Concrete Overlay

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: Some of the concrete walkways on our 100-acre island association development are disintegrating. The top surface is crumbling. Other concrete adjacent to it poured at the same time is in great shape. What is the problem, and can a thin concrete overlay be added to the walkways that are sound below, but the top surface is spalling? Roland M., Boothbay Harbor, ME

Listen To Podcast 3

CLICK this image and listen to the first call on the podcast. I talk to Vic about how he can use a concrete overlay to save THOUSANDS of $$$. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

DEAR ROLAND: You and the other members of your association were very likely victims of poor workmanship. The spalling of the concrete walkways can almost always be traced to any number of issues with regards to mixing, placing, finishing and curing the concrete. Since you are on a small island, I will assume that all the concrete is made on site in small batches, not delivered in large ready-mixed trucks that come over on a ferry boat.

The good news is that you are going to be able to install a concrete overlay that will perform well for the next 50 years, if not longer. Even better, if you and some of the other residents on the island are willing to do a little bit of labor, this is a do-it-yourself task that I feel many homeowners can complete with professional results.

Disintegrating walkways

Disintegrating walkways at island association. PHOTO CREDIT: Roland Miller

Let's talk first about some of the primary reasons why the original concrete failed so it doesn't happen to you when you start your concrete overlay project. Since you have a mixture of concrete in great shape next to concrete that has spalled, my instincts tell me that the failure is due to a finishing error. The installer probably troweled water into the surface of the concrete to make the finishing go faster with less effort. He could have also troweled it too soon while the bleed water was on the surface of the concrete.

The spalling has happened because there simply was not enough cement paste at or near the surface of the concrete slabs. The cement in concrete is the glue that binds the sand and stone together. If you add too much water to concrete, you dilute the cement in the mixture. When this happens, concrete is very susceptible to spalling from freeze-thaw cycles. I have to believe you get cold weather with snow and rain in the winter months. These are ideal conditions for freeze-thaw failure.

To repair your damaged sidewalks you need a few materials and tools. I recommend that you practice the technique on a sidewalk section that is fairly remote. You can also practice in a garage using some precast concrete pads that you can buy at a home center.

Close-up of sidewalk spalling

Close-up of sidewalk spalling. PHOTO CREDIT: Roland Miller

The concrete overlay mixture is made from sand, very small stones, Portland cement and fresh water. Look closely at the surface of the existing sidewalks that are in good condition. See if the sand particles in the concrete match the sand on your beaches. I find it hard to believe that the contractor didn't use the abundant sand you have all around you. If the concrete was ready mixed and brought from the mainland, then visit the concrete plant and find out where they got their sand. You want to use the same sand if possible to get a close match on the final finish.

Stones used in concrete impart great strength. But the stones must be sized properly. The diameter of any stone should not be more than one-third the thickness of the overlay. This means that if you are pouring a thin concrete overlay that is one-half-inch thick, the largest stone in the mix should not be much larger than one-eighth inch in diameter! That is the size of many grains of coarse sand.

I would use one measure of Portland cement for each 2.5 measures of sand. If you plan to do a thicker concrete overlay, then use 3 measures of gravel, 2 measures of sand, and 2 measures of Portland cement.

The key to ensuring a permanent bond between the existing slab and the new mixture is to be certain the old slab has all loose material swept away, it is clean and it is slightly damp. You should also apply a coat of cement paint to the old slab immediately before you pour the overlay. Cement paint is made by mixing fresh water with Portland cement. Blend it to the consistency of regular paint and brush it on the damp slab.

Try to work on overcast days when the temperature is cooler. Sunny, hot and windy days are the worst conditions to pour concrete or work with concrete overlay materials. After you pour the material onto the slabs, use a straightedge to remove excess material. Let the mixture start to set until your thumb can only depress the mixture an eighth of an inch. When this happens, it is time to use a magnesium or wood float to create a sandy top finish on the overlay. You can also use a broom to create a broom finish.

You can successfully add a thin layer of concrete or stucco to concrete walks or drives that have failed surfaces. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

You can successfully add a thin layer of concrete or stucco to concrete walks or drives that have failed surfaces. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Once the concrete has been finished, apply a spray-on curing compound. Do this immediately after the concrete is finished. This compound prevents the water from leaving the overlay mixture too rapidly. The water is needed to allow the new concrete mixture to achieve its full strength.

This column was featured in the August 24, 2008 Newsletter.

Column 739

August 7, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

TELLING THE TRUTH - NEW HAMPSHIRE ATTORNEY
POLYBUTYLENE PLUMBING PIPE SETTLEMENT
CRAZY STAIN SOLVER MOVE
NEW LEAD RULES
IDIOT HANDYMAN
SONOMA TILE AND FLAMED-GRANITE
LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEO

TELLING THE TRUTH - NEW HAMPSHIRE ATTORNEY

That's surely an attention-getting headline isn't it? If you are new to the newsletter in the last two weeks or so, you may not realize that I moved to New Hampshire on July 24, 2008.

What you may not know, even if you are one of my first subscribers, is that for nearly 25 years I was a licensed real estate broker in Ohio. So I should know a little bit more about real estate transactions than the average person. Not being licensed in New Hampshire, I hired a fantastic buyer agent, Fred Hoffmeister,  to represent me when I purchased my land two years ago and the house I just moved to.

Many states, including New Hampshire, have a law that requires the seller to fill out a Property Disclosure Form. This practice started to gain widespread acceptance about 25 years ago, and was a radical departure in the law. I can clearly remember when I got my salesman's license in 1975 that the Roman axiom of Caveat emptor - Let the Buyer Beware - was still the practice. When you are looking at a home to buy, you can read all of the data on this disclosure form that is filled out by the seller. You use it to help you make an offer. Data on this form, or facts that might be withheld, are highly critical to an offer you may make.

