Fast Fix for Noisy Heat & More #0123172

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

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: And what are you working on this beautiful January weekend? Are you working inside your house? I hope you’re probably not working outside your house, unless you’re shoveling snow. And well, if you’ve got to do that, we can help you with some tips to make that job easier. If you’re working inside, are you working on a décor project? Or maybe just you and the rest of the family are sitting down at the kitchen table and you are planning your how-to projects for the year.

What’s on that to-do list? New kitchen, new bathroom, new painting, new décor, new carpet, new tile. Whatever is on that to-do list, we are here to help you get it done, with good advice and good instructions to make that home as beautiful as we know it can be. The first thing you have to do, though, is help yourself. Pick up the phone and call us at 888-MONEY-PIT or head on over to MoneyPit.com and post your question in the Community section.

Coming up on today’s program, if you are lucky enough to have either steam or hot-water heat, you know that those radiators can be nice and comfy in the cold months. But if air gets stuck in the system, well, it can sound like your home is haunted. There is a simple fix. We’ll have that and more ideas for fine-tuning hydronic systems, just ahead.

LESLIE: And if a new kitchen is on your wish list this winter, we’re going to talk to a kitchen design and décor expert about the easiest ways to get started on your project.

TOM: And we’re here to take your calls. So, give us a call, right now, with your home improvement question. Let us help solve your do-it-yourself dilemma at 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.

Leslie, who’s first?

LESLIE: Now, we’ve got Charlotte on the line with a leaky-window question. What’s going on at your money pit?

CHARLOTTE: We have a problem with our double-pane windows. I go around every morning in the winter and dry out the windows. And we’ve got mold showing up in there. I’ve tried the ceiling fans running. I’ve also tried those deflectors. And we took the deflectors away because the manufacturer – the person we bought it from – said that was not a good idea. And we’re still going around wiping the windows out and I’ve got mold. I’ve tried cleaning them with a little bit of different things: peroxide, bleach water. Any suggestions on what can keep this down?

TOM: Wow. I’m sorry to hear that. And you know what? The reason that’s happening is because the windows are not insulated very well. Even though they may be thermal-pane windows, what’s happening is you have warm, moist air on the inside of your house striking cold glass and then condensing on the glass surface and then dripping down. So, the long-term solution here is to get new windows.

Now, a shorter-term solution might be to examine all the ways that moisture is building up inside your house. And it can build up in a surprising number of ways. First of all, cooking, right? If you have an exhaust fan that is recirculating that moisture back into the house, that builds up moisture. If you have bath-exhaust fans in your bathrooms, if those are not run during and say 15 minutes after showers, all that moisture gets into your house.

If the grading around the outside of your house is flat or sunken in, that lets more moisture under the house, which will eventually wick up. And finally, if you don’t have good attic ventilation, you get what’s called “vapor pressure” that can build up inside the house.

So if you try to reduce the amount of moisture that’s inside the house, that will control some of that. But unfortunately, the long-term solution here is to replace the windows. They absolutely should not be condensing. And if they were properly insulated, that would not be happening. Does that make sense?

CHARLOTTE: That makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much.

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

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

JEFFREY: Well, I’ve got cement-board siding and occasionally, a crack appears. And I’m wondering – I’ve tried a couple different caulks. The last one was QUAD. And it just kind of swells and shrinks with the weather and it shows after you paint it. Is there anything out there you could help me with to repairs cracks in board siding?
TOM: What you want to use is a silicone caulk because it’s the most permanent one. It’s got good adhesion and expands and contracts. But you are correct that it is very difficult to paint. So what I would tell you to do is to use a colored caulk, to choose the caulk in the color of the siding. And this way, you don’t have to worry about painting it and you could still have the qualities of expansion and contraction and adhesion so it’ll stay put once you apply it. I mean cement-board siding does not need to be painted nearly as often as wood siding. So if you get the right color and you get it applied properly, you know, this is something that can be with you for 10 years.

JEFFREY: OK.

