September 8, 2010 AsktheBuilder Tips And News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What’s in This Issue?

Latest News
Roofing Checklist & Telephone Seminar
Shopping Cart Rewards Program
Trex Decking & Spots
AsktheBuilder October Event
Fall Tool Storage Tip
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.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Friendly Question Reminder!

If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them.

The unpacking continues up here in New Hampshire. I have days/weeks of work ahead of me, but I'm making progress. Now that we're past Labor Day, the lake is tranquil. I know those who come up here for the summer are sad to go home, but there will be next season! Two months from now, we'll be cranking my dock out of the water. We wait for the last possible day to do it, because it's a sad day for us.

Before starting that process we have a humorous ceremony at the end of the dock. We ask Mother Nature to cast a protective spell on the lake and all creatures in and above it who enjoy its splendor. This all makes sense if you could come up here and see the lake, or loch as we call it here at the Looney Bin.

Roofing Checklist and Telephone Seminar

I promised you that I'd have the information about the exciting live seminar where I get to answer your questions about roofing. Well, I'm working out all the details in the next few days. Watch for the actual announcement next week. Oh, it's going to be tons of fun and you'll come away with a ton of information about your roof!

Shopping Cart Rewards Program

Roger, my right-hand virtual assistant, set up a few months back a great Rewards program at the shopping cart. Your loyalty and repeat purchases enable you to get automatic future discounts. We feel you should be rewarded for your allegiance to AsktheBuilder.com! You can get the complete rundown at the shopping cart.

Here's the Executive Summary: When you complete your fifth purchase, you get 10 percent off your next few purchases. If you continue to patronize the store, after you complete your ninth purchase, your discount jumps to 15 percent. Tell me that isn't a sweet deal. To qualify for these discounts, you must create an account at the store. Be sure to use a password you remember.

Speaking of the cart, this Sunday we have to work under the hood. Sometime between 4 am and Noon ET on Sunday the cart will not be available for about an hour.

Trex Decking and Spots

Two days ago, I wrote a column about a real issue on at least two decks I know of, mine and Trish's in Connecticut. If you have a composite deck, especially a Trex one, you should read this column. It may explain why your deck is not looking like you remember it on the day it was installed.

AsktheBuilder EVENT in October - Plan to Attend!

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Ro Wyman, Lauren Collins and Abbey Taylor of Cabinetry Concepts in Lebanon, NH. Kathy and I visited their wonderful showroom so we could start to finalize the details about redoing our kitchen here at our NH house. We've decided to use Plato cabinets, and they're a distributor for these amazing cabinets.

Last week, Ro asked me if I'd consider doing a live presentation at their showroom on an upcoming Saturday in October. I jumped at that chance as these events are a ton of fun. I get to meet you and you get to walk away with some free knowledge, possible prizes, and some very sweet deals. Even though you may not live in NH or VT, you may want to do a road trip to come to the event. There's great scenery and everyone is going to walk away with either prizes or unbelievable coupons. Keep reading.

But I'm need your help to determine what we're going to do that day. In other words, if you had a magic wand and waved it, what would you have me say or do? What would motivate you to come to Lebanon, NH that crisp Saturday in October?

If this event attracts the crowd I believe it will, it could turn into a road trip across the country. I did five city road show about ten years ago for the wood industry. It was a blast. Please complete this survey (survey now closed) to help guide what we're going to do together. You get a sweet treat from me after you finish the survey. Read the Boo-Boo Newsletter about this survey.

I'm arranging to have some great tools and other things to give away as door prizes. The fine folks at Plato have agreed to give away, to those who walk through the door, a special coupon good for a whopping 10 percent discount off their cabinets. That one coupon could be worth THOUSANDS of dollars alone should you have a new or remodeled kitchen happening soon at your home!

If you're a PR person and want me to give away one of your client's tools or products, email me immediately.

I'll have the exact date for you next week, but it's looking like October 9th. Remember, that's tentative. I'll lock in the date no later than next week. I'd love to see you at this event!

Remember, there's a SURPRISE for you after you take the survey.

Fall Tool Storage Tip

If you're getting ready to store yard tools like shovels, rakes, etc. after their final use, be sure to clean them and apply a light coat of oil to any steel surfaces. The oil helps prevent rust from condensation that will form on the tools before you next use them.

Don't forget about garden hoses! Remove them from your frost-proof hose bibs and TURN the water on briefly after disconnecting the hose. This allows the bib to drain so it won't freeze over the winter.

Latest Columns

Do you struggle with your Workshop Storage issues?
Trying to determine the true Building Cost of a project?
Do you want a Vintage Tub in your bathroom?
What about Fire Sprinkler Work? The building code has been revised.
What are your options when it comes to Porch Decking?

Tim Carter's Fire Pit

This past week we had two great fires at the fire pit next to the lake. Part of the chatter as the flames illuminated the darkness at water's edge drifted to what I routinely talk about at my other NON-home-improvement website. You may like what you see there.

AsktheBuilder.com
100 Swain Rd.
Meredith, NH 03253, USA

Live Clinic Survey Thank You

Posted on by Tim Carter

Thank you for taking part in the AsktheBuilder Live Clinic Survey.

As a thank you for your time, we are offering you a 10% discount on any and all items in the AsktheBuilder Store. This discount is good on any purchase. But hurry, the discount code ends Friday, September 10, 2010 at midnight, Pacific Time.

To receive your discount, use the code Survey10 when checking out at the AsktheBuilder Store.

