Re: Wood floor sanding and varnishing |
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Based on searching forums, it appears more are going to water based. If you want a dull or satin finish, water base may work out okay. If you want a semi-gloss or gloss.. water base just doesn't look as good. I am going to do an experiment by adding the VOCs back in and see if I get my good old fashioned oil based poly back. Then positively ventilate the room for a couple months while the floors out gas.
Posted on: 8/12 12:04
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Re: Wood floor sanding and varnishing |
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The problem with refinishing floors now is the low VOC polyurethane is nightmare to work with. This link pretty much describes my experience with it. Unfortunately, I can't find the high VOC quart cans anymore for floor poly (still can get the high VOC in small can for spar varnish). Tried the water base alternative... not impressed with the finish and the durability.
Posted on: 8/10 21:26
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Re: Couple seeks $18M from Jersey City in lawsuit over historic district guidelines |
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Wow.. I thought I was the only guy who used Viroc. Allied Building Supply told me I was the only guy buying it from them.
I have to dig out a receipt from when I bought it last to figure out what it cost is. Downsides of Viroc: It's Heavy It isn't cheap (but not terrible expensive either). its resistance to shear stress isn't the greatest
Posted on: 8/1 19:22
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Re: Couple seeks $18M from Jersey City in lawsuit over historic district guidelines |
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I have been using this material called Viroc more and more. At first I used it to rebuild the frames around windows that rotted out due to exposure to horizontal rain (the building gets blasted during Nor'Easters). I then started using it as siding. The manufacturer intended it to be used as commercial paneling that is mechanically fasted to the building. I found out (at least for me) it works pretty well bolted on to the building, but with a moisture barrier / weep path underneath. I like the stuff because unlike vinyl, Viroc is damn near fireproof. This was kind of important after a tenant accidentally set one of my buildings on fire via a dropped cigarette (small fire.... fire department did more damage putting it out then the fire itself). I used a water based colored sealer, which last years. Unfortunately, the company that made the sealer went out of business. http://virocny.com/
Posted on: 8/1 7:43
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Re: Choc O Pain - Now Open in the Heights! Yum! |
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He does have a point in regards to the prices. You don't have a critical mass of high income people in the Heights yet for high end specialty food. The places I see doing well serve food at a lower price than you would find in Manhattan, Hoboken, etc. An example: Noches De Colombia which opened relatively recently is always packed. Given the portions and quality, the place is a really good deal. There is a Gelato place farther North on Central Ave. Good product, but expensive when you look at what you get for $5+. The place is always empty when I walk by. Side note: Giving a Thumb-Up to De Columbia. So far we have had two good dinners from them. My only criticism of the place is it is hard to find a server that speaks English. The staff swapped servers on us when they found out my wife (though she looks it) isn't from South or Central America. Trying to order over the phone is a lost cause for non Spanish speakers.
Posted on: 7/30 19:21
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Re: Can JC kick it's parking addiction? |
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My block is one of the few that isn't zoned. I understand that is changing in the not so distant future. We are also getting more commuters parking here and taking the bus into Port Authority or walking to the PATH>
Posted on: 7/24 13:29
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Re: Can JC kick it's parking addiction? |
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A factory conversion to lofts by me has many of the new tenants parking in the street. I talked to a few of the tenants was the parking fees are too high.
Used to have good street parking around here. Not anymore. JCPD has been upping the ticketing frequency due to neighbors complaining about illegal parking (too close to the intersections, etc.). I also noticed it appears many of the residents of Cast Iron Lofts are using the road below Christ Hospital for parking as well. Cast Iron Lofts has an extensive parking deck. Parking fees too high as well?
Posted on: 7/24 9:29
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Re: Maternity ward at JCMC |
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So does: JCMC Christ Hospital Hoboken Medical Center New York Presbyterian NYU Langone Meadowlands Hospital Pretty much every major hospital has its share of scary 1 star reviews. Yelp reviews when it comes to anything medical need to be taken with a grain of salt. Its not like a restaurant where people go out to have a good time. Having to go to the hospital is almost always a miserable experience. Once over, people want to forget about it and are not as likely to leave a review. The exceptions being the people where things went wrong or have an axe to grind. So you have a strong bias in negative reviews.
