Original Condition

Dimensions: roughly 12.5' x 15' (188 sq. ft.). Deep pile dark green carpet that was in good shape but not what I wanted.

My Fixes

The biggest change here is the flooring. I wanted tile, simply for the durability and ease of cleaning. This room will see a lot of traffic, and presumably have one or two office chairs (which tend to ruin carpet and even hardwood). Plus it's the front of the house; the easier it is to keep clean, the better.

The big problem was the floor deflection. It was much too high for tile, due to long spans. So I spent a whole bunch of time sistering most of the spans in the basement with LVL beams with a cutout for 1/8" thick steel plate (oriented vertically). I then replaced the X-bracing with pieces of individually cut LVL, and added a second row of X-bracing. The floor deflection is now essentially nil.

I am in the process of tiling the floor. I chose a 6"x24" porcelain tile for durability (PEI 4) and good slip resistance (DCOF >= 0.42). I'll be using SpectraLock Pro epoxy grout, because I prefer to not spend any time cleaning and maintaining grout. It's more work to apply (and not cheap), but every time I use it on a floor or wall, I'm glad I did.

Networking... this room needs to be wired well, since it'll be office space. I'd like it to be as inconspicuous as possible, but the reality is that I need at least 20 gigabit/sec from here to the rack in the basement. LACP is fine, I just want each in-use machine in the office to be able to use 10G (at the same time). 2 people times 10 gigabits/sec is 20 gigabytes/sec. I installed two keystone walljacks, one on each side of the room. But really, the one near the French doors isn't one we'd use with a computer; it's there for a networked laser printer and probably my scanner/copier/printer. The main wall plate currrently has OM-4 fiber (LC) and Cat6a keystones in it. Sadly I'll still need switches in the office, racked with UPS and power conditioning. Lots of stuff to plug into the network; desktop computers, laptops, Ooma Telo, Raspberry Pis, etc. This room will need its own WiFi, since it's in a very bad spot relative to my main access point.

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Den Wish List by Category

Flooring

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Laticrete 272	50lb. grey unmodified thinset	272	4	$55.95	$223.80
  Pearl DTL10HPXL	wetsaw blade for porcelain	DTL10HPXL	1	$49.50	$49.50
  Schluter FBA_UWG4-4999	Ditra trowel for Ditra to floor	FBA_UWG4-4999	1	$29.99	$29.99
  Total					$303.29

Totals by Category

• Category	Total
  Flooring	$303.29
  Total	$303.29

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Den Wish List by Vendor

www.amazon.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Laticrete 272	50lb. grey unmodified thinset	272	4	$55.95	$223.80
  Schluter FBA_UWG4-4999	Ditra trowel for Ditra to floor	FBA_UWG4-4999	1	$29.99	$29.99
  Total					$253.79

www.contractorsdirect.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Pearl DTL10HPXL	wetsaw blade for porcelain	DTL10HPXL	1	$49.50	$49.50
  Total					$49.50

Totals by Vendor

• Vendor	Total
  www.amazon.com	$253.79
  www.contractorsdirect.com	$49.50
  Total	$303.29

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The following tables show the purchases I've made for the den, organized in different ways.

Den by Category

Flooring

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Schluter Ditra DITRA5M	54 sq. ft. 1/8" thick uncoupling membrane	DITRA5M	4	$86.40	$345.60
  Menards 1061501	1.75" x 11.875" x 10' LVL 1.9E	1061501	2	$39.90	$79.80
  Marazzi ULRW624HD1PR	6" x 24" Montagna Wood Vintage Chic porcelain floor tile	ULRW624HD1PR	16	$36.18	$578.88
  Ridgid FT3508	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, top only, 100 ct.	FT3508	2	$19.99	$39.98
  Versabond MTSG50	Gray fortified thinset, 50 lb.	MTSG50	2	$15.47	$30.94
  Mapei 10152L	Uncoupling Membrane 50-lb Gray Powder Thinset/Medium Bed	10152L	5	$14.98	$74.90
  Ridgid FT3500	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, flat stem, 100 ct.	FT3500	4	$9.97	$39.88
  Ridgid FT3502	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, brick stem, 100 ct.	FT3502	6	$9.97	$59.82
  Total					$1249.80