Trex Decking

Posted on by Tim Carter
dark spots on composite decking

These dark spots on the composite decking are a mixture of algae, mildew or some other mold growth. Oxygen bleach almost always will restore the original look. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: We have Trex decking that we put down in 2008. The Trex lumber has developed dark spots all over it. It started with a few and has multiplied over the two-year period. What, in your opinion, is causing the spotting? How can it be removed? Is there anything that can be done to prevent the ugly spots? We purchased this material thinking it would be maintenance-free and are very unhappy. Trish A., Bristol, CT

DEAR TRISH: You’re not the first consumer to reach out to me with this issue about Trex composite decking. You’ll not be the last. What’s more, I have personal experience with this decking material as it’s on two very large decks and my front porch at my New Hampshire home. I didn’t install it, the previous owner did when the house was built eight years ago.

 

My own Trex decking has spotting issues, algae growth, and uneven coloration issues. As you might imagine, I’ve got lots of experience with decks of all types being involved with them for over 36 years. Believe it or not, it’s highly unlikely that the decking material itself is causing the entire problem. The issues you’re having can happen on just about any decking material. However, your deck and mine might be more prone to issues for a number of reasons.

The dark spots on your deck, based on the photo you sent me, appear to be mold and mildew. This spotting can happen on any deck. Mold and mildew feed on natural materials such as wood fiber, natural sugars, dirt, dust, grease, oils, and food. If you have trees or other vegetation near your deck shading the decking, these might be manufacturing airborne sugars that coat the deck.

Some trees produce more of this than others. Perhaps you’ve seen this sap coat a freshly cleaned car that’s parked under a tree. The spots show up easily on the high-gloss surface of a car paint job, but are tough to detect on a flat finish such as your deck boards. The sugars can float through the air from trees near the deck.

The mold and mildew can also feed directly off of the wood fibers in your Trex decking. The FAQ page at the Trex web site clearly states that “ ... most of the materials used in making Trex are recycled ...” They go on to state that “ ... the materials are carefully processed to ensure the highest level of quality and performance.” However, it’s possible that mold and mildew spores could be already present in the raw recycled wood material that’s used to make the decking.

Add to this the possibility that the wood fibers in the decking may not have any preservative added to them at the factory. If this is the case, then the wood fibers, or concentrated areas of them in the decking could easily support the growth of mold and mildew. I see it happening on my own Trex deck.

A visit to the Trex decking web site reveals they have a comprehensive cleaning guide that may help you. They are quick to point out that a powerful pressure washer, one that delivers a pressure stream greater that 1,500 pounds per square inch (psi), is to be avoided. What’s more, never hold the pressure wand closer than 12 inches from the decking surface. A concentrated stream of high-pressure water can erode the wood fibers that’s in the decking.

EB015 Cleaning & Sealing Deck eBoo Cover

No deck is maintenance free, not even the expensive composite decks. All will have to be periodically cleaned from time to time.

I personally have had the best luck cleaning my Trex deck with oxygen bleach is that it removes the gray coloration from the small wood fibers in my Trex making it look like new. The sun’s UV rays cause the wood fibers in the decking to turn gray.

I apply the oxygen-bleach solution and allow it to sit for 15 minutes never allowing it to evaporate. It’s best to work early or late in the day when the decking is in the shade. After the wait period, use a stiff scrub brush to clean the decking. Rinse with clear water from a garden hose. You’ll be amazed at how clean and new the decking will look.

Some spotting you see may not be mold or mildew. I see that on my own Trex decking. I’ve studied this very closely with a magnifying glass and believe it to be a manufacturing characteristic. It appears that the dark spots are areas where there is a higher concentration of the recycled colored plastic.

Stain Solver Bottle with scoopIf this is the case, it make sense that over time you’ll see uneven coloration as the thin film of plastic wears off those areas nearby that have more wood fibers than plastic.

I’ve visited a manufacturing plant where composite decking is made and saw how the wood fibers and plastic are kept separate until just before they enter the extruding machine. Although the manufacture makes every effort to mix the ingredients evenly, I can see how it’s possible that this doesn’t always happen.

Referenced: September 8, 2010 Newsletter.

Column 847

August 31, 2010 AsktheBuilder Tips And News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What’s in This Issue?

Latest News
Grouting Ceramic Tile
Warranty Cards and Secret Paint Sale?
Moving Tip
Special Gray Primers
Roofing Masters Degree
My 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.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Friendly Question Reminder!

If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them.

Since the last newsletter, I’ve moved my entire family to New Hampshire. This event, by far, is the most stressful thing I’ve ever done in my life. Well, maybe a few encounters with the one customer from Hell I had comes pretty close. Actually, you have that customer to thank for receiving this newsletter. She drove me out of the day-to-day construction business. AsktheBuilder.com was the offspring of my encounter with Peggy. Thank you Peggy!

The process of using a professional mover and interacting with them was so profound, that I’ve decided to build a website about moving. I want to share what happened to me and what I would do different. I’ll be working on that as soon as the leaves fall from the trees up here in New Hampshire. Fall is my favorite season, and Kathy and I plan to take as many day trips as possible to enjoy our first autumn together up here in God’s country.

As I write this, Hurricane Earl has his eye on the East Coast. Let’s hope he doesn’t cause too much havoc. I hope you aren’t affected adversely by this storm.

I’m slowly digging out from the move. It will take weeks. Did you see the first Indiana Jones movie - Raiders of the Lost Ark? Remember the final scene where the crated Ark of the Covenant was being stored in that unnamed government warehouse? That’s what my garage up here in NH looks like! I have a narrow channel I can walk down from end to end. Hundreds of boxes are stacked floor to ceiling. Accckkkk!

