Rustoleum Multicolor Textured Spray Paint

Posted on by Tim Carter
rustoleum multicolor textured spray paint

Rustoleum Multicolored Textured Spray Paint | This is a great spray paint if you need an unusual finish. CLICK or TAP HERE or the photo to have it delivered to your home.

Rustoleum Multicolor Textured Spray Paint - It's Wonderful!

I began testing Rustoleum Multi-colored Textured spray paint last year. I selected a brown color that resembled dried dead leaves.

It was an amazing product because it dried with a flat finish and had these tiny tiny colored bumps that produced the multi-colored look.

What Does It Look Like?

The best way to describe it is the look of an older brick mortar where you see the tiny individual colored grains of sand.

I recently tested two of the green colors: Sea Foam and Deep Forest

rustoleum multicolored textured spray paint

This is the cover of my buried propane tank. The bottom half is sprayed with the Sea Foam color. The top is the Deep Forest. CLICK or TAP HERE or the photo to order some.

Is it Easy to Apply?

Yes, it goes on like any other spray paint. I noticed that it goes on much lighter than it will dry. You may think the color will never be right. Just be patient and allow it to dry.

Does it Run Easily?

In my opinion, yes, it can run easily. You need to be sure the can nozzle is back at least 12 inches from the surface of what you're painting.

Can You Mix Colors?

Yes, to get a camouflage look, I highly recommend spraying the item with two colors. Try spraying the lighter color first then overlap with the darker color.

 

Newsletter Music Hotel California

Posted on by Tim Carter

Newsletter Music Hotel California

Hotel California by the Eagles was featured in the July 5, 2020, AsktheBuilder.com newsletter. This version was played at the 1998 Eagles induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. CLICK or TAP HERE to read all past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.

CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to all the music featured in past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.

Stain Solver, the best and most powerful certified organic cleaner on Earth, is the sponsor of the Newsletter Music.

Show your support. Purchase a small sample size and behold its magic powers.

Oxygen Bleach - SS02 Stain Solver Bottle

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

What is a Velocipede

Posted on by Tim Carter
velocipede

What is a Velocipede? | Here's a bicycle that you use on a railroad track. Thanks, George!

What is a Velocipede? - It's a Railroad Bicycle!

George Sheffield, a Michigan farmer, is credited with inventing a wonderful human-powered machine to inspect railroad tracks.

Here's are a few short videos showing how you pump one to make it go.

Peeling and Flaking Deck Sealers

Posted on by Tim Carter
Peeling and Flaking Deck Sealers

Peeling and Flaking Deck Sealers | The steps, railing, and boat dock are cleaned and sealed. The top walkway is ready for the sealer. The penetrating sealer I used is below. It should NEVER peel.  This column was SO GOOD that I shared with the 31,000 subscribers who read my July 5, 2020 newsletter. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter

Deck Sealers That Peel & Flake

DEAR TIM: I’m so frustrated and at my wits end. Before I clean and seal my outdoor deck, I need your advice. It’s a tremendous amount of work and I’m discovering I need to do it every three years. I scream each spring when I see the expensive sealer I’ve used start to peel and flake. Surely there’s a better way. If you could wave a magic wand how would you clean and seal your outdoor wood so maintaining it is not so much work? What are the do's and don’ts to cleaning outdoor wood? Gina H., Cilleyville, NH

Do you suffer the same agony each spring as does Gina? I can tell you for a fact it’s getting worse and I’m hearing more and more complaints about deck sealing products that peel and flake.

Are Deck Sealers Made to Peel?

After writing my Roofing Ripoff book about how asphalt shingles are failing far faster than the predecessors did I used to use early in my career, it’s easy for me to be a cynic when it comes to outdoor wood sealers. While I have no evidence to support this, I can tell you it wouldn’t surprise me if sealer manufacturers made products that failed fast and in a dramatic way so you end up buying more before you really need to. That’s what my research showed with some asphalt shingles, but I digress.

Are Penetrating Stains Better?

