Hosts: Tom Kraeutler & Leslie Segrete
(NOTE: Timestamps below correspond to the running time of the downloadable audio file of this show. Text represents a professional transcriptionist’s understanding of what was said. No guarantee of accuracy is expressed or implied. ‘Ph’ in parentheses indicates the phonetic or best guess of the actual spoken word.)
BEGIN HOUR 1 TEXT:
(promo/theme song)
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: Call us right now with your home improvement question. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. We are here to dish out the do-it-yourself advice and help you get all of those jobs done. It’s simple, it’s fun, it’s as easy as prime then paint. (chuckling) So call us right now. 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
Hey, do you live in one of the top 10 states at risk for mold? You might be surprised the list does not include just the rainy places. This hour, we’re going to tell you about that and give you some tips to keep mold free in your home.
LESLIE: And when you’re in your kitchen, do you seem to be doing a lot of heavy lifting? Well, if you are, you’re doing something wrong. We’re going to tell you what not to do to save your back. So stick around with us.
TOM: And you’re used to seeing concrete just on driveways, sidewalks and patios and garage floors. But it is a very versatile material that is not just for basements and foundations anymore. We’re going to tell you how concretes move to the inside might be just the answer to your design dilemmas.
LESLIE: Yeah, and it’s a beautiful application when you bring concrete indoors.
And this hour we’re going to be giving away a prize pack of locks from Master Lock. It’s worth $115. So we’ve got a great prize for you. Make sure you call in right now at 888-MONEY-PIT.
TOM: 888-666-3974. Leslie, let’s get right to the phones. Who’s first?
LESLIE: Paul in Connecticut’s got some issues with the brick on his home. What can we do for you?
PAUL: I guess I – three guys were supposed to come out and only one actually came out.
TOM: (chuckling) OK.
PAUL: And he gave me an estimate like $30 to $40,000. He said what it is – they use Chicago bricks.
TOM: Well, what’s wrong with your house.
PAUL: The bricks on the outside are crumbling. Not pointing; the actual bricks.
TOM: OK, the actual brick is spawling? It’s deteriorating? OK.
PAUL: And I was just wondering if there’s anything to do besides replacing the brick. Is there like a spray or …
TOM: Yes, Paul, there is a process that will do that. It’s a product called ReCote and it’s made by Boral – B-o-r-a-l. They are a brick manufacturer. Their website is BoralBricks.com – B-o-r-a-l-B-r-i-c-k-s. And the product you’re looking for is called Boral ReCote. And basically, what it is …
LESLIE: It’s R-e-C-o-t-e. They spell it kind of weird.
TOM: It basically is a product that’s mixed on site and it uses a hopper gun and an air compressor and it’s professionally sprayed on to the brick surface. And you can actually add a texture to this as well and it will seal in and recoat the old bricks. And it’s a very permanent finish and there’s a lot of good before and after photos on that website. And I think that could be the answer to your problem here because short of that this is a major job because you do have to take out the old bricks.
PAUL: Yeah, they estimated me $30 to $40,000.
TOM: Yeah, I think this is going to be just a little bit less than that and that might solve your problems. Called Boral ReCote.
LESLIE: And it’s a totally new look to the home …
TOM: Yeah, exactly.
LESLIE: … which is refreshing and nice.
PAUL: That’s great.
TOM: Paul, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Alright, my notes on this next call just say ‘faucet issues.’ Adrian in Florida …
TOM: I’m sure therapy can help. (chuckling)
LESLIE: Adrian in Florida, what can we do for you?
ADRIAN: When I turn on my faucet in the kitchen, it just like – water just spurts out; you know, like there’s a big back pressure. And I’ve had the water company out and they said, ‘Oh, there’s no leak or nothing.’ That’s why it – it only happens in the kitchen and when I just – like I say, when I turn the water on, it spurts out; I mean like …
TOM: Adrian, does it come out of the – out of the joint between the faucet and the sink?
ADRIAN: No sir, it just comes out of the faucet head.
TOM: The aerator itself. OK. I think, Adrian, that that aerator may have been disturbed. Because sometimes, if you take the aerator apart and don’t put it back together in the same way, you will cause a water gun effect. Here’s what I want you to try to do. I want you to disassemble the aerator. Take it out all the way; completely out. Then turn the water on and see if it’s still spraying all over the place. If it’s not, then you’ve got your problem. You’ve just got to get the aerator back in the right order so it doesn’t spray out.
