers, the american standards, the elders, but definitely look for that flush rating, 10 being the best one being the worst every competitor in the big box stores. We all have them when we're going to put these on. Has anybody read the instructions on a new toilet?

B

Every manufacturer says to put this on the bottom of the toilet.

B

They say literally on the instructions, they literally say slap it on you're done the problem with that is yeah we sealed to the top. But now you have no idea where you're sealing to on the floor when you're setting this down.

B

Usually you're picking it up and you're kind of holding it and you're kind of going. Okay. Well, there's the bolts and we set it down. Well, we don't know if it actually sealed to the flange or not every plumber, that I've ever met.

B

We put these on the floor and we make sure that there's a critical measurement here from the finished floor, whether it's tile, linoleum wood carpet, whatever you got, it needs to be at least one inch above that floor. Very critical, underneath every toilet is a 5 8 recession to about a half an inch.

B

So if you have one inch sticking above that floor, you're gonna have a half an inch of wax squish, you're gonna know what seals you're, also gonna notice. This is about a three inch opening here.

B

These are four inch. You have a huge window of opportunity to hit it.

B

So if you put this on there and you in your flange is four inch um and you put that on there and you literally squish it down you seal it to the flange. You know it's going to be sealed, underneath you can actually check for the seal up on top, because this will actually sit off the floor about a half inch. You literally have to manually squish the wax people. Ask me all the time.

B

What do I do? If I don't have an inch, you have a couple options.

B

We call it stacking. You can literally put two of them together and literally seam them. It kind of melts in your hands just from the temperature of your fingers. The other trick is, they have what's called flange extensions. We can raise them up, but that's something that you need to determine once you have that old, toilet off and you're looking at it.

B

The other thing that people like to do is they get the toilet set. They got the tank on. They got the seat on it's working.

B

They like to leave these up and long um there's when people clean the rags catch them, you're pulling them you're wiggling them by putting the caps on taking a hacksaw, cutting them down, so they're actually low enough to get the cap on it. Just has a nicer finish: I'm guilty of it too. I've literally probably done about 15 in my life, where they call me back a year later. I was always wondered: why didn't you ever do that?

B

I forgot it's just it's human nature. You forget.

B

The other thing is: if people like to do homework on toilets, they're, going to be a lot of misleading uh things out there, um they say that they have a four inch flapper. They have a three inch flat, but there's a commercial out there. That says they can flush a golf, a whole bucket of golf balls.

B

If it has a flush rating antenna, I don't care who the manufacturer is it's gonna? They all do it. Just the one has came up. Clever enough for that advertising between a three inch and a four inch flapper. The only difference is the outside ring of the flapper they're made out of rubber the actual hole, the throat between the tank and the bowl.

B

That isn't four inch. That's not even three, that's more of about a two and a half: they all have a two and a half to two and a quarter inch trap way people like to think they have a four inch trap wave and the trap way on the toilet.

B

This is the trap in the bowl there's water here, but it comes across to here. That's your trap.

B

When the water flushes, obviously it goes up and over and then what's called siphoning, there's a couple new toilets on the market standard height and then comfort, height and then ada handicap height 88 is 18 inches off the floor and that's for the handicap. There is comfort height, which is 16 and a half mind. You there's a window of opportunity, there's about a half, an inch of discrepancy um when they say it's a 16 and a half. This one was uh told it was a 16 and a half.

B

If I measured it's probably 16 and a quarter, it's just like your water heater. They say it's 40., it's actually 39.. It's close enough. The standard is actually 14.5 to 15.. People have actually gotten taller over the years. If you measure each one of these chairs, they are going to be 16 inches. That's just a standard, it's easier on a person to have a taller toilet.

B

It's your it's! Your choice, there's no right and wrong! There's also three different types of toilets out on the market: a 10 inch roughing, a 12 inch muffin and a 14.

B

99 of all toilets in every store have what's called a 12 inch roughing and how we achieve that. Everybody see the two holes where the bolts pass through how we achieve that is when the toilet, your old toilet's sitting there get out the tape measure measure to the wall. Behind there mind you when they took that measurement for the 10, 12 or 14 they're talking to the rough stud they're, not the tile, not the sheetrock, not the plaster.

B

Well, you have to determine what type of walls you have take into consideration. How thick that is plaster is usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. A sheet rock is usually half an inch trim is usually about a quarter of an inch. So I tell people take a take an inch as a rough guideline. Add it to this measurement. So if you go right up to that back wall measure right to that side that they have 11 inches, that's a 12 inch roughing.

B

If you get, if you have that one house out there that is 13 inches, you put a 12-inch rough in there. You're gonna have about that much room behind your toilet tank.

