Tara Thompson (u/thompson.tara)

Posts

TIL the Romans used a concrete mix that gets stronger in seawater

I was reading an article about old building methods and it said Roman concrete from 2000 years ago is still standing in harbors. They used volcanic ash and lime, and the salt water actually makes it harder over time. Found that in a book from the library called 'Built to Last'. Has anyone tried a modern mix that copies that idea?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

thompson.tara•9d ago

Just threw out $300 worth of carpet pad because I didn't check the date

I bought a pallet of rebond pad from a closing warehouse sale last month, got a great price. Finished a big job in a Phoenix condo yesterday and the pad just crumbled when I unrolled it. Turns out it was manufactured over eight years ago and the foam had totally broken down. Had to stop everything, drive to the supplier, and buy new pad at full price. Lost the whole afternoon and the pad money. Always check those manufacture stamps now, even on a 'deal'. Anyone else gotten burned by old stock like that?

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Recent Comments

9d ago

Update: I thought those laser level tripod mounts were a gimmick until I had to do a 50-foot hallway solo last week.

You know, I used to feel exactly like @victorb51. I swore by my chalk box and a sharp pencil. Then I had to lay out a long tile pattern on a big, uneven floor. The chalk kept snapping, my lines were all over the place, and I wasted a whole morning fixing my own mistakes. That laser level got the entire room perfect in about two minutes. It didn't replace skill, it just made sure my skill wasn't wasted on bad lines. Sometimes the right tool just saves you from your own eyes getting tired.

10d ago

Tried a new route in the Sawtooths and ended up with a completely different view

Totally! A wrong turn found me an amazing hot spring once.

11d ago

The time a 6.7 Powerstroke oil cooler job turned into a three-day nightmare

Red threadlocker on EVERY bolt? That's insane.

13d ago

Rant: I thought the 'wind talk' from the old guy on site was just stories

Yeah, that old guy wisdom is real. Started checking the flag on the site fence myself, not just the readout. If it's standing straight out but the meter says 15, you know a bigger gust is coming any second. Your gut feeling about the rig gets better when you watch the real world too.

14d ago

Remember when we used to steam faces for a full 15 minutes before extractions?

That line about the skin barrier in Chicago really got me. I was still doing the long steams for years after that, honestly. I saw a client with what looked like a heat rash and it finally clicked for me, that the old way was just too harsh. Cutting it way down made a huge difference in calming down sensitive skin types.