Tools

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Ridgid FT1505	3/16" x 5/32" V-notch trowel	FT1505	1	$10.97	$10.97
  Ridgid FT1503	1/4" x 3/8" notched trowel	FT1503	1	$10.97	$10.97
  Ridgid FT1507	bucket scoop	FT1507	1	$5.97	$5.97
  Ridgid FT1501	notched margin trowel	FT1501	1	$5.97	$5.97
  Ridgid FT1500	flat margin trowel	FT1500	1	$5.97	$5.97
  Total					$39.85

Electrical

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron P-PKG1W-WH-R	Caseta white 150W wireless dimmer switch with Pico remote control	P-PKG1W-WH-R	1	$64.99	$64.99
  Southwire 28827428	100' 14/2 NM-B wire	28827428	1	$30.98	$30.98
  Syston 1258-SB-BL-100	100' Cat6 23-4 riser cable	1258-SB-BL-100	2	$29.32	$58.64
  Lutron MACL-153M-WH	Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer for cove light and sink light	MACL-153M-WH	1	$28.57	$28.57
  Leviton R05-T5632-0BE	15A Decora outlet with 3.6A USB charger, black	R05-T5632-0BE	2	$22.97	$45.94
  Legrand WP3460-BE-V1	Cat6 keystone jack, blue	WP3460-BE-V1	2	$8.97	$17.94
  Brainerd 64405	Beaded 1-Gang Venetian Bronze Single Decorator Wall Plate	64405	7	$6.97	$48.79
  Square-D QO115CP	15-Amp single-pole circuit breaker	QO115CP	1	$6.63	$6.63
  CE Tech 5016-OR	Cat6 keystone jack, orange	5016-OR	2	$4.97	$9.94
  CE Tech 5016-LA	Cat6 keystone jack, light almond	5016-LA	2	$4.97	$9.94
  CE Tech 5016-WH	Cat6 keystone jack, white	5016-WH	2	$4.97	$9.94
  Leviton R55-T5325-0DE	15A Decora tamper resistant outlet, black	R55-T5325-0DE	2	$2.49	$4.98
  Total					$337.28

Lighting

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Commercial Electric 53823101	6 in LED Color Changing Deep Baffle Recessed Kit with Night Light	53823101	8	$29.97	$239.76
  Cree BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U10065W	65W-equivalent BR30 2700K LED bulb	BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	2	$19.97	$39.94
  Total					$279.70

Totals by Category

• Category	Total
  Flooring	$1249.80
  Tools	$39.85
  Electrical	$337.28
  Lighting	$279.70
  Total	$1906.63

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Den by Vendor

www.lowes.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Schluter Ditra DITRA5M	54 sq. ft. 1/8" thick uncoupling membrane	DITRA5M	4	$86.40	$345.60
  Southwire 28827428	100' 14/2 NM-B wire	28827428	1	$30.98	$30.98
  Mapei 10152L	Uncoupling Membrane 50-lb Gray Powder Thinset/Medium Bed	10152L	5	$14.98	$74.90
  Legrand WP3460-BE-V1	Cat6 keystone jack, blue	WP3460-BE-V1	2	$8.97	$17.94
  Brainerd 64405	Beaded 1-Gang Venetian Bronze Single Decorator Wall Plate	64405	7	$6.97	$48.79
  Square-D QO115CP	15-Amp single-pole circuit breaker	QO115CP	1	$6.63	$6.63
  Total					$524.84

www.menards.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Menards 1061501	1.75" x 11.875" x 10' LVL 1.9E	1061501	2	$39.90	$79.80
  Total					$79.80