B

The problem with that is you get that one person who is discombobulated loses their balance and they put all their weight against a tank. Guess what it just broke. It here you've got a nice plug happening, so you either need to brace it a 14 inch, roughing toilet. If you put a 12 inch there, it will work, you just have a gap there. You need to anticipate it so that you don't have that flood.

B

The other thing in plumbing. What I tell people is nothing leaks after I'm there and I just installed it. It leaks, usually happen 12 hours to 14 hours to 24 hours after I leave. I don't know what it is. It's just the curse of plumbing the next day after you do any type of plumbing go and look gravity takes over. It always winds up on the floor. The base of the cabinet. Definitely look, you can look. Your eyes can lie to you. How we check for leaks in the plumbing world is we use paper towel?

B

We run that across the floor. It doesn't lie. You can see water on the paper towel very, very easily.

A

B

About an inch and a half difference there there's a lot of houses in the area in the entire state that have small bathrooms. A lot of people like to it's very popular to put in this elongated toilet into this very small bathroom. It's taller it's longer. The problem is, it makes this bathroom feel even smaller.

B

You might want to consider staying with the the standard round. You can go taller on a round and then you don't have that quite of a feel. um It's merely um your choice. It's there for comfort, um but if you like it you like it, if you don't, you know.

B

They're definitely available over in europe um they're slowly coming here um into the united states. There's uh they're, not quite here yet they haven't worked all the bugs out. I don't know if it's in politics or why it's not here yet the other thing is water saving, toilets, most toilets. Since 1991 are 1.6 previous to 91, they were literally three to 3.2 gallons, so there's literally, they cut the water right in half when they first came out.

B

You know what they're junk I wouldn't I, if you had a 91 I'd, say get rid of it: let's buy a new one that will literally flush 10 times better.

B

The newest advertisement is they're flushing, with 1.2 gallons they've actually dropped it down. What that is, is actually advertisement they're trying to get you to say: hey, I'm water, water, conscious, I'm saving water by dropping it down four tenths of a gallon. What they did is they just lowered the water level in the tank? um Ninety percent of people will actually say it doesn't flush as well.

B

Let's raise up the water level about that half an inch and let's get it to flush where it's supposed to 1.6 is by far the best flushing performance that you will find.

B

They do work they're very simple, to install. Excuse me, um they're very what dual flush toilets: okay, dual flush toilets: they are very popular in the world. We in minnesota are very slow to adapt to it. um They are available. We do have adapter kits, it's basically a new flapper. It comes with a cable and it goes right out to the actual trip lever or the uh flush lever.

B

Two buttons big button. Little button, little button, little flush, big button, big flush. Where people go wrong, is they forget and also nick's an old now they're pushing all the buttons? And now they just flush the toilet, basically twice to three times so? Are they really saving water? Not quite yet I mean until they figured out. Yes, um what's that installation they're about as easy to change out as a flapper flappers are literally two ears or a ring that go on there's a bunch of different styles on the market.

B

Has anybody had a toilet that has that continuous running or that toilet that turns on and off on and off? It's usually because of the flapper in all city, water? There's, a wonderful chemical called chlorine. It keeps the water safe to drink. It also sanitizes things rubber doesn't like chlorine, it literally wrinkles it. It turns all kind of funny colors and it even breaks it down.

B

If you're ever going to change out your toilet, look for a product called chlorine resistant, it's about 40 cents, more, it's not much more, but you'll have about a five to ten year life, better expectancy out of it now, there's also newer, toilets out on the market that are called flapperless, and this is the reason I brought this toilet this toilet's about 90 at home depot. It has a tray inside of it.

B

It actually works really well. um I was hired to actually put this toilet into a guy's house that lived on minnetonka and, I kind of said you're putting 80 90 toilets in this multi-million dollar place, and I'm like what are you doing, and I didn't tell them that, because that's kind of rude but when I actually turned the water onto this toilet and I actually used it and I flushed it it actually. I was very impressed. I would put this in my own personal place.

B

What the benefits to this toilet is: it's not rubber. It's chlorine, resistant pvc. um You have that house that doesn't have air conditioning what happens to the toilet tank. It sweats condensation. The water is in the tray. If the tray sweats where's, the water go into the toilet, where it's supposed to very, very brilliant toilet, it's probably by far the most engineered toilet we have at home depot.

B

It's actually called the glacier bay niagara a waterfall.

B

Some people are a little bit skeptical about putting in a new toilet we've had it for three years. We have all the parts to replace it literally right on our shelves. um We have not had any trouble with this toilet, yet it is by far a very wonderful toilet.

B

Yes, ma'am: what's.

H

The flush rating on that one, a.

B

10, it is a 10 and.

H

What's the advantage of that plastic tray, it.

