Chit Chat in VOLTVILLE Thread #2 :)

[SandySu]

I'm so jealous of all you folks experiencing spring. Right now, it's snowing here. We've had snow every morning since that snow on the first day of spring, and there's still winter snow on the ground, too. The new snow has been melting at midday, but a fresh coat lands each morning. Yesterday, we had about 3", which is more than the fraction of an inch we got the other days. We've had a few warm days here and there (in the 40-50 range) just to tease us, but then it gets cold again, with daytime temperatures in the 20s and the teens at night. When will winter be over? It seems like never, at this point.

 

[awsum140]

moanin', Volties.

We've been a little warmer, but it was down at 22 again this morning. Most of the snow has melted and only deep shade areas and a few of the bigger piles are left. Buds are showing on the trees and some of the flowers as well. It has been kind of breezy, though, and that makes it feel colder than it is. They're talking about another week of shots of "re-enforcing cold air" before things might turn semi-normal again. Until all the snow is gone yard clean-up is on hold here.

 

[Renolizzie]

Spring will get there soon, SandySu. You, too, awsum.

Raven - I want that floor. It might be worth it to me to do tile, especially when that tile looks so much like wood. I like tile because it is so easy to clean.

Laminate is the cheaper way to go because I don't have to put concrete backer board down for laminate. The backer board will basically double my costs but when you think about how durable a tile floor is, it may be the best way to go. I love that you can just wet mop tile.

We did a pretty good job of laying tiles in the kitchen so I think we could just do this ourselves. It could extend into the bathrooms, too, so the whole house could be one type of flooring which would make it feel bigger.



You have given me something to think about for this fall when I get ready to do the floors.

 

[rave]

Spring will reach you soon. I was where you are just a couple of weeks ago when we had that big, final blast of snow followed by arctic air. It's on its way.

 

[awsum140]

Yeah, that tile has me thinking, too. We want to do tile in the dining area and that will extend down the hall as well. I think something lighter for the kitchen and baths would be better in those areas though. I'm a big fan of ceramic/porcelain for the very high durability and low maintenance. Heck, I even use backer board when I do walls with tile. Never had a problem with loose tiles, backer board and set in mud rather than adhesive. All it takes is a wet saw and maybe a diamond blade in a jig saw for curved cuts.

 

[Renolizzie]

They have other colors. I kind of like the cashew.
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/65/74/7462158d-8f50-46ad-93d8-1373117b45fa_65.jpg

http://www.homedepot.com/p/MS-Inter...se-NBOTCAS6X24/203168467?N=5yc1vZb97sZ1z0wlem

 

[rave]

Yeah, that tile has me thinking, too. We want to do tile in the dining area and that will extend down the hall as well. I think something lighter for the kitchen and baths would be better in those areas though. I'm a big fan of ceramic/porcelain for the very high durability and low maintenance. Heck, I even use backer board when I do walls with tile. Never had a problem with loose tiles, backer board and set in mud rather than adhesive. All it takes is a wet saw and maybe a diamond blade in a jig saw for curved cuts.

Yep. That's my thinking too. I'm looking into a wet saw with a diamond blade. I think I can use a nipper for those curved cuts. I did for the ceramic tile in the bathrooms but it's a bit nerve-wracking.

They have other colors. I kind of like the cashew.
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/65/74/7462158d-8f50-46ad-93d8-1373117b45fa_65.jpg

http://www.homedepot.com/p/MS-Inter...se-NBOTCAS6X24/203168467?N=5yc1vZb97sZ1z0wlem

I like the other colors too, but I was attempting to match the wood of the mantle and the timbers that go all the way up to the ceiling and down to the floor on both sides of it. The "Saddle" color is a darned good match.

I'm glad that I'm sparking creative juices.

 

[awsum140]

The problem I always have with nippers, and I have used them quite bit, is that last little "nip" to make it "just so" always seems to crack the tile I'm working on. A saw or drill is far more precise. Even a wet saw can be used to make curves using it as sort of a grinder and taking your time. Again, quite precise and non-destructive compared to a nipper.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

Yep. That's my thinking too. I'm looking into a wet saw with a diamond blade. I think I can use a nipper for those curved cuts. I did for the ceramic tile in the bathrooms but it's a bit nerve-wracking.



I like the other colors too, but I was attempting to match the wood of the mantle and the timbers that go all the way up to the ceiling and down to the floor on both sides of it. The "Saddle" color is a darned good match.

I'm glad that I'm sparking creative juices.

I bought my friend a B/D wet saw at Home Depot a few years ago since he helped me with the tile in my shower stall. Works ok for occasional use. For curved cuts I use a jig saw with a carbide blade. Slow but like Awsum I break up about half a box with nippers lol.

