#2403 – Green Thumbs Up: DIY Raised Garden Beds | Maximize Garage Potential

Show Notes

Get the practical advice you need in this episode, with tips on constructing a raised garden bed, optimizing garage space, and troubleshooting vacuum issues. From gardening to storage to cleaning, we’ve got tips to help homeowners with these and other home improvement questions!

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Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript

Raised Garden Bed: Get tips on building a raised garden bed for the perfect DIY project.
Garage Space: A new survey reveals how homeowners are optimizing garage space in creative ways.
Vacuum Repairs: Find out what to do when your vacuum cleaner’s suction sucks.

Ask Your Home Improvement Question

Do you have a home improvement or decor question? Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here.

Podcast Transcript

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00:00:26	TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show on a beautiful spring weekend. I’m Tom Kraeutler. And I’m Leslie Segrete. Are you a do-it-yourselfer or are you a do-it-for-me kind of home improver? We want to make sure you don’t become a do-it-to-yourselfer with answers to your home improvement, your home remodeling, your DIY questions. Help yourself first by calling us at 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 1-888-666-3974. Or reach out. Via our website to moneypit.com slash ask. We’re here to help you plan projects, solve problems, decor dilemmas, repair needs, renovate, whatever’s going on in your money pit. Whatever is on your to-do list, slide it right over to ours by reaching out with your questions. We’ve got a great show planned for you today. Coming up, there’s a new survey out that reveals how homeowners are transforming their garages into the most productive workspaces in their homes. We’re going to share how you can optimize your garage for maximum efficiency and creativity.
00:01:28	LESLIE: And building a garden bed is a perfect DIY project to take on this time of year. It’s relatively simple and it gives you a space to grow veggies, flowers, or pretty much anything you want to. So we’re going to walk you through that step-by-step in today’s spring project tip presented by 84 Lumber.
00:01:44	TOM: And now that it’s officially spring cleaning season, the number one tool you need to work and work well is your vacuum. If yours just doesn’t have the sucking power that it used to, we’re going to share some easy troubleshooting tips to get it back in action.
00:01:57	LESLIE: All right. But first, what is your home reno plan for the year ahead? You have a project or two in mind? Well, we want to help you create your best home ever. So whether you want to renovate a house, a condo, or an apartment, we can help you with the answers to questions about remodeling, renovation, or decor.
00:02:14	TOM: And are you guys inspired to get outside and take on some DIY projects? Or maybe you’re a do-it-for-me kind of person and want to hire a pro? We want to make sure you get those projects done right the first time. So reach out to us with your questions. A couple of ways to do that, you can call us at 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 1-888-666-3974. Or post your questions to moneypit.com slash ask.
00:02:38	LESLIE: And North Dakota, you’re on the Money Pit.
00:02:40	CALLER: How can we help you? I am living in a house that is over 100 years old, and it has an open staircase. The problem is that there is a bedroom that is above the staircase and adjoins it at the top. And part of that bedroom is cantilevered partially and then totally over the open staircase. And I have a big crack that’s developing on an open area. And that area is cantilevered out about six feet from a load-supporting wall. And I don’t know if I can dispatch it or if I need to put a support beam or jack or something underneath it. Because this area is getting pretty worrisome. I’ve got two cracks that are about three-eighths of an inch and pretty long.
00:03:31	TOM: So, Ann, are these new cracks or has it always been cracked?
00:03:34	CALLER: It’s always been cracked, but it’s been a hairline for many years.
00:03:38	TOM: Oh, boy.
00:03:38	CALLER: And then we had a massive flood.
00:03:41	TOM: How long ago was the flood?
00:03:42	CALLER: That was in ‘97. And then the ground has been shifting ever since. Since that flood, the cracks have gotten bigger.
00:03:50	TOM: When we have cracks in walls and foundations and things like that, we always like to determine if they’re active or inactive. Because, frankly, all homes… All homes have cracks. If you tell me that over the last 20 or so years that this crack has opened from a hairline to three-eighths of an inch, it might be active. I’m not actually convinced of that yet. But I am concerned enough to tell you that you probably should have it looked at by an expert. What I’d like you to do is go to the website for the American Society of Home Inspectors. That’s ashi.com.