www.homedepot.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Marazzi ULRW624HD1PR	6" x 24" Montagna Wood Vintage Chic porcelain floor tile	ULRW624HD1PR	16	$36.18	$578.88
  Commercial Electric 53823101	6 in LED Color Changing Deep Baffle Recessed Kit with Night Light	53823101	8	$29.97	$239.76
  Syston 1258-SB-BL-100	100' Cat6 23-4 riser cable	1258-SB-BL-100	2	$29.32	$58.64
  Leviton R05-T5632-0BE	15A Decora outlet with 3.6A USB charger, black	R05-T5632-0BE	2	$22.97	$45.94
  Ridgid FT3508	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, top only, 100 ct.	FT3508	2	$19.99	$39.98
  Cree BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U10065W	65W-equivalent BR30 2700K LED bulb	BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	2	$19.97	$39.94
  Versabond MTSG50	Gray fortified thinset, 50 lb.	MTSG50	2	$15.47	$30.94
  Ridgid FT1503	1/4" x 3/8" notched trowel	FT1503	1	$10.97	$10.97
  Ridgid FT1505	3/16" x 5/32" V-notch trowel	FT1505	1	$10.97	$10.97
  Ridgid FT3502	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, brick stem, 100 ct.	FT3502	6	$9.97	$59.82
  Ridgid FT3500	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, flat stem, 100 ct.	FT3500	4	$9.97	$39.88
  Ridgid FT1507	bucket scoop	FT1507	1	$5.97	$5.97
  Ridgid FT1501	notched margin trowel	FT1501	1	$5.97	$5.97
  Ridgid FT1500	flat margin trowel	FT1500	1	$5.97	$5.97
  CE Tech 5016-OR	Cat6 keystone jack, orange	5016-OR	2	$4.97	$9.94
  CE Tech 5016-LA	Cat6 keystone jack, light almond	5016-LA	2	$4.97	$9.94
  CE Tech 5016-WH	Cat6 keystone jack, white	5016-WH	2	$4.97	$9.94
  Leviton R55-T5325-0DE	15A Decora tamper resistant outlet, black	R55-T5325-0DE	2	$2.49	$4.98
  Total					$1208.43

www.acehardware.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron P-PKG1W-WH-R	Caseta white 150W wireless dimmer switch with Pico remote control	P-PKG1W-WH-R	1	$64.99	$64.99
  Total					$64.99

www.amazon.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MACL-153M-WH	Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer for cove light and sink light	MACL-153M-WH	1	$28.57	$28.57
  Total					$28.57

Totals by Vendor

• Vendor	Total
  www.lowes.com	$524.84
  www.menards.com	$79.80
  www.homedepot.com	$1208.43
  www.acehardware.com	$64.99
  www.amazon.com	$28.57
  Total	$1906.63

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Den by Date

July 13, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MACL-153M-WH	Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer for cove light and sink light	MACL-153M-WH	1	$28.57	$28.57
  Total					$28.57

July 15, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Cree BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U10065W	65W-equivalent BR30 2700K LED bulb	BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	2	$19.97	$39.94
  Total					$39.94

September 20, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Leviton R05-T5632-0BE	15A Decora outlet with 3.6A USB charger, black	R05-T5632-0BE	2	$22.97	$45.94
  Brainerd 64405	Beaded 1-Gang Venetian Bronze Single Decorator Wall Plate	64405	7	$6.97	$48.79
  Leviton R55-T5325-0DE	15A Decora tamper resistant outlet, black	R55-T5325-0DE	2	$2.49	$4.98
  Total					$99.71

September 22, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Syston 1258-SB-BL-100	100' Cat6 23-4 riser cable	1258-SB-BL-100	2	$29.32	$58.64
  Legrand WP3460-BE-V1	Cat6 keystone jack, blue	WP3460-BE-V1	2	$8.97	$17.94
  CE Tech 5016-OR	Cat6 keystone jack, orange	5016-OR	2	$4.97	$9.94
  CE Tech 5016-LA	Cat6 keystone jack, light almond	5016-LA	2	$4.97	$9.94
  CE Tech 5016-WH	Cat6 keystone jack, white	5016-WH	2	$4.97	$9.94
  Total					$106.40

September 25, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Southwire 28827428	100' 14/2 NM-B wire	28827428	1	$30.98	$30.98
  Square-D QO115CP	15-Amp single-pole circuit breaker	QO115CP	1	$6.63	$6.63
  Total					$37.61