Let’s talk about wood stains for a moment. If you’ve ever stained interior wood you might have used a colored liquid that’s the consistency of water. These stains typically soak immediately into the wood fibers and nothing is really left on the surface of the wood but some microscopic pigment particles.

Years ago many outdoor wood stains and sealers were made the same way. They penetrated into the wood. That said, there were outdoor sealers you could buy that behaved more like urethanes or varnishes. These are film-forming products that deposit a resin or coating on top of the wood. When they fail, and they all do, they peel and flake. It seems many of today’s deck sealers are film formers.

CLICK or TAP HERE  to get FREE QUOTES from local deck cleaning and sealing companies.

Why Do Deck Sealers Peel?

The failure of the outdoor deck sealers is predictable. The sun’s harsh ultraviolet (UV) rays blast apart the film-forming sealers with little effort. Add to this the fact that wood is also a hygroscopic material. This is a fancy word describing how wood swells and shrinks as it absorbs and releases water. I recorded a dramatic video of this happening in recent months. You can watch it on my AsktheBuilder.com website by typing “treated lumber cracking” into my search engine.

What Deck Stain Do You Use, Tim?

I just started testing a penetrating wood sealer stain this past spring. I used it to seal my boat dock panels and the stairs leading down to the dock. I have a combination of treated lumber and cedarwood. I could tell it penetrated into the wood fibers and if it left a resin on the surface, it’s very light. The product description says it’s a penetrating sealer.

boat dock sealer stain

CLICK or TAP HERE or the can to have this delivered to your home. This is the EXACT COLOR you see in the photo at the top of the page.

Does it Have Natural Oils?

The only thing I didn’t like about it is it’s a combination of three oils: linseed, tung, and long-oil alkyds. These are scrumptious food for mold and mildew. I’m sure the manufacturer added chemical additives to prevent the growth of these things. So far after one month, I’ve not seen any trace of mold or mildew growth. Water beads up wonderfully on the wood surfaces so it’s doing a good job of protecting the wood.

Are Dark Sealers Better Than Clear Ones?

You get the best protection from a sealer when you choose one that’s got lots of dark pigment. The pigment acts like sunscreen you use on your skin to prevent sunburn. The pigment sacrifices itself to the UV rays and slows the destruction of the wood fibers. You can see the UV damage caused by the sun after cleaning the wood. Have you seen the peach fuzz after the wood dries? Those are sun-damaged wood fibers just hanging on.

How Do You Clean the Deck?

You may wonder how I clean my outdoor wood. Here’s what I don’t do. I don’t use a pressure or power-washing machine. These are highly destructive to wood. The high-pressure water erodes the lighter-colored spring wood from between the darker bands of denser summer-wood. Use a pressure washer a number of times and soon your new wood will look like a decades-old fishing pier.

I’ve had the best luck using certified organic oxygen bleach cleaners that you dissolve in water for cleaning. I apply mine in the shade to dry wood so the solution soaks deep into the fibers to help clean the wood. Don’t use chlorine bleach as it’s so harsh it will remove the natural color from the wood and it destroys the lignin that holds the wood fibers together. Any product that has sodium hypochlorite on the label is chlorine bleach.

Oxygen Bleach

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

When Should I Re-Seal My Deck?

I feel the best way to minimize work with maintaining outdoor wood is to re-coat the wood before it completely fails. If you use a penetrating sealer as I did a month ago, you may discover that in two years you should apply a thin maintenance coat. By then you may just have to do a mild washing of the wood much like you wash your car using liquid dish soap and water.

How Can I Check for Color Fade?

I did a little experiment this year to be able to gauge the wear of the sealer. I had to rebuild a few of my dock panels and had a few pieces of scrap cedar leftover. I decided to seal those too and I put them in my garage up on a shelf out of the sun and weather. Next spring I’ll take them out and put them on the dock to see how much the sealer suffered. As soon as I see significant wear, I’m going to do a maintenance coat.

