Deck Refinishing Nightmare

Posted on by Tim Carter

I rebuilt my cedar deck and made the mistake of using a Big Box store's Premium Semi Transparent Stain. Looked great the first season, but after a single winter, it began peeling. I attempted to save it by touching it up but after winter #2. The finish was beyond saving, and I had to bite the bullet and sand it off. I used Sikens to refinish and it came out great.

Moral of the story - use a real oil stain, not a film type product.

Jack Miller

Photo Credit: Jack Miller

Jack Miller's Deck

Before Sanding

Jack Miller's Deck

Sanding Completed

Jack Miller's Deck

After Restaining

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.

Cleaning & Staining Boat Dock

Posted on by Tim Carter

"Hi Tim,

We live in sunny St. Petersburg, FL. Of course, that means our docks take a beating 24-7-365. My Before Photo is from the roof of our house just prior to some renovations, thus the wood and trusses in the photo. Following the renovation, I was able to focus on the dock.

I applied Stain Solver oxygen bleach per your instructions and was amazed at the results. Guess I shouldn't have been but it was far beyond my expectations given that the dock had not been touched in three years (that I know of, could have been longer as we just purchased). A During Photo shows the results.

I then ordered Defy's Extreme light walnut colored stain. It was shipped for free form Jacksonville - great job by Duval Paints. (No local vendor available.) I applied two coats within the twenty minute window and I think the results speak for themselves. I still have to do the edges and will be replacing the railing but so far so good. Stain Solver and Defy, your two recommendations, did the job. Looking forward to seeing how Defy stands up to the extreme conditions.

All the best."

NOTE FROM TIM CARTER - Founder of AsktheBuilder.com - posted October, 2016: I no longer would apply Defy deck sealer to any exterior wood that I own at my own home.

Tim Connolly

 

Tim Connolly's Boat Dock

Before

Tim Connolly's Boat Dock

During

Tim Connolly's Boat Dock

After

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.

Fish Pond with Waterfall

Posted on by Tim Carter

"I was looking at some of your videos and saw you had one on garden ponds, I would like to show you the one I built for my back yard.

The pond is 3' deep x 14' wide x 12' long with a 6' waterfalls. I did all the digging myself. I had help setting the liner, but I put all the rocks in myself.

I built this last summer, and at this time I have four Kio fish, one butterfly Kio, and some different gold fish. It's a great thing when you in the back yard listen to the waterfalls. Oh yes, the birds love it too! They think it is a big bird bath. Thanks for looking."

Mike Rignola

Mike Rignola's Waterfall

Mike Rignola's Fish Pond

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.

Basic Wood Decks

Posted on by Tim Carter

"My Very Basic Decks.

Both decks are made out of pressure treated lumber, I purchased the spindles and made my own handrails. The upper deck is 12' x 14' and lower level is 12' x 19'. I added the gazebo last summer to keep the sun away from my sliding glass door.

The stain I used was Olympic Maximum penetrating oil formula toner, and the color is Redwood Naturaltone with the white stained handrails. We spend a lot of time on this deck watching the birds and listen to my fish pond waterfalls."

Mike Rignola

Mike Rignola's Wood Deck

Mike Rignola's Wooden Deck

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.

March 27, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in this Issue?

Latest News
Deck Cleaning & Sealing eBook
Decorate with Doors
Tool Review
Invisible Websites		 Tip of the Week
Reply to this Newsletter
Cell Phone Do-Not-Call List
Video of the Week
Q & A of the Week

 

Lake in WinterAnother week has blown by. The unseasonable very warm weather is now history, and we're back to very normal early spring cool temperatures here in New Hampshire. In fact, tonight it's going to be downright cold. 23 F is the predicted low as I type this.

Ice out on the lake happened last Thursday. It was magical to watch it all disappear in a matter of hours. By the end of the day, I had dropped my dock back into the water. That's the official start of summer as far as I'm concerned.

I sent in a soil sample to the State of NH Co-operative Service late last week. Kathy and I are putting in a vegetable garden in a new spot in our yard. We figured we'd let the soil scientists help us succeed by telling us what needs to be done with the soil. I know it needs amendments. It's got great drainage. I've got some great plans for this garden.

 

 

Deck Cleaning and Sealing eBook

I've finished writing my latest eBook about deck cleaning and sealing, but now I'm in the process of completely reformatting it. I should have it ready for you next week, just in time for the annual Spring Stain Solver Sale. Pay attention to next week's newsletter for the sale news.