April 29, 2018

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Schluter Ditra DITRA5M	54 sq. ft. 1/8" thick uncoupling membrane	DITRA5M	4	$86.40	$345.60
  Total					$345.60

June 23, 2018

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Marazzi ULRW624HD1PR	6" x 24" Montagna Wood Vintage Chic porcelain floor tile	ULRW624HD1PR	16	$36.18	$578.88
  Versabond MTSG50	Gray fortified thinset, 50 lb.	MTSG50	2	$15.47	$30.94
  Total					$609.82

June 25, 2018

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Ridgid FT3508	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, top only, 100 ct.	FT3508	2	$19.99	$39.98
  Ridgid FT3500	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, flat stem, 100 ct.	FT3500	4	$9.97	$39.88
  Ridgid FT3502	LevelMax Anti-Lippage and Spacing System, brick stem, 100 ct.	FT3502	6	$9.97	$59.82
  Ridgid FT1503	1/4" x 3/8" notched trowel	FT1503	1	$10.97	$10.97
  Ridgid FT1507	bucket scoop	FT1507	1	$5.97	$5.97
  Ridgid FT1501	notched margin trowel	FT1501	1	$5.97	$5.97
  Ridgid FT1500	flat margin trowel	FT1500	1	$5.97	$5.97
  Total					$168.56

June 30, 2018

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Menards 1061501	1.75" x 11.875" x 10' LVL 1.9E	1061501	2	$39.90	$79.80
  Mapei 10152L	Uncoupling Membrane 50-lb Gray Powder Thinset/Medium Bed	10152L	5	$14.98	$74.90
  Ridgid FT1505	3/16" x 5/32" V-notch trowel	FT1505	1	$10.97	$10.97
  Total					$165.67

October 30, 2021

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Commercial Electric 53823101	6 in LED Color Changing Deep Baffle Recessed Kit with Night Light	53823101	8	$29.97	$239.76
  Total					$239.76

November 1, 2021

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron P-PKG1W-WH-R	Caseta white 150W wireless dimmer switch with Pico remote control	P-PKG1W-WH-R	1	$64.99	$64.99
  Total					$64.99

Totals by Date

• Date	Total
  Jul 13, 2014	$28.57
  Jul 15, 2014	$39.94
  Sep 20, 2017	$99.71
  Sep 22, 2017	$106.40
  Sep 25, 2017	$37.61
  Apr 29, 2018	$345.60
  Jun 23, 2018	$609.82
  Jun 25, 2018	$168.56
  Jun 30, 2018	$165.67
  Oct 30, 2021	$239.76
  Nov 1, 2021	$64.99
  Total	$1906.63

Den Diary

• November 15, 2021
  
  • I ordered rack rails and screws for the second rolling drawer cabinet and the UPS/switches underdesk rack.

• November 14, 2021
  
  • I stained the second bookcase, except for the bottom.

    I bought some of the wood to make the cabinet with rack rails for UPS, ethernet switches, power conditioning and patch panels. I haven't finalized the design yet, but it'll be on concealed casters much like the first rolling drawer cabinet.

• November 10, 2021
  
  • I finished the assembly of the second bookcase. Next up is sanding and finishing.

• November 7, 2021
  
  • I continued working on the second bookcase. Shelf holes drilled, pocket holes drilled, and two halves assembled individually. I also cut the back piece to width. Some evening this week, I'll finish the assembly.

• November 6, 2021
  
  • The remaining 2 recessed LED fixtures arrived. I installed them.

• October 31, 2021
  
  • I haven't finished the floor yet, but I'm about 3/4 of the way done with laying the tile.

    I've long been tired of working with poor lighting in this room. There were two 6" cans in the ceiling, both very close to the same wall (where the built-in shelves are located). I decided I wanted more recessed lights long ago. Today I cut the holes in the ceiling for them, and... found an empty 6" light can rolling around on top of the drywall with snipped-off conduit. Sigh. I suspect I'll find a second one in the joist cavity for the other existing light. So my assumption is still valid that whoever did the lighting in this room didn't know the basic rules of recesed lighting (can spacing should be equivalent to one half the height of the ceiling), but at least someone had planned for more lighting. I'm guessing the electrician didn't finish and they drywallers ripped the unwired cans out and stuffed them in the ceiling. Losers.

