#2411 – Green Standard: Choosing Green Products | Rooms for Growing Kids

Show Notes

In this home improvement episode, find out what defines a truly green product, get tips on designing a room that grows with your child, and discover how to create a stunning countertop in a weekend without breaking the bank. Plus, get answers to questions from homeowners just like you for more DIY projects!

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Show Notes
Top Questions & Answers
Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript

Green Products: Go beyond the labels and learn what defines truly green products for your home.
Kids’ Rooms: Design space-saving rooms that can adapt to your growing kids.
Countertops: Create a marvelous marble countertop in a weekend.

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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00:00:32	TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
00:00:38	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
00:00:39	TOM: Happy spring, everybody. Happy home improvement. If you are doing some projects around your house, congratulations. I know that’s probably fun. It is for us. I’m sure it is for you. If it’s not fun, maybe you’ve got a problem that you need a solution for. And that’s where we come in. Reach out to us with your questions at 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 1-888-666-3974. Or post your questions to moneypit.com. We are here. We’re here to help. You need some help planning a project, solving a problem. You’ve got a decor dilemma. You just don’t know where to start. Or maybe you just need us to give you some tips to inspire you to get started on that project. Those are all the things that we love to do here on The Money Pit. So reach out, and we will do our best to get you started. Coming up on today’s show, buying green is all the rage. But did you know what actually makes a product truly green? There are a lot of factors. And just as many false claims of greenness. So we’re going to help you sort out what’s truly green and what’s not.
00:01:37	LESLIE: And if your child’s room is space challenged, let’s say, and you’re thinking about making a change, we’ve got some tips to help you design a room that can grow as fast as they do.
00:01:46	TOM: And if you’re ready for a kitchen or bath update but don’t have a big budget for a major redo, we’re going to share how to create a beautiful countertop or bathtub in just a weekend.
00:01:55	LESLIE: But first, we want to help you create your best home ever. So whether you are doing that project yourself, or you’re hiring a pro, we are ready to help you get that job done right the first time.
00:02:06	TOM: That’s right. But your job is to reach out to us with your projects and questions. There are a couple of ways to do that. You can call us now at 1-888-Money-Pit, or just go to moneypit.com slash ask and click the blue microphone button. So let’s get to it. Leslie, who’s first?
00:02:21	LESLIE: Heading out to Michigan where we’ve got Colin on the line. What’s going on at your money pit?
00:02:25	CALLER: I’m trying to figure out the best way, given that we kind of have, uh, an older house that’s 70 years old, uh, to, to determine how to level the concrete flooring. It seems like there’s a certain amount of rise over a 10 foot, eight or 10 foot run. I’d say in the ballpark of a quarter to a half inch anywhere in various spots of the basement. Um, so I’m trying to figure out if I need to do any kind of leveling and how best to determine that, given that I’m going to be installing a vinyl planking, with the underlayment already attached.
00:03:04	TOM: Okay. So first of all, keep in mind that your basement floor is not part of the home structure. You know, it’s just there covering the dirt. It’s not interconnected with the walls. It’s really the last thing that’s added to, to a basement. And because of that, sometimes, you know, they’re not put in as well as say like a garage slab might be. So the fact that you’ve got some rise and fall in that basement, do you see cracking or deterioration Colin in this, or is it really just the uneven surface you’re dealing with? Uh,
00:03:30	CALLER: so slight, cracking, I would say at the worst of it is maybe, you know, an eighth to a 16th of an inch. I don’t, I don’t consider it and it’s not getting worse. Yeah.
00:03:41	TOM: So here’s what I would do. You have the option of using a floor leveling compound on that, but I’m not so sure that you really need it because it doesn’t seem like it’s got very much of a differentiation. I would work with the flooring company you’re buying this from. For example, if you’re purchasing flooring at lumber liquidators now called LL flooring, they have experts in the store that can check the space. Specs for the product that you are purchasing and determine how much differentiation over what distance it’s rated for. And if it exceeds that, then you would want to use a floor leveling compound to try to even that out. Now there are products that are designed to go on top of concrete. There are also concrete leveling products that you can use. You’ll have some choices, but that would be the solution. If it turns out, in fact, you do need to level it. Okay.
