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  • #1

    Working on the rancho:

    I've been spending a lot of time working on Rancho Nobar, that's why I haven't been posting as much. I'm going to share some updates in this thread.

    A wise friend once told me this when I was a new homeowner: "you don't own the house, the house owns you."

    Well, it's the truth. I'm responsible for fixing everything that goes wrong, and I'm pretty good at it or I'll learn how. It's a never ending process.

    This week I've been working on a project to try to restore the grout on my deck. There are large areas where the grout shrank after it was set, and the cracks fill up with water and debris. I was told that the tiles on the deck are decorative and not to worry about any leaks because there is an impermeable layer below. Nevertheless, I don't feel good when I see the cracks, so I decided to fill them all myself with new grout.

    I've been watching the Fein Multimaster ads on TV a lot and really wanted the tool, but I decided to buy the Rockwell Sonicrafter instead. I ordered it from Amazon and it was shipped free in only a few days. It's a great tool, all True Christian home owners should have one. It does things that other tools just don't do. Unfortunately the blades wear down rather quickly so now I need to get some new ones.

    Here is a picture of the project:


    A close up shows an area where there was a large air pocket under the grout. I was able to chip away a lot of grout in this spot because it was so weak:


    A closer view:


    The grout is incredibly durable, even though it seems to have failed in so many spaces. I spent hours on my knees using my new Rockwell tool and also some grout scrapers that I already bought at the hardware store. For some reason the manual scrapers don't wear down like the attachment on the Rockwell, although they seem similar. The manual scrapers work well for long grooves to open them up because you can put your weight behind them.



    There are lots of cracks that are only visible because there is some moisture in them. They don't break away when I chisel at them:


    Even with my power tool and grout cutters I'm only able to expose a very thin line in some areas:


    That's about it for now. If anyone has ever done this kind of repair before I could use a few tips.
    Last edited by Nobar King; 04-30-2010, 09:46 PM. Reason: I posted in this forum because there isn't a home repair subforum anywhere
    May you be a blessing to every life you touch.
    Tags: civic pride:care for your town, home, real estate
  • #2
    Re: Working on the rancho:

    Did anything collapse this time?
    5 Reasons why GOD HATES WOMEN!
    To most "Christians" The Bible is like a license agreement. They just scroll to the bottom and click "I agree". All those "Christians" will burn in Hell!
    James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

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    • #3
      Re: Working on the rancho:

      Originally posted by Cranky Old Man View Post
      Did anything collapse this time?
      Thanks a lot. I'm going to cover that in a later update. Right now I'm trying to fix the tiles.
      May you be a blessing to every life you touch.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Working on the rancho:

        Good luck with fixing that

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Working on the rancho:

          Originally posted by Nobar King View Post
          Thanks a lot. I'm going to cover that in a later update. Right now I'm trying to fix the tiles.
          Why don't you just have your Mexicans put in new ones? That's what I do.
          Who Will Jesus Damn?

          Here is a partial list from just a few scripture verses:

          Hypocrites (Matthew 24:51), The Unforgiving (Mark 11:26), Homosexuals (Romans 1:26, 27), Fornicators (Romans 1:29), The Wicked (Romans 1:29), The Covetous (Romans 1:29), The Malicious (Romans 1:29), The Envious (Romans 1:29), Murderers (Romans 1:29), The Deceitful (Romans 1:29), Backbiters (Romans 1:30), Haters of God (Romans 1:30), The Despiteful (Romans 1:30), The Proud (Romans 1:30), Boasters (Romans 1:30), Inventors of evil (Romans 1:30), Disobedient to parents (Romans 1:30), Covenant breakers (Romans 1:31), The Unmerciful (Romans 1:31), The Implacable (Romans 1:31), The Unrighteous (1Corinthians 6:9), Idolaters (1Corinthians 6:9), Adulterers (1Corinthians 6:9), The Effeminate (1Corinthians 6:9), Thieves (1Corinthians 6:10), Drunkards (1Corinthians 6:10), Reviler (1Corinthians 6:10), Extortioners (1Corinthians 6:10), The Fearful (Revelation 21:8), The Unbelieving (Revelation 21:8), The Abominable (Revelation 21:8), Whoremongers (Revelation 21:8), Sorcerers (Revelation 21:8), All Liars (Revelation 21:8)

          Need Pastoral Advice? Contact me privately at PastorEzekiel@landoverbaptist.net TODAY!!

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          • #6
            Re: Working on the rancho:

            My only experience was laying floor tiles was on a smooth concrete floor, so no difficulty there.

            My first thought was that you would probably have been better off using an angle-grinder to cut out the grout.
            Other thoughts;
            • “What are you using to backfill the holes?”
            • “What type of grout is laid down?”
            • “If your problem is, or has been caused by, water ingress, have you thought of applying a waterproofing surface to the grout?”
            • “The small cracks could be drilled and filled.”
            • “Light tapping with a tack hammer might give a sound clue as to where other air-pockets might be.”
            • "The water in the small crack - is it coming from above (e.g. rain) or below?"
            sigpic


            “We must reassert that the essence of Christianity is the love of obedience to God’s Laws and that how that complete obedience is used or implemented does not concern us.”

            Author of such illuminating essays as,
            Map of the Known World; Periodic Table of Elements; The History of Linguistics; The Errors of Wicca; Dolphins and Evolution; The History of Landover (The Apology); Landover and the Civil War; 2000 Racial Slurs.

