I'm remodeling a funky old utilitarian bathroom to make it pleasant, attractive and comfortable for the guest suite we are installing in the walk-out part of the basement. The old bath just had painted concrete floors (I have poured floor leveler and will be installing ceramic tile), the walls were cheap plastic panelling (I have removed that, furred them out and will use green board above and hardi-board and tile below). I added a vented glass block window, an exhaust fan and new wiring and plumbing. It will have a large tile shower. My dilemma is the ceiling. The overhead area in the bathroom proper is 7' 6" x 5' and in the adjacent shower will be 42" x 72". The ceiling throughout is currently exposed 3/4" styrofoam insulation glued directly to cast in place concrete (the bathroom is under a concrete porch). I have limited headroom in here -- it is barely 86" as it is, so I really can't afford to fur or stud the ceiling (which I could do with a hammer drill and concrete fasteners). Is there any fairly economical and lightweight sheathing that I could glue to the styrofoam instead? I have looked at those thin plastic imitation tin ceiling tiles that they sell for kitchen backsplashes. Seems like they might work but they are horribly expensive. I could glue up some paneling, as they had done to the walls, but I am concerned the adhesive bond, even using the glue intended for styrofoam, would not be sufficient and it would fall down or sag. Help! Any other constructive suggestions to cover this ceiling without lowering it too much or having to drill a ton of holes for fasteners in the concrete? The lighting is all wall mounted in there and the concrete is fairly smooth, dry and competent. it is just ugly (and covered with ugly foam).

Since they changed the format for YA! I can no longer post answers. When I select the choice to post and answer I get a text box, but once I have entered my answer there is no button to send or post or preview it. I tried just hitting "enter" on my keyboard but it doesn't work. Sometimes there is a slight sliver of blue color along the lower right hand portion of the field below the text box that I can click on and the answer will post. But today there is nothing, no matter how much I click or resize the window. I'm logged in and there is no error message. Anybody got any tips on this?

Try to find "Water Sports" under the new design layout of YA. You cannot get to it. The new format is horrible. Also, when trying to post a question or an answer, the text field often appears without a "post" or 'send" button so your question/answer can't be posted. This is true on both Mac and Windows platforms. Honestly, the new design of the site is so bad and so unusable I will probably stop bothering to post on it. I've been a regular answer poster for several years and am a top contributor in several categories, but the terrible design of the site now makes the process so miserable I no longer enjoy participating in it. Bad move, Yahoo! Can anyone explain why they thought this lousy revamp was a good idea?

I got some good advise from answers on here a couple weeks ago about what brands of pneumatic framing nailers to look at. I'm doing some basement remodeling (non-structural framing of walls) but would also like the unit I buy to be usable when we build a cabin next Summer. My question is, how do you determine which angle to buy? I see framing nailers ranging from 15 degrees to 30 degrees, with most around 21 to 28 degrees. What is the best angle for doing standard 16" on center wall framing? Would a higher angle framer make it easier to get into tighter spaces? I have not been able to find anything on line that explains how the various angles apply in use. And which range of fasteners should I look for it to handle. I see some only take clipped head. I'd be grateful for advice from carpentry pros or experienced home remodelers. I need to buy one by the weekend (plus a 6 gallon, 150 psi compressor).

I'm remodeling a basement bath and rec room and will be framing some walls. Hammering the frame together is not only a tedious bother, it kills my right wrist (which still has 3 screws in it due to breaking it in a ice skating accident 5 years ago). There are also some other projects we have planned that this would be handy for. So I've started looking at pneumatic framing nailers -- just want something as light as possible for home use. I like the $199 Ridgid from Home Depot for lightness and the $179 Hitachi at Lowes for the price and aluminum body but I have also heard that Paslodes are good as well. Also would like a compressor with a bit more oomph than the standard 6 gallon 150 psi Porter Cable pancake type but want it to be quiet. I don't need a commercial grade but don't mind paying a little more for tools that are well designed, easy to use and reliable. Any recommendations from you pro and hobby framers out there who own these tools?