00:04:21	TOM: And find a home inspector in your area. There’s a zip code sorting tool there that’s a member of ASHI. And talk to two or three of them and find one that specializes in structural issues like this. And have them look at it and see if we can determine, based on that inspection, whether or not this is an active, ongoing situation or just a crack in an old plaster wall that needs to be fixed. It’s not unusual for old homes to have lots of cracks in them, and especially around a staircase because just the way homes were framed back then is different than they would be today. And so that’s not an uncommon area for cracks to develop. But I think we need to determine… …our own sort of sanity, if nothing else, whether or not this is active and ongoing or something that’s really just historical. Does that make sense? It sure does. All right, Dan. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit.
00:05:09	LESLIE: Dan in Pennsylvania is on the line with a plumbing question. What can we help you with? Yes.
00:05:13	CALLER: My son has an older house with cast iron or steel drain pipes. And the main line goes straight down from the toilet and then under the basement floor. And he’s continually getting clogged. So the cast iron gets rough over time and tends to catch things. So I’m wondering, I realize normal drain lines, you drop them an inch a foot so you don’t get too fast a drain and siphon out the traps. But can you, with the main line, can you do pretty much whatever you want with that? Like, say, 245s and then straight down to get it to the edge of the property? And then that way, I don’t have to tear up a little bit to get out of the house with the plastic pipe.
00:06:00	TOM: Well, you may not have to tear anything up. There’s a pipe lining technology that you can consider where essentially they reline the cast iron pipes with a fiberglass sleeve that’s smooth and doesn’t have those types of obstructions. It also helps stop root growth that can sometimes get into the seams of cast iron piping. And that can be done with the pipes in place. You wouldn’t have to tear anything up.
00:06:21	CALLER: I would have to cut the pipe. I guess because it goes down and then underneath a portion of the basement at like some sort of probably a 90. And there may be a trap in under the basement floor as well.
00:06:33	TOM: Well, but all of this can be done without you having to access it because the way the pipe lining works is, first of all, they put a camera down there to figure out which way the drains are going. And they can do that with a pipe camera. And then they run what looks kind of like a fiberglass sock through the pipe. And it’s kind of like, if you can imagine, turning a sock inside out, they do that with water pressure. And it turns inside out and sort of forms against the inner walls of the cast iron pipe and then sort of dries and hardens to this sort of very strong, smooth surface that won’t obstruct the flow. Okay.
00:07:08	CALLER: Thank you very much.
00:07:10	TOM: You’re welcome, Dan. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit.
00:07:13	LESLIE: Hey, guys, if you’ve heard a helpful tip or two while listening to our show, please help us help even more home improvers by dropping us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.
00:07:22	TOM: That would be awesome. And you might even win a copy of our book, My Home, My Money Pit, your guide to every home improvement adventure. Just go to moneypit.com slash review.
00:07:32	LESLIE: Now we’re heading over to Virginia where Margaret has a question about a bathtub. Tell us what’s going on.
00:07:37	CALLER: We have an old cast iron tub and it’s real rusty in spots. And I’m wondering what we could do to restore it.
00:07:46	LESLIE: Now, when you say real rusty in spots, are we talking about big spots or are we talking about like small little ones from a chip?
00:07:52	CALLER: No, we’re talking about big spots because the water, it was not good water when we first moved here. And so it had a lot of wear and tear on it about 40 years before we moved here. And we’ve been living here probably about 45 years.
00:08:08	TOM: So your tub’s almost 100 years old, huh?
00:08:10	CALLER: Exactly. Yeah.