00:04:25	CALLER: Yeah, that’s great. That’s, that’s kind of exactly what I was hoping for with this project, because I am trying to do it all myself. Okay. Yeah, that’s great. That’s, that’s kind of exactly what I was hoping for with this project, because I am trying to do it all myself. So, well,
00:04:32	TOM: congratulations. It’s a great project to take on. Good luck with the project. Thanks so much for reaching out to us and let us know how you make out. We’ll do. You have a great day.
00:04:40	LESLIE: Sharon in Tennessee is on the line and has some questions about tankless water heating. How can we help you?
00:04:45	CALLER: Just my husband and I, we’ve been, we’re in a house that the tank is probably the one we have is probably 11, 10, 11 years old, but we find that in the bathroom, the master bathroom, which is at the far side of the house from us, you have to run the water five or 10 minutes before it gets hot. And we’ve heard good things about those. So I thought, well, what do you guys know about them? Because I don’t know if they’ve been out long enough to quote unquote, worked all the bugs out of them. Are they a good investment? Are they good economically? Yes,
00:05:10	TOM: yes. And yes. So they have been out for a long time, longer than you might think, I’d say probably 10 to 15 years.
00:05:15	LESLIE: Oh yeah.
00:05:15	TOM: But the thing is, you, you know, you don’t really have a need to replace your water heater near that often. So sometimes folks are still on a familiar, familiar with them. However, the one complaint that I heard you mention was that it takes a long time for your water to get hot. That may not change. And here’s why. Because the time it takes your water to get hot is more a function of the distance between the water heater and the plumbing fixture that you’re waiting, you’re standing out waiting for the water to get there. It just takes, you know, so many, so many minutes for that amount of water to pass through the pipes and show up as hot on the other side. Whether that’s a tank water heater, a tankless water heater is not going to, not going to change that. It’s still going to take longer to get just the same amount of time to get there. All right. So that’s not going to change. What will change though, is you will have an unlimited supply of hot water because tankless water heaters, pretty much when they’re sized right, never, ever run out of hot water. And it’s going to be a very efficient way for you to get hot water. I should have asked you this earlier, but are you on gas, natural gas? Yes.
00:06:17	CALLER: Okay.
00:06:17	TOM: Yeah, then you’re okay. If you were on electric, we’d be having a different conversation because electric tankless water heaters are not efficient at all, but gas is perfect. Okay.
00:06:26	CALLER: Well, I’m pressed to get some second thoughts here and then get some quotes maybe. Now,
00:06:29	TOM: there’s also an option that that Rheem has right now where you can actually add a bypass valve at that farthest bathroom fixture from your water heater. And what that will do is it will recirculate warm water through the pipes based on a timer or based on your use pattern. So with that addition, you may not be waiting at all for hot water. So that’s another option as well. Okay.
00:06:55	CALLER: Well, that sounds pretty good. There’s some good suggestions there that I can look into. Then, we’re looking at doing some things to the house now. That was the first thing I thought of.
00:07:02	TOM: All right, terrific. Well, thank you so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit.
00:07:06	LESLIE: Thank you. 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.
00:07:16	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. Well, we like free stuff here in the Money Pit. We especially like, giving you products for free. And we’ve got a great giveaway going out today to one listener drawn at random, who reaches us with their calls, with their questions at 1-888-Money-Pit. From First Alert, we’ve got the 10-year battery 2-in-1 smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. It features First Alert’s precision detection advanced sensing technology, which reduces cooking nuisance alarms and provides early warning in the event of a home fire emergency. We’re also including a Wi-Fi water leak and freeze detector and a First Alert home fire extinguisher, all designed to keep you guys safe. Total package is worth 215 bucks going out to one caller drawn at random. So make that you. Call us right now. Reach out with your questions, 1-888-Money-Pit, 888-666-3974, or go to moneypit.com slash ask.
00:08:20	LESLIE: Chad in Florida is on the line and needs some help sealing a home. What’s going on? Yeah,
00:08:25	CALLER: I am actually calling about a, the underside of a modular home. It has a crawl space and wanting to see the best way to like seal it off to, so rodents and animals cannot get underneath the home.
