Home Wallpaper

Posted on by Tim Carter

Home Wallpaper - Tim brushing wallpaper
DEAR TIM: Does home wallpaper that I see differ much from the products I see at paint stores and specialty wallpaper stores? The wallpaper for my home needs to be fairly durable and washable because my kids will surely get their hands on it.

What can you tell me about home wallpaper borders? Is there a special technique one employs to install these? If you can share any mission-critical wallpaper installation tips, I would sincerely appreciate it. Sheila V., Clearwater, FL

DEAR SHEILA: Wallpaper for the home is probably one of the smartest decorating things you can do to add flare to a room. The colors and patterns in wallpaper can really go a long way to create a mood that’s hard to achieve using just paint and other decorating accessories.

You may find it hard to believe, but there can be a vast difference in quality with home wallpapers. Low-quality wallpapers are difficult to handle and hang once the glue has been activated on them.

Looking at a roll of wallpaper and trying to determine if it’s a quality product is very hard. When in doubt, always visit a store that just sells wallpaper. Make it a point to talk with the manager or owner.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local wallpaper hangers who can install your Home Wallpaper in case you're getting cold feet.

If they have been in business for years, they’ll be able to show you high-quality paper as well as some economy lines. There are many things that affect the price of wallpaper besides the actual paper.

My wife selected a high-quality wallpaper for our dining room about eight years ago. I’ve hung countless rolls of wallpaper in my life, as it’s a job I love to do.

As soon as I began to hang the second sheet, I could see why it was a great paper. The matching of the pattern was superb, and the wallpaper was very stable on the wall. Once dry, the seams were invisible.

Just about every wallpaper for homes that you’ll look at will be vinyl coated. This crystal-clear coating is very forgiving when it comes to washing off dirt and smudges.

Be sure to talk to the wallpaper store manager about clear vinyl coatings. The gloss on these coatings is very slight, so imperfections beneath the wallpaper don’t stand out like beacons.

Home wallpaper borders are a very interesting wallpaper accessory. Some borders are made to match papers that have a simple and subtle pattern. You can use borders only in a room that has painted walls if you choose.

Just A Few Tools

Let's get started with the tools. Fortunately, you don't need many tools to wallpaper.

Here's a list that will get you going on this job:

  • retractable razor knife with snap-off blades
  • 4.5 or 6-inch drywall taping knife
  • smoothing brush or plastic smoother
  • 4-foot level
  • grout sponge
  • measuring tape
  • paint roller & pan
  • paint brush

Click the Image Below to get all, or some, of the tools now:

Wallpaper Tools List

CLICK HERE to get all the tools I recommend in one place. It's easy and fast.

For the most part, wallpaper borders are fairly easy to install. Most of them are trimmed along the top edge, so you just butt them up against the ceiling.

Your only challenge is wrapping a border around an inside corner. Professionals will create a cut seam in corners to prevent the unsightly shrinkage issue where the paper pulls out from the corner.

As you approach an inside corner, wrap the border around the corner pushing it tightly into the corner. Use the razor knife to cut a vertical line one-quarter inch away from the corner.

Make sure the border is still tight in the corner. Slide the cut border piece over the small tab of border making the cut edge dive into the corner. It should look perfect.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local wallpaper hangers who can install your Home Wallpaper in case you're getting cold feet.

If you’re installing a home wallpaper border on top of a wallpaper that’s vinyl coated, you must use a special vinyl-to-vinyl adhesive. These are special glues that will bond the border to the coated wallpaper. These are not required if you apply a border to a painted wall.

Any wall that’s to receive a wallpaper border or wallpaper should be primed with a special paint. This paint prevents the wallpaper glue from penetrating through to the drywall paper.

An added benefit to using these special wallpaper primers is the added work time you get as you hang the paper. The glue doesn’t set as fast allowing you plenty of time to position the paper as you trim it. I always use these magical paints.

Wallpaper Videos

Watch these videos to get an idea of what you're up against. You can do this job since it's a small room and there's not much to cut around.



If you’ve never hung wallpaper before, I highly recommend you practicing in a closet. This sounds crazy, but you’ll discover how to trim paper at the ceiling and floor, as well as what to do at inside corners.

One of the most important things you need to do with wallpaper and borders is to allow them to relax just after you activate the glue. The paper expands after the glue is wet. If you apply the paper immediately after activating the glue, you can end up with countless blisters and bubbles that will not come out at a later date.

It only takes about five minutes for the paper to relax and expand. Be sure to book it after you activate the glue. This means fold the glue side of the paper back onto itself. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to peel the paper apart. This booking ensures the glue doesn’t air dry as the paper relaxes.

I prefer to use gel-type paste activators rather than water to activate pre-pasted papers. A paint roller is a great tool to use to apply the activator. When the wallpaper is first installed, there will be a bumpy appearance even though you’ve smoothed it with a wallpaper brush.

Don’t freak out if it looks slightly bumpy. Those bumps will completely disappear within 24 hours as the water leaves the glue.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local wallpaper hangers who can install your Home Wallpaper in case you're getting cold feet.

Column 793

Roof Repair Seattle

Posted on by Tim Carter

Roof repairs in Seattle, WA, or any other city in the USA, are not much different. Depending on the roofing material and the slope of the roof, the average homeowner or businessperson probably can’t do the roofing-repair work. Although the average repair is not necessarily hard work, it requires an understanding of how the different materials work and interact with the other things on roofs such as skylights, plumbing vent pipes, ventilation fans etc.

