c/edmonton-diy

My garage workbench after one winter in Edmonton

I built a workbench out of 2x4s last October and by March the top had warped nearly a full inch from the humidity swings. Has anyone else had trouble keeping their DIY projects straight through our freeze-thaw cycles?

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

I was all set to just throw some fiberglass batts up in my garage ceiling last weekend up in Edmonton. My buddy Dave kept telling me to go with the spray foam instead because he did his place two winters ago. I fought him on it for like an hour because batts are way cheaper, like $200 for my whole ceiling compared to $600 for the foam. But Dave wouldn't shut up about how his garage stayed warm even when it hit minus 35. So I caved and rented one of those DIY spray foam kits from Home Depot on 137 Ave. Man, what a mess that was, the foam gets everywhere and I looked like a swamp monster for two days. But now its been a week and my garage actually holds heat way better than my neighbors place who went with batts. Has anyone else tried both and found one way better for Edmonton winters?

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

Honestly, I've been using Freud for years because everyone says you gotta spend big on blades. But I grabbed that cheap Diablo knockoff on a whim when I forgot my good one at home. Cut through some pressure treated 2x4s and it was fine. Took a little longer but no burning or chipping. Now I'm wondering if I've been wasting cash this whole time. Has anyone else tried the budget blades and been surprised?

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

Brought it home and spent three hours trying to get the seized chuck off with penetrating oil and a pipe wrench before I realized the locking collar was just finger tight. Has anyone else found old tools that almost fought back?

Finally got my basement window egress done after 2 years

Bought a house in Garneau back in 2022 and the basement windows were those little hopper ones no adult could fit through. Spent last weekend cutting the concrete myself and installing a proper window well. A neighbor stopped by to ask if I needed a hand and ended up showing me how to brace the forms so they don't buckle. That one tip saved me from having to redo the pour. Anybody else have a neighbor who made their DIY project way easier?

Can we talk about using the wrong blade on a circular saw for framing?

I keep seeing posts where people use a finish blade to cut 2x4s and call it fine. Last month at a job site in Edmonton, a guy burned through three blades in an hour on pressure treated lumber because he was using a 60 tooth blade. The wood was charred and the cuts were off by 1/8 inch. Does anyone else check blade type before starting a frame?

Talked to a plumber at Rona who made me rethink my whole approach to pipe glue

Was grabbing some supplies for a bathroom reno in my 80s house in Mill Woods. This older plumber, maybe late 60s, sees me eyeballing the cheap purple primer. He just goes 'you know that stuff cracks on ABS in cold weather, right? Use the clear stuff instead, it flexes.' I always thought primer was primer. He even showed me a joint he did 12 years ago that still looked new. Never thought temperature played that big a role. Anyone else get schooled by a hardware store employee like that?

Tried spray foam insulation in my garage ceiling, got a surprise mold problem 3 months later

I insulated my detached garage ceiling with closed-cell spray foam back in July, thinking it would be the gold standard for keeping the space warm. Instead, I found dark spots forming along the roof deck after a few rainy weeks, and my moisture meter readings were way higher than before. Did I do something wrong with the application, or is spray foam just not right for unheated garages in Edmonton's climate?

Finally chose a basement subfloor after 3 weeks of overthinking

Had to pick between Dricore and the platon dimple mat system for my basement in Edmonton. I went with Dricore because my floor is fairly level and I didn't want the extra height. Took me a whole Saturday to lay it down but it clicked together pretty nice. Has anyone tried both and regretted their choice later?

Stumbled on a surprising stat about Edmonton's basement flooding during a DIY forum deep-dive

Honestly, I was just looking up how to seal my own foundation cracks after that big rain we had last month, and I found out that over 60% of Edmonton homes have had some kind of basement seepage issue. I had no idea it was that common around here. Has anyone else noticed a weird increase in water problems after the thaw this year?

Just noticed my basement walls showing salt crystals after 2 years dry

I finished my basement workshop back in 2022 with drylok and everything looked perfect. Last week I spotted white fuzzy patches near the floor joists on the north wall. Turns out the exterior grading had settled slightly and water was wicking through the foundation. I dug out the dirt and added 4 inches of clay fill to slope it away, but now I'm worried about mold behind the drywall. Has anyone dealt with efflorescence popping up years after finishing a basement?

Painted my basement bathroom with that $12 a gallon discount paint from the ReStore off 99 Street

After 8 months of constant peeling and flaking from the humidity, I stripped it all off last week and spent $35 on a proper mildew-resistant primer and paint combo from Home Depot, and the finish looks like a whole different room already - has anyone found a cheap paint that actually holds up in a small bathroom with no fan?

Chose spray foam over batts for my garage ceiling and now I'm questioning everything

I was pricing out insulation for my detached garage last month and went back and forth between standard fiberglass batts and closed cell spray foam. Ended up paying a crew $1,800 to spray the whole ceiling, and while it seals great, the smell took three days to clear out and now I'm worried about ventilation. Did anyone else take the spray foam route and regret it or am I overthinking this?

