On the Wire - Hardware Show Hot List
Now that it’s high season for home improvement projects, you may be revising your winter wish list to match a quickly crowding summer calendar. Before you scratch out any more to-dos, consider these smart solutions featured at this year’s National Hardware Show in Orlando, FL. These time-saving products can make your projects more efficient and help add value to your home over the long haul.
Gearing up in the garden
- CORD-FREE CULTIVATOR - If visions of a beautiful, bountiful vegetable or flower garden start to fade when you think about the prep work involved, add a few smart tools to your arsenal. A good one to start with is with Black and Decker's 18-Volt Rechargeable Cultivator, which prevents soil-prep slowdowns by cordlessly traveling with you to any corner of your garden plot. A nice alternative to hoes, shovels and heavy tillers, the Cultivator’s hardened steel tines dig into soil to pull up weeds or loosen dirt for planting and better aeration. Its lightweight design adds ease to an otherwise dirty job, and the telescoping shaft allows you to set the Cultivator at just the right height for maximum comfort. Whether you’ve got a few small beds or up to 325 square feet of garden space to prepare, the Cultivator’s rechargeable battery will see you through the task.
- SHOVEL IN STYLE - When you’re ready to plant, True Temper’s 7-in-1 Planter’s Buddy gives you a speedy, professionally styled edge. The multi-tasking garden tool features a durable six-inch stainless steel blade and combination straight and serrated edges that can be used for a variety of tasks, including planting, opening bags, weeding and cutting. The curve of the blade is the pro-styled secret here, as it allows you to use the quick “stab and separate” motion they do when planting bulbs, annuals, and other small plants. An integrated tamper on the end of the Planter’s Buddy’s handle makes it easy to tamp down wood stakes, markers, or fertilizer spikes, and 12-inch measurement markings on the front and side are a help for your planting plan. Look for the Planter’s Buddy at Lowe’s, The Home Depot, True Value and other fine retailers. Visit www.AmesTrueTemper.com.
High tech tools that rule
- START SHARP - With every home improvement project, preparation is the key—something many of us have found out the hard way at one time or another. If you’re fortunate enough to have all the tools you need for your next endeavor, make sure to give them a little attention before you begin. A range of woodworking and shop tools will benefit from the attention of the Work Sharp 3000. Fast and easy to use, this air-cooled, dry-sharpening system has a port enabling precise and repeatable angles of 20, 25, 30 and 35 degrees for chisels and plane irons up to two inches wide. What’s more, the always-flat, true grinding surface is maintenance-free, so the upkeep attention stays on the other tools in your collection.
- SMART SCANNER - Another project time-waster is going on guesswork to locate studs and other metal hidden behind the walls you’re working on. Most metal detectors developed for this task are either expensive or imprecise, so the Zircon MetalliScanner is a welcome addition in the do-it-yourself realm. Priced under $50, this wonder is the first dedicated metal scanner that can actually pinpoint the exact location of metal up to four inches deep. It’s a great tool for finding metal in walls, ceilings and floors, and whether set for pinpoint or broad applications, its translucent blue coil, green LED and audio tone alert you to metal fields. Add a MetalliScanner to your shopping list if you’ll be zoning in on tricky remodeling projects this summer.
Ensuring home comfort for the long haul
- SAFETY & STYLE - Looking back at your project list, what updates do you have in mind for long-term comfort and safety? These are pretty important considerations, especially if you’re a member of the Baby Boom generation and planning to stay put in your present abode. AARP research shows that this is now the norm among homeowners in the 50 population, with roughly 90 percent reporting that they want to remain in their current home or community close to family and friends. If that’s your personal goal, it’s never too early to start planning and improving for the future. Begin by doing a home assessment to identify potential safety problems and hazards, as well as areas where comfort and convenience can be increased. Some modifications will be on a small scale, such as improving interior lighting levels or switching to easy-to-grasp lever door handles. For bigger projects, you can now get specialized help from a CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) contractor who has been taught the strategies and techniques for designing and building aesthetically pleasing, easy living environments. For more information on CAPS and helpful home assessment guides, visit www.aarp.org/homedesign.
- SPAS & SHOWERS - One improvement you might like to consider making for both comfort and convenience is a spa-worthy fixture for your bath, and that’s just what Moen offers with its Inspire multifunctional showerhead. Available in both fixed and handheld models, it features a spray selector that allows you to switch among seven unique settings. The range includes a “Relaxing” wide spray, “Invigorating” concentrated spray, “Refreshing” combination spray, energizing massage, targeted massage, massaging rinse and hydrating spray. Inspire also has a spiral-patterned spray face that provides full body coverage, enveloping the user in invigorating water sprays no matter what the setting. This fixture falls into the easy-to-install category, and is available in chrome and brushed nickel finishes at Lowe's.