While I was back in Cincinnati closing on the house and doing the final packing with my very good friend Roger, I received a boatload of tools and things to test. That tool testing will be happening soon. One of the most interesting things that came is a very cool tool belt. If all goes well, I’ll be shooting a video of this toolbelt just after Labor Day. That video will be loaded immediately to the website and you’ll be the first to hear about it. Well, not really. If you want to be in the first group to know when my videos go live, you need to subscribe to my YouTube channel.  http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/askthebuilder

After I tape the tool belt video, a certain young lady and the woman who sent me the tool belt are going to be very happy people. You’ll not want to miss this video.

Grouting Ceramic Tile

About sixteen months ago, I taped a series of four videos about how to grout a ceramic tile floor using sanded grout. They were fun videos to tape, and I never suspected that they’d get such positive reviews. Each week I get a comment or two about them.

Here’s one that came in overnight from Ryan Merkley who lives in Toronto, Canada:

Hi Tim,

I don't have a question, just wanted to pass on a word of sincere thanks. Your four videos on how to grout were exactly what I needed to renovate our kitchen floor. The job looks great, and I couldn't have done it without your clear, concise guidance.

Thank you,

Ryan

The first video in the series is:

Mixing Grout Video

Video #2 is Grouting Video

Video #3 is Finish Floor Grout Video

Video #4 is How To Grout Video

If you’re getting ready to install floor grout yourself, or you plan to have it done by someone else, you may want to watch these videos. There are many places where you can make a mistake and the tile or the grout will become a huge mess. Water is both your ally and enemy when grouting. Think of it as a possible double agent.

Warranty Cards and Secret Paint Sale?

You may be one of my subscribers that’s become a friend. David from Florida is one. From time to time he sends me great news items and things he feels would help you. Overnight he sent me two items.

First, it appears that Sears may stop selling paint. He reported that he got tremendous buys on WeatherBeater ULTRA paint. That’s the top-line paint that I used on my own home. It’s made by Sherwin Williams and has urethane resins in it. Stop in your local Sears store to get a great deal.

Dave then told me about a new air conditioner he had installed. After reading the fine print on the warranty card, he discovered that if he delayed sending it in, the parts warranty dropped from 10 years to 5 years. Are you kidding me? That’s not right.

The bottom line is that you NEED to read your warranty information on new products and take action immediately to activate all warranties on all products.

Moving Tip

If you intend to purchase a flat-screen TV and are going to move, SAVE the box and all the Styrofoam inserts. Luckily I thought about that over the past few years and saved two boxes. Professional movers will not guarantee the integrity of the TV unless it’s packed in the original box or a carton made to accept these TVs. Throw that box up in your attic as I did and use it when you get ready to move.

Special Gray Primers

The giant family room in the house up here in New Hampshire was painted a garish color of red courtesy of the previous owners. I tolerated it the two years I lived here, but knew Kathy would hate it.

The morning after Kathy, Kelly, Tristan and I got up here, my oldest daughter Meghan and my videographer Brent pitched in to repaint the room a gorgeous vibrant green. The success of the project rested in covering the red with a few coats as possible. I instructed Meghan and Brent to use a special gray primer that was the same intensity of the color of green Kathy selected,

Read my past column on these little-known special gray primers. You’ll do one of those V-8 forehead slaps after you read this column:

Special Gray Primer

Suffice it to say the new color put Kathy in a great mood. The correct primer made it that we only needed one coat of finish paint.

Roofing Masters Degree

Just after Labor Day, I’m kicking off a massive project that will stretch through the winter months. I gathered research on this about a month ago. Perhaps you took the survey. I discovered what checklists you need the most, and I’m getting ready to do a one-hour telephone crash course on *each* of the topics. Yes, you and I can get on the phone together. It’s going to be just like the 12 years I did a two-hour radio show each week. I’m really looking forward to it.

You’ll have the opportunity to partake in a giant conference call where I answer question after question about a topic. The best part is that you get to submit the questions!

The first conference call is going to be about Roofing. If you have to replace your roof soon or are building a new home and want to make sure the roof is installed correctly, then you absolutely want to be part of this opportunity.

I’ll be announcing the first call in the series next issue for sure. I just need one more week to dig out from all the boxes. Oh, the best part is that if you can’t make the call, you’ll be able to download the entire recording and listen to it when it’s convenient for you! Isn’t that cool?

My Fire Pit

Fall is here and it’s time for many a night by my outdoor fire pit down by the lake. I constructed a separate website about what I think about while sitting around the real fires. You may want to visit my Fire Pit website if you want to discover what’s on my mind other than home-improvement topics. Be sure to sign up for that separate newsletter.

http://www.timcartersfirepit.com

Tim Carter
Founder
AsktheBuilder.com
100 Swain Rd.
Meredith, NH 03253, USA

Floor Radiant Heat

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: My husband and I were out for a walk and saw the strangest thing. A new house under construction had parallel loops of plastic piping in the basement. We asked a contractor who was there and he said it was floor radiant heating. I’ve never seen this before. How does it work? Is infloor radiant heat effective? Are there different floor radiant heat systems? Nicole C., Meredith, NH

DEAR NICOLE: You got a rare glimpse of the innards of a floor radiant heat installation. Had you come a day or so later, all you would have seen would have been a concrete slab that looked just like every other basement floor you’ve probably seen. The plastic tubing you saw gets embedded in the wet concrete. Once the house is completed, the tubing is connected to a hot-water boiler and one or more recirculating pumps that distribute very warm water through the durable pipes.

These bright orange plastic pipes will soon have warm water flowing through them producing luxurious comfort on snowy winter days. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

These bright orange plastic pipes will soon have warm water flowing through them producing luxurious comfort on snowy winter days. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

I have a concrete floor radiant heat system in my own home. It produces the most luxurious heat I’ve ever experienced. Typically floors, especially concrete, can be cold and uncomfortable in the winter months. With radiant heating, the entire floor, or different sections or zones of the concrete, become vast heating pads transmitting the heat from the boiler to you and everything in the room.