00:08:38	TOM: Okay, is it wide open right now?
00:08:41	CALLER: Well, it has, you know, like some wood plant plaques for actually decor that go around the bottom, but there is a large amount of space for any animal to crawl through. So it’s not really sealed off. It just has an aesthetic around the bottom. That’s just for appearance only.
00:09:01	TOM: All right. Well, obviously you’re going to have to change all of that. And I guess, I guess you got some options. I think you want to consider also the durability and the weather resistance of whatever product you put down there. But one thing that comes to mind is PVC lattice. Now that’s not going to keep the small animals out, but it would keep the big ones out. I think that the PVC lattice is pretty attractive these days. Not inexpensive, but the spaces, the space between the lattice, what do you think, Leslie, about inch, inch and a half at most?
00:09:33	LESLIE: It depends. There is that more petite lattice and then there’s that wider one that maybe is like a three by three square, but you can get both. I mean, there’s, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding either option at the home center and it really does look pretty nice. Yeah.
00:09:46	TOM: And you want to make sure that you create some sort of a frame structure so that it’s well attached because it doesn’t have any strength in and of itself. So I would focus on the frame first. And then you can attach the lattice to it. Yeah.
00:09:58	CALLER: It makes sense. Put a frame out and then just attach the lattice to it. And yeah.
00:10:02	TOM: Yeah. And I would use screws when I put it together because this way you can take it apart in the event you have to get under there to do any maintenance, you know, fix a pipe leak or something of that nature. Exactly.
00:10:11	CALLER: Exactly. Well, that makes perfect sense. And it’s kind of where I was leading. I was looking at some different manufacturers and companies that, that make, you know, different items. And, but that’s, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Well,
00:10:23	TOM: all right. Well, great minds think alike. We help, hope that helps you out and good luck with that project. Alrighty. Thank you so much.
00:10:31	LESLIE: Nancy in Georgia is dealing with some flooring squeaks. What is going on at your money pit? I’m hoping you can tell me. Okay. Tell us where you’re hearing them. What kind of floor? When does it happen?
00:10:41	CALLER: The house is 48 years old and I have pulled up the carpet that was in there and I’d like to put hardwood, but there’s a squeak right in the doorway. It’s in the top floor of my two-story home and I can’t get to the flooring unless I tear out the ceiling of my dining room. Yeah,
00:10:58	TOM: you’re thinking you have to deal with this from the bottom and that’s not the case. Now, when you took the carpet up, what are you looking at? Are you looking at plywood, like old plywood subfloor? So, I mean, it’s yeah, subfloor, right?
00:11:08	LESLIE: So it’s not the old solid subfloor. It’s not like slats where you can see through.
00:11:12	CALLER: No, it’s like eight by fours. Maybe you’re right.
00:11:15	TOM: That’s fine. Okay. So what you want to do here, and this is typical, what you need to do is you need to figure out where the floor joists are under that, floor, and it’s not that hard to do because if you look at the floor itself, you’re going to see a nailing pattern where the floor joists are running. They’re probably going to be every 16 inches and they’re going to go from the back wall of your house towards the front wall. And what you want to do is screw where those nail heads are. You want to drive a drywall screw through the floor and tighten up the flooring, because what’s happening is the flooring is loose in that area. And as you step on the floor and you get that squeak, squeaks happen for one of two reasons. It’s either because the floor boards themselves, the plywood itself is moving against the adjoining seam and squeaking, right? Or it could be that the plywood is pulling the nail in and out of the floor joists below and that’s squeaking. But when you screw the floor down as opposed to nailing it down, you tighten everything up. And it’s a really good idea to do that before you carpet, because even though you found one now, chances are the minute you put that floor down, you’ll find three more. So if you screw that floor down, all that subfloor down nice and tight using these long drywall screws, which you can drive in with the drill, you’re going to find that that floor is going to be a lot quieter in the long run.
00:12:33	CALLER: Okay. I want to put hardwood over it.
00:12:35	TOM: Can I put those under hardwood? Sure. Yeah, they’re going to be flush with the surface when you’re done. What kind of hardwood? Are you going to use solid hardwood or do you want to use engineered or what?
