Electrical Services Group 773-774-5190 http://www.esgillinois.com/
Jack's Blanton Jr. Plumbing Company 847-328-8100
Radiators - ACE Sandblasting 4601 W Roscoe 773-777-6654
Radiators - Al @ A&M Heating and Cooling Services 773-292-1313
Jeron Intercom Replacement PartsISS/Chicago 4039-43 N. Ravenswood 888-528-4070
Monday, September 14, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Construction – Day 1
The Crew:
Rewired kitchen light wiring – need to patch/hang new track lighting
Demo’d 1/2 bath for conversion to full bath
Painted Common Area Hallway (3 Flights)
Our Projects:
Scraped and Repainted the front cement blocks
Fixed Closet Drawers – Guest Room
Painted Guest Room Trim
Finished Repainting the Dinning Room a more “neutral” color
Guest Bathroom:
Monday, August 25, 2008
plaster walls and wood trim
learning to skim coat, caulk, and repair really squishy plaster spots...this project we truly learned how to repair plaster walls. the whole corner was beginning to crumble and cave in and now we have never square/sharp lines.
the trick is to with a straight edge and razor to "seer" a square around the area you want to take out. gently tap around the line with the hammer to break the plaster while maintaining the straight edge.
measure the dimensions of the removed section and cut the new quarter inch thick dry wall to as close as possible. using dry wall tape and screws secure to the wood lathe. and then join compound, smooth and sand - repeat, repeat, repeat prime and paint.
for the rest of the plaster walls that do not need to be replaced but are cracked or bumpy - open the crack more and repair. to smooth out the walls we put a very thin skim coat of join compound over all the walls sanded and primed and painted.
BRAND NEW WALLS! we couldn't be happier. the process went much quicker in the living room.
the trick is to with a straight edge and razor to "seer" a square around the area you want to take out. gently tap around the line with the hammer to break the plaster while maintaining the straight edge.
measure the dimensions of the removed section and cut the new quarter inch thick dry wall to as close as possible. using dry wall tape and screws secure to the wood lathe. and then join compound, smooth and sand - repeat, repeat, repeat prime and paint.
for the rest of the plaster walls that do not need to be replaced but are cracked or bumpy - open the crack more and repair. to smooth out the walls we put a very thin skim coat of join compound over all the walls sanded and primed and painted.
BRAND NEW WALLS! we couldn't be happier. the process went much quicker in the living room.
radiators project finished
removed, valves replaced, sub-floors added, floors replaced, radiators sandblasted, cleaned and primed. they all work! for the first time so well in fact we turned a few off during the cold chicago winter.
Here are the before and after shots. Enjoy. It was well worth it for all the radiators.
BEFORE: gross AFTER: detailed and clean
BEFORE: Floor shots. No sub floor so a few radiators were falling through. New subfloors were added for 3 radiators and the floor boards replaced.
The biggest one fixed.
The dining room.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
radiator 101
so there are several things i have learned about our radiators. originals and decorative. one pipe steam radiators.
[Excerpt: Old House]
In a one-pipe system, steam from the boiler rises under pressure through the pipes to the radiators. There it displaces air by evacuation through the radiator vent valves, condenses on the radiators inner surface, and gives up heat. Steam condensate flows by gravity back through the same pipes to the boiler for reheating. The pipes, therefore, must be pitched no less than one inch in ten feet in the direction of the boiler to ensure that the condensate does not block the steam in any part of the system. All piping and radiators must be located above the boiler in a one-pipe system.
replaced - all valves with Steam Angle Radiator Valves (http://www.pexsupply.com/)
replaced - all vents with Hoffman Adjustable Angle Air Valves (http://www.pexsupply.com/)
replacing all pipe flanges with new decorative, thicker flanges (http://www.vandykes.com/)
flushing each radiator and sandblasting exterior and properly pitching each one
steam, banging, and radiators...oh my!
ah the joys and cries of steam radiators. we spent last winter with only having 4 of the 8 on either due to them not working, leaking, banging or extreme hissing. Upon inspection the 100 year old floor no longer felt the need to properly support the radiators either. The radiators themselves are covered in years of rust, layers of paint, and just plain nasty (not a proper towel or blanket warmer for sure).
so the plan is to squeeze in a multi-job project into two weeks before the chicago cold winter really begins.
what we are learning about the old condo is every thing we do is like picking a scab, never good and always creating more bleeding. this time we thought we knew what we were getting into but of course not...
once the radiators were removed the floor was in much worse shape in expected. so the radiators are at ACE Sandblasting getting all prettied up, the new valves are on that the great team from A&M Heating and Cooling installed (so the radiators can be completely shut off or turned on) and the floor is waiting for repair. we can't wait for the consistent heat and the restored 100 year old detailed radiators to return to our condo and settle in for the winter.
the restored radiators are being sandblasted, primed, and painted with Sherwin Williams special heat oil based paint (Urbane Bronze) to give it the cast iron look instead of a painted look. i am eagerly awaiting the completion of this project since it has been on my top project list since we moved in. michele, although not as enthused is ready for steady heat.
so the plan is to squeeze in a multi-job project into two weeks before the chicago cold winter really begins.
what we are learning about the old condo is every thing we do is like picking a scab, never good and always creating more bleeding. this time we thought we knew what we were getting into but of course not...
once the radiators were removed the floor was in much worse shape in expected. so the radiators are at ACE Sandblasting getting all prettied up, the new valves are on that the great team from A&M Heating and Cooling installed (so the radiators can be completely shut off or turned on) and the floor is waiting for repair. we can't wait for the consistent heat and the restored 100 year old detailed radiators to return to our condo and settle in for the winter.
the restored radiators are being sandblasted, primed, and painted with Sherwin Williams special heat oil based paint (Urbane Bronze) to give it the cast iron look instead of a painted look. i am eagerly awaiting the completion of this project since it has been on my top project list since we moved in. michele, although not as enthused is ready for steady heat.
Monday, October 29, 2007
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