cmpeterson's Profile

I recently moved from Tennessee to San Francisco. The best thing I did to familiarize myself with a new place from a distance was to combine craigslist with Google maps. I was on craigslist everyday for about a month. Though it was too soon to rent a place, I became familiar with where nieghborhoods were and what types of apartments and prices to expect in the different neighborhoods. Then, I dropped pins all over a Google map of San Francisco, seeing how these places related to each other and to the necessities of everyday life. By the time I moved, I had an apartment within 2 weeks in a neighborhood where I've been happy now for over a year.

I think it's a bright idea to give people some privacy in public. If you think about their function, these pods are made for work. What results from placing them in communal space is not a social event, but an opportunity for social encounters. Rather than working sequestered in your locked apartment, you choose to work where you have the chance of being interrupted by a friendly hello, as though choosing to study in the library instead of cooped up in your dorm in college. It seems a smart way of bringing people together without much pressure.

To bepsf,

I work for a paint company and can tell you that oil and latex are both appropriate choices with their own pros and cons. Oil dries to a harder finish and is less likely to scuff or chip, but can be more difficult to work with due to odor, clean-up, and disposal issues. Modern-day latex paints have come a long way toward performing as well as oils, but still tend to dry softer than an oil would. This means you may experience some slight tackiness (e.g., door sticking to casing, glassware sticking to shelves if painted). However, for most people latex paints are easier to work with.

At any rate, proper preparation is key to finish longevity. Sanding and priming (the Zinsser primer this author used is a great product) are the best route. The culprit for your chipped paint job was likely insufficient preparation, especially if your latex paint went over an unprepared oil-based surface, which almost guarantees chipping. Latex is almost never recommended over oil without sanding and priming.

Hope that info helps!