Energy Savers that Sell Homes Faster | Latest Smart Home Product Tech| Easy Ways for Warm Floors | Ep #2193

TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: And we are here to help you take on the projects on your to-do list and slide them right over to the done list. If you’ve got a project in mind you’d like to take on, we’d love to help. The number here to ask your questions is 888-MONEY-PIT or you can post your questions to MoneyPit.com. So, as you look around your house, as you look around your yard, we know there’s something you’d like to get done. So, let us help. That is what we do.

Hey, coming up on today’s show, whether you live in a climate that’s warm or cold, insulation is the key to keeping your home comfortable. And now that we’re going into fall, it’s a good time to assess your home’s insulation needs because most homes simply don’t have enough. We’re going to share a new product that’ll allow you to get that insulation done fast and safe, just ahead.

LESLIE: And also ahead, it’s that time of year when all of that beautiful foliage is going to assemble onto your rooftop into one gigantic mess, which is going to clog your gutters. And this is going to happen everywhere. Oh, my goodness.

Well, we’re going to take a look at the most popular gutter guards and talk about what works and what doesn’t.

TOM: And if you guys have a big job to do that requires a construction adhesive – maybe like installing a mirror, for example – you know that that construction adhesive is very strong, right? But it’s also super messy. Well, now there’s a new double-sided construction adhesive tape that is way strong and it can hold 300 pounds with 0 mess. So we’re going to tell you all about that.

LESLIE: Plus, if you like to build projects that maybe require a little bit of joinery to keep it all together, we’ve got a great tool to give away today from Kreg Tool. And it’s the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 520PRO and it’s worth $99. But it’s going out to one lucky listener drawn at random.

TOM: So, call us, right now, with your home improvement, your décor, your reno questions. That number, again, is 888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974. Or post your questions, right now, to MoneyPit.com.

Leslie, looks like there’s a lot of folks that are planning some end-of-summer and early-fall projects, so let’s get to it. Who’s first?

LESLIE: We’ve got Rebecca from Kansas on the line. What can we do for you today?

REBECCA: We have a room that has the old wood paneling in it with the grooves and such that we’d really like to not remove it. But is there some way we can get the drywall look without putting up drywall, with putting on mud by hand or splattering it and kind of doing a knockdown? Or would it stick or – what do we need to do?

LESLIE: Well, I feel like whatever you put on top of it, whether you fill it with mud or you use something to make the grooves go away and then try to smooth out the surface, you’re going to get so much movement from the walls, just in general. Not that your house is moving but it does. And it gets a lot of movement just from people walking by that none of that’s going to stick in there. And it’s going to end up falling off and looking weird and you’re going to have to do it again.

So, my suggestion is either embrace the paneling look, as far as the grooves, and paint it to give it a different effect or put a ½-inch drywall over it.

REBECCA: If you painted it, would you have to put some kind of a primer so it’ll stick or would you need to do a light sand on it or …?

LESLIE: Yes and yes. You want to make sure that the surface is clean, obviously.

REBECCA: Right.

LESLIE: So if there’s anything sticky or gross on it, you want to give it a good cleaning. You could use something like TSP, which is trisodium phosphate. And that’s a good wall-prep product. Or you can give it a light sanding. But if you give it a nice – if there’s a sheen to it, you may want to give it a light sanding but not necessarily.

And then I would use a really good, heavy-duty primer: something perhaps like a B-I-N or a Zinsser; something that’s hard-core that’s going to stick to anything. And then let that dry and once that’s done, you can go ahead and put a latex topcoat on it.

REBECCA: OK. If we elected to do the ½-inch drywall, we’d just treat it like a normal drywall: tape it, put the mud on and sand it and paint it.

LESLIE: Absolutely. The only thing to consider is that any electrical outlets – your boxes, things like that – are going to have to be pulled out a little bit.

REBECCA: Oh, we’re going to have to bring them out.

LESLIE: Yeah. Trim, as well.

REBECCA: OK. Very good. Thank you.

TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Chad in Michigan, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

CHAD: I attended an energy show where they were showing an energy shield or a wrap made out of aluminum. What it was designed to do was to basically block the radiant heat from penetrating your house in the summer. Thus, you’re using less energy, I guess, to stay cooler.

And then, in the wintertime, what it does – it prevents your heat from escaping, very much like the astronauts use from the extreme temperature in space. Since I’m building a new house, could you put this wrap between your ceiling drywall and the bottom of your trusses? Or is there a better way of keeping the radiant heat from penetrating your house in the summer?

TOM: What you’re talking about here is a product called “reflective barrier.” And I have to say that I’m not convinced that it works really well and would not necessarily recommend it. And usually, it’s put in a home that’s already constructed. It’s a little bit easier to put in a home that, obviously, is being built.

But there are far better alternatives if you really want to make your home energy-efficient. I would tell you to look into spray-foam insulation, specifically Icynene. Because when you use a spray-foam insulation in new construction, it does two things: not only does it insulate but it seals every possible little gap that is going to be throughout that building. And when the walls are open like that, you can have it sprayed and it’s going to do that. It’s also quieter in terms of preventing sound transmission. It just has so many wonderful benefits. I would tell you to focus on something like that to give yourself a real benefit and stay away from the radiant-barrier products.

CHAD: Oh, OK. Thank you very much.

TOM: You’re welcome, Chad. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Mindy in Kentucky is on the line and has a flooring question. How can we help you with your project?

MINDY: Yes. We have a really hideous linoleum in our – on our kitchen floor that’s actually been in the house since we bought it. And of course, it’s starting to peel up and there’s actually other linoleum under it. And actually, I’m really afraid to dig any deeper to see how many levels might be on it.

I was just wondering, is it worth the time and effort and possible extra cost to just take everything up?

TOM: Do you have a dishwasher in that kitchen?

MINDY: No, we do not. I’d love to have one but I do not have one, no.

TOM: Well, the reason I ask you is because if you don’t take up the old floor, you’d end up sort of sealing in the dishwasher and it’s hard to remove it after that.

Generally speaking, I’m an advocate of taking up the old flooring, because I think it’s kind of sloppy to put new layers over the old. But I can see if it’s difficult to get it out or for budget reasons that you don’t want to go in that direction. But I would recommend you take it up if you can.

MINDY: OK. OK. Alright. Well, I really appreciate that. Thank you very much.

TOM: You’re welcome, Mindy. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

Hey, if you guys like to build projects where you have to join boards together, that can be a difficult part of the project. Well, it won’t be if you have the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 520PRO. It’s a fantastic tool and we’ve got one to give away to one lucky listener on today’s program.

The Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig makes it easy to work with a wide variety of materials. You can work with wood, plywood, composites, 1-by, 2-by, hardwoods, you name it. You can join these boards together with the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 520PRO.

It’s worth 99.99 and it’s going out to one caller, one listener drawn at random. Make that you. Why not? Give us a call, right now, at 888-MONEY-PIT, we’ll toss your name in The Money Pit hard hat and we might be able to send that Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 520PRO out to you.

