We just moved into a new house. Previous owners had many cats (4? 5? 6?) and a few dogs, and were not taking proper care of cat litters. Those litters were in the unfinished basement, which is concrete slab floor and cinder block walls.
When moving in, we did a lot of cleaning. Scrubbed walls and floors, bleached whatever we could and used OdoBan after that (we might do some more rounds of OdoBan). We changed the HVAC filter and had the HVAC cleaned.
Now the main source of odors that remains is the basement, where the litters were located. And given the HVAC goes through in the basement, I believe the HVAC contributes to "spreading" the basement's smell through the house. There were piss stains and literal shit left on the concrete slab when we moved in and that most definitely seeped into the concrete. So of all the surfaces, the concrete slab is by far the worst.
Given that concrete & cinder blocks are quite porous, I'm doubtful we'll ever get the smell out of them (tips are welcome!). So I'm thinking painting/sealing them is the way to go.
But also, we haven't been in there long enough to know if there's any water infiltration issue. We'd like to eventually finish the basement, but have to save up for it (so it might take a year) and we thought it would be advisable to observe what happens during storms before we decide if we get a french drain, or if we can just build the framing and spray foam the walls without it. I'm assuming that the spray foam and finishing work would essentially seal out remaining odors. But again, that's not for several months as we keep an eye on water.
Any advice on dealing with the odors in the concrete/cinder blocks?
I am concerned that by painting the walls & sealing the concrete, we might mask some water infiltration issues, but we can't wait for months to address this.
Images link: https://imgur.com/a/rBUXGJ5
My wife and I are seeking your help! We are strongly considering a beautiful split entry home in our dream neighborhood located in the upper Midwest. The home just came back on the market. We suspect previous potential buyers discovered something during the inspection and we believe it was foundation related.
During the showing, we noticed several major cracks in the cinder block foundation, both vertical and horizontal as pictured. The cracks in the garage also lead to some bowing which I attempted to capture in the picture against the wall. The cracks were visible in the garage and living room wall all the way up from the garage to the first floor ceiling on the level above as well as on the outside of the house.
Our question is, how significant is this issue and what would a ballpark figure be to fix it? Is the house still worth considering?
Thank you for any helpful insight.
Where can I find some cinder blocks or a vendor that has them? Been needing several for some quests but I haven't seen a single one since I started playing. Thanks!
I have a cinder block basement. Unfortunately last year I had a moisture issue after a week or so of heavy rains. I had some things stored in cardboard boxes on the floor in the basement and I developed a mold problem. Hours of work and thousands of dollars later the basement is gutted, I have a dehumidifier and am vigilant to watch for moisture. Anyways, I would like to paint the cinder block walls as they look kind of shoddy. After doing research I feel as though using drylock on the walls to prevent moisture would be a mistake, since I doubt the outer walls are treated and I don't want water to be stuck in the cinder block. I've heard that breathable Paint is the solution, but I can't for the life of me find any available for sale. I am in the USA. Does anyone know any breathable Paint? I've spent hours searching, and maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I feel as though I hear it mentioned but brands or paints to buy are never mentioned. Thanks in advance.
In my schools gym there is a gym wall that is peeling and cracking due to friction. There is an eggshell paint that is painted over a white older paint. It is painted on a cinder block brick wall. The school was built in 1956-1960. What type of paint would be used for gymnasiums walls in this time period? Should I be concerned?
I've got a cinder block barbecue pit that I cook whole hogs on, probably just once a year. But each year I seem to keep making modifications to it to improve cooking on it. The blocks are currently stacked (staggered) but are not mortared/permanent. This year, I want to fill all the empty cells in the blocks with sand for better insulation on the pit. My question is what type of sand would be the best insulator? From my local supplier, my choices are: sand-clay mix, play sand, and mason sand. Thoughts?
Hey guys! I felt like this might be a good place to get some advice on this. My partner and I are moving into a duplex, and it's sort of a "take as is" situation. We're not mad about it because the rent is insanely cheap and all the furniture has been removed, the only issue is that it needs a serious deep clean.
The walls are made of what feels like cinder block or cement or something and they have been painted over. What type of products should I be using to scrub those bad boys down?
Bonus question... the fridge is DISGUSTING, an onion was left in there for god knows how long while the electric was off so there's definitely mold + a horrendous rotten onion smell. Is vinegar and baking the soda gonna be the way I want to go when it comes to cleaning that out?
Thanks in advance for any tips. This will be my first time doing a true deep clean so any advice I can get is deeply appreciated.
Mogul.gg ESH CEO today cited the companies exposure to the indebted Evergrande property developer as the reason for the downsizing, explaining “Yeah nah, the ‘Ariane Grande’ or ‘everlast’ whatever those Asian fellas company is what fucked us… the one thats collapsing or whatever… that or covid I guess? Speaking of Grande guess how many coffees we drink here!? Fucking heaps! It’s probably the most impressive thing we’ve done here so we put it on our landing page.”
When questioned on how a failing property developer would have any impact on a micro cap esports platform the overcaffienated CEO quickly changed the subject, awkwardly trying to spruik his his newest business venture:
“So basically, I get 2 friends and then they get 2 friends and we sell protein powder and whatever but it’s like legit, and anyway it’s called Herbalife and just between me and you ay I think it’s what I’ve finally been looking for. The esports stuff is such a drag.”
The non exececutive chairman for the company who has been quoted by MikeyRubz as being ‘about as helpful as a weed flavoured butt plug in an air port terminal full of drug sniffer dogs and nowhere near as good looking’ was unable to be reached for comment but don’t worry because if he had it would be incredibly unremarkable. And bald.
More to come.
https://imgur.com/gallery/rTDyJQG
We had our block walls built in February or March, then stuccoed, then had our gate frames made, then installed the wood! This project was massive for us because the wood install was a LOT. Sanding the wood was a huge hiccup, and we ended up hiring a friend this weekend to help us get it all done. But letting our dogs run around the front without a lead was so fun last night! And now we can get to landscaping :)
We used metal fence supports with concrete anchors to support the toppers and drilled every hole from the back so there were no visible holes (500 holes in total 🤯).
We used a UV protectant oil because this Los Angeles heat/sun is like no other. The wood weathered in a day if we didn’t treat it.
We used western red cedar and used 120 grit to smooth it out. We took 1/8” off the end and made each plank 2.5” thick with a 1/2” gap between.
We got stainless handles and will add a deadbolt on the front (looking for best smart deadbolt!)
We’re very much looking forward to some time off of projects and so happy with the end result!
This song is my fucking anthem this time of year. enjoy!
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