Ask the Builder September 2018 Neat Products

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Tim Carter

Here are a few neat products I've held in my hands the first few days of September 2018 and feel you should know about:

Werner 24-Foot Aluminum Extension Ladder With Leveling Legs

This is a D-rung extension ladder, but it's got these amazing leg extenders that allow you to set the ladder up safely on uneven surfaces. CLICK the photo to see more photos and to BUY the ladder.

This is a nifty aluminum D-rung ladder that's rated for 250-pounds. I was able to easily carry it from up in my cul-de-sac once the delivery truck drove away. The adjustable leg extensions are wonderful and the embedded level allows you to set the ladder up safely! If you want strength and SAFETY, give this ladder a serious look. CLICK HERE to have one delivered to your home or office building.

WEEGO 66 Jumpstarter Power Pack

This is the WEEGO power pack. It can power just about anything and jumpstart your car too! CLICK THE IMAGE to have it delivered to your home.

This small battery pack has the ability to deliver 2500 peak amps and 600 cranking amps to your worn-out car or truck battery. It powers up all sorts of other things like your laptop, phone, etc. It's a flashlight too and an emergency beacon. Give this a look-see! CLICK HERE to have one delivered to your home.

Kwikset SmartKey Security and Kobalt Series 3000 Tool Chests

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Tim Carter

In this video, Tim Carter shows how you can rekey locks yourself using the Kwikset Smartkey Security system. He demonstrates it on his Kobalt Series 3000 tool chest.

Retaining Wall Basics and Blacktop Cracks

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Tim Carter

Retaining Wall Basics

Question #1: Tim, I’ve seen quite a few failed retaining walls. Many have bulges or have tipped over. What needs to be done to ensure I only do mine one time? I’ve seen photos of walls hundreds of years old that look like they were built yesterday. What’s the secret? Chuck W., Boise, ID

I’m fortunate like Chuck and have seen my share of failed retaining walls. I grew up in Cincinnati, OH, and retaining walls can be found all over the city and in the suburbs.

You may have not enjoyed physics class in high school, but remember when one of your frustrated classmates might have said, “Give me an example of when I’ll ever use this stuff in real life!” Well, this is one of those times.

Gravity wants to tip over all retaining walls. It’s all part of Mother Nature’s plan to transport rock and soil back into the oceans. Those engineers that design a retaining wall that lasts and lasts can say they won an arm-wrestling competition with her - at least temporarily as Mother Nature always bats last.

The problem you face with retaining walls is the taller they are, the more weight they’re holding back. It’s very complex. This is why any wall taller than 6 feet should be designed by an engineer who’s got experience in retaining walls.

Short walls 2 feet high that you might build in your yard can be done with little fear of failure. But once you get higher than that, things can go wrong fast.

I’ll never forget the first retaining wall I built. It was a 50-foot-long wall that started out 1 foot high but ended up 42 inches high. I built it in front of another retaining wall and there was just 3 feet of dirt behind the wall, not a hill rising up behind the wall.

After five years, I noticed the tall end of the wall seemed to be tilting outwards. I had used regular brick, 4-inch back-up concrete block and some vertical steel rods in between the brick and the block to try to ensure the wall would not tilt. I lost that arm wrestling match!

Years later I discovered the freezing weather contributed to the failure. The soil behind my wall would freeze and expand. Each year the ice would push the wall out another 1/4 inch or so. A much-thicker wall and pea-gravel fill between the soil and the wall would have prevented the failure.

I have great retaining wall step-by-step tips and videos for you at my website. Go to: retainingwall

Blacktop Cracks

Question #2: Help, Tim! I need to patch some cracks in my older blacktop driveway and I don’t want to do it a second time. Let me state up front I’m no fan of the liquids or black caulks that end up looking worse than the crack itself. Have you figured out a way to patch blacktop cracks and disguise the repair? Constance M., Springfield, MA

I know I feel like Constance about the black caulk products and liquid crack fillers. They look like a facial scar to me. You may not pay much attention to aged blacktop but what you’re really seeing are tens of thousands of small rocks that have lost their jet-black coating of liquid asphalt.

