I've been spending way more time than I had ever wanted looking for a ceiling fan for my living room which has a vaulted ceiling. I have a few basic requirements:
Decent quality, Includes remote control, No pull chain, No light. Not flush mount (does not work on slope ceilings). Large room (52" or larger blades).
My ceiling is 18.8 degrees slope and is 10 feet off the ground where the fan mounts. Due to the slope, the ceiling loses 10" of height over 26" (radius of 52" fan). So without a longer down-rod it would scrape the ceiling on the low side.
I couldn't find a single fan manufacturer spec that shows the minimum dimension of the the fan blade can safely be to the ceiling, so going with a couple inches clearance is good.
The MinkaAire New Era fan that met all the criteria is 10" from ceiling to blade. So with my slope ceiling drop I need a longer down-rod. But the fan cannot be lower than 7' off the floor for safety reasons and also it would look kinda stupid. The down-rod that is included is 6". They offer a 12" and 18" down-rod. Down-rods cannot be cut to length because they are threaded. The 12" down-rod will put the fan blades just over 8 feet off the ground and allow for about 6" of clearance off the ceiling at the low side. Hopefully that is enough.
Oh, and I did all this research without asking wife so if she doesn't like it I'm going to table-flip.
The only other options I found were a Hunter Fan Dempsey (not as attractive) and some no name fans (home decorators collection) at home depot.
Most fans seem to accommodate a 18-20 degree slope, but going steeper sometimes requires a steep slope adapter.
I did like the all stainless steel fans with metal blades but they all say blades must be 10' off the ground for safety reasons and the kinda makes sense.
Outdoor fans can be used indoors but the blades might be metal or plastic. I definitely did not want plastic blades.
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Smoke Alarm Placement is Loosey Goosey
I had a hard time collecting information on smoke alarm placement. The best guidance I found was from the National Fire and Protection Association, but it does not get very detailed about placement. Here's what I found as electricians started drilling holes for wired smokes as required by local code.
What I did:
In the bedrooms I put them 12" off the wall, centered over the door, where framing allowed. The requirement/best practice seems to be 4" off a wall, if placing on a ceiling. They could be in the center of the room but all rooms have fans. I think code would allow them to be near/under fans but NFPA suggests it should not be done that way.
In the shared kitchen/dining/living room (vaulted ceiling), I put one near the apex on the living side. There is some guidance on placement for slopped ceilings and 10 feet from kitchen stove, but it is not more than 3 feet from the tip of the fan and I didn't read that until it was installed. Of course the fan will interfere affect the path of the smoke to the detector. Ideally it would have been closer to the bottom of the stairs but that is 7 feet from the stove, so too close.
Don't count on the electricians to know all this. The code is way looser than what best practices would suggest. Oh, and they said code did not require a smoke detector in that room, which I think is wrong since NFPA says there should be one on each floor. Their argument was that is was a kitchen, but it is also a shared living/dining room and as long as you are 10 feet away from a stove it is fine.
Another I didn't get quite right was the upstairs hall where perhaps it should have been closer to the top of the stairs but 3 feet off the bathroom door to prevent false alarms from steam (according to one source, not NFPA).
Since these are wired it's expensive to change the location so do your research and hopefully you'll have more time than me.
Other sources:
Nest is showing about 8" - 12” from wall. But NFPA doesn't say anything about distance from wall, or I missed it
3' from the forced air heating and / or cooling system air supply vents
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3949593
Smoke detectors shall not be installed within a 36 in. (910 mm) horizontal path from the tip of the blade of a ceiling
Place alarms at least 3 feet (0.9 meter) horizontally from bathroom doors.
In basement on the ceiling at the bottom of the stairs leading to the next level.
Avoid Near fresh air vents, ceiling fans, or in very drafty areas. Drafts can blow smoke away from the unit, preventing it from reaching sensing chamber.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Painting with Benjamin Moore Advance vs Regal Select
I asked the folks at the local paint store what paint would give me the smoothest, most durable finish on closet cabinetry and trim and one of the guys suggested Benjamin Moore Advance. I had been painting with their Regal Select line (acrylic latex). Advance is a Waterborne Interior Alkyd that results in a so-called furniture grade hard finish. One big downside to this paint is it requires 16 hours between coats. I decided to give it a try and here are my observations
tldr; slow dry time and requires more than two coats but produces a smooth, durable finish
The closet shelving is getting Advance while the closet door jamb and trim is painted with Regal. The reason behind choosing Advance was to have a more durable paint on surfaces that will experience more wear (boxes etc). In other rooms where I used latex, storage bins had scraped off some of the latex paint.