B

Is non-corrosive it doesn't break down like the rubber flappers. Well, the rubber flapper is by far the weakest part within the toilet. It's the first part to fail. The necks. Are the seals inside the other nice thing about this one is? It is a 10 11 and a 12 and a 13 inch roughing, there's little slots here that allow the tank to move back and forth. They have a great big seal on the bottom, so that, if you can't quite remember- or you forget, to measure your toilet and you're, not quite certain- that's brilliant.

B

It's the only toilet that actually has that um on the bowl they have a corresponding.

B

The corresponding slots, every other toilet, has a hole. This has channels very brilliant toilet, so 90, it's a wonderful toilet, so something to consider some people don't like it, because they don't recognize the name or some people are just skeptical. They like the kohler name. They like the american standard or the algers or whatever else is on the market, something they recognize.

B

It's not a bad toilet it. Actually, I would, I would literally put as many baths or toilets that I had in my house. I would put out one of these toilets in the very good toilets. Yes does.

D

That come in the comfort height.

B

It is yup comfort height, but it only comes in elongated.

B

That's the downfall. If we as soon as we get the round I'll say you know what it's the bulletproof toilet, you know, you've got every situation covered any.

C

Wax rings yup is that assuming well that can actually kind of last the life as long as the toilet's there or there's some point when it's going to dry out and all of a sudden, I get sewage dumping between my floor.

B

Anybody know why wax rings leak.

B

The rocking a loose toilet, the loose bolts- it doesn't even break down it wax it's literally. It originated as a beeswax. That's what the original wax ring was they've actually manufactured it. Now, it's actually a synthetic beeswax. Now.

B

It's sticky: it's going to get your hands a little sticky have a paper towel, wipe them off. We as plumbers. We do this and it is what it is. It does come off in the in the wash.

B

It is a wonderful product, though um they used to use plumber's putty and that's where it dried out and then they'd always have that really bathroom that had that wonderful, odor um and that's usually the cause of it. That's why they made or said it has to be beeswax or something comparable.

B

B

They've all kind of came to the same sound. um I can't say this toilet will be a little bit quieter than this toilet. They all kind of sound about the same now, what you will notice is the amount of water that is dumped between that three-inch flapper or that four-inch flapper. This is basically the equivalent of a three-inch flapper and that's what gives it that 10 or that flush rating of a 10.

B

by dumping they figured out by having a large amount of water quickly. The siphon which pulls the trap is greatly increased. The other thing that makes toilets flush better. It's gravity having that taller, toilet, that comfort height, that 88 handicapped toilet, the taller, the toilet, the more gravity, the more siphon you get.

B

Has anybody had that power assisted toilet the one that sounds like a jet taken off when you flush it, they don't do that anymore. These flush, just as equally well, um those were 10.. The problem with it parts were expensive hard to maintain, because there's no screws that you can you don't know what to adjust. Even I have I probably installed, maybe 15 in my life. I still have to pull out the internet. I have to literally look it up to see.

B

How do you adjust these things again, so they pretty much have gone off the market. You can't even find those anymore. They had a big reservoir inside these flush. Equally as well. We as humans can't tell the difference a computer probably can they could probably say, while it flushed 30 milligrams more than the other toilet.

B

So by far, the flush rating of a 10 is a very critical, wonderful knowledge to know anything else. On toilets.

B

Tiling we live in the age where all kinds of new products are coming out.

B

What do you normally put underneath tile the adhesive to mount to the wall to a shower?

B

If we get into that remodel project, we pulled off all the tile and now we're kind of saying. Well, we got to put this adhesive on. We gotta get this five gallon bucket twenty dollars. It literally is a ten square foot spot. You can literally peel the plastic off push this on the wall. You're ready to put your tile on it literally is a huge time saver for remodelers, almost very popular that we can't even keep it on the shelf. That's how popular this is.

B

It does the the old one wasn't rated for showers this one is. It literally is worth its weight in gold. I'm skeptical, I don't believe everything I read and I have to try it um so I had a buddy of mine who is a tyler and he swears up and down, but I wanted to see him put on the wall. I wanted to see him put it in that tub or that shower area. He put it on, he was literally had water on literally 12 hours later once that growth was dry.

B

It was amazing, and it's been about three years since it's been out, it's still working. He hasn't any trouble. Yes, ma'am. That's.

H

Only for tile on the wall.

B

Behind your kitchen on the cabinets for backsplashes on the floor, absolutely it's very, very sticky! You definitely want to wear old clothes when you're wearing it. If you touch it, you will stick to your hand pretty. Well, you literally peel the plastic off. You adhere it right to the wall. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, quick product about 10 square 10 square feet.

B

It is not replaced cement board. This goes on the cement board. It's literally about an eighth of an inch thick to 3 16.. They do require a soft sponge. Grout sponge, um usually the the tool you use to push the grout into the cracks. You have to literally push the tile into the stickiness to help make it smooth in order to get a better surface area towards biting.

