#2517– Solid Choices for Most Durable Countertops | Daich Sweepstakes | Asphalt Driveway Tips

[Jim]
The Money Pit is presented by Daich Coatings and the Metal Roofing Alliance. Now here’s Leslie Segrete.

[Leslie Segrete]
Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I am Leslie Segrete, and happy Mother’s Day to all of those mamas out there. Ladies, we do a lot, and I’m here to say good job, kudos, nicely done.

We’re all here to support each other. Even the dads out there that help out a ton, we hear you, we see you, and we are thankful. But it’s Mama’s weekend, so make her some dinner, do a home improvement project.

Kids, go on that six-mile hike if she asks, because that’s what she wants to do. Coming up this hour, kitchens can feel like the busiest part of our homes. Everybody loves to hang out in there, even the pets.

Now lots of things happen in the kitchen, whether it’s the food being prepped, electronics being charged, car keys getting dropped off, whatever. Those countertops bear the brunt of all that wear and tear. So we are going to share some tips on the most durable and easiest-to-maintain countertops just ahead.

And now through June 9th, we have a great sweepstakes going on. You can enter our porch and patio makeover sweepstakes. We’re giving away up to $5,000 in Dyche Coatings product.

We’ll share all of those details in just a bit. And is your driveway ready for a do-over? You know, asphalt driveways take a beating from the cars to the kids, and don’t forget everything that Mother Nature throws at it.

So we’re going to share some tips on how to restore your driveway, no matter how worn it is. All right, guys, you know, we are here to help you create your best home ever. So whether that’s a quick fix or a big project, we can help you save time, money, and tackle your to-dos with confidence.

So give us a call at 888-MONEYPIT. Jim, who is first?

[Jim]
Leslie, Sharon is in Tennessee. She’s on the line holding for us and has some questions about tankless water heating. How can we help you, Sharon?

[Sharon in Tennessee]
Jeff, my husband, and I, 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 5 or 10 minutes before it gets hot. 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 work all the bugs out of them. Are they a good investment? Are they good economically?

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, Sharon, you know, they have been out for a long time, and it’s probably longer than you think. I’d say about, like, 15 years. But the thing is, you know, you don’t really need to replace your water heater nearly that often.

Sometimes folks are still unfamiliar with them because you haven’t been shopping for a water heater, and you’re certainly not reading magazines about, like, what’s new in water heating technology, which, Jim, I imagine is a weekly magazine that people really devour, correct?

[Jim]
It’s in my restroom reading, I’ll tell you that.

[Leslie Segrete]
And you are in there a long time. But that’s another story. Anyway, sorry, Sharon.

But truly, it’s not something that you’re really kind of staying up on unless it’s time to get a new water heater. You know, what happens is, with a traditional water heater, it takes time for that water to get hot. But with a tankless water heater, it kind of heats it on demand.

And the issue is here that it could be the distance between the water heater and the plumbing fixture that you’re waiting for the water to get there. So it could take a lot of minutes for that amount of water to pass through the pipes and show up as hot on the spot that you’re calling for that water. So whether you’ve got a tanked heater or a tankless heater isn’t going to change that distance.

It’s just sort of changing how that water is heated between the tanked and the tankless. It’s still going to take longer to get that same amount of hot water to you, regardless of the type of water heating you have. So that’s not going to change.

But what will change is that you will have an unlimited supply of hot water because tankless water heaters, pretty much when they are sized right for your home, are not going to run out of hot water. And it’s really a very efficient way for you to get that hot water. But I should have asked you this.

Are you on gas? Yes. All right.

Now, if you were on electric, we’d be having a different conversation because electric tankless water heaters are just not efficient at all, but gas is perfect, all right?

[Sharon in Tennessee]
Okay. Well, I’m trying to get some second thoughts in and get some quotes, maybe.

[Leslie Segrete]
Well, there’s also an option by Rheem where you can actually add a bypass valve at the furthest bathroom fixture from that water heater. And what that does is it sort of recirculates that warm water through the pipes based on a timer or based on your use pattern. So with that addition, you might not be waiting at all for hot water to arrive.

And that could be another option that would work for you, all right?

[Sharon in Tennessee]
Okay. Well, that sounds pretty good. There’s some good suggestions there that I can look into, and we’re looking at doing some things to the house, and that was the first thing I thought of.