TOM: The product is available in many different colors. I see it on The Home Depot website in gray and tan and white, of course. And there is also something called “paintable silicone.” It’s a white silicone caulk but it’s paintable. It’s made by GE. It’s called GE Silicone II. So you have a lot of options to choose from.

JEFFREY: Guess I’ll check that out, because what I’ve had so far hasn’t really done what I’ve been able to be satisfied with.

TOM: Well, remember the secret to a successful caulking project is to make sure the surface is clean and dry when you apply it and make sure you give it plenty of time to set up. But I’ll tell you, if it’s done right, it’s pretty indestructible stuff.

JEFFREY: OK. Well, thank you.

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

LESLIE: Cynthia in New York is on the line and has a question about some steps. What are you working on at your money pit?

CYNTHIA: At last Labor Day, I had a new entranceway put onto an old, renovated cottage. There’s pretreated wooden steps and they’re open. Now, the water has settled along cracks and so I filled in these cracks with wood putty. I was intending to paint it. Then I sanded the cracks and then the rains came and snow came before I could even paint it.

Now, is that putty still good? And the second thing is I’ve heard you mention something about primer. And I don’t know what primer is but do these – they’re pretreated. Do they need primer? And is that what would help the wood putty? I’m really not quite sure. And is it too late now to even consider doing this before spring?

LESLIE: Now, when you’re looking at the area that you put the putty in, has it shrunken away from the edges of the cracks? Or does it seem like it’s still holding within the area that you filled?

CYNTHIA: I think it’s still – they’re long cracks. The pretreated wood must not have been the very best of wood. And so they are long. Like some of them are a foot long but very – an 1/8-inch aperture. And I adjusted that I sort of scraped over the top. It was called “wood putty.” But someone had mentioned that once rain gets to it, it disintegrates and it’s not worth trying to even paint over it.

LESLIE: Well, I think if you’re seeing that it’s still adhering to the crack or it’s still filling in fully and hasn’t shrunken away from the edges, I think you’re in good shape. And you definitely do want to prime the wood surfaces. The only issue is if the wood is wet. Has it rained or has there been snowfall on it? So you want to make sure that the wood is nice and dry before you go ahead and apply anything onto it. So, if there’s been rain, let it dry out for a couple of days. And then once you feel that the wood is dry, definitely prime it.

CYNTHIA: I don’t understand what prime it.

TOM: So, Cynthia, primer is a type of paint. You have paint for inside your house, you have paint for outside your house, you have paint that has different shininess to it. A primer is simply a type of paint and as Leslie said, it’d designed to give good adhesion between the original surface – which, in this case, is the wood steps – and then the finish coat of paint. So, when we say to prime it, what we mean is to paint it with a primer. And then once it dries, then you could put your topcoat of paint on top of it. So you’re just going to want to make sure that you’re working with exterior-grade primers and exterior-grade paint.

CYNTHIA: OK. Well, thank you very much, sir. I listen to you all the time and you’re a great help.

LESLIE: You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com. Now you can call in your home décor, repair, whatever home question you’ve got brewing at your money pit. We’re here to give a hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

TOM: 888-666-3974.

Up next, when snowstorms hit, job one is usually digging yourself and your car out of the house. We’ve got tips to make that job easier, after this.

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TOM: Making good homes better, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Hey, do you have the winter blues? Well, check out our home décor board on Pinterest for easy ideas for refreshing and redecorating your home. Or give us a call, right now, with your home improvement or décor question at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Beverly in Nebraska is on the line. Tell us what’s going on.

BEVERLY: Well, I have a brick fireplace that I would like to reface with ceramic tile.

LESLIE: Oh, great. It’s a fireplace question.

BEVERLY: Yes. I want to know if what – if I need to do any special steps to prep the brick. I’ve heard yes and I’ve heard no, so thought I might call somebody that might have a real answer.

TOM: As long as the brick is not dirty or doesn’t have loose paint on it or anything of that nature, I don’t think there’s a lot of prep involved there. What’s going to be really important is that you get a good coat of adhesive underneath it. And you can use a tile mastic on top of that brick to attach the tile to.

LESLIE: What size are the tiles that you’re looking at, Bev, to put over this?