It’s available at KregTool.com or nationwide at Home Depot, Lowe’s and other home centers, hardware stores and woodworking retailers but we’ve got one to give away. So make that you. Give us a call. We want to hear what you’re working on, at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Ron in Pennsylvania, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?

RON: I have an 1865 farmhouse that is in very good condition, with about 2-foot-thick stone walls that are the basement walls. And from what I understand, those old, stone walls are made, basically, of stone and sometimes they put rubble in the middle. Somehow, field mice have found their way through from the outside and I’m trying to figure out how to maybe parge or put cement in between the stones to protect that from happening.

TOM: So, the mice, you think, are coming right through the foundation wall?

RON: Oh, yeah. They’re finding their way through. It’s been 150 years.

TOM: Why can’t you point the openings up? By pointing, I mean add mortar to those cracks or those crevices in the foundation wall, to try to seal those gaps up.

RON: My biggest question, I guess, is: how do I get that part cleaned out so that I can point that up? I guess I should use air rather than water to try to blast it out, to get the dust out of there so that the moisture would – so that the whatever cement I use will adhere. Would you recommend water or air to try to clean that?

TOM: I think you could probably do it with a pressure washer but you’re just going to have to make sure it dries really well before you go ahead and point it up.

RON: Is there any particular type of concrete product you would recommend or cement you would recommend for that?

TOM: I would take a look at the products that are made by QUIKRETE – Q-U-I-K-R-E-T-E. And you can find a mortar-patching compound that QUIKRETE makes and use that. Because it usually has sort of a stickier component to it, so it’s easier to press it in those places.

But listen, aside from just sealing up those gaps, just keep in mind that there’s a lot of different places that mice can get into your house. It might not just be those gaps in the foundation. They only need the space of about the width of a nickel to squeeze through.

RON: It’s amazing – pretty amazing – how easily they can get in. We don’t have a lot of trouble with them now as we did a little bit earlier. But I’d like to try to make those walls nicer again. They have the old horse-hair glass.

TOM: Yeah. Well, of course. And that will basically handle both of those challenges. Generally, you want to avoid doing anything around your house that could be a nesting site. So that could be stacks of firewood or newspapers or things like that. You want to make sure you’re careful with food in the house, especially pet food or types of food products that you keep on the ground, where it’s accessible. You want to make sure those things are in sealed containers.

You want to look for all those gaps. If you find any little gaps like that, another little trick of the trade, just temporarily, is just to put steel wool in there. Because mice can’t get through steel wool.

And then you want to use rodenticides. You want to be careful if you have pets. If you do, there are bait stations that the bait can be held by that pets can’t get into. But keeping those in and around the interior perimeter of the home, especially if it’s up on a basement or a crawlspace, are effective, as well.

RON: Yeah. Alright.

TOM: Alright. Good luck with that project, Ron. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Well, whether you live in a climate that’s warm or cold, insulation really is the key to keeping your home comfortable. And now that we’re going into the fall season, it really is a good time to assess your home’s insulation needs because most homes simply don’t have enough.

TOM: That’s right. But with an increased focus on the safety of the materials we choose for our homes, how do contractors and DIYers choose insulation products that are safe to work and live with?

LESLIE: Well, Owens Corning’s new PINK Next Gen Fiberglas Insulation is made with safe, proven ingredients. Since fiberglass is noncombustible, no chemicals are added to make it fire-resistant, which means more peace of mind for contractors, builders and homeowners.

TOM: Plus, its advanced fiber technology makes it feel soft and install quickly, so it’s easy to get the job done right without extra time, special equipment or messy cleanup. To learn more about the new PINK Next Gen Fiberglas Insulation, go to PINKNextGen.com. That’s PINK – P-I-N-K – Next – G-E-N.com.

LESLIE: Cheryl is on the line with a decking question. How can we help you today?

CHERYL: I’m going to have a deck built at the back of my home. And I have a concrete pad outside the door. And when I asked someone to come and look at it and give me an estimate about a deck, they were wanting to put the supports right on this concrete pad that’s back here. But it’s all broken up and all uneven from a large – very large – maple tree that I have in the back. And the roots, they’re gnarly and they’re – a lot of them are near the surface. And so, I was wondering if it would even be – you even recommend that I even think of having a deck built back there with the tree roots and the situation I have.

TOM: So, first of all, this is a patio, so it’s a thin concrete slab and be 4 or 5 inches thick. Is that what you’re telling me you have?

CHERYL: Right, right.

TOM: OK. So that is not an appropriate foundation for a deck. And so anyone suggesting that it is would scare me because in your part of the country, you need to have the footings for that deck be below the frost line. So that means that those footings have to be about 3 feet in the ground. And then on top of those footings, you can build the deck. Otherwise, the deck’s going to ride up and down as the land freezes in the wintertime.

So, what I would do is I would break up that patio and take it out of there. If it’s already half-broken up, with a jackhammer you’d probably get that thing out of there in an hour or two. It actually will come out a lot faster than what you would imagine.

In terms of the tree roots, yeah, if you can get some of that out of there, it’s probably not a bad idea. But clearly, what you have to concentrate on is however you’re going to support this deck. If it’s pretty much a grade-level deck, you have to kind of put that beam in flush with the rest of the floor structure. If it’s going to be up a little bit, then you would basically put the beam underneath the floor joists and support it on however many columns it takes to make it compliant with building code.

But to do it right, it’s got to be on a foundation. So don’t just slap a deck structure over that patio. It’s just not going to be built correctly and I doubt it would pass building code. And it would also – could devalue your house in the event you tried to sell it in the future.

CHERYL: OK. Well, the contractor that I had out here, he was leery of – he didn’t want to disturb the tree roots too much for fear of killing this gigantic tree. And that was his …

TOM: Well, it wasn’t a solution, because the roots are going to be there with or without the patio. It’s not a solution. And he’s not going to disturb the tree roots that much. Yes, it’ll be hard to dig those holes and you may have to chop through some of them. But I don’t think just digging three or four holes for a footing is going to be enough to kill a tree.

CHERYL: OK. Well, I’m glad that I gave you a call then. Thank you so much.

TOM: Alright, Cheryl. Well, good luck.

LESLIE: Well, fall is upon us and it’s the time of year when beautiful foliage assembles, not on a tree but onto your rooftop and then makes a big, rotted mess and then clogs your gutters. And it’s not just a Northeast thing; it happens all over the whole United States. Pretty much everywhere, actually.

And one thing is certain, that cleaning your gutters is really a good idea. Because causing water to overflow in a heavy rain, blocked gutters can cause a dozen or more severe home defects, including flooded basements, cracked foundations. I mean the list goes on and on.

TOM: Yeah. People really don’t understand how bad this can be. But getting rid of those leaves, it’s a simple enough project but it can also be dangerous for the untrained weekend warrior. So, alternatively, there are types of gutter-guard systems on the market to choose from. And all of them offer some sort of protection for your gutters, at a widely-varying cost.

LESLIE: Yeah. And I think it’s interesting, Tom, because a lot of homeowners just don’t even think about gutters. And then when something bad happens, probably some significant damage and problems, that main cause could be those gutters, especially if you’re not maintaining them, right?

