Show Notes
- Modular Outdoor Kitchens: Building a customized outdoor kitchen is made easy with modular bricks.
- Curb Appeal: Stand out from the competition with 4 simple curb appeal upgrades to attract homebuyers.
- Attracting Butterflies: Find out how flower power can create a butterfly oasis in your garden.
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Plus, answers to your home improvement questions about:
- Window Leaks: Is a leaking window caused by the soffits, the roof, or the window itself? Mike gets advice on how to find and fix the source of the leak.
- Ceramic Tile Flooring: There’s condensation on the ceramic tile floor. Using a dehumidifier and checking drainage around the home can help with Annette’s cold floor in a warm, humid house.
- Roof Leak: Norma has a leak caused by an ice dam on her roof after a past storm. She learns the damage should be covered by her insurance policy.
- Electrical Fuses: A short circuit keeps blowing the fuse every time Gary tries to turn it on. He needs an electrician to check the wiring and avoid danger.
- Driveway Repair: Scott’s aggregate driveway is starting to crumble. It’s hard to repair a rough stone surface and he might consider replacing the driveway.
- Staining a Deck: Pauline’s wood deck is looking worn again. We suggest applying an oil-based primer and a solid stain that will last longer.
- Concrete Stains: What to do after battery acid spills in a concrete carport? Garland should try using epoxy paint to cover the concrete floor.
- Vinyl Plank Flooring: Can vinyl plank flooring be installed over an old floor that has areas of glue? Robin should have no problem if the planks are rigid enough.
- Water Odor: Phew! Wilson’s water smells like rotten eggs, even after replacing the water heater. We suggest having the water tested and using a charcoal filter.
Podcast Transcript
Read Transcript
| 0:00:36 | TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles. This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| 0:00:42 | And I’m Leslie Segrete. |
| 0:00:42 | TOM: So I’m here to help you take on the projects you want to get done around your house. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. To help you get that project done. You get unstuck if you’re in the middle of the project or to figure out if it’s a DIY project or one you want to reach out to a pro for help. But the first step is helping yourself first by reaching out to us with your questions. Call us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. That’s 888-666-3974. Or post your questions to moneypit.com/ask for the fastest reply that’s moneypit.com/ask. Coming up on today’s show if you enjoy cooking outside well building an outdoor kitchen might be on your Sunday list you know the projects you want to get done someday I’ll build that outdoor kitchen. Well that day could come sooner than you think. Thanks to a new type of very affordable modular brick that makes it easy to build fire, pits, benches and, yes, even a complete outdoor kitchen. It’s really as easy as stacking blocks. And we’ll tell you all about it now. |
| 0:01:43 | LESLIE: All right. And also ahead, the spring real estate market is well under way and more urban dwellers than ever are heading to the suburbs for space and tranquility. So if you’re ready to sell your home, we’re going to share four easy projects that you can do in a weekend to boost curb appeal and land a buyer quicker than the competition. |
| 0:02:00 | TOM: And butterflies are one of the best parts of spring and summer. And attracting them to your yard means you’re also going to have an army of pollinators working hard for you in your garden. So we’re going to share the top five flowers that will encourage them to make your home their home. |
| 0:02:15 | LESLIE: But first, we’re here to help you create your best home ever. So help yourself first by reaching out with your home improvement question. You’re going to get an answer. You’re going to get help. You’re going to get the pleasant banter of Tom and I chatted you through your projects. But we’ve also got a great prize for one Lucky Money Pit listener. This hour, we’ve got up for grabs a fantastic high efficiency, airless paint sprayer from Wagner Worth 260 bucks. |
| 0:02:41 | TOM: But if you want to win it, you’ve got to be in it by reaching out to us with your questions right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT or posting them at moneypit.com/ask. Let’s get started. Leslie who’s first? |
| 0:02:53 | LESLIE: Mike in Alaska you’ve got the Money Pit. What can we do for you today? |
| 0:02:55 | CALLER: I have an upstairs window that leaks when it rains. I notice the soffit are dripping on the outside of the window sill. And I’m wondering if the reason for the window leaking is because of the soffit, or could it be the roof that’s leaking or. Or even the window that’s leaking? I don’t know who to call first responded to. |
| 0:03:15 | TOM: The overhang were roof overhangs the exterior wall. So are you saying that that’s where you’re seeing the water come out? |