Related Column: Deck Sealer - Epoxy Fortified

Column 1360

DIY Floor Grout Color Problems

Posted on by Tim Carter
bathroom floor wrong color grout

DIY Floor Grout Color Problems | This bathroom floor was installed by a DIYr. He can’t understand why the grout is not the color he wanted. Mike's now got a floor grout repair problem. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter

Floor Grout Problems - The Wrong Color

DEAR TIM: I made a mistake and discovered your detailed floor grouting video series a bit too late. I should have watched them before I started my job, but what’s done is done. Five hours ago, I grouted my bathroom and the color of the grout is not what I want it to be. It doesn’t match the color stripe on the bag. I think I see efflorescence on the edges of the grout where the color of the grout is whitish. What did I do wrong? What can I do to get the grout to the color I want? How can you get a perfect color match when doing tile grout? Michael Bernier, Quebec, Canada

You may get into a bit of trouble like Michael did from time to time. When my son-in-law was dating my daughter in college, he was working part-time for me helping me on my AsktheBuilder.com website. After a few days he said, “Mr. Carter, you’re in the life-preserver business. I can see from all your emails that people come to you in need of help because they failed to take the time to discover exactly what to do before they put a tool in their hands.”

Sadly, not much has changed in thirteen years and it’s gotten worse. You may think you know what you’re doing, or you may start a project after receiving some bad advice from any number of sources. Only after your DIY ship starts to sink, do you then flail about in the water shouting for “HELP”. Sometimes the fix is easy. Sometimes you have to rip things out and start over.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local tile contractors who can match grout color.

How long before the true grout color shows?

Michael provided some very interesting clues. The biggest one is he reached out to me only after five hours. You may not think that’s important, but it is. I’d venture to say his wide and deep grout lines have yet to fully dry. He points out that he sees a “whitish” color on the edges of the grout. That’s another very important clue.

Wet grout almost always appears darker than it is dry. It can take new grout 24, or even 48, hours before it’s completely dry. It depends on the humidity and temperature in the room where the grout is installed.

Is the color stripe on the grout bag the exact color?

While grout manufacturers no doubt try to get the color stripe on the bags to be a true representation of the color of the dried grout, you can’t count on that. If you use pure water to mix the grout and don’t mix in any liquid additives, you can almost always count on the installed dry grout to look almost identical to the color of the grout when it comes out of the bag. Your job is to test this before you start to add grout between the tiles.

Michael should have taken some of the grout, mixed up a small amount, and used it to grout in between several small cut scraps of tile that he had leftover from the installation. He should have let the grout dry for three days and then compare it to the color of the grout as it comes out of the bag. You should do the same or you should request your tile contractor to do this so you know the grout color will be what you want.

The efflorescence that Michael is referring to is not efflorescence. It’s simply the colored cement paste of the grout fully dry where it’s maybe as thin as a hair on your head. You often see this same grout haze on the surface of the tile an hour or so after you’ve finished grouting. In many cases, this fine grout residue is almost a perfect match for the dry color of the grout.

Do liquid grout additives work?

Be aware that liquid grout additives can drastically alter the color of the installed grout. I found this out the hard way many years ago. I followed the instructions to the letter when using the additives, I used virtually no water to strike the joints and even still, my grout dried very blotchy. My wife was very upset and it took me many many hours on my hands and knees using an artist’s brush and special penetrating oil-based grout stain to get the grout to look a uniform color. Never again did I use a grout additive.

If you discover you’re in a mess like Michael, the first thing to do is relax. Wait a few days and see what color the grout is when it’s fully dry. I’m thinking Michael is going to be pleasantly surprised. He needs to pour some of the unmixed grout from the bag onto the floor next to a grout line and compare the color. My guess is it’s going to be very very close if not a perfect match.

What if I need to change the color of the grout?

If you do need to change the color of the grout, you can purchase penetrating stains that are nearly identical to wood stains. You have to slowly and carefully apply these to the grout lines and not get any on the tile. It can be a wretched process.

The issue is it’s almost impossible to go from a dark grout to a light color with these stains. You can always go from lighter grout to darker with no effort. Beware products that say they’re grout stain, when in fact they’re simply thinned paint. You don’t want a product that forms a film on top of the grout. You want a true penetrating stain that soaks into the grout matrix.

grout color stain

These are just a FEW of the stains you can use to RECOLOR tile grout. CLICK on the image to see all the choices of grout stains you can have delivered to your home.