The heat is even and the concrete acts like a massive heat sink or storage vessel. The amount of heat is controlled by a standard thermostat as you’d discover in any home. Most homes that employ radiant heat have an added benefit. A room or group of rooms is put into a zone controlled by a separate thermostat. This allows you to use energy wisely as you can easily have different parts of your home different temperatures. I have eight separate heating zones in my own home.

When you’re not in a room or rooms in different parts of the day or night, you or automatic setback thermostats can lower the temperature to save money. The zoning feature allows you to send heat to the rooms only when you’re in them. It’s a very clever system and most radiant heating contractors are very good at setting up zones that make sense to your lifestyle.

You can have subfloor radiant heat in just about any home. If you’re building new with a standard wood-frame home, you absolutely can have a wood-floor radiant heat system. The plastic tubing is affixed to the underside of the wood floor or set very close to the underside of the wood sheathing that covers the floor joists.

Electric floor radiant heat systems have been around for many years, and they continue to be used. Recently, there’s been growth in smaller systems that work well in remodeling situations like bathrooms and kitchens with tile floors. The thin electric mats create tile-floor radiant heat that feels just the same as that created by a whole-house boiler. Be sure to do the math before you think about using electric radiant heat in your entire home. It may be more costly to operate over time.

It’s even possible to have a hardwood-floor radiant heat system. The hardwood-flooring manufacturers over the past few years have worked in conjunction with the radiant-heating industry to develop standards that allow gorgeous hardwood floors to be installed just above the subfloor radiant heat piping. When done correctly, the hardwood floor does not develop unsightly cracks between each piece of flooring from extreme expansion and contraction.

If you decide to use concrete floor radiant heat, it’s very important to insulate the floor so that the heat is blocked from soaking into the earth beneath your home. Rigid foam insulation is typically placed on top of compacted granular fill material. After the foam is in place, it’s covered with a high-performance vapor barrier that prevents soil moisture from invading your basement making it damp and moldy.

You’ll often see the contractors install welded-wire steel reinforcing mats as part of the install. These are a great idea. They not only strengthen the concrete ensuring that cracks don’t grow putting stress on the plastic heating tubes, but they also help hold the plastic tubing in place during the concrete pour. The plastic tubes are attached to the steel fabric often in parallel strips one-foot apart.

Warm-floor radiant heat is nothing new. Archaeological excavation years ago uncovered evidence that Romans used radiant floor heat to keep the stone floors toasty warm in the large Roman hot baths. They discovered that stone retains heat for a long time and that it distributes the heat uniformly. It only makes sense that we’d utilize this time-tested technology with our own artificial stone - concrete!

Column 846

Cable TV Options

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I want to rearrange our furniture in our family room. This requires us to relocate our television set that gets its signal from our cable TV provider. What are my cable TV options with respect to getting the television to work? My husband says it will be very difficult to extend a new cable line behind the walls. The cable company just wants to staple a new line to either the interior wall or our exterior wall. I don’t like that one bit. What’s the best cable TV solution you can come up with in my situation? Valerie H., Salem, MA

DEAR VALERIE: I can tell you that I surely feel your pain. Believe it or not I’m in the same position as you are. My wife just moved into our home in New Hampshire and she wants our family room television on the other side of the room from where the current cable TV outlet is. I’ll be completing my research this morning to see what my cable TV offers with respect to equipment and services to get my flat screen TV to power up.

This digital television will remain black until a new cable is run to it or it’s setup in minutes to receive a wireless digital cable tv signal. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

This digital television will remain black until a new cable is run to it or it’s setup in minutes to receive a wireless digital cable tv signal. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

If you have digital cable service now that’s coming into your home, you want to maintain that so you can view high-definition programming. For years this meant that you had to use a traditional cable wire to feed that signal to your television set or multiple sets throughout your home.

Your husband is probably correct. If you have a finished basement or a home on a slab, it can be problematic to extend a cable wire to another part of a room much less some other part of the house. I’m with you in that I don’t want exposed cables defacing either an interior or exterior wall of my home. I love the sleek look of a standard wall outlet that has a cable TV coaxial termination point. Better yet, I’d like to get the cable TV signal wirelessly.

If your family room has wall-to-wall carpeting, you may be able to hide the cable under the carpet along the edges of the wall. A good carpet installer can pull the carpet back off the tackless strips, hide the cable safely near the walls and then re-stretch the carpet. The installer just needs to make sure his tools don’t hurt the cable wire. Just place a piece of furniture along the wall where the cable enters into the carpet and where it exits.

If you don’t have wall-to-wall carpeting, you can accomplish the same thing but with more work. It’s possible to hide a cable wire behind a wooden toe strip molding that’s typically nailed to the bottom of a baseboard. You’d need some fancy woodworking tools or a table saw to create the channel where the cable will nest.

You’ll also need to be very careful when you secure the toe strip to the baseboard so you don’t penetrate the cable with a nail. There are tiny pin nailers that shoot very small fasteners that will attach the toe strip to the baseboard above the cable line.

Fortunately you have at least one other option. You can go wireless. It’s possible to purchase a wireless setup that allows you to place your television anywhere you want in that room. In the future or even now, it may be possible to broadcast the wireless digital signal to other rooms of your home to different TV sets that are equipped to accept the signal.

Cable TV and Internet are starting to merge. It’s been happening for a few years, but now the movement is gaining traction. Just as you have easy wireless connection to the Internet in your home and public places, you’ll be able to enjoy wireless digital television signals with relative ease.

