March 9, 2010 AsktheBuilder Newsletter And Tips

What's in This Issue?

Latest News
Garden Tool Storage
Tile Backsplashes & Electrical Outlets
Pocket Door Tip
Appearance This Weekend
Ice Dam Damage
Checklist Sale
Stain Solver Help
Liquid Wrench
Fire Pit

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Latest News

I've been chugging away at getting the Cincinnati house ready for the big Open House in less than three weeks. This past week, I made tons of progress. My productivity was high because I knew where each tool was that I needed.

I can't say enough about storing tools. If you leave your tools scattered all over the place, you waste tons of time looking for what you need. This is one reason I'm a big fan of Rick Grove's  opens in a new windowWall Control system that allows me to store tools on opens in a new windowmetal pegboard so that I can see what I have.

I'm also a fan of those open storage pails, boxes, buckets, etc. that have countless pockets and slots for hand tools, pencils, razor knives, rasps, screwdrivers, etc. There are many available, and you can't go wrong with just about any brand.

Garden Tool Storage Outdoors

If you store garden tools outdoors in a garage or shed, and you live where it gets cold in the winter, you'll have to deal with rust. Steel and iron tools will start to rust because of condensation that forms on the tools with changes in humidity and temperature.

There are any number of ways to deal with this, but a very light coat of oil will go a long way to prevent rust. As you get out your tools this spring, you'll probably note a fine film of rust on shovels, rakes, spades, etc. That could have been prevented had you cleaned the tools in the fall, allowed them to dry and then wipe down the metal parts with an oily rag. Be sure to burn the rag once your done. Spontaneous combustion is a reality.

Tile Backsplashes and Electrical Outlets

Lamar Hutchinson of Loreauville, LA wrote to me:

Lamar, I believe I understand your dilemma. I tackle this issue by backing out the screws that hold the electrical outlet to the box inside the wall. Be sure to turn of the circuit breaker that controls any of these devices you're working with. You need to get the outlet so that it sits on top of the tile. This means you cut the tile pieces so they are right at the edges of the electrical box in the wall.

Once the glue sets, you then tighten the outlet so the little round or square tabs contact the tile. Your method, if I understand it, will achieve the same result, but with a little more work. You'll have to have an assortment of spacers to get the outlet exactly where it needs to be. My method eliminates this guesswork.

Pocket Door Tip

Last year I remodeled our master bathroom. Kathy's closet has a pocket door that was just the thing to save very valuable space in the bathroom. The pocket door allowed us to place the opening to the closet immediately adjacent to the bathroom door.

Had we used a traditional swinging door, the two doors would undoubtedly bang into one another.

One of the things I do when installing a pocket door is use decorative brass screws on the top and side door jambs. These screws allow me to remove the jambs in seconds should I have to adjust or remove the door.

To make this process painless, I also prepaint the jambs before installing them. If you install raw wood and allow the painter to paint them in place, the paint can cause the jambs to stick to the door casing.

If you have a remodeling project coming up or even a new house, take a hard look at pocket doors. They are great if you use the  opens in a new windowpocket-door mounting hardware and track I use!

Author's Note: After reading this newsletter, subscriber Charlie Brown emailed me with a great pocket door tip.

Appearance This Weekend

If you live near or in Cincinnati, OH, I'll be speaking on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Cincinnati Home and Garden Show. The times are:

• Friday - 5 p.m.  
• Saturday - 2 and 6 p.m.  
• Sunday - 2 p.m.

Stop by and say "Hello!"

Ice Dam Damage, Contractors and Limited Money

Janet Murray emailed me over the weekend lamenting about water damage caused by the heavy snow that hit the East Coast last month. Her ceilings and walls and her mother's were damaged by dripping water.

She wanted to know who to call in to fix the work and how to make sure that she doesn't get ripped off. You may face the same anxiety when you go to hire a contractor.