You need to know that I had one of the best home inspectors in New Hampshire look at the house I just bought. His name was John Rice from Choice Building Inspections LLC in Bristol, NH. John is ASHI certified, and his inspection pointed out that there might be a problem, but I decided to trust the information on the Disclosure Form and treat the problem as a one-time occurrence, not a chronic problem. I highly recommend John if you are doing an inspection.

The day we closed on the house, I discovered the seller did not tell the truth on the Property Disclosure Form. I am not going to go into the details here at this time, but if some upcoming negotiations with the seller do not go well, you will know all the details. How, you might ask? I'll leave that to your imagination for now.

But here is what I want to share with you. If you are selling your home, disclose all of its  defects, even if you have fixed them. I urge you to consider complete transparency in the transaction between you and the new owner. If the market is white hot as it was not too long ago, buyers will take your house even with blemishes. With total disclosure, you will always be able to say that you were not guilty of fraud.

Do you currently have some neighbors that do not like you? Imagine what they may say to the new owners of your home. Your neighbors know the problems with your house, because you talk to them and they know what work you have had done. What happens if the new owner of your home runs into others that know the history of your house? The point is you just never know when and where facts will bubble to the surface.

The other lesson to learn is to possibly not be so trusting as I was. The Property Disclosure forms have been around for years, and sellers know they can experience great pain and anguish if they are caught not telling the truth. The seller knew I would discover the issue once I was in the house. So I just couldn't imagine a person would be so brash and cavalier. If you hire an inspector who is as qualified as John and he sees a possible problem, do more testing, more questioning and more investigation.

Now to the New Hampshire attorney aspect. If you are a licensed real-estate attorney in New Hampshire or know of an excellent one, please contact me.

POLYBUTYLENE PLUMBING PIPE SETTLEMENT

The court system is about to close out a 1995 class-action lawsuit about PB polybutylene plumbing pipe. It is estimated it was used in nearly 6 million homes here in the USA. You better go here to see if you have it, and if you are eligible to file a claim before the money set aside disappears. PB piping is gray, looks like plastic and its labeling will have printed on the pipe PB2110.

CRAZY STAIN SOLVER MOVE

I want to thank you for helping with the Stain Solver move. You did it! You made it so I didn't have to move any product whatsoever. In fact, you ordered so much, I sold out! Kathy and Ellen were about to lynch me they were so busy last Thursday and Friday.

The rest of this week is a transition into the new warehouse space. We are stoked about the move, and are anxious to improve our level of service. I am going to be one tired and beat puppy by the end of the week. In fact, the move is the reason this newsletter was not sent on time.

If you are a new subscriber to the newsletter in the past few days, Stain Solver is a cottage business my wife Kathy and I started about 12 years ago, and is growing like a weed. We make a powerful cleaning powder that contains oxygen bleach that really cleans just about anything that is water washable.

Two days ago I got this note from Lisa Wissinger who owns and operates with her husband Gordon, Acadia Cottages immediately adjacent to Acadia National Park in Maine. She had just ordered another 50 pounds of Stain Solver.

Lisa said, "We have 11 cottages and try to use only "green" products.  We use the Stain Solver for all of our towels, which are white.  We soak them overnight, or at least 5 hours.  This does the trick on most stains ......  We love your product.  We have a section on our website and in the binder we provide guests that lists the products we use in running the business."

Thanks Lisa! You might be interested to know that Kathy and I visited Acadia National Park on our honeymoon. On the beach just five miles from Lisa's cottages, she (Kathy) almost started divorce proceedings. Why? Kathy's husband of just ten days threw into the ocean a rubber eye ring from a pair of binoculars. Just before throwing the part as far as he could to show how strong he was to his new wife, he said,"Kathy, look here. Some idiot lost a part to his binoculars." While the ring was sailing into the surf. I looked down at the binoculars hanging around my neck in disbelief. Yes, there was a missing rubber eye ring. Indeed there's no substitute for brains.

Anyway, I think I have gotten smarter over time. You can demonstrate how smart you are to your better half by showing her/him that you discovered a fantastic cleaner. Try some Stain Solver now and see if you don't agree with Lisa.

NEW LEAD RULES

Lead is a sinister poison found in many homes here in the USA that were built before 1978. I wrote all about the hazards of lead in some past columns at the website.

Lead Paint Problems and Lead Paint Danger

Next year the EPA will start to enforce some new rules about contractors who work in houses that contain lead. If you live in an older home that has lead paint, you really need to be aware of the dangers.

You can download a helpful pamphlet from the EPA.

IDIOT HANDYMAN

Jennifer Walch who lives in Maryland wrote to me asking,

"I was stupid and let a handyman put wallpaper on my bathroom walls.  He pried the baseboards away from the wall so he could wallpaper behind them.  I freaked out.  Now I have these gaps between the walls & the baseboards which he says he is going to caulk.  I'm afraid the caulk isn't going to hold up & I have no idea how I'm going to keep them clean.  I usually wipe down my baseboards with a wet rag."

What a shame as there was no need to touch the baseboard! I have installed wallpaper for years (I actually love to do it as I find it therapeutic.), and I have watched real pros do it on some of my larger jobs. Never has anyone wanted to put it behind the baseboard.

The lesson here for you is to always discuss the process of what a contractor plans to do before you hire her/him. Discuss what is important to you, and ask plenty of questions. You will never think of all of them, as you trust the person is going to do the job right. But you can see something as simple as wallpaper can cause a nightmare.

Yes, I think I know why the handyman wanted to do this. Maybe he wanted to prevent the paper from curling away from the baseboard as it can be prone to do. You can solve that by painting on a stroke of border adhesive on the wall just above the baseboard.