Remember, the television signal is being broadcast from its source wirelessly in a digital format. The cable TV companies get the wireless signal and then put it into the cables you see attached to the miles of utility poles near your home. It only makes sense that you can reconvert the digital signal to a wireless one within the walls of your home once you have the right equipment and setup.

If you’re doing remodeling work or building a new home, it takes very little extra work to extend traditional cables to the various walls in a home that might eventually have a TV on or near them. In my own family room, I know for a fact that there are just three or four locations where the TV can go. It would have taken an electrician just 30 minutes or less to run a separate cable to the extra spots in the room.

Be sure to include into your budget the money needed to extend these cables. If you can’t do that, at least try to install blank conduits to these locations so you can run the cable wire without ruining the finished wall. But before you do that, cost it out. You’ll probably discover you can run the actual cable wire for the same cost and time investment of you installing blank conduit!

Column 845

Pack Moving

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I’m moving from one house to another and am overwhelmed. There seems to be so much to pack and I’m not sure how to proceed. I’ve received several bids from moving companies, and the cost for them to pack my possessions took my breath away. I’ve studied the u-pack moving options, and wonder if I’m up to the challenge. What advice do you have for moving and packing services? Have you moved recently and what can you share from the experience? Mandy S., Lima, OH

DEAR MANDY: Oh boy do I feel your pain! Just after finishing this column I’ve got to get back at it and finished packing for my own imminent move. In just two days, the giant moving truck and crew will be here to start loading my 18,000 pounds of possessions. My wife and I have done most of the packing, so we absolutely belong to the growing number of families that belong to the you pack we move clan.

These are just a few of the supplies you’ll need when you start to pack for moving yourself locally or long distance. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

These are just a few of the supplies you’ll need when you start to pack for moving yourself locally or long distance. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

I did the same thing you did and got several quotes from cross-country moving companies. The sticker shock you experienced was the same emotion I felt. It’s expensive to move, and even more so if you decide to do little or no work. You can save thousands of dollars if you pack for your move.

The core cost of the move is for the most part a function of the total weight of your belongings. If you can reduce the overall weight of what you’re transporting from one house to the next, then do it. Sell or donate the things you simply can live without.

I discovered the power of the online classified websites a few months ago. The one I’ve had the best luck with is www.Craigslist.org. I’ve sold many crazy items that I had little or no use for using this method. The cash is going to help pay for the move. Believe it or not, it’s free to use this website.

I was even able to use this same website to advertise, at no cost, a garage sale. This sale was very successful and allowed me to sell off hundreds and thousands of pounds of items. Remember, weight is your enemy come moving day.

When you pack for moving, you have to be prepared. It takes many more hours and days than you might ever imagine. My wife and I have been packing for well over two weeks, even with the help of a friend, and we still have lots to do.

You’ll need abundant supplies to help protect your valuable possessions. Sturdy cardboard boxes, rolls and rolls of tape, rolls of sheets of plastic that have sealed bubbles of air, and some old newspaper or cheap kraft paper will come in very handy.

Many moving companies will supply you with an assortment of boxes to help you pack. The dishpack cartons are the strongest as they commonly are constructed with two layers of cardboard. These will really help protect your most fragile things.

I discovered a business very close to my home that sells shipping supplies to businesses. It just so happens these are the same things you can use to help you in your move. The cost of the supplies is far less than what you’d spend at a big box store. So far I’ve used over five 250-foot rolls of sheets of plastic that have sealed bubbles of air to pack things. These rolls are 4-feet in diameter!

It’s really important to pack things you value carefully. Inside the truck, the items will rub and bump against one another. This can damage the finish on the items, so you need to be sure you wrap valuable things with something that will protect them. It may be paper, sheets of cardboard, sheets of plastic that have sealed bubbles of air, old clothes, etc. Just realize that things will get jostled around, especially if you’re doing a long-distance move as am I.

If you have to pack large items, you may have to build your own boxes. Wooden crates can be used to protect expensive items, but these can be tough to build if you’re not a carpenter. I built a large crate for a chandelier using 1-inch-thick honeycombed cardboard panels. It only took 30 minutes to tape it together with the thick corner supports.

How to pack a moving truck is a true skill and art. Blanket wrapping each piece of furniture is mandatory to prevent damage. The rocking of the truck will cause items to shift and move around if the things inside are not packed correctly and placed tightly against one another.

If you want to discover how to pack a moving van the right way, I suggest you watch a professional. I intend to do just that in a few days. There’s no doubt that all the items being moved, especially those in boxes, are separated by shape and weight. I’m guessing the heavy items most definitely will be placed on the floor of the truck with lighter items stacked on top of them. That’s just common sense, or should I say rare sense!

Column 844

August 13, 2010 AsktheBuilder Tips And News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue?

Latest News
Garage Sale Results
Delta & Brizo Faucet Conference
Electrical Shock Hazard
Latest Columns

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.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Friendly Question Reminder!

If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them.

This is really an abbreviated newsletter. I know I said that last time, and the darn thing was as long as a summer day!

Two days ago, Kathy and I signed the deed over to the first house I ever built from the ground up for ourselves. At the conclusion of the closing, I shook the hand of the husband and asked the wife for a hug. As I was embracing the wife, I was overcome with emotion and it took everything I had not to cry. The closest emotion I can compare it to is giving your daughter away at the altar steps on her wedding day. I can't begin to describe the amount of effort I put into the house which is now under the care of a new young family. I know they'll love the house as did Kathy and I.

Garage Sale Results

I had my first-ever garage sale last Saturday. I want to thank you for your kind wishes hoping for its success. It was a huge hit. There was a good crowd in the first 90 minutes, and perhaps you came! Many bargains were to be had. I encourage you to have a garage sale of your own to purge things you no longer need. It's fun, especially if you price things right.