00:08:13	TOM: Well, look, it served the house well. It’s not going to last forever. It needs to be reglazed at this point. And I’ve had some experience with folks that have, I’ve tried to reglaze these tubs inside the house and it can be done. It’s an awfully messy and intensive job. And unless it’s done professionally, it doesn’t seem to last very long. There are home reglazing kits. Rust-Oleum makes one that’s for tub and tile, but I wouldn’t expect it to last all that long. The best way to do this is to have the tub taken out and reglazed. But if you’re going to do all that, you might as well replace it and not just not have that reglazed unless it’s particularly beautiful. I think those are your options. It’s not easy to do a touch-up to something like this when it’s just got so, you know, it’s got almost 100 years of wear and tear on it.
00:09:01	CALLER: Oh, yes, yes. Okay. That was my question. I appreciate that.
00:09:05	TOM: Unfortunately, Margaret, there’s no easy way to remove 100 years of wear and tear on that tub. And so you’re probably better off just replacing it.
00:09:13	LESLIE: Michael in West Virginia is on the line with some questions about windows. How can we help you?
00:09:17	CALLER: Yes, I’m getting ready to do replacement windows in my house. And I was wondering,
00:09:24	CALLER: I’ve gotten a few estimates from some of the window companies, and I don’t want to mention any major brands or anything, but I know that when they came to do a job across from me, they told the man that after they give him an estimate and everything, they come in and they said that this was the cost of the window. And then once they got there, they told him that that didn’t include the capping. It didn’t include this. It didn’t include that.
00:09:48	TOM: I hope he didn’t call that company.
00:09:50	CALLER: Well, I’m not going to call. I don’t want to call that company, but, I mean, they’re a major corporation.
00:09:57	TOM: Yeah, well, I don’t care how big they are. That’s just bad form. You just don’t do that.
00:10:01	CALLER: I was debating on whether just going ahead and having a company go ahead and measure my windows. I’ve had two or three estimates, so they’ve already been measured, and I can measure them again myself and then order them from a contractor like Lowe’s or maybe from Pella Windows or somebody like that. And I was wondering what you all thought about that. The warranties on the windows. Okay.
00:10:24	TOM: Well, first of all, there’s a label on windows that’s very helpful, and it’s called the National Fenestration Rating Council or the NFRC label. And it’s going to give you some key indicators of the quality of the window. And so when you’re looking at these windows, you want to know what that data is because this is where you can compare and contrast as to what’s the most efficient window. Now, in terms of do-it-yourself or not, you know, it’s not terribly difficult to, you know, install replacement windows if you have some basic carpentry skills. And if that’s the case, you know, you could go ahead and order them and do the installation yourself. I generally tell people not to do their own ordering because each type of replacement window gets fitted slightly different, and you’re always better off having the manufacturer or the retailer do the measuring even if there’s an additional fee. This way, if it doesn’t fit, it’s their problem, not yours. But in terms of what happened to your neighbor, I think that should be the exception and not the rule. I can’t imagine a company pulling that, but, you know, there’s always people out there that try these types of approaches where they show up with the windows and say, oh, by the way, it’s going to be a lot more to complete this installation. Typically, you can get a price for the window, and installation includes the re-covering of all of the trim, if it’s going to be covered by aluminum, whatever. That’s all specified out in the bid. So I guess your neighbor didn’t know enough to kind of check for that or ask for that. But all of that work should be specified in advance. And if it is, you know, then it’s a relatively painless process. So I would definitely suggest you stick with name brand windows like Pella, like Anderson, like Simonton. And with their dealers that they work with, they usually have their own set of installers that I think with those bigger brands, you’re less likely to run into that. The problem with the replacement windows is just there’s so many people in the business, and they all have different sources of the windows, and you just don’t always get what you think you’re paying for. Michael, thanks so much. You’re calling us at 888-Money-Pit. Well, the garage is long been associated as a birthplace of innovation. I mean, listen, just think about it. It’s where the first Apple computer was pieced together and where, well, let’s think about music. Nirvana honed their craft before skyrocketing to fame, and lots of less well-known businesses got their start as well, right?
00:12:41	LESLIE: Yeah, you know, it really is no surprise that a recent survey conducted by Craftsman revealed that a whopping 76 percent of homeowners see their garages as having the potential to be the most productive room in their house. However, that first crucial step towards realizing this potential is decluttering. I mean, you do keep a lot of stuff in that garage. Jerry Seinfeld always joked that the garage sounded most like garbage, so things kind of went there as one last step before you throw it out.