Rubber roof repair is almost always best left to a professional. The solvents and chemicals used to bond different pieces of rubber together can be a little tricky to work with. Metal roof repair is absolutely a job for a professional. I can’t think of one homeowner I know that could possibly have the tools and skills to make a metal roof leakfree!

Roof flashing repair is typically the job that has to be done. In my experience, I’ve determined that over 90% of roof leaks happen at flashings. A flashing is a transitional roofing material. It connects the roofing to something that’s not a roof.

For example, you need a flashing where a plumbing vent pipe pokes through a roof. It needs to be laced correctly in with the roofing materials to stop leaks. You’ll find flashings around chimneys, skylights, vent housings, etc.

What virtually every homeowner or business owner wants is a real professional roofer to do the work. It’s not as hard to find one as you might think, but the traditional methods of locating them can’t always ensure you’ll get a pro.

I’ve discovered that it really helps to get educated about the roofing materials, and ask questions of the roofers to see if they know the answers. It’s also important to have them supply all insurance documentation as well as solid references.

Years ago, I developed a systematic checklist that homeowners can use to help them select the pro roofer. Inside the checklist are four videos that show you the real secret on how to locate the names of the real professionals. That’s really what you want - you want the names of the roofers to call who will do your roof repair right the first time!

August 18, 2009 AsktheBuilder News And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue?

Washable Air Filters
Spacking Compound
Extreme Defy Deck Sealer
Husbands and Mermaids
Latest Columns and Videos

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 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.

Never forget that all past issues of my Newsletters can be found at my website.

I'm in the final few days of an enormous remodeling project at my home. It was time to update the master bathroom and bedroom. In fact, in just a few minutes, the carpet installers will arrive to put down the bedroom carpet. In the next four days, I need to grout the tile, connect all the plumbing fixtures, hang the wallpaper and install all the mirrors and light fixtures. Whew, I'll be busy! Then I drive with Tristan back to New Hampshire so he can start school next week.

Washable Air Filters

Moments ago, my best friend Richard Anderson called me. In my opinion, he's perhaps the best heating and air-conditioning technician within 100 miles of Cincinnati, OH. Now that we're in peak air-conditioning times, Richard had some great advice. He said that he's going on more service calls where a clogged air filter has caused the interior coil to freeze up. When this happens, you have no air conditioning and possibly a huge mess if the ice thaws and ruins your house or your possessions.

The big problem Richard is seeing are washable air filters where the garden hose pressure is not cleaning them. They look clean, but in reality dirt deep inside the filter is not being removed. If you have a filter like this, you should consider trying a pressure washer. If you don't own one, go to a self car wash and use the one there. Clogged air filters reduce air flow across the interior cooling coil. This makes your unit work harder to cool, and wastes energy.

A Great Spackling Compound

The past week, I've been spackling my share of nail holes. Installing all new woodwork in the bedroom and bathroom was part of the project. In the past I used lightweight spackling. It worked well. But a spackling manufacturer, Crawfords, sent me a quart of product that I thought I could use as a weight-training aid. I've never held a heavier one-quart can! I thought it had lead in it, but my guess is that the product contains massive amounts of powdered limestone.

Anyway, I resisted using it for fear of extra sanding work. I'm here to tell you that this product is the best spackling compound I've ever used. It didn't shrink, it dried quickly and most important, after painting you simply can't see the spackled hole. With the lightweight spackling, I could always see the hole, even after priming the material. The spackling was flush with the wood, but it's texture was different. The Crawford's material is so dense, it matches up well with the density of the wood.

This product was easy to apply and it sanded with no effort. I urge you to try it.

Extreme Defy Deck Sealer

Just after my birthday, it feels great to be 35 again!, I told you about my golf game and lunch with John Meredith, the president and owner of Saver Systems. John had shown me photographs of ultraviolet (UV) light testing of his latest advancement in deck sealers. Nanotechnology chemistry has produced a deck stain that simply doesn't fade at the drastic rate of the other deck sealers on the market. The photo results were stunning.

Anyone can buy this product now in the clear version, as I used it on my boat dock in New Hampshire back in June. But many customers want the deck stain in a color, as did I. The clear is fine, but I really wanted that rich cedar color for my dock. John's cedar tone color is far away his most popular color in his regular line of deck-sealing products. Based on what I saw in the photographs, I begged him to make a batch of Extreme Defy in cedar tone so that you could protect your deck before this winter. With Labor Day just around the corner, it's the perfect time.

John agreed, and the best part is that no one else in the world can buy this tinted deck sealer except for you. It's only available to subscribers of this newsletter. The only problem is that John only made 3,000 gallons. You may think that's a huge amount, but it's not. With his ten-gallon limit per customer requirement, that means you will be in a select group of only 300 people who get to treat their decks with perhaps the best deck sealer in the world. This product will not be available to the general public until the spring of 2010.

Oh, I forgot to mention, John said you can have free shipping! I can't believe he's doing that. I urge you to take a look at the photos of the UV testing. They speak for themselves.

P.S. I don't get one penny from John for mentioning this special pre-release batch of Extreme Defy. My motivation is to get you a great product and to prove to John that my subscribers listen to what I have to say. Show John that's true. Order a few gallons right now and be part of a very select group.

Husbands and Mermaids

Jackie Pitruzzello wrote to me from steamy Huntsville, Alabama:

"I so hope you can help us. We have a driveway that the builder sloped toward the house, so when there are heavy rains, the driveway ponds the water and comes into the garage. We have had two different foundation repair companies look at this problem.