BEVERLY: Twelve by twelve, probably.

TOM: OK.

LESLIE: Tom, is there any concerns with the difference between the brick and the mortar line for unevenness? Or because the tile is so large, it’s going to …

TOM: No, because you know what? Think about it. When you put tile down, you use a notched trowel, right? So you never have a complete, 100-percent contact of the tile with the substrate. So the fact that there’s recessed mortar on this brick fireplace is not of a concern to me. It’s just more of a concern that we get a good, solid coat of adhesive there and that they dry well, they’re nice and stable.

And really, you want to make sure that you plan this out carefully, Bev. I mean frankly, it’s really small spaces to get that to fit right, to look right, to make sure the corners are done properly. If it’s sloppy, you’re going to be kicking yourself, because it’ll be obvious to anybody that looks at this that it wasn’t done by a pro. So just make sure it’s done really well so that it looks like it was almost intended to be that way the first time the fireplace and the hearth was envisioned, OK?

BEVERLY: OK. One thing that I’d heard about, the brick mortar line sucks up the moisture out of the mastic quicker. Is that something I need to worry about or just …?

TOM: Nah. Nope. Wouldn’t worry about it at all. That makes no sense to me. Look, people put concrete – put tile down on concrete and will tell you the same issue. Just plan it correctly, Bev, so that you have all the corners lined up right, you have the right pieces, the right – the types of tile that you’re choosing are the ones that, for example, have closed corners where they wrap around the outside.

And make sure it’s going to work. You may find that 12-inch is too wide for that; it might be easier if you use a smaller tile because you’d have a little more flexibility.

BEVERLY: Like maybe a six or eight?

TOM: Like a six, yeah, or an eight. Yep, exactly.

Depending on the shape, right, Leslie?

LESLIE: Yeah. It really depends on what look you’re going for. And with a ceramic tile, think about the finish on them. You know, a glazed tile is going to clean better when you get dirt and debris from the smoke in the fireplace itself. But an unglazed one might have a more hearth-y, traditional look. So think about the overall look you’re trying to get.

And you can also – a 12-by is kind of large. So if you’re looking to put a decorative tile, say, as cornerstones around your mantle or something, think about adding in little detail pieces and then you can size your tiles accordingly.

TOM: So does that help you out?

BEVERLY: Yeah. We’re just trying to make it look a little more modern.

TOM: Yeah, I think that’s definitely a good idea. I think it will look more modern. I think it’ll be very attractive. Just take your time. Do it once, do it right and you won’t have to do it again.

BEVERLY: Thank you very much.

LESLIE: Well, if you’ve been hit with heavy snow this winter, you know that job number one is usually digging yourself out. So, here are a few tips that can help you with that.

First, before the storm, you want to be strategic about where and how you leave your car. If you’ve got a long driveway, park at the end of it so there’s less to shovel before you can actually get on the road. And the same goes for a parking space in a condo or an apartment complex. You want to try to grab a spot near the exit if you can.

TOM: Now, another trick I actually learned the hard way is to leave your windshield wipers up so that they don’t freeze to the car window.

I never used to do this, Leslie, until one time my rear wiper on my SUV actually froze to the windshield. And then it actually snapped in two because the ice built up. One part of the ice was holding it against the windshield. The other part wanted to pull it off the windshield. And guess what? It just broke right in two. And I couldn’t believe it because when it melted, I found one half of the wiper on the ground.

LESLIE: That’s crazy. That’s really, really crazy.

Now, if you’ve ever had to deal with a frozen door lock on your house or even your car, one of the many things WD-40 is good for is freeing up those frozen locks. So just go ahead and spray some inside the lock, as well as on your key, and then that’s going to work it loose.

TOM: Now, when it comes to the shoveling, WD-40 also works well to lubricate the shovel, which makes it easier to release the snow. And remember, only use salt on those surfaces that’s marked safe for concrete, like calcium chloride. Otherwise, come spring, you will definitely be calling us for tips on how to repair holes in those sidewalks.

888-666-3974. Give us a call right now. We’d love to talk with you about your next home improvement project.