You may be a past customer that's purchased Stain Solver to clean your deck, patio, house siding, or any other outdoor thing you own. It's the cleaner of choice for thousands. It's great to use to clean any deck, be it wood, composite or totally synthetic.

I need one last favor from you concerning the eBook. Your questions last week were absolutely amazing. Wait till you see all the questions and my answers. Oh my gosh, wait till you see the fantastic questions. Many I would have never thought to include.

But here's what I want to know now. Could you please share with me what deck sealer you have had the best luck with, the worst luck with, and how long, on average, before the sealer you've used fails?

Please take the quick survey here:

AsktheBuilder.com Deck Sealer Success Survey

I'll be sharing all this data in the eBook so you can see who's having the best success and with what product.

Finally, do you have any stunning photos of your deck? If you happen to have Before and After photos, that would be fantastic.

Would you like to show it off? Do you want your deck photos in the eBook? I can't promise it, but if you want to let others see the magnificent deck you have, you can submit the photo(s) here. If I use your photo(s) in the eBook, you'll get a copy of the eBook at no cost and I'll send you a 4-pound container of Stain Solver to use on any cleaning project at your home.

 

Decorate with Doors

LE Johnson Door HardwareHave you given thought to doing some interior remodeling this spring? Are you tired of the bland doors you have between rooms? Are you aware that you can get some stunning doors that hide away in a pocket or slide on a wall-mounted rail that allow you to stop futzing with the swinging-door blues?

LE Johnson has been, for years, the hardware I've used to create the pocket doors in my past homes and many of the houses I built and remodeled. Some people shy away from pocket doors because they feel they're problematic. I never had an issue with any LE Johnson door at my house or on my jobs. The last thing you want is a problem with a pocket door. I've never had a problem with LE Johnson.

Imagine a new door or doors in your house that have decorative glass in some or all of the panels. The look is absolutely a show stopper. You'll feel better about your home and your friends and neighbors will be green with envy.

If you're planning to build a new home or do a room addition, absolutely plan to install space-saving pocket doors. They're easy to install, and they glide like the door is floating on air. Want more information about these great doors? Spend plenty of time at the LE Johnson website.

 

Tool Review - Coast Rapid Response 3.00 Pocket Knife

I received a pocket knife to review last week. Looking at it through the clear rigid plastic packaging, I was anxious to test this attractive knife.

You'll see why when you see its photo. I think you'll love my review, if not, I want to know why.

Actually, you can HELP me once again. You're able to leave comments at the bottom of all my columns and reviews. Tell me what you think of the review in a comment. It's easy to do!

Don't forget to use the social media button widget at the top left of the page. Clicking those buttons helps spread the word about AsktheBuilder. Believe me - I really need your help doing that.

 

Invisible Websites

Have you ever stumbled upon a website, a nice looking one that looks professional, and then discover the information at the site may be bogus? Or there's a hidden agenda?

While doing research for my Cleaning and Sealing Your Deck eBook, I came across any number of websites that make you wonder about the quality of the information at the website.

When you click the About Us link on these sites, you typically get wording like this:

"Welcome to XXXXXXXX website. This site is a compilation of the best expert advice for your xxxxxxx projects. Whether you need to know about how to blah blah blah blah blah, this site is a resource for do-it-yourselfers looking for home improvement advice. Check back often for updates and new articles."

There's no mention of who's creating the content at the website, no names, no nothing. Yet they say it's "expert advice". Are you serious? How can they make that claim? How can you validate the claim if you don't know who wrote it and their level of experience?

This is what I'm fighting each day online.

Here's how you can help. When you visit a website to get information about a topic, STOP reading what you went there for and go find the About Us page. Click and read that first.

If you don't discover anything about the person, the expertise they have, number of years of hands-on experience in the field, awards they've received, etc., then I suggest you have no way to gauge if the information you're about to rely on is really expert advice.

Of course, it's even worse in forums and advice you glean from social media posts. How do you know the expert level of people in those situations?

I'm on a crusade now to try to educate consumers just like you to not pay any attention to sites like this and to spread the word to your friends to avoid them. These sites are making it increasingly difficult for AsktheBuilder.com and other great websites to survive.

 

Tip of the Week - Disguising Blacktop Crack Repairs

You may be getting ready to seal your blacktop drive this spring. If you have cracks in the drive, you may be using a special caulk for the purpose.

If you want to do a better job of disguising the crack, just caulk about a foot of the crack and press down in the caulk some of the small loose stones that erode from your driveway. Be sure the stones are clean, dry and dust free.