Brush marks are still visible but much more muted than what latex produces. The paint should level more on horizontal surfaces (this photo is a vertical surface)
It's a much thinner paint than Regal and this is the major problem I have identified with this paint because after two coats, the color still looked somewhat transparent, like after the first coat of latex, so I needed at least three coats. On the plus side, it brushes very nicely; less friction than oil and does not dry immediately like latex.
Because it dries slow (very slow), you can paint slower and does not snag like latex if you brush after too many seconds delay. While the brush strokes are still visible, they are less pronounced than latex due this paint being thinner.
Sheens do not match the Regal line. The paint store recommended Satin. I had been using Pearl in Regal. The Satin has more sheen. In hindsight I would have chosen Matte. I don't need to match it exactly but the closet door trim is Regal Select and while it does not touch the shelving (in visible places), it is close in proximity.
Forms drips very easily on vertical surfaces, and not like latex where the drips form quickly. These drips form very slowly and you won't notice until after it's too late. To avoid this I found that you have to work really hard to spread the paint out (much more so than acrylic latex), and not leave any areas with excess. As I mentioned, it won't drip immediately but maybe 5-10 minutes later. This is very subtle and the major disadvantage of this paint IMO. The only positive to this behavior is that the drips are less pronounced than drips in latex and sand down easier. But you need to wait a while (days) before sanding because this paint takes so long to harden.
Requires 16 hours between coats. I knew this before I purchased and thought I’d just paint one coat each day but because this paint is so thin, I think that three coats are needed and unfortunately my weekends are not three days.
Has some odor, but nothing awful like oil
Tens to splatter much more than Regal, similar to an oil paint
Brushes seems to clean up much easier
I was able to lightly sand after a week. It was too soft after just 24 hours and I could easily mark an indention in the drip areas with a fingernail.
tldr; slow dry time and requires more than two coats but produces a smooth, durable finish
The closet shelving is getting Advance while the closet door jamb and trim is painted with Regal. The reason behind choosing Advance was to have a more durable paint on surfaces that will experience more wear (boxes etc). In other rooms where I used latex, storage bins had scraped off some of the latex paint.
 |
| New closet shelving |
Brush marks are still visible but much more muted than what latex produces. The paint should level more on horizontal surfaces (this photo is a vertical surface)
 |
| Advance Finish |
It's a much thinner paint than Regal and this is the major problem I have identified with this paint because after two coats, the color still looked somewhat transparent, like after the first coat of latex, so I needed at least three coats. On the plus side, it brushes very nicely; less friction than oil and does not dry immediately like latex.
Because it dries slow (very slow), you can paint slower and does not snag like latex if you brush after too many seconds delay. While the brush strokes are still visible, they are less pronounced than latex due this paint being thinner.
Sheens do not match the Regal line. The paint store recommended Satin. I had been using Pearl in Regal. The Satin has more sheen. In hindsight I would have chosen Matte. I don't need to match it exactly but the closet door trim is Regal Select and while it does not touch the shelving (in visible places), it is close in proximity.
Forms drips very easily on vertical surfaces, and not like latex where the drips form quickly. These drips form very slowly and you won't notice until after it's too late. To avoid this I found that you have to work really hard to spread the paint out (much more so than acrylic latex), and not leave any areas with excess. As I mentioned, it won't drip immediately but maybe 5-10 minutes later. This is very subtle and the major disadvantage of this paint IMO. The only positive to this behavior is that the drips are less pronounced than drips in latex and sand down easier. But you need to wait a while (days) before sanding because this paint takes so long to harden.
Requires 16 hours between coats. I knew this before I purchased and thought I’d just paint one coat each day but because this paint is so thin, I think that three coats are needed and unfortunately my weekends are not three days.
Has some odor, but nothing awful like oil
Tens to splatter much more than Regal, similar to an oil paint
Brushes seems to clean up much easier
I was able to lightly sand after a week. It was too soft after just 24 hours and I could easily mark an indention in the drip areas with a fingernail.