ADRIAN: OK, because I – I didn’t take it apart, you know.
TOM: Well, maybe somebody did it on you and they didn’t – you didn’t realize it or maybe something got stuck behind the aerator that’s causing it to spurt. But take the aerator off, take the screens apart, clean them out. You know, run it without the aerator and see if it’s still squirting. I doubt it’s going to – I doubt it will squirt and I think if you get it back and get it cleaned out it’ll be just fine.
ADRIAN: OK, I sure appreciate it.
TOM: Alright Adrian, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: That wasn’t such a terrible issue.
TOM: That was not such a terrible issue. It didn’t require therapy whatsoever. Just a minor repair.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) (chuckling) You know, there could be just like a giant rock or some sore of minerals stuck back there.
TOM: (chuckling) I’m sure it is. Well you know, because those faucet tips – it’s amazing what gets stuck inside your pipes. You think water is so pure and so clean but it does get minerals in it; does get little pieces of solder that float down and can get stuck and do odd things like cause water to shoot out all over the place. But …
LESLIE: Yeah, at least you’re not drinking it.
TOM: Hopefully we’ve saved Adrian from some very expensive plumbing therapy.
LESLIE: Chris is Wisconsin, welcome to The Money Pit.
CHRIS: Yeah, hi. This is Chris. I have some questions on modular homes for you. Well, I was wondering – me and my wife are looking into buying one and we’re just wondering if their insulation factor is up to snuff; their durability. And how do you put a full basement underneath one? Not a manufactured home. A modular.
LESLIE: Well, a modular home is essentially arriving to your house in pieces that are ready to go to be put together. That’s generally what they are. And the benefit of having the modular home is that these pieces are manufactured within an enclosed environment. And then when they arrive, according to your specifications, it’s put together on site.
Now the basement issue …
TOM: You can absolutely have these put on top of a basement or a crawl space because you basically have to have that constructed before they arrive and then they drop them on top of that.
LESLIE: On top of the basement foundation.
TOM: On top of the basement. Yeah. I mean it’s basically designed that way. You know, it can be for basements, it can be for crawl spaces or it can even be for slabs and in that case it would be not so much a modular home but a panelized home, which is sort of a variation of modular but instead of having the house built in sections it’s essentially – each wall section is complete and then it’s dropped in place like a puzzle; one at a time.
CHRIS: OK. Excellent.
Also, as far as resale value goes, are they holding out on that pretty well?
TOM: Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, there’s no difference between – I’ve got to tell you, when these homes are constructed, you actually can’t tell the difference. I mean I could probably tell the difference because, you know, I’m used to looking for – there’s certain little things that will give you a clue. Like for example, the interior wall that separates the front half and the back half of the house, you’ll notice that the wall is about twice as wide as a normal wall. This is where major sections join together. I can pick up a little bit of detail like that walking through the house with a trained eye, but the average person would have no idea. And even if they did, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a modular home that would impact its resale. It would be the same as a stick built house.
LESLIE: And I think the benefits of modular homes are you’re finding so many more environmentally conscious companies participating in this modular home building business. And you’re seeing houses that feature a lot of environmentally friendly decisions; energy sources that are more smartly built that will help you conserve and use energy more efficiently. There’s a lot of good choices out there so you can make a conscious decision about the earth when keeping that in mind when looking at modular homes as well.
CHRIS: Excellent. Well thank you very much for your time.
TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Jim in Chicago is dealing with a roof leak. Tell us what’s going on.
JIM: I’ve got a roof leak that kind of comes and goes. I’m not sure exactly how it – you know, it seems the way the wind blows or something. It’s right where they have, you know, two different roof lines and then they also have a chimney in that kind of area.
TOM: Now, have you actually been on the roof looking at it, Jim?
JIM: Yeah.
TOM: One of the things that you can do with a partner is have somebody inside the attic with a flashlight and perhaps a walkie-talkie and then you on the roof with a hose. And if you work sort of in five-foot increments, start low with a hose and then sort of start down on the roof and bring the hose up very slowly. Let it saturate the area where you think it’s leaking up to and including the intersection of the two roofs and the area where the chimney is. You may get a better idea of exactly where the water is coming in. It’s tricky when you just see it on the ceiling because very often that water will leak in; it’ll catch the edge of a rafter; it’ll run down, you know, two feet, three feet, even 10, 20 feet and then drip off into the ceiling. So, if you’re only checking under the ceiling or right above the ceiling that may not be the area where it’s leaking.