[Leslie Segrete]
All right. Terrific. Thank you so much for giving us a call at 888-MONEYPIT.

[Jim]
Let’s head out to Texas, Leslie. Are you in?

[Leslie Segrete]
All right. We’re on our way to Texas.

[Jim]
Sweet. And it’s for Bill, who has a painting question. How can we help with your project, Bill?

[Bill]
I’m remodeling my bathroom, and it had popcorn on the ceiling. I sprayed that off. My question now is, is there a special sealer I need to put on there other than like a Killz primer?

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, Bill, you’re exactly right. A primer is what you’re going to want, and Killz is a fantastic brand of primer, especially if you’ve got any uneven surfaces or uneven finishes or even areas of mold or discoloration. That’s the type of primer that you’re going to want because it’s really going to seal everything in.

And once that primer is dry, you can go ahead and top it with any latex topcoat. You want a good quality ceiling paint. You can go with white.

Some people go with like a slightly tinted color just to soften up the space, but that’s totally up to you.

[Bill]
I’ve got all that texture off, the popcorn off. Do they make a paint with a texture, a light texture in it now?

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, I mean, textured ceilings in a bathroom space are kind of like the worst idea because you have a lot of moisture in the space, and that textured ceiling, if it’s not sort of a stuccoed, stippled surface, is going to be made out of kind of like a fibrous material encased in that paint, and then it kind of gives you the opportunity to have mold growth, and of course you can’t clean it. So it’s really a terrible spot for a textured ceiling like that. So if I were you, I would not put any texture back up there.

You just got it all off, prime that ceiling, go for a good quality top coat, and you’ll be so very, very happy. And of course with a ceiling, don’t go with any sheen, especially after you’ve sort of removed all this texture because you could end up, if you put any kind of a sheen in that paint, you’re going to very much notice any of that difference in texture, height, motion, whatever. You’ll see it the second you add like the slightest bit of sheen.

But a flat paint, for some reason, makes it so that you can’t see any of it.

[Bill]
All right. Very good.

[Leslie Segrete]
Thanks so much, Bill. Good luck with your project. Hey, are you tired of living in a money pit?

Well, we’re here to help, and if you want us to help out, it would be awesome if you could leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Just go to moneypit.com slash review. It’s only going to take a minute, and it means the world to us.

What are you guys doing? Are you spring organizing this weekend? I feel like just when I think I’m done, there’s like one more closet or cabinet that can really use a fresh approach, and this is a fun, quick little tip.

If you’re in need for some quick cabinet organization, I highly recommend using tension rods. You kind of stand them up from like the top of the cabinet to the shelf. Now, that’s going to create these little sections that you can store your pans, your platters, your trays, whatevers, you know, very neatly.

Not only are they cheap, but they are quick and really an efficient way to get your cupboards in top shape. After a long winter of kind of just shoving everything away. So, you know, not the best thing to add to your Mother’s Day weekend, another project, but I get it.

We’re all doing projects anyway, so what’s one more? All right. Jim, let’s get back to the phones.

Who’s up?

[Jim]
Judy in Louisiana reached out Leslie with a cleaning question about mold, and here she is.

[Judy in Louisiana]
Hi. I was asking about mildew and mold on brick. How do I get it off the easiest way?

I mean, it’s outside. How do I get it off the easiest way without damaging the mortar?

[Leslie Segrete]
All right, Judy. Well, you know, there’s a variety of products out there that can get rid of that mold and mildew on stone. And, you know, what it does really is it breaks down the fibers of that moss or mildew, and then the rain kind of washes it away.

They’re slow working. It’s not like you’re going to put it on and everything’s going to be gone immediately and clean. So, you kind of have to have a little patience, but what it’s doing is it’s breaking down that moss and mildew, getting it down to the fibers, and then washing it away with the natural rain.

So, you could look at stuff like Spray and Forget or Wet and Forget. There’s another one called Concrobium. I mean, Zinsser makes one.

Pretty much all of these products are basically a mildicide, and they’re designed to kill that material. You know, you can use them on the roof. You can use them on a shed roof, just pretty much anywhere where you see this natural mold, mildew occurrence.

And, you know, over time, you’re going to notice that you’ll be seeing those shingles again or that siding again or that brick again as if that mold and mildew never existed. So, it kind of melts it away. Now, you can pressure wash some of it off, but you just have to be careful and be gentle with that pressure washer because with the brick, you don’t want it to destroy the mortar and start breaking out the mortar from between the brick.