00:12:45	CALLER: I want to use solid hardwood. I have hardwood in the hallway that it meets and then I have tile in the bathroom. Okay. And so I have the… The space is there for me to use the hardwood. And I’m in the south, so it’s not as expensive here.
00:13:02	TOM: Yeah, you could use pre-finished hardwood or you could use raw hardwood and finish it yourself. There’s a lot of options in pre-finished today, though. It’s beautiful. And the floor finishes are actually tougher than what you can apply on your own.
00:13:12	CALLER: That’s what I’m thinking. And I’m thinking I’ll have to pull the baseboards.
00:13:15	TOM: Yes, absolutely.
00:13:16	CALLER: And leave some space, a little space between the wall and the flooring. Yes, that’s correct. I laid the whole… Okay.
00:13:22	TOM: Yeah, that’s correct. Yeah, you got the right idea. Yeah, just make sure you screw that subfloor down with those long drywall screws or wood screws that you put in with a drill. Typically, they’re going to have a Phillips or they’ll have a hex head and you could just drill them right in. Okay.
00:13:36	CALLER: Okay, I’m familiar with this. That’s fantastic. All right. I appreciate your help so much.
00:13:42	TOM: Well, green home improvement options seem to be multiplying lately and it’s not always clear how much you’re actually helping the planet and yourself with the choices you make.
00:13:51	LESLIE: Yeah, that’s true. And just as organic and healthy or finding their way into every corner of your supermarket, building products and fixtures can easily be greenwashed with their true value hidden behind big prices and even bigger claims. Now, if you’re planning to purchase a home improvement related product and you want to ensure that it’s environmentally friendly, there are a few things that you should be looking at beyond those advertising claims to determine if that product is truly green. So, you want to start by considering the basics, those raw materials that go into that product and where they come from. You’ve got to remember that anything that has to be transported a long way brings other precious resources into that equation. Then you want to look at the adhesives, the coatings, the finishes, all of those things that are used to actually make that product viable and whether or not that manufacturing process leads to release of some harmful substances. So, you really do have to do your homework here.
00:14:47	TOM: Yeah, and next you even want to consider product packaging and the likelihood that it will release some harmful substances. No.
00:14:57	TOM: You’ve got to be really serious about how our organizations are skewing the product out of place when it comes up, so that it isn’t just by
00:15:20	LESLIE: West Virginia. We’ve got Mary on the line who was dealing with some bad weather and now we’ve got
00:15:24	CALLER: some leaks. What’s going on? About three weeks ago, we had a really bad snow. The temperature went down to about one degree, which hasn’t happened here in 13 years that we’ve been living here. What happened was we have a roundhouse and we had a leak in the ceiling, which came down on the wall. The builder was called and he came and he said that the ice came under the shingles and caused the problem. And then we asked the insurance company and he said the same thing.
00:16:00	TOM: Does it make sense? Yes, it does. I’m so glad you called your insurance company because what’s happened to you is called an ice dam and it should be covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy. Ice dam storm damage is covered. So what happened is this. So you had the snow, right? And then it’s sort of collected towards the edge of your roof. And then what happens is it warms up. And so the roof higher up starts to melt and that water runs down the roof and then it hits that snow, which is kind of now become a dam. And it can’t get through. It can’t drain off the roof. So it backs up and comes under the shingles and then ends up in the ceiling and the walls usually at the exterior of the house. That is a very common pattern for an ice dam. It’s classic. The repair is going to require removal of the ice dam. And then the repair is going to require removal of the ice dam. Removal of your roof or at least the roof around the perimeter. And this time the contractor needs to install something called ice and water shield, which is an additional layer of material. It’s about three feet wide and it comes in long rolls and it’s designed specifically to protect the roof in that very important area at the overhang. That’s where the dams are created. Now, is the insurance company going to pay a claim for this? How did you make out with them?
00:17:11	CALLER: They are saying that, that, it’s only inside. He’s not saying that, um, that the shingles have to be changed or removed.