I'm doing a complete upgrade of a funky semi-finished full bath in my basement. The height from the bare concrete floor to the current ceiling is barely 83", I will be installing porcelain tile on the floor so I will lose at least another inch there. The present ceiling is poured formed concrete (this portion of the cellar is under a porch) with 1" thick styrofoam insulation board glued on it. The ceiling area is roughly 7' x 7' square. I want the finished ceiling to look fairly attractive. If I attach furring strips (by cutting gaps in the foam and using a hammer drill to drill into the concrete to fasten the wood) and hang drywall, I will be loosing another couple of inches of height. Would it be possible to use construction adhesive to attach sheets of a good quality laminate directly to the styrofoam or would that look funky? I would have to seam it somehow since maximum laminate is 5' wide. How about that wood paneling that looks a little like narrow wainscotting? Any other suggestions from experienced bathroom contractors? I'm doing a large full tile walk in shower in there too (42" x 60"), and would need to install a low profile ceiling in that as well. I have heard that tile over handiboard is hard to do on a ceiling for an amateur -- I gather I would have to build some kind of temporary support for the tile until the mortar set, right? The foam is tightly bonded to the concrete. I removed some that was glued the same way to the walls and it was a bear to scrape off. Could I glue waterproof drywall directly to that foam or would that be asking for trouble? The original installation was all those hideous laminate panels in gloss white with the gold swirls, glued directly onto wall studs or to the foam wall insulation with plastic strips over the seams. Don't want anything like that again. Moisture resistance is not a huge issue. I had French drains and a complete vinyl weep wall system installed in that room and the walls and floor are dry. It will also have an exhaust fan and it has a large ventilated glass block window above grade. Any recommendations for a low profile, nice looking ceiling would be appreciated. Thanks is advance.

I just demo'ed an old bathroom in the basement of my 1920 house so I can upgrade it. It was a slapped together job by the previous homeowner so most of it was pretty funky, but what I found when I tore off the old laminate wallboard behind the sink and toilet really baffled me. I knew there was a 2" PVC vent pipe there because it exited to the outside through a basement window above the toilet (they had removed the glass and filled it in with plywood then buried the window behind the paneling). But when I exposed the wall framing I saw the 2" vent only came off the drain under the floor beside the toilet. The sink drain was tapped off a separate 2" pipe coming out of the floor (so far so good) but this pipe continued above the sink tap, went up in the wall about 3' then did a 90 to the right, went another foot, 90'ed back down another foot, 90'ed left and reconnected with the same pipe just above the sink tap -- in other words there is a square loop of 2" pipe that reconnects to itself above the drain tap. No connection at all between it and the toilet vent stack and no vent to the outside. What the heck is that? Why would they have not just 90'ed the riser from the drain tap to the left and teed it to the toilet vent right beside it? Never seen anything like this. Needless to say I am going to redo all the vents, but I just wondered what a an unvented closed loop like that stacked above a drain tap was supposed to accomplish. Or is it just another "clueless handyman" oddity? Whoever last plumbed this basement was crazy anyway. There are no less than 4 pairs of laundry hookup valves (4 hot and 4 cold) lined up along one wall side by side. This is a 2 bedroom single family house so I doubt they would have needed 4 sets of washing machines. And there are probably 30 shut off valves everywhere in the basement. Nice for isolating areas to work on them but a lot of the valves are really redundant. Oh, and though all the piping is 3/4" hard copper, it was all painted silver. Go figure.