C

Does it have any problem with large tiles if you're going, you know, 18-inch tiles or something.

B

It can hold the weight mind you, you still need the little squares, the little crosses to help hold the weight and you always work from the bottom up. You don't do the opposite and gravity will help you there very wonderful product, it's about 19. Every yes does that dry. Then it does actually cure. It will actually become rock hard. um Just it's. um What is that hot glue? It has the same tension or the same thickness or hardness of hard glue or the hot glue. So once you take.

I

It out that I I don't know if it's sealed or whatever, but once you take it out of there, you have a working time where you have to get.

B

The tile on the wall, you have, you have literally two three five hours. um You don't have to worry that oh geez, I waited um definitely read the instructions, it will tell you, don't put it on and come back three days later and expect it to be not cured. It has something to do with the oxygen in the air. There's a chemical reaction there. So it does actually the longer you let it sit the harder it gets.

J

B

Absolutely where most people like to put it is on the backsplashes in their kitchens and that's originally where they wanted this, but remodelers have experimented they put in their bathroom. They learned they needed to correct something a few years ago to make it more for the waterproofing of the bathroom for for the showers, but yeah works. Wonderful on floors.

B

It is there's two sheets, um it's kind of um sealed. Together, you need to pull the plastic off so when you're pushing on it, you'll be pushing on a plastic that you'll be able to pull off you're not going to have your hand on it.

B

It literally will be no plastic on here.

B

It's wrapped in cellophane, the dark side where it's white, obviously we're going to pull that off. We didn't want to be able to see what you're actually putting up you can take your scissors. You can cut it around. You can cut, do whatever you got to do to make it fit your application.

B

When you peel this layer off and we stick it up on the wall, you can actually push with your hand and that will that will literally get it to stick there.

B

Do you like to pass that on.

B

That's just to adhere the tile to the wall or the floor. A lot of people have the green rock. um They experimented with that. It's actually sheet rock that has a water vapor barrier on it.

B

It it didn't last, very long out of the market um if it gets wet, it becomes saturated and you can push your hand right through just like sheetrock.

B

There is a couple of different products, called cement board, hearty backer, a couple different products and there's pros and cons of both, but they both work wonderfully well. This product works really well on both of those you can actually remove your old tile. If you have good door rock behind there or a good hardy back or a good surface behind there, you need to check it to make sure that it's rigid, it hasn't sustained any water damage.

B

If you don't have the water damage you're ready to put this on, you can have your tile done that same day. Yes, sir. What.

K

If, when you remove the old towel now your sheet rock is going to be damaged right, it.

B

Could be from the old glue? Yes,.

K

That doesn't make a difference.

B

You should actually get a new surface on there um and they have leveling compounds. They have actually um plaster that you can put on. If you go to do these repairs, where you're filling in the voids or the holes, um it is recommended to actually put what's called a water vapor barrier behind it, liquid latex, most tile contractors when they go to do the remodel and they pulled off the old tile and there's holes in the wall or there's sheetrock nail holes screw pops to old glue. You pulled it off, it's got a damaged rock.

B

You can actually take regular sheetrock compound and put it up, get it nice and smooth. It doesn't have to be perfect. It should be close. So this is liquid latex. You could put it on with a brush. You can put it on with a brush. You can literally make a literally a balloon where this water wet area will be. um You can put on your ceiling, you can put it on your floor, um the floor to all the way to the shower walls. um You're gonna put it on in about three or four different coats.

B

It dries in about five minutes very easily put on, but it does make a very nice thick membrane, very, very uh important to have a waterproof surround, especially when you're using the sheetrock compound to fill in the holes, but it's a wonderful product. Unfortunately, this is about 35 bucks.

J

So on your bathroom walls, especially in the shower, you put a sewer.

J

B

It literally covers up all the nails, all the screws.

C

B

Winds up being about an eighth inch thick after about three coats, um so it's a real nice thick membrane um adheres wonderfully well tight space yeah.

B

What exactly is going to go in there yep the nice thing about this. It also fills in cracks a lot of times with hearty back or cement board. He always wind up with that nice wide open spacer. You can actually fill in the crack a little bit with it. um It'll take a couple extra coats, but it will actually fill in holes now.

J

Does that go on all the walls or just lost entirely? That's.

B

Your discretion, um if it's a wet area, I tell people, do the entire room? Do the entire wall that whole tubs around area a lot of people, don't really put it on the floor? You're more than welcome to it is expensive. It is about 35 for the half gallon.

B

Correct um that is a latex. um It is there's actually different types of tile adhesive. The latex is not meant for in the wet environments.

B

Yeah people have their opinions on what what they like better. I like the adhesive without the grout in it I put that on first and then the tile, but now that this mat has come out, I'm going to be doing that.

B

Nope that actually goes on the rough wall before the tile. Once that correct, it literally makes a big balloon. Then you put.