Posted on: 7/23 14:12
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Re: Maternity ward at JCMC |
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Want to give a big 'thumb-up' to Englewood Medical Center. The post delivery rooms are private now (they did renovations in 2015). It is almost like staying in a hotel now. Care here has been top notch. My wife ended up in ICU after delivering. The surgeons on staff saved her life and the lives of two other women who were in the same situation and at the same time.
Posted on: 7/21 8:51
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Re: Developers break ground on Jersey City micro-units apartment building |
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What is the logic behind this? Would this also be the case if you had an apartment with one of those open kitchen / living room combinations?
Posted on: 7/20 19:22
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Re: Good Thai Food |
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Another Up Vote for Nana Thai on Central Ave.
They make a traditional southern dish called Kua King. It's not on the menu, but they will make it with pork or chicken if you ask. Very spicy.... This is not Nana's version, but is typical of what the dish looks like: 
Posted on: 7/15 19:05
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Re: JC Schools |
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Some of the private schools maintain Facebook pages. You can try corresponding with some of the parents who comment on the school's page to get their opinions. I found this technique useful when reviewing medical groups. The people I talked to were very informative. Sites like Greatschools or other sites with a limited number of commenters can get cranks or fake posters writing b.s. posts.
I am in a similar situation... trying to figure out where to send my son and how to afford it when he hits school age. 1st step is opening a Coverdell ESA account, so at least I can put some $$$ in a tax sheltered account to help pay for private school.
Posted on: 7/13 22:28
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Re: For anyone interested in obtaining a Concealed Carry Permit |
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In college I was an NRA certified firearms instructor. Before that I obtained a sharpshooter rating from the Dept. of Civilian Marksmanship in high school. I have been armed my entire adult life and never had to use a firearm in defense of my life or property. Hope I never have to. But I want the ability to do so should the need arise, no matter how unlikely. To the second point... the wild west scenario hasn't happened in the in the 42 states that are 'Shall Issue' or no permit required (Connecticut is a 'May Issue' by law but is a 'Shall Issue' by practice... so I counted it as a shall issue). Somewhere around 12% to 15% of PA people have licenses. Florida has over a million issued. Florida list how many people have their permits revoked and its lower than that for law enforcement (the majority revocations due to non-gun related incidents like DWI). Quote: Here's something from an email I just got that makes us both happy. I think the stock market and the housing market are both in bubbles. I expect a nasty correction in both in the coming 24 months, though the salad days of buying dirt cheap gut-rehab buildings is long gone. The saving grace has been all the foreign money pouring into the USA (in particular China). The wealthy Chinese don't care about positive returns, they just want to not lose their entire investment (which is the fear if they keep their money in China).
Posted on: 6/28 17:59
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Re: For anyone interested in obtaining a Concealed Carry Permit |
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Just to add..
HR 38 has 200 sponsors / cosponsors in the House. Per Gun Owners of America: According to Gun Owners of America (GOA), CCRA now has 199 co-sponsors, bringing the number of House supporters to 200 (including Hudson). GOA says the number of supporters represents “an almost unprecedented level of support” for any particular House legislation. GOA observed, “It is almost certain to us that we — today — have the 218 votes (out of 435) we need in order to pass H.R. 38 in the House. In the Senate, we believe we’re close to the 60 votes we need to break a filibuster. Bottom line: There is no reason that we should wait to move this legislation through the House.” So there is a pretty good change HR 38.. or some version of it could become law sometime this year or next. President Trump has voiced support for reciprocity and if I recall correctly has a concealed carry permit for a number of years.