But I have to caution you. This is obviously dangerous because you’re standing on top of a roof. So if you’re not comfortable with it, don’t do it. But you’re identifying the areas where it is most common to find a leak and that is where roofs intersect and especially where the chimney is.
How old is your house?
JIM: Four years old.
TOM: Four years old. So the flashing is probably fairly new and it may not have been done correctly. Because I find, over the last decade or so, that many times there have been a lot of shortcuts made in the flashing, especially around chimneys. Is this a brick chimney?
JIM: Stucco.
TOM: Stucco? Alright. It’s very possible that the issue is around the chimney area. So again, use the water test to try to locate it and then, once you know where it’s leaking, we can better talk about how to fix it. But if it’s the flashing, the best thing to do – even though it’s a lot of work – is to strip the roof off around that area and reflash it.
Jim, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Hey Money Pit listeners, are you having a hard time kicking off your DIY resolutions? Well, you know where to find some help. You can call in your home repair or your home improvement question 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’re always here for you at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
TOM: 888-666-3974. If we’re not in the studio when that call comes in, we will call you back the next time we are.
Well, you know, a wet climate doesn’t have to mean mold in your house. But if you live in a dry place, guess what? You are not necessarily in the clear. Up next, the top states at risk for mold and how to prevent mold in your house.
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TOM: Welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show, making good homes better. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.
Well Leslie, there was a recent study by the Greenguard Environmental Institute that ranked in each state for the risk of mold in homes and businesses.
LESLIE: My guess is Oregon, Washington state.
TOM: No! According to the study, Texas …
LESLIE: But those get so much rain.
TOM: Texas is the number one state, followed by Florida, Oklahoma – who would have guessed that? – South Carolina, Nevada and Arizona. That’s right.
LESLIE: But those are desert.
TOM: Nevada and Arizona. They’re mostly desert. But it should be a reminder that the mold that we live with can affect any of us, no matter where we are in the country. And because water is the main ingredient for mold growth, the first step in protecting a home is, of course, waterproofing it.
LESLIE: And for waterproofing your house, you know there are a lot of products available on the market that are going to help you waterproof your house regardless of where you live. For example, many professional contractors use premium underlayments underneath your roofing material to prevent leaks caused by rain or, if you’re in a colder state, ice dams. And we like a product called Grace Tri-flex 30. It’s something that’s unrolled and then fastened to the roof. It’s very easy to put in place.
And remember, no matter where you live, your home is going to be at risk for damage-causing mold, regardless of your climate. So it’s a good idea to protect your home when and where you can. If you want some more information on these products, you can go to www.GraceatHome.com.
TOM: You know, I used that Grace Tri-flex 30 on the garage …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: … and I’ve got to tell you, tar paper is like tissue paper compared to that stuff.
LESLIE: Oh, I know it.
TOM: It was tough. It was easy to work with. Once you attached it, it didn’t come off. It was great stuff. So I highly recommend that product. Really, really good stuff if you want to keep your house dry. You’ve got to use a good underlayment and that’s the hot stuff.
Well, good news everyone. You can have Leslie and I in your hip pocket. That’s right.
LESLIE: Money Pit action figures?
TOM: The Money Pit – not quite – The Money is portable though. (chuckling) You can help yourself to our entire library of Money Pit podcasts. You know, we could add Money Pit action figures to the store but I don’t think anyone would be buying them because they don’t come with their own tools.
LESLIE: Hey, I have a lot of family members. I bet they’d sell.
TOM: (chuckling) But if you want to kind of take us with you, you can check out our podcasts at MoneyPit.com. You can sync and go. You can take all of the shows with you. They are indexed. They are searchable. You can find just what you need to know at MoneyPit.com. And best of all, they are free.
LESLIE: Whoo! And something else that’s free this hour, we’re giving a prize away to one lucky caller. We’re giving away a set of locks from Master Lock. It’s worth $115 and it includes their fantastic Night Watch deadbolt. And it’s the only deadbolt that’s designed to keep a burglar from getting inside your homes even if they have the key. So it’s a great product; great thing to keep you safe. And it could be yours for free so call in now.