E

The man on top of that.

B

That's your adhesion. Yes exactly and then you can grout in after after the tile's.

E

B

Yep yep, the beauty of the mat, is you don't have to wait for that to dry or cure after you have that on after you push it into place, you can literally grout literally 20 minutes later.

C

What's the coverage.

B

It actually depends on how you put it on um they. Don't really have a say that this will do a 10 square foot area.

B

I had a larger shower. I thought one would do. I actually ended up going back and getting an extra another gallon of it or another tub of it. So.

C

That's a smaller shower.

B

That will do basically a normal 36 48 inch hour, no problem yep.

J

B

If you're not going to tile it, you don't need it. It's in that wet area. Okay,.

C

So, just on the layer.

B

So now we got our tile installed. We got it grouted, it's cured, it's dry. What is the next step? Does anybody know correct.

B

Sealer at least once a year, if not twice a year, that's one step, I preach it. I tell people, you've got to do it. I have tile shower at home. I think I've done it once in three years.

B

It is what it is, um but it's also it's very vital. Grout is porous. It's cement, cement absorbs water, it can actually get in behind and it can drain down. That is why the importance of the red guard, if it does get through the grout and there's red guard back there, it slides down the red guard and out the bottom of the tile.

B

Whenever you have a tub or you have a base that your shower is going to be in. You should always leave, what's called a weep hole for drainage, because if water gets behind there and it can't drain, guess what it's going to cause damage it just that's the nature of the beast.

B

They literally either use like a toothpick, or they leave just a little small opening in something that you can't visually see, but weep holes are very important, but by sealing it it's cheap insurance.

B

Literally once a year, some manufacturers say twice a year: it's if you remember to do it more power to you. Like I said, I'm I preach it. I tell people you got to do it and then I forget, but very very, very vital.

B

The other thing about this from the tiling contractors that I know personally to the ones that come into my store. I always ask if you like it, tell me why, and what?

B

What don't you like about the other products they basically have said dollars will greatly reflect what chemicals are in these and how long they last there's a this, is, I think, like a 10 bottle, there's ones that are like a dollar two dollars three dollars on sealers it is, it does actually the more this little bottle is what most contractors actually use it's made by miracle. They swear up and down by it if they're a contractor, they use it every day.

B

The last thing they want is a service call they're, not happy they're, not getting paid they're doing work for free they're, actually fixing something because they use an inferior product. So when they say that this is what they swear up and down by, I have a tendency to believe them.

B

Any questions so far, yes,.

H

Just to clarify you just seal the grout, you don't have to seal the tile. It.

B

Depends on the tile that you're using there are granite, there are slates, there are natural stone products, those have to be sealed also, and they also should be cleaned before you seal them. If you don't clean them, you're actually sealing the grease, the soap, the line, the dirt. Whatever into that sealer, it's not going to come out so definitely buy a cleaner, clean it.

B

Some of the best sponges on the market actually have a little scrub pad, and then I always get a new, a new sponge, um a lot of people like to save a dollar or two, and then literally I'll use my old one, and then it's crumbling and they're wiping these crumbs into their sealer or their grout.

B

It's always good advice literally to get a new sponge. A clean sponge, especially.

B

Any questions of our yes, sir.

K

We have sheetrock that has handling moved on. Okay. Is there anything that can be done? Besides tearing the sheetrock out.

B

Unfortunately, a lot of times they use construction adhesive to adhere that your sheetrock is going to be pretty ugly. You might just have save a few hours instead of trying to save it, just pull it down, but you won't know until you're actually doing it normally what they see when they see sheetrock and paneling nope. Let's get that off. um Unfortunately, that's not what people want to hear, though, but you will save some time with the attitude and going in there that hey it's coming down. I don't have to be clean and neat about it.

B

B

Not so much on the plastic plastic is water.

B

Just the grout yep water, the plastic does actually repel water very well.

B

There's actually um two ways of doing it. One is the manual way it literally is a screwdriver, but it has a tungsten carbide very gritty, looking tool, I didn't bring one, but it looks like sandpaper glued on a little knife and you can literally manually scratch it out.

B

You can actually do what's called a dremel with a grout removal and they have a guide and you can literally just walk it along it spins it it spins it out. The problem with that is it's very dusty. It's throwing dust out in the air throwing the little sand particles out it's. However, you can get it out, there's no right and wrong.

B

What you want to be careful of is not to damage the tile, so sometimes the dremel. If you're, not careful, you can literally damage it. This will actually go onto the plastics it literally just pushes into place. The pipes literally go in one full inch, remodelers, love them because there's no tools, it takes human error right out of the equation. You literally push it in you're done so you're, not soldering, you're, not gluing.

B

The problem is: there's a lot of engineering. A lot of manufacturing that goes into it so they're about four to five dollars of fitting some of the rarer ones are a little bit more money, but they do work really well out. The remodeling world.