You can also sprinkle some dry coarse sand onto the top of the caulk. Tap it down to embed it in the caulk with a paint stick or wood shim. Adding the stone and sand makes the repair more durable and it helps to match the crack with the drive.

 

REPLY to this Newsletter

You can help me in another way. If you like this newsletter, I want you to just click Reply and send me a High 5, a Thank You, or any other salutation.

I may not be able to respond due to my workload, but your reply sends all kinds of good vibrations through the Internet and it helps me in more ways than you'll ever know. Thanks in advance if you can do this.

 

Cell Phone Do-Not-Call List

If you don't want telemarketers to call your cell phone, you need to call this number and get your cell phone number added to the Do-Not-Call List. 888-382-1222

 

Video of the Week - Replacing an Asphalt Shingle

Do you have a damaged roofing shingle or two on your roof? Can you get up there safely? Do you want to try to tackle the job yourself to save some sweet moola?

Watch this video.

 

Q & A of the Week - Flagstone Patios

DEAR TIM: I want to dress up the look of our existing concrete patio. Is it possible to install flagstone or similar material directly over the concrete? What do you use to adhere the flagstone to the concrete? Can I enlarge the patio without fear of future cracking where old meets new? Kathy D., Batavia, IL

DEAR KATHY: Wow! What a gorgeous patio you will have. Flagstone can be installed directly on concrete. In fact, it is the only way I would do it if you desire an easy to maintain surface and one that stays flat for the entire time you intend to use it. Your biggest challenge will be ....

Click Here to read all about Kathy's challenges and how I suggest she do this job.

How to Build a Garden Pond

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I've been trying to convince my husband to build a small garden pond that has a waterfall for me. He claims it's too hard and talks about all the challenges. What does it take to build one? Do you need to rent expensive equipment? Do you need special skills? Can you point me in the right direction, as I think I'll just surprise him and show him he's not dealing with a pushover. Vicki B. Nashville, TN

DEAR VICKI: It's hard for me to answer a few of your questions because I'd need to know the soil conditions at your home. But let's assume that you've got a clay soil that has few rocks in it. I'll also assume that there's no hardpan or other hard layer close to the surface. If you have nice soil that's not too hard to dig, you can do this. The biggest reason you'll succeed is you have the right attitude.

This garden pond was built with a simple shovel and some sweat. A large piece of rubber roofing and rocks are all that's needed. Photo Credit: Tim Carter
This garden pond was built with a simple shovel and some sweat. A large piece of rubber roofing and rocks are all that's needed. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

As crazy as this sounds, you just need one or two shovels, and maybe a wheelbarrow. If your land is pretty flat where you want the pond, then you don't even need the wheelbarrow as the dirt you dig to make the hole for the pond will be used to build the hill that will form your waterfall.

I prefer to use a round point shovel to do the major part of the digging. This shovel has two curved edges that meet at a point at the tip of the shovel. This shape is perfect for cutting into moist soil. I use a flat garden spade with a flat edge for trimming and creating platforms within the pond.

If you're lucky enough to have a somewhat sandy clay soil, they seem to dig easier if they're damp. Some clay soils get very sticky when they're too wet, and the clay sticks to the shovel. You'll have to experiment to see what are the best soil moisture conditions to dig. If you need to add water, just turn the sprinkler on to water the soil to get it right.

Many garden ponds are about 18-24 inches deep at the deepest part. The depth of the pond is dependent upon what you're going to have in it. If you want water lilies and other aquatic plants, you need to plan the pond so the plants are at the proper depth.

Some ponds have shelves or flat ledges on the sides as you shape them. These shelves can have shallow plants on them and are great places to place decorative rocks that you can see through the water. I'd spend some time drawing out what you want and thinking about how much water you want over the features in the pond before you start to dig.

Frogs and other creatures that will find the pond love to hang out in and about rocks that are in the pond. You need to plan for this so you don't make the pond too small. The pond may look big when you dig it, but as you fill it with stone and rocks, all of a sudden there's little room for water!

The best liner I feel for a small garden pond is black commercial rubber roofing material. It comes in giant rolls and you can often get a nice piece of scrap roofing left over from a roll for a decent price. Call several commercial roofers and see who can supply you with what you need. Find out the biggest piece you can get so you can line the pond with one continuous piece. You want to avoid seaming the rubber at all costs.