TOM: 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. And please remember, to be eligible for our random prize drawing, you have to be willing to ask your question on the air. So Leslie, speaking of which, who’s up next?
LESLIE: Listening on 77 WABC, we’ve got Michael from Huntington (sp). What can we do for you?
MICHAEL: Yes, I bought a place in Manhattan and …
LESLIE: Ooh, congratulations.
MICHAEL: Thank you very much.
TOM: Yay.
MICHAEL: It’s a lot more work than I thought it was going to be.
LESLIE: (chuckling) Always is.
TOM: (chuckling) Always is. (chuckling)
MICHAEL: Yes. And I was talking to my contractor about putting crown moulding up and he came back with an estimate that I thought was very high.
TOM: OK.
MICHAEL: A small place. It’s like 600 square feet. And he said it was going to be over $4,000 to put some crown moulding up.
TOM: Wow. (chuckling) Wow.
LESLIE: Did you pick a very ornate moulding or a really big one?
MICHAEL: Actually, I didn’t even pick the moulding yet. But he said because …
TOM: At that price, Leslie, he could put any moulding he wants in there. (chuckling)
LESLIE: Yeah, seriously.
MICHAEL: (chuckling) He said because the ceilings were cement …
TOM: Oh, OK.
MICHAEL: … he would have to do some kind of blocking system. I don’t even know what that is.
TOM: Basically, what he means is he’s going to have to attach blocks to the upper corners between the ceiling and the wall to give him something to nail to. It’s going to be very difficult to put crown moulding in a cement surface like that. I mean it can be done. Crown moulding is tricky when you have wood walls and ceilings. When you have cement walls and ceilings it’s even more difficult. So you might want to think about some other type of finish option aside from the crown moulding.
LESLIE: I mean it can be done but it’s going to be extensive work.
TOM: I don’t know if – I mean $4,000 still sounds like a whole lot of money to me but …
LESLIE: Yeah but it’s something that Michael could probably do himself. You know, if you’ve got a hammer drill and you’ve got some Tapcons, you can put in those supports.
MICHAEL: OK.
TOM: Yeah, they’re basically wood blocks and they give you something to nail to. Cutting and installing crown moulding is probably one of the more difficult carpentry jobs. It certainly is not a – you know, the first job you ever want to tackle. Because you have to – to cut it, you have to sort of work upside down and backwards …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: … and you have to sort of think that way as you’re putting it up. Because every one – every corner has a compound angle.
MICHAEL: Is there a less expensive option in terms of – somebody was saying like particle board that you can glue it up.
LESLIE: No, what about the Quick Clips?
TOM: Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. I think it’s called Focal Point. And they make a system called the Quick Clips Crown Moulding System which basically works on a clipping system where you install the clips and then you snap the moulding to it. That’s probably an option for you. Or what about a decorating option, Leslie? What about a paint treatment? What about using somewhat of a painted border or something of that nature?
LESLIE: Well, you could paint something. I actually just did a story for House Beautiful in their March issue where I painted a crown moulding in a very theatrical sort of styling. And it was very whimsical but it’s darling and it’s beautiful. It might not be exactly what you’re looking for but there are options. You can go with painting a – you know, if the walls – are the walls drywall?
MICHAEL: The walls are drywall but they’re backed by concrete.
LESLIE: Because what you could do is let’s say maybe about six inches down or less from the ceiling, you could attach a very small profile moulding; almost like the traditional picture rails that they used to put in older homes …
MICHAEL: Yes.
LESLIE: … and then paint that and the area above it the same color as the ceiling, which will also help make the ceiling look taller. And then that could be easy to attach because you’re going just – since it’s so small and not weighty, you could actually just toenail that into the drywall; as long as you don’t hang anything from it.
MICHAEL: Right. Right, right. Oh, that’s actually a very good option.
TOM: There you go. And it’s less expensive than four grand.
MICHAEL: (chuckling) Yeah.
LESLIE: Yeah, seriously.
TOM: Thanks so much for calling us 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.
LESLIE: Harry in Colorado, what’s going on at your house?