B

Teflon tape pipeline compound anybody know the difference where you're supposed to use it.

I

Correct what you.

C

May want to take off.

B

Not so much how it was taught to me is teflon tape is a deep thread sealer, whether it's half inch, whether it's inch and a half two inch three inch. All these threads are very deep. What we do is we hold it in one hand we literally wrap around four or five times. If not eight times, you don't have to be very exact. A lot of people like to put just one layer on and then they come back and say: well it didn't it didn't seal anything I'm like well.

B

How much teflon did you put on hot was taught to me, as I put on four to five times with teflon tape.

B

We call this the topping technique. I like to explain this only because I hold, on my left hand, hold up my thumb and I top it if I can hold it, but I go four or five times around it. Does a nice, it's a deep thread. Sealant.

B

You really only need it on the very first 3 8 7 inch to a half an inch, because the fittings only go on 3 8 of an inch to a half an inch. We put this over the top. Anybody know why it's pipe joint compound, it's actually, basically. Originally it was liquid teflon.

B

Now it's actually manufactured it's actually a synthetic product, that's similar to it. It's a little cheaper to manufacture. It works the same though it takes friction on the equation. All plumbing pipes are actually tapered, so the tighter you screw things together, the more luck you're going to have with actually making a seal. So I can teach my apprentices they've right off the street. They have never even seen the channel locks before I control this trick. I can actually walk away and actually feel confident that they're going to get it tight enough.

B

You put this liquid on, takes friction on the equation. It just walks right together.

B

Most people like to think teflon is the cure-all. They wrap anything and everything it's just like silicone. They like to call plumber's goop the cure-all to the any plumbing leak. It is literally meant for a deep thread sealant. It helps bulk up the actual joint that you're trying to screw together. It does work well. We sometimes even use this in spots when we're not supposed to, but this is the real trick.

B

I put that right over the top. It goes on like toothpaste, it's actually rather thick. I literally take my finger and put it over the top yep yep, and do the old plumber trick and wipe it on my pants, and I'm done um it is water soluble.

B

You do need to be careful when you're choosing these there's a lot out on the market. They're oil-based they're water-based. This is the only one. That's water-based. It comes in a red and white can tube or a yellow the yellow is only for gas.

B

They do that. Only for color coding.

B

Well, ptfe is actually a manufacturer's model name and that is actually an oil-based product. If you put the oil, the yellow tape is a big misconception, there's not one guest manufacturer or even supplier. That actually recommends you use the tape. You need to use the liquid to take friction on the equation. All gas is literally a compression or a screw together type connection. They want to make sure that you have sealed extremely extremely tight or even to the right torque. So they recommend that you use the liquid on it. They do sell it.

B

We sell a lot of it, but I also cringe every time I sell it. It is what it is. um So if you have good luck, doing it more apart to you, um but they recommend the liquid. That's what gas companies, if you have that surface plus and they come out and they're checking for a gas leak and they see the yellow tape. They're gonna say that's a problem: they're not gonna, investigate any further.

B

If they see the the liquid lubricant on there, they will literally do a full, thorough investigation. um It is vital. That's what their guidelines are. That's what they have to do.

B

Any other questions, any specific questions to their project.

B

J

Five seems a little bit short five and a half is probably not bad. Okay, I don't know if I want to go to a six seven.

B

Plumbing is very um generalized. um It's there. The cheapest way of going is the five foot tub there's. Also a six foot tub there's also the five and a half, the five and a half is very rare. You are going to want to do your homework, investigate find out, which is in your budget um and that's why, when I first got here, I said: have a game plan: do your homework figure out? What tub you want to use the industry's actually walking away from cast iron?

B

um It's because they're not easy to actually maneuver around they're heavy takes two three four guys actually get these things into the house. They have some steel tubs that actually look. They feel they work just the same as a cast iron they're, also not as popular as the fiberglass or acrylic.

B

There's two reasons for that one is the steel tubs are natural conductors of btus. They rob the heat out of the bathtub. You can actually put insulation around the tub and actually help fight that conductivity or you can go with the fiberglass or the acrylic tub contractors like the fiberglass are acrylic they're light they're easy. If they damage it, they can be fixed. They can. They have surface specialty companies that can come in repair. It you'll never even know that there was a crack there. um That's the industry standard though, but it's.

B

Flimsy yeah correct, but there's ways around that um most contractors in their own personal place, when they're setting a tub or a bathtub they'll literally buy the cheapest bag of cement sand mix. They'll mix it in underneath the tub they'll literally set the tub on top of it when it cures, it's a nice solid, huge base that it takes away that flimsy news.

B

So that's a a wonderful step to anticipate if you're thinking about putting in a new tub.

G

Distance between the wall usually.