LESLIE: Al in Texas has got a house that tends to move a lot. Now you can’t close your darn doors. Tell us what’s going on, Al.

AL: Well, you know, here in this part – side of town – our soils are not very good and they tend to shift all the time.

TOM: OK.

AL: So it’s a constant battle with the doors not locking properly. And so my question has to do with – there’s a male and a female side and so, should I change – adjust the door or do I need to go to the female side to adjust that so that the door locks properly?

TOM: The place you make the adjustment, Al, really depends on what’s the easiest way to do this, so let me give you a couple of examples.

Let’s say that the door itself was hitting the door jamb a little bit low and you had to pick it up a bit? Well, if you went to the upper hinge and was able to tighten it, that will actually sort of twist the door upwards in its frame and move that striker up higher, perhaps enough to actually make the connection on the strike plate. And if you had to move it down, you could tighten the lower hinge. So you can do a little bit of movement by shimming the hinges or moving the hinges or tightening the hinges in the door.

Beyond that, the easiest thing to do is to actually reset the striker plate on the door jamb itself, to move that up or down to align properly with the door itself. And you could actually have a striker that’s a little bit wider than perhaps what you really need, in terms of the actual striker hole, so that if the door was to shift a little bit throughout the year because of swelling and expansion and contraction, it would still continue to operate properly. Does that make sense?

AL: It does. Now, let me ask you one last thing. On the – not on the door but on the other side, would I need to change that piece of wood? And why I say that is because, typically, that little metal piece is actually almost encrusted onto the wood. There’s always like a little square and if it’s like perfectly in there, would I need to replace all of that or could I just maybe …?

TOM: Not necessarily replace it but what you would do is you might open it up a little bit. So for example, you would take off the striker and then with the chisel, you would widen out the hole a little bit and then you would put it back together.

AL: That makes sense.

TOM: OK?

AL: Thanks very much. I appreciate it.

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

LESLIE: Britt in California is on the line and needs some help with a skylight. What can we do for you?

BRITT: My husband and I are considering putting in the skylights in our home.

TOM: OK.

BRITT: OK. Are we better off to put a round skylight? A square skylight? Are we better off to put it toward the middle of the roof line or at where it’s opened up on the deck?

TOM: OK. So you have a couple of options with skylights.

First of all, you can use a physical skylight, which is a hole in your roof with a glass skylight inserted into it. There’s another type of skylight kind of thing; it’s called a “sun tunnel.” It’s a lot easier to install. And basically you put in this tube that goes into the roof and opens up the roof. And then you connect a flex duct from it down to the ceiling of the room that you want to light. And that actually brings a lot of natural light into the room. It’s called a “sun tunnel.” So you have skylight or sun tunnel.

A sun tunnel is going to be a lot less expensive than a skylight. If you’re going to go with the skylight, you probably want to – you have to position it in the room where it’s going to look the best, so that would probably be in the middle. But the expense is creating the light shaft; that’s what you create, you construct, from the point of the roof down to the ceiling level. And that’s kind of the more expensive, complicated part about putting the skylight in. Cutting it through the roof is really pretty easy.

What I would recommend is that you use a good-quality skylight. I like Andersen skylights, Pella skylights, VELUX – V-E-L-U-X. All good-quality skylights because they’re curbed: they sit up off the roof and they have flashing that makes the seal between the skylight and the roof itself.

And I’ve had, for example, a VELUX – a V-E-L-U-X – skylight that’s been in my house for 20-plus years. Never had a problem with leaking through many a storm. So it’s definitely worth putting in a good-quality skylight but those are your options. I hope that helps you out.

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

LESLIE: Just ahead, if a new kitchen is in your plans, we’ve got an expert stopping by with tips to make sure your dream kitchen becomes a reality, after this.

TOM: Up until now, you purchased insulation to insulate, to help keep warm spaces warm and cool spaces cool.

LESLIE: But now, Owens Corning has changed all of that with Pure Safety High Performance Insulation. Pure Safety not only insulates but also actually contributes to a healthier, safer and more comfortable environment for your family.