HARRY: Well, I just had a couple of questions. One question mainly. (whistling sound) This is more …
LESLIE: Harry, are you boiling water for tea? (chuckling)
HARRY: Yes I am, actually. No, actually I did have some tea but I use that to put humidity into my house because …
TOM: Oh, that’s interesting. That’s your humidifier; your teapot.
HARRY: It is. You know (chuckling), I got a humidifier and it just doesn’t seem to keep up. We live in a very, very dry climate.
TOM: Doesn’t that – doesn’t the whistling sound annoy you? (chuckling)
HARRY: It does and I’m going to have to do something about that someday. (chuckling)
TOM: Alright. You know, it’ll still put humidity in the house if you take the whistler off, alright? Leave it open.
How can we help you with your plumbing question, Harry?
HARRY: Well, I just – I live in senior housing and I just wondered – now I’m very, very careful with my grease. I usually pour it in a little can or a jar and then I dispose of it later. But you know, when you do your dishes and all that stuff, you’re going to get some grease down your drain, right?
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: Right.
HARRY: And I just wondered if there’s an easy way to make sure that that doesn’t collect in there and cause problems.
LESLIE: You know …
TOM: Why don’t you take some of that boiling hot water … (laughing)
LESLIE: And pour it down there.
HARRY: You know, I do do that (chuckling) as a matter of fact.
LESLIE: It does help. Actually though, if you go to Roto-Rooter, they have an excellent product. It’s sort of – it’s almost an organism in a bottle and you mix it with warm water and you pour it down your drains – down your bath drains, down your sink – once a month. And there’s an enzyme in there that’s going to eat away at anything, whether it’s hair or grease or anything that’s going to build up in the drain. And it’s totally natural so it’s not going to wear and tear on your plumbing system at all. Do it once a month and it starts to work over time. You’re not going to see an instant result; especially if you have any sort of buildup. But it’s going to get rid of everything. It’s just going to flush things out and it’s going to continue to work all through the month. And it’s not very expensive either.
HARRY: Cool. And I can get that from Roto-Rooter?
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: Absolutely. Roto-Rooter.com.
Harry, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.
LESLIE: Hey, Money Pit listeners. Are you having a hard time kicking off your DIY resolutions? Well, you know where to find some help. You can call in your home repair or your home improvement question 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’re always here for you at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
TOM: 888-666-3974. If we’re not in the studio when that call comes in, we will call you back the next time we are.
Well, you know, a wet climate doesn’t have to mean mold in your house. But if you live in a dry place, guess what? You are not necessarily in the clear. Up next, the top states at risk for mold and how to prevent mold in your house.
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ANNOUNCER: This portion of The Money Pit is brought to you by Dens Armor Plus, the revolutionary paperless drywall from Georgia-Pacific.
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: Standing by for your calls with your home improvement questions at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. The Money Pit, making good homes better.
Well, it’s time to talk concrete. You know, you’re used to seeing concrete on driveways, sidewalks, patios, garage floors. But this material is actually versatile. It’s not just for basements and foundations anymore. There’s a lot you can do with it.
LESLIE: Yeah. In fact, concrete has quickly become the must-have material for the inside of your house and you’re going to see it popping up as countertops and even floors. But some designers are pushing way beyond the kitchen. So joining us again is Fine Homebuilding’s editor, Kevin Ireton – who is our good friend – with some really innovative uses of concrete that he recently highlighted in his magazine.
Welcome, Kevin.
KEVIN: Hi, Leslie. Thanks for having me on.
TOM: So let’s talk concrete. Now, I guess the architect that I’m most familiar with that really turned concrete into an art form was Frank Lloyd Wright. He used to – he used to dye it in his floors. He would dye it in the walls and …
LESLIE: Would stamp it and cast it …
TOM: Stamp it and …
LESLIE: … and build furniture out of it and tell you exactly where your couch had to be for the rest of your life.
TOM: (chuckling) Yeah, exactly. But I mean since then, there hasn’t been much interest in concrete except for structural purposes until recently. In the last 10 years it seems like it’s being used for a lot more in the house. What did you guys look at in this article?
KEVIN: I think this whole thing kind of took off about, as you say, about 10 years ago when we started seeing lots of countertops. And there were a couple of people in San Francisco – a designer named Fu-Tung Cheng …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
KEVIN: … and another guy named Buddy Rhodes – who became these well-known artisans that were doing fabulous countertops with concrete. And they started to show up in some of the houses that we’ve published.