Posted on: 6/28 16:53
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Re: Getting the most out of ObamaCare |
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Back in the early '90s NJ, VT, and NY passed insurance regulation similar to the ACA (minus the mandatory purchase on insurance). NJ (like ACA) became a 'community rating' and a 'guaranteed issue' state. Basically, this means cannot be denied insurance for a pre-existing condition and the insurance company had to charge everyone the same rate. So a 25 non-smoking healthy male would be have to be charged the same a 50 year old overweight woman who smokes five packs a day. I went without insurance for a while because the insurance available at the time would have eaten up close to half my monthly take home pay and was an 80/20 plan (I have to pay 20% of whatever medical costs I incur). This was a terrible plan for me since I hardly used any medical services and if I had a catastrophic event (Say something that costs $200k+, I would still be broke). NJ later did reforms that allowed younger people to buy basic plans, but ACA wiped those plans out. If I lived in PA (which didn't regulate like NJ did) I could have gotten a high deductible catastrophic plan (with emergency room coverage), covering up to $3million, with a for $90 to $125 a month (depending on the deductible). That I could afford... but was illegal in NJ. I went without insurance until I got on an employer plan many months later. I can buy a catastrophic emergency room plan today.. but only for my cat.
Posted on: 6/28 15:41
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For anyone interested in obtaining a Concealed Carry Permit |
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The Association of NJ Rifle & Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC) is having an event this Saturday allowing you to get an out of state permit for Utah and Florida.
While NJ is still a 'may issue' state, a FL or UT permit will allow you to carry in states that offer reciprocity with FL or UT. More importantly, the out of state permits would give you the right to carry to people in NJ if HR 38 becomes law, which will require states honor other state's permits (like they do with driver licenses). Essentially HR 38 would make NJ a 'shall issue' state via out of state carry permits. Details below: The excitement over H.R. 38 (national carry reciprocity) has renewed interest among New Jersey gun owners in obtaining Florida and Utah non-resident carry permits. If H.R. 38 does move, a huge backlog of non-resident permit applications is anticipated as residents of a number of anti-gun states scramble to get their permits. While there is no guarantee that H.R. 38 will be enacted, we think it's a good idea to be prepared and secure your permit now. ANJRPC has brought back its convenient Right to Carry Road Show permitting events at Cherry Ridge Range in an effort to accommodate renewed demand, and the next one is this Saturday, July 1st (12:00 noon for Florida, 1:00 p.m. for Utah). PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: Contact charlie@gunforhire.com or call 973-821-7106. Here are the highlights: *All aspects of the carry permit application process conveniently handled for you at one location. *Fingerprinting, photos, notary, application completion, etc. *What otherwise takes weeks to assemble on your own is completed in a few hours! FEE IS $200 (Utah) and $50 (Florida) PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: Contact charlie@gunforhire.com or call 973-821-7106. Note: Florida's application can only be submitted after prior completion of training, which is not part of this service (NRA Basic Pistol and First Steps certified pistol training satisfy this requirement. Also, NJ Hunter Education Card or DD214 Military Discharge form satisfy this requirement as well). Please note that Florida and Utah non-resident permits are not currently being honored in Pennsylvania.
Posted on: 6/28 15:29
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Re: Getting the most out of ObamaCare |
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When ACA kicked in, my company insurance plan saw a 54% increase over one year. I ended up back on my wife's plan, which unfortunately lacked and HSA component. Her plan was grandfathered under ACA and only saw single digit increases in cost.
Posted on: 6/28 15:15
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Re: Getting the most out of ObamaCare |
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Both have the following in common: Often the people using the service aren't paying the bill and the resulting lack of price discovery. With our current system, YOU are not the customer.. the insurance company or the government (i.e. Medicare is). If you want to see an area in medical service where you see a trend of declining prices and / or improved service, look at services NOT covered by insurance.
Posted on: 6/27 16:27
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Re: PVC Roof |
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When I looked at the added cost, I came to the conclusion PVC wasn't worth it. A high quality modified bitumen installed properly will last decades.
