Vaclav, from Edmonton, writes: "Years ago the tile bathtub-surround was cut out and replaced with new drywall and tile. The upper edge of the drywall tape, which is not covered with the top row of tiles, is peeling off. How can I fix it without removing it?"Open the crack behind the tape just ...
Neville from Ajax, Ontario writes: "I have an older home built in 1972. The bathtub faucets are on 6 inch centres. All the new fixtures I can find are on 8" centres. I want to install a single control valve in the tub and shower. Does this mean redoing all the plumbing inside the wall or do ...
Jan needed to do some serious renovations at her mother-in-law's house because the she had a stroke and was suddenly less mobile than she was before. So the bedroom was moved to the main floor and a new bathroom was built to go with it.She put Pergo floating hardwood floors right through from th...
Shower faucets exist that will keep the temperature the same despite pressure differences in the plumbing system -- like when someone flushes a toilet. To see details about this "pressure balancing valve", go to "Nuts & Bolts", enter the keyword "shower" and look for "How to stop shower ...
It may surprise you, but more accidents happen in the shower when the shower suddenly goes cold, than when it suddenly goes hot. It seems that we just jump higher. But neither shock is agreeable, or safe.
That's why all new plumbing installations require something called a "Pressure Balancing va...
It may surprise you to hear that despite silicone sealants and the like, neither the grout between ceramic tiles nor the tiles themselves are actually moisture or vapour proof. Wherever water can sit on a tiled surface, or steam can soak into grout, the wood below can be destroyed by moisture see...
When mysterious problems arise in a house the task is to track down the cause – and sometimes encapsulate it.
I built a beautiful new tiled shower, only to discover a hole starting to develop in one tile a few months later! When I inspected carefully, there was nothing that touched the ...
The world of tiles is changing rapidly.
Twenty years ago we generally had a range of tile sizes from 1 ft x 1 ft down to tiny mosaic tiles. This made tiling relatively simple because slight changes in the flatness of the surface could be adjusted for at the next grout line. In fact that is...
Dan from Toronto, Ontario writes: "I saw your show about installing the Moen Positemp shower system. We had two installed, one upstairs and one in our basement shower. Both work fine for controlling the "shock" factor, but we can't seem to get enough hot water out of the upstairs one. Is there a ...
Probably one of the best ways to learn about good and bad building techniques is to work on the renovation or restoration side of the construction picture. Here is where you see the results of everything done before, especially when the results are a failed system. In the world of ceramic, stone ...