The first wanted to cut out the driveway, install a open drain and have the water come out at a different place through a pop up valve. The second said this probably would not help due to the absence of sloping in the yard. Yes, the ground is almost level on the entire area. If we don't get help soon I'm afraid one of these days when it rains, my husband will find a mermaid and run off with her!"

Here's my advice, Jackie. It's possible that you have a nearly level lot, but I doubt it. I've seen lots that look absolutely flat, but in 50 feet, there is perhaps 12 to 16 inches of fall. To get an open trench drain to work at your garage door, you need about 12 inches of fall.

Contact a remodeling contractor that has a builder's level. This is an optical or laser instrument that can project a level line outdoors. Using a grade pole, you can quickly determine how much fall you have on your lot. Here's a column I wrote about these fantastic tools.

I'll bet you can hire a contractor to do this for you now in this poor economy for less than $50. It takes minutes to set up the instrument and take the reading.

As for worrying about mermaids, I suggest that you mimic one around your home one day and see if your husband even has an interest in these mythical creatures!

Latest Columns and Videos

Want to get pro results when painting an interior door?

Backsplash tile can really set off a countertop.

Marble tile can be a breeze to install if you have a wet saw, good knee pads and patience!

AsktheBuilder.com

Paint Door

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I have to paint a door. The last time I tried painting a door, it ended up in a disaster. Paint ended up all over the hardware no matter how careful I was. Can you coach me so I know how to paint a door like a professional? What skills and magic do you draw upon to get results that us mere mortals only dream of achieving? It can’t be that hard painting a door, or is it? Cindy B., Palo Alto, CA

DEAR CINDY: I’m just a mortal like you, so don’t think that I have super-human skills. What I do have that you might not have is thousands of hours of painting experience. My guess is that if I went back in time 40 years, you and I would see lots of paint on the hardware of doors I painted, as well as other rookie mistakes. But over time, I’ve developed a system that really works well for me for painting new or existing wood doors. Talk to other painting professionals, and they may have their own way to paint doors.

Long ago, I discovered that I’m a perfectionist in certain areas of construction. I’m the guy that has to have the screw slot perfectly plumb on electrical cover plates. Paint on hardware is simply unacceptable to me, as are the tiny unpainted lines near hardware where paint can’t cover and the brush strokes that don’t match the wood grain of the door. For these reasons, I prefer to remove as much hardware as necessary so it’s simply out of the picture when it comes to painting. This almost always means removing the door from the jamb as well as removing the door hinges.

This door is not in its jamb. Removing it from the opening allows you to achieve true professional results. PHOTO CREDIT: Kathy Carter

This door is not in its jamb. Removing it from the opening allows you to achieve true professional results. PHOTO CREDIT: Kathy Carter

Removing the door hardware takes a few minutes, but I’ve timed it compared to carefully cutting in with a brush. For me, removing the hardware ends up being faster. No doubt another painter may be able to do just the opposite, so your mileage may vary.

Part of your problem may have been the brush you selected as you prepared to paint the door. I’ve learned the hard way that it really pays to purchase a high-quality brush when painting. What’s more, I’m very partial to using a tapered brush for all interior trim work. These brushes have a chiseled bristle profile instead of the common profile where all the bristles are the same length. You’ll discover that using a tapered brush gives you fantastic control when painting in corners and cutting in fine edges.

There are many tricks you need to know to get professional results, and I’ll cover as many as I can fit into this space. For starters, if you want a smooth finish, the door itself must be smooth before you apply the finish coat. If you’re painting a new wood door, this means the door needs to be sanded after you prime it. Primers tend to have heavy pigments that fill microscopic voids in the wood. Water-base primers will raise the grain of wood doors slightly. Sanding the dry primer with a sanding sponge that has 120 grit abrasive usually will suffice. Be sure to brush away all dust. If you’re sanding a previously painted door in an older home, be very careful. If the door was painted prior to 1967, there is a good chance there might be lead in the paint. Lead dust is highly toxic.

You may be able to get by with one primer coat and one finish coat of paint, but that will only happen on rare occasions. Typically you’ll need three coats to get professional results. The key is to apply thinner coats of paint, not a thick coat that might run or sag.

You can use a roller to apply paint to wide open areas of the door, but I would recommend brushing the paint immediately to give you the look that the paint was brushed on. Some people don’t like the texture created by paint rollers. You’ll have to experiment to see if you like the texture. Be sure to use a roller cover with minimal nap if you decide to do this.

Watch for paint that builds up on the edges of the door. This excess paint can be very problematic when the door hits against the door jamb. If the door was a tight fit, the paint may cause the door to bind. If you hang the door before the paint cures, the paint on the door can stick to the paint on the jamb and you’ll have a huge mess.

Spray painting doors can save enormous amounts of time. There are some fantastic spray-painting tools that give you professional results with a very small learning curve. If you have access to a garage where you can spray the doors all at once, you’ll save hours of time.

The trick is to stand the doors up and tack them together with wood strips at the top of the doors. You want to assemble the doors in a contiguous V-pattern much like the sections on an accordion door. Just be sure you can easily get the spray tool into the inside angle where two doors meet. Setting the doors at a 45-degree angle should give you plenty of clearance.

It only takes minutes to clean the spray-paint tool, so don’t let the cleanup process stop you from trying to use this method. Spraying paint indoors in an occupied home with furniture and finished floors can be problematic. I don’t suggest spraying paint indoors in these situations.

