February 16, 2010 AsktheBuilder News And Tips
What’s in This Issue?
Latest News
Counterfeit Pocket Doors
Hands-On Experience
Snap-Together Ceramic Tile
Latest Columns
Fire Pit
I do product reviews frequently. Please read my Disclosure Policy to understand the relationship between me and the companies that make the products or offer the services I review.
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Latest News
It's the middle of February. Holy Smokes. The weather here in New Hampshire has been glorious. We have had day after day of bright blue sky glistening on the smooth ice of Lake Winnisquam. But that's to end later today. Any moment now, 6 inches of new snow is forecast to blanket us. It's needed, as we've not had a decent snow in a month. There are many places where there is no snow cover. It looks like late March around here as I type this. The snowmobilers are very unhappy.
There's lots to share this issue, so I'll get started.
Counterfeit Pocket Doors and You Know You've Arrived
I use Google Alerts. This amazing feature sends you an email when it finds a keyword or phrase you're tracking on any newly published page on the Internet. Can you see how advantageous that could be in your business or hobby? A few days ago, I got an alert about this website:
www.TwitterInstantCash.com
Well lookie lookie who's at the bottom of *their* home page. Little old me. The owners of this site are promoting a FRAUD. I have nothing to do with them and I've never used this product. They don't have my permission to use me as an endorser. I'm angry as can be as you might expect. I'm quite certain they are losers.
But the point is, they feel I'm a celebrity on the Internet. They know I'm successful and have a recognizable brand. So they are playing off my success.
Guess what? The same thing is happening to a great brand of pocket doors I use: L.E. Johnson. There is a bogus company that's distributing counterfeit pocket doors in boxes that look like the real McCoy. To ensure you don't get ripped off, be SURE you purchase your L.E. Johnson pocket door from an authorized dealer. Go here to find one:
If you just want to buy a pocket-door frame while you're there, click that yellow oval at the top of the page that has a hyphen going into an equal sign. That takes you right to the online store.
Hands-On Experience + Great Writing Skills = $$$$
I'm looking to assemble a team of the best of the best. Are you, or do you know, an *excellent* writer that has extensive hands-on experience in any area of home improvement? You could be a professional, a serious DIY'r, or a professional writer that's cross trained in home improvement and be the person I'm looking for.
If so, I need you now. I'm looking to hire independent contractors who will write assigned topics in their area of expertise. If you pass my test and write enough columns, then you become one of my Certified Writers. This is a very exciting new project.
Please understand upfront that I'm going to be very selective. I need people who can follow instructions, have the highest integrity and ethics, and have a real command of the English language. If you don't, I'm afraid it won't work out. Want more details?
Go to: PlumbBobPress.com
Snap-Together Ceramic Tile
I just received some test samples of a porcelain ceramic floor tile that snaps together similar to what one does with laminate flooring. It's called SnapStone.
This is a floating floor system that lays on top of any other flooring. It's an ingenious system that appears to be well engineered. The tiles are cut very precisely, and the plastic frame they sit in looks like it would provide the needed support one usually gets from a bed of thinset mortar.
All the installation steps are the same as if you were using regular tile. The *only* thing you save is the one day you need to stay off a tile floor set in thinset. You might also save a mess if you've not worked with thinset before.
This tile comes with a very special grout that you must use. I suspect the grout is more like a sanded caulk than a cement-based grout one might normally use. The grout needs to have a pretty amazing degree of flexibility to work with a floating floor system.
I didn't price this tile out, so I can't tell you how it compares to regular tile. But it's interesting.
One thing I can't figure out is how to snap in a tile that has a tough L-shaped cut if you're working up against a finished surface. My guess is that you need to work away from the L-shaped cut piece. This could be problematic.
All in all, this may be a great system if you're a beginner and have a room with all simple straight cuts.
Give it a look at: SnapStone Tile
Latest Columns
Tim Carter's Fire Pit
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