00:13:08	TOM: The transition area.
00:13:09	LESLIE: Yeah, I always love it. So when it comes to the decluttering step, it’s why a significant 78 percent of homeowners have stated garage organization as a priority for 2024. So everybody wants to get to it.
00:13:21	TOM: Well, according to the survey, most homeowners, 76 percent, primarily use their garages for vehicle storage. To that, I say wishful thinking, right? You know, I mean, think about the garages that you’ve seen. Do three quarters of them actually have a car in them? I say no.
00:13:37	LESLIE: I honestly don’t know anybody who puts their car in their garage. Now, other uses they’re hoping to get out of this garage space is for home improvement projects, gardening, car maintenance, and over a quarter of respondents credit their garage space. For kickstarting a lucrative side hustle. I love that. Out there making business moves.
00:13:56	TOM: Now, more than two in five homeowners have also transformed their garage into a gym or exercise area. We did that during the pandemic. It was a little chilly in the mornings, but it was a good space to use. And finally, half of all homeowners intend to invest in garage organization solutions within the next year. You know, if you buy an organization solution, you buy some shelves, some cabins, whatever, it kind of forces you to clean the garage at the same time. So it’s a good way to get started.
00:14:21	LESLIE: That is true. Except I feel like I clean it and then somehow miraculously a year later, it’s as cluttered and full again. How does that happen? I don’t know, you guys. But whether you are big on camping, gardening, working on your car, or just simply hopping from project to project, it’s smart to keep your garage clean and clutter-free. And keep it that way. All right. Heading to Ely, Nevada, where we’ve got Mark on the line. What’s going on at your money pit?
00:14:46	CALLER: I’ve got radiant heat in my house here. Okay. And down in the basement. The basement is completely finished and everything. The rock on the ceiling is falling.
00:14:58	TOM: Okay. Why is it falling? Was it water damaged or something? Or was it never attached well? What’s going on?
00:15:03	CALLER: I don’t think it’s attached well. I can’t find… None of the seams are taped. And I can’t find… There’s no nailing or anything. Huh.
00:15:15	TOM: That’s odd. Well, so you’ve got really two options here. I mean, if you can identify… I certainly should be able to identify… If you can identify the ceiling joists above that, and then you could just re-secure everything. I wouldn’t use nails. I would use drywall screws because they don’t pull out. And then you would tape and spackle the joints. That’s really the best way to do that. If you don’t want to deal with that, if you don’t like the idea that the ceiling is covered up because it blocks access to your mechanicals, your wiring, your plumbing, you could take it down and put in a drop ceiling. Now, the drop ceilings that come today are pretty amazing compared to what we used to see decades ago where they were pretty much just one ceiling. One kind of ceiling tile, and it was ugly as heck. The drop ceilings today are absolutely gorgeous. There’s so many options in them, and it gives you that access above the ceiling. So that would be two ways to approach that, Mark. Okay.
00:16:02	CALLER: The deal I was worried about was running screws down the joists where the sheets come together. I’m not sure where the wires are. You know what I mean? Yeah.
00:16:15	TOM: Well, is this a ceiling that actually has heat in it, this ceiling that’s loose and hanging down? Do you know that for a fact? There’s radiant heat going through the ceiling. So you’re right. That is an issue, and I would be concerned about that. So I think at that point, I wouldn’t re-secure it because there is a risk that you could pierce it, and that could be bad. I think you’re probably going to end up having to take it down and probably replace the heating as well at the same time. I don’t think it’s a situation where you can preserve it. Right.
00:16:45	CALLER: Because I need to have some idea where the wires are going and where the nailing is actually at.
00:16:49	TOM: Is the heat in the basement? Is it necessary? Because another thing that you could do is, if you could just disconnect that section of heat, you could maybe use an electric radiant baseboard unit instead, especially if it’s like in a lot of basements, they don’t have to be heated year-round, maybe just in the colder weather. And even though electric radiant is expensive because you’re already paying that, you wouldn’t maybe have those radiators on all the time in the basement. Right.