If you want to see the correct way to grout a tile floor ensuring the color turns out the way you want it, I urge you to watch the four tile-grouting videos on my website.

The first video in this series is shown below.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see the rest of the videos.

Column 1362

Jim Aglamesis – Tribute to a Gentle Giant

Posted on by Tim Carter

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  This tribute appeared in the June 28, 2020, AsktheBuilder.com newsletter. CLICK or TAP HERE to subscribe.

If I were a betting man, I’d say you might be a new subscriber and this is your first issue. This is NOT a normal Ask the Builder newsletter but I think you’ll feel fortunate to be reading it. In the twenty-three years I’ve been doing this newsletter, I’ve never done a complete tribute issue. This is a first and I’m glad you’re here for it. Next week we’ll be back to normal.

If you’ve been a subscriber for months or years, welcome. You’ll immediately notice this issue is very different. Trust me, you’ll be glad you read it.

This Week’s Song

I listen to music when I create this newsletter and I felt this movie soundtrack conveyed the mood I’m in. See if you agree. Listen to it as you continue to read. CLICK or TAP HERE

Jim Aglamesis

I’m dedicating this issue of the Ask the Builder newsletter to an old friend, Jim Aglamesis. Jim is the son of one of the founders of the historic Aglamesis Brothers Ice Cream Parlor in Cincinnati, Ohio. That’s Jim in the photo below. He was born in 1927 and he’s still with us. Thank you, God!

jim aglamesis

This is Jim Aglamesis with some of his famous ice cream.

I’m long overdue in recognizing people I know who practice the Ask the Builder motto you see at the bottom of each issue of this newsletter: Do It Right, Not Over!

I’ve decided to start these tribute issues in an attempt to immortalize those who know the importance of why certain things done “the old way” continue to trump newer attempts to solve day-to-day problems we all face.

Maybe you know someone who models the best of doing things “the old way”. If so, type your short story in the comments section below. I’d love to hear about them.

Doing things “the old way” was mentioned to me by a dear friend, Mary Gene Kling. She had the good fortune to work for Jim Aglamesis at his satellite ice cream parlor in Montgomery, Ohio her sophomore and junior year in college.

My youngest daughter also worked for Jim and his daughter Dianne about thirteen or fourteen years ago. Over the years, both Mary Gene and my daughter have shared some nuggets about Jim and working at one of the most historic ice cream parlors in the USA.

Deeply Disturbing

Over the past few years, I’ve seen a frightening upward trend of complaints and horror stories concerning poor quality construction work. Some of these have hit quite close to home and have become personal. If my email inbox is an accurate barometer, there are many more construction horror stories out there versus tales of customers who rave about their contractors.

What does this have to do with Jim Aglamesis? Everything.

Classroom Buddies

My first real conversation with Jim happened probably thirty years ago when he and I were in the same continuing education class. Every three years, we were required to take thirty hours of classroom work to keep our Ohio real estate broker’s licenses up to date. I immediately recognized Jim having seen him working at his business for years. But I’d never had a chance to talk with him.

We immediately became friends. It didn’t take long to discover that we both had been cut from the same bolt of fabric. At the end of one of the classes, Jim invited me to stop by his historic ice cream parlor where I could get a behind-the-scenes look at how ice cream and candy were made the old way. The ice parlor, complete with imported Portuguese marble and Tiffany lamps is yet another great example of “the old way”.

jim aglamesis

Jim is in the center and Randy his son is on the left. Note the imported marble counter and the authentic Tiffany lamps.

What an eye-opening experience that visit was! Jim spoke with a soft voice and shared why. He’d started to work in the parlor doing odd jobs, just before the great WW ll.

As he gained more responsibility, he worked on the equipment in the factory that refrigerated the ice cream. If memory serves me right, the refrigerant used was ammonia. Breathing in the leaking ammonia all those years ago had damaged his vocal cords. Are you starting to get a feel for Jim and how hands-on he was?