I still have three bargains for you if you, a friend or a relative lives in or very close to Cincinnati, OH. Kathy and I would love for you to enjoy our gorgeous wicker furniture set from our Sun Room, our antique mahogany dining room set including buffet and china cabinet and the mint-condition John Deere lawn tractor (now sold) with snow plow and leaf-grass clippings bagging system. I have these priced to sell NOW.

Much of the success of the garage sale was due to CraigsList. They have a special category for garage and yard sales. My advice to you is to take your time and list as many things as you can in the description area. You're allowed to load up to four photos. Upload pictures of some of the best things you have for sale to get people to come to your sale. It's a great way to create cash out of things you're not using any longer. It's also very green. Selling your possessions to someone else is one of the oldest forms of recycling!

Delta and Brizo Faucet Editors Conference

Believe it or not I was walking out of the Delta Faucet headquarters two days ago at Noon in Indianapolis, IN. I was due to be at the house closing 100 miles away in a matter of hours. I went to the quick one-day editors conference to get up to speed on the latest in kitchen and bath faucets. The event allowed me to meet the gracious hosts at Delta Faucets and some very interesting home-improvement bloggers. I plan on keeping in touch with many of them.

You should absolutely give Delta and Brizo a look if you have an upcoming job involving faucets of any type. There's been an explosion of new products in the Delta and Brizo lines in the past two to three years.

It's fascinating to get to see the science behind the faucets. The last thing I got to see before blasting off to drive back to Cincinnati in my Ford Super Duty pickup truck was exactly how the no-touch and touch faucets work. You see these at many public places where you just get your hands near a faucet and it turns on.

The aura of electrical energy surrounding your body can be used for this purpose. It's the same thing that any touchscreen computer or device (think iPhone screen) uses to help you click things. As I drove away from the event I wondered about how many times you have to touch one of these things to run down the *batteries* in your body. Just kidding.

Delta is adding the touch on and off feature to more and more of its line all the time. My neighbor in New Hampshire just installed the Delta Pilar Touch faucet in his kitchen and loves it. I'm thinking about trying it in my kitchen as well. Kathy wants to remodel that space and a new faucet is on the materials list!

Electrical Shock Hazard

I had lunch yesterday with two of my closest friends here in Cincinnati - Richard Anderson and Roger Henthorn. Tristan, my son, also joined us. Tristan loves to be around Richard. Many a summer's day was spent in Mr. Anserhan's pool. When Tristan was a little guy, he used to call Mr. Anderson - Mr. Anserhan. Richard happens to be one of the best HVAC technicians in Cincinnati, OH.

Richard shared a story about he almost got electrocuted working on an outdoor air conditioning unit. In a nutshell, the code requires a disconnect switch adjacent to the outdoor compressor. There are different types, but this particular one had a spade setup.

This disconnect is very similar to the old-fashioned Frankenstein switches you see in the movies where a metal blade touches a metal receptor prong to complete the electrical circuit. You pull out the spade connectors and in theory there should be no electricity going to the appliance.

Well, that's what happens when both spades come out when you pull the handle. In this case, the one spade stayed inside the switch box buried inside the prongs. Since the unit runs on 240 volts, it STOPPED running because one 120 volt leg was disconnected, but the other one was still energized inside the outdoor unit.

One would never think that there was still electricity inside the unit since it stopped and the plastic housing with the spade connectors was in your hand. But you'd have to look very closely to see that the one spade never made it out of the disconnect box.

The bottom line is you need to use a voltmeter or other testing device to ensure the electricity is OFF when you go to work on something. I discovered this about 30 years ago when I thought that the white wires in a circuit - the neutral wires - were never *hot*. I touched a few that were braided together and was quickly knocked off a ladder! If a circuit is still energized the white wires in a 120 circuit are completing the alternating current circuit! DUH!!!

If you don't understand any of this, that means you need to hire a professional to work with your electric. Be careful out there!

Latest Columns

I'll bet you thought I stopped writing columns this summer since I haven't listed any in a while. No way! I'm a word machine.

You may want to discover some information about Asphalt Shingles.

Think of the possibilities in your home when you use Lighting Wall Sconces.

Do you really know how to Stain a Deck?

I wonder if you need tips on How to Paint.

Discover some Shower Faucet tips.

AsktheBuilder.com
100 Swain Rd.
Meredith, NH 03253, USA

August 3, 2010 AsktheBuilder Tips And News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue?

Latest News
New Lighter USG Drywall
Dishwasher Detergent Warning
Tim's Garage Sale
High-Pressure Sales Tactics
Checklists
Update on DC Metro Card
Future Tool Reviews

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.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Friendly Question Reminder

If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them.

Latest News

Two weeks from today, the moving van will be here at my Cincinnati, OH house. The tempo is picking up with respect to the move. I made it back safely my last drive from New Hampshire thanks to the New York State DOT. It's a good thing they ground those rumble grooves into the side of the road that wake drivers who fall asleep. I can tell you they work.

This is a somewhat abbreviated newsletter because of all I have going on surrounding the move. I'll have much to share very soon. Next week, I'll be at the Delta Faucet headquarters in Indianapolis, IN for a one-day editors conference. I should come away with tons of new information about Delta faucets.

This is the first editors conference I've attended since shivering down in Florida 19 months ago. A Sears Lawn and Garden event was planned for a respite from cold weather in sunny, warm Florida, but a massive cold front swept all the way down from the Arctic to Miami and it was COLD at the central Florida location, believe me.

If you're in the public relations business, I can tell you these editors conferences get results. You should convince your clients to do them. I learn so much in such a short time and then can share it with all who I come into contact with.