00:17:11	CALLER: Actually, it’s in a small room. The basement is sectioned in two rooms, and it’s just a small room like an office. And I actually don’t have the heat on in there.
00:17:23	TOM: Well, then maybe that’s the answer. Maybe you just disconnect the radiant heat that’s in that ceiling and then take it down and start again.
00:17:29	CALLER: Yeah, because there’s thermostats in every room controlling every room individually. Yeah.
00:17:34	TOM: How old is this house, Mark?
00:17:36	CALLER: It was built in 94.
00:17:38	TOM: Wow. So they put radiant heat in in 94. Uh-huh. A lot of the radiant heat that we see is much older than that. That’s interesting. Well, good luck with that project. Okay. Thank you, sir. You’re welcome.
00:17:49	LESLIE: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Always great, but a lot of work. Jackie in Michigan is working on one right now. How can we help?
00:17:56	CALLER: Well, I have a question. I have done some plumbing, and I am going to be taking out an old tub and putting in a tile shower in place of it. So the diverter and the showerhead are fine. I’m going to be removing the tub faucet because I’ll no longer have a tub. Can I just cap off that pipe? I’m coming to the tub faucet, or do I have to put a whole new diverter in?
00:18:25	TOM: No, you have to put a shower valve in because you’re going to have to disconnect the whole spout. I mean, the way you get water of the shower now is run it through the tub spout, then pull up the diverter, and then it starts coming out the spout. So you’re going to need to put in a shower valve, and I would also suggest, since you’re doing that, put in what’s called a pressure-balanced shower valve. This will make sure that if somebody’s running water somewhere else in the house, you don’t get either scalded or just chilled because it will make sure that the water temperature mix always stays the same. So that’s an opportunity to do that. Let me ask you this question. The wall behind where the bathroom is right now, is that accessible? Has it been opened up in the past to work on the plumbing?
00:19:09	CALLER: No, they left a little access panel. The tub that’s in there now is actually like a jetting tub.
00:19:17	TOM: Right, oh, okay.
00:19:18	CALLER: And so they left an access. They left a little access panel to get to maybe the motor and the jet or whatever on the tub, but there’s nothing to even, I figured I could, when I was tearing out some of the tile and pulling out the spout, I could just remove the spout. I thought maybe I could just cap it off, but then I thought, no, because just like you said, you pull up on the spout to send the water to the shower head.
00:19:43	TOM: Right, yep, exactly, yeah.
00:19:44	CALLER: So I need a whole new diverter.
00:19:46	TOM: Yeah, that’s right. Yep, see, it’s always a bigger project. And plumbing is one of those things that if you don’t do it every day, it can be confusing and it can be very time-consuming. So you might want to plan this where you’re doing the demolition and the tiling work, but you have a plumber come in at the appropriate time and just reroute those pipes properly, install that diverter valve, and then you won’t have to worry about getting it wrong. Because if you do, it’s a heck of a mess to fix it. And by the way, the other thing to think about doing is to open up the wall from the backside. And a lot of times, if you have a wall behind a tub, maybe the adjoining room, sometimes like in my house, there’s a closet behind the bathroom. And the back closet wall, we have a panel in it. And if we lift that panel out, we can get to all the plumbing that’s in that actually serves that bathtub and the shower. So if you have the opportunity to create an access panel like that, that could be valuable going forward as well. Jackie, thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-Money-Pit.
00:20:43	LESLIE: While building a raised garden bed can be a relatively simple DIY project, it’s perfect for adding greenery and growing your own veggies, your herbs, or your flowers. And here’s a step-by-step guide to help you create your own raised garden bed presented by 84 Lumber, who celebrates DIY Day and takes pride in helping DIYers like you. So first stop here, guys, you have to choose a location. Go around the yard, find a spot that will receive the right amount of sunlight for the plants that you want to grow. And you’re also going to want a space where the ground is relatively level to help facilitate stability.