TOM: Yeah. If the gutters leak, that is literally the number-one cause of basement-water problems and crawlspace-flooding problems and cracked foundations, all for the same reason. Because you throw a lot of water around your foundation and the soil gets unstable and that’s when it leaks and that’s when it cracks and shifts. So that’s really bad.

It can cause leaking roofs because ice dams will form on top of those clogged gutters. The water will back up into the roof and leak. And then, of course, you’ve got slippery sidewalks and possibly one of the worst things: wood-destroying insects. Ever wonder why you’ve got termites and carpenter ants hanging out around your house? Well, it’s because you’re feeding them or at least giving them a drink with all that moisture, right?

LESLIE: You don’t mean to do it but it’s happening.

So, I’ve seen so many different types of gutter guards available. So how do you know what the best options are and what might work best for your house?

TOM: Yeah, there’s a lot of poppycock out there, Leslie. You know what I mean? There’s a lot of claims.

LESLIE: What everybody says, they’re the best.

TOM: They’re all the best. They’re all the best. “Use us. We’re the best.”

I’ll tell you this: if you hire a contractor to do these, you just better make sure you’re not getting ripped off. Because we have seen crazy prices, from a few dollars a foot to a hundred dollars a foot.

LESLIE: It’s amazing. Thousands of dollars.

TOM: Yeah. And it’s not worth it. It’s not worth that kind of money. But they’re going to sell you, not the job.

But I’ll give you some general guidance. There is a type of gutter guard called a “reverse curve” where, basically, it’s like a piece of metal that covers the top of the gutter. And the idea is that the water, because of the principles of gravity, the surface tension holds onto the gutter guard’s surface and drains back into the gutter while leaves wash off. Works OK but in really heavy rainfall, we’ve found that the water will just push right over that and basically end up on the ground because there’s too much force, right?

The other type, which I think has the most promise, is the stainless-steel mesh. This is kind of a stainless-steel material. Usually has thousands of holes per square inch. It works really well. But again, if you hire a pro to do this, there are a couple of brands that are particularly troublesome in how they try to sell you. You’ll find it’s crazy expensive.

It’s interesting. I found one manufacturer that, if you hire them, it was – I don’t know; I forget – maybe $20, $30 a foot. But if you go to Amazon, you can buy the product for, you know, five bucks a foot. Same exact product. They changed the name but they were the manufacturer, so I think the product is the same. I recommended it to a friend of mine the other day that was looking for a DIY option. So, stainless steel mesh, I think, is good.

There’s also these bottle brushes or foam where they kind of stuff the gutter with brushes or foam. And the idea is that it will stop the gutter from leaking because it blocks the leaves from getting into the drains. But I don’t know, the idea of stuffing the gutter with anything just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, so …

LESLIE: Yeah. Because you want things to flow through.

TOM: Yeah, it does. But I think at some point, I feel like it wouldn’t. That’s why I think the steel mesh is probably the best way to go.

LESLIE: Yeah. But I think even the most fancy, high-tech gutter guards aren’t going to be 100-percent perfect, right? So, when it comes to gutter guards, you can’t just set it and forget it. You’ve got to still kind of stay on top of it, right?

TOM: Yeah. And that’s why I always say the best time to check what’s happening with the water around your house is to grab an umbrella, go out in a heavy rainstorm. No thunder or lightning, just pounding rain. Go out, stand back from your house and watch your roof. You’ll be surprised. You may see water just streaming right off of that from a blocked gutter or disconnected spouts. And if something gets clogged, that’s a good way to know it. Just be aware of it.

To the trained eye – I could walk around a house in the middle of summer when there’s no rain and know it’s got a gutter problem, because I’ll see an erosion line at the soil under the gutter. Or I’ll see that the foundation is sort of chipped away or worn away because the water hits the ground and bounces up against the foundation. If there’s stucco there, the stucco will fall off.

So there are subtle signs that somebody who’s very familiar with these conditions could spot. But for you, grab an umbrella, go outside, watch your house every few months and see what’s happening. This way, you’ll know and be able to take quick action on it before it gets bad.

LESLIE: Heading up north to Ontario where we’ve got Roxanne on the line with a leaky roof. What’s going on at your money pit?

ROXANNE: Well, I’m up in an upper duplex and my ceilings are leaking. And I’m just wondering if he has to replace the roof.

TOM: You say your ceilings are leaking. How many places are you seeing these leaks?

ROXANNE: About three places.

TOM: Three places? Wow. Man, well, obviously something’s going on here. Is one of these over the bathroom, by any chance?

ROXANNE: One’s in the bathroom, one’s in the hallway and one, I think, was in the living room.

TOM: You’re going to have to have a professional take a look at this roof and figure out where it’s leaking. I asked you about the bathroom because, typically, there’s vent pipes that go through the roof there that often get gaps around them as they get exposed to the sun. And that can very frequently cause water to run down that vent pipe and show up on your bathroom ceiling. But your problem is worse than this so – does it mean that you have to necessarily replace the roof? Not necessarily, no. It depends on how bad the roofing condition is and why it’s leaking.

Most of the time, leaks occur because of flashing. In other words, the intersection between the shingles themselves or the shingles go around chimneys or where they go in between the roof and different parts of the upper building, like a second story that’s on top of a one-story, like that kind of thing. That’s generally where the leaks form. You’re just going to have somebody get up there and take a look at it, try to figure out what’s causing it and then get the leak fixed from there. OK?

ROXANNE: OK. Why, thank you. Good show.

LESLIE: Hey. And you don’t want to miss a chance to win a great prize. We’ve got, up for grabs, the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 520PRO. I mean if you’re building projects where you’ve got to join some boards together, this really is the best way to achieve a perfect joint every single time. And it’s great for building indoor projects. Say you like to build furniture or cabinets or shelving. You want to do some outdoor projects? It’s fantastic for trellises and pergolas.

It’s 99.99 and you can check out the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 520PRO at Kreg.Tool.com or nationwide at Home Depot, Lowe’s, other home centers, hardware stores and woodworking retailers.

TOM: Give us a call with your home improvement questions and you might just be the lucky winner of that Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 520PRO.

LESLIE: Now we’re heading to South Dakota where David is on the line. What can we do for you today?

DAVID: Yes, thanks for taking my call. I just had my 120-year-old house sided with new vinyl siding. I got relatively new vinyl windows. And I’m curious, do I caulk between the J-channel and the window frame on the outside?

TOM: No, you don’t have to.

DAVID: OK. That’s not necessary?

TOM: Nah, it’s not necessary. It should be watertight the way – if the installers put it in correctly, it should be watertight as it is. If they need – if it needed to be caulked, they would have done that. I know it looks like there’s a big gap there but that’s pretty typical. And you generally don’t have to caulk between the back of the J-channel and the side of the window.

DAVID: Yeah, I was just worried about if it rains from a certain angle it’s going to wick down through that gap and then run behind the siding?

TOM: Usually, that’s pretty tight and it won’t happen. There’s no reason you can’t caulk it but I don’t necessarily think you have to do it.

DAVID: OK. That’s all I wanted to know.