Column 792

Backsplash Tile

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I want to spice up my bathroom with backsplash tile. I’ve seen a kitchen tile backsplash and loved it. Are backsplash tiles different from other tiles? Can you help me with any backsplash tile ideas as well as do’s and don’ts? I’m especially interested in subway backsplash tile. Mara V., Brookville, IN

DEAR MARA: Two years ago, I installed for my wife a very unique backsplash tile that was part of our major kitchen renovation. The tile consisted of a decorative band of tile that rested on the granite countertops. Above this band of tile, larger tiles that simulated basket weaving filled the gap up to the wall cabinets. Visitors to our kitchen always remark how interesting the backsplash is. I have to admit myself that it’s stunning.

This two-part decorative backsplash tile just needs grout before it makes its debut. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

This two-part decorative backsplash tile just needs grout before it makes its debut. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

The tile for a backsplash is not much different than regular ceramic tile. What’s important, in my opinion, is that it have a durable glaze, especially in areas where it will get wet and soiled. You don’t want to stain the tile with personal hygiene chemicals that might get splashed onto the tile as you use your bathroom. Accidents happen, but a good glazing can prevent permanent damage.

Backsplash tile designs are as abundant as stars in the night sky. All you have to do is go to a specialty tile store to get a feel for the hundreds, if not thousands, of tiles you might use for a backsplash. Your choices can range from standard tile with a regular bullnose finishing tile to custom-made tiles that have your own ideas and colors as part of the tile. In between these two extremes are endless possibilities of tiles that will make your bathroom stand out from the crowd.

It’s interesting that you mentioned subway tile. My wife just selected a subway tile that has beveled edges to use as a wainscot tile in our master bathroom. The tile we used had accessory tiles that we used as a backsplash. It’s a two-part backsplash tile with the bottom tile measuring 3 inches by 6 inches. This tile has a repeating pattern of concentric circles and leaves.

On top of this decorative tile, we placed a tile that mimics crown molding. This tile is only 1 and 1/4 inches high, but it’s 6 inches long. It has a finished top edge that sticks out from the wall nearly three-quarters of an inch. It’s extremely distinctive and makes it look as if the tile were installed in the early 1900’s.

There are countless tips I can offer with respect to installing this tile, but I’m horribly limited on space. Suffice it to say that the wall surface needs to be clean, free of defects and very smooth or flat. The tile you select will determine the mastic you use to attach the tile to the wall. I had to use organic mastic for the decorative tile, but cement thinset to permanently bond the crown-molding tile to the wall.

Be sure to think about how the tile will end. Most tiles do not have glazed edges. The tile manufacturers almost always make special accessory tiles that allow you to terminate the tile so you don’t see an unfinished edge. Be sure you talk about this with the salesperson at the tile store. I always suggest taking in some rough drawings of what you want to do as well as photographs of your current room that will show the tile salesperson the challenges you face. The last thing you want is to discover you can’t get the exact look you have constructed in your mind.

Be aware that to get a great bond, you can’t leave an organic mastic open to the air for a very long time. This is especially true in hot, dry climates. If the mastic starts to develop a skin, the tile will not bond well. You may discover it’s best to apply the mastic to each tile separately rather than spread the mastic on the wall. If you spread the mastic on the wall, keep in mind it works best if you cover it with the tile within ten minutes.

Cement-based thinset works the same way. Once mixed with water, you only have so many minutes to use it. I would only mix as much thinset as you can use and cover with tile in one hour or less.

Be sure to wait one day before you grout the tile. This wait time allows the mastic or thinset to harden. Some backsplash tile require you to create the spacing between tile. You can purchase plastic spacers that create equal gaps, but coins can do the same thing. On my recent backsplash tile job, I used dimes to create the perfect grout line between the crown-molding tile and the decorative band of tile below it.

When setting tile, the mastic or thinset might ooze in between the tiles in case you put too much adhesive on the wall. If this happens, it’s imperative you remove this adhesive from the joint immediately. If you don’t get the adhesive out of the joint, the grout will not be able to penetrate between the tiles.

I use any number of tools to remove excess adhesive from between tiles: a razor blade, toothpicks, or a thin screwdriver. When using metal, work slowly so you don’t mark the tile. Use a damp sponge to remove mastic or thinset residue from the face of the tile.

Column 791

August 9, 2009 AsktheBuilder News And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue?

Tape Measure Errors
Chicago Trip
Stain Solver Sale

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.   Never forget that all past issues of my Newsletters can be found at my website.

Howdy! This is a quickie newsletter. I usually don't send them on a Sunday, but I had some news and wanted to alert you about the expiring super promo code for Stain Solver.

Tape Measure Errors

For the past few days, I've been installing ceramic wall tile with very narrow 1/16th-inch grout lines. This means your tolerance for cutting errors is half that! All of a sudden my cuts were off, some by a monster 1/8th inch. I knew I had marked the tile correctly.

Low and behold, I discovered that the hook end of my tape had some grit in it and was not sliding. What? You didn't realize that the 90-degree bend at the end of a tape measure moves? You bet it does! What's more, high-quality tapes do this reliably for years if you keep them clean.

klein-tools-tape

Hook end of a tape measure must be kept clean!

The reason this part moves is to account for the thickness of the metal on the hook end when you're taking an inside measurement between two points. Think about that. When you take an inside measurement, you're compressing the tape. When you then stretch the tape out on a board you do the opposite. If the hook end didn't slide that little bit when you stretch it, your measurement will be off a 1/16th inch. This is what was happening to me.

Oh, one more thing. Before you use a tape measure for accurate work, look at the hook end to be sure it's not bent. That can happen if you drop a tape measure. That bend in the hook will really mess up your measurements, especially if you're working with another helper who is feeding you dimensions. His tape may be accurate, but your tape could be off 1/4 inch or more because of the bent hook.