| 0:03:20 | CALLER: I’m seeing drips coming from the soffit. |
| 0:03:22 | TOM: Do you have gutters? |
| 0:03:24 | CALLER: Yes. |
| 0:03:24 | TOM: All right. And sometimes gutters get backed up and the water will overflow the back of the gutter and drip out through the soffit. Do you think that might be what you’re seeing? |
| 0:03:34 | CALLER: That’s possible, too. I’m just wondering why I see drips coming from the soffit. |
| 0:03:39 | TOM: Right. Because as I said, the water will get behind the gutters and then it will work its way into the soffit area. And once it does that, it’s just going to run out the path of least resistance, which could very well be. What you’re seeing with the drips. Is the soffit above the window. Yeah. Okay. So the windows, a first floor window, second floor and there’s a soffit above it and you think the windows leaking. Why do you think the windows leaking when the water is coming outside? |
| 0:04:04 | CALLER: Because it drips and I have to put a towel around the window because it’s dripping when it rains. |
| 0:04:09 | TOM: So there could be two issues here. It might be flashing around the window or it could be an issue with the gutter. But here’s a one way that you can diagnose this. What you could do is take a garden hose and get it up on that roof and let it run down the roof right around where that where, where the window is under it. You know what I mean? Like not blasted, but just saturated for a good ten, 15 minutes and see if you can make it leak. If you can make it leak, you probably have a leaky gutter or a leaky roof. Now, if it doesn’t leak, then that’s good. So the next thing you do is you take that water and now you start holding it around the sides of the wing. And of course, when it has to be closed, right? But you hold the plate between the siding and the window, not right up against it, but just try to sort of flood that area with water and again, see if it leaks. If it leaks, then that is very likely the flashing around the window. And to fix that, you’ll have to remove most likely the siding in that area and then have it pro reseal that window is not usually a matter where you can cork it. Usually you have to re flash it because there’s a break down somewhere that’s letting that water in. But those two very simple checks can tell you which part of the area the assembly is leaking. It’s kind of hard as you discover to track this down. So you have to be a bit of a detective. And that’s one way to do it. You can make a leak. You’re going to know where that where that area is, just to one side at a time so that if it leaks on the right side, for example, when the water is in the right and kind of where to look for that for the failure that’s causing it, if you just blast the whole side of the house with water, you’re not going to know anything except it leaks. But you knew that when you started. So you got to be kind of smart and strategic about a net. |
| 0:05:48 | LESLIE: And Mississippi’s on the line and has a flooring question What can we do for you today? |
| 0:05:52 | CALLER: I have ceramic tile in my kitchen and then and I’ve noticed, Tom, and say on top of the surface of the tile and I was just wondering what causes that. |
| 0:06:05 | TOM: The difference between a cold floor and a warm, humid house. So when you have you know, think about it this way and you go outside in the summer and if you’ve got a cold glass and ice filled glass of water or iced tea, you get moisture on the outside of that glass. Well, why is that happening? Because warm, moist air is striking the outside of the glass. It’s cooling and it’s releasing the water, right? Because the warmer air holds more water than colder air. So in your house you have, again, moist air striking a cold surface and it’s condensing due. Modifying that space can help. And there’s a couple of ways to do that, one of which is an appliance called a whole home dehumidifier. It fits into your HVAC system and it can take out a lot of water, about 90 pints of water a day out of the air. And you can also reduce the cost of air conditioning because everybody thinks that air conditioning is the only way to demystify your house. It’s actually not and it’s not that good of a dehumidifier, frankly, if you were to add a whole home dehumidifier in addition to air conditioning, you will find that it will pull a lot of moisture out of the air. It will make the air a lot more comfortable, not quite so clammy, and it will dramatically reduce or completely eliminate the condensation that you’re getting now on your floor, because that can get slippery, too. So you’ve got to be careful. |
| 0:07:23 | CALLER: Right. Is that common for ceramic tile. |
