All Forum Posts by: Randy F.

Thanks to all for taking the time to post!

I was just wondering if anyone has used concrete countertops on your rehab projects. I saw them used on one of the hokey shows on the tube and recently came across a concrete countertop business for sale. I had no idea they were in use up here... Maybe they arent and thats why he is selling the business!

Im always looking for different ways to used my creative weirdness, so opinions and experiences with them would be greatly appreciated.

@J Scott

After my last post I saw your response to Bryan I think it was, and I got a good chuckle. Words on a page are difficult to judge when you know someone, so when you dont it is especially challenging!

I like a good debate as well. Im just not as adept at playing both sides of the issues tho... Im older an crustier than you are!

I dont know if you do the Facebook thing or not, but family members worked on me for a good spell and I relented. Between that and political blogs I spend time on, im accustomed to dealing with some real morons. Its pretty scary when you consider how out of touch with reality so many people are. And yes, I realize its all about perspective and I do question my own, but still...

Anyway, thanks for the banter. As Bryan noted in his last post, no matter the data or how strongly held our opinions are, we likely wont change anyone elses. While that is true, engaging others on the issues helps me to evaluate my own thinking and belief systems, and I do on ocassion adjust my views. I can hope that others have the capacity to put ego aside enough to allow their thinking to evolve as well. If there is one thing I do know, its that Ive got alot more to know. Ya know?

I dont doubt that.

Again, I dont doubt that.

Personally, I dont have a big problem taking a course. I do have a problem with the Feds feeling the political need to tell me, as an Alaskan, that I need more than my state requires of me to conceal carry. States have different requirements for conceal carry permits and some require no permit. I get it that training and testing would give you a warm and fuzzy, but what is your concern based on. Have you seen data that shows there are a significant number of accidental shootings or murders that are tied to conceal carry? Of course, those who commit murder with guns likely concealed them, but its quite obvious that they were already "proficient".

Im not sure how we got on subject of training and testing. I respect your opinion and if the law required, I would do it so that in the cases I choose to carry I could do so legally. My problem with the whole issue is with the political class and their need to justify their existence thru over-regulation. They cant pass a damn budget nor work within one, but they have all the time in the world to craft bills that dont even come close to addressing the real problems. It is based 100% on political ideology. [/ quote]

You're correct, I might forget not to point my guns at people, whether loaded or not. Or I might forget that my guns need to be secure when kids are in my house. Or I might forget to carry revolver on an empty cylinder. Im sure the federal government can test the stupid out of me.

im not sure what being proficient with a gun and having it stolen have to do with each other, but I dont disagree that many who have them stolen are not responsible gun owners.

I grew up at a place and time where the vast majority of kids had fathers in the home and a huge number of them hunted. Our dads taught us the proper handling of firearms and we were required to take hunters safety if we wanted to hunt before the age of eighteen. It was a huge deal and we took it very seriously. Much more seriously than algebra, by the way. Times have changed and I do think it would be wise to require first time gun purchasers to have gone thru a training program as so many either grow up in the cities or without a parent to teach them. But I stand by my belief that redundancy in training is unnecessary.

No, that is not what I said. I said I carried when working in the core for the same reason i carry in the bush... Because of the potential for being attacked. But Im happy you were amused anyway!

Im more concerned about those who did pass their driving test and have a license. You know.... The ones who act like they are the only ones who have a right to be in the road, and the ones who drink and drive, and the ones who apply make-up, text, and breast feed while driving. At least those without a license tend to drive cautiously so as not to get busted!

Youre absolutely correct. I should not have mentioned that they were black kids. I mean its obvious.... Ive have NEVER heard nor seen white kids throwing rocks at honkies in Milwaukees core!

I took Hunters Safety when I was fourteen. What I learned there was engrained in me and I have never forgotten. Millions of people have taken gun safety courses as kids and I have to believe it has stuck with them as well. Would you tell us that we can only posess our guns on our own property? Should we be required to spend our time and money on some newly required training and testing?

New gun laws and regulations that adversely effect millions of responsible gun owners because of the actions of a few, is simply more unnecessary and ineffectual governmental intrusion into our lives.

Carrying a gun into the Alaskan bush is no guarantee against being mauled by a bear, but the loss of the ability to legally do so would cost lives. The 44 I carry while bow hunting may not stop a charging brown bear but i should be able to legally carry it for the peace of mind it gives me.

In the early eighties my brother and I were rehabbing properties in the inner core of Milwaukee. A large group of black teens routinely threw rocks at us as we entered and left one particular area. I was carrying back then and for the same reason i carry in the bush... Peace of mind that if I was attacked, I at least had the oportunity to protect myself. Whether or not I should have been there in the first place is beside the point. In a free country, we should be able to go anywhere we want, and to feel safe doing so.

That logic does resonate with me. Your pedophile analogy doesnt hold up because there is no good purpose for pedophilia. And pedophilia does not enjoy Constitutional protection. There are good purposes for guns and our right to bear them is protected. For those reasons, there should be a legitimate, logical reason for any and every regulation, restriction, or outright ban. So far, I have yet to see an argument that passes muster. The reaction to Sandy Hook by the political left is nothing more than what Rahm Emanuel so famously quipped... "you never want a serious crisis to go to waste".

Its gonna cost you an arm and a leg to remove the existing tile, and it will cost you your first born male child to polish and stain the concrete underneath.

Im with the others... Have a good flooring contractor come in and float the whole thing with cement based underlayment. You can then put most anything down over it. Carpet would be cheapest as the float job wouldnt have to be as perfect as it would for vinyl plank, VCT, or the like. What are the exterior walls? Make sure you can raise exterior doors/threshholds.

If she is set on stained concrete, have it ground out while the place is gutted. Build it out and the last thing will be to touch up the polish job and then stain it.

You should get multiple bids and let them tell you what they see as your best options. Feel free to come back and share what they tell you and we can help you decide which one sounds like they have it goin on.

Good luck!

While I understand the use of the same paint and color on rentals, I see greater benefit in allowing quality and character of each individual property to dictate color choice. Even in a kitchen with older cabinet, a stock laminate countertop from Lowes, and a tile floor, choosing a mid-tone color common in all features can pull various textures and finishes together for a more cohesive look.

Using the same brand, color, and sheen is still no guarantee of a perfect match, so multiple gallons should be "boxed" together and touch-ups done with the leftovers. And by the time the leftover paint is no longer useable, the walls will likely have dulled or faded where it wouldnt work to touch it up anyway and it is ready for re-paint. May as well give the vast majority of people what they like... A little color.

Guess who runs these institutions, Bill. Thats right... Democrats... Liberals... Progressives. You would be hard pressed to find a Republican in any college upper admin. And faculty are more than 10-1 Dem over Repub.

Liberal college administrations see the Federally guaranteed student loans as easy money they can count on always being there and they spend accordingly, just like their counterparts on Congress. And to pay for all the fancy buildings and programs and increased salaries the cost if education continues to rise creating the bubble.