If you want to avoid a slew of wallpaper problems, you should read many, if not all, of the columns in my Wallpaper category. I'll bet you didn't know that there is a fantastic paint you can use as sizing for the walls. This paint makes paperhanging a breeze by extending the amount of time you can adjust the paper. It also allows you to easily remove paper without destroying the drywall underneath.

I have other columns that tell you step-by-step how to hang wallpaper. Maybe I should schedule a wallpaper clinic!

SONOMA TILE AND FLAMED-GRANITE

Are you a distributor for Sonoma Tile? Do you sell or rep flamed-granite tiles? I have a few questions about these products. Can you contact me immediately? I have an upcoming project where I want to feature these products. The video footage I plan to shoot is going to blow you away.

LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEO

Do you have a pesky door lock or latch that causes you to grit your teeth?

Do you have an aluminum gutter that is leaking at a joint? This video will help you:

Index of past newsletters.

Shower Soap Dish

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: You helped me a week ago when I decided to replace my shower head. Believe it or not, the shower head slipped from my hand and broke the shower soap dish. This small weekend project has turned into a nightmare. How do I replace the ceramic soap dish? What else can go wrong? Alan L., Jackson, TN

DEAR ALAN: Oh my friend are you in a world of hurt now! You are not the first person with good intentions to cause a cascade of home-repair events. Replacing your ceramic soap dish is not going to be easy. It may be time to call in a professional tile setter. No matter who does the job, be sure to finish installing the new shower head before the soap dish is repaired.

Your wall soap dish may be easy to replace, and then again it could be extremely hard to remove. It all depends on how old the tile job is, the substrate behind the tile and the level of skill of the installer.

The first thing to do is to locate a new ceramic soap dish that matches the broken one. This may be difficult, especially if your tile has been up for over ten years. You are trying to get a soap dish that will cover over the field tile just as the broken one does. Many ceramic soap dishes have a flange that allows them to cover over the adjacent tile by about one-quarter inch.

shower soap holder

Falling shower heads will break shower soap dishes. It takes great skills and patience to repair the wall soap dish. PHOTO CREDIT: Donn Ross

When you get the new tile soap dish, look at the back of it. You may discover one or two holes in the fixture. These are not defects. The holes are there by design to help lock the soap dish into position.

The hardest part of your task will be to take the existing tile soap dish out without damaging any of the surrounding tile. The first thing you need to do to have the best chance of success is to remove the grout that is between the soap dish and the tile. You can attempt this with a small rotary grinder that resembles a dentist's drill, or you can try to very carefully chisel it out with the corner of a stiff putty knife. No matter how you do it, go slowly and tap the grout with care.

When the grout is removed, you can try to carefully break the remainder of the soap dish making sure you do no damage to the substrate behind the soap dish. If you have access to a small hammer drill, try drilling a series of holes down the middle of the soap dish from top to bottom and side to side. The holes may act as stress-relief points and the dish will fracture along the holes. Once you get one corner of the soap dish out, try to break the remainder away chunking the ceramic fixture towards the vacant corner. Break out small pieces at a time. Wear gloves and goggles as the ceramic chunks are very sharp.

Once the old soap dish is gone, you need to ensure the substrate is in good shape. If it is cement board or a true cement base set in metal lath, you should be in great shape. If the substrate is gypsum based, inspect it to make sure it is sound.

The holes you might see on the back of your soap dish need companion holes in the same spot on the substrate. The holes allow for thinset or grout to droop into the holes and sag just like mortar oozes from under a brick. This u-shaped drooping compound, once hard and dry, is what locks a ceramic soap dish into position. The mastic you spread onto a wall for the tile is generally not intended to hold a soap dish in place.

Mix grout or thinset so it is fairly thick. It needs to be plastic so that it will droop, but not so plastic that it flows. Cut two pieces of duct tape and just lightly stick them on the tile near where you are working. You will need these to hold the new soap dish in position as soon as you set it into place.

Make sure the substrate and the new soap dish are dust free and slightly damp. Apply a generous amount of the grout or thinset to the back of the soap dish making sure it is pushed into the holes. Push some into the substrate holes. Add just a little more to the back of the soap dish and push it into position. Immediately tape it along the top edge to ensure it will not move or fall away from the wall. Wait 48 hours before removing the tape so you can grout the soap dish to finish the job.

The back of most ceramic soap dishes has a square or rectangular raised area that is the same thickness as the tile that is adjacent to the soap dish. This raised area is what creates the gap where the soap dish is grouted to the tile.

It is important that the gap between the new soap dish flange and the tile is no more than one eighth inch. If it is more, there may be some old mastic or thinset on the substrate. This needs to be removed to achieve professional repair results.

Column 738

July 30, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

FEEDBACK ABOUT JOYCE
PRICING A NEW HOME
CONTEST
TOOLS FOR WOMEN
PAINTING FIBER CEMENT
I NEED YOUR HELP NOW
LATEST COLUMNS AND VIDEOS

Feedback About Joyce

Last week as I was in my room at Fred and Sandi's Bed and Breakfast in New Hampshire, you brought tears to my eyes. The situation was unique indeed as I was thoroughly beat up from two solid days of driving a 35-foot-long truck with a 26-foot-long auto-transport trailer attached to it from Cincinnati, Ohio to Meredith, New Hampshire. Wow, do I have renewed respect for over-the-road truck drivers who do so much to bring us what we all need. My rental truck and trailer was almost as long as a big rig.

Add to that the emotion of arriving in New Hampshire to begin my relocation process, the closing on the house, the emails you sent to me, and you have the recipe for emotion to boil to the surface with the slightest amount of effort.

