Episode #1999: Painting Plastic Playgrounds | Quick Fixes for Home Repairs | Cordless Chainsaw Reviews

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 with your home improvement, your décor, your gardening projects. Help yourself first by picking up the phone and calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974. Do you need help solving a how-to problem? You’ve got a décor dilemma? Go ahead, toss it right over to us. We will kick it around and get the solution that you need to get going.

Coming up on today’s show, we’re going to help out a DIY dad. This guy, I felt for him, Leslie, because he’s got two young daughters. He’s got a plastic swing set. He’s painted it twice in two years and it keeps peeling off. And I think a lot of people are in that position.

So we’re going to walk you through how can restore your plastic play toys for your kids in a way that’s going to be durable and it’s going to last a long, long time.

LESLIE: And also ahead, with all the time that we’re spending at home these days, the wear and tear shows on us, as well as on our houses. And when stuff breaks, we need to be able to find the right glue to fix it fast. And sometimes, that really can be a challenge. We’re going to share tips on a new product that can set you up for an easy, reliable fix.

TOM: And if you need to cut a tree, firewood or even landscape timbers, a chainsaw can make quick work of that project. But while gas chainsaws are costly, noisy to use and require a big commitment every year to keep them clean and running well, cordless chainsaws can deliver just as much power without those hassles. We’ll share tips on what to look for when choosing a cordless chainsaw, just ahead.

LESLIE: And with all the gardening everybody’s doing these days, we’re all getting outside. You’re going to love this giveaway that we’ve got for one lucky listener.

From Centurion Brands, we’re giving away their Collapsible Watering Can, which is great for small-space gardens, along with a few accessories for a total package value of $55.

TOM: So give us a call right now. We’re here to help you out with the answers to your home improvement questions. The number, again, is 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Robin in Wisconsin has a question about flooring. How can we help you?

ROBIN: Hi. We’re refinishing our finished basement. And the former owners glued down the carpet on the concrete and we’re scraping off what we can. Do we need to – I want to put in vinyl-plank flooring. Do we need to sand that down or should we put a leveler or is there an underlayment that we can put under? Or is it going to matter if there’s some glue on there?

LESLIE: How much glue are we talking about? Are we talking about inches of it or just some areas of slight unevenness?

ROBIN: No, no. Just little areas of unevenness. And we’ve been sanding it [the best way of] (ph) procedure.

LESLIE: Oh, my goodness. And sanding it is only going to find – gunk up all your sandpaper and gunk up your hand sanders. It only sort of reactivates the glue. It’s kind of strange.

ROBIN: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. OK.

LESLIE: So, generally, with a vinyl-plank flooring, certain manufacturers might have an underlayment on the backside. Some might recommend something. Most of the times I’d say just follow the manufacturers’ recommendations, because they know what’s best for their product. But for the most part, with a vinyl plank, you’re not going to need any sort of underlayment. Those will either usually overlap and adhere to one another with a double-sided tape or they’ll click and lock. It really depends on which product you’re working with.

But I would say if it’s a thinner vinyl plank and you just get a lot of flex to it, you might see areas of more thickness of the adhesive. But if it’s a bit more rigid vinyl plank, I think you’re going to be able to go right over that and not worry about it.

ROBIN: Oh, perfect. Great. Thank you for your help.

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

LESLIE: Conrad in Texas is on the line with a roofing question. How can we help?

CONRAD: And I want to get your advice as to whether or not it would be advisable to put up a solar vent over my garage and leave the ridge vents throughout my – the rest of my house. I am getting ready to re-roof my entire house and garage.

TOM: So, when you say “solar vent,” do you mean solar-powered attic fan?

CONRAD: Yes, yes. Right.

TOM: First of all, my general advice is to never use an attic fan. And the reason I give that advice is because, typically, when the attic is over living space that is air-conditioned, what happens is the fan is so powerful that it will pull air conditioning from that living space through the hundreds of nooks and crannies that you don’t know about, like the space in between the 2x4s and the wall cavity where, say, the outlet is installed. That becomes an intake port where it’ll suck out the air conditioning.

If you were describing this garage as being attached to the house but not attached to the living space – and I would include the attic in that if the attic is complete independent of not being over living space. And considering that it’s a hip roof, which is the type of roof – folks, if you’re not familiar with it, it’s the one that’s like a pyramid, right? It goes up on all four sides. You end up with this really small ridge at the top where you really can’t put an effective vent. In that circumstance and that circumstance only, yes, I think it’s OK to put a solar-powered attic fan.