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            • #7
              Re: Working on the rancho:

              Originally posted by Nobar King View Post
              Thanks a lot. I'm going to cover that in a later update. Right now I'm trying to fix the tiles.
              Honestly Nobar, how is your' back? That was a pretty heavy beam.

              Time to reclaim our FREEDOM from the “Mullah in Chief” and his growing activist voter hoards of socialists, communists, anti-Semites, anti-Christians, atheists, radical gays and lesbians, feminists, illegal immigrants, Muslims, anti-Anglo whites and others.

              Hot Must ReadThreads!


              Time to come clean on Benghazi Mr Obama!

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              • #8
                Re: Working on the rancho:

                Originally posted by Ezekiel Bathfire View Post
                My only experience was laying floor tiles was on a smooth concrete floor, so no difficulty there.

                My first thought was that you would probably have been better off using an angle-grinder to cut out the grout.
                That looks like it would be useful. I just read about the grout grabber. That would have been useful, too.

                Other thoughts;
                • “What are you using to backfill the holes?” Haven't, yet.
                • “What type of grout is laid down?” Sanded grout. Could be cement.
                • “If your problem is, or has been caused by, water ingress, have you thought of applying a waterproofing surface to the grout?” You can't really waterproof grout. I just want to fill the holes that are letting in dirt, like you can see.
                • “The small cracks could be drilled and filled.” Got it.
                • “Light tapping with a tack hammer might give a sound clue as to where other air-pockets might be.” I'll try that.
                • "The water in the small crack - is it coming from above (e.g. rain) or below?" There is water coming up from several of the cracks, but not all.
                May you be a blessing to every life you touch.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Working on the rancho:

                  Every two or three months it seems I have to do some excavation in my crawlspace or my back yard, usually at night, so I know what a dirty, strenuous job it can be.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Working on the rancho:

                    Originally posted by H. Montague Worthington View Post
                    Every two or three months it seems I have to do some excavation in my crawlspace or my back yard, usually at night, so I know what a dirty, strenuous job it can be.
                    Good point Monty.

                    Nobar, maybe you should hire transients or teenage runways to do the work like Brother Worthington does with his crawl space. That way you can also help people down on their luck earn some honest cash. They are very discrete, you almost never see a transient or runaway leaving Brother Worthington's house.

                    Time to reclaim our FREEDOM from the “Mullah in Chief” and his growing activist voter hoards of socialists, communists, anti-Semites, anti-Christians, atheists, radical gays and lesbians, feminists, illegal immigrants, Muslims, anti-Anglo whites and others.

                    Hot Must ReadThreads!


                    Time to come clean on Benghazi Mr Obama!

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                    • #11
                      Re: Working on the rancho:

                      I had to take a little break from this project after I hurt my foot. I spent a couple of months not doing much but sitting on my ass and icing my foot.

                      Thanks to Brother Bathfire, who is always right, for suggesting the angle grinder. I bought a 4" Makita angle grinder at Home Depot and a diamond blade which made it a lot easier to cut out the weak grout between the tiles.

                      I had to go to a specialty construction store to buy a 60lb. sack of Qwikrete grout. All of my local hardware stores plus HD only stock the little boxes of grout which cost the same as the big sack of grout. You pay extra for the color matching. I was lucky that the contractor-grade grout was exactly the same color as the grout that I was replacing; it may have been the exact same product, for all I know.


                      The instructions suggest mixing enough grout for a fifteen minute job. I didn't know how much I was mixing and I ended up with enough for half of the entire job. I tried to work as fast as possible before the grout set up. There was a lot of leftover grout on the tiles, and the tiles are so large that it took me a lot longer just to clean off the excess grout.


                      Thanks to the guy at Ace Hardware for telling me that the off-brand grout sponges are better than the Ace sponges, and they're two dollars less, which I also appreciated.

                      I was pretty satisfied with the results. Before, there was a gaping crack all the way down several of the joints. Now, they're all filled.
                      May you be a blessing to every life you touch.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Working on the rancho:

                        I always hire Americans to work on my home or within 100 feet of it. You never know what the ethnic people might do or leave in a wall (I have found water melon seeds on my property and Taco Bell wrappers near a wall before I learned this lesson). But I also never hire True Christians™.
                        First, because it is beneath most True Christians™ to do that sort of work and more importantly, I can read them the KJV while they are working, they have to listen if they want to get paid. You have no idea how many praise Jesus and Thank God when then the job is done!
                        So not only is the gunnite in my heated pool perfect, I know I did a little something to make the world a better place.
                        Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
                        Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
                        Numbers 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
                        Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
                        Matthew 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
                        Matthew 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Working on the rancho:

                          I just finished grouting the joints in my deck. I did it in a few separate stages because I didn't want to mess up walking all over the wet grout. Today I filled the last 1/4 with what was left of a 60 lb. bag of Quikrete grout mix. I prayed to Jesus that the grout would be enough to finish the job, because I didn't want to have to buy another 60lb. bag to make a few more cups of grout mix.

                          My prayers were answered! As I reached the very last part I looked in my bucket and it was almost empty! How could I have known that I needed exactly one 60 lb. sack of grout?

                          Praise Jesus, and thank Him for guiding me in my project so efficiently.
                          May you be a blessing to every life you touch.

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