00:17:22	TOM: Oh, so they’re just trying to fix the, um, the leak inside, but it’s going to happen all over again. That’s not right now. What I would do is I would contact a public adjuster and a public adjuster is somebody that works for you, not the insurance company. And they basically will submit the claim to the insurance company for you. And trust me when I say they won’t miss a speck of paint or a single roofing nail, it’s required to put that place back in order. And you might end up getting a whole new roof out of it, um, because they work on a commission, which is based on the claim that they pay. So it doesn’t cost you anything. And then I’m getting a better job as a result of it. So if the insurance company is kind of jerking you around like that, I would hire a public adjuster. It’s completely within your right to do so. And that insurance company is going to be really sorry you did that because it’s going to cost them an awful lot more now. And the job’s going to get done right.
00:18:14	LESLIE: Thank you for this information. Mike in Texas, you’re next up on the Money Pit. What can we do for you today?
00:18:19	CALLER: Yes, ma’am. I had a question about my water heater. Number one, I try to drain it periodically, you know, and it takes forever to drain that thing. And I thought I’d heard a year or so ago on the show, there’s a way that you can pour something through your water heater that’s electric to help clean that stuff out. I’ve got really hard water, uh, where we live out here in West Texas and it, uh, I mean, extremely hard, right? Just about five years old. And I’ve already twice. Now I’ve had replaced the lower heating, the element coil. Yeah. And I always replaced both of them.
00:18:57	TOM: You have a water softener. No. Well, I mean, look, that that’s your first, that’s your first step right there. Money wise, this is not an option right at this time. So there’s a couple of different kinds of water softeners. You know, the salt based solutions where you have to keep failing with salt is one type, but there’s also electronic. Water softener, which what it does is it’s like it’s sort of electronically is a coil that wraps around your main water pipe and it charges the hard water particles. And by charging them, it kind of think of them. It’s not really magnetizing, but it’s like when you have magnets and they’re all the same polarity and they repel each other. So when it charges these particles, it does, it forces them to not stick together. They bounce off each other and because they don’t stick together, they don’t clump. So it’s a less expensive way of getting a water softener. So that’s an option. Uh, in terms of the water heater itself, you said it takes a long time to, to, to drain. When you do drain it, do you open up the pressure relief valve or, or do you just open the bottom
00:19:54	CALLER: up? Well, I, I didn’t at first, but you know, then I said, well, I need to go ahead and release
00:19:58	TOM: this valve. Cause you got to let air in is what I’m saying. You got to let air in. That’s going to speed it up. So once the water gets past the height of the, of the valve, and of course you got the power off and it’s cooled down, I hope. Yes. Uh, and you open that pressure relief valve up, then the water will come out faster. But the problem with, with some of those valves is once you open them, sometimes they don’t completely shut and you end up having to replace them. You know, the, the hard water material gets kind of jammed up in the mechanism. And I’ve had those where I’ve had to pop them open and close a few times to get them to kind of receipt, um, properly. But I would say that, you know, the best thing for you to do is to try to, uh, even if you have to save up for it is use one of the, even electronic water softener to try to get some of those particles to not stick together. Um, and, uh, and, and then, you know, you need to empty the water heater out now. And again, to try to release some of the buildup sediment buildup that’s at the bottom, you know, it shouldn’t really affect the efficiency because that sediment is going to be at the bottom. Uh, when it, when you have a gas water heater and the sediments at the bottom, it actually acts like as an insulator because the heat’s underneath it. But because your coils are embedded up higher in the water heater, it probably won’t affect
00:21:04	CALLER: efficiency. I switched over to electric. I, you know, I’m on propane down here and I had a gas
00:21:10	TOM: heater and I was just having more trouble. Yeah. Well, I think, you know, with the solution is, and just trying to get to the bottom of the hard water. And unfortunately your appliances are going to continue to misbehave until that’s taken care of. They just don’t work well with all that sediment in the water. So I wish I had better news for you, Mike, but that’s what you’re up against. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. Well, is your child’s room space challenged? If you’re tired of tripping over Legos or dealing with the lost puzzle pieces, we’ve got some easy decor tips that can help you design a room that can change as fast as they do. First, always plan, spaces that can grow with your child, right? Makes sense. That includes everything from choosing a color palette that can serve as a long-term backdrop for their ever-changing tastes and interests and buying better furniture pieces that can really stand up to the punishment