And I think it makes a lot of sense for you because if you’re – you’ll be pulling air through all those soffit vents all the way around, you’ll be drawing it through that attic space and exhausting it. And that will keep the roof temperature cooler and yes, it can increase the longevity of the roof.

Now, for the other sections of roof and attic that are, again, separated from that garage space, there you should use a continuous ridge vent. Make sure the ridge line is cut open at least an inch to an inch-and-a-half so you have a good, wide gap at the top. And then the vent fits on top of that.

And be careful with the type of vent that you choose. You want to make sure you get one that’s open enough to allow the airflow but not let water drive into it. There’s one by CertainTeed called Air Vent. It’s the – that’s their manufacturer’s name or their trade name: Air Vent. I think it’s AirVent.com or Air Vent Inc., something along that line. And it has a nice baffle built into it, which speeds up depressurization. It’s also got a filter that fits inside of it that stops rain from blowing in. So just get a good-quality vent like that and I think you’ll be good to go, have the best of both worlds in that situation.

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

LESLIE: And post your questions on social media or give us a call with your question for your chance to win a great prize. Perfect summer weather out there. Everybody’s getting out and maintaining the garden, so we’ve got up for grabs a Centurion Collapsible Watering Can, plus some garden accessories. A collapsible bucket, as well, and a gardening pad to protect your knees while you’re out in the yard. It’s a prize pack worth 55 bucks.

TOM: That’s amazing. Very, very cool because I’m always tripping over my buckets. I’d love to flatten it up and stick it back on a shelf or something. That’s a pretty cool idea.

So, the number here is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. If you call us, right now, we’ll toss your name in The Money Pit hard hat and you might just win today’s prize from Centurion.

LESLIE: Ella in Arkansas is on the line with a roofing question. How can we help you?

ELLA: I’ve got a roof job coming on this in a couple of weeks and they’re doing my roof and they’re doing up my siding.

TOM: OK.

ELLA: Now, I had a big oak tree in my backyard. I had it cut down. But in the meantime, since it was there so many years, it left mold – the green stuff – growing on my shingles, right?

TOM: Yep. Mm-hmm.

ELLA: The guy that’s going to do my roof said that – “Oh, that’s OK. Well, you can get up to three layers of shingles before you have to take the old shingles off.” And I said, “Well, mold strikes a negative vibe in me because my husband and I have allergies.” Would that affect us? They said they’re going to put the new roof over the old roof and the mold. I told them, “No, that’s not going to happen.” He said, “Well, what we’ll do, we’ll pour – spray it with bleach – the mold – and we’ll rake it and then we’ll just cover it with the new roofing.” And my question is: since it is so much money, is that wise?

TOM: Well, here’s the thing. Yeah, you can put three layers of shingles on but it’s a really bad idea to do that, aside from the fact that you’ve got some sort of growth on this roof. Whenever you put a second layer of shingles on, the first two layers, in your case, tend to retain a lot of heat and especially in an environment like Arkansas where you have really hot summers.

ELLA: Oh, yeah.

TOM: As that heat is retained, it accelerates the deterioration of the top layer. So in my experience, if you had a roof that typically would last 20 years, you put a shingle – a layer or two of shingles underneath, you’re going to have it last more like 13 to 15 years. I’ve seen it cut a quarter to a third of the life off by doing that.

So it’s always smart to remove old layers. They’re probably trying to avoid it because it’s expensive to remove old layers. They’ve got to pull it off and they’ve got to get rid of it but it absolutely is the best way to do a roof replacement. And if you’re planning on being in that house for most of the life of the roof, it’s well worth it.

ELLA: Yeah.

TOM: Now, in terms of the moss or the mold or the mildew or whatever is on there, there are many, many things that can grow on a roof, depending on the environmental conditions.

ELLA: Yeah.

TOM: And it’s not always mold, although people tend to call it that. There’s a product called Spray & Forget that we have a lot of experience with.

ELLA: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

TOM: And you spray it on the roofing surface. And it tends to smother all of those biological growths and stops them from coming back. It will kill what’s there, it will naturally just die off and go away and then there’s a bit of a residual effect to it that stays on there. And if you apply that about every two years, you’re not going to ever see any mold or moss or mildew or algae or lichen or anything else grow on that roof shingle.