LESLIE: And what’s so interesting, I think, about something specific even, like a concrete countertop, is that it’s totally unique and original to your home. No one else can have the same thing because things are cast locally whenever somebody gets something specific done with concrete like that. So it’s truly unique.
KEVIN: That’s very true. And I think it’s also something, you know, that an intrepid do-it-yourselfer can tackle, you know, themselves and make something that’s really custom; that’s an expression of themselves.
TOM: Yeah, underline intrepid do-it-yourselfer. (chuckling)
KEVIN: I wouldn’t – yeah, my first project wouldn’t be to do my whole kitchen, you know? But …
TOM: Yeah. Yeah, I can – I see the concrete truck now backing up to the kitchen window and the chute coming down right over the sink. (chuckling)
LESLIE: That just spells disaster.
KEVIN: Yeah, you want to be careful about that.
TOM: Well, I mean seriously, when you build a concrete countertop, what happens? It’s actually formed right on top of the cabinets? Or is it formed sort of offsite and then lifted and put onto the cabinets like a traditional countertop might be done?
KEVIN: Tom, I’ve seen it done both ways. The people who are really masters of it, they form it separately offsite. And one of the reasons that they do that is they do form it upside down. And they’ll actually build forms using a plastic laminate as the base for the form – a melamine – because it has such a smooth surface.
LESLIE: Yeah, but you can even use other objects to create texture. I know that’s been done a lot.
KEVIN: That’s one of the cool things about concrete is that it’ll take whatever shape is in the form. One of my colleagues did a fireplace surround where he used corrugated metal roofing as the form. And he mixed up his concrete and poured it in and so he ended up with this – you know, these undulating panels above his fireplace that look really cool.
TOM: Very (inaudible).
LESLIE: And weighed a ton.
KEVIN: Well, he kept them fairly thin. I mean he didn’t, you know, he didn’t make them super thick. But still, yeah, they – it took a couple of people to put them in place and he had to make sure they were well supported.
TOM: Now, besides using liquid concrete, so to speak, that is poured in forms in place. I’m also seeing a lot of uses for concrete slabs; almost like as large tiles that are assembled into hearths and furniture and countertops as well. Is that a trend that you guys are watching?
KEVIN: Absolutely. And again, I mean you’re exactly right. We started seeing it more and more with floors. And if you’ve never seen decorative concrete floors, you know, you have to understand they don’t look like your basement floor. Your …
LESLIE: Oh gosh, no. They’re beautiful.
KEVIN: Your – they can look like huge tiles – as you point out, Tom – or burnished leather. I mean the color is really amazing. And they can have this kind of modeled finish.
TOM: Right.
KEVIN: Perfect for radiant floors in houses. But as you say, it started to – you know, it started with counters and floors but now we see people doing sinks, fireplace surrounds and other architectural elements in their houses.
LESLIE: Now, how easy are the colorations of concrete? Because we get so many calls about folks who are interested in acid staining. And I know so many artisans who really have specialized their art into acid staining but there are so many kits out there for folks [doing it] themselves. So how easy do you really think it is?
KEVIN: The pictures that you see published in magazines like ours really are the work of artists who have been working at it for years. And you’re not going to duplicate their results, you know, first time out or even, you know, first couple of times out. But you can achieve results that are very attractive. And so it’s – I think – again, I would encourage people to do their research online and then to try, say, a small countertop for a bathroom vanity.
TOM: Yeah, that’s a good point. Start small and work up from there.
Kevin Ireton, editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine, thanks for stopping by The Money Pit. Great info as always. The current issue of Fine Homebuilding is on newsstands now or at the website at FineHomebuilding.com.
LESLIE: Alright, folks. If you’re doing all of the heavy lifting in your kitchen, you’re doing something wrong. Find out how to avoid stressing and straining, next.
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ANNOUNCER: This portion of The Money Pit is brought to you by Aprilaire, makers of professionally-installed, high-efficiency air cleaners. For more information, go to Aprilaire.com. Now, here are Tom and Leslie.
TOM: Welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: It’s home repair because we care. Call us right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Alright, if you find yourself in your kitchen and you find that you’re always schlepping around something heavy, you’re probably ready to throw in that dish towel with all of that kitchen work around the house. Well there are several things that the folks at AARP suggest to stop giving yourself such an unnecessary and painful workout when doing your chores in the home.
