Winchester home - thoughts? (Home Depot, inspectors, centers)

[robr2]

Originally Posted by bugelrex

Since you guys are so familiar with "fixtures", which do you recommend for a full kitchen reno. In terms of functionality & reliability, not "super high end"

As I noted before, go to a kitchen and bath showroom to look at options. You can check out this site for a list of manufacturers and their products.

One thing to note is that not all manufacturers' products are allowed to be sold in MA. If you are using a contractor that is pulling a permit as required, the plumbing inspector will check the product listing to ensure it has passed national testing. Often the big box stuff has not.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by gf2020

Skim coat is plaster. You put a thin coat of plaster over blue board.

Do you mean conventional sheetrock with mud and tape?

Blue board and plaster is still pretty common in the Northeast, less common in other areas of the country, and it is a far superior finish than just sheetrock.

This is my confusion. If someone says "plaster walls", I assume plaster over lath. I grew up in a 1955 house with plaster walls and ceilings. When did the meaning of "plaster" change? I call that "skim coat" or "level 5 drywall finish".



Here's my bedroom getting a skim coat:

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by robr2

One thing to note is that not all manufacturers' products are allowed to be sold in MA. If you are using a contractor that is pulling a permit as required, the plumbing inspector will check the product listing to ensure it has passed national testing. Often the big box stuff has not.

A lot of people don't realize this. Another agent at my brokerage actually had a closing held up recently because the developer bought a tub for the master bathroom at Lowe's and it didn't meet state standards. Of course, he found this out after it had already been installed and the plumbing inspector missed it. So, it got picked up during the final. Oops!

Originally Posted by GeoffD

This is my confusion. If someone says "plaster walls", I assume plaster over lath. I grew up in a 1955 house with plaster walls and ceilings. When did the meaning of "plaster" change? I call that "skim coat" or "level 5 drywall finish".

I think you're 100% correct. Most people are not going to consider blue board with a skim coat a "plaster wall." A plaster wall in most people's minds is a plaster and lathe wall as you describe. This being said, the actual material they use to skim coat the wall is plaster. So, in the photos here you have walls with a plaster coating. However, they are not plaster all the way through as a plaster and lathe wall would be.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

A lot of people don't realize this. Another agent at my brokerage actually had a closing held up recently because the developer bought a tub for the master bathroom at Lowe's and it didn't meet state standards. Of course, he found this out after it had already been installed and the plumbing inspector missed it. So, it got picked up during the final. Oops!
.

Woah, I had no idea this was a thing!

[Shrewsburried]

Not correct.

A 'level 5' drywall job is still drywall and not equivalent to blueboard and plaster. Blueboard+plaster, if done correctly, has no blends/transitions and the plaster chemically bonds with the paper on blueboard giving a very hard and flat surface. 'Level 5' is merely dolled up drywall with longer transitions at tape joints and/or an extremely thin primer coat.

Blueboard and plaster has measurable thickness and should feel harder/denser than skimcoated dywall.

[sawyer2]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

A 'level 5' drywall job is still drywall and not equivalent to blueboard and plaster. Blueboard+plaster, if done correctly, has no blends/transitions and the plaster chemically bonds with the paper on blueboard giving a very hard and flat surface. 'Level 5' is merely dolled up drywall with longer transitions at tape joints and/or an extremely thin primer coat.

Blueboard and plaster has measurable thickness and should feel harder/denser than skimcoated dywall.

This is correct .... blue board + plaster > level 5 drywall > reg drywall finish

The advantages of the blue board and plaster, usually called veneer plaster, is a mirror finish and a lot harder/more durable. Very skilled work to do it properly, and more $/time.


And yes, around here when most people talk about plaster walls, they mean the original plaster and lathe. Drywall took over mostly in the post-WW2 building boom - cheap/quick/low skilled install.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Woah, I had no idea this was a thing!

Yup! Another thing to be cautious about when buying building products at a big box store is Smoke/CO detectors. For a long time, the local big box stores only carried detectors that complied with local regulations. More recently, they've started carrying the Nest Protect detector that does not comply with state regulations in all applications.

[sawyer2]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Woah, I had no idea this was a thing!

Another issue with some of the no-name faucets sold online is no control over material of composition - issues with lead, cadmium, other heavy metals.

Better to buy anything that directly touches your drinking water from a reputable source.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Woah, I had no idea this was a thing!

It’s actually a pretty simple thing. There are standards for manufacturing, materials, quality that are created by the industry. There are independent testing laboratories that test to those standards. When the product passes, it is issued a certificate of compliance.

MA requires that any plumbing product installed in the state have that certification and be registered with the state.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by robr2

It’s actually a pretty simple thing. There are standards for manufacturing, materials, quality that are created by the industry. There are independent testing laboratories that test to those standards. When the product passes, it is issued a certificate of compliance.

MA requires that any plumbing product installed in the state have that certification and be registered with the state.

Oh, it makes sense, I just didn't know it. I would think and hope a major retailer would tie their inventory that is made available in a state to these rules, but perhaps that's just too much to deal with? I dunno.