Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [cinderblock]

78 questions
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Flooding In New Construction Building

This weekend, water was observed flowing up, through the floor and through other joints, into the building - making a swimming pool we didn't ask for! Some Background We currently have a project constructing a shop/garage in the Texas hill country.…
losthorse
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How to deaden the noise that bounces from cinderblock wall in backyard?

I have a very large backyard surrounded by a tall cinderblock wall. Not only is it HOT in the summer (NM summers) but the noise that bounces around is bad. Someone walking on the sidewalk next to my home can hear our conversations. Help? A…
allyn
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Glue crawl space rigid insulation

I've dug a trench around the perimeter of my crawl space. Then I planned the next steps. I took a week off but I'd like to finish this project next weekend. I am going to glue 2" R-10 FOAMULAR 250 Rigid Foam Insulation to the cinder block using…
Peter Q
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What is cinderblock?

I live in the UK and have never heard of cinderblock, what is it?
Walker
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What is this panel in basement wall of 1940s house?

When I removed a cabinet from our basement wall today I discovered the panel in the photo below. The panel is metal, approximately 2 ft wide and 1 ft high. It has five 1.5 inch holes in it, each one covered in mesh (see close up). Behind the mesh…
Halo79
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Retaining wall: footing or no footing?

I'm looking to build a retaining wall on my sloped backyard. I'll be using cinder blocks (with mortar to join them together and rebar for added stability). (added info: at the lowest point the wall is going to be close to 4 feet tall, not counting…
ttothec
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Building a raised wall for a pond

We are looking to build a small pond (9'x18'x6'), but we want the edge to be raised up about 8". I am thinking about using CMUs (Concrete Masonry Units) which are 8x8x16. The entire pond will be lined with an EPDM pond liner. My question is that…
Jim
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How can I insulate my garage?

My sister's garage gets very cold and very hot as it is not currently insulated. She has the heating/ac unit in there as well as a deep freezer. The attic space directly above the garage has no insulation and the exterior wall is just cinderblock…
cryptic ツ
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Pros and cons of painting cinder block in basement?

I have owned my house for 5 years. The outside wall of the laundry room in the basement is unfinished cinderblock. The cinderblock wall looks a bit unsightly, with dabs of paint, and the rough surface collects dust. The basement does not get…
Yehuda_NYC
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Should you solid fill a low cinder block wall?

I'm making a raised garden bed that is about 2 cinder blocks high (with 1 extra cinder block below ground as footing) in a square shape 3.6 meter each side. So far I made a footing of 5 cm of concrete, than laid a course of beam type cinder block…
Luiz Borges
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open cinder block wall in basement

I am replacing some framing and sheet rock that has been contaminated by mice. The basement has cinder block walls that come up about half way for some reason. The house was built in the 1950s. In some of the basement the top of the wall is sealed…
Jay Prall
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What tool would you use to cut through cinder block?

I have a hidden room in my house that I would like to turn into a closet. The room (currently only accessible from the outside through the vent) vents the utility room to the outside. I'm not sure why it was designed this way, other than maybe…
Evan
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Can I drywall directly over cinder block (ceiling) using 7/8" hat channel?

We live in a condo that was previously a Hospital. In the early 1980s they installed the drywall ceilings using metal track. We removed the drywall and track to raise the ceiling from 8' to 11'. The ceiling is now cinder block under concrete. Can…
Allen
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Copper pipe through cinder block wall: corrosion issue

The pipe in the picture runs from my oil tank through my basement wall and to the outside (guessing it's the vent pipe for when they fill the tank). Should I be concerned about what it going on at the pipe/wall interface? The white stuff is very…
ds007
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What should I do with abandoned cinder blocks?

I recently moved to my first home (with a modest yard). The previous owners left behind about 20 cinder blocks. I'd like to build something constructive with them in lieu of discarding them. Any suggestions? I was thinking about a BBQ smoker. Is…
Gingi
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