So, just be very careful in how you use it. Use a very low-pressure setting. Try in a spot that’s maybe behind some plantings or something, so if you do happen to make an error, it’s not going to be something that’s very prominent on the top of the house.

You just have to be careful, but there are ways to get rid of that mold and mildew and have that brick looking beautiful again. All right, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEYPIT. Well, kitchen counters serve as the work surface for family life.

It’s where you prepare food, you eat family meals maybe, you pay your bills, you help with homework. That is why choosing a material for the countertops that can stand up to all of that is very important. Now, here’s a few to consider, and we’re going to start off with natural stone.

Yeah, it’s probably one of the most popular options in natural stone countertop because it adds richness and depth to a space, and it really does make a great choice for kitchens and baths. Now, granite and quartz have become the gold standard lately. They’re beautiful, but they can be very costly.

Now, a smaller bathroom can provide opportunity for a luxe look with, you know, a budget price, obviously because you need less countertop. Now, a solid surface countertop, that’s also a great option. They look good.

They offer more design flexibility since they can be custom-made to fit your needs. The composite materials available are in so many colors and textural blends and solid surface countertops. They’re gorgeous, and they can also be part of a green kitchen or a bath design because it kind of incorporates old pieces of other materials that are remade into a new surface, which is great because I love the idea of repurposing everything.

A solid surface is durable. It’s stain resistant. They can be easy to install.

They’re affordable. The only downside was, you know, with the color because you don’t want to choose something that’s super light because it’s not going to stand up well to tomato sauce unless you have, like, an excellent cleaner handy because even with natural surfaces, tomato sauce, lemon juice for some reason kind of interacts with the color, wine, anything that’s really heavily saturated like that can get into those surfaces and obviously will require their own approach to sort of get rid of.

So just be cautious. If you’ve got your heart set on a lighter color, just be ready to clean and also just be careful with those things that could stain it. Now, if you’re looking for a DIY countertop solution, ceramic tile is great because there’s size, color, shape, texture, tons of options available.

It’s durable. It’s stain resistant. They’re easy to install and they’re affordable.

Well, they can be affordable. If you’re like me and you go to the tile store, you instantly walk over to the most expensive one because why not? That just seems to be the one that always catches my eye.

And then I walk back and say, okay, not that price. So you got to keep looking. But you have to remember with a countertop that’s made from tile, that grout is going to need to be sealed to help prevent staining.

And then the last option I would say is butcher block. It’s really beautiful and I love that kind of natural look, but it’s going to need the most care because you need to prevent absorption of E. coli bacteria.

So there’s a lot of care that goes into maintaining a butcher block countertop. If you want some more ideas on countertop choices and countertop care, lots of information at moneypit.com. Jim, who is standing by to lend a hand?

[Jim]
Doug is in Rhode Island, Leslie, and he’s got a question about a really cool plumbing product, in my opinion, and they’re called Shark Bites. Tell us what you’re working on, Doug.

[Doug in Rhode Island]
Yeah, I’m in the process where I’m planning to change my two outside faucets to the type that, where the actual shutoff is like a foot within the house, inside the house, to avoid having to shut down everything in the winter because it’ll drain from a foot inside the house. I’m not sure what they call that mechanism, but I’m thinking rather than have to deal with soldering any pipes in tight quarters, I’m thinking of using the Shark Bite product that eliminates any soldering. So I basically want your opinion on that.

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, Doug, that’s really kind of the perfect application for something like this. It’s basically a push-to-connect fastener, and then you press it on one end of the pipe and then press it on the other, and it kind of makes this permanent watertight seal. It’s a great product for that exact reason because you do not have to solder.

And a lot of times when you do install those hose bib valves, that’s basically what you’re talking about here. And what’s awesome about it is solder-free connection. You do have to invest a little bit, of course, in the tools that actually crimp and make that connection for you, so it is a little bit more money up front, but think about all the possibilities of what you can do.

You know, if you’re in a tough spot or in a crawl space or working near wood floor, this is really the perfect tool and the perfect product for that. And by the way, if you make a mistake, you can take them apart. Of course, that’s another special tool that you’ll need, and it’s oddly called a tongue.

I feel like all of these things have strange names. No, we’re over here. We’re just going to take apart.