TOM: That’s right. First, it’s a high-density, all-purpose insulation that efficiently fills cavities in your home with a layer of thermal protection. Next, Pure Safety contributes to healthier indoor air. It stays put in walls and floors and produces 50 percent less dust than some other insulation products. That means healthier air for your family to breathe.

LESLIE: Pure Safety is also fire-resistant. In case of a fire, you’re going to have extra minutes to escape to safety. And those are minutes that can make all the difference.

TOM: And finally, Pure Safety reduces noise up to 50 percent. It helps to keep outside noise out and reduces inside noise from traveling from room to room inside.

Pure Safety High Performance insulation from Owens Corning, a single product that will enhance your family’s health, safety and comfort. Learn more at PureSafetyInsulation.com. Pure Safety, the greatest home improvement you’ll never see.

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TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

Well, kitchens are a very popular project this time of year but getting started can feel a little overwhelming. Now, usually, we know what we don’t like about our current kitchen but we might not be all that sure what options are best for our new kitchen.

TOM: Plus, kitchens are really the mission-control centers for busy families, so just the thought of shutting it down for a big remodeling project takes some pretty good planning.

LESLIE: That’s why we’re very pleased to have Dan Jones joining us. Dan is the senior marketing manager with CliqStudios, a top online seller of well-made, semi-custom kitchen cabinets based in Indiana.

Welcome, Dan.

DAN: Hey, Tom. Hey, Leslie. Leslie, thanks for having me on.

TOM: So, Dan, let’s talk about the things that people find challenging when it comes to jumping into a new kitchen project. The first must be the design, right? It just seems that there’s so many options and everywhere you look, there’s inspiration. But how do you recommend that people sort of pull that all together into an actionable plan?

DAN: Biggest difference, Tom, was when they start off, it is overwhelming. It is the biggest thing in your home. It’s probably one of the top-five things you will ever spend money on your lifetime or remodeling your kitchen. And the budget, really, is going to control everything else. So that’s really where to start. Everybody wants to start with inspiration and the design but until you get the money locked down, everything else is going to have to wait.

LESLIE: I think the other thing, Dan, that people get tripped up on, also, is that they don’t always realize that the setup that they currently have in their kitchen can be changed. They get stuck with “this is my layout, this is where I should be.”

DAN: That is absolutely true, Leslie. They think that they have to stick with their – what we call a “footprint kitchen,” where everything has got to be basically the same. But with minor budgetary requirements, let’s say, you can move things here, move things there without blowing out your whole kitchen or totally taking down walls. There are always creative ways to do things to update your kitchen.

TOM: We are big advocates of getting the help of professional designers when it comes to a project of this size and scope. I think that the knowledge you gain, the time and the money you save by not making simple mistakes in this process makes it very well worth it. Typically, that’s an expense over and above the cost of the kitchen but you guys have professional designers that can assist consumers in this process, don’t you?

DAN: Yes. We do have free kitchen design with kitchen designers that have been trained, certified. We’ve got many with, literally, decades in the design industry. And one of our favorite things to say about our designers is that they are the customer’s trusted advisor.

And we talked about earlier on in the beginning of the whole process, people make the mistake that they don’t need to know – that they don’t realize they need a designer until they need a designer which, Tom, you’re relating to the mistakes and things like that. And it’s so important to involve that designer early on, not so much as where everything is going to be but just to set the table for what you need to do, what information you need to get.

TOM: Yeah. And as I said earlier, if you make a mistake, that can be very expensive. You know, you don’t want to find out towards the – after your cabinets have arrived that something is not fitting properly because something wasn’t measured correctly or accounted for. And those are the kinds of things that a designer can help you avoid, with the right information. And so with your process, you have consumers upload sketches of their home, their kitchen, perhaps some photographs. And then the designer really knows what they’re up against and can give good, solid professional advice.

DAN: That’s right. A simple line drawing – God, it could be a paper napkin. It really – take a picture of it with your cell phone, a few pictures of your kitchen. And that’s where we can start. And the designer will work with that customer to finalize those dimensions but it’s not complicated to start.

But Tom, you’re right, it’s complicated to finish to make sure that it is going to fit. Because the ripple effect of a mistake can go to increase your budget greatly.

