House Works: Your Questions on Buffing Stainless Steel, Swinging Doors, Tiling Bathroom Walls

Can I use an abrasive rubbing pad to create an even appearance on my scratched stainless steel dishwasher Yes, your idea should work well. I'd use a 3M silicon carbide rubbing pad in the "fine" grade and see what happens when rubbed in a small area.I've used this sort of thing on metal and it creates a nice appearance. The trick is getting an even finish in areas with a handle or curves.You can put a hand-held sander on top of the abrasive pad for open, flat areas, but you'll have to mimic the effect this creates by hand in close quarters.----- If you can get the hinge pin out (not all hinge designs are made for this), there are two things to try.First, put a slight bend in the pin by pounding the side with a hammer while the pin lies on a hard surface.The slight bend causes more friction within the hinges-possibly enough to keep the door from moving on its own. If the pin can't come out, then you could try taking the hinge off, hammering the knuckles of the hinge to deform them a bit and increase friction. This sort of thing usually works.----- Is my contractor right when he says ordinary drywall is sufficient behind bathroom wall tiles We plan to install tiles 75 cm up the walls from the floor, but we have our reservations about putting it on drywall. I'd never put tiles over drywall in a bathroom in my own home, so I share your reservations.Installing tiles over plywood is a better approach, and cement board is another good option.Something called Kerdi-Board is my favourite tile backing. It's normally used for shower stalls and tub surrounds, but it's also great underneath wall tiles in wet places.Besides the fact that drywall is physically weak, water splashing on the tiled walls can soak through the grout, wetting the drywall and triggering problems.---- How dry does pressure treated lumber need to be for building outdoor projects like decks, fences and outdoor furniture I've read your articles on drying wood for indoor projects, but I don't know if it applies for all projects. The moisture content of wood destined for indoor projects in Canada needs to be quite low.If the wood you're using isn't in the range of 7 to 9 per cent moisture content by weight, the wood will make your projects shrink and warp as it dries.It's disappointing and there's nothing you can do after the fact to make things better.The good news is that this situation changes dramatically when it comes to outdoor projects. In most places in Canada, lumber can be dried down to no lower than 12 to 14 per cent moisture content if it's kept in an unheated space.Even in a dry, covered space, lumber never gets drier than this without being in a heated location.Moderately-moist wood is okay for outdoor projects because it's never going to get more than moderately dry.Also, outdoor projects are less refined than indoor woodwork, so cracks and warping are normal and insignificant.Very wet construction lumber has a moisture content of over 20 per cent but you can usually still build outdoor projects from this.In fact, it's often better to work outdoors with green lumber because it's usually straighter than drier wood.-------