    I am installing 8 modern LED fixtures designed to fit into the same holes as a 6" can. They have a nice built-in nightlight feature that has a glowing ring at 2000K color temperature. Their main lamps are color temperature adjustable and 900 lumens max each. I have 4 of them wired and installed. They don't require a can since they don't get very hot. They're a bit of a pain to install, only because the driver boxes have almost no room to work in (and the already-attached connectors only have 2 positions so you can't use them alone to run lights in parallel). No chance of fitting 6 wire nuts in the driver box. It turns out that these connectors aren't very secure anyway; I have been able to remove them from the wires by just twisting and pulling, with no damage to the wires. So I'm just replacing them with wire nuts and dealing with the fact that I have to be fairly exact about how much solid wire I can fit in the box.

    Getting the 2 old cans out of the ceiling through the 6" holes wasn't easy but I managed. I installed a junction box to split the two rows, and am using 14/2 Romex.

    In the process I forgot to double-check that I had turned off the correct breaker, and sure I enough I shorted hot to ground when removing one of the old canisters. It tripped the breaker, but unfortunately it also killed the triac in my existing Lutron Maestro dimmer. I didn't intend to use this dimmer long-term, but I didn't want to destroy it. Oh well, it was time for a Lutron Caseta with Pico remote anyway. Due to the layout of this room (French doors that swing into the room), the dimmer for it is in the foyer. Not very convenient when you're in the room. The Caseta with remote solves this problem. It's now installed.

    I intend to install a Lutron Smart Bridge Pro and some more Caseta switches where it makes sense. And I might replace some more of the existing recessed lighting with ones with a nightlight feature. The second floor hallway, for example. And I might put a could of 4" versions in the underside of the second floor overhang.

• July 12, 2021
  
  • I've been very lax with updates...

    I long ago put Schluter Ditra on the floor, and taped and mudded the seams. I'm in the process of putting porcelain tile on the floor. It's going slowly for a number of reasons: I'm down a thumb for now, I'm using large-format tiles, and I'm back-buttering every tile. But I'm somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way done laying the tile. Which means I need to make a grout color decision soon.

• January 1, 2019
  
  • I spent some time sanding some of the areas of the floor with my belt sander. I'm probably not done patching and levelling, but I'm getting there.

    I recreated parts of the expansion joint at the east wall of the room that had been contaminated with Henry 555. I again just used GreatStuff Gaps & Cracks. The objective here was just to prevent thinset from going all the way to the wall when I put down the Ditra.

• December 31, 2018
  
  • I chipped out the remaining parts of the GreatStuff that had been contaminated with Henry 555 at the perimeter expansion joint.

    I sanded and ground a little bit more of the floor levelling and patching.

    I went to Home Depot and picked up some sanding belts for my belt sander, a dozen 1/4 sheet sandpaper pieces for my palm sanders, sill seal foam for perimeter expansion joint, 3 fresh bags of VersaBond thinset, and 3 rolls of Kerdi Band. While I technically don't need the floor to be waterproof (not a wet room), I like the idea of sealing the joints of the Ditra before tiling. We'll see if I bought enough; I probably need one more roll, but at $20/roll, I don't want to buy more than I need.

• December 29, 2018
  
  • Well, I applied too much Henry 555 and didn't spread it around enough. I had a feeling this might be a problem, and Henry unfortunately doesn't provide mix ratios other than mixing the whole bag. And it covered more than quoted in the instructions. So I spent some time today with a diamond cup wheel on the angle grinder, removing some of it. Dirty, dusty job, especially this time of year when I would not normally open a window and place an exhaust fan. But I had no choice, so it was cold in the room for a while. I opened the front door of the house for air intake and put my double industrial fan at the window to blow the dust outside. Obviously I wore a good respirator. I'm not done grinding, but I had to clean up before dinner. I used my electric leaf blower to coax the remaining dust toward the exhaust fan, which worked well.

    I chiseled out the small areas where the leveler flowed over the top of my original foam expansion gap. I will probably pick up some SilSeal foam before I do the thinset for the Ditra.