Guess how many emails I received about Joyce who complained my newsletters were too off topic? If you said over 200, you were close. The vast majority of the emails said that you love the style of this newsletter and appreciate me sharing what is going on in my life. Four people were in the Joyce camp and thought that I was full of myself and some other adjectives I prefer not to publish here. So you know, I never had any intention of changing the newsletter style, I was just explaining that the last newsletter had an element of risk in it.

Because of all I had to do last week with closing on the house and moving in, it was impossible for me to send you an individual email to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how moving your email to me was. I never realized I had so many friends out there. Thanks so very much for taking the time out of your busy life to write.

And have no fear, not only am I sharing the events in and around my life, you are going to get all sorts of new stories about my new adventure and friends in New Hampshire. As for building tips, I will be setting up a journal to give you the play by play about building my own home.

Pricing a New Home

Tonita, a subscriber to this newsletter, emailed me asking me about pricing a new home that is being contemplated by her mother. She wanted to know if there is a way to reverse engineer or check to see if a bid price given by a builder is fair. The prices they are getting seem very high she told me. The answer is *maybe*. There are many factors involved.

If the house you are preparing to build is fairly common, with a minimum of custom features, you should be able to get close to the retail price per square foot. The challenge is to find other model homes in the same neighborhood that are nearly identical to what you plan to build.

The next step is to back out the price of the lot in these finished new homes that are for sale. While not easy, an experienced Realtor who deals in the new-construction market may know what the lot value is for a new home that is on the market.

Once you have all of this information, you just need to do a little math. You take the asking price of the new home and subtract five percent. This backs out any commission the owner of the house may have added to cover a real-estate sales commission. Then you back out the cost of the lot. The resulting figure is roughly the retail cost to build the home. All you have to do now is get a fairly precise calculation of the square footage of finished space in that home. You divide the resulting retail cost of the home by the square footage to get to a dollar figure per square foot for construction costs for that type of house.

You have to be really careful doing this as all sorts of things can come into play. The house you use as your pricing model must be as close as possible in quality, fixtures, size, location, style, etc. as the one you intend to build. The more you deviate from these things the less accurate your price will be.

Contest!

How would you like to win a custom motorcycle? If you have the best story about different and unique ways you have used a Vise-Grip locking pliers, then you may be the lucky person! Go here for all of the details. (Contest has ended.)

Tools for Women

Over the years, I have been fortunate to witness the birth and growth of a market segment in tools. I am talking about hand and power tools made specifically for women. I can distinctly remember seeing some of the first ones years ago at the National Hardware Show. Not too long after that, these tools were visible at the annual Builders Show. If you are a woman and have an interest in tools, then you probably know there are quite a few manufacturers that are targeting you.

Cindi is a subscriber to this newsletter, and she has contacted me numerous times about items in my newsletter. About a month ago, she sent me some samples of women's tools to get my opinion. It was a little hard for me to do since I am not a woman! But all in all, I was impressed with the quality of what I was sent.

If you would like to discover more about tools for women and how to sell some as a cottage business, talk with Cindi. She seems to know all about this. (Her site is no longer in service.)

Painting Fiber Cement

SuAnn emailed me about a new home she bought that has painted fiber-cement siding. What a coincidence! The house I closed on in New Hampshire last week has the same thing.

SuAnn wanted to know if the paint can really last ten years, and what needs to be done to repaint it. The lifespan of the paint is a function of the quality of the paint and how well it was applied. It reality, a great paint can last at least ten years and quite possibly 15 years. Paint has an easier time sticking to fiber cement than it does wood.

If the paint is not peeling at the time you wish to repaint, all you have to do is clean it well with soap and water. I prefer to use the brushes that people use to wash RVs. I have one, and it does a splendid job of getting siding clean.

Here is a tip that may extend your paint job. Houses get dirty just standing there. If you regularly wash your house say every three years, it will often look as if it was just painted. I last painted my house with a urethane paint that had a slight sheen or gloss. When it is dirty, it looks pretty bad. But I have washed it twice in seven years and after the rinse water dries, the paint looks like I put it on last week. So maybe you don't need a paint job, just a great cleaning. Go wash a small spot on the side or back of your house to see what a difference it makes. If you are just removing dirt, liquid dish soap is a great cleaner.

I Need Your Help NOW - Today and Tomorrow

You may be a new subscriber or you may be one of my friends that goes way back. If you are a newsletter veteran, then you have heard me talk about my Stain Solver oxygen bleach.

It is an amazing cleaning powder. In fact, just an hour ago, I got this customer review from Sue Darte who lives in Texas.

Sue said:

"I've got to tell you that my tile floor looks great. I followed the instructions, poured it into the grout and walked away for a couple of hours. After the short wait period, I just used a nylon brush and loosened the dirt. Then I washed the floor after completing the process and it looks terrific. I will be buying more and have already told my friends about it!

Great stuff!"

Thanks Sue, but what she didn't say is that there are many other uses for Stain Solver. Laundry stains, carpet stains, cleaning decks, pet stains, pet odors, cleaning boats, mildew and mold removal and cleaning anything that is water washable. It is the ultimate green cleaner as it cleans using oxygen ions not some harsh chemical.

If you have been a subscriber for months, then you might remember I was trying to sell the Stain Solver business before leaving for New Hampshire. The sale never happened, and Kathy and I have decided to keep the business. But we MUST move it from our home to a new location. As if my life isn't crazy enough now with everything else, this move is happening in days.

So how can you help? Well, the less product, boxes, bottles, lids, buckets, etc. I have to move from here to the new warehouse, the easier the move will be! This is a true Inventory Reduction Sale, not some gimmick.

If you would consider buying some Stain Solver today or tomorrow, it would be an enormous help to me. I have created a special discount to make this worth your while.