Not yours, Jim. Oh, oh, oh. It’s an actual tool called the tongue.

[Jim]
Oh, that makes way more sense. Okay.

[Leslie Segrete]
Yes, and thankfully you can speak again from your home state of Michigan. But what happens with the tongue is it kind of just goes into that shark bite connection and releases it, so it releases that mechanism that holds the pipe so you can take it apart. And again, all of these tools are kind of a couple of dollars.

Each, it’s something that you’re going to want to pick up because, you know, you make mistakes. We all make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect.

But it’s really an awesome way to make a perfect plumbing connection.

[Doug in Rhode Island]
Does it just work forever?

[Leslie Segrete]
I mean, it’s kind of like a Chinese finger puzzle. Is that okay to call it that? You know, those stretchy straw things that you put your two fingers in?

[Doug in Rhode Island]
That’s what it is.

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, exactly. And then when you go to pull your fingers out, you can’t unless you’re pushing it in. So that’s really the only way you can get the shark bite connection apart is by pushing it back together.

So I think it’s pretty sturdy.

[Doug in Rhode Island]
I know they were, you know, maybe a little more pricey than using solder and fittings, but it seems like a more practical application, unless you mentioned being in a tight spot.

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, and exactly. It’s a lot less expensive than perhaps causing a house fire by, you know, not correctly using a soldering torch.

[Doug in Rhode Island]
Yeah, right.

[Leslie Segrete]
All right. Good luck with that project. Thank you so much for calling us at 888-MONEY PIMP.

[Jim]
Heading off to Nevada, we’ve got Bill on the line with an LED lighting question. What can we do for you, Bill?

[Bill in Nevada]
I recently replaced a standard overhead incandescent lighting fixture with a LED lighting fixture. The installation went okay. Everything works.

But when you turn on the light, there’s a delay. There’s about a second and a half, maybe a two-second delay before the lights actually come on. Is that standard what causes it?

And more importantly, is there something I can do about it?

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, you know, we’ve seen that with some of the LED fixtures, and it just kind of seems to be normal. LED bulbs are pretty complicated, and when you think about all the circuitry that goes into it, I just presume that it just takes a bit to bring that light up and maintain it at that level. So I’ve never kind of really thought twice about this being an issue, but I could see how it might be surprising to you.

[Jim]
And that technology, Leslie, has actually come a long way. It’s pretty neat now that they have actually dimmable LEDs, because originally, as you recall, you’d flip them on and you’d get the symptom that Bill just described. Now, with the new LED-compatible dimmers and lights, things have turned around, and you pay a little bit for that, but it’s cool that you can do it, because originally, you know, 10, 15 years back, it was on or off.

[Leslie Segrete]
And cold blue light. Now you’ve got a ton of choices. It can be warm.

It can be daylight.

[Jim]
5600K, baby.

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, there’s a lot of choices. Are you doing some gardening this weekend? I have always found that Mother’s Day marks the time when it’s, like, super warm out, or it’s actually not going to be frosty anymore, so you can plant those beautiful flowers.

You can do all of that gardening. You can put the mulch out there. All of the things that you’ve been kind of itching to do as the weather’s been warming up and winter’s been getting in our rearview mirror a little more.

So now is the time. Get out there. Enjoy your Mother’s Day.

Sit by the garden. Have somebody plant some flowers for you. Whatever you are doing, have a great weekend, and let’s find out what projects are on everybody’s to-do list.

So, Jim, let’s see who’s got one we can help out with. Who’s up on the phones?

[Jim]
We’ve got Kirsten in my home state of Michigan. You notice I point that out all the time, right?

[Leslie Segrete]
We all know you’re from Michigan, Jim.

[Jim]
Yeah, go blue, go green. Kirsten, I’m sorry, what’s going on?

[Kirsten in Michigan]
We have been in our house for 15 years. It’s 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 lots of showers take place.

[Leslie Segrete]
All right, so this is just below your master bath. Do you have a shower or a bathtub there? We have both.

All right, is it a standalone shower stall? Yeah. Okay, so do you happen to know what the shower pan is made of?

Is it tile? Is it fiberglass? Fiberglass.

All right, so you know it’s fiberglass. Great. And what you’re going to have to do here is try to do some detective work.