Just this past week, I patched quite a few cracks in my own aged blacktop driveway. I’ve perfected a method of doing it so you simply can’t see the crack repair, even if you stand ten feet away.

I start by cleaning out the crack of all debris. If the crack is wide enough, I use my battery-powered demolition hammer with a 3/4-inch wide bit. I chisel the sides of the crack so the bottom of the crack is wider than the top. The profile resembles a dovetail carpentry joint or the shape of the hole in your tooth just before a dentist fills a cavity.

I make sure the crack depth is at least one inch before squirting in a magic epoxy I discovered about six years ago. It comes in caulking tubes and has a magic nozzle that mixes the two components that come out of the tube.

I keep the epoxy about 1/8 inch below the top of the blacktop and then begin to press into the fresh epoxy small stones that match the ones in the blacktop. You’ll find these all along the edge of your driveway. I embed stones as small as 1/8 inch into the epoxy all in a random pattern as you see in the blacktop. The last step is to scatter dry sand onto any visible epoxy and tamp it with my finger. Hours later you can sweep away the excess sand.

I’ve got step-by-step photos of this magic blacktop crack-filling process and a link to the epoxy I’ve tested at my website waiting for you. Go to: crackrepair

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August 31, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Tim Carter

New subscriber? Welcome and don't be fall for the you-must-wear-the-funny-hat prank that some of the seasoned subscribers may pull on you.

Seasoned subscriber? You know better than to mess with the new arrivals!

Where did it go? How is it possible that we're at the end of another summer? Did you have a great one? I know I did, but I wish it was mid-July as I'd love a redo on August.

Do Less Labor - Labor Day SALE!

It's time for another Stain Solver Sale. Kathy and I own the company. Stain Solver is a certified organic multi-purpose oxygen bleach cleaner.

I believe it's the only certified organic oxygen-bleach cleaner sold in the USA.

Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.

You can get 10% off any order $10 or more for the next week. See promo code just below.

CLICK HERE to order.

It makes lots of sense for you to think about the 9.2 and 50-pound sizes because you get the BEST PRICE per pound with these bad boys.

If you've heard me beat my chest for all these years and never tried Stain Solver, just get the small 2.2-pound size and watch magic happen around your home.

Yeah, I can hear you now, "Tim, I buy another brand. Your Stain Solver is too expensive."

Oh, you mean those other brands that have more FILLER than active ingredient? No wonder they're so much cheaper! By the time you add more to get your jobs done, you're paying MORE per cleaning job.

Stain Solver is super concentrated!!! You don't need that much to get superior results.

Use this promo code now:

LBRDAY18

Remember, you get FREE SHIPPING to any place in the lower 48 USA states.

CLICK HERE to order.

Revised Columns For Your Pleasure

Here are a few revised columns that can really help you.

For sure you MUST LOOK at the following one about Gutter Cleaning, Gutter Guards, and a COST ANALYSIS.

SPOILER ALERT: It may make more sense for you to NOT BUY gutter guards!

Gutter Guards - Maybe Not For You!

NO! Don't Use Broken Tiles to Level a Floor

WTH is Going On Here? Brick Leak or ????

Instantaneous Hot Water Installation

Within 30 days, I'm going to be the proud owner of an A. O. Smith new Proline XE Combi Boiler/Water Heater.

I'm going to videotape the installation. I'm pretty sure you're going to be BLOWN AWAY by the transformation inside my mechanical room.

CLICK HERE to discover more about the amazing A. O. Smith ProLine XE Combi Boiler.

That's quite enough for a Friday before a holiday weekend.