If you order a 12 or 50-pound size, I will give you a 25-percent discount. But this is only good for the next two days. Please consider this and act quickly.

Here is the promo code to use at Stain Solver:     liquidate

Remember, you have to react now....... The code expired on July 31, 2008.

Caveat: If you respond and I get overwhelmed with sales, your shipment may take a few extra days as we restock at the new warehouse. I will let you know if there is going to be a slight delay in shipping.

Latest Columns and Video

Here is a timely one if your attic reminds you of Hades.

Have you ever wondered how to use muriatic acid to clean brick mortar from brick?

This past video about Patching Blacktop is very timely as you may be thinking of doing this job soon.

Index of past newsletters.

Shower Head

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I need to fix a leaking shower head. Is it difficult to replace shower heads? At first I was just going to fix the leak, but my wife wants a new shower head. Are there some secret tips you can share that will make it appear as if a master plumber did the job? Alan L., Jackson, TN

DEAR ALAN: I'll never forget my first shower head. I thought to myself that the job appeared simple, and was I ever wrong. I ended up with two leaks, a ruined shower head because I used the wrong tool and my parents banned me from doing experimental plumbing in their home.

Shower heads are like so many other home-improvement projects. It's not that the job is hard, it is that there are just some simple steps you need to take to ensure the job turns out as if a pro did it. In the case of a shower head, your biggest concern should be creating a leak behind the wall where the gooseneck pipe connects to the vertical water-supply pipe that is in the wall.

When you unscrew the existing shower head from the gooseneck pipe, there is a chance you can break the seal where that pipe connects to the water-supply line. The resulting leak can be large or a very sinister slow leak that only produces one or two drops of water with each shower. Either one can cause thousands of dollars of damage over time.

What could possibly be hard about replacing a shower head? If you don't know the tricks, leaks at the head and behind the wall are possible. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

What could possibly be hard about replacing a shower head? If you don't know the tricks, leaks at the head and behind the wall are possible. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Perhaps the best advice is to take out the gooseneck pipe as part of the job, and reinstall it with the new shower head. Use a small wire brush to clean the pipe threads. If the treads look corroded, then buy a new gooseneck pipe.

Many years ago the mistake I made when I installed my new shower head and gooseneck pipe is not using a pipe sealant on the gooseneck pipe threads. I was a very young man and had no idea what pipe dope or thread sealant was. If you do not use it, water will stream from the connection like an April shower!

There are at least two popular pipe-thread sealants. One is Teflon tape and another is a thick compound you brush on the male threads of the gooseneck. You need to put this sealant on both ends of the gooseneck pipe. If you fail to do this where you attach the shower head, water will leak from the connection and spray you and the walls inside the shower.

It really pays to use the right tools when replacing a shower head. The mistake I made was using a pipe wrench on the shower head. I didn't realize the fixture was made of chrome-plated brass. The teeth of the wrench ruined the finish on the shower head. If you look at most shower heads, you will discover at least two flat areas that are parallel with one another. These are made for an adjustable wrench that, when tightened correctly, will not mar the finish on the new shower head.

After you install the gooseneck pipe but before you install the new shower head, you should turn on the water in the shower. This will flush out any small debris and excess pipe sealant that may have gotten into the pipe. Failure to do this important step can clog the small flow-restrictor holes that are inside virtually every shower head. It can be a huge task to clean these out if they get clogged.

Don't over tighten the new shower head on the gooseneck pipe. Once it is hand tight, it should only take one complete turn to complete a leak-free connection. If you can't turn it that far, stop and test the connection. You can damage the shower head if you tighten it too much.

Talk to different professional plumbers about pipe-tread sealants and you will get polarized views as if you had entered into a political debate. Some plumbers prefer Teflon tape, while others love the brush-on pipe sealants. I happen to use the brush-on sealant that contains Teflon. That way I can be neutral in one of those discussions.

If you decide to use the Teflon tape, there is a special way to install it on the male threads of the pipe. If you install it wrong, the tape will unwind off the pipe as you turn the pipe into the fitting behind the wall. You may think you have a sealed joint when in fact you have a potential Niagara Falls.

One way to install Teflon tape that has worked for me for years is to use a piece of tape that will wind around the pipe threads three or four times. Hold the end of the pipe that you are wrapping so it is pointing at your face. Wrap the Teflon in a clockwise fashion so the threads are covered. It is that simple.

Column 737

July 22, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

EMAIL CALL
ICE
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS UPDATE
NEW HAMPSHIRE - MAKING A DREAM COME TRUE

Email Call

In this issue of my newsletter I am going to talk about my move to New Hampshire and a few other things that have nothing to do with remodeling or building. This is a very rare occurrence.

I do this at great risk as last week I received a complaint from Joyce who said, "....I signed up for the newsletter to get information about home repair, remodeling, etc. I'm really not interested in learning of your personal vacation plans or your political views....."

Joyce and I emailed back and forth a few times, and I told her that she probably would be best served by unsubscribing. I think she was upset about my comments concerning the carbon-dioxide truck and/or my appearance in front of the Senate and House last week. No worries, as Joyce has made her choice.

The other side of the coin is each week I get increasing numbers of emails from people like you who say the exact opposite. They are tired of newsletters with little or no personality. They love the fact I am willing to open up the doors a bit on my private life as it shows the real me. You and I are very much alike. We both make mistakes, and we have small and large victories each week. I have said it before: nothing makes me happier about working on this newsletter than the feedback you send to me.

What a shame Joyce left. Why? Because once Kathy and I start building our new home in New Hampshire, this newsletter is going to be jammed packed with the trials and tribulations of my own building process. Oh well, life is full of decisions, and Joyce made hers. If you follow Joyce, I'm sorry to see you go.