B

The plumbing's in the actual stud cavity, but you if you're, anticipating putting tile in you, need to have these measurements, and these increments actually figured out a lot of times on these shower faucets or the the bathroom sink.

B

They do offer a window of opportunity about an inch of forgiveness. It does happen. I've done it where I've set this faucet too far in and I've had to go in and actually move it forward. It's a pain in the world, but but everything can be changed.

B

G

Are there any tips or anything as far as setting that putting in the shower as far as things to maybe focus on or really make sure you do.

B

The drain assemblies, the trap where the pipe comes up out of the floor, you want to measure twice cut once.

B

If those are not perfect, you have nothing but trouble for the rest of the time that shower's there, it is very vital that they come up right where that center mark is, they usually have in every base or every server that you're buying, um and it's called the template or a measuring type schematic.

B

Sometimes they even have big sheets like this, that you can actually lay out on the floor and then literally pinpoint where that center mark is. um This is actually for the sink here, um but templates can actually be your best friend. They literally put them right on the floor, but that's very vital get that right where it needs to be.

B

Any other questions, yes, sir think.

J

About putting in the heated floor, mat.

B

J

There any kind of tiles I want to avoid from floor, not.

B

So much on tile um as long as it's a solid tile, the plastic you want to avoid where you want to be careful about with that. Electric mat is around your toilet. This melts you put heat around that it's gone.

B

Keep keep it away with the heated floors. You want to keep in mind what the thought process is when you're putting those in whether it's electric or hot water is. Where are your feet going to be you? Don't you stand in the corner? Your feet? Don't actually go beyond the wall behind the toilet, it doesn't need to be there in the hallway, where you walk, where you get out of the shower, where you're sitting on the toilet, where your feet are, that's where you want it, but definitely at least a foot away from this.

B

They learned that one the hard way, yes, sir, can.

J

You put an electric mat in the shower.

B

Not recommended you can you definitely need to anticipate it's a wet environment. You have electricity um or hot water pipes would be a little bit better choice. Sometimes it's not feasible though, but yeah it's not recommended, though so. Take in mind, you can red guard it. You can do put it in there. I have seen it done before. Most electricians go! Oh boy. I hope you know what you're getting into it's a matter of your choice.

B

Any other questions.

G

Because I'm larger than the average person sure and every other fiberglass.

E

That I've stepped in you know when you lean up against the fiberglass fiberglass. Is there any better surrounds, is like fibroblasts or acrylic better or.

G

Because I hate tiles, I don't care what it will fail in the shower eventually, and so I'm going away.

E

From tile- but I hate this round so is.

B

There anything there is um there's a manufacturer called musty, um it's one of those names on plumbing products that I say. Why did they name yourself? Musty?

B

It is actually a kind of a durastone, it's a manufactured product, but it's about a quarter inch thick, it's very, very durable. It doesn't flex like all the other surrounds.

B

It is a whole lot more money, it's literally about four five times the price, but it is very rigid. The other trick to it is spray. Foam behind have a solid surface there, whether it's sheet rock, whether it's plywood something, but you can actually foam it or you can actually put bracing in behind it. Spray foam works. You just don't want to use the whole can in a small area because it expands um it will bulge bulge it out the solid surfaces there are some tub surrounds that are literally a 16 inch thick.

B

You can literally squeeze the product. You can balance it. I don't. I talk people out of that all day long they still buy it. It is eighty dollars for a whole tub and I um not good not a good choice, right yeah but yeah. Absolutely your first impression of the product when you're shopping, for it is going to be with you for a long period of time.

B

So, if you put in your house- and you don't like it in the store you're not going to like it at home either so definitely pick one that is stronger. Musty does have a product there's also swan stone. There's also products that you can order, but they're called solid surfaces.

B

Very wonderful um companies out on the market that they resurface tubs the problem with it they don't last, it's plumbing bathtubs seem to take a lot of abuse from things falling in a two chipping two, the trick to it is you need if you remove the drain down on the bottom, because that's the most prone area, they literally just go up to it, there's still a gap there, where they're not actually making a perfect watertight system there. It does last for about seven ten years, um the chem.

B

It's actually not it's actually about the same price as a new tub, but without the labor. um So it's actually it does actually work well, um they do also have cans that you can do yourself.

B

I haven't trusted it. I haven't tried it yet. I have a lot of positive feedback, though some people come back and they say you know what it looks great with.

C

B

Yes, no and those are the people that come back. That's one of those products that I asked did it work well for you. Do you like it? If it doesn't come back and tell me, because I'm not going to tell somebody it's hard to sell something or even say hey, this is a great product and you know it doesn't work.

B

The product does actually speak for itself. It does do what it's gonna do. It does actually resurface the tub and fairly painless. You mix the two two paints together. um It is an epoxy finish and it does actually adhere well. The trick to it is: what's that.

