diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index 2172243..d0f929c 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -133,10 +133,6 @@ int main(){
 
 void render_pass(){
 	
-	if (status & STATUS_UPDATE_SCREEN_CLEAR) {
-		clear();
-		status &= ~STATUS_UPDATE_SCREEN_CLEAR;
-	}
 	if (status & STATUS_UPDATE_SCREEN_RESIZE) {
 
 		wresize(win_t, 1, terminal_width);
@@ -151,12 +147,23 @@ void render_pass(){
                 mvwin(win_m, 1, (terminal_width/8));
                 mvwin(win_r, 1, ((terminal_width/2)));
 		mvwin(win_b, terminal_height-1, 0);
+		status |= STATUS_UPDATE_SCREEN_CLEAR;
+		status &= ~STATUS_UPDATE_SCREEN_RESIZE;
 
 	}
-	if (pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex_render) == 0) {
+	if (status & STATUS_UPDATE_SCREEN_CLEAR) {
+		clear();
+		pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex_render);
+		refresh();
+		status &= ~STATUS_UPDATE_SCREEN_CLEAR;
+		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_render);
+	}
+	/*
+	if (pthread_mutex_trylock(&mutex_render) == 0) {
 		doupdate();
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_render);
 	}
+	*/
 }
 /*this function exists for things done at startup (initialization, reading config, etc)*/
 void init() {
diff --git a/threading.c b/threading.c
index b696130..f1a4c18 100644
--- a/threading.c
+++ b/threading.c
@@ -120,7 +120,8 @@ void *thread_mid(){
 		} else {
 			print_dir(win_m, 1, &mid_dir);
 		}
-		wnoutrefresh(win_m);
+		/*wnoutrefresh(win_m);*/
+		wrefresh(win_m);
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_render);
 
 
@@ -182,7 +183,8 @@ void *thread_lft(){
 		pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex_render);
 		werase(win_l);
 		print_dir(win_l, 0, &lft_dir);
-		wnoutrefresh(win_l);
+		/*wnoutrefresh(win_l);*/
+		wrefresh(win_l);
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_render);
 
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_lft);
@@ -244,7 +246,8 @@ void *thread_rgt(){
 				pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex_render);
 				werase(win_r);
 				print_dir(win_r, 0, &rgt_dir);
-				wnoutrefresh(win_r);
+				/*wnoutrefresh(win_r);*/
+				wrefresh(win_r);
 				pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_render);
 
 			} else if ((status & STATUS_DELTA_TIME) != STATUS_DELTA_TIME && rgt_dir.file_count > 0) {
@@ -259,7 +262,8 @@ void *thread_rgt(){
 				} else if ((rgt_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IRUSR) == 0) {
 					mvwaddstr(win_r, 0, 0, "not accessible");
 				}
-				wnoutrefresh(win_r);
+				/*wnoutrefresh(win_r);*/
+				wrefresh(win_r);
 				pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_render);
 			}
 		}
@@ -318,7 +322,8 @@ void *thread_top(){
 		mvwaddnstr(win_t, 0, 0, top_buffer, strlen(global_path)+1);
 		wattroff(win_t, COLOR_PAIR(COLOR_PATH));
 		mvwaddstr(win_t, 0, strlen(global_path)+1, top_buffer+strlen(global_path)+1);
-		wnoutrefresh(win_t);
+		/*wnoutrefresh(win_t);*/
+		wrefresh(win_t);
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_render);
 
 
@@ -332,10 +337,20 @@ void *thread_btm(){
 	unsigned int ui_btm_right_block_size = 0;
 	unsigned int buffer_width = 0;
 
+
 	while(!(status & STATUS_QUIT_PROGRAM)){
 		pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex_btm);
 		pthread_cond_wait(&cond_btm, &mutex_btm);
 
+		if (buffer_width != terminal_width) {
+			buffer_width = terminal_width;
+			if (terminal_width < 10) { buffer_width = 10; }
+
+			free(btm_buffer);
+			btm_buffer = malloc(buffer_width+1);
+			/*in this case STATUS_RUN_BACKEND should be true as defined in the main loop resize check*/
+		}
+
 
 		if (status & (STATUS_RUN_BACKEND | STATUS_RELOAD_DIRECTORY)) {
 			/*{{{ parse storage info; the fold of shame*/
@@ -408,15 +423,11 @@ void *thread_btm(){
 			/*}}}*/
 		}
 
-		if (buffer_width != terminal_width) {
-			buffer_width = terminal_width;
-			free(btm_buffer);
-			btm_buffer = malloc(buffer_width+1);
-		}
 		memset(btm_buffer, ' ', buffer_width);
-		btm_buffer[buffer_width] = '\0';
 
-		memcpy(btm_buffer + buffer_width - ui_btm_right_block_size, ui_btm_right_block, ui_btm_right_block_size);
+		if (ui_btm_right_block_size + 9 < buffer_width) {
+			memcpy(btm_buffer + buffer_width - ui_btm_right_block_size, ui_btm_right_block, ui_btm_right_block_size);
+		}
 
 		if (mid_dir.current_file != NULL) {
 			btm_buffer[0] = (S_ISLNK(mid_dir.current_file->permissions)) ? 'l': 
@@ -432,15 +443,17 @@ void *thread_btm(){
 			btm_buffer[9] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IXOTH) ? 'x' : '-';
 		}
 
+		btm_buffer[buffer_width] = '\0';
 
 
 		/* rendering */
 		pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex_render);
 		werase(win_b);
-		if (*top_buffer != ' ') { /*printing ' ' (standard initialized value, see threading_init) makes valgrind throw a fuss*/
-			mvwprintw(win_b, 0, 0, "%s", btm_buffer);
-		}
-		wnoutrefresh(win_b);
+
+		mvwprintw(win_b, 0, 0, "%s", btm_buffer);
+
+		/*wnoutrefresh(win_b);*/
+		wrefresh(win_b);
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_render);
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_btm);
 		/*the printing of all possible inputs are done in user_interactions */