ICE

I purchased a new 3G iPhone last week. Oh my gosh it's amazing. It has been over a year since I switched from PC computers to a MacBookPro, and my love affair with the Apple platform couldn't be more intense. I have shunned my Treo cell phone treating it as if it's a harlot.

While importing my contacts into the new phone, I set up something I sincerely hope is on your cell phone. The number for Ice. No, not the cold stuff, but the number the police, hospital or EMS should call In Case of Emergency and you can't talk. This contact acronym also comes in handy in case you lose your phone.

In your contact list create a listing titled ICE. Input the number or numbers of who should be called in case you pass out and emergency personnel need to contact a loved one or next of kin. Please don't put this off. Why not do it now as it only takes moments to do?

Congressional Hearings Update

Last week I shared that I was scheduled to testify in front of a Senate Subcommittee that deals with Antitrust issues. The same day I had to testify in front of the House Antitrust Task Force. I was a witness answering questions about the proposed advertising deal between Yahoo! and Google.

I am going to blog about the entire experience, but let me tell you that my opinion of our Federal government has changed. A month ago, I was very cynical about its workings. After last Tuesday, I can say that there is a glimmer of hope. After the House hearing, Congressman Cannon came up to me and told me my testimony made a deep impact on his thinking. He said he very well might call me to get more information.

That made a huge impression on me. Some of our legislators are in Washington with open minds wanting to do the right thing.

All day while I was in the hearings, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. It is hard to believe I was in those rooms and sitting at the witness table shoulder to shoulder with the head counsels from Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google. I can tell you one thing, the folks at Microsoft and ATT are none too happy with what I had to say. You should read my written testimony. A webcast video is available at http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3469. Click on the webcast button. My testimony begins about 34 minutes into the hearing.

New Hampshire - Making a Dream Come True

Thirty-five years ago, I started to dream of owning land in New Hampshire. It all started when I saw a 240-acre tract of land that my then future father-in-law showed me and his family one night after we ate out. This land is in a small village in southwestern Ohio named North Bend. It got its name because this is where the Ohio River's course cuts closest to the North Pole as it journeys from Pittsburgh to the mighty Mississippi River.

The view from this land is stunning. It has a view of the Ohio River that is like none other for hundreds of miles. At one place on the land you can look upstream for about five miles.

Running through this land is a magical creek. I walked that creek countless times in all seasons as I courted Kathy and eventually as her husband. While doing so, I said to myself that I would one day own a large piece of land preferably with a view of water or a creek on it.

Kathy and I got married right out of college, and honeymooned in New England. I had always wanted to go there and so did Kathy. When we arrived in New Hampshire, we were both smitten. The White Mountains, as well as the Lakes Region, took our breath away. There are vistas in these areas that remind me of many places out West. While in New Hampshire, one of the nights before we drifted to sleep we made a pledge that we would live there one day.

But at the end of the honeymoon, we pointed my Ford F-100 pickup truck back west and life got in the way. This happens to many of us. I started my business in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we grew a family there at the same time.

However, we never lost site of the dream. About ten years ago, we took the kids up to New England for a vacation. The love affair with New Hampshire intensified. Kathy and I looked at each other and said, "We have to do it. We have to live here."

Keep in mind that both of us are four-seasons people. We hate the hot, humid summers of Cincinnati and the cold snowless winters. We wanted to live where the dew points are commonly in the upper 50s and snow is on the ground for a good part of winter. Did I mention that Fall is my favorite season?

New HomesiteThree years ago, we were able to finally start looking for land aiming for a final move date of August 2010. You can read all about the land, see some photos and watch a video here.

We intend to break ground for the new house in April, 2009. I have some site work to complete before the snow blows this winter, so I am moving up to New Hampshire now. In fact, as you read this, we should be finishing the drive to the Maria Atwood Inn in Franklin, NH.

This is the bed and breakfast I stay in when I go up there. But this is a sad week as it will be my last time staying in the gorgeous White Mountain room at the top of the steps. On Thursday July 24th, we close and move into the house we will live in while the new one is constructed. Drat it, I just remembered that the only way to get the unbelievable scones Sandi bakes is to stay at the Inn. Hmmmmmmm.................

My plans are to document the new-construction project from start to finish both in columns, photos and video. I will also have a live web camera set up so you can tune in at any time to see the progress. All in all it is going to be very exciting.

I was talking with my kids about this not too long ago trying to share the emotion of setting a goal or making a dream come true. They were not around when the vision happened, but they are witnessing the reality of making a 38-year-old dream come true.

I encourage you to do the same, if you haven't already. Make your dreams come true. In my opinion, we live in the greatest nation in the world. I know some of you will debate me on this, but by gosh the United States of America offers so much to so many. If you want to make something happen here, all that limits you is your diligence and determination.

This week will be hectic for me as I move, but I plan to survive. Please be patient with me during the next month as it is going to be filled with lots of emotions.

Index of past newsletters.

Door Locks

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: Several door locks at my home don't work properly. When I try to extend the deadbolt lock, it will not turn all of the way. Several other regular door locks and deadbolts in my home are hard to turn. All of these deadbolt door locks used to work perfectly years ago. Are they just worn out and I need new door locks, or is it some other issue? Greg B., Carnegie, PA

DEAR GREG: Your deadbolt dilemma is fairly common. There are many reasons why door locks begin to stick and become problematic. Some can be traced to poor workmanship when they were installed, and Mother Nature can place a hex on these pieces of hardware if she gets cranky.

If you have ever had the pleasure to install a regular door lock, a deadbolt or a simple door handle, you will discover that the latch or bolt mechanism moves in and out with a fairly close tolerance. In other words it doesn't wobble much as it moves. Add to this the small opening in the metal keeper plate that is attached to the door jamb and you can see that it is mission critical that the keeper and the latch mate almost perfectly.