LESLIE: Well, if you work in construction or you’re a serious DIYer, you know that construction adhesive is one of the strongest adhesive products that you can use. But the main problem with construction adhesive is that it’s really messy. It comes in a tube and you’ve got to use a caulking gun to apply it. Plus, you can’t reseal that tube after it’s opened and you can’t save any extra that’s left behind and then it’s all over your hands. It’s just a gigantic mess.

TOM: Well, now, there’s another that I think is a very handy option, Leslie. It’s called the Total Tape. Now, it’s The Original Super Glue Total Tape and what they’ve done is they take that messy construction adhesive and they transformed it into a double-sided construction adhesive tape. Except that unlike any other kind of double-sided tape, this tape delivers extreme strength. It can hold up to 300 pounds per roll. And it’s also mesh-reinforced and it works on all materials and – check this out – in all weather conditions, too.

LESLIE: Yeah. So whether you want to hang something inside the house, like a mirror or a heavy picture or even a towel bar, Total Tape is going to do that job. And you can even use it outside to attach house numbers, electricity boxes, tiles, you name it. Total Tape works quickly and easily.

TOM: You know, I even repaired a dishwasher recently that had lost its connection with the countertop. The screw had actually worn out. It was in my son’s apartment and the screw that holds the dishwasher to the underside of this granite countertop had worn out.

LESLIE: Yeah, yeah.

TOM: And so, what I did was I used Total Tape under the tab and then I screwed through it and just kind of clamped it for a bit and it held. It’s been 2 months now. So, pretty impressive stuff.

LESLIE: I mean that’s awesome, especially because it’s always hard to figure out what adhesive to choose for what material.

TOM: I know, right?

LESLIE: And here you’ve named two completely opposite materials and it worked awesome.

TOM: Exactly. And I love that it’s handy to have around. You can kind of keep it in the toolbox and you’re not always having to buy a new tube. How many tubes have I thrown out over the years – tons – that were half done? Because you can’t save the stuff. You just can’t. But this works great.

LESLIE: No. You really can’t.

TOM: You’ll find Total Tape at Amazon or in your local hardware store. You can learn more at SuperGlueCorp.com/TotalTape.

LESLIE: Rosemary in New Jersey, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

ROSEMARY: Yes, hi. I’m having a problem with the light bulb for the garage door. The light bulb keeps going out and I understand there’s a special one to use but I haven’t had time to check it out. Have you heard of such a thing?

TOM: Well, sometimes with all the vibrations associated with that operation of that garage-door opener, you can get a lot of vibration. Sometimes, that will ruin a standard incandescent bulb. There’s a type of bulb called a “rough-duty bulb.” You may have a hard time finding that in a normal hardware store or home center. I think a better idea is just to get yourself an LED light bulb. I think the LED bulbs are much more durable than incandescents, in addition to being much more cost-effective. And I think that will solve it.

ROSEMARY: Oh, OK. Thank you so much. I’ll try that.

TOM: You’re welcome, Rosemary. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Jordan reached out and he says, “We recently dug out an old garden patch that was up against the house. I’m just wondering what the best type of fill to use to bring the soil level back up above the foundation.”

TOM: Well, any type of clean fill dirt that’s absent of any kind of organic material, like branches or leaves or grass, is a fine thing to use to bring back that level soil with the rest of the house. As you mentioned, though, it’s important to slope it properly. And you’ve got to do that with the clean fill dirt, because you can’t do it with the topsoil. Because if you do that, it’s just going to hold water around the house. You don’t want to do that.

So, go ahead and get some clean fill with no organic matter in it. Fill up that hole you’ve created by pulling out that old garden section. And then, once you’ve got that slope just right, you can put a little topsoil over that or some mulch and you’ll be good to go. And maybe in the fall, you could also plant some grass seed. And this way, come spring, you’ll have a green border around your house all over again.

LESLIE: Alright. Well, now we’ve got Grant who reached out because he’s got quite a surprise when he was remodeling the basement. He says that – “When we tore out some paneling around a window, thousands of little insect wings flew out all over the place. It was pretty disgusting. Any idea what these could be?”

Now, do you think the wings were attached to bugs or just wings came falling out?

TOM: Actually, what happens is – I think they’re termites and the termites will shed their wings. You’ll often find wings separate from termites. But here’s the thing. What happens is when the termites swarm, right – and it sounds like this happened some time ago, because he only found the wings; he didn’t find the termites. But when termites swarm and they fly around, they fly towards the light. That’s why you find them around basement windows. Used to see it all the time in the years I spent as a home inspector. And so, it’ll happen in the warmer months. May even happened that spring. Could’ve happened a spring before.

But basically, what it means, Jordan, is you’ve got termites. You’ve got evidence of termites. So your next step here is to get a good inspection done. I would hire a local pest-control pro, have them do a termite inspection. They’ll check all the framing around those windows. They’ll check the area above it. They can search for other subtle signs of termite infestation.

Because if they’re found – and frankly, we know that they’ve been there at some point. If the house has not been treated, even if you don’t find more of that, I would have it treated just to be safe. This way, you won’t have to worry about those termites infesting again next spring and for months and years to come.

You’ll have a choice in how you have this done. I recommend a product called Termidor. It is an undetectable termiticide. It’s a liquid. It’s applied from the outside. And what that means is it gets injected into the soil around the house. And the termites, as they pass through this, can’t detect that it’s there, so they carry the Termidor back to their nest. And this way, it eliminates the entire colony.

Other products are sort of blockers, you know? It blocks them but they could find a way around that. That’s why I like the Termidor. I’ve been recommending that for years. It’s a BASF product. It works really well.

LESLIE: I know. You always love that one. It works really well for you, which is great. And you just want to get them out of the house, because they really can do some damage.

TOM: You are listening to The Money Pit Home Improvement Show and we are so glad you are. We are moving into the fall season, which is the perfect time to take on all sorts of projects around your house. In fact, we call it the “Goldilocks season,” because it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold.

So, as you look about your home, as you think of things you want to get done, if you need help, if you need advice, if you need a product recommendation, if you need us to tell you how to compare or contrast two bids, if you want us to look at bids from contractors, we will help you sort out whatever you need to do so that you can always have your best home ever.

But for today, that’s all the time we have. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself …

LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone.

(Copyright 2021 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc. No portion of this transcript or audio file may be reproduced in any format without the express written permission of Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.)

TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: And this is Episode 2193, which means we’ve been doing this for a while. We’re here to help you get projects done that you want to accomplish around your house and create your best home ever, especially this time of year because it’s spring. Man, have we waited for this. It feels like a long time. But now that it’s spring, I can’t wait to get outside. I’ve got a whole bunch of projects on my spring to-do list. And hopefully, I will wrap up before the heat of the summer arrives.

If you’ve got some projects to do and you need some tips and some advice and some help to get it done, you can reach out to us at MoneyPit.com/Ask. That’s MoneyPit.com/Ask. Download The Money Pit app and post your questions. You record them, you send them right to the studio and we will get to you first.

Coming up on today’s show, spring is here and with it comes a very hot real-estate market. But if you’ve made some energy-saving improvements to those homes, well, those improvements might help you sell your home even more quickly than the competition and for more money. We’ll explain how to accomplish that, just ahead.