Be safe and be sure to order some Stain Solver!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Cleaner of Things - www.StainSolver.com
Amazing Stories! - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Gutter Guard Madness and Leveling Floors Before Tile

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Tim Carter

Gutter Guard Madness

Question #1: Tim, the annual gutter cleaning campaign is about to happen. What’s your feeling about gutter guards? Have you tested any? There are so many different designs, how do you even begin to make a decision? Are they really worth it in the long run? Is there a cheaper alternative? Molly B., Richmond, VA

Do you battle leaves in your gutters like Molly does twice, or three, times a year? I used to. My last house in Cincinnati, OH had over 400 linear feet of gutter on it! It was a nightmare cleaning the gutters out.

Gutter guard products have been on the market for decades. There are probably as many design patents for them as there are power boats on my lake the last weekend of the summer season!

Years ago, I did an exhaustive test of just about every gutter guard design. I discovered that almost all of them fail. The reverse curve designs allow small pieces of debris to be carried into the gutter where it’s impossible to clean out the decaying muck. Small debris of all sorts clog the holes, slits, and knockouts in the other designs. Most gutter guards fail miserably in the spring when the tiny debris drops from the trees like snow in a blizzard.

In those tests, I did discover a design that does work. It’s made with stainless steel micro mesh that’s as fine, or finer, than the weave of women’s pantyhose. Nothing but water gets into gutters protected by these guards.

However, many of these micromesh guards can only be installed by a dealer. The cost-per-foot bids you’ll get will take your breath away. Often the bids are thousands of dollars and some salesmen incorporate lots of high pressure and tricky sales psychology to get you to sign a contract.

If you’re leaning towards going this route, it may pay you to do an analysis to see if it makes sense to just pay a handyman, who’s got Workman’s Compensation coverage, to just clean out your gutters twice a year.

I did a simple math calculation and discovered that if you only plan to live in your home for ten years or less, it makes better financial sense to not install the gutter guards. That may seem like a crazy idea, but if you only have a limited amount of money, you need to protect your capital instead of giving it to a local gutter guard dealer.

I taped several amazing videos of gutter guards that have failed and have pictures of the micro mesh gutter guard that I ended up putting on my house. I have all of this amazing eye candy for you at my website. Go to: gutterguards

Leveling Floors Before Tile

Question #2: Hey Tim, I’m about to tackle a ceramic tile floor project. After doing some research, I’m quite confused about how to prevent cracks in the tile. I already know that my existing floor has some slight humps and low spots. What would you do to ensure the floor tile is crack-free for a long time? Sarah M., Jacksonville, FL

I applaud you if you’re ambitious like Sarah! Better yet, you’ll get a standing ovation from me if you take the time to research the project before you get started. Several hours of each day I do autopsies on homeowner failures that tumble into my email box. The common cause of these snafus is the lack of knowing what to do before starting a project. Most homeowners dive in, start to flail, and just hope things will work out.

Ceramic tile is a great product, but it’s weak if you try to bend it. It will crack. The tile will bend or crack if you step on it where there’s a tiny void space under it. You can eliminate these void spaces by installing the tile on a perfectly flat surface.

Note that flat doesn’t always mean the floor is level. Flat means the surface has no dips or humps in it. You can locate dips or shallow depressions in a floor using a long straightedge and a flashlight. Shine the light at a low angle to see if you see light beams passing under the straightedge.

You can save yourself lots of trouble and time by using amazing self-leveling floor compounds. These are powdered products you mix with water to the consistency of a thin soup. Gravity allows the liquid compound to flow across the floor much like water might in a flood.

When the compounds set up and get hard, they create a perfectly flat surface that happens to be level too. They’re a perfect substrate for ceramic tile. Professionals use these compounds frequently because they don’t want to have to come back to fix cracked tile. The compounds are not hard to work with, but they do require some moderate skill.

I assembled a handful of useful tips, sources of the floor leveling compounds, and some great how-to videos showing how to get your floor flat. Go here to discover all this great free information: floorleveling

Column 1263

Staircase Survey Where You Live DUH!