 

[SandySu]

On Thursday, the boy I tutor is going to be in a play at the Hangar Theater. I plan to go see him and hope to take pictures. It's an interesting, creative project, where the class writes the script and acts in it. If you want to know details, see http://www.hangartheatre.org/files/all/project4_flier_02122012.pdf

 

[Renolizzie]

That sounds neat, SandySu.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

Anybody that does online shopping needs to watch their cards. The thieves are at it again. A couple of weeks ago my cc got hit. Saturday my Debit card got it. I hate to say anything I can't prove but there was only one vendor I used both at. It could be a coincidence but there's a thread on here with several people reporting the same thing. Sometimes I charge with them and sometimes debit. I use a couple of companies that keep a card on file, like Amazon for my Bride's kindle account. On the cc their fraud dept. caught it and stopped it before it went through. On the debit I noticed the charge the same afternoon using online banking.

 

[awsum140]

I've had three incidents and, knock on wood, BOA has caught them all. I suspect one or two vendors of vaping related products, but can't really point a finger. I only use my BOA card for online payments since they seem so good at catching things. I'd never use a debit card, that's a pipeline to your bank account.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

I've had three incidents and, knock on wood, BOA has caught them all. I suspect one or two vendors of vaping related products, but can't really point a finger. I only use my BOA card for online payments since they seem so good at catching things. I'd never use a debit card, that's a pipeline to your bank account.

I opened a checking account just for online purchases with no overdraft. I keep a small balance in it and transfer what I need to it for larger purchases. If somebody cleaned it out they wouldn't get nearly as much as they could on my credit cards so it's not so bad having a pipeline to it. I did get careless and use the cc a couple of times. The bank doesn't charge any fees or anything for me to have an extra acct. and assures me it isn't associated with my other accounts except for transfers to it I choose to make. Since they blocked that card I don't have any problem using another card, not online, until they restore my money and send me a new card with a different number.

 

[tmcase]

Anybody that does online shopping needs to watch their cards. The thieves are at it again. A couple of weeks ago my cc got hit. Saturday my Debit card got it. I hate to say anything I can't prove but there was only one vendor I used both at. It could be a coincidence but there's a thread on here with several people reporting the same thing. Sometimes I charge with them and sometimes debit. I use a couple of companies that keep a card on file, like Amazon for my Bride's kindle account. On the cc their fraud dept. caught it and stopped it before it went through. On the debit I noticed the charge the same afternoon using online banking.

Would you post a link to that thread?

 

[tmcase]

Would you post a link to that thread?

If anybody wants this link you can PM me or Wuzz.

 

[SandySu]

Today, when I was tutoring, the girl read about optical illusions and saw a few examples I printed out. She was fascinated, so I will email her a bunch more I found on the Internet. Meanwhile, I came across this, which is both amazing and funny. Laugh & be amazed at how your mind can trick you!

 

[SandySu]

Here's another one about how the brain works. Most of us don't notice a lot of peripheral details. I don't, for sure. I first thought of this question as a teenager when reading Rudyard Kipling's book, Kim. If you never read it, you might like it. I sure did. At one point in the story, Kim was being trained as a spy, and they would bring out a tray of objects, let Kim look at it briefly, then take it away and have him list and describe what was on the tray. This was to teach him to notice what most of us miss. If you think you're observant, see if you can spot the changes in this ad:

 

[rave]

The problem I always have with nippers, and I have used them quite bit, is that last little "nip" to make it "just so" always seems to crack the tile I'm working on. A saw or drill is far more precise. Even a wet saw can be used to make curves using it as sort of a grinder and taking your time. Again, quite precise and non-destructive compared to a nipper.

I bought my friend a B/D wet saw at Home Depot a few years ago since he helped me with the tile in my shower stall. Works ok for occasional use. For curved cuts I use a jig saw with a carbide blade. Slow but like Awsum I break up about half a box with nippers lol.

Oh, I know. Yer both right. I'm stubborn and somewhat masochistic. I mean ... look what you can do with all of those broken pieces. I wouldn't have a birch tree shower mural to match the shower curtains I made if I hadn't broken some tiles. But these wood tiles are more expensive than the bathroom tiles, so I should try to behave myself and do it the right way. I'll try. No guarantees.

 

[cindycated]

I use a Rotozip, Rave.

Comes with a wheel attachment so you can cut like docs when they remove a cast:

with one of these:

And for carving weird shapes, you take off the attachment, and use it like this:

With one of these:

(I usually use the toothy one first, then fine-tune it with the diamond one.)

Ceramic cuts like butter. Porcelain takes a little more work. If you're doing mostly straight cuts, the wet table saw would be way easier. I never had any luck with nippers, and I get really picky about how the tiles fit.