LESLIE: Oh, my goodness. Will that real-estate market ever calm down? It’s just bananas.

Coming up, guys, also throughout the pandemic, smart-home products have become more popular as more people than ever are working from home and using their living spaces in new ways. We’re going to share those latest innovations.

TOM: I feel like the smarter they get, the dumber I get.

LESLIE: I feel the same. It’s hard to figure everything out. And even something as simple as the, dare I say, the – we call her Allegra when we’re in the room with her, because I don’t want her to start asking commands. But sometimes she just doesn’t function with the lights and now I’m like, “Can I just turn it on with the switch like before? I don’t know.”

So, yeah, you’re right. It’s getting tougher.

TOM: I have a dual problem with that. My wife’s name is Sue. So if I say, “Hey, Sue,” Siri goes, “What? What can I help you with?” I said, “No, I didn’t say, ‘S-i-r-i.’ I said, ‘S-u-e.’”

LESLIE: Sometimes they answer to whatever name they want.

TOM: I know.

LESLIE: I don’t know what’s happening. They’re going to take over.

TOM: Yeah. Well, I just told my wife we’re going to have to change her name. That’s it.

Alright. And also, coming up, when it comes to home comfort, there is nothing worse than stepping on an icy-cold floor. But fortunately, there are now a number of ways you can add radiant heat to those floors and never feel the discomfort of frozen feet again. So we’re going to share those steps, literally, just ahead.

LESLIE: Those cozy steps which, now that it’s spring, you’re like, “I don’t want my feet warm. I want them cool.” But trust me, it’s going to get cold again and you’re going to want those tootsies warm.

So whatever you’re working on now – for the season that’s with us, our lovely spring season – and whatever you’re thinking about – summer, fall, winter – whatever it is, we are here to help you keep your money pit in tip-top shape all year round.

TOM: Reach out to us at MoneyPit.com/Ask. That’s MoneyPit.com/Ask.

LESLIE: Kyle in Iowa needs some help installing some trim.

Tell us what you’re working on.

KYLE: We just put in some new Willamette wood floors a couple weeks ago and we decided to rip out all the old – the construction trim that comes with the newer homes and …

TOM: Baseboard molding?

KYLE: Yeah, the baseboard molding. And we’ve decided to upgrade to – I think it’s about a 5¼-inch tall, almost ½-inch-thick baseboard, to kind of upgrade the look around the house.

And I’m just having a hard time. I’m using my buddy’s miter saw and it’s not tall enough to do a vertical cut for my outside corners. And every time I lay it horizontally and try to tilt the miter saw to cut it, there’s no real clamping mechanism on it to hold the boards in place. And every time I push the miter saw into it, it moves it just slight enough to where my angles for when I try to do a scarfing or an outside corner – it just kind of pushes my angles off on it just a little bit and it’s making the process harder.

TOM: Well, let me ask you this: when you’re making your baseboard cuts for an inside corner, are you mitering it?

KYLE: For the inside corner, I’m doing a cope.

TOM: Oh, good. OK. That’s what I was concerned about.

KYLE: And the coping turns out to be easier than the outside corners for me, so …

TOM: Now, actually, when you do the outside corner, the only part of the miter that’s got to be perfect is the top edge of that board. As long as you have a straight line, if you end up taking up a little bit too much wood on the inside of that cut, nobody is ever going to see that. In fact, many times, when I’m doing that type of a corner, I’ll sometimes cope out the back of the miter cut, take a little bit extra meat out of that so that it kind of gets out of the way and I can pull it together really nicely, tightly at the corner. As long as I have a crisp line that pulls together on the corner, then I’m happy with that.

I understand you’ve got challenges with your tools. I’m not going to be able to give you a solution, because you don’t have the right tools. What you really need is a compound miter saw that’s sort of half miter saw, half radial-arm saw. And that will give you the exact capabilities that you’re looking for. But to do this by hand with a regular hand-miter box is just going to be a challenge.

KYLE: So, it’d be easier maybe to try to find someone to borrow a compound one from?

TOM: I think so. Yep. Yeah, you’ll be very happy. Because it sounds like you’ve got the skills. If you know how to cope a joint, then you’ve got the skills.

And for those that have no idea what we’re talking about, when you put up baseboard molding or any kind of molding or even crown molding in a house, you don’t cut a 45-degree angle much like you would for a picture frame. You actually put one piece in whole and square it to the wall and the other piece, you cut that 45 as if it was going to be a miter but you take a coping saw and cut out the back of all of that wood, except for that crisp line that’s on the front of the angle of the miter. When you push that together, you get what appears to be a perfect, mitered cut but it’s actually not; it’s actually a butt joint but it looks like a miter.

And it’s the best way to work with trim because it allows you to work with a house that’s not quite straight, because none of them are. And the other trick is I like to cut those boards just a little bit longer than what you need, because then it puts additional pressure on the joint and brings it together nice and tightly.

So I think you’re on the right road. You just need to get some better tools to help you get there, OK?

KYLE: OK. Thank you, guys.

TOM: Good luck, Kyle.

LESLIE: Sandy in Texas is on the line and needs some help with a carpet question.

What’s going on?

SANDY: Well, I had a Scentsy, one of those little things that uses hot wax. And my granddaughter knocked the Scentsy over onto the carpet and part of it splashed on my Henredon chair, which is upholstered.

LESLIE: OK.

SANDY: And I didn’t – haven’t done anything yet because I don’t know really how to go about cleaning that.

LESLIE: Good. Well, the first thing you want to do – and this is – it’s kind of an easy fix. You just have to make sure you haven’t already scratched at it or rubbed it or anything. Take a brown paper bag and an iron. And you want to put the iron on a high setting without steam. And put the paper bag over the wax and then iron. And the wax will melt but then stick to the paper bag and you’ll be able to peel it right off.

SANDY: Well, that’s awesome. OK, brown paper bag with a hot iron not on steam.

LESLIE: No steam.

SANDY: Just hot cotton and hold it on there for a few minutes and it will pull it out.

LESLIE: Yeah, you don’t want to sit it on there too long, because you don’t want to burn it through.

SANDY: OK, yeah. Right.

LESLIE: So you want to kind of just hold the brown paper bag, then put the iron on top and then shift it around, moving to a clean part on the bag as you get more of the wax onto the bag. This way you’re not respreading the wax.

David in Arkansas is on the line with a geothermal question.

What is going on at your money pit?

DAVID: Well, I have leaks, for one. But at any rate, it’s a water-furnace unit. It’s about 23 years old and so it’s probably had a good life. I’m just curious, these days, if it’s best to look at replacement with a geothermal or if conventional units are now just as efficient and which way to go.

TOM: And what kind of fuel do you have right now, David?

DAVID: Our home is all electric.

TOM: So it’s all electric. OK.

So, yes, the HVAC systems are far more efficient than they used to be. If you were to go geothermal, you have the investment of having to essentially install the ground line, which basically goes deep into the soil as part of this. And that’s something that’s going to depend greatly on the condition of the soil, whether it can be easily drilled and so on and so forth. The install on geothermal tends to be pretty expensive, so you’re definitely going to have to get some estimates on that and see if it makes sense. If not, I would buy the most efficient electric heat-pump system that you can afford.