00:21:17	TOM: Next, you need to decide on the size and the shape. The dimensions are important. The most common sizes would range from, say, about a four-by-four-foot space to maybe four-by-eight-foot. But keep in mind that the beds really can’t be any wider than four feet or you won’t be able to access them from all sides. Imagine building this beautiful bed, and now you can’t reach to the middle. Next, you want to gather your materials. So purchase or gather the necessary materials based on your chosen dimensions. It’s a good thing that 84 Lumber can help you. You want to opt for treed wood, or you can go with cedar or redwood, which are naturally resistant to rot.
00:21:53	LESLIE: Now next, it’s time to build the frame. So using those wood boards, you want to construct the frame of the raised garden bed. If you’re using multiple boards for each side, you want to secure them together at the corners with screws or nails. And then you’re going to go ahead and prepare the site. You want to clear the area where you’ll be placing this raised garden bed of any debris, rocks, or weeds. It’s also a good idea to lay down landscaping fabric or cardboard to prevent those weeds from growing up and then into that raised bed.
00:22:21	TOM: Oh, that’s a great idea. Now, when you place the raised bed, you want to position it in the desired location. Make sure it’s level. If you need to adjust by adding or removing soil underneath, go ahead and do that. Then it’s time to fill it up. So fill the garden bed with a mixture of high-quality soil or compost. Or what I like to do is to pick up the ready-to-use bedding mix. It’s got the perfect mix of everything. And generally, you’re going to put about 6 to 12 inches of soil in that raised garden bed, depending on the type of soil you’re using. Depending on the plants, you’ll be ultimately growing.
00:22:48	LESLIE: All right. Now, you want to plant the garden. So once that raised bed is filled with soil, it’s time to plant those chosen veggies, herbs, flowers, whatever you are putting in it. You want to make sure to follow the planting instructions for each type of plant. And then make sure you leave the recommended space to allow the optimum growth of each plant. Now, you’re also going to need to water and maintain all of those newly planted items in your garden. So you want to make sure that that soil remains consistently moist, but not waterlogged. And you want to keep in mind that because the garden bed is above ground, it’s going to dry out more quickly than a garden planted directly into the property. So you’ve got to make sure that you’re keeping track of how moist that soil is at all times.
00:23:29	TOM: And that’s today’s spring project tip presented by 84 Lumber. 84 Lumber has all the top-quality lumber and name-brand building materials you’ll need. Plus, get project help from knowledgeable and experienced 84 Lumber associates. Visit 84lumber.com to find project plans, ideas, and a store near you. That’s 84lumber.com.
00:23:51	LESLIE: Scott in Michigan is on the line with a garage door that just loves to stay frozen shut. Tell us what’s going on.
00:23:57	CALLER: We have half of our basement is our garage. So on three sides, there’s two sides are dirt. One side is the house, and then above is the house. Cars, we park two cars in there in the winter. Snow melts off the cars, ends up freezing the doors to the ground. So it ends up salty. And, you know, getting the ice gone and having to shovel it back out.
00:24:19	TOM: What kind of a seal do you have on the bottom of the garage doors?
00:24:22	CALLER: They are old-school wood doors. So they just have, like, a rubber seal on the bottom. Nothing fancy. But since there’s no center drain, it’s sloped for the water to drain out the front of the doors.
00:24:33	TOM: Have you thought about replacing those rubber gaskets?
00:24:36	CALLER: Uh, yeah. And we’re actually, that’s what we’re kind of at the thing where we need to replace the doors because they’re getting in worse shape every year. But we don’t want to put the money into the doors if we’re just going to get rid of them. You know, put new seals on it. We’re just going to hold the water inside then.
00:24:48	TOM: Well, I mean, rubber gaskets are designed not to stick to ice. So that might solve part of the problem here. And if you’re thinking about new doors, just replacing the gaskets, if you want to buy yourself a year or so, is not going to add to a big expense. You know, we’re talking about probably $20, $30 in gasket material here, and you can do the job yourself.
