Do It Yourself: Refurbishing your bathroom: Replacing a Toilet

My toilet was set crooked and had a hole in it but i was afraid to tackle the replacement alone. So i consulted www.ronhazlton.com.  Ron is used to people looking at a toilet and saying, "I'm not touching that!" But Ron reassures the novice do it yourself person,  that it is really not a difficult job. Here are a few things that you will need to complete the project:

Tools and supplies: 
      Sponge 
      Bucket 
      Rubber gloves 
      Wrench 
      Utility knife 
      Putty knife 
      Plumber's putty 
      Pliers 
      Socket wrench 
      Level 
      Screwdriver 
  

Materials: 
      New toilet (including hardware for assembly) 
      New water supply line 
       Wax ring

1. Disconnect water supply:

• The first step was to turn off the water supply to the tank. The shut off valve was located on the wall behind the toilet.

 

  

• Next, they removed the water from the tank by flushing and then holding the drain valve up. 
  

 

  

• They would need to soak up the rest with a sponge. Unscrew the float to get it out of the way.

 

  

• It only takes a minute or two to remove the remaining water from the tank.

  

• Next, they would need to empty the standing water from the bowl. Put on a pair of latex gloves for the task at hand and began sponging. Although the water in the bowl appeared dirty, Ron reassured us that it was actually the scale that came out of the bottom of the tank and emptied into the bowl.

  

• With all of the water emptied, use an adjustable wrench to loosen the nut that attached the water line to the tank. 
  

  

• then pull the old line free.

 

 

  

2. Remove old toilet: 

• They were now ready to detach the old toilet from the floor. The toilet was held in place by two bolts. Lift off the decorative cover to expose the bolts, which in this case were very badly rusted.

  

• Normally they would remove the bolts with a wrench, but these had rusted through so completely that they were no longer holding the toilet to the floor. Actually the bead of caulk at the base of the toilet was the only thing holding the toilet in place. They used a utility knife to cut the seal.

  

• They bent their knees and carefully lifted the toilet straight up.

 

 

  

3. Remove old wax ring: 

• When the toilet was lifted out, the old wax ring was left behind on the floor. Toilet wax rings are made out of bees wax and they create a very good seal between the bottom of the toilet and the flange on the floor. It would need to be replaced.

  

• Remove the wax ring with putty knives and then scrape the remaining wax from the flange.

  

4. Replace water supply line:

• Before you carry in the new toilet, replace the water supply line. Ron almost always recommends this when installing a new toilet or sink. Older lines can often lose their seal after being disturbed.

• They carried in the new toilet bowl, which was made of vitreous china, the same thing you're dinnerware is made out of.

  

5. New wax ring:

• Unwrap the new wax ring. The wax ring had a slightly smaller plastic ring on it. They set the ring in place on the bottom of the overturned toilet with the plastic part up, away from the toilet.

Pack pieces of plumber's putty into the slots on the flange.
The putty helped hold the two new bolts upright that were placed in the slots in the flange.
6. Replace new toilet: Next, carefully lower the new toilet into place so that the two bolts extended through the two holes in the base of the toilet.
Once the toilet was in place, they pressed firmly down on the bowl. Becareful not to rock or wiggle the toilet but to just press it straight down with as much weight as possible. The weight would compress the wax ring and give them the seal they needed. If the toilet was rocked or twisted then the seal may easily break and they would have to remove the toilet and start all over again.
Next, Kelly slipped a nut cover base over each bolt…
…followed by a washer…
…and finally a nut.
The bolts were pre-scored, so that the excess could be broken off easily with pliers. If the bolts had not been scored then they would have had to cut them off with a hacksaw.
Finally, they snapped the decorative caps in place over the bolts.
7. Water tank: There were three bolts on the underside of the water tank. These would be dropped directly into the three holes that were behind the toilet bowl.
Ron helped line up the bolts with the holes while Kelly and Kate carefully placed the tank on the bowl and gently dropped it down into position. The tank was designed to fit on the bowl with a watertight seal.
Ron reached inside the tank and pushed the bolts down so they extended all the way through.
With the bolts fully extended, they slipped on the washers and nuts and then tightened them with a socket wrench. As they did this, they also checked to ensure that the tank was level.
They kept tightening each bolt and compressing the rubber grommet underneath until the toilet tank was level.
8. Toilet seat: It was simple to install the toilet seat. It attached just behind the bowl with nylon bolts.
The attachment was made with a cylindrical nut, shaped so that it can jam itself into the hole and it won't spin around as the bolt is tightened. Ron began by screwing a nut on the bottom but he explained that you couldn't finish tightening it from the bottom. There was a slot on the top of the bolt. Ron used a screwdriver to tighten the bolt from the top. The nut below did not spin because of the way it was shaped.   Finally, place the tank lid on the new toilet for the final crowning moment of completion.