We’re going to have to figure out where exactly this water is coming from. I mean, obviously, it’s coming from somewhere in that bathroom, but I can tell you with the shower pan, which we hope is okay, we’re going to have to do some testing, because if it’s not okay, you’re going to have to rip out a good part of that shower stall to fix it. So what you want to do here is take a washcloth, or even one of those rubber pads that you use to open up a jar that’s too tight.

Those work really well. And you put it over the drain. And then you fill that shower pan up about three or four inches with water.

I mean, as much as you can fill it without it overflowing. And then you just let it sit there for a while. And pretty much as soon as you fill it up, I want you to go downstairs and take a look at the ceiling.

See then if you’ve got any leaks. Because we’ve done this test before, and we’ve seen it leak almost immediately. Because basically what you’re doing is you’re filling up that shower pan, and you’re making sure there’s no fine cracks in that pan.

If there are cracks in that pan, that’s where the leak’s going to be. In the bathroom. Right, but on the shower pan, you don’t have tile, correct?

Because sometimes we see lead-lined shower pans where this goes through quickly. So we do want to know if that’s okay. The next thing you want to do is carefully look at the tile walls, and you want to make sure that the joints are all caulked in the corners, and where the tile meets that shower pan itself.

Because that’s another area where the water can tend to leak through. And then lastly, you kind of have to examine the tile very carefully to see if you see any gaps in the grout. Because what can happen is it might not leak when you’re just draining water straight through the shower pan, but when you’re in the shower and the water hits your body and it kind of bounces off you and hits the walls, then maybe that’s when you’re getting the leak.

So it’s sort of like wind-driven rain, but think of you as the wind-driven rain, if that makes sense. So you kind of really have to look at all of these different areas. You’re going to kind of problem-solve to see where this water is actually happening.

So what we’re doing here is trying to see if it is 100% that master bath. If it’s not, we can start looking at some other things. Is there a vent pipe that goes through the roof somewhere near there?

Could water be getting through that? Is there an issue with flashing? Is there something wrong on the roof?

There’s just some things that we’ll have to sort of check off our list as we sort of problem-solve and test. So start with all those things in the master bath. Check all the stuff for the shower and see what comes of it.

Yes, thank you very much. All right, good luck with your project, Kristen. It’s going to be a little bit of investigative work, but we are here to help you out.

So once you kind of see where that leak is coming from, reach back out and we can talk you through it. Well, we are thrilled to announce that we’ve partnered with Daich Coatings to bring you the ultimate porch and patio makeover sweepstakes. We love to give stuff away with our partners.

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You can choose a decorative surface of spread rock granite stone coating, track safe anti-slip color coat, or roller rock rollable stone coating, and you’re also going to get a final coating of track safe anti-slip sealer to create a gorgeous new space for your home. There will also be 20 runner-up winners who will each receive a track safe anti-slip color kit valued at $150. You can enter today at moneypit.com forward slash sweepstakes.

[Jim]
Carson sent us a message on our voicemail system, Leslie, at moneypit.com, by the way. And here we go. Let’s hear what he has to say.

[Carson]
I have stairs in an apartment, and the bottom half are open, and they have carpet, which is just wrapped around and stapled underneath. Is there a good vinyl product that I can put on the stairs and get away from carpet?

[Leslie Segrete]
So, Carson, this is tricky, because what you’ve mentioned is that the bottom few are these open steps, and you want to get rid of the carpeting, which is fine. You can totally get rid of that carpeting and remove all those staples, but I don’t know where you’re going to or where you’re coming from. So what’s the floor that you’re landing on?

What’s on the upper steps that you’re coming from? Do you not care? Do you want to match?

Do you want to complement it? Because there’s a lot of different ways that you can do this. You know, there are vinyl tread options from different companies, like American Stair Treads, and they have a bullnose and a square nose kind of built right in that you could just attach to the existing step.

They’re like gray, tan, black, but they’re kind of very industrial looking. So, you know, does that work? But there are some available online that do have that cap nose kind of built into the tread themselves.

They come sort of in a four foot length. You cut them to the right size and then, you know, attach according to the manufacturer directions. So I think there are options that are available to you.

They’re not really the most cost effective. Like if they’re 48 inches wide, you can maybe get two steps out of them. So you’re looking at like 30 bucks a step, which isn’t tremendously expensive for the four steps, but you kind of have to figure out what are we trying to match?