The latch of the deadbolt lock needs to line up squarely with the metal keeper plate in the door jamb. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

The latch of the deadbolt lock needs to line up squarely with the metal keeper plate in the door jamb. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

It gets even trickier. The mortises that are created in the edge of the door and the one in the door jamb must be cut square and with precision. Sometimes there are moving parts on the deadbolts and locks that can rub the wood if the mortise was not cut large enough or was cut at an angle other than square. You would be shocked to discover that an error as small as just one-sixteenth inch can cause a deadbolt or door lock to bind.

Since you say the locks used to work well, I will assume that they were installed correctly. You need to start an autopsy to see what is the cause of the problems. The first thing I would look at is to determine if the door is warped or if it does not hang square in the frame. Either of these two or a combination of the two will cause a door lock to malfunction.

To see if the lock latch has dropped or raised in relation to the keeper plate in the jamb, I usually extend the latch and slowly allow the door to close so the latch is in contact with the outer edge of the metal keeper plate. Use a pencil to mark on the edge of the keeper plate the top and bottom points of the latch. Open the door and see if these line up with the top and bottom openings of the keeper. If not, you can move the keeper plate or use a rotary-grinding tool to enlarge the keeper. These tools work well and often solve the problem in a minute or less.

But before you turn on the grinder, you can check one or two other things quickly. See if the screws in the door hinges are completely tight. The top hinge is the most important one as the force of gravity pulls at this hinge constantly. Frequently you will discover the hinge screws are not tight by just a half turn. Just tightening the screws may solve the problem.

While you are checking the hinge screws, tighten all of the screws that connect the door locks and deadbolts to the door. Do the same with the keeper plate in the door jamb. Remember, the tolerances in the door locks are tight and if one or more things are loose, all of them combined can lead to the door locks not working.

The issue may be seasonal swelling. This is a very common problem in parts of the country where the summer heat and humidity cause wood doors to swell. Perhaps the top and bottom of your doors were never sealed. You can check the bottom with a mirror, and stand on a ladder to see the top of the door. Wood doors must be sealed to ensure they do not warp or swell.

Door locks and deadbolts can wear out, but only after heavy use for many years. It is possible for an inexpensive lock to fail in a few years. I have door locks in my own home that operate smoothly after 22 years of heavy use. It pays to purchase quality door locks in the beginning.

Sticking locks may just need to be lubricated. Spray lubricants often do a superb job. But keep in mind that the locks are often shipped from the factory with a thick-bodied grease. You can get small amounts of this from a traditional locksmith or a traditional hardware store. You may get lucky at a home center and find some in the sea of products.

Always check the deadbolt action with the door open. The same goes for traditional door locks. If the locks operate with ease, and the latches and bolts fully extend, that tells you the problem is with the alignment of the keeper plate in the door jamb. It could also be that not enough wood was excavated in the door jamb. All of these things need to be checked closely.

Author's Notes

I received this helpful tip from Jeremy Wrenn.

"Good article. In regard to the screws in the top hinge, we often find that the screws that are supplied with the hinge are typically short and only penetrate into the frame. If the door is particularly heavy, the screws often times strip out the wood in the frame and won't hold. We find that getting a screw into the 2x4 framing (usually 2 1/2") behind the hinge can often remedy the problem if that is the case.

With your experience, I'm sure you already are well aware of this, but it may be helpful to mention to the readers as a follow up. It's at least pretty common here in Wake Forest/Raleigh, NC.

Thanks for sharing your experience!"

- Jeremy Wrenn, Wrenn Home Improvements

Column 736

When to Install a Stainless Steel Sink Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

How is an overmount stainless steel sink held in place in a countertop? A comparison between two nearly identical sinks will help illustrate the mounting. In this example, the sink can be readily lifted out of the countertop. Yours at home does not lift that easily. On the under side of the sink, there are channels on each side of the sink. The sink will come with small clamps that fit into the channels. Using a screwdriver, you tighten the clamp and it pulls the sink tight to the countertop.

Sounds easy, no problem tightening the clamps. Well, there could be a problem. Most sinks are about 22 inches from front to back. That is pretty standard for most kitchen sinks. But the problem can come from the distance from the front vertical face of the sink tub to the backside of the cabinet front. In this case, there is only about a spacing of one inch! Not much room to get your hand up there with a screwdriver to tighten that clamp. It just will not go.

The other sink in this project only measures 19 inches front to back. This means an extra 1-1/2 inches on the front and back sides to get to those clamps. This makes it easy to install the clamps on the smaller sink.

On the larger or standard sink, you have to install the sink in the countertop before you put the countertop onto the base cabinets. If you forget, you will be ripping the countertop out and starting over.

Easy Faucet Body Installation Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

That's interesting! I am getting ready to install a faucet and you should always read the written instructions. But I have read a lot of them in my career, but most don't have that secret tip that I am going to tell you right now.

Think about this, when should you install the faucet? Before the sink is down in the countertop or after? You can do it both ways, but think about this. The faucet body goes up through the holes in the sink from the bottom. The trim pieces hold the faucet body in place. But on the underside of the sink, there are brass hex nuts that must be tightened so the faucet does not move. When the sink is out of the countertop, you can easily get a channel-lock pliers on the nuts and tighten the nuts very easily.

But image if the sink was down in the countertop. How would you tighten the nuts then? You will have to use a basin wrench. It is a great tool, but it is difficult to get to the nuts once the sink is installed. You have to get down on your knees, round over onto your back and slide into the cabinet. Then the water supply lines might be blocking access to the faucet nuts. You have to work in a tight, restricted area.

So the tip is if possible, install the faucet in the sink before placing it into the countertop. It will save you a lot of time and effort.