TOM: Absolutely. We’re talking to Dan Jones. He’s the senior marketing manager with CliqStudios.com, an online manufacturer of kitchen cabinetry.

Dan, taking a look at your website, I know that your cabinetry is certified by ANSI. And I think it’s fascinating what that actually means in terms of testing. Let’s pull out a couple of these examples, because not all cabinetry is created equal. And with the standards that you’re building these cabinets to, it sounds like they’re pretty darn durable. Some of my favorites cited on your website are the drawers – the drawer test. Your drawers are loaded with 15 pounds per square foot and then operated through 25,000 cycles.

Now, mind you, that’s what my children operate the kitchen doors in one year.

LESLIE: True.

TOM: But for most of us, that’s a lifetime.

DAN: It really is. It’s a huge test and they have a 30-inch wide drawer that they load up. So you’re talking 15 pounds, you’re talking about 70 pounds opening and closing. And they have a machine that automatically does it and that’s actually through the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association under – independently tested with ANSI – American National …

TOM: I see you load your wall cabinets to 600 pounds and that’s a heck of a lot.

LESLIE: I mean do we really think people are putting 600 pounds? I know dishes weigh a lot but I never …

TOM: No. But the point is you can.

DAN: You know what? A 50-pound moving toddler, Leslie, can be hanging off a door and weigh about as much as 600 pounds when they’re swinging from the door. But it is overkill but …

LESLIE: That is true. I do have boys.

DAN: Exactly.

TOM: We’re talking to Dan Jones – he’s the senior marketing manager with CliqStudios.com – about the process of remodeling a kitchen.

Dan, as in life, the hardest step is the first step but once you get into this process, it seems like you guys pretty much walk the customer right through, from design to delivery. Aside from the cabinetry, are there other things that consumers will have to get on their own like, say, countertops?

DAN: Yeah. They’re going to have to find information on their own. And no matter where you get your kitchen, you’re going to have to learn this information. Your appliances, your flooring, your backsplash, your lighting, your countertops, as you said, all these have varying degrees of budgets and varying degrees of materials. Again, it’s the most complicated room in your home by far.

At CliqStudios, we call it – it’s heart surgery on your home. Because again, let you mentioned earlier, it’s going to be – you’re without the center of your home. And it’s almost – you have to learn all these things because you want to make good decisions on everything that you put into your kitchen.

LESLIE: Dan, I think people generally underestimate the length of time it’s going to take for a project to go to completion. Even if it’s just a small décor project to a major renovation, when you’re working on your kitchen, really, how much time should homeowners allow? Because it’s a lot of pizzas and microwave dinners, to be frank.

DAN: Oh, it’s funny. It can take anywhere – and I don’t mean to be this broad but two to six months, depending on how fast the customer is in making decisions and how complex the project is and what needs to be done. If it’s a total tear-out, I really would allow from start – meaning the beginning of the design process – to finish at least four months. And it doesn’t mean your kitchen is ripped up that long. Once the kitchen begins, the demolition starts, it’s about – it’s a good two months or more before you’re going to get your kitchen back.

TOM: Dan Jones, the senior marketing manager for CliqStudios.com, great advice on the kitchen project.

And I’ll tell you what, if you are thinking about doing a kitchen, you need to reach out to CliqStudios.com. Send them a rough sketch – as Dan said, it could be on the back of a napkin – of the kitchen you have now, perhaps a couple of photographs and then talk to their designers. Let them show you what the potential is for your kitchen. There’s no cost for that and I think you’ll be very impressed once you see the products that they have to offer.

Well done, Dan. Thank you so much for being a part of The Money Pit.

DAN: Leslie and Tom, I really appreciate the opportunity.

LESLIE: Alright. Next up, our heating systems are really getting a workout this month. If your home is heated by hot water, we’ve got some tips to make sure it runs at peak efficiency, after this.

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ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is presented by CliqStudios.com, the smarter way to a designer kitchen. Tell us more about your project at CliqStudios.com/Radio and receive a free custom-kitchen design. That’s C-l-i-q-Studios.com/Radio.

