Ask the Builder
July 8, 2008 AsktheBuilder News
By Tim Carter
©1993-2008 Tim Carter
Summary: Howdy! In this issue of my newsletter, I am going to talk about AC units and
hot weather, news about my laundry room, a tool review, cleaning my
oven racks and of course share my latest column and some
oldie-but-goodie videos.
What's in This Issue
LAUNDRY-ROOM UPDATEDREMEL ACCESSORY KIT
OVEN-RACK GRIME
AIR CONDITIONER TIPS
LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEOS
Laundry-Room Update
I finally finished my laundry-room remodeling job. It was a monumental task. I find working around my house to be therapeutic. Some friends of mine think my time is better spent hiring others to do the work so I can do something more productive. But the truth be told, I actually enjoy many aspects of the work.
The statistics show that a large portion of the public does not do-it-themselves. The last set of numbers I saw indicated that I was in a minority with only 22 percent of the general population in the DIY category.
The painting of this space consumed many hours. I have been systematically changing out the woodwork in my house. When I built it 22 years ago, I could not afford the woodwork my wife and I wanted. But over the years, I saved and little by little we have switched over to authentic custom-made Victorian woodwork in all the rooms.
When you do this, painting becomes a sizable task as you are dealing with bare wood. This means you almost always apply three coats of paint - a sealer/primer and two finish coats, and before that you have to spackle all of the nail holes and caulk all of the cracks to get professional results. Suffice it to say, I have had my fill of painting since this room and hallway had two closets, one window, two exterior doors, a pocket door, two archways and a decent amount of baseboard.
Kathy is happy as can be with the newly-decorated space, and especially likes the new sink. This laundry room - as crazy as this sounds - has three sinks within 10 feet of one another. The first sink is a fiberglass tub I mentioned last week. It is in this little alcove hallway that connects to our garage. Next to our washing machine in the laundry room proper, we have a 10-inch-deep stainless steel sink in a traditional sink-base cabinet that has been there for years. This is great for soaking clothes and rinsing the animal-food dishes.
But Kathy wanted a new set of base cabinets in some previously wasted space. I obliged, and the result was a third stainless-steel sink that was also 10-inches deep to be used exclusively for the animals. Some of the natives in the house didn't much like clothes being mixed with cat food. No matter that the sink was always clean!
This new Elkay sink is a little different. Most standard sinks are 22-inches from front to back. This one is only 19 inches. It's really a convenient size. You don't have to reach as far to get to the faucet, which is also an Elkay model with paddle handles, but the sink can handle large bowls and other things that would never fit in those tiny 15 x 15-inch bar sinks.
Dremel Accessory Kit
Not a week goes by that I don't get a press release or phone call from a company or public-relations company about a new tool. For example, next week the traveling Sears road show is coming to my office to show all the latest things Sears has to offer.
Recently I got a fancy accessories kit to test from Dremel. If you don't have a Dremel tool, you probably should. They are the closest thing you can get that will make you feel like a dentist. I have never checked, but the inventor of the Dremel tool must have been a dentist in a previous life as the Dremel tool reminds me of the drill/tool that dentists use.
The accessory kit I am about to test has 75 different parts. There are cutting and grinding wheels, carving and drill bits, cleaning and polishing wheels, etc. All sorts of extra pads, sanding discs and cut-off wheels are included. They all come in this fancy metal box that would be a proud addition to any workshop. You can find out more here:
Dremel Accessory Kit
Oven-Rack Grime
I try to share real-life events with you in my newsletter. When I tell you something I have done around my home, it is not a dream. But my latest job has me wishing I was taking a nap. Who wants to clean that baked-on caramelized grease on oven racks? Yuck!
Kathy wanted to clean the double oven, and my part was working on the chrome-plated oven racks while she turned the control knob to Clean. I discovered long ago that spraying oven cleaner on those can be a mistake. I discolored a set of racks in our last house and Kathy was pretty upset. She did not want that to happen with her new oven, so I decided to get out a bottle of my Stain Solver.
Quite by accident a few years ago, I discovered that my Stain Solver oxygen bleach got rid of that brown cooked-on grease you see on the sides of pots and pans. We have a set of pans that has a polished outer finish that you can't scour with an abrasive cleaner, so I decided to soak the pans overnight in my laundry tub with an ample amount of Stain Solver. The next morning the brown grease marks came off with just a little bit of effort. I would say about 90 percent of the grease came off with the first soaking and scrubbing.
Well I am pleased to say that the Stain Solver came through again! I soaked the oven racks overnight, and then scrubbed them with a Dobie Pad. These pads are a sponge wrapped in a nylon fabric that is great for scouring jobs. The nylon will not scratch polished metal. My oven racks look like the day we took the oven out of the shipping box.
I share this as it is but another cleaning chore made easier by oxygen bleach. The next thing I am going to tackle is the stainless-steel cover to my grill. It has that same brown grease staining.
If you are new to the newsletter, this may be the first time you have heard of oxygen bleach. All I can say is that it is just about the greenest cleaning product I know of, and it is color and fabric safe. You just add this powder to water. There are hundreds of things you can safely clean with Stain Solver.
I make this unique product here at AsktheBuilder.com and sell it at:
http://www.StainSolver.com.
If you want to try some, use this promo code to get a 20-percent savings:
31july
It should be obvious that the promo code expires very soon (Expired July 31, 2008).
Air Conditioner Tips
Very high temperatures are forecast for many parts of the nation this week. Friends of mine in Southern California are going to melt. Air conditioners will be stressed.
Many people do not realize that air conditioners are carefully sized to match the needed cooling requirements. Think of them as shoes. A unit that is too small will not keep you comfortable. An AC unit that is oversize will short cycle, and you will be cold and clammy.
But many people are not aware that there is a temperature spread that is also considered in the sizing calculations. This means that you select the desired interior temperature and subtract that from a high temperature that is commonly experienced in your area.
However, when weather conditions bring temperatures that are 10 or 15 degrees above normal, your AC unit may not be able to keep you cool. It is not the fault of the equipment, it is Mother Nature. You can help make sure your AC unit is doing its best by ensuring your air filter is clean and the outdoor unit has plenty of air flowing through the coils.
Latest Column and Videos
Here is one of my latest columns loaded to the website:
Ceramic Tile Cutter
Videos:
Ever wonder how a fireplace mantel might be attached to a wall?
Fireplace Mantel Video
Are you doing Exterior Painting? You better watch this one.
Acrylic House Paint Video
Index of past newsletters.
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