Do you want a wood look that matches whatever that wood floor is below? Is there carpeting below? It doesn’t matter.

You’re going for a solid color. So there are options out there, but just kind of figure out what the look you want is and then go from there. Not a difficult project.

[Jim]
I’d go with the ice cap. Tim Hortons, preferably.

[Leslie Segrete]
Well, asphalt driveways take a beating from Mother Nature, the sun, moisture, certainly the winter’s freeze-thaw cycles. All of that weather combines to cause cracks and deteriorate that asphalt surface. And it’s the asphalt that kind of binds everything that holds your driveway together.

So if it seems like your driveway is ready for replacement, you know, you’ve got some options. First, know what you’re buying. Aside from driveway sealing, which is when a very thin coating of asphalt sealer is applied, and that’s really just kind of, you know, refinishing the surface.

It just puts a smooth black finish on top. But there are actually three ways that you can redo your driveway. Now, a pro can add a layer to what you already have, or if the driveway is in really bad shape, they can completely tear it out and start from scratch.

But if the driveway is just worn and doesn’t have big potholes or cracks, a top coat could be an option. So for driveway replacement, the most important thing is the preparation of the base. Now, once the old asphalt is removed, a new gravel base, like, you know, typically six inches of the gravel, is going to be installed.

And then you’ve got to roll it out. And I mean tamp it, roll it, but I’m not talking about just like with a dinky little roller. Like a walk-behind roller could be, like, 3,500 pounds.

But if the company who’s installing it has, like, a drive-in one, they could be, like, 11,000 to, like, 30,000 pounds. So what’s happening is it is sort of crushing down and tamping down this gravel base so that it will be solid, like a finished road. And that is really what you want because when this part is done well, you can expect your driveway to look like the day it was put down for many, many, many years.

Now, lastly, it’s important to choose the right type of asphalt. Some asphalt has more aggregate, kind of like that stone in it, than others. If you go with one that’s too sandy, the driveway won’t be as strong and you could have problems in as little as a few years.

But if you put down one that has more aggregate, it’s going to last 10 or more. Sandy asphalt might give you a smoother appearance, but it just doesn’t last. So you always want to choose an asphalt mix that has more gravel.

Listen, guys, we can’t wait to see all of those freshened-up driveways that you’re tackling this summer. Send us your pictures at moneypit.com. We love braggers.

It’s fine. Be proud of the work you do. So send us some images and maybe we’ll start rotating them on our social media so we can all see what you guys have been working on and you can give yourself an attaboy.

All right, Jim, let’s get back to the phones.

[Jim]
Okay, we’re heading out to Maine where Carol’s got an electrical problem. And, Leslie, you already know my answer when it comes to electrical. Higher pro?

Let’s hear what the question is. Maybe not.

[Leslie Segrete]
Maybe not.

[Jim]
But if you got to ask some questions, there’s your answer.

[Leslie Segrete]
Maybe you should not be doing it. All right, let’s hear what Carol’s got going on.

[Carol in Maine]
We are replacing some outlets, older outlets. And the outlets that we are taking out have two black wires and two red wires. And our question is, do we need to replace both of those black wires and both of those red wires on the new receptacle?

[Leslie Segrete]
All right, so, Carol, when you’re removing this outlet and you’re replacing the receptacle, you should see black wires and red wires. And generally, those should be the hot live wires. And then you should have some white wires that would be the neutral.

And this is all a should be. If your house has been wired incorrectly in any way, it might not be correct. And if you accidentally put a white wire to a black wire, you could cause a short, like tripping, or even a fire.

So what I would say, if you’re unsure about this in any way, it’s better to consult an electrician. But generally, when you’re replacing outlets, it’s wire for wire. So black to black, red to red, white to white.

You want to make sure that you’re connecting everything the way that it should go. So if you’re asking the questions, I would say maybe hire a pro. And generally, with smaller projects like this, it’s kind of good to, you know, have a couple of them around, change all the receptacles in one room.

[Jim]
Get the most bang for your buck, yeah, because they’re there anyway.

[Leslie Segrete]
Exactly, because they’re going to be there. They’re going to charge you for the hour. Rather than having something that’s done super quick, put a bunch of stuff together and get all of those projects done.

[Jim]
Carol, if you do decide to do it yourself or have somebody do it, take a picture as you’re taking it apart so you can see exactly. Because what happens if you take it apart and you don’t do it right then and there, there’s a real good chance you’re going to forget what wire went where. Yeah.

