c/edmonton-diy

That $80 caulking gun finally made me stop fighting trim work

I used to buy the $12 ones from Home Depot on 99th and they'd drip everywhere or jam halfway through. Picked up a dripless one from KMS Tools for $80 and it changed how I finish baseboards, no more wasted tubes or messy lines. The smooth trigger alone saved me hours on my basement suite reno. Anyone else found a tool that was worth dropping real money on?

1 comments

patriciareed•25d ago

My garage floor epoxy disaster in St. Albert, 3 days of regret

Rushed a garage floor epoxy job before the snow hit and didn't let the primer cure long enough. By day two the whole thing was peeling in sheets, so I had to grind it all off with a rental machine that cost me $180. Anyone else here tried the moisture test trick with plastic sheeting before coating?

1 comments

hollyc92•28d ago

Tried patching my own roof, ended up with a waterfall in my kitchen

Last spring I climbed up on the shed roof with a $40 tube of that rubberized sealant from Rona, thought I'd fixed a drip near the chimney. Turns out the leak was coming from the flashing, not the crack I sealed, so when the big rain hit in June my kitchen ceiling had a brown stain spreading faster than I could find a bucket. I learned the hard way that you gotta trace water from the stain up, not just patch the first split you see. Has anyone else had a leak show up in a totally different spot than the obvious damage, and how did you find the real entry point?

1 comments

dakotawood•28d ago

The level I set with shims came back to bite me in St. Albert

I put up a fence line last spring and used those little plastic shims to level the posts before pouring concrete. Looked perfect on day one, but by August the gate was dragging like crazy. Turns out the ground shifted and my 3/4 inch gaps on the bottom rail were way too tight, I shoulda left breathing room for frost heave. Anyone else in the city deal with this after a wet season, or am I just cursed with clay soil?

c/edmonton-diy

That $80 caulking gun finally made me stop fighting trim work

My garage floor epoxy disaster in St. Albert, 3 days of regret

Tried patching my own roof, ended up with a waterfall in my kitchen

The level I set with shims came back to bite me in St. Albert

The city's mulch giveaway has hidden rocks in it, learned that the hard way

Pro tip: leveling compound needs way more water than the bag says

Finally figured out my garage dust problem with a $40 swap

The old door shop on 118 Ave made me rethink my mitre saw setup

Swapped my paddle bit for an auger on a 4 inch hole and never going back

Borrowed $200 laser level beat my $700 one on a reno in Oliver

Replaced my own water heater after getting quoted $1,850

That one day last spring when my garage roof project went perfectly... actually no, it rained before I could seal the plywood (and I was honestly glad it happened)

Vent: That home inspector who said my attic had 'plenty of vents' was dead wrong

Vent: My neighbor laughed at my DIY fence and then showed me his $5,000 professional job

Swapped out my old circular saw blade last week after 4 years of abuse

Remember when Holmes Hardware on 118th had actual advice?

Tried to fix a leaky faucet in my Edmonton bungalow... total disaster

TIL about the free wood pile behind the Reuse Centre

Debate: My garage reno with spray foam vs batt insulation after one winter

Buddy told me to seal my cedar fence planks before installing and I didn't listen

My garage workbench after one winter in Edmonton

Pro tip: Picked spray foam over batt insulation for my garage and here is what happened

Tried the cheap $40 table saw blade from Home Depot vs my usual $120 Freud blade on a job last Saturday in St. Albert.

Found a 1950s drill press in my uncle's garage last weekend

Finally got my basement window egress done after 2 years