| 0:07:26 | TOM: For it’s not the material, it’s the environment that’s causing this. It’s not it’s not the floor that’s making this happen. It’s the environment. So you have high humidity in your house. Why? I don’t know. But you know, you want to check, make sure your bath and exhaust fans are going outside and you want to make sure that your kitchen range duct hood is ducting outside. You want to look at the grating, the drainage, the foundation perimeter. If you have a lot of water, the piles along the outside of the foundation, overflowing gutters that can raise the dampness and the humidity level all those things contribute. And you can certainly take a look at those things. But an appliance like a whole home humidifier might be the best solution. Okay. In it. |
| 0:08:05 | CALLER: Okay. Well, I currently use just a single room humidifier, but I haven’t noticed that in any other place in the house. It’s just that one area. |
| 0:08:14 | TOM: Yeah, well this is an option. you could certainly try another dehumidifier in that space, but it is an environmental issue and it’s not the building materials. Thanks so much for calling us at 88 Money Pit. |
| 0:08:25 | LESLIE: Hey, you’re tired of living in a money pit? Well, we’re here to help. And if you want us to help out, it would be awesome if you could leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Just go to Money Pit Dot com slash review. It’s only going to take a minute and it means the world to us. Spring season is underway and that is the home improvement season. Are you guys taking on a painting project this time of year? Well, how would you like to get that job done three times faster than if you just were to use a roller? Well, you can with the Wagner Control Pro 130 high efficiency, airless paint sprayer, it’s worth 259 bucks. And it’s really amazing because it can hold up to 1.5 gallons of material right in the tank. So you can just keep on painting, no refilling, no mess, less overspray. You can tackle projects that previously you’d think I got to get a pro. Not this time, guys, And it could be yours for free. |
| 0:09:18 | TOM: That’s right The Wagner Control Pro 130 high efficiency airless paint sprayer is going out to one listener drawing at random. Give us a call make that you with your home improvement question the number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT or for the fastest response go to moneypit.com/ask and click the blue microphone button. |
| 0:09:37 | LESLIE: Now we’re going to head on over to Ohio, where Norma is dealing with some roof leaks. |
| 0:09:41 | CALLER: What’s going on in the back of the house near my glass sliding doors was leaking. I could see the ceiling. There was water coming in around the doors and leaking down into the track of the door. And that happened right after we had we had a really deep freeze here. And I believe the ice froze up, melted some, and then froze back up again. And I looked it up and I think it’s called ice jam or something like that. |
| 0:10:13 | TOM: Ice dam. |
| 0:10:15 | CALLER: Ice dam. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Close. |
| 0:10:18 | TOM: You are close. Yeah. |
| 0:10:20 | CALLER: Uh huh. And so and so I called a roofing company and actually they came out and they told me I need a whole new roof, which is going to cost me about $20,000 because I got it. |
| 0:10:33 | TOM: Of course they did. How old is your roof? |
| 0:10:36 | CALLER: We replace it in 2000. Ten. Well, those eight or the new roof. |
| 0:10:44 | TOM: Let me let me ask you something. You got homeowner’s insurance? |
| 0:10:47 | CALLER: Yeah. |
| 0:10:48 | TOM: Well, ice tanning is covered by homeowner’s insurance. You need to call your insurance company, maybe even a public adjuster and tell them you had ice dam damage. And it needs to be fixed because to fix the ice, damp damage, you have to remove the roof. So guess what? You get a new roof paid for by them. Oh. |
| 0:11:06 | CALLER: Even if it’s just in one spot. |
| 0:11:07 | TOM: Yeah, because you can’t just fix one spot. Nice dams and Ice Dam if it’s covered. It’s covered. |
| 0:11:12 | CALLER: Oh okay. And see the other thing they said that the roofing around the vent thing that comes out the back room, you know what I mean? It’s a vent on top of your roof, right? And they said that the roofing was like sort of not all the way. It wasn’t laying flat around that I had some. |
| 0:11:31 | TOM: Listen, first of all, I don’t like this roofing company because I just think that they’re telling the tale here to try to get to. |
| 0:11:38 | LESLIE: Your wall, try to get more money. |
| 0:11:39 | TOM: Yeah, the roofs never lay perfectly flat around the plumbing then flashing because they’re flashing is under the shingles. And it basically makes the seal between the vent and the roof. So that’s kind of not true. All right. |
| 0:11:54 | CALLER: Okay. |
| 0:11:55 | TOM: So I would first of all, I would call my insurance company report to Chad. Nice. Damn. And if they give you a hard time, find a public adjuster, because public adjusters work for you and they get a percentage of the claim and they usually find a lot more than the insurance company adjuster does. So they kind of pay for themselves. Let them fight. No, but to fix this, the roof comes off. There’s a type of roofing material called ice and water shield. And it goes up about. |