TOM: Making good homes better, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: What are you doing this chilly January weekend? Are you taking on a home improvement project or thinking about one for the future? We’d love to help. Give us a call, right now, at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Elaine in Florida is on the line and is looking for some help with a flooring project. How can we help you?

ELAINE: Yes, hi. I’m in the process of – I purchased some Home Legend wood laminate.

TOM: OK.

ELAINE: Seven millimeters, I believe it is.

TOM: OK.

ELAINE: And my question is – I’ve got conflicting views on what type of underlayment to use and how to lay it over tile – over ceramic tile.

TOM: Elaine, the Home Legend’s people, on their website, recommend an underlayment with a combination of a 6-mil vapor barrier and a cushioning foam. But that’s only on concrete subfloors. I think because you’re putting this over tile, the best thing to use is just the cushioning foam.

ELAINE: OK, yeah.

TOM: It’ll make the floor lay nicer; it will make it a little bit more comfortable for you to walk on, as well.

ELAINE: Alright. Thank you so much. I appreciate your help.

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

LESLIE: Well, if your home is heated by hot water, congrats. This really is one of the most pleasant and efficient heating systems out there because the heat, it feels moist and it’s so warm and lovely. But there are two problems that are common to hot water systems but they’re pretty easy to fix.

TOM: Yeah, one of which is a cold radiator and if that’s the case, it’s probably air that’s trapped inside the radiator. It needs to be bled. There’s a small wrench called a “radiator key.” And once the radiator’s hot, you insert the key, unscrew it; so it means turn it to the left. And what’ll happen is you’ll see – you’ll hear some air that will come out and then a little bit of water will start to sputter. When that happens, close it back up and your radiator should be good to go.

The other problem – and it’s much more common – are banging pipes. Really common with steam and the noise is actually steam explosions. And the way to fix this is to simply level the steam radiator.

Now, it’s a simple job but it’s probably best done by a plumber who should also replace the steam vent at the same time. What he basically will do is loosen up the connection point of the steam radiator to the house, then level it with shims and then tighten it back up again and make sure, of course, it doesn’t leak. And because you have the plumber there and because the steam vent is very important to the operation of the system, it just makes sense to replace that very inexpensive part at the same time.

LESLIE: Laurie in Pennsylvania needs some help picking out a counter material. What are you working on?

LAURIE: It’s not for me, actually. My daughter and my son-in-law have bought a house and they’re moving in in January and they want to remodel their kitchen. And they don’t know what kind of counter to get. Can you recommend anything? And I did hear you guys say last week there was an alternative to quartz.

LESLIE: There are. Now, countertops, of course, run the gamut of budgets. And it also depends on the quantity of countertop. I mean to me, when you think about the best of the best when it comes to a countertop is – I love granite. I also love marble. However, marble requires a lot more maintenance, a lot more sealing. It’s a much softer material then the granite. However, if you’ve got a lot of counter surface, granites and marbles can get very pricey because they’re priced by the linear foot. Sometimes they’re several hundred dollars per foot. The edges then cost extra money. So you’ve got to kind of figure it out that way.

I think the top of the line, though, is going to be a granite. Then you can have those quartz products. There’s Silestone, Zodiaq. And those are made from quartz. They’re a hard surface. It’s a solid surface. And they can look from anything – from a solid color to that same sort of speckled finish to a grainy appearance. And they’re going to be extra, extra durable, as well. But they’re going to be very similarly priced to a granite, as well.

Laminate is going to be sort of on the lower end pricewise. But laminates today come in so many different looks, if you will, that you can get something that looks like a granite, you can get a solid color, you can get a speckled finish, you can get a vein with a graining. There’s so much there but that’s going to be a different application.

And then, of course, there’s always tile. And tile’s an easy do-it-yourself project, as well, depending on the type of tile you pick. But there’s maintenance there, as well, because of the grout lines. So, you kind of have to think of what’s your initial upfront costs, how much countertop do you need, what would your costs or desire for maintenance be – do you want a lot, do you want a little – and then I think that’s sort of the area where you can start to go forward. People are also using concrete, which is affordable. Some people do it themselves, some people don’t. It’s a gorgeous finish but it’s a more modern, industrial look.

