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May 22, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

I hope you had a swell weekend. Mine was spent in Maine on my ham radio helping 120 bicyclists stay safe. The club I belong to, CNHARC, was the official communications provider for The Seacoast Bike Tour.

Saturday was uneventful, but on Sunday around noon two cyclists got tangled up and crashed just minutes after I had passed them while I was on roving patrol looking for problems. One woman had to be transported to the hospital. I’m hoping she’s okay.
Nubble Lighthouse

On Saturday, one of the rest stops the cyclists checked in at was on the coast in Maine. It was at the infamous Nubble Lighthouse. All I can say is that it was one of those rare days when it appeared a tanker filled with deep-blue dye crashed spilling its cargo into the ocean. The water was so blue!

Smart Money Magazine

I was interviewed yesterday and today by a very intelligent young woman named Jennifer Wieczner. She reached out to me about a story concerning DIY videos. After doing some research, she discovered that I have quite a following on YouTube and have lots of DIY videos as you already know.

But she needs YOUR help. She asked me moments ago if I knew of any homeowners who had watched a DIY video that led them astray, or caused them to waste money because the info in the video was wrong or incomplete.

Has that happened to you? Have you had a bad experience watching a DIY video? Jennifer needs to hear from you NOW. Please Cc: me in the email as I’d love to hear the story as well. Time is of the essence. She’s on deadline. That means email her NOW. Jen's email address is: [email protected]

Tip of the Week - Exterior Painting

Are you going to paint outside this year? If the surface already has paint on it, you really need to clean it to get fantastic results. Paint is just colored glue. Dirt, grease and sun-damaged old paint pigment all get in the way of a good bond.

Pressure washing does NOT remove all the dirt. If you want to get the surface clean, you need to wash it like you do your car - with a sponge, brush or surface agitation. I prefer to use a brush that’s used to clean RV’s. These are soft enough so they don’t scratch the paint of the RV, but stiff enough to get off the dirt.

To remove algae, mildew and sun-damaged paint pigment, my Stain Solver does an amazing job. Look below, the 9-pound size is now on sale.

Win an iPad!!!!

If you’re on Facebook, remember I told you months ago you should be, you can possibly win an iPad (16 GB and WiFi only). You only have nine days to react.

You need to take photos of an outdoor project you made with real wood. It could be a deck, gazebo, arbor, fence, porch, raised garden bed, etc. It just needs to be an exterior project made from REAL wood.

On June 1st, the photo you submit to the Wood Facebook fan page may be the one that wins!

Go to the following page, LIKE the page, post your photo, and tell them the city/state where the project is, when the project was constructed and WHY you chose real wood. It’s that easy. Get the camera out NOW and take your photo. Hurry! CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

Concrete Crack Repair

I’ve written in the past about using epoxy to repair concrete cracks. It can be a cracked driveway, cracked foundation, cracked patio, etc. Some epoxies are stronger than concrete and some have great flexibility.

I was sent some great concrete epoxy by the Roklin Company. They have a fantastic epoxy system that just may work for you. They also have concrete surface repair products as well as asphalt repair products.

These deserve a serious look if you have concrete or asphalt that needs attention. Good News! I negotiated a 15% discount for you! Use this promo code before it expires: ATB15 CLICK HERE TO SEE the PRODUCTS.

I did NOT get paid anything to write the above. I’m simply impressed by this company’s products.

Stain Solver Sale

Stain Solver Oxygen Bleach

I’m having a Memorial Day Clean Up Sale. The 9-pound size of Stain Solver is now on sale. You get a 15% discount. The photo you see is the 2-pound size. The 9-pounder comes in a one-gallon white plastic bucket.

But here’s the catch. Only 300 people get it at this price. Oh, and you get Free Shipping too with the Sale Price. CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE SALE.

If you want the discount and have some cleaning to do, you need to order *now*. You can only get this discount at the AsktheBuilder.com shopping cart. It’s not for sale on the Stain Solver website. I guarantee you we WILL SELL OUT of this size.

Mosquito Devices

Do you own one of those mosquito magnet machines that runs on propane? Or some other large-scale machine that claims to keep a bigger area free of mosquitoes? Have you had success or failure? What machine do you have that works best?

Deck Stain Test

The official AsktheBuilder Deck Stain Test has begun! I’m testing 16 different deck stains, some tinted, some toned and some clear. This is a real live test in real conditions down on my dock. The sun blasts my dock from sunrise until mid afternoon. There’s no shade. This is going to be a long-term test that runs for at least two years, possibly three. Here’s a photo of the pieces of wood that were just stained and out drying.
Deck Stain Sample Test Pieces

Four pieces of wood were stained with each stain - two each of treated lumber and two of cedar decking. One piece of treated and cedar lumber is being put in my garage attic out of sunlight and rain. These will be taken out of storage and put up against the outdoor samples from time to time to show how the stains are doing. I’ll take side-by-side photos.

I’ll have the first results available at the end of summer. We need to let Mother Nature work on the wood for at least three months. I’m sure you’ll be stunned by the results!

Sincerely,
Tim Carter
Do It Right, Not Over!

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