Just take a picture.

[Leslie Segrete]
Oh, and Carol, I didn’t say it, but make sure that power is off.

[Jim]
Let’s back up a little, shall we?

[Leslie Segrete]
Power off, wire for wire. Be safe. I think we fixed it.

We want you to make your good home better, and we want to help you do the same. But I want Jim to share with us, it’s Mother’s Day, you guys. It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and you should be celebrating your moms often, and, you know, doing nice things and helping out around the house.

But Jim one year, and you didn’t even do this for Mother’s Day, Jim treated his mom to the happiest birthday gift ever, which I think could inspire some great Mother’s Day gifts. So what happened, Jim?

[Jim]
Well, I took my mom to see her favorite singer of all time, Johnny Mathis.

[Leslie Segrete]
Oh, my God, I love this.

[Jim]
And I got you some industry pull and got into the green room. She got to meet him, get his autograph, and a big hug and kiss from Johnny Mathis.

[Leslie Segrete]
I love that.

[Jim]
Happy Mother’s Day, everybody.

[Leslie Segrete]
Oh, I love that so much. Happy Mother’s Day, you guys.

[Jim]
Ah, the three Rs, reduce, reuse, and recycle. All are key to a green lifestyle. Leslie has tips to help with one green table building project that delivers all three Rs.

Leslie has that in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word. Leslie?

[Leslie Segrete]
Yeah, I got a lot of words. These are my last ones for today, though, you guys. I always found that when we were doing these home makeover shows on TLC, HDTV, we had, like, really no money for anything.

And so when we were going around these homes, we would always find things that we could repurpose. And this really is a great trick of the trade. You just turn unusual items that you’ve got around the house into functional and good-looking side tables.

So it could be as simple as finding a glazed ceramic garden tool. Maybe you actually used it outside. Maybe it’s just looking a little grungy and can benefit from a pressure washer.

But you can also find them everywhere from discount shops to those super high-end stores where they’re going to charge you hundreds of dollars for something that shouldn’t cost that much. But they look fantastic as little unexpected side tables or a spot in the bathroom to put a little candle on or an orchid or just some rolled-up towels. It’s just another use for something that might not normally, you know, be used in the bathroom.

You might just put one outside. So definitely think about, you know, kind of putting something from one spot somewhere else. Now, I used to find rain drums, simple plastic barrels that are used to collect rain outside, vintage wire baskets, stacking up old suitcases, a cool old musical instrument.

These could all work well as a table base. The only thing you have to do is when you’re thinking about this transformation is you have to think, how can I secure this wire basket to a tabletop? How can I turn this cool guitar into a table base?

And sometimes that’s as simple as a base with a post and securing the item you find to the post. Sometimes it’s as simple as running a pipe up through the center of something so that that stack becomes secure and then securing a tabletop on with a flange. Sometimes a piece could just work on its own and then you put a custom piece of tempered glass right on top as the tabletop.

So these are great ways that you can create a functional, recycled, repurposed side table out of something that’s totally unique, whether you find it in your home, you find it at a yard sale, at a thrift shop, whatever it is. And I love a challenge, you guys. If you have something in your money pit that you’re like, you can’t make this into a table, I bet you I can.

I could probably also make something into a lamp. That’s another trick I like to do.

[Jim]
Don’t bet against Leslie, you’ll lose.

[Leslie Segrete]
I like to turn random things into lamps, sconces, hanging light fixtures. So I’m going to put this challenge out there. Send me, first of all, what you’ve worked on.

I want to see it. But also send me something that you would love to see be a table or a lamp. And I bet you we can make it and we’ll share it on our socials.

Can’t wait to see what you guys are working on. All right. Well, coming up next week, as we move towards summer, saving water becomes more and more important.

But rather than relying on your kids and family to use less water, which, let’s be honest, is not going to happen, new fixtures can actually do that water saving for you. And they are simple plumbing projects. We’re going to tell you how to find faucets, toilets, showers, sprinklers that can do the job without wasting the water.

Well, happy Mother’s Day, everyone. Have a wonderful weekend. Hopefully you’re enjoying your day in the way that makes you most happy.

Thanks so much for joining us this hour here at the Money Pit. Remember, guys, you can do it yourself, but you don’t have to do it alone.