I'm planning to tile a couple of areas in my basement with the 6" x 24" wood look porcelain tiles, and if it goes well, also tile 2 outdoor concrete porches this summer. I could rent tile saws but I'd prefer to have my own so I can do the various installations on my own time schedule. Since I will have to do a few cuts on the 24" length of the tiles I would need something with that range of cuts, right? I don't mind paying more for good tools, but realistically I would not be using this for more than a half dozen jobs around my own house so top of the line contractor grade would be too much. Just a good solid saw is what I want. What models do you professionals recommend? And any tips on setting these sorts of tiles would also be welcomed (grout type, spacing, etc.) I've been reading up on installations before starting (picked up a couple of books) but there is nothing better than first hand advice. Also, I plan to use the Mark E Quick Pitch products to create a 42" x 60" shower base that will be tiled. Is it all right to use standard lumber to frame in the base area behind the cement board and under the shower pan? Or should I used treated 2 x 4's or even Trex (the synthetic outdoor lumber). The shower will be in the basement, on concrete and the whole thing will be porcelain (small meshback tiles on the pitched base, larger tiles on the walls) I am a careful DIY'er so I will take your advice (have worked in the trades for over 32 years but have no direct experience with tile other than helping a boyfriend who was a contractor on a few small jobs). Want to do the right thing here. Would love to hire a pro for this but the budget isn't there this time. ;-( Thanks in advance.

I've noticed that my "best answer" percentage on Yahoo Answers has stayed the same (46%) for over two years, despite the fact that if you calculate my number of "best answers" to date from the graph on my profile against the total number of responses I am actually at 54% and have been at that level or higher for quite a while. Not that I care one way or another but it just strikes me as odd that a site that makes such a big deal out of quantifying responses can't get that to periodically recalculate.

I have a nice sized basement bathroom that was done on the cheap by the previous house owner. I'm building a suite in half the basement so I want to upgrade it. I ripped out a 32" square center drain fiberglass shower unit last weekend. The room is 7' square so there is room for a much bigger shower -- I was thinking of putting in at least a 34" x 48" or even a 60" long one. The problem is the drain stub ( a 2" PVC in good condition) is centered at 32" from both sides of the corner it was installed in. Larger pans seem to all have the drain in the center (half the width of whatever they may be) or close to one end, maybe 8" from the wall. Is it possible to get larger pans that fit that old 32" centerline drain or will I have to bite the bullet and have a custom tile shower floor built in? I would like to do as much of the work myself as possible. I have gutted and remodelled two baths completely in my last house with good results but in both cases replaced a tub unit in the same location as the old one. So this is a new predicament. The old shower was mounted on a 3" high concrete pedestal. I guess I could bust it and the concrete floor below out to make room to to offset the drain to another location but would love not to have to do that.. Any suggestions?

I'm in the US. I know if I partially retire this year when I reach 62 and apply for Social Security they will reduce the payments proportionately if I make over $14,000 a year in part time income. My question is, is that reduction in benefits based on GROSS income or NET TAXABLE income? Since I am over 55, could I actually gross $40,000 per year at my job but defer $22,000 of that to my 401K and the maximum allowed $4,000 to my Health Savings Account so that my NET TAXABLE income was only $14,000? Would the IRS then consider my "income" only $14,000 so they would not reduce the monthly Social Security payments? Or are you no longer permitted to contribute to a 401K once you have "officially" retired? I've searched a lot of websites, both IRS and financial consultant ones, and don't find these question addressed anywhere.

I have never owned a horse myself but have known family members and friends who owned them and used to do some care for them on family farms in the summer when i was younger. In fact, one of my jobs as a kid staying on relative's farms was mucking out stalls every day. So that was always my understanding -- that you need to remove the manure and keep the straw or other bedding fresh. The problem I have now (and my question) is that my boyfriend since last Spring has an unusual approach to stall cleanliness. He has two mares he has owned for at least 6 years who seem to be quite healthy, he seems to be a very responsible caregiver and gets them farrier and vet care as needed. But the one aspect of their care that makes me uneasy is that he insists they don't need bedding in their stalls and just lets manure accumulate in the large stall they share. He sent them to spend a few of months with a friend this summer while he was out of town and when he got back I helped him clear the stall with a frontloader and shovels -- it was about 18" deep solid with at least a years worth of pure manure! We hauled 3 trailer loads of it out to a pile beyond the paddock. I admit I know little about horse care but I just can't see how this could be healthy. This is not dried, composted manure, this is fresh, pee-soaked manure on top of a foot or more of old stuff that they stand and sleep in every day. He's an intelligent person, in fact he's a medical doctor (and, as I said, the horses seem fine) so I am not comfortable questioning this practice -- am I just being overly queasy? Is this a legitimate and healthy bedding option for horses? We live in a cold climate and they will be spending a lot of time in their stall which is now just bare packed earth floor -- no straw, no litter of any kind. I asked him if he would be putting down some bedding before he brings them home and he said, no, they would be fine with the manure they will be dropping in there as soon as they come back. I'm not personally queasy about horse manure, in fact I like the smell and don't mind shoveling it. But I just have trouble accepting that it is good for any animal to stand and sleep in their own excrement all the time. I mean, as an MD he is aware of microbiology and the chemistry of body wastes. If it is actually OK, I will stop fretting about it. I'd appreciate some informed feedback from professional horse people on this. Looking at equine care websites, I have never seen this practice mentioned, let alone endorsed. If there is a better option I would offer to pay for it, honestly. But then I am only around on weekends and don't live near enough to offer to help by mucking daily. And I don't want to make an issue of it if he is right.