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

LESLIE: Hey, are you having trouble sleeping? Well, a few simple changes to your bedroom décor could help. We’re going to share those details for a good night’s sleep, after this.

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TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: So happy to have you here this chilly January weekend. We are here to help with your home improvement projects at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Or you can post your question online, just like Jocelyn in Nebraska did who writes: “We’re installing new kitchen cabinets and porcelain-tile flooring. Which goes first: the flooring or the cabinets? I’m concerned about changing out the tile if it’s underneath the cabinets.”

Really, Jocelyn, you’ve got to account for the height or the thickness of that tile. So whether you put the tile all the way under the new cabinets and then, you know, put the cabinets over it or tile after the cabinets are in place, you want to kind of allow for that height. So those cabinets will either be on some sort of plywood or some sort of base just to accommodate for that. You also want to make sure you’re not locking in your appliances when you tile up to it. So you really have to think about that.

I would just tile all the way under. What about you, Tom?

TOM: I helped a friend of mine try to get a dishwasher out when the prior owner had tiled it in. So in order to do that, we actually had to – listen to this – we had to pull the sink, right? We had to remove the entire kitchen countertop. Now, thankfully, it was a laminate top, so I could do that. But imagine if it was granite. You’d be pretty much screwed. You wouldn’t be able to get it out. Or you’d have to break out a good chunk of the floor to be able to do something as simple and commonplace as replacing the dishwasher. So, yeah.

Personally, if it’s not going to cost you a lot extra, I’d just kind of like to tile the whole darn thing. I know part of it’s going to be covered but it’s almost not worth just saving a few tiles to eliminate those extra 20 or 25 feet of floor space.

LESLIE: Yeah. And the potential headaches down the road should you need to remove something and you didn’t do it the right way.

TOM: Well, has insomnia taken over your life? It might have more to do with your bedroom than you think. A few simple changes may help you catch some more Zs. Leslie has got those décor tips for you insomniacs, in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word.

Leslie?

LESLIE: Yeah. We all tend to deal with a bout of insomnia from time to time. Now, it could be a symptom of physical issues or stress but your bedroom can actually also be contributing to your lack of sleep. And here are some things that you should know which could help.

Now, if you think watching the TV – I mean I always watch the TV when I’m getting ready to go to bed because I’m lonely. It’s like I’m watching the TV, I feel like I’ve got company but it’s true. I end up watching so much nonsense on the television that I end up staying up later and later and later. And it actually turns out that it’s not just the programming that’s keeping you awake, it’s the light from the screen.

Now, it’s not just the TV. It’s your iPad, it’s your iPhone, it’s any sort of electronics that you could be using in your bed. That light from that screen is actually sending an alert signal to your brain even when your eyes are closed. So, guys, just turn off the TV, turn off the electronics. If you can, keep them out of the bedroom because you will sleep so much better.

Now, another thing is if you happen to suffer from allergies. You could be tempted to spend some money on those hypoallergenic pillows but keep in mind that hypoallergenic pillows or hypoallergenic, actually, just means it’s made of something that you can’t be allergic to, which sometimes isn’t always the best thing. So instead, try getting those dust mite-proof covers for your pillows. Because this way, you get the comfy, natural pillow and it’ll prevent all of those allergens from building up.

The other thing is – and this is the opposite of my mentality because I like to sleep in the warmth, because I’m always freezing. But it’s really good to sleep in a cool temperature. And most doctors recommend 66 degrees. So, bundle up, get flannel sheets, wear four pairs of pajamas, because that’s what I would do if the room was 66 degrees. But my kids love a cold room and they sleep really darn well. So, there’s something to it. Don’t just listen to me wearing 18 pairs of jammies and staying up all night watching TV. Get a good night’s sleep, guys.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Coming up next time on the program, years of manhandling a stair railing can lead to very shaky stairs and loose railings. The fix for many of these problems, though, is pretty easy. We’re going to have those tips, on the 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.

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