tom169

We've found a fixer upper in what looks to be a fine structural state, just heavy cosmetic upgrades needed. I can deal with 90% of the DIY myself - laying new flooring, painting, etc. It's about $75k cheaper than what a "move in ready" house would fetch.

The one biggy is that the place absolutely stinks of cigarette smoke. Anyone had experience of getting the smell out?

Pulaski

Not directly, but sugar soap and then paint, lots of paint, should fix it. If it has popcorn ceiling then you can scrape that off fairly easily (so long as the house isn't over 40 years old, as it may contain asbestos). A neighbour's house had a horrific, reeking, almost burning, stench of tobacco, that was really bad even when standing on the porch - I never actually went inside.

You might consider getting a quote from a disaster remediation company, such as Spangler or ServePro, for smoke remediation. I am not sure what techniques they might use but they specialize in making smoke or water damaged homes livable again. I think probably an ozone generator, but I don't know if you could rent one independently.

I presume you'll be gutting the kitchen? If there are tiles on the wall you will have to replace the sheet rock anyway. Tip: whatever sort of flooring you want in the kitchen, put it down before installing the new cabinetry - it makes it easier to install the dishwasher, and seals the floor against damage from spills and leaks.

Is it on a crawlspace or slab? That will determine the sort of flooring you can put down.

Steerpike

I have an interior door that won't close; I believe I need to shave off about 1/16" at the top, near one edge (adjusting hinges didn't fix it).

I used to have a table saw but no longer. My belt sander comes to mind, but I fear that it would result in a 'rounded' appearance if I'm not careful. The cut is too small for a hand-saw. I do have a 'coping saw', but not sure if that would work. My latest thought is, clamp on a 'guide' (straight edge), and use a circular saw to 'shave off' the required amount.

Thoughts?

Pulaski

It will likely turn out rough, and will need sanding anyway. With a fine-tooth saw you might get away with it, but start from the corner so as not to tear fibres out of the end.

I would use a hand plane, which I already have, but with the tools you mention I would lean toward the belt sander, sanding towards the corner, if you're trimming the side and away from the corner if you're trimming the top or bottom.

Nutmegger

I would be very wary of this. I purchased a few picture frames at an estate sale in a house that reeked of smoke, and after trying every trick in the book to remove the cigarette smell had to admit defeat and pass them on. My OH bought a wood bookcase at the same sale, and even though we left it outdoors to air out and cleaned it and cleaned it, I still get a whiff of smoke every time I walk past it in his office.

tom169

Thanks for the tips.

The ceiling is the popcorn ceiling and the house was built in 1982. I'm not sure when asbestos stopped being put into residential properties.

We will be gutting the kitchen at some point, or at least keeping the cabinets and replacing the rest.

The house is on a slab. I was hoping to lay some of the simple click together wooden flooring.

Pulaski

Asbestos was in some popcorn ceiling up to the early 70's so you won't have that problem with a house built in '82.

Steerpike

I do have a set of planes and chisels, actually, from days gone by ... but I recall that use and adjustment of a plane requires a certain practice/skill ... something I haven't done for 20 years or so! The blade has to be super sharp, and the adjustment 'very good' (amount of protrusion of the blade relative to the body).

I don't mind sanding it a bit after; I'm just scared that a belt sander could end up with 'rounded' parts (hard to hold a belt sander perfectly perpendicular in all planes to the surface). The required cut is at the top of the door, so roughness is not a big issue as long as the edges are sharp.

Pulaski

So, with care, the circular saw technique should work, with a little hand-sanding to tidy u0 the edges. ..... But if you have ever use a hand plane I think you'd be fine with that - setting it for minimal protrusion then adjusting it a tiny bit at a time until it has enough protrusion to get the job done. My planes haven't been sharpened in years and are still good for a bit of door-easing work occasionally.

Asg123

When I got new carpet the door was rubbing on it and the carpet people wouldn't fix it, so I took the door off and put it in the back of my car and took it to a workshop where they had a kind of machine on a table, it was very quick, they charged $15 and it came out perfectly. I expect all wood workshops have the machines.

Pulaski

Where's the fun in that?

BTW this isn't the "I paid someone to do it" thread.

Nutek

Depends. Maybe it's a car like mine.

Asg123

Ok, maybe I'll try and do it myself next time!

Pulaski

Yeah, I can image getting a 6'8" door into your car would be fun.

ddsrph

Tom
If the cabinet boxes are sturdy I would keep them and just replace the doors. Also glue on thin strips of wood
of the same species as the new doors to the frames. I have built a new house and am in process of building the kitchen cabinets. An online company called "raw doors" makes some reasonably priced custom doors in five species of wood. I bought hickory and they came sanded as smooth as glass and of very high quality. All the doors
For my new kitchen was about $750 plus shipping.
As for flooring the important thing is to make sure your slab stays dry. The best way to test is after removing old flooring tape a piece of plastic to an area and check for condensation. If the old flooring is working it is probably OK. My house is a slab also and I went with about 1/2 ceramic tile and the rest Pergo laminate. The Pergo has a very tough top layer, more scratch resistant than wood. As I was cutting it during installation sparks would fly and the blade was useless after the flooring job was done.