bronxmaria's Profile

Lovely place. May I ask what company makes the insulated garage door?

Wow. I have always been a big fan of AT, but I truly truly dislike the new look.

I have an IQ Air in the New York area to sell. I will put it in the AT classifieds, if anyone is interested.

I purchased it for a mold-related problem, which has now been solved, and I don't need it anymore.

I have been researching this same question (single, flat panel doors for NYC apartment house, to match old doors).

Lowe's does have something for special order along those lines made by Simpson Doors, but it is nearly $400.00 per door. Humabuilt has something identical (see above) for under $200/door). (I have no connection to them).

You can try buying old doors, which we did, but 1) you don't find a large enough set of matching doors ; 2) the hinge position and knob positions probably won't match yours; 3) patching and sanding and gnerally sizing the old doors really isn't that simple, even for a highly dedicated DIYer.

Of course, my comments here are assuming that you really want something closely resembling the original apartment house doors. Otherwise, you can get something at Lowe's or HD (quite different but serciveable) for as little as $30 per door. Don't expect wood and don't expect a style match though.

Check out Humabuilt.
http://www.humabuilt.com/Pages/Doors.html

In 2006, when this post first appeared, I posted a solution to this problem. The solution came from four different building superintendents who have decades of experience with the kind of replacement windows that are common in New York apartment buildings.

The seals along the edges of the window degrade over the years. You don't need to replace the window, as numerous comments above seem to suggest. You need to remove the window portion from the frame, and have the glass and seal replaced. It takes a couple of hours, and costs about $60 per window, depending on the size of the window. In many cases, the window repair people will come to the apartment, remove the unit, and return it later that day.

If you live in a cooperative building, the building should reimburse (and they may have a particular window vendor). If you live in a rental, you may want to get permission from your landlord, and pay for it yourself or ask for reimbursement. The results are dramatic and the trouble is minimal (though you must pick a day with good weather in order to allow a few hours for the repair).

I agree (though in a more polite tone) with those who are noting that drilling a hole in the window is probably a flawed approach. It harms the window and doesn't solve the problem iin the long term.

I would argue that a website devoted to New York apartments (as this one originally was) would perhaps benefit from having a building superintendent as a consulting expert. These superintendents have attended numerous courses for topics ranging from windows to boilers to radiators, and could address many of the topics raised here. They also know the nitty gritty details about the kinds of things that co-op boards do and don't pay for, since they attend board meetings as part of their work.

Librarians I know rub the books with isopropyl alcohol--or rubbing alcohol--to remove the dust. It's usually a paper towel or cotton puff that holds the alcohol.

I agree that the item showed seems as though it will fling dust in the air, rather than removing it. But it's a worthwhile topic.

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Just switch the toilet out for a new toilet with the same rough in measurements. Usually these toilets (what you're calling 'industrial' toilets) have a 10" rough in. You can buy a tank style toilet at Home Depot for about $175, and have your building handyman install it.

Just be sure the new toilet with the tank has the same rough-in measurements. We just did it in our house, and the amount of plumbing work was minimal.

Traditionally, this type of subway tile was grouted in a grey or black (usually called "charcoal") grout. It is meant to be a dingy grey, and it's likely that it will never become white, by definition.

Today, it has become more fashionable (due to designer tiles like Ann Sacks and their revival of subway tile) to grout this kind of tile in a snow white or bright white. But it's wrong to expect that style of grouting from an older era tile, when generally they were not ever installing the tile with white.

The other challenge is that frequently these tiles are unglazed, or the glaze has worn out entirely, meaning that they soak up dirt. This type of tile costs about $5 a square foot and is sold (in New York at least) at places like Nemo tile. It's relatively easy and cheap to replace.