| 0:12:20 | CALLER: Something I didn’t have. |
| 0:12:21 | TOM: From the edge of the roof, up into the roof, up over the sheathing. And then once that’s down, the shingles go back down on top of that. So that what causes it and that’s the fix. And the good news is that homeowner’s covers for covers because it’s storm damage. |
| 0:12:35 | CALLER: Yeah, it is storm damage. You’re right. Okay. All right. Thought about it like that. Thank you so much. Well, you’re very welcome. I’m sure can get that repaired. And the second thing you said was that I was noting that I’ve already forgotten. What was the other thing you said? |
| 0:12:51 | TOM: What about the plumbing vendor? About the type of insurance adjuster to use? |
| 0:12:56 | CALLER: Oh, yeah. Public adjuster. Public record. |
| 0:12:59 | TOM: Yeah. |
| 0:12:59 | CALLER: Public adjuster. Yeah. Okay. All right. Thank you so. |
| 0:13:02 | TOM: Much. All right. Good luck. Thanks so much for calling us at 88 Money. Be glad we’re able to help you out. Yeah, we may. I say that young lady, 20,000 bucks. |
| 0:13:09 | LESLIE: Leslie, She was so excited, she didn’t even know. Well, outdoor kitchens are a popular project and a perfect way to put prep, cooking and cleanup all in one place while keeping you close to the party. But if this is a project that you’ve been putting off, there is an easy way to build a complete outdoor kitchen yourself using stackable blocks. |
| 0:13:28 | TOM: Yep, they’re called Rumble Stone and it’s a product made by Pave Stone. Now they look like rustic stones and they come in kits that stack kind of like Legos. They’re modular and they can be used to build all sorts of outdoor features, like a fire pit, a grill enclosure, a planter, or maybe even a complete outdoor kitchen. Now, the process is pretty simple. You start by laying out and setting your first row of rumble stone blocks, usually on, say, a concrete patio. And from there the next rows are stacked right on top of each other. There’s no need for mortar. You can just run a bead of the quick create advanced polymer construction adhesive between the stones. |
| 0:14:02 | LESLIE: Now the rumble stone kits start at $250, and they can also be used for traditional paver projects like a patio, a wall, a landscaped border. Now, quick Read also has a lot of step by step videos of beautiful outdoor kitchens that that have been made with rumble Stone and then topped with concrete countertops. And of course, you can find all of these videos online so you can get a lot of inspiration and a lot of encouragement so that you can tackle this yourself. |
| 0:14:27 | TOM: Learn more at Page Stone AECOM and be sure to check out the step by step video instructions of a beautiful outdoor kitchen topped with a quick concrete countertop. It’s also available online right now. |
| 0:14:38 | LESLIE: Gary in Michigan, you have got the Money Pit. How can we help you today? |
| 0:14:41 | CALLER: We have a short circuit there somewhere in our house. We have a wire that blows or a fuse all the time. |
| 0:14:50 | TOM: Does it happen because you’re doing anything like running an appliance or something of that nature? |
| 0:14:55 | CALLER: No, we just hit the circuit breaker and it goes off. |
| 0:14:58 | TOM: What do you mean you hit the circuit breaker? And it goes, well, you turn the circuit breaker on, you punch right off. |
| 0:15:03 | CALLER: Yes. Yeah, exactly. You bought the house? We didn’t know about it. And it’s there now. Okay. |
| 0:15:09 | TOM: Well, you got to call electrician because the circuit breaker is doing its job. If the circuit breaker is not letting you turn that circuit back on, then that circuit is either wired dangerously or it has a bad breaker, or there is something wrong with the way it’s all pulling together. So I think that this is not something you can track down on your own because you can’t use the power on. The electrician is going to have to do this with the power off and see if we can trace out that circuit, see what it’s serving. You don’t have any idea what it’s going to. |
| 0:15:40 | CALLER: Yeah, kind of. Yeah. |
| 0:15:42 | TOM: Well, is there something that working is are lighting not working or outlets not working? Where do you think it’s going? |
| 0:15:47 | CALLER: Yeah, a whole room. Yeah. |
| 0:15:50 | TOM: Yeah. So there’s one room. Okay. So then what I’ll probably do is going to have to open up the, the outlets and the switches and lighting fixtures in that room and check out every connection point and see if there’s any evidence there could be something burning in there you don’t know. So you definitely need to have electrician check it out. I would go to a home adviser, AECOM and find electrician through there. You can pick one that’s got great ratings and schedule appointment and see what happens. But it’s definitely that’s something you should do yourself. If it was, I’d tell you. But this is beyond the average homeowner’s a skill set. It’s potentially dangerous and it’s important for your safety and to make sure your house doesn’t burn out. Okay? |