B

You need to um follow the instructions, but it says you need to clean the tub. um You need to etch it or even um scuff. It up slightly make sure that there's no stains underneath there no rough edges it literally applies on, but like an aerosol, can it sprays on yup yup. It is a good product, though it does last for about seven years, though so for the people who are selling their house. It's a cheap alternative to make that tub look brand new again.

B

Any other questions answered.

J

Presuming that you're a delicious helper now and you're going to do your bathroom environment yourself.

J

uh Can you point out to us some specific kindness that we should be aware of so that when the inspector comes and checks our work, we can we can kind of know what what are some of the specific things you gonna be looking for.

B

The accordion style drain when they have that drain that doesn't quite line up and they use this flexible little adapter to make it it's cheap. It's easy! It works well for a few years. That's the first thing that they're going to look for, don't use it. They will literally red flag and they'll say fix it. They call me back another 35 permit and you're coming back, that's one of the biggest things they look for. The other thing is: there's silicone. There's acrylic caulk every toilet. This is the other thing they like.

B

These need to be sealed to the floor, and you can literally take the to silicone or a dab product is what most plumbing contractors use it's water soluble. We can literally put it on with the little squeeze tube, take a wet sponge and we wipe it off. It looks very clean if you get it in the grout, it wipes right out, but they want to see that that's sealed to the floor. It says it. That's.

J

Done after the.

B

Base is set. What you do is you literally put a bead.

J

Of it around the bottom.

B

We get this toilet up and working. We fill a tank full of water, have the seat on it's ready. We can flush it. What we're looking for is water seeping out from the side.

B

um If you put this caulk on or something that you seal it to the floor now you got to cut that and actually get that up and off, and that was one more step you got to do so we we actually just come by and just it doesn't take much, but we seal them right to the floor and that's something that they're very that's the two biggest things that they look for in plumbing.

B

The other thing is electrical: if it's in a tub area, a lot of people like to put their fans or light inside that bathroom, it needs to be sealed. Moisture cannot get at that electrical connection, whether it's a light bulb, whether it's a fan fans are not allowed in a shower area. um Those are the real biggest things that they're looking for. um They will also want to. They will literally look to see that everything is holding nothing's leaking.

B

If you have a leak, they're going to say you got to fix that and call me back they'll kind of chuck a little bit, there's not much in the remodeling that they're really looking for, because it's already past the building codes when that house is built.

B

So it's the biggest thing is that big, flexible connector on the trap? That's the most one of the most critical things they look for.

J

One of the things not in the coming area, but I've heard that that they would like to have a separate watch electrical line. That runs right from your fixtures in your bathroom right to your main fuse box.

B

Yes, what they're, actually referring to is every bathroom has to be gfi protected. That's ground fault interrupted. So in case you drop your dryer into the sink. You have it full of water you're not going to electrocute yourself. It doesn't necessarily have to go back to the panel. Why or what you've heard is? That's the easiest way. It's yeah right there um just to achieve that. Gfi protection! Oh okay! um So that's usually why they say that you go back to the panel. Then um it doesn't need to the power coming into that outlet.

B

Can you need to just get the gfi outlet and it has to literally say gfi protection and they can tell it'll, have a reset button and a test button and they will test it to see if it's working.

B

The other thing is every bathroom in the state. They say that it has to be lighted and vented, and that's just some, that's the other thing they're looking for it either has to have a window or it has to have that bathroom fan.

B

That's the basically the four things that they're looking for. They want to see that it's finished and no one's going to hurt themselves. That's the big things that they're looking for.

E

At what point do you need at what point do you need to pull up.

A

A

Yes, okay, so if I'm going.

G

And I'm putting in a new battery most likely, not okay, because it's there, the toilet. It's.

A

Already there, no, I, if you're, just changing like the light, no pickles are, uh if you're, going to move that vanity.

B

Word otherwise, if you have questions mind, you there's a language barrier between me and every person what they're seeing on their job. What I'm hearing always can be two different things: bring a picture. Take a picture with your camera, your phone. However, you can do it, I'm not allowed to go to your site, but I'm I can give easy advice early in the morning, I'm the opening associate at home depot, I'm there from six in the morning to 2 30 every day in the morning.

B

I have a lot more time to actually spend one-on-one time with you. If you get to the busy time of the day, I have five people staring staring at me and they're asking they're like well. Why are you spending an hour with this gentleman or this person?

B

So if you can, you run in trouble, come see me I'll be more than happy to help. We can definitely answer questions. What's up random american boulevard, yep yep, unfortunately I forgot I do not. um um You can call the the line uh right to home depot it'll prompt it to the plumbing department. I carry the phone. It literally goes right to my phone. I usually answer it every single day except sundays and mondays.

B

So if I can help, let me know.

F