It’s SprayAndForget.com. OK?

ELLA: OK. I appreciate it.

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

LESLIE: Well, one of our listeners named John, who’s a dedicated DIY dad, wrote us about a project that he was trying to get done for his two daughters, which was to paint a plastic swing set. Now, over the last two years, he painted it twice and the paint just peels off after a few months of use.

Now I know, Tom, you’re a dedicated DIY dad yourself. You kind of feel for this guy, you know?

TOM: Yeah.

LESLIE: He’s turned his question into a pretty detailed post on The Money Pit, which I thought it would be great to sort of walk through. Why was it that he had such a hard time getting the paint to stick? And really, I mean can you paint a swing set?

TOM: Yeah. You know why he was particularly surprised is because he was using paint that was actually rated for plastic. It was one of these products where it’s primer and paint in one – a spray paint – and it’s supposed to stick on plastic. And I know what he was using and I think that that paint’s a fine product but I don’t think it’s meant for the punishment playground equipment is going to get.

If you are maybe painting a plastic chair or a tray or maybe some plastic flower pots, OK, but not your playground slide. Because that equipment takes a real beating between the kids and the weather and the sun that bakes on it all day. If you want it to last longer and provide the kids with a lot of years of fun, you need to protect it.

So, I think the first thing here is to talk about what makes the paint stick, because that’s where he’s having the problem. And when you’re working with plastic, you have to use a special type of primer. It’s called a “high-bond primer.” Bond being the stickiness part of it. And it’s designed for use on any type of a really smooth surface. If you wanted to paint ceramic tile or you wanted to paint some shiny, smooth steel or if you wanted to paint a piece of laminate, if you were in the auto-restoration business and you want to paint part of the dashboard, you would use first a high-bond primer. It’s available in a spray paint. It’s available in a gallon bucket, a quart bucket, whatever you need. But these bonding primers are really the key.

So what you need to do in this case, John, is you need to first remove the old paint. Hopefully, this will be easy since it has already started to peel off. But if you have to use a paint stripper, make sure it’s a safe, citrus-type stripper. And read the label to make sure it works on plastic.

You need to clean the surfaces. You could do that with soap and water. And then here’s a little trick of the trade that a lot of folks don’t know about. You need to use a Scotch pad on that surface. Just a dry Scotch pad, like the kind you use for no-stick cookware, like Teflon and such. That helps to abrade the surface just enough so that the bonding primer really sticks quite well. You apply that topcoat of the bonding primer. It doesn’t have to go on thick; it just has to cover. And then, after it dries, you can put your finish coat on it.

Now, what I would suggest, John, is that you sort of take this whole process for a test run before committing to the entire swing set. I think you’re going to be very surprised. Maybe take one of the seats and go through this process. You can buy – I know Rust-Oleum has a bonding primer and a topcoat that you can buy, just in cans, so it won’t cost you more than probably $10 or $20 in paint. Prepare the surface, apply the bonding primer, apply the topcoat. Let it sit for a few days.

And then you can test it for durability. And one way to do that is to take some duct tape – yes, another good use for duct tape – and put it on the painted surface and try to pull it off. See if it sticks. I think you’re going to find that the paint actually sticks this time. You’ll know you have a good, solid surface and then you can start the process of doing the entire plastic swing set.

But it really comes down to that special primer when you’re trying to do a slippery surface like this. And I think the high-bond primer is definitely what you need.

LESLIE: Heading out to New York where Ruth wants to talk air conditioning. What can we do for you today?

RUTH: It’s getting summer and it’s getting hot here, so I’m getting central air-conditioner estimates.

TOM: Oh, congratulations. This is the first time you’ve ever had central air?

RUTH: Yes, it is.

TOM: You are going to love it.

RUTH: Well, this is the question. I have three different estimates.

TOM: OK.

RUTH: And my square footage is 1,331.

TOM: OK.

RUTH: One said 3 tons, one said 3½ tons and one said 4 tons. What is the right amount of tonnage?

TOM: Yeah, I’d throw out the 4-ton guy. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Because, generally, it’s 600 to 800 square feet per ton. So you’re kind of in that 2- to 2 ½-ton range, depending on how efficient your house is.