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Tim Carter

I need to know where you live if you took the Staircase Survey.

It was an Ooopsie By Accident moment! I should have put this question in the original survey.

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Excavator Unloading Precast Concrete Retaining Wall Blocks

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Tim Carter

Tim Carter records an excavator unloading heavy stackable retaining wall blocks.

Etymotic Earplugs and Earphones Review

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Tim Carter

Here are my Etymotic earphones. They fit comfortably and allow you to hear your music as well as what's happening around you. They'll keep you SAFE. CLICK THE PHOTO now to have a pair delivered to your home in days.

Etymotic Earplugs and Earphones - They Keep You Safe

I had the chance to test out a pair of Etymotic earplugs and earphones for the past two months. It's important to realize that I've tried countless earplugs over the years constantly trying to find a pair that minimizes harmful noise but allows me to hear things that could be dangerous.

What are Noise Isolating Earphones?

Noise-isolating earphones are ones that can achieve extremely high, in the range of 35 - 42dB, noise isolation. They reduce most noise to safe levels to preserve your hearing. At the same time, they preserve non-dangerous sounds like speech and regular music sound levels.

For example, it allows construction workers to minimize harmful loud noises like jackhammers, but still hear the warning beeps of an approaching dump truck or another backing vehicle.

Musicians can use these to lower the sound level of amplified sound, but still be able to hear their instrument and how it sounds with the other pieces in the band.

See how clever these earphones and earplugs are?

Can You Hear Background Noise?

Yes, I was able to hear the nearby noise, but at a safe level, while doing my testing.

Can you Carry On a Conversation While Wearing Them?

Yes, you can carry on a normal conversation instead of YELLING like you might with traditional earmuffs.

These are the Etymotic earplugs I used while target shooting. I found they were well suited for that activity. I know for any building noise, they'd work well.

Did You Like Them?

Yes, I found the Etymotic earphones and earplugs to be comfortable and they really reduced harsh noise.

They come in many different styles and types. You'll be stunned by all the models they have. There are different models for different needs.

August 21, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Tim Carter

New subscriber? Welcome to AsktheBuilderland. You can put away your passport now and relax.

Current AsktheBuilderland resident? Please share with the new arrivals, when you bump into them, that I'm not crazy.

Today's newsletter might be one of those where you scratch your head. I say this because it has some indirect tips that might really help you in a bunch of ways. HANG IN THERE with this issue, believe me.

Staircase Survey - Short & Sweet

I can use your input with respect to staircases and handrails. Would you be kind enough to answer just three questions for me?

You can click the photo below or CLICK HERE. What you see in the photo is an over-the-post handrail I installed in the last house I built for my family. Look closely at the painted wood balusters too. See the difference?

Marriage Counseling - Tim Carter Style

Did you know one of my sideline businesses is marriage counseling?

I saved Brett's marriage earlier this week!!!

It's all in episode 19 of my On-Demand Radio Show. Better known as Podcast 19.

CLICK HERE and READ Brett's email first - scroll down - THEN listen to the podcast. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!

Mike's Printer Ink Disaster

A few days ago, Mike reached out to me asking if my Stain Solver certified organic oxygen bleach would remove a printer ink stain from the carpet in his home.

I told him, "Maybe".

I also told him trying Stain Solver is the CHEAPEST alternative he has at this point. His other two alternatives should the stain not come out are:

hire a real carpet pro that can cut out the stain and patch the carpet
install all new carpeting

Here's what the stain looked like the day he reached out. Realize he had NOT YET tried my Stain Solver:

Mike's Printer Ink Stain

You may wonder what the ring around the stain is all about.

That's why I'm sharing this story. It's not about you buying Stain Solver, but if you want to buy some, that's great.

As soon as Mike saw what happened he reacted. He told me he went to his kitchen cabinet and grabbed a few cleaners and got to work.