And I’d also make sure that you replace both the coil on the A/C side of this, as well. Because the coil has to match, right? You don’t just want to put the unit outside. You have to replace that coil, as well. Because unless they’re properly matched, you do not get the efficiency that you are promised, so to speak.

DAVID: OK.

TOM: And then thirdly, I want you to make sure that you replace the thermostat with one designed for heat pumps. This is a common mistake people make. They put standard clock-setback thermostats on heat pumps. And what happens is if a heat pump runs on the heat pump cycle, the temperature has to move very slowly so it doesn’t trigger the backup system that’s built into all heat pumps, which is electric heat. And if you do that, that gets really expensive to run.

So, replace the heat pump with the most efficient one you can afford, match it with a proper-sized coil and make sure the thermostat is also replaced and is a heat-pump thermostat. And by the way, lots of thermostats today, too, that are Wi-Fi, wireless thermostats. Your phone becomes a remote control.

DAVID: Right, right.

TOM: You don’t have to get up off the easy chair to change your heat or even when you’re coming home from work.

DAVID: Right, right. Right.

TOM: If the heat is set low, you want to kick it up a few degrees. You can do that before you get in the car and start driving home.

DAVID: Alright.

TOM: So lots of technology for you to take advantage of, as well, OK, Dave?

DAVID: Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Appreciate you guys being on for us to call in.

LESLIE: Well, in the years that you’ve owned your house, have you made energy savings or other improvements that have upped its green factor? You know, those improvements could help you sell your home more quickly than the competition. We’re going to explain, in today’s Smart Spending Tip presented by the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card.

TOM: Now, if you’ve been in your house for a while, you probably made some improvements to make it more energy-efficient or to cut back on maintenance. Or maybe, as you were doing improvements, you chose materials that were produced in a way that limits any negative impact to the environment.

It turns out that improvements like these can add to your home’s greenness. And they are a potentially valuable consideration for a potential home buyer but only if they know about them.

LESLIE: Yeah. And that’s why it’s really smart to create a green inventory of those elements. You want to list every improvement that has reduced your home’s impact on Mother Earth. Now, these could be new appliances, faucets that use less water or LED light bulbs that use less energy. And don’t forget about building materials that are going to last longer, that need less maintenance: fiber-cement siding instead of wood, AZEK, all of that stuff. Anything that sort of helps that home last longer, in a more environmentally-friendly way, write it down.

TOM: So, all you need to do is list each element in a green inventory and then have that available for review by potential home buyers. You can bet the neighboring homes you’ll compete against won’t do this and buyers will be impressed. And you might just get the sale over competing homes in your neighborhood.

LESLIE: And that’s today’s Smart Spending Tip presented by the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card. You can earn three-percent cash back on online shopping. Apply at BankOfAmerica.com/MoreRewarding.

Sandra, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

SANDRA: Oh, hello. My question concerns – would you recommend a radon test for a house? Our home is a two-story house on a hill and the lower level, which is completely finished, is two sides underground and it has two sides ground-level. And if we have a radon problem, can something be done to correct that? We’re in the Pacific Northwest, about 60 miles south of Seattle.

TOM: And do you hear about high radon levels in that area coming up occasionally?

SANDRA: I don’t but I’ve never talked about it with anybody, so – and I saw something in the paper recently that suggested people have this test.

TOM: Well, it’s certainly a good idea. So, order a radon-test kit. You can probably find one online. The type you want is called “charcoal adsorption” – a-d-s-o-r-p – ad, not ab – adsorption. And it’s a type of test that you’ll put in the home for anywhere from about 3 to 7 days. You open up this charcoal canister or this charcoal packet, depending on the type of test, you leave it in the lowest living space. So whatever the lowest area of finished living space is, you leave it there for that period of time. You seal it back up, you send it off to a lab. They’re going to give you a result. If it comes in at 4 picocuries per liter of air or higher, then that’s the action guideline after which point you would want to consider some sort of remediation.

Now, you asked the question: “Well, how do I do that, exactly?” And the answer is it’s harder when the whole space is finished but it’s not impossible. Generally, the way radon is mitigated is by a system called a “sub-slab ventilation system,” where they basically run pipes below the surface of the lowest slab and pull the gas out of the soil and then discharge it outside. So it’s a matter of figuring out where to get that pipe into the slab and where to discharge it out, you know, with the least amount of disturbance. But a good radon mitigator can do this, even in a finished house.

SANDRA: Oh, my gosh. It sounds quite complex.

TOM: Well, it’s pretty straightforward but you’ve got to start with the test, so I would do that first and take it from there.

LESLIE: Right. And that’s only if they find something.

TOM: Yeah, exactly.

SANDRA: Uh-huh. OK. Are there areas in the country where you’re more likely to have radon?

TOM: Yep. There’s a – if you go to the EPA website – EPA.gov/Radon – there’s information about radon zones across the entire country, including contact information for your local state area.

SANDRA: Oh, alright.

TOM: Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: George in Pennsylvania is on the line with a geothermal question.

What can we do for you?

GEORGE: Well, we had – I have a geothermal system now. It’s 15 years old. And a couple weeks ago, the compressor went up. And the guy came out who normally services the unit. He went – he recommends not replacing the compressor. He recommends an entirely new unit, everything, the whole shebang.

TOM: OK. How old is the existing system, George?

GEORGE: Fifteen years old.

TOM: OK. I would agree with that.

GEORGE: Oh, OK. OK. That’s …

TOM: That pretty much your question?

GEORGE: Why, yeah, that’s my – because my stepson, who is in the field, keeps insisting to me that – just to replace the compressor. But I – after I went online and I saw the pros and cons of doing that and I hate to just do piecemeal and something happen. I spend money for a compressor and a couple years later, something else goes up.

TOM: Well, the old saying is you don’t want to throw good money after bad.

GEORGE: Right. Sure.

TOM: And if the system is 15 years old, frankly, George, it doesn’t owe you a dime. That’s pretty good life expectancy. So you’ve gotten all your money out of that.

If you replace the whole thing, you’re going to get a much more efficient system out of it, because everything is balanced in systems today. Plus, there’s new refrigerants that are safer. So, I really do think you’re better off replacing it.

GEORGE: Oh, great. OK, OK. Fine. How do you feel about buying a – I want to say another – he wants to do – this guy is recommending not another hot-water heater, like a storage tank to keep the water hot so that we don’t have to use the hot-water heater as much as we do now.

TOM: OK. That’s not an unusual approach. I have a storage tank in my home because my hot water is provided by my boiler, not by a water heater.

GEORGE: Right, right. We used to have that.

TOM: And so by having a storage tank next to the boiler, the storage tank can supply a certain amount of hot water and the boiler doesn’t have to come on every time we need more hot water in the house. So that’s not an unusual approach.

The other thing that you might want to think about is a tankless water heater. That’s another way to go.

GEORGE: Oh, OK. OK. Fine. OK. Well, great. That was quick. You answered my questions. I appreciate it.