I like to make a dirt curb that's at least 5 inches high around the pond. You lap the rubber roofing over this curb and extend the rubber at least a foot into the yard around. Place rocks on the top of the curb to hide the rubber and hold it in place. This curb stops surface water from flooding into the pond in periods of heavy rain.

The most challenging aspect of the pond is creating the waterfall. You can make a stone cliff of sorts to create the elevation needed for the fall. I like to use a 1-inch inner diameter black rubber hose to connect the submersible pump that's hidden by rocks in the pond up to the outlet at the top of the waterfall.

I recommend that you use another piece of rubber roofing material to help you construct the waterfall structure. This secondary piece of rubber drops down into the pond and you hide it with rocks.

The purpose of this is to catch any water that leaks or runs down the rocks. If you don't do this, water from the pond can soak into the surrounding soil and effectively drain your pond.

The electric power that feeds the pump must be protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet to prevent outdoor shock hazards. If you don't know how to install one of these outlets correctly and safely, by all means hire a professional electrician for this part of the project.

You can watch an informative video that shows a garden pond with a waterfall and how to build one. Just click here “garden pond video”.

Column 928

How to Build a Garden Pond Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and I want to show you a garden pond or a fish pond with a waterfall. I want to show you the basic construction. I just cleaned this one out and because the water level is not filled up all the way, you can easily see the construction.

This pond has a waterfall at one end. The water level is down about halfway and is about a foot deep now. This pond has a few different levels. Notice the flat area just under the rocks on the right. There is an additional ledge on the other side of the pond.

The pond liner is a sheet of commercial rubber roofing. The pond was dug out and shaped the way the owner wanted. Then the rubber liner was laid over the pond and up and over the sides of the pond.  This keeps the water from running in behind the liner.

The water level will come up another 16" to reach the normal depth. Under a large piece of slate in the bottom of the pond is the pump that circulates water to the waterfall. The black water hose is visible since the water level is down, but once the pond is full, the hose will be hidden from view.  The hose travels up the other side of the pond and flows out onto a flat piece of slate to create the waterfall.

This pond receives a fresh supply of water from the downspout. So every time it rains, the water flows into the pond. So that is the basic tour of how this pond was constructed. Not too complicated.

Coast Rapid Response 3.00 Pocket Knife Review

Posted on by Tim Carter

Coast Rapid Response 3.0 Pocket Knife

The pocket knife industry has always been strong and new models come out all the time. I’m convinced this is because a knife is such a personal item. Each person is drawn to certain things about a knife.

My first impression of the Coast Rapid Response 3.00 pocket knife, while it was still in the impenetrable stiff plastic packaging, was that it looked good. I had to use my trusty SOG Flash 2 pocket knife to free the trapped Coast knife from its clear bondage.

Here are the tech specs on the knife:

  • Blade length: 3.00 in.
  • Overall length open: 7.00 in.
  • Weight: 3.70 oz.
  • Blade material: High-carbon stainless steel
  • Partial Serrated Blade edge
  • Handle material: Fiberglass-filled textured nylon
  • Ambidextrous Thumb stud on each face of the blade
  • Full Stainless Steel frame
  • Ambidextrous pocket clip
  • Roller-Cam technology spring opens knife

These knives are built so that you can open them with one hand. Such was not the case with this bad boy. Try as I might to open the knife with the thumb studs, I couldn’t. It simply hurt my thumb too much.

The other issue with the knife is the spring lock that holds the knife in the open position. This needs to be moved sideways so you can close the blade. Once again, it was very difficult to push down on this lever to produce enough friction to move it sideways.

The knife comes with a safety switch that allows you to lock it so the blade doesn’t open. I feel it's superfluous as the blade takes a lot of persuasion to go from the closed to the open position.

Although it’s a very handsome knife, I give it 2 hammers out of 5.

This new Coast knife is going to be a decoration on my desk as my SOG Flash 2 will be in my pocket until such time as Coast issues an upgrade model fixing all the problems. My guess is it will be called the Rapid Response 3.10.

Exterior House Remodeling

Posted on by Tim Carter

Joyce DiSanto did a complete facelift on her home. Her house remodeling included a complete exterior remodeling, a metal roof, concrete roof, stucco, stone, window pop-outs and solar panels.

Check out her pictures of the house before and after remodeling.

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.

Building a Shed

Posted on by Tim Carter

"Really no before pictures, because there wasn't anything there but grass. This is my shed that I built by myself and without a plan, I just went for it as I was building the shed. I wanted something different than the prefabs or buying one from a shed company.

Take a look and let me know what you think."

Mike Rignola

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.