Did any of these guys do a heat-loss analysis and figure out how many BTUs they need to make up with this A/C or are they just kind of making an educated guess?

RUTH: Nobody did a heat-loss analysis. I didn’t know that should be done.

TOM: It’s not only a question of square footage, it’s a question of how much glass do you have facing south. How much insulation do you have in your attic? How weathertight or draft-proof are your windows and doors? All of this plays in because, of course, the leakier the house is and the worse it’s insulated, that means the more A/C power you need, basically, the more BTUs you need to cool.

So, how old is your house?

RUTH: My house is about 50 years old.

TOM: I’m thinking around two-and-a-half is probably about the right size. The thing is, see, if you go too big, like that 4-ton unit, what’s going to happen is it will short-cycle. So it’ll run, it’ll get the house really cold really fast and then it’ll shut off. And by doing that over and over again, it never runs long enough to sort of dehumidify that air in the house. And so it gets kind of cold and damp-feeling, which is very uncomfortable. You want it to kind of run steadily over a good period of time and then shut off and rest and then come back on again, in kind of a nice cycle. So that 2½-ton area is probably the right area.

Now, beyond that, I would just look at the reliability of the contractor. Find out who they’re working for in the area. Get some names. Find out who they’ve installed A/C systems for and maybe even in older houses. And don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. A lot of people ask for references. Very few people actually call those references. But if you call them and say, “Hey, you don’t know me but so-and-so gave me your name as a reference. I’m having an A/C system – thinking about having an A/C system installed in my house by them. Really curious as to what your experience was. If you wouldn’t mind, please call me back and share that. I would appreciate it.”

And 9 out of 10 times, people will respond to a call like that. It’s not like you’re a telemarketer, Ruth, you know?

RUTH: Right. No, these were all free – were references. That was the puzzlement.

TOM: Well, OK. They were references but that means that somebody used them and told you to call them. I would ask for more than the person that just told you to call them. You want average. You want three or four names of people they work with that you can call, not just one. Just because they were referred by one person doesn’t mean they’re great. So, three or four names would be great. And don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and make those calls.

RUTH: OK. So I should ask the person themselves, “Could I have references of people you worked for?” Is that what you’re saying?

TOM: That’s correct. Ask the contractor for references of people that they’ve worked for. Check and see if they’re part of the HomeAdvisor network, because you can go right onto HomeAdvisor.com and …

RUTH: Yes, I have actually got them from HomeAdvisor.

TOM: Oh, well, that’s terrific. So on HomeAdvisor, you can also learn even more because there’s usually quite a few references. So that’s a really good thing to have.

RUTH: Yes, I did. I checked that out, too.

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

RUTH: Thank you.

TOM: Well, with all the time we’re spending at home these days, the wear and tear shows on us, as well as our homes. And when stuff breaks, we need to be able to find the right glue to fix it fast. And sometimes, that can be a real challenge.

LESLIE: Yeah. And if you’ve ever needed to purchase glue, you really can spend a lot of time looking at those packages, learning what it does and more importantly, what it doesn’t stick to.

Well, the folks at Super Glue have now come up with a product that can do just about anything.

TOM: That’s right. It’s called Total Tech and it’s an all-in-one adhesive and sealant with some pretty impressive properties. With us to talk about that is John Petroci. John is the VP of sales for Super Glue.

Welcome, John.

JOHN: Hey, thanks for having me, Tom and Leslie. It’s a great opportunity to be part of The Money Pit Home Improvement Show and I’m excited to talk to you guys about Total Tech today.

TOM: Well, before we get going, we want to talk to you a little bit about your brand, because it has a pretty impressive 40-year history. And I was really surprised to learn that the original Super Glue product was actually developed for World War II. But it was initially thought of as too sticky because it stuck to everything? Is that true?

JOHN: That’s true, that’s true. It was first used to mend soldiers during World War II. And it was very, very sticky but it was great for those flesh wounds until they were able to get back to a facility and be treated properly. And then, in the 70s, that’s when they first introduced it as an instant adhesive for the do-it-yourselfer, the pro and the industrial applicator.

LESLIE: Yeah. And of course, we all remember the ad campaign with the car and the crane. Is the car going to fall? But no, the glue is amazing. I mean it’s so cool that it really did stick to everything.