00:25:10 – 00:25:14	CALLER: But do you think that would just hold the water inside, and then it would just be your ice dam inside to improve?
00:25:15	TOM: No, it’s not that much. A gasket, it’ll let the water run wherever the water wants to run. It’s just I don’t think the doors will stick to it as well.
00:25:22	CALLER: But how’s the water going to get outside?
00:25:24	TOM: If the water is just sitting there, there’s going to be no way for you to drain it and have it run outside. One thing that you could do is you could add garage tiles to the floor. Garage tiles are a floor made specifically for garages that sit up about a half inch or so off of the floor or three quarters of an inch off of the floor. And those are good because the water will drain through the tiles and kind of sit below them until it evaporates away. There’s a lot of different styles and colors online, and they can actually be quite attractive and look kind of cool as well. Okay, thank you. Scott, good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit.
00:26:03	LESLIE: So is your vacuum cleaner acting up? I mean, the fix could be easier than you think. First of all, you have to start by checking the suction. If it’s poor or not even happening, then that’s the issue. There could be a clog in the hose, the bag, the filter, or the canister, or it may be full and be replaced or emptied. These are kind of the troubleshooting things you’ve got to start with when you’re seeing that you don’t have the suction that you want.
00:26:28	TOM: Yeah, and also, are you hearing sort of like a funny noise or a vibration? If it sounds like it’s coming from the motor area, it might be a broken fan blade. If the noise is coming from the brush area, then it may be a defective brush roller or a brush roller bearing or the roller itself. Now, if either. If either is the case, it probably needs replacing, which is a pretty easy DIY project.
00:26:48	LESLIE: Now, if your vacuum is hard to push or if you smell burning rubber, you may have a broken or worn out belt. You want to check the brush roller for obstructions and clear away any hair or carpet fibers. If the brush roller spins freely with the belt removed, you can reinstall that belt and then test for proper operation again.
00:27:06	TOM: Yeah, and that happens a lot when the brush itself gets sort of filled with dirt and debris and hair and it doesn’t spin as quickly. Sometimes the motor. The motor wants to push it quicker, and that causes the belt to skip, and that’s why they wear out and break. So if you find that you need to replace your vacuum cleaner’s belt, here’s a trick. Buy two and tape that extra one to the vacuum cleaner handle so it’s always there and handy the next time your belt breaks. These are cheap, they’re worth having around, and it’ll always be ready when you need it. For more troubleshooting tips, just head on over to moneypit.com and search vacuum cleaners. We’ve got a lot of advice to make sure yours is doing the job you need it to do.
00:27:41	LESLIE: Yeah, and I mean, probably obvious. But let’s all make sure it’s unplugged while we’re doing this.
00:27:46	TOM: Yes, we don’t want to work on the vacuum while it’s plugged in, or really anything else.
00:27:51	LESLIE: Next up, we’ve got Judy on the line who needs some help with a wood floor. What can we do for you?
00:27:55	CALLER: We are purchasing a house which is under construction, and we chose hardwood floors. It is my understanding these will be glued down type and not floated. I would like to know especially what’s the best way to care for them, especially in the kitchen, and I have heard of people using steam to clean them, and that’s something that is new to me. Can you enlighten me?
00:28:24	TOM: The only type of glued down floor that I’m aware of is a parquet floor. Now, if that’s not the case, I would like to know what product exactly they’re putting down. I will say that most likely most of these hardwood floors today are pre-finished. If they’re pre-finished, my quick answer is you follow the manufacturer’s, recommendations for maintenance. Whether you use steam or not, those steam mops, I have some concerns about them because they do get so hot that if they are held in one place for too long, they couldn’t cause the wood to swell. But maybe if they’re used carefully and without on the highest level of steam, they probably are okay for hardwood floor maintenance and cleaning.
00:29:06	CALLER: All right. Well, thank you very much.
00:29:08	TOM: Hope that helps you out. Thanks so much for calling us, Judy, at 1-888-Money-Pit.