In conclusion, if you have the time and patience to deal with the dry time and, IMO, at least 3 coats, this paint produces great results. If you are doing a lot of painting on vertical surfaces or you don't need the durability than acrylic latex is fast and produces very similar results. My guess is this paint is optimized for spraying instead of brushing due to its viscosity.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Painting Craftsman Doors
Originally I thought I would rent a sprayer to paint all seventeen doors in one fell swoop. But, in talking with the guy at local paint pro shop he suggested rolling the doors. A sprayer can consume a gallon of paint, just-in-the-hose alone! Additionally, they are going to throw paint all over so I'd have to remove much of the stuff in garage I didn't want to get paint misted. Then, there's the hassle of cleaning the sprayer, which seems like a huge pain. Lastly, prepping the doors for paint is what takes the most time and I only have two sets of saw horses.
So, rolling it is.
Setup:
In basement
Doors on saw horses
Benjamin Moore Regal Select (Pearl Finish)
50 Watt Cool White LED
~68F, 50% or more humidity
I got the four inch sponge-type rollers for the smoothest finish possible without spraying.
Process:
So, rolling it is.
Setup:
In basement
Doors on saw horses
Benjamin Moore Regal Select (Pearl Finish)
50 Watt Cool White LED
~68F, 50% or more humidity
I got the four inch sponge-type rollers for the smoothest finish possible without spraying.
Process:
- Install 5" lag bolts (5/16" I think) and place on saw horses
- Remove hinges
- Putty the exposed/bare end of doors with rockhard putty. Finding lot of knots so may take two or more fill/sands.
- Use ready patch on the door seams (where stiles/rails meet) and at top where poor assembly resulted in the top rail not being aligned with stile. Also any dings and scuffed edges need to get patched
- Lightly sand the door, all areas. Open window and turn on window fan to draw out this dust, which can be dangerous
- Paint exposed wood with oil primer. Latex is probably fine here since it is an end grain and should not get raised by a water base
- Paint the recessed areas of the door with 2" foam brush. Flip door and do other side
- Roll the recessed surfaces
- Roll the raised surfaces and the exposed edge (hinge and latch side) of door. This is tricky to work all surfaces while keeping a wet edge, even under these cool/humid conditions. For bathroom doors I'm going to also paint the top and bottom edge of the doors to seal them from humidity/water contact
- Move to other door and do steps 8, 9. Return to first door, flip and steps 8, 9. Then second door, flip, and again steps 8, 9.
I've found it's very easy to get roller lines with these small rollers. I had to roll very lightly and evenly to minimize. It's hard even with a 50 watt light to see paint roller lines and areas of excess/insufficient coverage. The less paint on the roller, the smoother finish, but will take more coats.
Keep a wet edge. I found I can work from the bottom of the door and move up all three legs of the door so I don't get into a situation where one section has dried before I can make it around.
It's easy to get paint drips/buildup when painting the edge of the door. I run the roller on bottom and top of door edge to pickup any drips. Sanding drips with latex is problematic, especially before it has dried hard since it is rubbery and has a tendency to tear/rip/shred more than it sands.
Some imperfections are only visible until after the first coat. This is a pearl finish, so somewhat muted but it amplifies imperfections over the factory primer (flat). Some rockhams putty, or ready patch, if I have time to let it dry, then hit with a pass of the roller.
I'm storing the roller and foam brush in the refrigerator, in foil. I can get a lots of uses out of them this way. The only pain in cleanup is the roller pan, but it's not so bad. I use 48oz yogurt containers for the paint which makes it way easier to add to the roller pan, without the hassle of pouring from a gallon and removing paint from the lid area.
Monday, August 21, 2017
Unable Install Closet Doors After Painting in Low Humidity
I painted a set of closet doors (double) in the garage, under very dry (humidity) conditions. It was a real struggle to install the doors as the hinges did not want to align. Finally after some finagling, I got the doors on the hinges, but they did not close properly (rubbing against each other). They were in the garage for about three weeks as I was busy with other stuff, and apparently they shrank a bit. Hoping this will reverse after acclimating in the house but now the doors are pretty much sealed with latex paint so we'll see. The humidity averages around 20% outside in Denver during the summer and inside my house around 40%.
Monday, July 24, 2017
Baseboards over carpet
I'm finishing a guest room with new baseboards and doors. This room will have carpet installed so I'm installing the baseboards off the floor to allow clearance for the carpet to be tucked under. This provides a much nicer aesthetic, allowing the carpet to flow under the base.