But you guys are still continuing on in this whole model of what sticks to what, with a brand-new product called Total Tech. Can you tell us a bit about that?

JOHN: Well, a little bit about the company. We were acquired by AC Marca in 2017. So our parent company now is from Spain. And they’ve been in business now for nearly 100 years. And they had an adhesive company over there called Ceys. And so, they were interested in The Original Super Glue and now we have just an endless pipeline, Tom and Leslie, of innovative products.

So, when you take a look at the instant adhesives, we have a brand-new product called SUPERUNIX. Instead of lifting a car, we’ve got a brand-new commercial that we’re actually lifting a 12,000-pound monster truck. So we’ve really made some upgrades in innovation to the instant adhesives.

But Total Tech, I’m really excited to tell you about. I’m an ex-paint guy. I’ve been in the paint industry for 35-plus years. And what Total Tech is is the first construction adhesive and sealant that is positioned as all-in-one, meaning it’s going to give you the adhesive characteristics: instant grab, great strength, it’s very versatile for all materials, all conditions. So it could be wet. It even works underwater for swimming pools and hot tubs and things like that.

TOM: It’s important to have an all-in-one product like that. I know, personally, at least twice in the last year I remember spending an undue amount of time in the hardware store and home-center aisles reading – trying to read – the packaging on some of the adhesives. With all the requirements, there’s not much room for labeling. But I was trying to find adhesives that would stick to vinyl and stick to rubber for some unusual projects. And then I was looking for one that would stick to foam.

And you spent a lot of time reading these packages to try to figure out exactly which one you want. So, the invention of all of these all-in-one products just makes it so much easier for the consumer to buy something reliably and have it work the first time.

JOHN: No doubt, no doubt. And what you have out there is really, you’re fishing with stale bread with obsolete chemistry. You have silicone chemistries out there and polyurethanes. What Total Tech is is a proprietary polymer that has taken the best out of silicone chemistry and polyurethane and blended into the all-in-one.

So, ideal from strength, elasticity, wet surfaces, the versatility of all construction materials like you alluded to. Plus, it’s paintable. So, great for indoor and outdoor. Yeah, paintability is a huge factor.

TOM: Now, we were talking about projects that folks can get done while they’re spending all this time at home. Caulking the bathtub is one of those projects but there, you have issues of mold. Will this – is this a good product for using on a bathtub to caulk?

JOHN: Absolutely. There’s no food source to it, so it’s mold-resistant. And you know what’s really cool about it, Tom, is the shower will be ready to go. It’ll be serviceable in about 7 to 10 minutes.

LESLIE: That’s amazing.

JOHN: Yes. So as far as instant sealing, if you have a leak, anything like that, it’s a great sealant. But as far as aesthetically, it’s available in a white and a clear. That shower and the clear on glass so that you don’t have to use a white product, the clear is non-yellowing. So, UV-resistant, so it’s great for those backsplashes, all those granite countertops, things like that. Even stainless steel, where over time you use various cleaning products on there. This will not yellow. There will be no discoloration with it. And you hit the nail on the head: mold-resistant.

TOM: We’re talking to John Petroci. He is with Super Glue. Telling us about a brand-new product that is called Total Tech. It’s an all-in-one construction adhesive and sealant.

So, John, it sounds like this is a product that even if you don’t have a specific project in mind, you might just want to pick up a couple of tubes and have it there at the house so that you’re ready to go when something does break. Because let’s face it: there’s a lot of that happening with all the wear and tear on homes these days.

JOHN: No doubt. And what it’s going to do is give you the simplicity, alright? So you only need one product in the gun now. It’s going to eliminate all of that confusion that you alluded to, because of the versatility. So no more reading the backs of packages and things like that. It’s not a good-, better- or best-type situation.

And it’s the all-in-one product, so if there’s something that you want to adhere to the outside of the house or you want to go ahead and put up a hook or do any crown molding, things like that, it’s great for those characteristics. But on the same token, any type of sealant. You’ve got just one product that’ll bring simplicity, get rid of all that clutter and confusion in your garage and run with Total Tech.

LESLIE: You know, I think it’s also important to point out that there’s a smaller size that’s like a tube size. So if you don’t have to tackle such a large project, you can actually use this over multiple uses and just screw the top back on and store it away. But if I do purchase the larger cartridge for a caulking gun, what should I do? Is there a special top for it? How can I store it so that I can use it again and again?