TOM: Alright, George. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

Well, throughout the pandemic, smart-home device adoption has grown as more and more people than ever before are working from home and using their living spaces in brand-new ways.

LESLIE: That’s right. And Lutron is at the forefront of smart-home design revolution. With us to talk about the latest innovation is Melissa Andresko from Lutron.

Welcome, Melissa.

MELISSA: Hi, Tom. Hi, Leslie. Thanks for having me today.

TOM: So, this pandemic really teed up an opportunity to kind of tell the stories that you guys have actually been telling for years and showing some of the innovative products that you’ve had out there for many years. And actually developed some new products to make light even more convenient, because we’ve been so super-focused on homes and home spaces and offices.

So, why don’t you tell us about some of the new lighting products that you’ve brought out throughout the last year of the pandemic?

MELISSA: Sure. You know, so – just to go back for a second on what you just said – you made the point so well – is that these last 2 years, people realized really how important it is to be able to have controllable light in a space. And that’s not just the overhead lights but that’s also daylight coming in. I mean all of a sudden, our kitchens are doubling as offices and the family room is doubling as a yoga studio. And all of these places require different light levels.

And so, to your point, I think people have really understood the importance of being able to control these – their environments quickly and easily. And Lutron – I’m really proud to say the pandemic did not slow us down. We’ve introduced several new products over the last 18 months, everything from our single-light dimmers to new, reimagined, motorized shading systems and new lighting-control systems, as well.

So, it’s really – Lutron has always been known for having products at every price point, products for every solution. And we’ve really kind of augmented that now with several new additions to the lines.

LESLIE: I think that’s really great. You’re so right: these spaces at home are now doubling or triple-duty certain times for things at home. It’s school, it’s an office, it’s your kitchen, it’s all these things. And it’s true: when the daylight changes, that definitely changes how you are perceived in an online meeting.

So what are some of the ways that Lutron is helping control that daylight that’s coming in, in a way that’s stylish but also doing its job?

MELISSA: Yeah. So, Lutron has been making motorized shading products now since 2003, believe it or not. And the two new ones that we are super excited about – one is called Palladiom. And Palladiom is what we call an “exposed-bracket system.” And it’s a beautiful roller-shade design. It’s very modern, very sleek. And it is battery-operated; it’s a wire-free solution. And it takes no more than six D-size batteries. And those batteries are actually going to last you 3 to 5 years. So, a great way to add motorized shade control to your space. You don’t have to worry about changing batteries frequently.

And the thing that I love most about the Palladiom wire-free shade is it has this precision alignment to within 1/8-inch. So imagine you have a room and you’ve got three windows and you’ve got these shades on all three windows. They’re going to rise and lower in really perfect unison. And that just – not only from an aesthetics point of view but it’s also going to help you if you are trying to block sunlight from your television or if you’re on a work call and you’re trying to create a better lit atmosphere. The Palladiom shade, that is a pro-installed product.

And Lutron also makes DIY shades, as well. The newest shade that we are super excited about is our new, reimagined honeycomb design. And honeycomb shades are very traditional and we’ve gone ahead and kind of spruced up that design. We now have – it’s a much larger cell size, if you will. So it just kind of gives it a little bit more of a fresher, more modern look.

And we sort of reimagined all the fabrics, as well. So we’ve got everything from your traditional neutrals to all kinds of decorative prints and rich textures. So, really, no matter what kind of décor you have, you’re going to be able to find a shade fabric that works in your space.

And the best thing about these shades is that they do integrate with the Lutron control systems for your lights. So, with the press of a button or queueing your voice assistant in your home, you’re going to be able to control these devices, not only individually but also as part of a scene or a group. So, it just really gives the homeowner just tremendous flexibility when it comes to control.

TOM: We’re talking to Melissa Andresko. She’s the chief brand ambassador for Lutron.

Lutron has been making products that make our homes more comfortable, more energy-efficient and convenient for many, many years. A lot of folks don’t realize this but Lutron actually – Lutron’s founder, Joel Spira, right, invited the dimmer.

MELISSA: That’s correct.

TOM: Yeah. So, you’ve been doing this a long time.

MELISSA: Believe it or not, we just turned 60.

TOM: Wow.

MELISSA: The company has been doing this now for 60 years. And we look at that as 60 years of just wonderful customer experience listening. What do the customers need and want for their homes and for their office spaces?

And I’m so proud when I look at the growth. I’ve been with the company for 24 years. And just seeing the growth that we’ve had in that period of time and the new solutions and products that we’ve been able to bring to market and help people navigate smart home really easily and just very simply, figuring out – if it’s not something you feel comfortable with, how to find a pro installer in your area. If it is something you’re comfortable with, giving them 24/7 access to free technical support to make sure they’re comfortable having everything installed and programmed in their home.

So, it’s fascinating to see where the smart-home space has gone over the last few years. And I think people are – people who maybe a few years ago were kind of looking at smart home as sort of gadget-y are now realizing these are problem-solving devices. These are things that solve real problems in your home in the same way that motorized shades are solving privacy issues, screen-glare issues, perfect-lighting-for-your-phone-call issues. Being able to control lights lets you walk into a well-lit home. It lets you mimic occupancy if you’re away on vacation or away for the night. So many great attributes and things that really are just making people’s lives easier.

LESLIE: Now, if you’ve got somebody who’s maybe a late adopter or just kind of nervous about taking the leap into home automation or smart-home technology, what do you recommend as a good starting point so maybe they can really dive in confidently?

TOM: Some folks think smart-home devices are smarter than they are.

MELISSA: It’s funny because I think smart home can mean different things to different people. You know, Lutron makes occupancy sensors that when you walk into a room, the light automatically goes on. And when you leave the space and it doesn’t detect any more motion, the light goes off. To some people, that could be a smart home.

Other definitions could be a Lutron Caseta system, which is really our entry-level system. Great for getting started with smart home. You can buy it in a kit where you can get started with one or two dimmers, just to see how you like it, just to see – are you comfortable using the app?

And you can keep it simple, keep it to those one or two lights in key areas: maybe outdoor lights or an inside foyer light. And then as you get comfortable with the system and as you understand the conveniences it offers and the ease of really setting things up, we often see people expanding then to the key areas of their home. It’s never designed to be an entire-house system. You’re not going to put every single light on a Caseta system. But lights in those key areas – the living spaces, the outdoor spaces – you’re going to very quickly enjoy the benefits of a smart-home system.

TOM: Great advice.

Hey, if you guys would like to learn more about smart lighting, visit CasetaWireless.com. That’s C-a-s-e-t-a-Wireless.com. And if you’d like to check out the new innovations in shades, go to SerenaShades.com – S-e-r-e-n-a. SerenaShades.com.

Melissa Andresko, Chief Brand Ambassador for Lutron, thanks so much for stopping by The Money Pit.

MELISSA: Thank you so much for having me. It’s great to be here.

LESLIE: Rosemary in New Jersey, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

ROSEMARY: Yes, hi. I’m having a problem with the light bulb for the garage door. The light bulb keeps going out and I understand there’s a special one to use but I haven’t had time to check it out. Have you heard of such a thing?