To do this I've cut scrap trim at 7/16" on a table saw (exactly 7/16"!), then chop into 3 or so inch segments to use as spacers. I've read 3/8" seems to be the standard but no one says anything about the carpet thickness, so how can 3/8" work for all carpet? I opted for 7/16" since I will have a 1/2" pad and moderately thick carpet. You have to be careful that if your floor isn't even that you don't end up with 1/2" or higher gaps in areas or you would see gaps between the base and carpet. The base I'm using is 4.5" and doesn't like to bend much, although it will some, but my floors were mostly level so wasn't much on an issue.
I paint the base before installing so I don't have to cut in the paint along the wall. On sawhorses I sand and prime (oil base) the base. Then I paint one coat on the entire base and second coat on just the top, where it meets the wall. After installing the base I just need to fill the nail holes, sand and spot paint. Then I paint one final coat on the entire base, except of course where it meets the wall. I really like this approach, with the only downside being that the base can have some slight gaps between the wall in places, but mostly it's tight and the perfect line (no paint spilling onto wall) makes it worth it, along with time savings in not having to cut in. For the next paint job it will get caulked to fill in any gaps and painted as typical. Also, for the corners and where it meets door trim, I can caulk to the wall but it's very subtle and again I think worth it
To do this I've cut scrap trim at 7/16" on a table saw (exactly 7/16"!), then chop into 3 or so inch segments to use as spacers. I've read 3/8" seems to be the standard but no one says anything about the carpet thickness, so how can 3/8" work for all carpet? I opted for 7/16" since I will have a 1/2" pad and moderately thick carpet. You have to be careful that if your floor isn't even that you don't end up with 1/2" or higher gaps in areas or you would see gaps between the base and carpet. The base I'm using is 4.5" and doesn't like to bend much, although it will some, but my floors were mostly level so wasn't much on an issue.
I paint the base before installing so I don't have to cut in the paint along the wall. On sawhorses I sand and prime (oil base) the base. Then I paint one coat on the entire base and second coat on just the top, where it meets the wall. After installing the base I just need to fill the nail holes, sand and spot paint. Then I paint one final coat on the entire base, except of course where it meets the wall. I really like this approach, with the only downside being that the base can have some slight gaps between the wall in places, but mostly it's tight and the perfect line (no paint spilling onto wall) makes it worth it, along with time savings in not having to cut in. For the next paint job it will get caulked to fill in any gaps and painted as typical. Also, for the corners and where it meets door trim, I can caulk to the wall but it's very subtle and again I think worth it
Oil first, then Latex
I've read varying accounts about whether oil can go over latex or latex over oil. The consensus is yes on latex over oil but maybe not oil over latex. Anyway, the point about this post is to never, ever, ever use a latex primer on bare wood since it has the tendency to raise the grain in the wood. Here's what you might get
Notice the diagonal ribbons on the door jamb. That area was completely smooth before painting but the water from the paint raised the grain. When this happens you kind of have a mess. You can sand it down but latex doesn't sand so great, especially before it cures. Then you'd have to use an oil primer and then it's safe to apply latex. This is pine and I'm sure some wood varieties don't have this issue as much. I've noticed alder to be fairly stable with latex. Cedar doesn't have a raised grain but does leak tannins through latex, so oil base is essential. Also, I've noticed not all pine has this issue and it depends on the cut of the wood, with the quartersawn/end grain being mostly resistant to swelling and lesser cuts (most of what you encounter in paint grade/finger joint) being problematic.
So, for me, always oil primer on bare woods, then latex. The oil effectively seals the wood so the water can't mess with the grain
Notice the diagonal ribbons on the door jamb. That area was completely smooth before painting but the water from the paint raised the grain. When this happens you kind of have a mess. You can sand it down but latex doesn't sand so great, especially before it cures. Then you'd have to use an oil primer and then it's safe to apply latex. This is pine and I'm sure some wood varieties don't have this issue as much. I've noticed alder to be fairly stable with latex. Cedar doesn't have a raised grain but does leak tannins through latex, so oil base is essential. Also, I've noticed not all pine has this issue and it depends on the cut of the wood, with the quartersawn/end grain being mostly resistant to swelling and lesser cuts (most of what you encounter in paint grade/finger joint) being problematic.
So, for me, always oil primer on bare woods, then latex. The oil effectively seals the wood so the water can't mess with the grain
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