I told Janet that the first step is to consider modifying the roof IF she intends to live in the house for a period of time. You can retrofit a roof with the ice-dam membranes by removing the lower courses of shingles on a roof. It's not easy, but it's possible.  You want to do this so that you'll never have the leak again. Why patch the ceilings and walls to only have to do it again in the future?

I then told her that she could possibly find a handyman who could do the repairs and needed painting.

Just after sending the reply, I got a similar email from a woman who was wringing her hands about not being able to make a mistake when hiring a contractor. Funds were limited and she had to get the work done right the first time.

That's when the lightbulb went off. For over fifteen years, I've been  opens in a new windowselling these checklists for all sorts of indoor and outdoor projects that help you discover the REAL pro in your area. In fact, I taped a series of videos just for these checklists that show you the secret way I would go find a pro carpenter, plumber, painter, electrician, roofer, etc. no matter WHAT city or town I was in. You give me two hours in any city and I'll find the pro you need. But the great news is, my checklists show you how to do it!

After reading those two emails, I got the feeling that you and many others in these horrible economic times could be in the same boat. You can't make a mistake. So to help you, I decided to do something I've never done before.

I told Roger, my virtual assistant, to slash the price of all my checklists - except for the New House and WalkThrough ones. My helpful checklists usually sell for $17 each, but for the next week you can get any one you need for just $2. That's not a typo. Yes, just $2 for  opens in a new windowany of the checklists.

These are Instant Download .PDF files you get immediately. You can get as many as you want for the $2 price. It's a steal when you see all the special questions I have you ask each of the contractors. At this price, you should consider buying any checklists you may need for future projects.

If you want to see how good they are, just buy one. Open it up, look at all the questions and background material, and see for yourself. If you feel they are worth it, then go back and get whatever else you need.

This crazy promotion ends on Tuesday morning March 16, 2010, at 8 a.m. ET. You need to react now to literally save hundreds of dollars. Actually, thousands of dollars as you'll be sure to get the pro who'll do your job right, not over!

Stain Solver Help

I'm in the midst of redesigning containers and fancy new labels for my  opens in a new windowStain Solver. But I need your help.

Often I get people who want to get a sample or smaller test size before purchasing my small 4-pound size. Can you tell me if you would buy a 1-pound size container or would that be a waste of time? One pound of  opens in a new windowStain Solver would fit in a one-pint container.

I'm also looking into small sample packets that could be mailed in an envelope. To get one of those - when available - you'd only have to pay $2 to cover the cost of postage, handling, etc.

Do either of these ideas appeal to you, or is it an exercise in futility?

By the way, the annual Spring Stain Solver Sale is just a month away. If you have a deck to clean or any other project, wait till you see the sale news!

Liquid Wrench Six Pack

After driving back in the snow and salt from New Hampshire to Cincinnati, OH, I tried to get the key in the padlocks on my trailer. Forget about it. The key slot was filled with salt deposits. With great effort, I was able to dissolve the salt and finally get the key to work.

Yesterday, I got a sample pack of  opens in a new windowsix new cans of Liquid Wrench products that may have prevented the agony. Imagine if I needed to open the trailer while I was on the road!

In this sample pack are six different cans of lubricating spray. There's penetrating oil, lube spray, regular oil, dry lubricant, chain lube, silicon spray, and even a white lithium grease spray. Wow!

I'm about to try these products on several things around here, not the least of which are the rollers and hinges on my garage doors. Let me tell you, you want those working well all the time as the garage door is usually the largest and heaviest mechanical device in most homes.

I'll let you know how it works on the padlocks.

Tim Carter's Fire Pit

If you're a new subscriber, I have a secondary website that might be of interest to you. It has nothing to do with home improvement, and everything to do with improving our great nation.

The best part is that it doesn't make any difference how you feel, as you can voice your opinion on any of the topics discussed there. Just leave a comment.

I hope you stop by my  opens in a new windowFire Pit and share your point of view.

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