New Lighter USG Drywall

USG, long considered the leader in gypsum panel technology, recently announced a new light drywall. They say it's 30 percent lighter but has all the strength of traditional drywall. I've not yet tested it, but could have used this just last week when I was carrying three sheets of drywall down the outdoor steps at my New Hampshire house. USG has always made great products in my opinion. Plus, they're made here in the USA - you've got to love that.

Dishwasher Detergent WARNING

In our Cincinnati house, Kathy showed me some discoloration that was happening inside our Viking dishwasher. It has a stainless-steel interior. I said that it had to be the dishwasher detergent. Sure enough, when you looked very closely at the back label, you could see it contained chlorine bleach.

Chlorine bleach and stainless steel don't play well together. She had switched detergents because she saw new labeling that promised it had Shine-Shield formulation.

The brand was Cascade. There was nothing on the front of the bottle stating that it had chlorine bleach. If you have a septic system, you don't want to use anything that contains chlorine bleach as this chemical kills the beneficial bacteria in the septic tank.

Cascade makes another blend that is chlorine-bleach free that we had been using. We switched back today.

Tim's Garage Sale

I'm having a blow out garage sale this Saturday, August 7, 2010, from 8:00 until Noon. I'm selling all sorts of tools, supplies, an awesome new never-used Rheem water heater (a model you can't get anymore), antique wood TV cabinets that have those two doors that open to the tube, an antique gas space heater, etc.

A *partial* list of what's for sale is in this pdf document. Bring cash. If you live within 75 miles, it might be worth showing up.

Please don't come early. I'll open up at 8:00 am sharp. The sale happens rain or shine.

High-Pressure Sales Tactics

This morning I received an email from Randolph. Here's what was on his mind:

Tim,
 
I wonder if I am the only subscriber that feels very frustrated by the contractor closing technique of incrementally significantly discounting the price if you decide on the spot to sign with them at the first meeting. Siding job price went from $34K to $19K over course of 20 minutes of me trying to get him out of house at 10:30 PM after 3-hour pitch. Such a discount seems to mean he was really trying to rip me off with first price. Am I wrong to feel this way about this apparently common practice?
 
Many thanks.
R. B. Wehner

Randolph, it's a very common tactic. And I have to tell you it gets results. The sad thing is that some consumers succumb to the initial price and indeed pay too much.

The best defense, when faced with this situation, is to take control of the sales situation. In my opinion, you made the biggest mistake by allowing this person to be in your home longer than 45 minutes. In the future, you tell any in-house salesperson that you can only devote 45 minutes to the presentation because you're a BUSY person. If they can't deliver the message in that time, it's too complex. After all, how long does it take to talk about siding, roofing or whatever?

At the beginning of the conversation, you take control by telling the salesperson that the first price out of their mouth must be their lowest price. If they lower the price at the end of the meeting, you'll consider them dishonest and absolutely will not do business with them. You also tell them that you'll NOT sign that night as you want to think about it. Remember, do this at the beginning of the presentation.

You can also take control of a sales situation like this by using one of my checklists. Let's talk about an exciting new project you're going to love.

Checklists

For years, I've sold checklists that allow you to spot the professional contractor that's going to give you the best Value for each dollar you spend. I had a massive sale on these back in March.

I've decided to expand the checklists and customize them for you. How you might ask? Well, here's what I'm going to start doing in September.

I'm going to feature either a new or revised checklist every two weeks. If it happens to be a checklist you want, after you purchase it, I'm going to do a FREE LIVE telephone seminar on the topic. Using feedback from you, I'm assembling and answering the top questions submitted to me about that checklist. Your question(s) may be among those I talk about on the phone!

Let's say you can't make it on the call for any number of reasons. No problem. Because you purchased the checklist during the special promotion, you'll be able to download the audio seminar. It's all part of the deal and it's going to be tons of fun, just like the 12 years I did my two-hour call-in radio show. Imagine how much ground I can cover in an hour of conversation. From past experience, I can tell you it's miles and miles.

Here's where I need your help now. Can you please go to the following page and look at the list of my current checklists. Select just one of all of my checklists that's most important to you NOW. You only get to pick one. After you select one, then tell me in the box at the bottom of the survey page the TOP THREE questions you have about that topic. Write short questions please.

When I see what the top checklists are, I'll start revising those immediately.

This survey has closed. Thank you to those who participated.

Update on DC Metro Card

Last issue, I gave away a DC Metro card to a subscriber. I thought that I'd get maybe ten requests for the card. WRONG!

First, the winner claimed the card four minutes after the newsletter was sent. That's FOUR minutes, not forty. I then went on to receive over 159 other requests! WOW!

Here's what the winner send back to me after I sent it to him in the mail:

Dear Tim,
 
The DC Metro card arrived in the mail. THANKS! I will use it Monday.
 
I was invited to the unveiling of the "All New" Ford Explorer. Will be having b'fast & lunch with the CEO of Ford. Lucky me - I am merely a peon whom the local Ford dealership appreciates and invited me to attend. The new Explorer will be based on a "car" chassis - vs its current "truck" chassis and supposedly get 30% better gas mileage. We own three Fords: F-150, minivan, Escape Hybrid.
 
I respect Ford for their "thumbing their nose" to the O'Bama admin's attempt to take over the US auto industry.
 
I read the "about me" info on your website. Impressive.
 
I was elated to see your comments regarding your support of the 2nd amendment. Please keep it up. Are you an NRA member? I hope so.
 
A little about me: Married, 2 kids/college grads. I am a Virginia Class B Licensed contractor and a retired US Army aviator.
 
Thanks again for the card and have a great summer. I am sure you will enjoy your new digs in New Hampshire. If you return to DC, maybe we can link up for a cup of Joe.
 