TOM: Well, sometimes with all the vibrations associated with that operation of that garage-door opener, you can get a lot of vibration. Sometimes, that will ruin a standard incandescent bulb. There’s a type of bulb called a “rough-duty bulb.” You may have a hard time finding that in a normal hardware store or home center. I think a better idea is just to get yourself an LED light bulb. I think the LED bulbs are much more durable than incandescents, in addition to being much more cost-effective. And I think that will solve it.

ROSEMARY: Oh, OK. Thank you so much. I’ll try that.

LESLIE: Well, when it comes to home comfort, there’s nothing worse than stepping on a cold floor. One easy way to warm things up is with radiant-floor heating.

TOM: Yeah. And here’s how it works. I mean similar to the warmth that you experience from the sun, radiant-floor heating systems provide heat directly to the underside of a floor. And then that floor warms up and it warms up the air above it, which then naturally raises the temperature of the entire room. So just think of it as the radiant heat you get from the sun, except in this case it’s kind of going bottom up instead of top down.

LESLIE: Right. Now, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, radiant heating offers a number of advantages. It’s more efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced-air heating, because it eliminates duct loss. Plus, those with allergies often prefer radiant heat because it doesn’t distribute those allergens like a forced-air system does.

Now, SunTouch has been making electric radiant-heat flooring systems for more than 30 years, so they’ve got the experience. And they offer several radiant-floor heating options that you can choose from.

TOM: Yeah. I like these options because they’re all sort of in a kit format. The first one’s called TapeMat and these are electric floor-warming mats. They’re designed for smaller spaces, like a bathroom. And everything you need for a successful install is included within the all-in-one kit.

And then if you’ve got a larger project, you might use WarmWire with HeatMatrix. It’s a snap-in floor-warming system that’s perfect for flexible installations. And it’s really specifically designed for larger tile and stone flooring, because it combines it in a coupling membrane. Now, that’s the membrane that goes under those large tiles. It also adds a waterproof layer and then, together, it prevents the tile and the stone from cracking.

And then, lastly, for homes that are built on basements or crawlspaces, where you can access the underside of that space, there’s another complete radiant-heating system called UnderFloor Mat. It’s basically already assembled in sort of a foil-like radiator surface. And it gets installed between those floor joists, above the crawlspace or basement. And it provides the warmth and the comfort of heated floors without having to tear up or replace the existing flooring above.

LESLIE: Now, I think a lot of people, when they think about radiant-heat flooring, they start to think that maybe it’s really expensive to operate. But it’s actually much lower than you’d expect.

For example, if you use TapeMat, the typical usage cost is about $2 to $3 per month for a 20-square-foot bathroom or maybe $6 to $7 a month for a 100-square-foot kitchen. So, not terrible.

TOM: Yeah. Now, if you’d like to step onto those warm, comfortable floors all year round, check out SunTouch. It’s available in-store and at Home Depot and tile-floor distributors and online, also, at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Warm Your Floors, Amazon, Flooring Supply Shop and lots more.

So you can learn more at SunTouch.com. It really is a very polished, complete system that’s easy for DIYers to install. SunTouch.com.

LESLIE: Mark wrote in saying, “We’re renovating an Airstream trailer and looking for a recommendation for a waterproof plywood subfloor.”

Well, this sounds like a fun project.

TOM: It does sound like a fun project.

Well, first of all, Mark, I mean plywood is never really waterproof. And I think what you’re asking me about is a plywood that’s exterior-rated, which basically means the glue is waterproof. There are really four grades of plywood: there’s A, B, C and D. And that refers to the quality and appearance of the plywood’s face and back veneers. A is the best and the most expensive and D is the least.

But for floor sheathing, I would use something like a BCX. That means it’s smooth enough for a floor surface and it uses exterior glue. But the other option, if you want something that’s simply not going to rot, is you could also purchase pressure-treated plywood, which is treated against rot.

Leslie, I like Airstream trailers and I’ve been looking at a number of the Facebook groups of folks that renovate these. They are major projects to renovate. It looks like we love those shells but everything else needs to be replaced.

So, good luck with that project, Mark.

LESLIE: I follow a lot of people that renovate Ford Broncos from the late 60s, early 70s. And while I would love to have one, I don’t even think I’d know where to start. So this seems just like that.

Good luck, Mark, because that’s an awesome project.

TOM: Well, a new vacuum might not be the most glamorous thing you buy but this is a purchase that can make your life a whole lot easier. Leslie has got tips to help you pick the best one for you, in this week’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word.

LESLIE: Yeah. Buying a new vacuum, it’s kind of the best thing ever. It’s sucky when you need to get a new one, because you had one for ages, and they’re usually not that inexpensive. But when you find the right one and they work fantastically well, it’s kind of exciting. Vacuuming is kind of my favorite chore.

So, where do you start? You start with your floor type. If you’ve got wall-to-wall carpets, a classic upright is probably going to be the best one for you. Canister vacuums, they’re a good choice if your home has got a mix of carpet and hardwood but they can be tough to lug around a bit.

And you want to consider attachments. You know, if you’ve got a bunch of different things – maybe you have a drapery set that you want to use an attachment for. But if you don’t have drapes, why do you need the attachment? Because sometimes those attachment packages definitely change the price for the vacuum. So think about what you kind of need and where and how you want to use it.

From there, know the filtration of the vacuum. Vacuums that collect to a bag offer almost no filtration whatsoever. If keeping particles out of the air is important to you, you want to look for something that contains a high-efficiency particle air filter. You’re like, “That sounds familiar.” Yes, that’s a HEPA filter for short. It’s going to absorb more than 99 percent of larger particles. And that’s really great if you suffer from household allergens.

Now, speaking of allergies, you want to steer clear of bagless vacuums if you’ve got allergies. Because when you empty that vacuum’s bin, all of a sudden you’re exposed to all of that dust and debris. And everything you did to avoid the allergens is right back in your face.

So definitely have to look at the benefits, the features, where and how, what’s in your house. And that’s kind of going to narrow it down for you. And when you find a vacuum that works, you’re going to love it.

TOM: Now, I know your birthday passed not too long ago but now I know next year, when it comes around, what to get you: a new vacuum.

LESLIE: Yes. It’s probably almost time. I think one year – maybe, what, 12 years ago – you gave me an Amazon gift card and I bought myself – I never know how to say it – a Miele vacuum.

TOM: A Miele, yeah. Right. And you told me you loved it, so I ended up buying one, too.

LESLIE: I still love it but it’s showing its age a little bit, I think. But that’s a great vacuum.

So you’ve got to find one you love and I think it’s different for everybody. And it doesn’t have to cost a zillion dollars. There’s a ton of different price points.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Coming up next time on the program, it’s time to get outside. And on those chilly evenings, enjoy a fire pit. We’re going to tell you what you need to know to build your own. It’s entirely possible. We’ll tell you what you need, where to get all the materials and how to do it yourself, on the very next edition of The Money Pit.

I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself …

LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone.

(Copyright 2022 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc. No portion of this transcript or audio file may be reproduced in any format without the express written permission of Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.)