00:21:58	LESLIE: that kids know how to dish out. Next, you’ve got to think about smart storage. Now, storage has perhaps the biggest impact on the design of your kid’s space because it not only gives you the room you need to hide all their things, but it also frees up that floor space for activity zones in your room’s design. And storage kind of needs to be flexible for changing needs. Now, closets, they’re always a great space for storage if they’re organized. Now, talk to my teen son because I’ll organize that closet and then I swear a week later it’s back to just a complete mess. So think about refitting or expanding that closet with smart organizers and bi-level clothing rods. And finally, be on the lookout for opportunities to create two-for-one solutions like a window seat so that you can have a place to sit, but also a place to store stuff. So you’ve got to think
00:22:47	TOM: creatively here with kids’ rooms. For more tips, check out our post on how to create a kids’ room
00:22:52	LESLIE: that will grow with your child on moneypit.com. Kirsten in Michigan is on the line with a leaky situation. What’s going on? We have been in our house for 15 years,
00:23:01	CALLER: colonial, and came home the other day and my husband said that there were water spots, about four of them, on our family room ceiling. And just above that is the master bathroom where
00:23:13	TOM: lots of showers take place. Okay. Do you have a shower or a bathtub? We have both. Is it a standalone shower stall? Yes. It is. All right. And what’s the shower pan made out of? Is it tile or is it fiberglass? Is it? Fiberglass. It’s fiberglass. Okay. And what you’re going to have to do here is to try to do a little bit more detective work, try to figure out where this is coming from. I mean, obviously it’s coming from somewhere in the bathroom and I can tell you the shower pan, which we hope is okay, but I’ll tell you how to test it because if it’s not okay, you have to rip out a good part of the shower stall to fix it. What you’re going to want to do is take a washcloth or, you know, like one of those rubber pads that you use to open up jars that have like lids that are too tight. Those things work good too. You put it over the drain and then you fill that shower pan up with three or four inches of water. I mean, as much as it can take without overfilling. And you let it sit there for a while. And pretty much as soon as you fill it up, I want you to go downstairs right away and look at the ceiling and see if you have any leaks. Because I’ve done this test and had it leak immediately. Because basically what you’re doing is you’re filling the shower pan up and you’re making sure there’s no fine cracks in that pan. Especially important if you have tile, by the way,
00:24:30	CALLER: because the water goes through the tile and then- We do have tile in the bathroom.
00:24:34	TOM: Yeah. Well, I mean, on the shower pan, you don’t have tile on the shower pan, but sometimes we see lead lined shower pans where this goes through quickly. So we do that if that’s okay. Next thing you want to do is look carefully at the tile walls and make sure that the joints are caulked in the corners and also where the tile meets the shower pan itself. Because those are the other areas that water tends to leak through. And lastly, examine the tile very carefully for gaps in the grout. Because what can happen is it may not leak when you’re just draining water straight through the shower pan. But when you step into the shower, and the water starts hitting your body and bouncing off, getting all over the walls, that’s when it leaks. Because that water is now being sort of forced in against those tiles, and it will get down behind it. It’s going to be something in that sort of area that generally causes this if it’s right under a bathroom. And now, do you notice that it’s consistent with rainfall at all, by the way? No. Okay. Because if it was, I would tell you to look at the flashing where the plumbing vent comes through the roof, which is also going to be vertical at that spot. But I suspect it’s probably at Master Bath. And I hope I gave you a few things to check for there that make some sense.
00:25:48	CALLER: Yes. Thank you very much.
00:25:49	TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with that project, Kirsten. And thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. Well, Leslie, I know you’re a great cook. Me, not so much. So I get those nuisance alarms from my smoke detectors now and again.
00:26:03	LESLIE: It’s like, hey, your French toast is done.