While that may seem like a great idea, it's not what I would have done.

First and foremost, it's ALWAYS EASY to Monday-morning quarterback. But I've dealt with so many good-intentioned homeowners over the years, I've discovered that it's NOT A GOOD IDEA TO TRY YOUR HAND AT AMATEUR CHEMISTRY.

Mike decided at that moment to mix different chemicals - the ink has its own and who knows what's in the liquids Mike started to apply to the stain.

They can react and make things WORSE.

I would have reached for some paper towels or an old clean white rag and put it on the ink and poured WATER on the rag or paper towels to keep the ink WET.

Most liquids that are staining things have water in them. When the water evaporates it can be darn tough, or impossible, to remove the stain. Think about water-based paint. When wet, you can get rid of it. Once the paint dries, it's almost impossible to reverse the chemistry without using a harsh chemical.

The SECOND thing I would have done would be to go to the ink manufacturer's website to see if, by chance, they had any tips on stain removal.

You may want to do this now BEFORE you get into a damage-control situation. If you have liquids around the house that could stain carpet, upholstered furniture, clothes, etc. go to the manufacturer's website NOW and see if they have advice on removing stains caused by their product.

Or, just buy a 4.5-pound container of Stain Solver to have on hand for emergencies.

My Friend David

I want to tell you a story and how it relates to my good friend David Lawrence. He's the only celebrity I know and am friends with. You can't believe how nice a guy he is. He'd give you the shirt off his back.

My newsletter is all about home improvement, but this story is all about how you can tap into your hidden talents to improve and achieve things you never thought possible.

David H Lawrence XVII

You may recognize David. He's a super talented Hollywood actor that's been in all sorts of shows. Perhaps he's best known for the three seasons he was in the hit series HEROES.

Watch a few of his best takes. CLICK HERE to watch a 90-second compilation.

Here's the full scene from HEROES. I'm pretty certain this is his first appearance in HEROES. CLICK HERE to watch David in the moment. He's darn good.

This short story is about how David and I got where we are and how you can do the same thing.

When I do meet-ups in different cities when I travel to hang out with subscribers like you, I'm often asked, "Tim, how in the world did Ask the Builder get to where it is today?"

It's easy. I reached inside myself and followed a voice that was screaming at me to change careers and do something different.

A few years before I started Ask the Builder, I had the worst experience of my life as a builder. I ended up working for the most loathsome Customer from Hell. She almost sent me over the edge.

I knew that the only way to ensure I'd never go through it again was to NEVER step inside a paying customer's home.

Yes, some of these hellish customers are wolves in sheep's clothing and they don't reveal their true inner self until you're into the job.

Once presented with the Ask the Builder opportunity, I made the most important decision of my life, aside from marrying Kathy.

I took FAILURE off the table.

I reached down deep within myself and decided that I would do everything possible to make Ask the Builder a success so I'd NEVER EVER have to face a customer from Hell again.

It worked for me and it can work for YOU!

Is there something you want to do but you need something or someone to flip the switch inside of you?

David might be the person. In just ten days, he's starting the most remarkable low-cost coaching experience I think I've ever seen.

It could be LIFE-CHANGING for you.

You need to understand I do NOT get one penny from David if you sign up for this coaching. You're not going to believe how low-cost it is.

It's all online, you can participate LIVE or watch his recordings later on your own schedule. It's going to be POWERFUL.

Do yourself a favor. Go watch this short video of David in his own studio. LISTEN to his story and see what you and David have in common. I'll bet you have more than you might realize.

Let me know what you think AFTER you watch David.

CLICK HERE.

That's enough for a Tuesday. Seriously, click that link above and watch David in his studio. Watch the entire video. You'll not regret it.

If you sign up for David's coaching, please let me know. I'll be keenly interested in how you like it.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Ink-Removal Man - www.StainSolver.com
Happiness Waves - www.W3ATB.com