| 0:16:28 | CALLER: Okay. Thank you. |
| 0:16:29 | TOM: Good luck. Thanks so much for calling us at 88 Money Pit. |
| 0:16:33 | LESLIE: Scott in Illinois is on the line with a driveway question. Tell us what you’re working on. |
| 0:16:36 | CALLER: We have a house that’s 13 years old and our driveway is finished in aggregate at the surface, which is a little rough. The problem is it’s now starting to crumble. And I wonder what’s the best alternative to try to repair that. |
| 0:16:54 | TOM: So when you say aggregate, is it like a stone surface? |
| 0:16:57 | CALLER: Yeah, it’s a little rough, right? |
| 0:16:59 | TOM: Yeah. So it’s hard to maintain. Is the driveway sloped? Is it pitched? Is that why it has a rough surface? |
| 0:17:05 | CALLER: Yeah, it’s only a mild slope. It’s about three. |
| 0:17:08 | TOM: Degrees. Well, it’s hard to repair a surface like that because it is so is so rough right now. Is this the kind of thing that you might think about replacing? Yes. Problem with driveway construction is that even though we all think driveways are as tough as roads, they are often not and they’re often very thin and therefore they have short lifespans. And so if this is starting to crumble now and it’s not that old, I think it’s just going to continue to deteriorate. And you might be looking at a replacement rather than. |
| 0:17:37 | CALLER: A repair, probably may be better to do it in cement rather than put up aggregate. |
| 0:17:42 | TOM: Yeah, I mean that would be really tough surface. Just think about since it’s pitch, you want to make sure if you’re in Illinois, you want to make sure that you’ve got some surface on there that will give you some traction. So you want to make it too small. Yes. |
| 0:17:54 | CALLER: Yes. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. |
| 0:17:57 | TOM: Good luck. |
| 0:17:57 | LESLIE: Scott Paulson in Washington is on the line with a wood decking question. How can we help you? |
| 0:18:02 | CALLER: Oh, three years ago I treated it and put a stain on it and it’s gone back to the same worn look that it had when I first started working on it. And so I wanted to find out what to do to make it presentable all year round where it doesn’t go back to a worn state. |
| 0:18:23 | TOM: What kind of wood is the deck? |
| 0:18:24 | CALLER: It’s not treated wood, so it’s just wood and it is covered. It’s a covered deck. So it doesn’t get a lot of rain. The rain doesn’t really hit it, but it gets a lot of foot work and dog prints and dust. And what you. |
| 0:18:40 | TOM: Don’t want to do is apply a solid color stain and prime it first. So the primer is going to be oil based and the stain can be can be water based. Well, the primer is going to make sure it sticks really well. And then I would use solid color because there’s more pigment in it. And if you do that is a good quality product. You’ll probably have a surface that will last you probably 5 to 7 years before you have to do it again. |
| 0:19:01 | CALLER: Oh, okay. Because I used a transparent stain the first time. |
| 0:19:04 | TOM: Yeah, well, that’s why you see, transparent stain has no pigment in it. So if it’s got no pigment in it you’re just looking at the natural color of the wood. And unless it has a really good U.V. inhibitor, that’s just going to wash out pretty quickly. So you have to use something with pigment. you could also try semi-transparent if you want a good solid color, but you’ve got to have something with pigment if you want to last and have a consistent, attractive finish. Okay? |
| 0:19:25 | CALLER: Okay. So after I’ve put it on, is there something I can treat put over top of it? So it, it wears well. |
| 0:19:32 | TOM: It’s not designed for that. It’s designed to be the wear layer, so you don’t need to put it on top of it. Okay. |
| 0:19:38 | CALLER: Wish me luck. |
| 0:19:39 | TOM: All right. Good luck, Pauline. Thanks so much for calling us at 88 Money Pit. |
| 0:19:43 | LESLIE: While the spring real estate market is well under way and more urban dwellers than ever are heading out to the suburbs, they’re looking for space and tranquility. Everybody wants some peace and quiet. So if you find that you’re ready to sell your home. We’ve got four easy projects that you can do in a weekend that are going to boost your curb appeal and help you land a buyer quicker than the competition. So first, let’s start at the driveway. You need to make sure that your address stands out for those potential buyers touring the street with maybe a new mailbox. there’s dozens of decorative mailbox post designs and many ornate posts made from polyethylene. So they’re not going to rot and they’re going to need very little maintenance. Then think about adding some colorful flowers around the base. And that’s really going to deliver an amazing first impression. Plus, they’re going to find your house a lot faster. |