00:26:05	TOM: Exactly. And that’s one reason I’m really happy with the new First Alert 10-Year Battery 2-in-1 Smoke and CO Alarm, because it’s got advanced smoke detection. Sensing technology, which reduces those cooking nuisance alarms. I think that’s great. Because all kidding aside, people take the batteries out when that happens, and that’s a really bad thing to do because they don’t put them back, and then it’s not there when you need it. So it’s a great product. We’re going to give it away to one lucky listener, to one 888-Money-Pit, along with a Wi-Fi water leak and freeze detector. So you’ll be alerted if your basement or crawlspace starts to flood or your bathroom starts to leak, whatever, and a home fire extinguisher. So all three products going out to one listener. Drawn at random. Value is $215. So if you’d like to win these products from First Alert, call us right now at 1-888-Money-Pit with your question. 888-666-3974.
00:26:56	LESLIE: Keith and George is on the line with a crawlspace question. How can we help you?
00:27:00	CALLER: I’ve got about a 40 or 50s built home, and my crawlspace is probably 18 or 20 inches, really low. And listening to y’all show, it says, you know, y’all say, that, you know, you need to have some kind of a ceiling on the dirt under there. I’m just wondering, do you have suggestions on a product that I could use to seal something with a small
00:27:24	TOM: crawlspace layer? Yeah, all you want to do, Keith, is just use polyethylene sheeting. Same kind of sheeting you might use as a drop cloth, perhaps a little bit thicker, and roll that out and lay it across the crawlspace floor. I always tell folks to make sure you kind of scan the floor first and make sure there’s no debris or anything that’s going to break through it. But lay that sheeting out across the floor. And if you’re going to use a polyethylene sheeting, whole crawlspace floor, you can let it run up the walls a few inches just to get it in there nice and tight. And just having that sheeting on that dirt floor is going to stop a lot of the moisture that naturally will evaporate through that sand and soil up into the house and just make it a lot drier and nicer in that space. And it can also prevent mold and mildew from forming.
00:28:05	CALLER: Okay. Thank you so much, because I was trying to figure out, well, if I just lay it,
00:28:10	TOM: it’s not going to seal it. No, it does a pretty good job. You know, it just covers it. It covers it up and stops the evaporation. You don’t have to, it’s not really that hard of a job to do. Just, you know, the hardest part is getting the plastic in there and cut the size and, you know, just kind of get it laid in there nice. So, you know, if you start down one end and kind of work your way down, you should be good to go. Okay. Well, if you’re ready for a kitchen or bath update, but you don’t have the big budget for a major redo, there is a new countertop kit out from Daich Coatings that lets you create a beautiful and durable marble countertop in just a weekend. It’s called Marble Dream, and I just finished using it on an old and worn out laminate countertop. Leslie, I think this top must’ve been 30 years old, and now it looks absolutely amazing.
00:28:52	LESLIE: Yeah. And you know what? One of the coolest features of this new kit is that it enables you to create a swirl effect right in the marble. And the only tool that you need is a blow dryer. Now it relies on heat and air movement, all of the things you get with the hair dryer, and that produces a one-of-a-kind flowing marble look on your countertop, on tables,
00:29:12	TOM: and truly you can do this in just one weekend. That’s right. You control the entire look of your new marble surface by adding accent colors in specific areas. Then you use the blow dryer to gently move the colors across the surface to create a blended swirling effect. The ingredients and heat react with each other, and that creates a very authentic looking marble coating.
00:29:32	LESLIE: Now the finished top resists stains, it’s heat resistant, impact resistant, and you can apply it directly to laminates, concrete, plywood, MDF, stone, pre-coated, and solid surfaces. And the final surface is kept food safe and intact with a tough polyurethane clear coat. So truly it’s super durable and it’s super gorgeous. And applying Marble Dream really is an easy DIY project. You don’t need any skills or artistic talent required there to do it. It’s a DIY project that takes just two days from start to finish. And I’m telling you, you will be super impressed with your finished product.
00:30:07	TOM: The Marble Dream kit covers 40 square feet. It costs 169 bucks, and it comes in pristine. White and Cosmos black. It also includes all tools needed for the project.
00:30:17	LESLIE: Well, except the hairdryer.
00:30:19	TOM: Ah, yes, but I’m sure you’ll lend me yours. Get the Marble Dream resurfacing kit with free shipping at DiceCoatings.com and online at Lowe’s and Home Depot.