Do It Yourself: Fireplace Mantel Refurbish

Do it yourself home improvement is exactly what it sounds like. this is a blog that gives you a step by step details on home to complete some of the major improvements to your home and safe some money in the process. I first want to talk about making a fireplace mantle.  This adds value and ambiance to your home.  Fireplaces are big selling factors that customers notice when entering your home.  Here are some step by step instructions that i am using to redo my fireplace.  I got these instructions from ronhazleton.com, check it out or just read me article all the way through.  Here are a list of materials and tools that you will need to complete this project:

Tools and supplies: 

      A design or working plan 
      Pry bars 
      Wide putty knife 
      Safety goggles 
      Power miter box 
      Table saw 
      Pneumatic nail gun 
      Level 
      Pencil 
      Stud finder 
      Pneumatic brad nailer 
      Disposable gloves 

Materials: 
      Standard dimension pine lumber (as needed for design) 
      Wood adhesive 
      Nails 
      Wood glue 
      Construction adhesive 
      Decorative molding for under edge of mantle 
      Plinth blocks (or corner blocks) 
      Decorative molding for facing 
      Brads 
      Decorative trim between plinth blocks and the surround 
      Interior grade spackling compound 
      Primer 
      Paint

1. Remove existing molding:

• The first step was to remove the existing molding that surrounded the fireplace using a pry bar and a wide putty knife to protect the wall.

  

2. Cut wood for new surround:

• Start by cutting out the lengths they needed from standard dimension pine lumber that they got from the home improvement center.
• For this project you might need two different types of saws: a power miter box for the crosscutting-- the cuts going across the grain of the wood, and a table saw for the ripping--the lengthwise cuts going along the grain of the wood.

  

3. Assemble surround:

• They applied wood glue to each set of the three pieces that will make up the sides and the top of the fireplace surround and then they assembled them together.
• Since this project involved a lot of nailing, it might be wise to bring along a pneumatic nail gun if you do not have to finances for this a hammer works just as well, but a little more time consuming.

  

4. Attach surround to fireplace:

• They used a stud finder to locate and mark the studs in the wall.
• Next they attached the three pieces of the surround to the fireplace. Draw a level line on the wall to put the top of the surround in place first. They held it level and nailed it into the wall studs with the nail gun.
• Next they attached the side of the surround both with nails and with several dots of construction adhesive on the side that goes up against the tile. Since you can't nail into the tile, you need to rely on this glue to hold it in place.

  

5. Form and attach mantle piece:

• A piece of 1 x 10 pine and a length of decorative molding are combined to form the mantel. The molding is cut at angles with the miter box and then glued and nailed to what will be the underside of the mantle piece. Remember to set the trim back from the edge of the board about an eighth of an inch along the edge to give an extra bit of detail.
• Apply construction adhesive to the top of the surround pieces, and glue and nail the mantel into place.

  

6. Add decorative details:

• Using plinth blocks or corner blocks,  you create a look that simulates the top and the bottom of a column. These are also nailed with the gun to the top and base of the surround and to the sides.
• Using the miter box, Ron angle cut decorative molding for the face of the surround. To attach the smaller molding, Ron switched to a pneumatic brad nail gun. This gun uses a very fine, almost needle-like nail that will prevent splitting.
• The final touch was to place a piece of decorative molding between the plinth block and the surround and tack it into place with the brad nailer. These also need to be miter cut at the ends.

  

7. Spackle, prime and paint:

• Using an interior grade spackle and a putty knife, helps fill in the nail holes and minor surface imperfections.
• They applied primer coat to the new mantle.
• They finished by applying two coats of paint.

  

THE RESULTS:

When Ron first arrived, the Coppa's fireplace was flat and uninteresting. With the whole Coppa family involved, this beautiful fireplace transformation took place in just two days! Now they have a place to put photos of their special friends…like Ron Hazelton!