Quality vs. Quantity

Jim had the opportunity to grow his father and uncle’s business making it huge. Other Cincinnati food-business rivals had expanded like this. All you have to do is look at a map of all the Skyline Chili vs. the Gold Star chili parlors. Then look at the single Camp Washington Chili Parlor in Cincinnati.

I happened to work at the fourth Skyline Chili parlor in Clifton back in high school and college.

If you’ve ever been to Cincinnati, then you know about an ice cream company that’s similar to Aglamesis Brothers. It’s Graeter’s. It’s another old fashioned ice cream business started years ago but their owners decided to go big, expanding to multiple stores and other cities.

When Jim took control of the company in the 1950s, he decided that quality would always be more important than quantity.

Perhaps he had goals in life other than money. Maybe he was smart enough to realize that as a business grows, so does the stress.

Is Aglamesis ice cream better than Graeters? Well, you’ll need to get a sample from each parlor and decide for yourself. Me, I’m partial to Jim’s mocha chip ice cream with the massive chocolate chips.

What is Best in Life?

There are quite a few correct answers to this question. Arnold Schwarzeneeger had a classic answer when he was sitting on his throne in the movie Conan the Barbarian. CLICK or TAP HERE to listen.

More importantly, YOU need to choose wisely and not poorly when you make life decisions. Be SURE to watch the second video on that page!

I never got to ask Jim “What is best in life?”. I believe you just have to look at his legacy for the answer.

jim aglamesis

I had the blessing of talking to Jim’s daughter Dianne Lytle just a few days ago. She mentioned that Jim is still with us, but his normal daily routine has changed. Until last fall, Jim still came to the ice cream parlor each day wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and tie and he was over 92 years old.

Think about that. Seriously, think about that.

Jim loved his business and his work so much that it was best for him - for his life -  to go into the parlor each day, watch the ice cream and candy being made, visit with his valued employees and friends, and continue to be part of it all.

How many people are that dedicated to ensuring quality is tied to their name?

When the Cat’s Away

You know that old saying, When the cat’s away, the mice will play. Jim cared so much about the quality of his products that each day, he drove from the Oakley store to the only other location, the Montgomery Aglamesis storefront, to check on all aspects of the business. He wanted to make sure that all was well. He continued doing this until quite recently.

That deep concern for quality was not lost on his employees. There’s not a doubt in my mind that anyone who worked for Aglamesis Brothers felt the passion Jim had for his business. What are some of the other old sayings? Actions speak louder than words. Lead by example. Jim’s employees, and his son and daughter, saw his actions and leadership day in day out.

You and Jim

I’m writing this tribute to Jim Aglamesis, knowing that you might want to share it with friends, family, co-workers, or even republish it on any social media you use. I hope you do. You have my permission.

I know there are still workers in every business that treat what they do as a vocation, not just a job. Jim might be an extreme example of this and yes, he owned the business. But you don’t have to own a business to take extreme pride in what you do knowing that you’re determined to do the best possible work each hour, each day.

Just this morning on my walk, I got to talk with Tyson. Tyson installed gutters on my NH home ten years ago and now he's installing the vinyl siding on a new home on my street.

Tyson reflected on the past ten years of his work and said, “I used to be on the job at 6:30 and stay until 5:30. I thought working more was the answer. It’s not. Now I work from 8:00 until 3:30 and pay far more attention to detail than I used to. To me, it’s all about quality. Whatever I don’t get done today, I’ll do tomorrow and it will be done well.”

Tyson has figured it out. It’s all about being so proud of what you make or create that you’re willing to take ownership of it, to sign your name to it.

Believe me, there are others out there like Tyson. These are the people you want to work on your home. You just have to take some time when interviewing contractors to discover their answer to “What’s best in life?”. When you know they value quality over quantity, you’ve found your contractor.

If you live in or near Cincinnati, it’s well worth your time to make the trip to Aglamesis Brothers. You won’t be sorry. Once the weather cools down, they’ll ship their ice cream and candy to just about anywhere in the contiguous 44 states and four commonwealths.