00:30:28	LESLIE: All right, we’ve got Mike here from New York who writes in, we just repainted our kitchen cabinets. We used high-end Benjamin Moore primer and their advanced top coat. We just left a bag of open chips in the cupboard pantry overnight, and they taste like you would imagine. The new paint would taste like. Surprised that there are not more posts out there on the internet with the same problem. What should we do? Should we contact Benjamin Moore? I mean, you got to give those cabinets like a little bit of time to sort of off-gas and settle
00:30:56	TOM: in, no? I think his problem is he chose the wrong color. I mean, if he had selected Doritos flavor. Ketchup flavor. Ketchup or cinnamon, you know, nice brown, it would have tasted much better. No, only kidding. You’re right, Leslie. It’s the off-gas thing. And listen, all products are going to off-gas. I mean, it’s going to be a lot of work. It’s going to be a lot of work. It’s going to be a lot of work. And usually, it’s not terribly offensive. I mean, think about new car smell, right? We all like that smell while we have a new car. But listen, carpet, upholstery, it all off-gases. Pillows, everything off-gases. So what you need to do is to leave those cabinet doors open overnight for, I’d say, maybe a week or so. And just to make sure we’re moving a lot of air through that. If you put something in there and close the door, of course, it’s going to smell like that the next morning. It makes total sense. So let’s put lots of ventilation in there. That will have a lot of help the off-gassing. Do what it’s got to do, and it will get less over time. Usually, it depends on temperature and weather. But usually, a week or two, and you don’t really detect it any longer. So that’s your next step, and that should solve it.
00:31:55	LESLIE: All right. Now, Heather wrote in saying, I have a concrete patio, but it holds water when it rains and then turns green in the middle. My husband seems to think that the builder did not put a barrier underneath it. How can we fix it or keep it clean?
00:32:07	TOM: No, you wouldn’t put plastic underneath an outdoor patio. You would, however, slope it for drainage. But that didn’t happen. So what I would do is I would add another layer on top of it using a product called ReCap. It’s made by Quikrete. It can go on to be about an inch thick. And you could basically put another layer on top of that patio and slope this new layer so that the water runs off. Once it’s dried, you can paint it with like an epoxy paint, and it’ll look fantastic and should not grow mold anymore. Well, spring and summer are peak season for real estate sales. And if you’re the owner of a home that’s new or new to you, it’s tempting to move in now and paint later. But painting before you move in is hands down the best bet. Leslie’s got the reasons why in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word. Leslie?
00:32:50	LESLIE: Yeah, listen, guys, I get it. After months of dreaming about your new house, it’s finally yours, and you want nothing more than to move your things inside. But before you schedule those movers, consider these reasons to start with a few coats of paint instead. First of all, the simplest reason now. Interior painting is a whole lot easier when the and not cluttered with all your stuff. And painting first is also going to save time. Your painting project is going to take a lot longer if you’ve got to cover, uncover furniture, remove, rehang artwork, and it’s also going to save you a lot of money. If you’re working with a professional painting contractor, they’re going to finish much faster in an empty space, and that’s going to keep some dollars right in your pocket. Now, painting first also simplifies interior decorating. If you’re designing a space from scratch, starting with a fresh coat of paint all those other decisions for that picture-perfect result. So you really can plan that space with that color and just get a beautiful project done. And finally, it just feels good. I mean, there’s nothing like a new coat of paint to really make a home seem cleaner, fresher, more welcoming, more yours. I mean, it’s all wonderful. Just make sure you use a top-quality 100% acrylic latex paint, and you are going to get a stain-resistant finish that’s going to look new for years to come.
00:34:08	TOM: This is the Money Pit Home. Home Improvement Show. Coming up next time on the program, we’ve all heard the horror stories of deck collapses. You know, it’s always the same. Partygoers pile on a deck, and then boom. Well, if you do a deck checkup before your first summer blowout, it’s going to make you a lot safer. We’ll walk you through a five-step DIY inspection on the next Money Pit. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
00:34:29	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
00:34:30	TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself.
00:34:32	LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone.

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