Mac

Mac, congratulations for winning once again and Thank You for your service to this great nation!

Future Tool Reviews

As insane as this sounds, Christmas is not that far away. I'm starting to get press releases about new tools and will be testing many in September and October. You want to open all future newsletters so you don't miss these reviews. Some of the tools are going to be fantastic. I can already tell by the description I get from the PR folks.

Wish me luck on the move. I'll get plenty of sleep the night before we drive to NH. No need to repeat what happened to me two days ago.

AsktheBuilder.com
100 Swain Rd.
Meredith, NH 03253, USA

Cheap Shelving

Posted on by Tim Carter
cheap shelving

Cheap shelving is easy to create. These strong wood shelves were built in less than an hour for less than $45.00 (2018 prices). Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

"The cheap wood shelves I constructed were made from just 2x3’s and inexpensive one-half-inch-thick CDX plywood."

Cheap Shelving Tips

  • Use CDX plywood or OSB and 2x material
  • Screws are better than nails
  • Cut plywood 11 and 7/8 wide
  • Design with no material waste

DEAR TIM: I just moved and need to build some cheap shelving. Money is tight because of the economy and the move drained most of my cash.

Some of the things I need to store are heavy so the cheap shelves need to be strong. What’s the best way to make use of the limited space I have in my new home? Maureen S., Salem, MA

Related Links

Clever Miniature Garage or Shed Shelves

Garage Shelve Building Tips


DEAR MAUREEN: I surely can relate to moving and the weight of accumulated possessions. I’m stunned by what a cubic foot of books weighs.It seems close to 30 pounds or more.

Recently I moved a long distance and had the same problem as you now have. After looking around, I decided that I could create my own cheap shelving units with a few standard tools and very little time.

Free and Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local carpenters who can build shelves.

How Do You Make Cheap Shelving?

The cheap wood shelves I constructed were made from just 2x3’s and inexpensive one-half-inch-thick CDX plywood or OSB. I only needed two pieces of plywood, or OSB, and thirteen 2x3x8’s to make 256 cubic feet of storage space. The best part is that I only spent $65.00 and it took one hour of my time.

Are There Other Cheap Shelving Ideas?

If you look around, you’ll discover all sorts of cheap shelving ideas. You may discover industrial shelving for sale on a classified-ad website or you may discover cheap storage shelves at a home center.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to do the calculation as to what the shelving costing you per cubic foot. In my case, it was only a little over 25 cents per cubic foot.

How Do You Calculate Cubic Feet?

You determine cubic feet of shelving by multiplying the length times the width times the height of the shelving. I can only store up to 8 feet high in my garage attic, so I used that number.

You may have a taller space in your new home, but realize that if you stack things higher than 30 inches on a shelf, they can become unstable and fall. This is why my cheap wood shelving is only 60-inches tall. That leaves me with 30 inches of space to stack things and still have 6 inches of space between my possessions and the ceiling.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local carpenters who can build shelves.

What Tools Are Required to Build Shelving?

I built my shelves using a drill, miter box saw and a screw gun. You can use a regular circular saw and a drill if you don’t have these specialized tools. The drill is used to bore pilot holes for the screws, but you can also insert a Phillips driver bit into the drill transforming it into a crude screw gun sans a clutch.

How Long Should the 2X Material Be?

The first step was to cut five of the 2x3’s creating ten pieces of lumber 45 inches long. Using these five pieces of lumber in between two full-length 2x3’s, I was able to build a frame that was 4-feet by 8-feet in size.

The smaller 2x3’s were placed at 2-foot centers in the middle of the frame. Each of the 2x3’s acts like a small I-beam to support the plywood. I built two of these frames using 2.5-inch-long drywall screws to fasten all the lumber together.

I then cut the remaining four 2x3’s 60-inches long. These became the legs of the shelving system. I placed one shelf up 30 inches off the floor and the top one was flush with the top of the legs. The shelves were attached to the legs with 3-inch-long drywall screws. I used four screws where each leg touches the sides of the shelf frame.

How Do You Prevent Shelving Collapse?

To ensure the shelves don’t collapse, you have to stiffen them up with bracing material. I happened to have some 1-foot wide pieces of scrap plywood. I screwed these 30-inch-long pieces to the corners of the shelves. This extra wood makes it so the shelves don’t rock back and forth or side to side.

What is a Generous Space Between Shelves?

The vertical distance of 30 inches provides you with a generous amount of space between each shelf and the floor or the ceiling. Just about every box I have to store fits in or on the shelves. In many instances, smaller boxes are stacked on top of other boxes so no space is wasted.

Where Should Heavy Items Be Stored?

I suggest you be very careful with the heavy items you want to store. Place those on the floor under the first shelf. If you have access to old pallets, consider using them to keep any of your possessions up off the floor. This is very important if you’re storing things where water might contact your valuables.

Where Can I Get Free Shelving Material?

You can often get free shelving material at construction sites.

If you frequent construction sites, you may be able to build your cheap wooden shelves for next to nothing. Instead of using one large sheet of plywood for each shelf, you can often find scraps of plywood discarded by the carpenters. With a little bit of time, you can cut these to fit onto your 4x8 frame.

Even the framing lumber can be scavenged. You may not find 2x3’s, but you can always substitute the heavier 2x4’s which you’ll discover are abundant in and around construction sites. Always ask a supervisor at the site if you can have the material.

How Do I Locate Free Construction Materials?

You can also use the online classified-ad websites to discover inexpensive or free building materials that can be used to build the shelves. I actually gave away free material at the house I moved from because it was too expensive to take it with me 1,000 miles. Be patient and you may be able to build your shelves for less than $10.00!

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local carpenters who can build shelves.

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