Chicago Wednesday August 12th

I'll be in Chicago on business this coming Wednesday and Thursday. If you want to chat for a little bit over some liquid refreshment, we can do it at the hotel lounge in the Hyatt on Wacker Drive. Email me if this is of interest to you.

Stain Solver Event Over in Less Than 48 Hours!

If you want to save huge money on my Stain Solver, you have less than 48 hours. The promo code for the 25 percent price reduction expires Monday, August 10th at midnight.

Stain Solver is a great wood cleaner and it does magic on tile grout. It gets stains out of clothes and anything that's water washable.  It's one of the best green cleaners, as it does all it's cleaning with oxygen ions.

Here's the code:   25sale (expired on August 10, 2009)

Go to: www.StainSolver.com

AsktheBuilder.com

August 4, 2009 AsktheBuilder News And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What’s in This Issue?

Very Important News
Nail-Gun Safety
Mortar Gun
Drywall Finishing
Sanding Drywall
Spray Painting
Birthday Golf
Stain Solver Sale

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.

Never forget that all past issues of my Newsletters can be found at my website.

VERY IMPORTANT NEWS

If you want to keep getting my newsletter, you MUST add me to your Address Book or you Contact List in your email program or interface. This is really important if you use Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, etc. If you don't add me, this newsletter might start to get automatically filtered OUT of your Inbox.

Here's what's happening. Because of the flood of Spam, these web-based email programs, as well as some proprietary software like Thunderbird, Eudora, etc. are segregating incoming mail based upon your Address Book. It's giving high priority to those emails from people you've indicated you like or added to your Address Book. You typically have friends in your Address Book or Contact list. That makes perfect sense!!

Please add: [email protected] to your Address Book right now. Thanks in advance.

- - -

Let's see, what's been happening over the past two weeks? Well, I've been working non-stop on my bathroom remodel and have rounded third and am heading for home plate. I should be finished by the next newsletter. I went to the hospital to get treated for shooting myself with my nail gun, I started the probate process for my Mom's estate (I'm the executor) and I had a birthday! Whew, that's a bunch of things in a few days!

Nail-Gun Safety

The accident with the nail gun happened this past weekend. It was totally my fault because I was in a rush. That's the takeaway you need to focus on. Slow down and THINK before activating any power tool.

I have several Paslode nail guns. One shoots a tiny 18-gauge finish nail that's perfect for pining small pieces of wood trim. I have another Paslode tool that shoots 2-inch-long 16-gauge finish nails. The trouble is both guns look nearly identical - same color and pretty much the same shape.

While building several window and door head casings for the bathroom, I needed both guns. This special trim board is made up of five different pieces of trim lumber and sits on top of two vertical pieces of window casing. The look is very Victorian. I use the long nails to attach a special crown molding to the top of a flat head board. The other nail gun is used to attach the corner pieces of trim and a long flat molding to the bottom of the head casing.

Well, I needed to glue and nail the tiny mitered corner pieces using the smaller nails that are only 1 and 1/4-inch long. To hold the triangular pieces of wood, I have to use my left hand while precisely positioning and firing the nail gun. Because I was in a hurry, I grabbed the wrong nail gun and fired it. Yeouuuuch! A long nail shot out the top of the wood and into my wrist at the base of my palm. It penetrated about 1 inch into my wrist. The physician's assistant who treated me told me the nail missed the radial nerve that connects to the thumb and index finger by 1/8 inch and the artery by about 1/4 inch. I was lucky.

Please be very careful when working with power tools.

Mortar Gun

I just took delivery of a very cool tool I'll be testing. But I wanted to let you know ahead of time in case you have to repoint the brick or stone on your home. This tool allows you to install mortar much like a caulk gun. I'll tell you more about it in the next few weeks. It really looks like an amazing tool.

Drywall Finishing

I hate to finish drywall. I can get professional results with ease, but I HATE doing it. It's mind-numbing work. I was taught how to do drywall finishing by several professionals who have worked over the years on my projects. It really has paid off to listen to them. I show many of the techniques in the Drywall Videos at my website.

Here's a trick that many homeowners don't know. When second coating the corners or even the flat seams, you really need to use compound that's been well mixed and has had a little water added to it. Be sure to read the label on the joint compound to see how much water you can safely add without degrading the adhesive qualities of the mud.

But suffice it to say the compound needs to be the consistency of warm cake icing. Not runny, but smooth and creamy. You'd be surprised how many homeowners I see who use the compound right out of the plastic buckets without adding water. They struggle spreading the mixture and it looks really rough. Be careful not to mix air into the compound. You'll get tiny bubbles in the mix that will have you pulling your hair out.

One final tip. If you have a room or two of drywall to finish, buy the joint compound in the boxes instead of the plastic buckets. It's cheaper and helps the planet as the plastic buckets are made with crude oil. You dump the box of mud into a 5-gallon bucket and away you go! This is why I always save the plastic buckets and lids as I know I'll use them in the future.

Sanding Drywall

I loathe sanding drywall. There's an abundance of products out there to make the task less messy, but drywall dust is just a menace. One of the tricks I was taught years ago by the pros was to use these handy sanding sponges in the corners where a wall corner meets the ceiling. A standard pole sander works great on the wide-open areas of a corner either where two wall meet or a wall meets a ceiling, but they are next to useless where two walls meet up at the ceiling. The pole sander just bumps into the wall or ceiling and can't do the job.