• December 28, 2018
  
  • I applied a coat of Henry 555 Primer to the area of the floor I need to flatten more effectively than I can do with Henry 549. I applied a second coat a few hours later since the plywood was very dry when I started (it's the winter and I have forced-air heat). When it dried, I poured and spread Henry 555 LevelPro.

• December 23, 2018
  
  • I applied 3 more coats of Henry 549 to the low area of the floor. I'm now using much smaller batches, 6 to 8 cups of Henry 549 at a time. I'm also mixing by hand with a margin trowel to avoid air bubbles, and using a 6:3.5 compound to water ratio instead of the recommended 2:1 ratio. This makes it more workable, and should not significantly compromise the strength. I've noticed no difference in hardness once cured.

    I'm glad I bought a new 14" concrete finishing trowel; I could probably use a longer one, but it's a good length for what I need to do with the other areas of the floor. I am not using the new Ridgid mixer for the Henry 549 now since I'm mixing in small batches in a 2 gallon bucket. But the mixer will be used again when I get to the thinset for the Ditra.

• December 22, 2018
  
  • The largest area of the floor I need to flatten is marked with masking tape. I also marked a few other spots I need to skim, if I have material left over from my first mix.

    I ran a bead of GreatStuff Gaps and Cracks around the perimeter of the room, just to maintain an expansion gap when patching and later thinset and Ditra. Once it cured, I trimmed it where it was too thick.

    I applied the first coat of Henry 549 in the largest area. I used the whole 7 lb. box but will need to apply more. It's not much fun to work with due to a short setting time, but I think I did well given I haven't used suich a product in over 10 years.

• December 21, 2018
  
  • I've been debating whether or not the floor needs SLC (self-levelling compound). Actually, it could use it since there are low spots in a couple of places. However, I can't seem to find Henry 542 or equivalent locally. Everything available requires metal lath when poured over plywood. Lath is 1/8" thick, and I'd need to pour 1/8" minimum thickness over the height of the lath. That's a bit more height and weight than I'd like to add to the floor. Additionally, it's nearly impossible to apply SLC to a floor this size when working alone.

    So for the moment I'm back to using the Henry 549. I think I'll be OK going this route. It's not like I haven't flattened a floor before (did mortar tile beds with my father). And mistakes here are easier to correct than SLC gone wrong. I need to mark up the floor using my straight edges.

• December 20, 2018
  
  • I sanded the whole floor lightly with 80-grit sandpaper on my 1/4 sheet palm sander. I then swept and vacuumed.

• December 18, 2018
  
  • I scraped some of the joint compound from the subfloor, and added a few screws in the subfloor where needed. I'll be adding some more screws later.

    I picked up some supplies and tools at Home Depot:

    • 3.5 mil 10' x 25' plastic sheeting (to protect shelving from dust)
    • 3' x 168' red rosin paper (to protect floors)
    • Ridgid mixer (to mix thinset, etc. without burning out my drill)
    • 3M blue masking tape (to protect walls from thinset)
    • 200 more Ridgid LevelMax tops (tile levelling system)
    • Ridgid 1/2" x 1/2" square notch gold finish trowel
    • Henry 549 7 lb. FeatherFinish (to patch/skim/level subfloor)
    • 16" magnesium float (for subfloor skimming and pressing Ditra)
    • 80 grit sandpaper (for sanding subfloor with 1/4-sheet palm sander)

• December 17, 2018
  
  • I removed the remaining carpet, padding, tack strips and staples.

• December 16, 2018
  
  • I started removing the carpet, padding, tack strips and staples from the floor. I still need to remove a few things from the room, but I wanted to get a sense of the state of the subfloor and how many staples were in the carpet padding. Nowhere near as many staples as the 2nd floor bedrooms, which explains why the carpet felt softer. I've removed 1/3 of the carpet and padding and found no staples in the field (only at the edges). Yay, less work!

• December 15, 2018
  
  • I ordered 5 SpectraLock Pro mini units of parts A and B from floorlife.com, along with a Laticrete grout color chart. I'll order the powder after deciding on color.