| 0:20:26 | TOM: Yeah, And speaking of color, you can also create color with window boxes and planters. These can really make your home pop. They’re easy to maintain, They’re easy to add. You can find window boxes and planters for your porch or deck railings or low maintenance containers for flowers or trees that can really dress up your doorway. And they’re all available now with very durable, low maintenance styles. You’re not going to be replacing them every year. Next, you can make it very simple and proven that can dress up your curb appeal and your safety at the same time. And that’s by adding a bold and beautiful set of house numbers. Leslie, I’ve been noticing lately that folks not using sort of three or four inch numbers anymore, they’re using the really big ones and look kind of cool, like the eight inch or ten inch or even 12 inch numbers. It really makes your home stand out. It makes the number so easy to find. That’s important in the event of an emergency. |
| 0:21:11 | LESLIE: Yeah, and they’re super stylish as well. Lastly, guys, think about upgrading your landscape lighting. you can add some low voltage landscape lighting. It’s a project that you can do yourself. You can create a warm, inviting first impression to the home, and you can also make sure that your walkways, your steps and the porch are safely lit for visitors. Now you can complete your curb appeal updates with a new porch swing or a rocker. truly, whatever it is that your space allows to just sort of put out that really inviting vibe and that’s done with all of these things. Color a place to set some beautiful numbers for the house. Nice lighting. All of this just wraps up that front of your house with a nice big bow and says, Come on, guys, I’m for sale. All right. Now we’re going to head over to Yuma, Arizona, where Garland is on the line. How can we help you? |
| 0:21:55 | CALLER: Well, I was telling the batteries on my golf cart, on my concrete and it over fall and there was some battery acid on my concrete and I spaced mortar, but it looked like it stained a little. Is there any way I can remember that scene? |
| 0:22:13 | TOM: Do you have any finish on the concrete now? Is it painted or anything of that nature? |
| 0:22:16 | CALLER: No, it’s not painted, No. |
| 0:22:18 | TOM: Well, that would be a great time to do that. |
| 0:22:21 | CALLER: You know? Okay. |
| 0:22:22 | TOM: I don’t think structurally has any effect on it, but when you do a like an epoxy paint for concrete slabs, for garages, typically what you would do is you would use an acid wash first. It usually comes in the kit. |
| 0:22:34 | LESLIE: So you’ve already started. |
| 0:22:35 | TOM: Yes, you started, Right. you’re part way there, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. And also, you will find that a painted garage floor with epoxy paint is beautiful and easy to clean. |
| 0:22:47 | CALLER: It’s outside under my carport. |
| 0:22:49 | TOM: Yeah, that’s totally fine as well. But you’ll find that that painted concrete if you use an epoxy paint. They’re also terrazzo finishes now four for concrete that are gorgeous. It just looks great and it’s a lot easier to clean. So what I would do is I would take a look at the products that are made by dish coatings that’s D a.c.h dish coatings dot com. They are a leader in this space. Their products are very well made a family business and we love them. |
| 0:23:19 | CALLER: Okay. |
| 0:23:20 | TOM: And you’ll find them also at Lowe’s and Home Depot but go to dish coatings dot com. Take a look at the website and you’ll be able to see the variety of coatings that you can choose from. |
| 0:23:28 | CALLER: Okay. |
| 0:23:28 | TOM: Thank you. Good luck. Arlan. Thanks so much for calling us at 88 Money Pit. |
| 0:23:32 | LESLIE: Well, spring is the perfect time of year to tackle a bunch of home improvement projects and painting really is a great one for right now. So how would you like to get a painting job done three times faster than if you were using just a roller while you can with the Wagner Control Pro 130 high efficiency airless paint sprayer worth $259.99. And this is great because generally, maybe you wouldn’t tackle a project that feels so big, like the exterior of the home or something that you’re like, Oh, I just have to hire somebody. Well, with the Wagner Control Pro, you as the homeowner can DIY so many of these projects because you’re going to get much more spray coverage, you get a ton of control, there’s less overspray. there’s so much more that you can do with the right tool. So why don’t we give one away this hour, this Wagner Control Pro worth 259 $99 could be yours to one. Very lucky Money Pit listener. |
| 0:24:25 | TOM: Calls right now for your chance to win at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. You must call with the home improvement question or you can go to Money Pit dot com ask and record your question by clicking the blue microphone button. |