This is where the handy sanding sponges shine. I used these for this job and was pretty happy. They work best when you get the ones that have the abrasive material on four of the six surfaces of the sponge.

Spray Painting

As I'm getting my house in Ohio ready to sell, Kathy wants to dress up the return-air registers in the house. I was able to get gorgeous Victorian cast-aluminum grilles, but they needed to be painted. I tried using a brush, but that was futile.

Then I remembered I had a spray-paint tool that was sent to me to review. Wow!! This tool was easy to set up, worked like a champ and was easy to clean. There was minimal overspray, so all in all it was a great success. If you need to apply paint to hard-to-paint items, this should be on your radar. I'm going to try it next week to apply paint to the custom four-panel Victorian doors in the master bedroom. It should save me nearly an hour's time, if not more.

Birthday Golf with John Meredith and Jason

Here at the Carter house, it's a tradition that on your birthday you get to do whatever you want - assuming it's legal - without any questions or hassle from the other members of the family.  For me, that means going out and playing a round of golf.

The past few years, I've done that with my very good friend John Meredith. This year, his son-in-law Jason helped us regrade and re-landscape the golf course. On hole number nine, I pushed over a dead tree that was blocking my chip shot to the green. John and Jason howled with laughter. We play at the Buck Point Golf facility on the shore of Lake Brookville in Indiana. This course is a little rough around the edges, but it has a great layout and some very tough holes. I shot a 103. It was my fourth time out this year, and I'm still perfecting the sweet swing my golf coach Joel Suggs taught me back in January.

Anyway, after the golf game was finished, we had lunch. John is the owner and president of Saver Systems. His company makes fantastic sealers for masonry and wood. John brought to the table some secret photographs and an actual test sample of wood that had undergone extensive ultraviolet (UV) light testing. The photos showed samples of national brands of deck stain and his new blend tested side-by-side. Next week I'll share these photos with you, but suffice it to say that you'll NOT BELIEVE what you'll see.

John has been working on discovering the perfect recipe of his synthetic resin deck sealer and a nano-technology light-stabilizing chemical. It appears his chemist Gregg has hit the sweet spot because the actual sample and the photos showed little or no damage to the deck stain by the UV light. The color was as rich as if it had just been applied after hundreds and hundreds of hours of harsh UV exposure.

Here's the bottom line. Next week, John has told me he will do a pre-production batch of this deck stain for just you. That's right, no one else in the world but MY subscribers will have access to this deck sealer until next spring. He's only going to make 3,000 gallons and will limit sales of this to just ten gallons maximum to each person. And I can't believe this, but John said free shipping to all AsktheBuilder subscribers for this promotion! If your deck needs to be sealed before winter, this is the product to use. I plan to use some on my own front porch if I can get some.

I'll have the secret link to this deal in the next issue of the newsletter. I sure hope you are one of the lucky ones to get this product now instead of having to wait until next spring.

Stain Solver Sale

Last issue I promised you a huge Stain Solver sale to see if we could break the new mixer in the warehouse. Now's your chance. This promotion is a great tie in if you intend to try to be one of the folks who'll get John's amazing stain next week. My Stain Solver is the ultimate safe deck cleaner!!

It also works to clean anything, yes anything, that's water washable in and around your home.

This sale will only last seven days. The clock is already ticking on the promo code. It WILL expire, of that you can be quite certain.

The promo code is:   25sale      Remember, lower case!! (Sale ended on August 11, 2009.)

Go to Stain Solver.

You enter the promo code on the next page AFTER you add an item to the shopping cart. You'll get your best buy if you use it on a 16 or 50-pound size. Don't forget that the promo code works on all items in the cart, so now is the time to use it for anything you need.

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Marble Tile

Posted on by Tim Carter
marble tile floor

This marble tile floor took two days to install, but was well worth the effort. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: My wife insists on marble tile in our bathroom. I’ve never worked with marble tiles and wonder about how smart a choice they are. Is marble floor tile durable? What are the top things I need to know to ensure the marble tile flooring is installed so that it doesn’t crack? Is cleaning marble tile an issue once it’s installed? Steve P., Florence, KY

DEAR STEVE: Your marble tile bathroom is going to look splendid once complete, and best of all, your wife will be smiling ear to ear. Surely you’ve discovered by now it pays in spades to have a happy wife. Marble tile flooring is not new by any stretch of the imagination, and with minimal care and effort it will look gorgeous for many years.

Marble is a natural stone that is formed when limestone is heated and subjected to intense pressure. The crystals in the rock reorganize often creating a denser rock with interesting coloration and veining. Marble can be a softer stone when compared to granite or porcelain tile, but all the same it’s fairly durable. There are some marbles that are as hard as granite, so look for those if you want the most durable flooring. Sand and acidic liquids are marble tile’s biggest enemies. If you can keep these things out of the bathroom, you’ll be able to keep the marble sparkling for years.

Some marble tile is fragile out of the box. In fact, I just installed marble floor tiles that had a tendency to crack along the coloration veins. Only a few tiles in each box seemed to want to do this, so I had to be careful about how each tile was handled. But once the polished marble tile is set firmly in the cement-based thinset mortar, there’s no issue. The thinset mortar bonds the marble to the subfloor permanently, and it prevents the marble from separating.

Marble is like any ceramic tile or natural stone when it comes to cracking. These materials all have impressive compressive strength, meaning they don’t fail if you squeeze them. But if you bend or stretch marble, it can crack with ease. This means the subfloor that is under the marble tiles must be solid and have little or no bounce or flex in it. If it’s a wood subfloor, you don’t want seasonal changes in humidity to cause cracks as the floor picks up moisture and swells. This situation can be solved by making sure you install the marble tile on top of a crack-isolation membrane.