We recently bought a small travel trailer, single axle, 2350 lbs. dry weight. We're pulling out the upper bunks and won't be loading too much in it so I expect even with the water tanks filled it will be under 2500 lbs. My boyfriend's older 5-speed 4-banger Toyota pickup really strains pulling it so I was going to either get a Class II hitch for my '95 Volvo 850 Turbo wagon (220 hp with a tow rating of 3600 lbs) or buy a 2003 Ford Ranger pickup, 5 speed 3.0L V6. But I notice the Ranger is only around 185 hp and the tow rating is only about 2500 lbs (5 speeds are rated lower for towing than automatics but I still prefer a stick). Anybody with more car and truck savvy than me care to comment on which would be a better tow vehicle? Though the 850 is an older car, the engine still has good compression at 140K and the tranny (a factory rebuilt auto) is only a year old and has 6K on it. Then again, it's front wheel drive and the Ranger is a 4 x 2 with rear or all-wheel drive. I hate to drop $8000 on the Ranger when the Volvo would work just as well. I have limited experience with towing and would welcome any advice.

Can anyone recommend a freebie for converting .mov files to .avi in Mac OSX 4.11? I'm editing some short films in Final Cut Express 4 that I want to be able to share on YouTube. I know I could drop $25 on software to accomplish this but would rather not. My raw footage was NOT .avi to begin with -- it's a digital transfer of actual film with audio and titles added in FCE4.

I adopted an 8-year-old cat from the Humane Shelter last year -- he's an absolute sweetie pie and I love him to death but I have noticed a problem that I am having that I think may be coming from him. I have never had facial breakouts my whole life (over 50 years) but suddenly have been getting occasional painful red eruptions with a small pus-filled whitehead under my chin. It occurred to me that he is constantly jumping up on my lap and likes to rub his face and wet nose all over my neck and lower face. He came from a home with other animals and several children and he has obviously always been very cuddly and affectionate with all creatures and people -- the vet already told me he has chronic herpes eye infections so I am wondering if he also carries a high load of staph. Yes, I know most people carry it on their skin, but I never got eruptions like this from other pets or sources. I've tried to be conscious of washing my hands after petting him and keeping him from wiping his face on mine. My questions: is he a likely a furry little Petri dish and, if so, is there something I can clean him with to reduce the likelihood of him carrying a lot of staph and transmitting it? He is very relaxed and I think I could bathe him if need be. But if that wouldn't help I don't want to put him (and me) through that hassle. Any advice from Veterinary techs out there?