You can bet once we get to late September, I’ll be placing my order for more mocha chip ice cream and a couple of pounds of dark chocolate pecandes. I know they’ll be perfect because Jim’s son Randy and daughter Dianne are continuing the tradition of hands-on quality ensuring that nothing but the best pass through your lips and mine.

That’s quite enough for a delicious Sunday.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
BEST CLEANER - SOLD OUT - www.StainSolver.com
FIELD DAY NOW! - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Would you like a list of interview questions that will help you find out if the contractor you’re considering values quality over quantity?

You don’t have to ask them all. There are lots to choose from. CLICK or TAP HERE.

Newsletter Music Rudy Soundtrack

Posted on by Tim Carter

Newsletter Music Rudy Soundtrack

The Rudy movie soundtrack was featured in the June 28, 2020, Special Tribute to Jim Aglamesis AsktheBuilder.com newsletter. It's a fantastic collection of happy tunes from decades ago. CLICK or TAP HERE to read all past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.

CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to all the music featured in past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.

Rudy Soundtrack Video

Stain Solver, the best and most powerful certified organic cleaner on Earth, is the sponsor of the Newsletter Music.

Show your support. Purchase a small sample size and behold its magic powers.

Oxygen Bleach SS02 Stain Solver bottle

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

June 21, 2020 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

Are you a new subscriber? Welcome! I reserve this top spot in the newsletter for you because I’m so glad you’ve joined us.

You, however, might be an older subscriber. Mind you, I’m not talking about how many trips around the sun you’ve made! That said, tell me if you recall the column I wrote about the insane bearing wall I built at my last home.

You’re NOT GOING TO BELIEVE this wall, much less the enormous amount of weight concentrated on it. CLICK or TAP HERE and be prepared to be blown away. Be SURE to watch the video on the page so you get a feel for what your blueprints should have in them!

This Week’s Music Track

I always listen to music while creating the newsletter. Here’s a very unique soundtrack you might like. I have to admit, it dates me! CLICK or TAP HERE and sit back and relax.

The Blue Review

Speaking of blueprints, Jeremy reached out to me a few days ago asking if I’d review the blueprints his builder will use to construct Jeremy’s new two-story house. He wanted to know if I could locate oversights, small design flaws, errors in flashing detailing, inferior products, and maybe uncover future problems, etc.

Guess what? I DO OFFER this service and have done it for years. The cost depends on the size of the house or project. If you want me to check over your blueprints, just reach out to me. If I find just one mistake, the service is worth it. Imagine what it can cost to repair a problem down the road!

Fantastic Step Ladder

This summer, I decided to dive deep into all the pesky home-repair projects I have at my own home. Yes, my house needs attention too.

One of my favorite tools is my Gorilla Aluminum Hybrid step ladder. It’s SO LIGHT and sturdy. I feel safe on it and love, love, love the wide standing platforms.

ladders gorilla

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover other reasons why I love, love, love this ladder.

If you do ELECTRICAL work, you’ll want to look at my Gorilla Fiberglass Hybrid ladder too!

My Trex Deck

Quite often I get emails asking me if I have a deck, and if I like composite decking. You may have asked me about this before you built your own deck.

Four years ago, I rebuilt my existing narrow deck. I also built a ginormous 16 x 24 additional deck. I covered both decks with Trex Transcend. I used Trex Transcend for the railing system as well.

deck over water

Weather permitting, I eat breakfast and lunch on this deck. You can find me working with my laptop under that sun umbrella any day the weather allows.

I get compliments all the time on how the Trex Transcend LOOKS LIKE REAL WOOD.

Bottom Line: I’d install it again in a heartbeat. CLICK or TAP HERE to understand why.

Dishwashers & Stain Solver

George is a subscriber to this newsletter. He and I have never met, but we’ve exchanged emails.

A few days ago he wrote:

“My dishes/glassware are not coming out clean when running the dishwasher. I was thinking of using your Stain Solver to clean out the dishwasher alone. But I can’t seem to find instructions on your website.