It’s also very important for the subfloor to be in the same plane. This means that there are no bumps or dips in the floor. You can make the floor be in the same plane by using a self-leveling underlayment compound that pours onto the floor like runny pancake batter. Once the material spreads out and levels itself, the floor is in the same plane. Just about all of these materials are rated to be used under marble tile.

Before you start the job, be sure you talk with your wife about the orientation of the marble tile in the room. The easy way to install marble tile is with the side of each tile parallel with a wall in the room. But you’ll discover that if you want to make the floor really look interesting, you’ll install the tile diagonally in the room. This means the tile are set at a 45-degree angle to all the walls. This method is much harder when it comes to cutting each tile, but the final look is stunning.

I’ve had the best luck using a one-eighth-inch gap between each tile. I maintain this spacing using clever plastic spacers that are circular. These spacers are shaped in such a way that one side is used where four tiles intersect and the other side can be used to create the exact gap at any point along the edge of a tile. They are reusable as they sit on top of the marble tile. I don’t like the spacers that drop down in the gap between tile. They can interfere with the thinset mortar causing a mess.

If you don’t exceed a gap of one-eighth inch between each tile, you can use unsanded grout between the marble tiles. I like that look, and the lack of silica sand in the grout ensures that the highly polished surface of the marble won’t get scratched as you spread the grout on top of the marble. To prevent shrinkage cracks in the grout, be sure it’s mixed with minimal water. The grout should be the consistency of cool cake icing that will not sag if you tilt the bucket on its side.

Once your marble tile is installed, take care of it with regular cleaning. Be sure to avoid using abrasive cleaners. If you can find a neutral pH cleaner, use that. These products can often be found at stores that just sell stone products. You can find them easily if you do an online search.

The trick is to perform regular cleaning and not wait for months before you tackle a cleaning job. If you just do a simple cleaning once a week, you’ll discover it’s not hard to clean the floor. The problems start when the tiles or the grout get heavily soiled and you try scrubbing your way out of the mess. With regular care, you just need a sponge and dry rag to make the marble shine just as it did the first day you walked on it.

Column 790

Backer Board

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I’m getting ready to buy backer board for a ceramic-tile project. There are different types of tile backer board leaving me confused. What backer boards would you use and which would you avoid? I know you’ve favored cement backer board in your past work, so tell me if you still feel that it’s the best product. If you can share any backer board installation tips, I’d appreciate that. Dennis D., Waynesville, OH

DEAR DENNIS: To be more precise, I’ve installed lots of concrete backer board for years, all with good results. The concrete is unaffected by any water that might somehow get behind the ceramic tile. But these concrete products are heavy, problematic to cut and can wick water causing wood rot.

This coated backer board is easy to install and works well on walls and floors. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

This coated backer board is easy to install and works well on walls and floors. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Recently I’ve been experimenting with some of the alternative backer boards. The most recent one I’ve worked with has a water resistant gypsum core with a fiberglass mat backing and a handsome blue waterproof coating on the side that the tile adheres to. This material is code approved and recommended by a leading ceramic-tile association. I have to admit it far easier to work with than the cement back boards. I don’t miss the small pieces of sand and grit that scratch tub finishes!

Using this particular product also saves a step in the building process. If you do decide to use cement backer board, you must install a separate moisture barrier between the board and any wood that the board is attached to. Since the concrete can absorb and wick moisture, the barrier prevents wood rot should the backer board get saturated with water. I discovered first hand this can happen just a month ago when I demolished a 25-year-old bathroom that had waterlogged cement board in the shower. Because no water barrier was installed years ago, the bottoms of some of the wall studs were beginning to show water damage.

When I first got into the construction business nearly 35 years ago, a moisture-resistant drywall was the backer board of choice. It had a green paper so you could distinguish it easily from traditional drywall. Millions of square feet of this was installed in bathrooms, some by me, only to discover it didn’t do too well. Water passed through grout joints and eventually caused the green paper to fall apart. Virtually every building code now shuns this product for use in wet areas. I would never install this product behind tiles that were subject to water splashing on them.

As you prepare to install your ceramic backer board, the first thing to do is stop and read all the written instructions that deal with installing backer board. The product that I used with the bright blue coating had the instructions attached to each sheet. This is very helpful, and it can save you time and money so you don’t have a failure at a later point down the road.

Don’t underestimate the importance of using the correct fasteners when installing the backer board on walls. The combined weight of the board and the tiles you’ll attach to it is very high. I would absolutely use screws instead of nails, and not just drywall screws. You can usually find special backer board screws that have an oversized bugle-shaped head that securely fasten the board to wood or metal studs. Be sure the screws are coated so they will not rust. It’s also important to drive the screws flush with the surface of the board. Don’t allow them to tear the coated facing of the board.

If you’re installing your backer board in a shower or tub, don’t allow the board to come into contact with the concrete shower pan or the tub ledge. I prefer to hold up the backer board one-quarter inch off tub ledges and one-half inch off a concrete substrate in a poured shower. Holding the board up prevents the edge from sitting in any water.

Cutting backer board, especially if it’s a gypsum-core backer board, is done with a simple razor knife. The surface is scored with the razor, and you then snap the board creating a clean line. The razor is then used to cut the fiberglass backing. It’s the same procedure used to cut regular drywall.

