LESLIE: Calling in from Louisiana we’ve got Steen (sp). Welcome to The Money Pit. What can we help with?
STEEN (sp): I have a problem with discoloration around the columns on the front of my house. And I didn’t know if there was something maybe I could seal it with; something I could – some kind of paint or something that would, you know, let the stuff wash right off of it instead of me having to wash it once a week or so.
TOM: Is it a – is it a mildew that’s causing the discoloration?
STEEN (sp): No, it’s not really a mildew. It’s just – I guess it’s just dirt, dust, something. It’s – you know, I can get down and scrub it off.
TOM: OK.
Well, what you’re going to want to do, Steen (sp), here is – first of all, you’re going to want to repaint the columns and I want you to use an oil-based primer. It’s going to give you a smooth, even surface for the topcoat layer to adhere to. Then I want you to use a semi-gloss. Don’t use a satin because it’s not going to clean as well.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: Use at least a semi-gloss if not a gloss. And once you do those two things then what you can do as a final step – and there’s the trick of the trade – take some car wax, like some Simonize or Turtle Wax or something like that, and wax the columns. That’s going to create a layer that will help keep that dirt from sticking.
STEEN (sp): Alright, sounds great. Thank y’all for taking my question.
TOM: And that’ll do it.
STEEN (sp): Alright.
LESLIE: That’s super clever, Tom. I have to say.
TOM: (chuckling) You like that one?
LESLIE: I really think that’s a clever tip and …
TOM: Yeah, occasionally I think of a good one. (chuckling)
LESLIE: And you know, it’s going to be so helpful when his kids come running home and swing around those poles as they’re like, “Hey! [We’re suing] (ph)!”
TOM: No, you know why I thought of that? Because that’s a trick of the trade that we use in the bathroom. Sometimes if you have a shower door, if you have really hard water and it gets a lot of mineral salts on it …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: … you can use car wax on that, too. It doesn’t hurt anything.
LESLIE: Interesting.
TOM: You just have to make sure you don’t use the car wax that has an abrasive in it. Just use like the plain, old-fashioned Simonize. I’ve been using it for years. It works great. Just don’t ever use it on a floor surface and it does a really good job of keeping the dirt from sticking.
LESLIE: You’re the cleverest.
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