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Ask Tom & Leslie - Concrete Care
This week’s question comes to us from McGee: “We are planning to list our home for sale in the near future. We will, of course, open the pool before that time but we know that the cement around the pool is older (22 years) and is beginning to show signs of age. We have always power washed the cement after winter to remove stains and moss. There are no cracks, lifting or other structural problems but the aggregate is starting to show. We cannot replace the apron but wonder if you could offer a low-cost, attractive solution that we could maybe do ourselves.”
McGee, QUIKRETE has a concrete resurfacer product that is my choice for concrete that is basically solid but is aging and worn. For a surface that has significant holes and is delaminating, a sand mix with an acrylic fortifier is the next best alternative. Resurfacer is easy to apply with a squeegee and can be mixed with a propeller mixer in a 5 gallon bucket. If you have a few holes they can be filled with the resurfacer mixed to a trowelable consistency. If you need heavier repairs, a sand mix with QUIKRETE® Acrylic Fortifier will restore the surface and allow you to add a ½-inch to 1-inch topping with one mix. The sand mix requires a trowel finish, taking a bit more skill but will really do the job nicely. Resurfacing over paint or other coatings can be tricky and require careful attention to properly prepare a clean concrete surface. In both cases above, the key to success is good surface preparation. All loose concrete, all paint, mold, mildew and dirt must be removed. A pressure washer with no additives is ideally suited for this job. Be sure to hold the spray approximately 2 inches above the surface to get all deteriorated surface away.
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- The toll-free studio hot line is 1-888-MONEY PIT. Find out when we broadcast in your area by checking out our website at www.moneypit.com. Each week we take dozens of calls, give great advice and offer callers a chance to win a terrific prize awarded to one random caller to every show.
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On the Air - 2007 National Hardware Show
A very special edition of The Money Pit radio show this week from the floor of the 2007 National Hardware Show in Orlando, Florida. It is where thousands of exhibitors come to showcase the newest and best products their companies have to offer. We’ll tell you about those products FIRST! Do you feel like you need to spend more time taking care of your yard? Lots of us do, but we just don’t have that time – we will tell you about a couple of products that will cut your gardening time down with great results! And we’ll tell you about the latest trends in home improvement. What are you willing to spend money on – where should you spend your home improvement dollars? It’s all coming up this week. Listen online or find out where The Money Pit is broadcast in your area at www.MoneyPit.com.
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Dot Common Sense - Don't Get Conned
As sure as you can count on spring blooms, you can count on con artists showing up at your door and offering an array of services you just “have to” get done. They may tell you that you absolutely must have your driveway or roof repaired immediately, or you could be in danger. They usually demand a hefty down payment up front. They might offer a “great deal,” based on using materials left over from a previous job, but homeowners should remember that a “great deal” isn’t always what it seems. Frequently, these fly-by-night operators drive vehicles with out-of-state license plates, or set up temporary offices from which they can move quickly once authorities start looking for them. Before writing that check, and especially before allowing any unknown individual into your home, you should beware when they:
• Come to your door unsolicited.
• Use high-pressure sales tactics.
• Request full payment before completing the work.
• Give a post office box without a street address or phone number.
• Promise to begin and complete the work more quickly and cheaply than any other company.
• Say they just finished work on your neighbor’s house and have just enough materials to do repair work on yours. They might say they can give you a better bargain if you let them do the work today since they have the supplies now.
For more information, visit the website of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
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Fun Fact - Naturally Cool
Want to keep cool naturally? Plant trees! If you put deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your home, you will create instant climate control. The leafy shade will keep your home cool in the summer, and bare, budding branches will let in sunshine for warmth during the winter. So, with a little planning and pruning, you’ll be saving energy costs – naturally.
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Short Cuts - Bring the Outdoors In
Now that the weather has warmed up and the days are longer, let your home’s interior reflect what is happening outside. Change out your heavy and dark toned winter linens, bedding and towels, for ones that are light weight and softer in color. Your draperies can also be more seasonally appropriate. Choose ones that have a gauzy feel to encourage cool breezes or swap a fabric shade for one in bamboo or reed to bring nature in. Even throw pillows and area rugs can be swapped out for more summery colors and textures to inspire that beachy frame of mind. Changing your home’s décor on a seasonal basis is a great way to keep the look fresh and your inner designer satisfied.
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Copyright 2006 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
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