    I picked up a 1/4"x3/16" V-notch trowel at Home Depot to install the Ditra to the floor.

    I moved the final Middle Atlantic MDV-R12 out of the den. It was the final piece of furniture that needed to be removed.

• December 12, 2018
  
  • Many months later, I'm nearly done reinforcing the floor joists under the den. I wound up doing somewhat of a patchwork due to obstacles: ductwork and electrical. Each joist now has a custom-made flitch beam of 1/8" x 2" steel and 1.75" x 3" LVL, 6' long. I cut a channel for the steel in the LVL, and the steel is sandwiched between the LVL and the existing joists with Loctite PL Premium and screws. It took a long time to do these because each one had to be cut, channeled and drilled. They are installed at the top of each joist, against the subfloor plywood, near the center of each span.

    I then custom cut 2x10 lumber to sister the remainder of the accessible parts of each joist, and installed with screws and Loctite PL Premium where possible. Some areas were difficult to reach due to ductwork.

    To make the most of this work, I then created custom X-braces for each inter-joist gap from 1.75" thick LVL. These will prevent the joists from twisting. I removed the old 1X crossbraces before I sistered the joists, since they were in the way. They've been replaced with the much stronger and stiffer LVL X-braces, and I added a second row of LVL X-braces.

    I have one or two flitch beams and sisters to do, though as near as I can tell with my bounce tests, they're not necessary. But I bought the wood and steel, I might as well use it. My bounce tests are just me bouncing on the floor with a floor lamp loctated elsewhere in the room. Before I started this work, the lamp would wobble a LOT. Now it doesn't appear to wobble at all. I have yet to redo my dial indicator measurements, but I don't think it's necessary. I can't do any more reinforcement of the joists, I'd need a support beam and floor jacks to make it any stifer. I'm avoiding that for now since I am not at the point where I can start designing basement finishing.

• June 30, 2018
  
  • I bought a pair of 1.75" x 11.875" x 10' 1.9E LVL beams at Menards to reinforce the floor joists under the den. This is to reduce deflection to avoid any issues with cracking of tiles or grout after I install the tile. Given the electrical throughways and cross bracing that I don't want to remove or rerun, I don't intend to fully sister the joists; I will rip narrower pieces of LVL to run above and/or below the throughways.

    I bought 5 bags of Mapei Uncoupling Membrane Mortar (thinset) at Lowe's. This is an unmodified thinset, which is what I need for use over Schluter Ditra.

• June 23, 2018
  
  • I bought the Marazzi Montagna Wood Vintage Chic 6" x 24" porcelain tiles from Home Depot, along with 2 bags of CBP Versabond modified thinset to bond the Ditra to the subfloor. I also bought a new tile saw blade and a thinset mixing paddle.

    I tweaked my back and right bicep moving all of this weight (over 1000 pounds) from the store to my truck and then my truck to the basement. It'll probably take a couple of days for my back to recover.

    I would like to use Ditra-Set as the thinset for the tiles. It's expensive but it's a quality unmodified thinset and doesn't void the Schluter Ditra warranty. It appears that I'll have to order it online.

• September 27, 2017
  
  • I moved one of my Middle Atlantic MDV-R12 units from Bedroom 1 to the den, then moved my HP LaserJet 4050TN printer to the den. I connected it to the Den_3 ethernet port in the den, and checked that it's reachable. It's working fine.

• September 25, 2017
  
  • I cut a new hole in the wall near the room door for a new electrical box. I drilled to the basement to run wiring.

    I picked up a Square D QO 15A single pole circuit breaker for the new outlet in the den, and 100' of 14/2 NM-B wire. I ran the wire through the basement, installed an old-work electrical box and a Leviton R05-T5632-0BE outlet with USB charging ports (3.6 amps). I then installed the circuit breaker in the subpanel since the main panel is completely full (and already has a large number of tandem breakers in it). Kind of a shame that I used a breaker for a single outlet, but it is what it is. A tandem breaker is 3 times the price, and until I refinish the basement, I don't need it.