July 15, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

DRIVE TO THE EAST COAST
TREX DECKING
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS AGAIN
NEAL'S REMODELING IN CINCINNATI
GUTTER-GUARD VIDEO NEWS
GREAT TRAVEL AND COOKING VIDEOS
ROMANTIC BIRTHDAY CARD
LATEST COLUMNS AND VIDEOS

Drive to the East Coast

It's Monday night July 14, 2008. Ninety minutes ago, I pulled into the hotel parking lot after a 7.5-hour drive from Cincinnati. It was a gorgeous day with blue sky and puffy white clouds. I was by myself, and as such I got to do lots of thinking. I often have random thoughts while driving.

But before I get into those, if you've never driven east across Interstate 68, you should. It's a great highway, and a few miles before it dead ends into Interstate 70 there is a magnificent road cut. My degree is in geology, and if this man-made gorge through a superb syncline doesn't get you interested in structural geology and what had to happen to make the rocks bend the way they did, nothing will. The photo there does not do it justice. I took one and will load it next week.

I also passed a tanker truck early in the drive that was loaded to the brim with carbon dioxide. It could have been headed anywhere, but there was a chance it was going to a soda bottling plant. If you are one who is a believer in the global-warming argument that we are causing the problem, then you better think twice about opening a two-liter bottle of pop or one of the cans of soda. That releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Strange what you think of as you drive!

Late in the afternoon, I also thought about a merit badge I received in Boy Scouts about 43 years ago. Holy Moly, that makes me old! It was my Citizenship of the Nation badge. My scoutmaster would really be proud of me if he knew what I was going to do tomorrow. More on that in a minute.

Trex Decking

I read Forbes magazine cover to cover. It has some good articles. In the most-recent issue, there was a story about Trex decking. If the reporting by Forbes is correct, Trex has been having some issues with quality. It says that Trex has replaced 37,000 decks. Wow!

If you have a Trex deck that was made between say 1999 and 2004, you may want to look closely at the decking. If you suspect issues, contact Trex to see if they will stand behind the warranty. Forbes Trex claims the decking should last 25 years.

Read my past column about composite decks of all types. It is required reading if you are really thinking of using any artificial decking.

Congressional Hearings Again - No Kidding!

Why did I drive 7.5 hours today? As this newsletter is being sent to you, I will be seated testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee that deals with antitrust issues. In the afternoon, I have to do the same thing at the House Antitrust Task Force Subcommittee meeting.

The hearings concern the advertising deal between Google and Yahoo. Yahoo is going to start displaying Google ads on their pages just like I do at my website.

The other witnesses testifying with me are the head counsels of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. The chief marketing officer of YellowPages.com will also be testifying. Can you believe that a guy that used to eat lunch sitting on overturned drywall buckets not too long ago can sit at the same table as these powerful businessmen? God Bless America is all I can say. We indeed live in the Land of Opportunity.

Next week, I will post the videos of this double-shock performance. You will want to watch this cage fight. I predict the questions asked will be high and tight fastballs. You also need to see the tie I will be wearing. If only the video quality was a little better so you could see the details in the tie. I'll take a high-resolution photo for you of the tie and post that.

Neal's Remodeling in Cincinnati

Last year, Kathy and I remodeled our kitchen. It was tired after 20 years of use, three kids and me playing shot-on-goal with the kids in the main pathway next to the island. Shot-on-goal is the Carter version of indoor soccer with a 6-inch diameter foam ball that has a knitted-yarn covering. I still have one of the balls in the Carter Archives that we used when the kids were small. Ah, the good old days of the ball landing in the skillet - Not! Kathy would get so mad at me!

Anyway, there was no way I was going to try to do this massive job myself as it would take too long. I hired Neal's Remodeling here in Cincinnati. Bob Schmidt, the lead carpenter, did an amazing job with his helpers Dennis and Manfred. Here is a message from Neal's to all who live in or around Cincinnati. If you contact them, please mention you heard it here.

Neal's Design-Remodel has been solving home-improvement needs such as renovating Kitchens, Baths, Lower Levels and Room Additions for 36 years.  Over the years, many design, innovation and quality awards have been earned locally and nationally.  Most recently Neal's Design Remodel won the 2008 National and Cincinnati Contractor of the Year Award, 2008 Tri-State Family Business of the Year. Please visit Neal's website for more information.  Visit our new state-of-the-art design center with over 30 room displays at 7770 East Kemper Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45249  (513) 489-7700.

If you mention my name, you will get a $750 reduction on the preliminary design fee. That is a great deal, believe me.

Gutter-Guard Video News

I am taping the follow-up gutter-guard video on or before July 17th. Wait until you see it. Do not sign a contract for a gutter guard product until you have watched the video.

Great Travel and Cooking Videos

Two dear friends of mine have been really busy taping videos the past ten months. I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to go watch many of them and rate them while you are there.

This husband-wife team lives in California. Veronica is doing all of these travel videos about the hundreds of cool places to visit in California. Her husband Jason is a real chef, and he has some excellent cooking-tips videos. I have discovered some sweet skills watching his videos.

If you have a YouTube account, it is free and you do not have to upload a video ever, I urge you to subscribe to both of their channels.

Romantic Birthday Card

Birthday Card - DIY StyleI have been exchanging emails with Graham Green who is a subscriber to this newsletter. He lives in a remote part of New Zealand. The wonder of the Internet!

Well, all I can tell you is that Graham is one heck of a craftsman and knows how to woo his sweetheart. He makes me look pathetic in the romance department. You have to read this story and see the photos.

Graham, I sure hope our paths cross one day. You really know where your priorities are.

Latest Columns and Videos

I have to get in bed before the congressional cage fight. You do want me to be in top form, right? Well, I will have lots of column and video links for you next week!

Index of past newsletters.