What the PVC offered was a reflective white coating built in. To get the white coating, I just coated the roof (after it cured / out-gassed) with a water based polymer. The stuff works so well I can walk out in bare feet in 90 F degree weather (full sun). It will also extend the life of the roof. The product # is 1300T. For some reason, it is missing on their updated website, but they still carry it. https://spec-chem.com/roofing-material-documents/ Back when I did my own roofs, I used this system linked below. It is more work to put down, but very easy to maintain afterwards. Every few years, I put a new coating of 1300T on it, which goes on like paint. https://spec-chem.com/assets/Recycled-Rubber-Cool-Roof-System.pdf
Posted on: 6/24 9:24
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Re: Come to City Hall this upcoming Wednesday to promote electric vehicle charging in JC #EVinJC |
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If you look at the life-cycle cost of electric vehicles (i.e. take in account the energy needed to make the batteries, generating source of the electricity, etc.) you get little in the what you described above. Modern gasoline powered cars are pretty clean when it comes to CO, SOx, NOx, and VOCs (the latter two causing smog and ozone). In fact, if you tried committing suicide by filling your car with exhaust, it would take a while since CO levels produced by modern cars is so low. There are other issue is with electric car batteries, which aren't affordable or practical (car batteries need to be heated and cooled). Unless someone invents a super capacitor with the same amount of energy storage as a tank of gasoline (similar size / weight), electric cars are just going to be expensive toys for very wealthy people.
Posted on: 6/23 9:26
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Re: Flooding in Jersey City |
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Looks like JC was spared the worst of the storm. It looks like the real heavy stuff went well North of us. Some areas looked like they got 4 to 6 inch at a rate of almost 2 inches an hour.
Posted on: 6/19 18:51
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Re: Two more carjackings this morning (Four in two days) |
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A while back, there were a couple car jacking in JC foiled because the car being jacked had a manual transmission. Apparently, using a stick and clutch is a "lost art" with many of the criminally minded.
Posted on: 6/14 16:59
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Re: Trump Our New President |
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Illinois requires an extensive background check to get an ID card to even buy a firearm (similar to NJ). IL didn't even have concealed carry permits until recently. NJ has, but only gives it to people with the right political connections. IL was ordered by the courts to issue CCW permits. The ruling was based on the expansion of the Heller decision which stated one's 2nd Amendment rights do not stop at one's front door.
Thankfully, this guy didn't get much target practice. Most of the shots he fired missed. The civilian version of the M4 typically fires a .223 caliber round, which is very light (this can be changed to higher caliber rounds though with customization). If he was using a round typical for hunting rifles (.308, .30-06) those injured might be dead right now.
Posted on: 6/14 13:02
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Re: Something Major is happening in the Heights right now... |
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Look like the crash grounded a power line and pretty much cooked whatever the line landed on.
Posted on: 6/5 7:22
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Re: 2017 Primaries. |
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Its actually illegal to have flyers put in your mailbox, unless they are mailed to you and put there by the postman.
Posted on: 6/3 9:09
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Re: 2017 Reval ~ Property Inspections |
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Real estate crashed in '88 and didn't hit bottom until about 1997. Property was stupid cheap here in JC... but interest rates were high and it was tough to get a loan (the collapse of the Savings & Loan industry). Damn near impossible to get a construction loan to renovate, unless you went the 203k loan route.. which I would rather set myself on fire than go through that process again. It was way more than the property re-evaluation that caused prices to drop. The biggest factor was the lending. It is a lot harder to afford a place when your 30 year fixed rate is around 8% vs. 2.5%.
Posted on: 5/26 9:54
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Re: 2017 Reval ~ Property Inspections |
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This is one of the more egregious examples of a building being under assessed:
Posted on: 5/22 15:30
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Re: Journal Squared Project to Begin |
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Money is flowing out of China into the USA. The wealthy Chinese are "getting out of Dodge" before the Chinese economy implodes:
Posted on: 5/21 9:47
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Re: HC proposes $538 million budget with tax increases for 6 towns |
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Maybe NJ should do like CT and get rid of county government?
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... _nj_bergen_county_la.html How many are on the County payroll? 20,000?
Posted on: 5/19 11:47
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Re: Dear Person Stealing Tiny Flower Pots from Our Stoop... |
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My tenant used to put out big tropical plants in pots during the summer. Someone came by once and smashed the pots.
Posted on: 5/16 9:05
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