JOHN: Great question. All you want to do is put a little bit of painting tape or tape around that. Sometimes, people will put a nail at the end of the tube on the cartridge. But as long as you go ahead and wrap that so that there’s no air that gets in it and then just try to keep it in a cool place. The last thing you want to do is – a lot of contractors will leave it in the back of their truck or they’ll leave it in their trucks and it starts to heat up and things like that. Just keep it in a room temperature-type place and you’ll have a lot of longevity.

The little squeeze tubes, like you said, Leslie, they’re ideal for smaller projects. So if it’s a sink area – I mean we even have a lot of homeowners using it for crafting, lawn ornaments, things like that that are going to be exposed to the elements.

So, it’s water-resistant. It works on wet substrates. And just really, really simple.

TOM: Leslie, you were just telling me you had a – was it a favorite mug that you wanted to fix?

LESLIE: I just went to Paris in February, right before all of the traveling stopped. And I picked up this great mug, which has this cool snake ring, I thought, as the handle. And I was using it maybe the second or third day or two into quarantine and I broke the snake. So I was like, “Oh, that’s not actually metal.” It seems like it’s ceramic. I filed it. I literally bought every type of – I’d look up the glue and I’d be like, “Ceramic to metal.” It would arrive a week later. Didn’t work. File it off. Ceramic to – I cannot get this little piece to stick back to this beautiful mug that I have. And I’m like, “Oh, I’m ready to try something else.”

TOM: And she’s not alone in this, John. This is the frustration a lot of folks go through when it comes to adhesives.

JOHN: Absolutely. And the confusion that goes along with it. And that’s why you want a product that’s going to be very, very versatile. With SUPERUNIX, that’s the product that you would use in the particular case with your mug, Leslie, because it’s dishwasher-resistant.

With Total Tech, it’s almost like more of a caulking-type texture to it and viscosity. But with SUPERUNIX, that’s what we use to lift the 12,000-pound monster truck. It’s good for metal, just the various substrates. But that’s what you want to use with your mug on the ceramic. And I’m happy to send you a tube so that you could be a great testimonial for us.

TOM: Oh, there you go.

LESLIE: I’m happy to put it to the test.

TOM: John Petroci from Super Glue. The new product is called Total Tech.

And John, where is this available?

JOHN: It’s available at Ace, True Value, Do it Best, just an array of various outlets nationally. So, you can visit our website at www.SuperGlueCorp.com and find a dealer or distributor near you.

TOM: That website is SuperGlueCorp – C-o-r-p –.com.

John Petroci, thank you so much for stopping by The Money Pit.

JOHN: Thanks for having me. Have a great day, guys.

LESLIE: Hey, are you doing any gardening in your yard to get ready for your big Memorial Day weekend? Well, if you are, we’ve got a great prize to help you out with that summer project.

We’ve got up for grabs, this hour, the Centurion Brands Collapsible Watering Can, plus garden accessories. And it includes a soft kneeling pad and a collapsible bucket. Everything collapses. Nothing leaks. It saves a lot of space and it’s super durable.

It’s a prize pack worth 55 bucks but it could be yours for getting on the air with us today.

TOM: Give us a call, right now, at 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.

LESLIE: Well, have you ever had a large branch come flying down in a spring storm and needed a chainsaw to get rid of it? Well, the tool definitely does the job but they’re costly, they need gas and oil to run and they do take a lot to maintain. And it’s especially a hassle if you see yourself only needing that saw once in a while.

TOM: Well, that’s right. But with advances in battery and motor technology, today you can pretty much get the same performance from a cordless, battery-powered chainsaw as you used to get out of the gas-powered models.

I’ve been using the Greenworks 60-Volt Pro 16-Inch Cordless Chainsaw. And when you compare this tool to a gas chainsaw, the battery-powered motor actually delivers 20 percent more torque and faster cutting than a 42cc gas-powered chainsaw, which is pretty much the same size.

LESLIE: Yeah. And these saws are a lot easier to use, as well. You don’t have to prime them or choke the engine to get it started. And no pull cord is needed. It starts really easy every single time. And cordless chainsaws are also a lot lighter than their gas-powered friends, which means it’s a lot less fatigue on you.