Is it possible to use Stain Solver to clean an empty dishwasher and if so, what is the best way to do it?”

Stain Solver Oxygen Bleach

Do you have issues like George? I know I do from time to time. No one likes cloudy glasses!

Dishwashers need lots of things to go right for you to get sparkling-clean dishes and glasses every time. Here’s a partial list:

  • Dishes need to be loaded properly so the water can get to the dirty surfaces
  • Filters in the bowels of the machine must be clean and grease-free
  • Soft water is ideal as hard water causes cloudiness
  • Rinsing agent reservoir must be filled and adjusted correctly
  • Washing arm water-outlet holes need to be inspected for clogs

Now, let’s talk about Stain Solver! Whew!

Stain Solver is a fantastic certified organic powdered oxygen bleach. I’ve been making and selling it for 23 years.

I use Stain Solver to de-grease my dishwasher filter. However, I do this by removing the filter and allowing it to soak in a solution of Stain Solver and HOT water for about three hours. The fine mesh stainless steel screen looks BRAND NEW each time I do this.

After soaking, I use a small brush with soapy water to scrub the filter. I finish up by rinsing with clear water.

I sometimes add two tablespoons of Stain Solver to an extra-greasy load of dishes to help keep the dishwasher clean as well as the filter.

I’ve got you amped up about buying Stain Solver, don’t I? Guess what?

The wretched virus hullabaloo has completely disrupted the manufacturing facility. We are SOLD out of all sizes except the small SAMPLE SIZES. It appears we’ll not have product to sell until sometime in July.

If you want a SAMPLE SIZE of Stain Solver, you’ll want to order NOW. CLICK or TAP HERE.

Do you want to know WHEN Stain Solver will be IN STOCK again? I suggest you subscribe to the Stain Solver newsletter. You’ll find this information plus cleaning tips and special offers. CLICK or TAP HERE to subscribe.

Front Porch Construction

Trends shift. Some things about houses should not be trendy. They should be included in all homes at all times, like toilets.

Large covered front porches are an example of one of these must-have things. Can you imagine gliding back and forth in the swing on this porch on a summer evening with your honey? You’d think you’d won the big door prize!

concrete front porch

Why do I feel this way about front porches? CLICK or TAP HERE and discover at least one thing you didn’t know about front porches.

The Fun Quiz!

How did you like last week’s quiz? Did you know that the Egyptians are credited with inventing plywood? Holy tomato, I would have NEVER known that.

So tell me, what do you think these things have in common:

  • a large tract of land
  • a place where hay is often stored
  • a meeting house with a dance floor
  • a special tool for titanium bolts
  • a frightful skin disease

what is a grange

CLICK or TAP HERE to enhance the tiny gray cells in your noggin! I GUARANTEE you’ll discover something new.

That’s quite enough for a Sunday with us now past the solstice. UGH!

Happy Fathers Day to you if you’re a Dad reading today's newsletter!

And a Happy BELATED Mothers Day to you, should you be a loving Mom reading this.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
SOLD OUT BEST CLEANER - www.StainSolver.com
Field Day Next Weekend! - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. I had to paint some exterior trim on my house this week.

When did you think I did it? What time of day?

CLICK or TAP HERE to see if you’re applying paint on the outside of your house in the RIGHT CONDITIONS.

Consumer Survey Service

Posted on by Tim Carter

The magic-wand question creates new product ideas with each survey!

Consumer Survey Service - Newsletter Subscribers Uncover New Products

Do you need to survey consumers to discover what they like and don't like about products?

I've been conducting surveys for years and the results are almost always astonishing.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see a recent blockbuster survey about garden hose faucets of all things.

Fast Results - You Get Insight Within HOURS

Ask the Builder captures survey results in hours, not weeks. You have full access to real-time data like this:

Consumer Survey Case Study - WOW!

CLICK or TAP HERE to see a short case study about the garden hose consumer survey. Wait until you see the Magic Wand results.

If you want Ask the Builder to tap into the collective wisdom of his tens-of-thousands of newsletter subscribers, reach out to Tim Carter on the last page of the above case study.