    I cut another hole in the wall near the room door for a pair of ethernet ports. I fished two cat6 cables and terminated one with orange Cat6 keystones on each end (one for the wall plate, one for the patch panel) and one with white keystones on each end. These are 'Den_3' and 'Den_4', respectively. I tested both runs after terminating, then installed the keystones in the patch panel. I then installed the keystones in a Decora keystone insert and installed it in the new electrical box in the wall, and installed a new wall plate.

• September 22, 2017
  
  • I installed a basic Leviton 15A decorator outlet on the south side of the den's door. I installed a Brainerd beaded wall plate in Venetian bronze.

    I pulled two Cat6 cables to the new box in the west wall of the den. I terminated one cable with Legrand Cat6 blue keystone jacks on each end. This one is "Den 1". I labelled it with Dymo heatshrink label tubing just outside of the enclosure in the basement. I terminated the second cable with Commercial Electric Cat6 beige keystone jacks. This one is "Den 2". I ran out of heatshrink label tubing and hence labelled this one with flexible nylon labelling from the Dymo Rhino 6000. In the den, I installed a temporary Leviton 2-port white decorator keystone insert and installed the jacks (later to be changed to black). I installed a Brainerd beaded wall plate in Venetion bronze color.

    I hemmed and hawed about where to place one of the USB charging receptacles on the west wall. I decided the northmost receptacle was the correct one. I installed it there and installed the Brainerd beaded wall plate. Two things worth noting: the Leviton black receptables are glossy, and dinged/scratched pretty good before packaging. I'm not a fan, I probably should've ordered the Hubbell ones in brown or just bought the lower-current Legrand brown ones (which are matte finish). Or sanded them with 1000+ grit sandpaper before installing to knock off the sheen. Second note: the receptacle I replaced had two hot wires (one black, one red) but only one neutral. I'm not sure why the receptacle was used to chain hot but not neutral, and I didn't have time to prod with my DMM.

    I need to install two more ethernet ports, on the east wall. These will likely be used for one of my networked printers, and possibly the Ooma Telo.

    I discovered that the AC receptacle in the northeast corner of the room is too close to the panel moulding to accomodate anything but a standard width wall plate. Even then, the receptacle has to be as far as possible to the other side of the enclosure, and the standard wall plate is crammed against the panel moulding. Sigh, why can't finish carpenters do the right thing when they run into this kind of problem? Or better, why did the electrican position this box crammed into the corner?

    At any rate, I can't use a matching wall plate in this spot without quite a bit of demolition or an ugly hack to the mouldings; the wall plates I bought are wider than standard, and I did that because someone overcut some of the holes for the AC outlets and I wanted to hide the overcuts. Sigh.

• September 21, 2017
  
  • I cut the hole in the west wall for the low-voltage old-work box for ethernet wiring. Wouldn't you know it, I made an error and my first hole was in one of the two cavities for cold air return from Bedroom 1. So I'll wind up with a blank wall plate there unless I bother trying to replace the wood panel (maybe with oak veneer library panel. My second attempt was in the right location, and I installed the low-voltage old-work box.

• September 17, 2017
  
  • I need to install ethernet ports in the den so I can move my desk in there while I install the flooring in Bedroom 1 and the 2nd floor hallway. As of yet I haven't decided where I'm going to install the rework box. It's not yet obvious from the basement where the AC power wires go into this room and hence where the wall bottom plate sits. The walls of this room are all wood, so I don't want to make a mistake with placement.

• July 15, 2014
  
  • I bought a Cree BR30 2700K LED bulb to replace the remaining CFL bulb in the den. I'm inching closer to having all of the fixture bulbs changed to LED. I need two more of the Cree PAR38 bulbs for the front porch recessed fixtures, and I will need new fixtures in the master bathroom and full bathroom on the second floor in order to convert them to LED. And there are some recessed fixtures in the master bathroom whose bulbs I haven't replaced since I never use those lights.

• July 13, 2014
  
  • I installed a Lutron MACL-153MH-WH digital dimmer for the recessed lights in the den. This dimmer is actually in the foyer, next to the doors to the den.

    I still need to replace the remaining CFL bulb in the den with a Cree BR30 2700K LED bulb.