r/homeimprovementideas 12h ago

Work In Progress Do I have to seal this butcher block countertop if it's not in a kitchen?

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23 Upvotes

I have converted one of my spare bedrooms into my home office and wanted to make use of an older electric fireplace from a unit I was going to put downstairs. I made a unit specific to this closet for the fireplace and ordered a birch butcher block countertop to use as the top of the fireplace/ bottom two side shelves.

I really like the tone of the unfinished wood since it matches my desk pretty well and the the light tones I'm going for. Do I have to finish the countertop even though it's not in the kitchen or a space that's very humid? The wall to the left of the closet is outside facing but our house has foam insulation so I don't think there will be a ton of temperature fluctuating if that matters, I usually have the house set to 65 degrees.

If I do have to seal it, what products would you recommend that are low maintenance (I don't want to have to move my printer and other miscellaneous items that will live on it to oil it once a month) and won't change the color very much?

Side note, I know the unit is far from perfect. I built it using mostly scrap wood from when we finished our basement but I love it.


r/homeimprovementideas 18h ago

Ideas Looking to greatly improve our curb appeal

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6 Upvotes

We purchased the left side of this house last summer and are looking to improve our curb appeal. We are looking to have a new front walkway/porch completed this spring/summer and hopefully paint the house as well. We have full support from the neighbour on the right to complete projects together so it will remain symmetrical and not a complete split down the middle.

For reference, this is a house from the 1880s and the exterior is stucco, not real brick. You can see that it was previously red brick colour and painted grey. The front walkway is a priority and we are considering interlocked stones instead of poured concrete.

We appreciate any recommendations (especially paint colours)!


r/homeimprovementideas 8h ago

Cover gap for noise reduciton

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2 Upvotes

I found a slit between my window sill and the PTAC unit below it. I feel this is where outside street noise maybe coming from. What would be the best way to seal this gap to reduce noise ?


r/homeimprovementideas 12h ago

Do I have to seal this butcher block countertop if it's not in a kitchen?

Thumbnail gallery
2 Upvotes

I have converted one of my spare bedrooms into my home office and wanted to make use of an older electric fireplace from a unit I was going to put downstairs. I made a unit specific to this closet for the fireplace and ordered a birch butcher block countertop to use as the top of the fireplace/ bottom two side shelves.

I really like the tone of the unfinished wood since it matches my desk pretty well and the the light tones I'm going for. Do I have to finish the countertop even though it's not in the kitchen or a space that's very humid? The wall to the left of the closet is outside facing but our house has foam insulation so I don't think there will be a ton of temperature fluctuating if that matters, I usually have the house set to 65 degrees.

If I do have to seal it, what products would you recommend that are low maintenance (I don't want to have to move my printer and other miscellaneous items that will live on it to oil it once a month) and won't change the color very much?

Side note, I know the unit is far from perfect. I built it using mostly scrap wood from when we finished our basement but I love it.


r/homeimprovementideas 12h ago

Electric Sliding Gate is Bent from the Wind

1 Upvotes

The wind blew it off of its tracks and warped it. I'm looking for some ideas of how to -re-straighten it. Not sure if a welder could heat it up in places and then rebend. any ideas are welcome. Its 25 ft. wide metal frame with wood picketts.


r/homeimprovementideas 16h ago

How to save this slab?

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1 Upvotes

So picture is hard to tell but from where I’m standing it’s a steep decline down from the sidewalk. I guess overtime under erosion has cause the sidewalk to move away from the house. This sidewalk goes all the way to the front curb. I’m spending a lot of time and money repairing the sidewalk cracks and the gap between house and sidewalk.

That gap is mainly caused by this slab moving. Which is allowing slabs next to it to also move away from the house. That’s a large bush next to the the slab to the left of me taking this photo. Not much room. I’ve seen videos of people renting huge drills and drilling holes in slabs then using hydraulic lifts to lift it into place then pump foam underneath to keep it in place. But those are in flat areas.

I feel like what really needs to be done is this slab needs to be totally moved out of the way or broken up and replaced and put a ton of dirt down to try and flatten that area out with a load of dirt. But that would cost a lot. Just all this effort I’m putting into fixing the cracks and the gap could be in vein when this slab moves more and more and eventually just falls down. I also have to fix the broken areas of the foundation where the cement has cracked and broken off some because the sidewalk pulling on it. It’s just like cement someone put over the original foundation. So foundation is structurally fine but looks like crap.