Emergency of the home variety- potential dangers to look out for?

[Kiwibird]

I was sorry to hear this new projected completion date too! Ugh, this has certainly been a nuisance to deal with. I've just been throwing my entire focus into my little art venture as there is not much else I can do at this point about my home disaster but ignore it being a disaster and keeping on the insurers/contractor.

 

[LordTriggs]

become one with the chaos!

It's the worst when you're just left in this void of stuff not seemingly going anywhere. All I can really say is hold fast, don't let the insurance companies forget you're there and think how much better it will be once the place is finally rebuilt!

Maybe you can figure out some new incorporated spots for Kiwi to play/hang out

 

[Kiwibird]

Woohoo! Friday I picked up the check for the final amount from our HOA and today I will be turning in the final approval on everything so this can FINALLY move forward. The leak happened at the beginning of JULY. It won't be finished until the middle of NOVEMBER. At least we should have a new kitchen and beautiful hard floors before Christmas!

 

[Kiwibird]

Ok so here is a bird related question-

According to the paperwork I signed yesterday regarding the new counters, we are responsible for sealing them apparently. Despite having granite tile before, we went with a ceramic tile so we could stretch our budget for other upgrades farther and have a little more modern look. What would be a bird-safe sealer for ceramic tile? It appears counter sealer is sold in a spray bottle and should be applied fairly regularly. The manufacturer website for the tile says it should be sealed but offers no clues on what product should be used or how often.

https://surfaceartinc.com/tile/coll...tectural/itemlist/category/252-a-la-mode.html

I was looking at this sealer on amazon, but I can imagine this kind of product will have an awful smell. Does anyone use a similar product safely around their birds?

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamon...qid=1538478485&sr=1-5&keywords=counter+sealer

 

[Scott]

Not familiar with sealer for ceramic tiles, and FWIW I've never bothered with such on granite. (still looks great!!)

Perhaps you can find a similar product at Home Despot or Lowe's and crack the bottle seal to check aroma?

Glad to hear the project will be underway!

 

[Kiwibird]

Not familiar with sealer for ceramic tiles, and FWIW I've never bothered with such on granite. (still looks great!!)

Perhaps you can find a similar product at Home Despot or Lowe's and crack the bottle seal to check aroma?

Glad to hear the project will be underway!

I was wondering if it was really necessary. I've never done anything to the granite counters besides steam clean them. I don't use anything special on our ceramic tile top dining table either. Perhaps I should contact the manufacturer if I can't get a more definitive answer out of the counter people when they come to install the counters. I prefer not to use chemicals if not absolutely necessary. For both Kiwi's health and ours.

I too am EXTREMELY happy it's moving forward. Now everything is on order. Our contractor has been very understanding of our tight budget and actually allowed us to choose the cabinet hardware, sink and faucet on Amazon where we were able to find a bit more affordable items that allowed us to stretch our budget and do a few extra upgrades too. It has certainly been a 'process' but should look nice at the end of the day

 

[SailBoat]

Both granite and ceramic counters have manufacturer (supplier) requirements for sealing the usable surface. In their defense, the requirement is based around the reality that both the nature and man made products are not totally solid and that without sealing the surface, 'stuff' could get into the materials and cause staining and/or in the worst case cracking. Also, with the high concern with transfer of contaminates from 'things' placed on counters, sealing 'helps' to reduce such events that a simply dry or cool water wet wiping is not going to remove. Hence, the Lawyer driven need for the requirement being provided as weak, as the argument is in reality.

I would guess that a quick poll would find that 98% of counters have never been sealed. Plus, whether sealed or not good household practices is a must to assure that the counter tops are clean! We are part of that never sealed a hard surface counter top gang.