Just hit 500 board feet of reclaimed lumber from Edmonton alleys

I've been grabbing old pallets and scrap wood from behind shops in the Whyte Ave area for about 8 months now. Yesterday I stacked all the usable pieces and measured them out of curiosity. Turns out I have over 500 board feet saved from the dump, mostly oak and pine. That's like $1,500 worth of wood if I bought it new from Home Depot. Has anyone else calculated how much they've saved by scavenging building materials around the city?

I finally snapped after my neighbor told me to 'just use caulk' for my drafty windows

So I been dealing with this really old window in my basement suite for like 2 years now. Every winter it whistles like crazy when the wind hits it. My neighbor Larry sees me trying to stuff foam tape in the gap and he goes 'why dont you just caulk it shut, it'll take 5 minutes'. Like yeah Larry, I want my only basement window permanently sealed. I even looked up the actual fix online. The gap is almost 3/8 inch at the top, caulk aint for that. Ended up getting a proper v strip and weatherstripping kit from Home Depot for like $14 and it actually stopped the draft after I took the whole window apart and cleaned the tracks. Has anyone else had people give them the worst possible DIY advice like its obvious?

Couldn't decide between a corded vs battery table saw for my garage shop

I've been building shelves for my basement in Edmonton and needed a table saw, so I was stuck between a $400 corded DeWalt or a $600 battery Ryobi. I went with the corded one because I didn't want to mess with battery life, but now I'm tripping over the cord every five minutes. Anyone else pick one way and regret it or is cordless worth the extra cash?

I finally swapped my old miter saw blade for a Diablo one

Was fighting through pressure treated 2x6s for like an hour after work yesterday, then grabbed a 60 tooth Diablo from Home Depot on Whyte Ave and it cut through like butter. Anyone else been slow to ditch the blade that came with the saw?

Shoutout to the guy who made me ditch my old caulking gun

I've been using a cheap $10 caulking gun from Home Depot for years and just figured that's how caulking felt. Last month I was helping a buddy in St. Albert tile his backsplash and he handed me his $40 dripless gun. I laid down a bead on the first try that was actually smooth and even. That whole time I thought I was bad at caulking, turns out my tool was just junk. Has anyone else had a cheap tool make them think they sucked at a job for way too long?

PSA: Spent $280 on a pressure washer and it paid for itself in one afternoon

The concrete on my back patio looked like it had a layer of grime that would never come off. I finally caved and bought a basic electric pressure washer from Canadian Tire for about 280 bucks. After watching a couple YouTube tutorials I spent maybe 3 hours on a Saturday going over the patio and the walkway from the driveway. The difference was honestly night and day like it looked brand new. I was about to pay a company $450 to do the same thing so I figure I came out ahead. Anybody else try this or did you get burned by a cheap unit?

Overheard a guy at Home Depot explaining drywall mud to his kid, learned something myself

TIL a corded drill beats battery every time for fence building

I spent last summer rebuilding my back fence in Edmonton and used my old Dewalt 20V for the first 10 posts. Kept stopping to swap batteries and the torque just wasn't there for the 6 inch lag screws. Switched to a $60 corded Black+Decker from a pawn shop on Whyte Ave halfway through. Finished the last 15 posts in one afternoon without a single stall. Anyone else find battery tools just don't cut it for heavy framing jobs?

Tried patching drywall with mesh tape instead of paper, total mess

I was fixing a small hole in my basement wall from a doorknob hit, about 2 inches across. Used mesh tape and all-purpose joint compound like the guy at Home Depot told me. But the compound just bubbled up underneath the tape and never stuck flat. After three coats and two days of sanding, it still looked like a wavy pancake. Finally gave up and ripped it out, used paper tape with a thin pre-coat and it was dead flat in one try. What do you guys use for small patches that won't crack later?

My neighbor called my diy deck railing a safety hazard so I had to redo everything

I built a cedar railing last summer and my neighbor who builds houses pointed out my posts were only 18 inches deep in the ground. He said Edmonton frost would pop them right out in 2 years. Anyone else had to tear down something they already finished because someone showed you it was done wrong?

That leaky PEX fitting in my basement took 6 HOURS to fix

Everyone says PEX is so easy to work with but I spent a whole weekend fighting a single crimp ring near the water heater in my Edmonton house. The tool kept slipping and I had to redo it THREE times before the joint stopped dripping. Has anyone else had a crimper that just won't grab right on the first try?

Remember when a neighbor called me out for skipping primer on a fence stain job

About 3 years ago I was staining my back fence in Edmonton and a guy walking his dog stopped and said 'you're gonna regret skipping the primer on that cedar.' I shrugged it off but 6 months later the stain was peeling in patches. Now I always hit it with a oil-based primer first even if it costs an extra $40 per project. Anyone else have a random passerby give you advice that actually stuck?