| 0:24:36 | LESLIE: Robin in Wisconsin has a question about flooring. How can I help you? |
| 0:24:40 | CALLER: Hi, where are we finishing our finish? The 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’m going to put in a vinyl plank flooring, so 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? |
| 0:25:02 | LESLIE: How much glue are we talking about? We’re talking about like inches of it or just some areas of like slight unevenness. |
| 0:25:08 | CALLER: Just little areas of unevenness. And we’ve been fanning it. But that’s quite a procedure. |
| 0:25:13 | LESLIE: Oh, my goodness. And sanding it is only going to find like gunk up all your sandpaper and gunk up your hand, cinders. it only sort of reactivates the glue kind of stream. |
| 0:25:22 | CALLER: Okay. |
| 0:25:22 | LESLIE: So generally with the 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 manufacturer’s recommendations because they know what’s best for their product. But for the most part, with the 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 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. |
| 0:25:58 | CALLER: Oh, perfect. Great. Thank you for your help. |
| 0:26:00 | TOM: All right. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 88 Money Pit. |
| 0:26:05 | LESLIE: Well, butterflies are one of the best parts of the spring and summer. And attracting them to your yard means that you’re going to have an army of pollinators doing a lot of work in your garden. Now, for butterflies, nectar is food. So if you plant the right flowers and flowering bushes, butterflies are going to gladly stop by to feed. And these five flowers can definitely help. Now, the first one we’ll talk about, it’s called the Butterfly Bush, and it’s aptly named because the butterfly bush is by far the best choice. When it comes to a butterfly garden. The plant itself is also known as the summer lilac, and it is beautiful. And these butterflies just love them. |
| 0:26:39 | TOM: And we have a tip here. It’s very complicated. If the plant starts with the word butterfly, it’s probably good. Next about the butterfly flower or butterfly weed. And this plant actually does double duty. It not only supplies nectar for adult butterflies, but it’s a host plant for caterpillars. And the butterfly weeds help keep the species like the monarch butterfly thriving as the plant itself contains a toxic substance that makes the caterpillars taste nasty to predators. Hummingbirds also particularly love the butterfly weed. |
| 0:27:08 | LESLIE: Now, third on our list of plants are butterflies. Love is the cone flower. These are super easy to grow. They are drought resistant. They tolerate the cold well, and they’re going to grow just about anywhere. Plus, the large flowers bloom over a long period of time, so you can have them through several seasons. So as the butterflies are coming through, there’s something for them to eat. |
| 0:27:26 | TOM: And then we have the Asters, which includes several varieties, and these are all beautiful with their blue and violet colors. But the nice thing about this butterfly attracting plant is that it blooms late summer to fall, and this means it will attract butterflies for a very long time in your garden. |
| 0:27:40 | LESLIE: Now finally, salvia. I always feel like I’ve planted salvia without even realizing I was part of this. And then I’ve enjoyed the benefits of butterflies for so many years. Salvia is great because also hummingbirds and honey bees love the salvia plant. It’s going to produce a rich nectar, even in a drought condition which is needed as a food source, especially in the dry weather. Now read is a favorite if you want to attract hummingbirds too. But I’ve seen the salvia and red and purple. it’s really an interesting plant. They’re easy to grow and they do add a bright pop of color to any garden. Plus, if you can get a hummingbird, that always makes me so happy when one pops up in the yard. There’s so pretty. Wilson in North Carolina is on the line dealing with a funky smell coming out of the sink. What’s going. |
| 0:28:19 | CALLER: On? Yes, I have a water smell and problem. I got water and we got a of strong smelling. It’s like rotting eggs, especially in the hot water. We changed the weather here. There still it smells. Are do I need to change that? Also the plumbing. All the pipe in the house or. Yes, brush it is. I need fresh. |
| 0:28:45 | CALLER: What kind of cleaners do I need to use? |
| 0:28:48 | TOM: So you’ve replaced your water heater and you’re still having this smell of sulfur. So that eliminates one possibility, which is the anode rod sometimes of the anode rod becomes worn out inside the water. Here you will get a sulfur smell. I think the next best thing for you to do will soon is to add a charcoal filter to the system. But I don’t want you to add it at the faucet. I want you to add it where the main water valve comes into the house. This is a good opportunity for a whole house water filter. And if you water’s not been tested, I would also have it tested at the same time just to make sure there are not any additional contaminants in that water aside from that sulfur odor. |
