On the Wire - Turf Trouble
Why does your lawn always seem to lose its lush, green texture around this time of the year? No matter where you live, there is a bad stretch of weather for grass: hot and dry. There are factors you can control that contribute to the problem, like mowing too short, mowing the same pattern each time or refueling your lawn mower on the grass and splashing gasoline. Here are some other common problems along with easy fixes:
Too Much of a Good Thing: When fertilizing your lawn, make sure you are not over doing it. Also, if you fill your spreader on the lawn, a spill can cause brown areas. Fill spreaders on the driveway and clean up spills. Also, turn the spreader off on turns.
If it’s Alive it will Die: Make sure to follow label directions when using non-selective herbicides like Round-Up or Finale. These products will kill your weeds, AND everything else! Accidentally sprayed on lawns, they will cause brown areas. Also, make sure you don’t track it around your lawn after applying it correctly.
What Lies Beneath: Buried cinder block, siding, plywood and other construction material can all cause dry areas where grass roots can't absorb sufficient moisture. Unfortunately, in newer construction, buried debris is common. If you can't determine a cause for browning, do some digging to investigate what is below the brown area.
Fido: Dog urine can be high in salt content cause brown spots in lawns, especially if the soil is dry. If you see a dark green ring of grass around a brown spot, it’s probably the family dog. The green ring is from the nitrogen in the urine. Water heavily if your dog relieves himself on your lawn to dilute anything your pet has left behind.
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Ask Tom & Leslie - Overhead Obstacle
This week’s question comes to us from Ron in Florida. Ron says, “I have a popcorn textured ceiling and would like to replace the texture with knock-down. The previous owners painted the popcorn so I cannot easily soak it to scrape it off. What is the easiest way to rid my ceiling of painted popcorn?”
Ron, we’re not sure what you mean by knock-down, but actually that pretty much describes your only option: soaking it and then scraping it off. If the ceiling is painted with a semi-gloss paint, it will just be more difficult to do. But we have seen popcorn ceilings with so many layers of paint, especially with the Florida humidity, that they are just about ready to crumble. Test a small area and see what you’ve got. Other than that, there’s nothing short of soaking it and scraping it with a good, strong 4-6” spackle knife. After it’s all off, you need to prime the ceiling before painting it again. And we’d recommend against using paint with a sheen, which will highlight any imperfections in the surface. Good luck!
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Got A Question About Your Money Pit?
You can do-it-yourself but you don't have to do-it-alone. Getting in touch with us is as easy as 1 - 2 or 3!
- 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.
- Call when it's convenient for you, 24 hours a day, same number: 1-888-MONEY PIT. A live person takes your call 24/7! So -- WHENEVER you have a home improvement question -- phone it in. Simply tell our phone screener your first name, and where you're calling from...and ask your question. We’ll get back to you with the answer – or even call you back during the show!
- Click here to email your question to us. We may read your email on the air and we also respond personally to many of the email questions we get.
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On the Road - Meet Tom and Leslie
Want to meet Tom or Leslie? Here’s where they will be next month:
- September 19, 2006 - Tom & Leslie host The Money Pit's Fall Home Improvement Media Tour and appear on TV and radio stations around the nation to talk about fall improvement projects and products.
- September 22-24, 2006 - Leslie appears at the Capital Home Show in Chantilly, VA
- September 29-October 1, 2006 - Leslie appears at the St. Petersburg Home & Remodeling Show in Tampa, FL
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Dot Common Sense - Paint Project
A great paint project starts at www.Behr.com, where you can choose a color palette and see how it will look in a room. But paint doesn’t have to be limited to walls. If you want to add some punch to an outside space, such as a porch or patio, why not try a painted a rug? Or how about painting a checkerboard pattern on your garage floor? By painting right on the floor’s surface, you can create an interesting decorative element that stands up to the sun, rain and automotive chemicals. To do this, you’ll need a good exterior floor paint. Try Premium Plus Porch and Floor Paint for wooden surfaces or Behr 1-Part Epoxy Acrylic Concrete & Garage paint for concrete or garage floors. Both paints come in pre-mixed colors, as well as tintable bases. To create the rug, first prime and paint on your base color and allow to dry well. Then, lay out a design or even just a border using rug stencils or patterns, which are available at your local craft shop. If you want, you can seal everything with Behr’s Wet Look sealer. Be as creative as you like and as colorful as suits your taste.
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Fun Fact - Rechargeable Battery Basics
Going cordless have you feeling freer than ever before? Great! Just take care of those rechargeable batteries. Don’t run the tool until the battery is dead. You can reverse polarity in some of the cells within the battery, making them unable to be charged. As soon as you notice a loss in power in the cordless tool, switch the battery. Here are some more tips for your rechargeable batteries:
Avoid extreme temperatures when storing batteries. Batteries should be kept above freezing and below 100 degrees. This means don't leave them in your shed in winter and don't let them bake in your car in summer.
Read manual for optimum charging temperatures, it's usually around 40 to 100 degrees F. During charging, a chemical reaction within the batteries is taking place. If it is too hot or too cold, this reaction is compromised.
Saw dust and drywall dust can collect on the charger's circuit board and over heat it causing the charger to die, which can be expensive to replace. Protect your chargers from dust, especially when you’re changing batteries. When you’re using tools in a dusty environment, blow them out with compressed air frequently, including the chargers. Keeping dust off the motor prevents excessive heat build up, so the tool can operate at peak performance.
Keeping spare batteries in your tool belt is convenient, but not always a great idea. Metal filings, screws, nails and metal hand tools can touch the contact points of a battery. If you have to, put those plastic battery caps, that came with the new tool, on the battery contact ends before the battery goes in your belt.
We can’t say enough about Ryobi’s One cordless tool line. With more than 25 tools that charge off the same base, you’ll be set for any project. Visit www.RyobiTools.com for info.
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Short Cuts - For the Dogs
A great doghouse can keep you pet cool in the summer and warm in the winter months. If you’re thinking about building one for your pooch, don’t use pressure treated wood on any parts the dog may chew. The doghouse should be raised from the ground to keep out moisture and help insulate the dog from the cold. It should be large enough for the dog to comfortably turn around but small enough to retain the dog's body heat.
Use exterior grade plywood, which has special glues that prevent the layers from coming apart when they get wet. Make sure the roof of the house is designed to be removable. This will allow for easy cleaning. Choose a shady spot to set up your dog’s new abode. You can even outfit his new digs with AC or heat. As a member of your family, why wouldn’t your dog deserve a home as sweet as yours?
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Copyright 2006 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
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