00:29:13	LESLIE: We’ve got… Howard from Tyler, Texas, who wrote in to us, and he’s got a question about removing the popcorn ceiling. Is there any way I can do this myself, or do I need to hire a pro to remove all that stuff and then we repaint the ceiling?
00:29:26	TOM: Well, you got to get your materials together first. So you need popcorn, butter, salt, whatever.
00:29:31	LESLIE: No, that’s the good kind of popcorn, Tom.
00:29:33	TOM: That’s the good kind of popcorn. Yeah, the bad kind of popcorn is tough to get rid of. It makes you wonder why we ever had popcorn ceilings to begin with. And I think we had them because they were sort of… They were a way of covering multiple sins in the skills of the drywallers that would put the drywall on the ceiling and not do a great job with the seams or the nails. And they’d get a lot of complaints and a lot of callbacks. So builders started using textured surfaces to cover all of that up. There’s really a couple of different ways to remove it, but generally it starts with you spraying them down with water to moisten that popcorn and then following it up with a scraper. Now, you can buy long-handled scrapers that make this a little bit easier, but it’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of work no matter what you do. And even if the popcorn material itself separates, you’re still going to put dings and scrapes in the old ceiling. So once you get the material off, you’re going to have to patch any damage that you cause by doing that. And then make sure you prime the entire surface. I would use a solvent-based slash oil-based primer so you get a good solid coat of that across all of that material. And then you can cover it with a flat paint. Don’t use anything but flat in the ceiling because you’ll see all of that imperfection in the drywall. Well, when you do that, and again, you can do that yourself, or if what I’ve explained is just way too much work for you to handle, not to mention the work up and down the ladder, go ahead and hire a pro.
00:30:52	LESLIE: All right. I hope that helps you out, Tyler. And definitely do not eat this type of popcorn. Do not confuse the two in the process. You can reward yourself with actual popcorn.
00:31:01	TOM: You can snack on popcorn when you’re done, just not that popcorn. Correct.
00:31:05	LESLIE: Well, now that the weather is warming up, it’s a great time to brighten up your windows and let that sun shine through. I’m going to go ahead and wrap this up. I mean, all winter long, you get a lot of buildup of dirt, grime, maybe even salt and sand from the driveway or the streets. You know, it kind of just accumulates on there, and it looks really, really yucky. So here’s an easy way to get those windows clean and sparkling again. And it’s truly a great cleanser for glass. You’re going to mix one part white vinegar with ten parts water. And if you’re like me and you dyed, like, you know, six Easter eggs, you probably have a gigantic bottle of white vinegar kicking around the house to make your summer’s worth of windows. Now you have something to do with it. Exactly. I swear sometimes that white vinegar from Easter has lasted, like, seven years. I’ve been like, oh, same vinegar from Easter 2012? Let’s use it. But now truly use that white vinegar and make this cleanser because you want to do one part white vinegar with ten parts water. Then you can use old cotton socks to wipe those windows clean. And it’s great because you kind of slide those socks right onto your hands. And then you can, you know, Mr. Miyagi it. You can wax on, wax off. You can go in. You can go in a nice linear pattern. And you can easily get into those corners and grooves. And that does leave the glass nice and shiny and bright. Another great thing that you can clean those windows with is newspaper. Newspaper works tremendously well. It doesn’t leave a streak on the glass. And, you know, it’s tricky because I always try to clean the exterior of the windows, like flip them down maybe once a month in the spring, summer, just because they do still get yucky with pollen now coming up. Everybody’s going to be sneezing again, so get those things cleaned. But it’s a great way to just. It’s a great way to polish up those windows. And truly having that clean view outside makes everything seem bigger, brighter, happier, new season. So tackle that project today.
00:32:51	TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show coming up next time on the program. If building a patio is on your to-do list this spring, we’re going to share tricks of the trade to do just that. And we’re going to teach you how to build a patio that’s not going to settle, not going to sag, not going to have weeds grow through it, and it’ll last and look good for many years to come. Until then, I’m Tom Kraeutler.
00:33:11	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. Remember, you can do it yourself. But you don’t have to do it alone.

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