And the Greenworks Pro 16-Inch is designed to deliver up to 140 cuts on a single battery charge, which is really helpful for you getting that job done. And it needs virtually no maintenance and has both an automatic chain oiler and inertia-activated chain brake, which gives you some added safety.

TOM: Yeah. I saw a video of a reviewer using the Greenworks Pro 16 where this guy was cutting an oak tree. The tree was probably about – it’s got to be about 14 inches in diameter. It was pretty much the same depth as the blade itself, because you just saw the blade sticking out. And it just sailed through this. And he had made, oh, probably over a dozen cuts on this really, really thick tree and still had plenty of power left. I think he’d only touched about a quarter, 25 percent of the battery power. So, pretty impressive.

That Greenworks Pro 16-Inch Cordless Chainsaw is actually part of a new whole line of 60-volt tools. It’s the most innovative technology in battery-powered outdoor tools that Greenworks makes. They have ultimate performance. They’ve got superior run time and they really have changed the game. And I would dare to say they’re probably not done yet.

These products really do a great job. They’re sold exclusively at Lowe’s Home Improvement.

LESLIE: Abby posted a question for us and she writes: “I’m a novice when it comes to home improvement DIY work and I’m interested in repairing some sun damage I see on my front door. Can you walk me through this project?”

TOM: Sure. That’s a great project, Abby, for a beginning DIYer. It’s a good project for a warm weekend, so check the weather. You need to make sure that the door has enough time to dry before it can be put back.

So, what you want to do is take the door off the hinges. That makes it a lot easier to work on. So, you’re going to have no door on your front house for a good part of the day while this is happening. Even if you have to break this up by doing one side and then the other, putting the door back and forth not that hard to take it on and off. You just pull the hinge pins out of the hinges. Get somebody to help you because doors can be heavy.

But put it outside on a couple of sawhorses. Then you’re going to want to lightly sand it and then you’re going to want to add a new finish. Now, when – I get the sense that this is a wood-finished door right now. It’s not painted; it’s stained. So, what you’re going to want to do is use a urethane. And you want to make sure it’s an exterior urethane, because it has UV protection.

And I’ll give you a trick of the trade on prepping the surface when you’re sanding it. 3M makes these sponges that are called “sanding sponges.” And they’re great because when you’re trying to get in the nooks and the crannies on the panels between the door and the molding, they will conform to that shape and it makes it a lot easier than trying to do it with a regular sandpaper.

If you really want to step up the finish on it, look for exterior-grade urethanes or look for marine varnish. That is absolutely the toughest because it has the highest degree of UV protection, because it’s used to make boat finishes stand up. But you might want to do this one side at a time. Do one side. After it dries, put it back on. The next day, take it out, flip it over to the other side and maybe you’ll have to do that twice, so you’ll have two coats on both sides when you’re done and a beautiful, new finish to your door.

LESLIE: Alright, Abby. Good luck with that project. That really is a great project for you.

TOM: Well, if you take your off-season clothing out of storage, you unpack those boxes and you find out that they’ve been ravaged by insects or moths, that can really put a dent in your day. To make sure it doesn’t happen for you, Leslie has got a timeless solution you can build yourself, in this week’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word.

LESLIE: Yeah. You know, for centuries, cedar has been used to keep bugs and moths from turning your wardrobe into their favorite buffet. Now, cedar not only repels those pests but it also resists mildew. You can add as much or as little cedar as you like to the walls of an existing space but it’s most effective if you line the space in full. That includes the ceiling and the back of the door.

Now, to start, make sure you go with Eastern redcedar. It’s the type that gives off a scent that keeps the moths away. And you can either nail the tongue-and-groove to the studs, you can attach it using construction adhesive or you can do a combination of both. You just want to make sure that you use a stud finder to find and mark those studs and begin at the back wall. And once the back wall is covered, you can install cedar on the sides.

And once your project is done, that closet is going to smell amazing and the bugs are going to hate that smell entirely. But you will find that over time, that smell is going to fade. But you can very easily sand that cedar lightly, once a year or so, and that will rejuvenate that scent and bring back its natural aroma and keep your belongings safe for years to come.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Coming up next time on the program, do you love your dog but not so much having to get up in the middle of the night to let the dog out? We’re going to have tips on how to install a pet door that your pet can actually open, close and lock themselves without any human intervention or risk of unwanted wildlife using that same entry. That’s all coming up 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 2020 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.)