| 0:29:26 | LESLIE: Anita in Illinois reached out to Tim Money Pit asking this I’m going to install a new central air conditioning system this year. How do I know what size to get for my 1800 square foot single storey home? I’m sure there’s a formula involved here. It’s not just like this one. |
| 0:29:41 | TOM: There is. And there’s a simple formula or there’s the sort of the right way to do this. Now, the rule of thumb, the shortcut, right, is that you typically need one ton of air conditioning for every 600 to 800 square feet of finished space in your house. So if you’ve got 1800 square foot home, you’re probably going to use a two and a half to three ton air conditioning system for that. Now, you don’t want to go too small because it’s not going to work, but you also don’t want to go too big because if you go with a system that’s too big, it actually doesn’t run long enough to take the humidity out of that heated air. And that’s when it starts to feel sort of cold and clammy, uncomfortable. Now, the longer way to do this is by having your HVAC contractor do what’s called a heat loss analysis, where they actually measure not only the square footage, but they look at the orientation of the building, the types of insulation it has, the types of window it has, and they can actually calculate down to the BTU how much cooling power you need for that space. Now, I think if it’s in an area where there’s a lot of units, a lot of similarly sized houses, most professional experience contractors are going to know what’s going to work. But if it’s sort of it doesn’t have any history to it, then maybe they’re going to do a heat loss analysis. Any way you look at it, though, it’s important to get the right size unit for your home. |
| 0:31:01 | LESLIE: Yeah. Too big or too small is not good. That causes a whole bunch of other problems. So you’ve got to make sure that you get the right size. So make sure it’s sized properly and you’ll be good to go. |
| 0:31:11 | TOM: Well, let’s talk about the three R’s Reduce, reuse and recycle. These are key to a green lifestyle. And Leslie has tips to help with one green table building project that delivers all three. In today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word, Leslie, take it away. |
| 0:31:28 | LESLIE: this is truly about repurposing. And this really is a great trick of the trade to turn just unusual items that you have around the house into functional and good looking side tables. everybody seems to have these ceramic garden stools, and I’ve actually never seen anybody use them in the garden. They’re fantastic stick in the house. you can find the discount shop. You can find the super high end stores. They look great as these little unexpected side tables in a bathroom. Maybe you just put a little candle on it or an orchid or a rolled up towel. Just a little something that might normally go outside. Looks amazing on the inside. So think about it. And if you find them at one of those discount home shops, pick it up because they’re so great, you’ll find a good spot for it. Other things I’d like to use to make side tables out of our Rain Drum’s vintage baskets, old suitcases, musical instruments. all of these things are you might not think, Oh, I can use an instrument to make a table these, but you can, with the right hardware in it to sort of support the table top as well. And then this other item becomes more of the decorative part of it as well as part of the structural integrity. So you got to kind of figure out what you’re using. You can pick up some tempered glass for the top. Again, you can find those at home centers, discount home decor stores, you can buy them online. So shop around a price. Now you’ve got a really great customer side table When you’re done that nobody else is going to have. And it’s going to look really great in your home and it is the best form of repurposing. So have at it, guys. |
| 0:32:54 | TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement show. Coming up next time on the show. A perk living. It definitely has advantages, but a yard of your own is not one of them. That, however, is no reason to give up on the idea of your very own garden. We’re going to share tips to help you create a beautiful bountiful garden. |
| 0:33:11 | TOM: No matter how much space you have or don’t have on the very next edition of The Money This, I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| 0:33:17 | LESLIE: And I’m Leslie. |
| 0:33:18 | TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself. |
| 0:33:20 | LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone. |
| (Note: The above referenced transcript is AI-Generated, Unedited and Unproofed and as such may not accurately reflect the recorded audio. Copyright 2023 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.) |
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