I learned to do basic plumbing work from an old boyfriend who was a pro. During my own remodeling projects I've redone several bathrooms and kitchens, installing at least half a dozen sinks. I've always use plumbers putty to seat the drain assembly in the bowl, as he taught me to do, and have never had a problem with any of them. Cut to yesterday, in Home Depot, where I was helping a friend buy what she needed to replace her bathroom vanity which I was going to help her with. As we were collecting the miscellaneous hardware for the drain assembly, I mentioned to the salesperson that I already had plumbers putty for the drain to which he responded "Oh, no, you can't use that on these plastic sinks we sell -- that putty will eat away at the plastic eventually and the drain will leak. You have to use silicone caulk." I challenged his assertion, first that the sinks they stock were "plastic" (all the ones I've ever installed were vitreous porcelain or resin composite) then that you would use anything other than plumbers putty. He walked me over to a vanity display and re-asserted his statement that the sinks were "plastic". I told him it looked like vitreous china to me and stuck my finger in the drain, finding the typical unglazed sandpapery surface inside. I insisted it was china. Meanwhile my friend had pointed out to him the vanity she had just bought and again he insisted it was "plastic" and required silicone caulk. Against my better judgement, she bought a tube of the silicone he recommended. The white vanity counter/sink combo she bought is a composite, I'm guessing a resin. Later that day when we got to installing the drain unit in the bowl, I tried the silicone and it was a disaster -- it was so slimey that when I tried to tighten the locknut assembly below to draw the flange tight, the unit just spun in the drain hole -- I could not keep it static to tighten and seat the flange. So I disassembled it, cleaned all the silicone off everything and re-did it with a donut of plumbers putty, like I always have done. Was the Home Depot guy correct or just trying to prove he's "smarter" better than two chicks? Personally, I think he was clueless on all counts, but I'd like to hear from a REAL plumber if I am doing this right. Unfortunately, the ex-boyfriend took off for parts unknown years ago so I can't call him -- even if I could, I'd be bugging him for the $1,000 he owes me, not info on drain gaskets.

The floors in two bedrooms in my 80 year old house have 60's era 10" square linoleum tile tightly glued to solid pine subfloors. Seems to me like a perfect substrate for click-lock wood flooring. I've seen types that have the cushion backing already applied to each board section -- how do you feel about those compared to the type where you have to roll out the liner before laying the boards? Also, I'd like a good product (don't mind paying for the value) that's going to be stable, consistent in color and preferably low solvent emission. Any particular brands you've worked with that you recommend highly. I'm thinking I should go engineeered rather than solid for lower cost and the fact that these will not be high-wear areas. The rooms will have large area rugs and not get heavy traffic so wear isn't a big issue. I've been underwhelmed by the choices at the building centers but have heard mixed reviews of the products from specialists like Lumber Liquidators / Bellawood. After doing much on-line research and visiting some showrooms I'm still somewhat confused. I'm not interested in bamboo -- the rest of the house has nice old long-leaf pine floors with a red oak look and I'd like to keep that appearance to suit the vintage of the house (Arts and Crafts bungalow). I might be be installing this myself though I do have a good remodelling contractor I may pay to do it. Though I have installed solid oak tongue and groove in the past (and drilled and ring-nailed the tongue as I went) that's a lot of work, even if I buy or rent a pneumatic nailer this time. I would love to just be able to click it without nails or glue. Any problems with that type of completely floating product or do you feel that nailed or glued installations are better? I would welcome any advice or tips on product selection and installation from any of the pros on here.

I hate to be a spoil sport, but hey, you've got your own designated "surfing" section that Y/A set up just for you, is there some compelling reason why you can't post your questions over there so we people who are interested in Q/A about kayaking, canoeing, rowing and sailing don't have to wade through dozens of questions about what brand of board is sickest this season or which shorts make your butt look cute? Can you give us poor old water-sporters who have to share this section a break, please?

I was talking about my new camera with a bunch of fellow kayakers and found that most of them had the complaint I do -- lack of a viewfinder. I recently picked up a 10MP camera but have found myself going back to using my old Canon A40 because I can frame the shot through the viewfinder. Even the largest view screen on a compact camera is useless in high light and reflectance conditions out on the water, plus I am convinced that I can brace the camera better when it is pressed to my face instead of holding it out in front of me. Everyone tells me "Just shoot wide and crop later" but that doesn't jibe with a lifetime of composing my shots and the second I want to capture a scene by actually seeing it. I never had such a high percentage of blurred and skewed shots and ones with objects cut off in the frame or people blinking or turning away. Can anyone recommend a rugged compact digital that is truly waterproof and has a true viewfinder? Doesn't even have to be perfectly "through the lens."