Take your time to make sure that wall studs are plumb and in the same plane before you install backer board. These products conform exactly to what you fasten them to. If you want your tile to go in easily, the backer board itself must be plumb and flat.

Make sure the tile backer board that’s used on floors is attached to a sound subfloor. Screw down the wood subfloor to the floor joists before installing the backer board. If the floor seems springy or bouncy, you’ll likely deal with cracked tile. Be sure to install the backer board in a bed of cement thinset mortar to ensure there are no hollow spots or voids in between the backer board and the wood subfloor.

Column 789

July 20, 2009 AsktheBuilder News And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue?

July
Electric Lawn Mower
Photos of Remodeling or New Construction
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Stain Solver Sale
Hot Attics
Framing a Pocket Door

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July

It's been a crazy month of July so far, heck it's been over two weeks since I've last sent a newsletter. I went away for six much-needed days of rest just after the fourth of July. Kathy and I drove to upper Michigan. It was a great time to get away as the weather up there was spectacular.

As I write this, I'm here in Cincinnati, OH at my old home finishing some minor projects getting it ready to sell. I hope within a month to have a preliminary website up that I'll use to sell the home. I built the Queen Anne Victorian house with my own two hands and a few helpers back in 1986. You can watch a very quirky video I shot of the exterior about a month ago. I'm sorry about the production quality. I didn't have one of those expensive harnesses that takes the bounce out of walking with a camera!

In the past three years, Kathy and I have invested heavily in all new bathrooms, new kitchen, new HVAC, etc. A new roof will go on within a month. You'll be able to see photos along with some cool videos of the entire place very soon. If you want to own the AsktheBuilder house, this will be your only chance! I'll share the URL of the website with all the statistics and photos as soon as it goes live. Please hold back any questions about the house until then. All your answers will be at that website. Thanks in advance for holding off with your questions!

Electric Lawn Mower

Over the past two months, I've been testing a very cool electric lawn mower. This mower has an onboard battery that really has some guts. I was able to cut even wet grass with this bad boy. My yard in New Hampshire is anything but level, as it's very steep in places, but I was able to muscle it mowing sideways across the hills. On level ground, I have a terrace in the back of the house, it was a dream machine. I loved how quiet it was and that it helped keep me in shape. Give this electric lawn mower a look if you want to never have to mess with gasoline or oil again!

Photos of Remodeling or New Construction

I want to remind you to take photos of walls before insulation is installed or drywall is hung. Get the photos made into prints and write on the back where the photo was taken and what the person is seeing. Then place them in a plastic zip lock bag and screw the bag to the board where your electric panel is. Photos of rooms heavy with utilities like kitchens and bathrooms must be photographed. Consider placing those photos in the plastic bag that you can attach to the inside of the sink cabinets. These photos will be greatly appreciated by you at a later date, a future homeowner or his remodeling contractor.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

After I send out this newsletter to you, I love to sit back and read the emails I get. Most put a smile on my face, but one I received the last time had the opposite effect. Joe Brondolo wrote the following:

"About a month ago I also lost my 12-year-old niece Caitlin. She and her best friend died of carbon monoxide poisoning while at a sleep over at her friends house. The CO came from the car that the other girl's mother apparently left running overnight in the garage. I was wondering if you could mention in your newsletter about the dangers of carbon monoxide. I would like as many people as possible informed so they don't have to go through the grief my family is going through. Every home should have a CO monitor. People think just because they don't have a gas burning appliance or a fireplace that they don't need one, not true. I am just trying to make something positive out of this horrible tragedy. Any help would be greatly appreciated."

Please read this horribly tragic news story.

Joe, after losing my mother last month, your loss seems so much greater. My mom got to live for 86 wonderful years. You had to send Catlin back to Heaven after just twelve short years. No doubt the Good Lord did it for a reason, but I'm at a loss to explain it.

Please take a cue from Joe. Get CO detectors and install them. You can have more than one in a home. Put one near your garage. Put another in the hallway near your furnace or other gas appliance.

Huge Stain Solver Sale

I just took delivery of a new mixer at the Stain Solver warehouse. Now we can really mix up Uncle Tim's Magic Crystals as my friend Kevin Savitz calls my Stain Solver. I want to test the limits of this new mixer. The best way is a huge sale. I want to see if you can burn up this new mixer. Go ahead, make my day. Try to wear out the bearings on this bad boy. Watch for the sale announcement next newsletter. You'll not want to miss it. Did you have a chance to see the new Stain Solver website?

Hot Attics

For two years, I've been testing two solar-powered attic fans. The solar panels are detachable and are pointed in such a way that they get maximum exposure to the sun. The fans were rated at 800 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM). The bottom line is that they have done nothing to lower the temperatures in my attic.

Solar Powered Attic Fan

This is a solar panel supplying free electricity to the attic fan under the silver dome on the rear roof. The fan blades spin, but they don't lower the attic temperature at all. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

I want you to be VERY leery of claims made by fan manufacturers who say your attic temperatures will drop drastically. I wrote a column about hot attics and venting them not too long ago.

Framing a Pocket Door

Dave, a buddy of mine in Cincinnati, OH, helped me frame in a pocket door. It's really just a job for one person, but with the two of us it went in so easily I couldn't believe it. The only reason it took any extra time was because it was installed in a wall where there was no door before. This meant we had to create the rough opening and move a few electric cables. I took care of the electric work while Dave did the carpentry. But once the rough opening was created, it took less than 15 minutes to install the pocket-door frame. The door will never rub in the frame because I always use this kit for my pocket doors!

Click here to read past copies of my newsletters.

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