If you’re tired of carrying pots full of water from the sink to the stove – and me, the crazy Italian, I’m always boiling a giant pot of water for pasta and they are heavy, let me tell you – so what you can do is why not ask your plumber to put in an extra long spray hose right next to your faucet. You’ve already got one there. Just get a longer hose. And then you can fill those pots on the stove where they’re going to end up and never, ever have to lift that heavy pot again; except when the pasta’s done. But hey, halfway there.
TOM: That is a good idea. You know, have you ever seen, also, the pot filler faucets?
LESLIE: Oh, right next to the oven themselves; on the stovetop.
TOM: Yeah, exactly. They’re very, very tall and they’re mounted sort of to the left of where the stove would be so you can simply drop it right in there. Now, the only thing bad about that is it doesn’t come with a drain so you don’t want to miss. But (chuckling) you know, if you don’t want to drag the hose across the whole kitchen, you can install a pot filler faucet.
These are easy things to do, folks, that as long as you think about, you know, when you’re designing your kitchen, really don’t add hardly any cost whatsoever.
Another thing that you could think about getting is a food waste disposer that will rinse your food waste down the sink so you don’t have to cart it over to the trash can. Saves a few steps. It’ll cut down on the garbage that you have to haul out to the trash as well.
Also, make sure that all of the switches are easy to reach. A few changes like this could really have you sprucing up your kitchen and keep you safe at the same time.
If you want more information and more ideas, you can log onto AARP’s website at AARP.org/UniversalHome. That’s AARP.org/UniversalHome.
LESLIE: And you know what? While the folks at AARP have a fantastic website with lots of tips, so do we on our website – MoneyPit.com. But you already knew that. And everyday there’s a new tip of the day and almost all of them are going to help you save money. And who doesn’t love that? And also, you can search thousands of tips on hundreds of home improvement and home repair topics. All of this, of course, at MoneyPit.com. And while you’re there, shoot us an e-mail with your current do-it-yourself dilemma. You know, we answer a lot of the e-mails we get personally and we might even read yours on the air. How about that?
TOM: Call us right now. 1-888-MONEY-PIT. If you call right now you could win the Master Lock deadbolt set we’re giving away. It’s worth 115 bucks and includes the Night Watch deadbolt which is pretty cool because it basically can be installed in about 15 minutes and once you do that, even if somebody has your key they can not get into your house.
LESLIE: And when you think about how many people you hand your keys over to – like the car valet at a restaurant or anywhere that you’re just sticking your keys down – you never know who’s making copies.
TOM: So call us now. 1-888-MONEY-PIT. Leslie, who’s up next?
LESLIE: Steve, you are live on The Money Pit. What can we do for you?
STEVE: Well, I am trying to do a concrete staining procedure on my bare concrete floors. I’ve stripped some carpet out.
TOM: OK.
STEVE: Got really old lead paint on it. And I tried using a nontoxic stripper on it and it did not work; did not take it off.
TOM: How do you know, Steve, that there’s lead paint on it right now?
STEVE: Well actually I’m assuming just because the house is pretty old; probably 40-something years.
TOM: Well it may or it may not be. Now, acid staining for concrete is generally best done on – the newer the concrete the better.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
STEVE: Right.
TOM: Because it’s a fairly unpredictable process. What is this floor going to be used for?
STEVE: It’s in a living room area in the front of the house. So it will get a fair amount of traffic.
TOM: Have you considered going with a laminate floor if it’s going to be a living room space? You know, regardless of how nice you make it look painting it or acid staining it, it would probably be more attractive for an indoor living space by either tiling it or using a laminate floor. You know, laminate floors are incredibly durable today and they’re very easy to install.
If you’re looking for a short term cost saving solution, you might want to also look into the epoxy floor finishes. There are various types of epoxy paints that include – and some of them have kits where, basically, you use a cleaner to clean the old floor and then you put the epoxy. And they’re usually chemical cured epoxies. There’s usually two cans in the kit; a gallon can that has three-quarters of a gallon of material in it and a quart of hardener. And you mix them up and you roll them out. And some of them have color flakes and other types of design elements that can be added to them. And that would be …
LESLIE: And even, Steve, if you’re able to get some of the paint up that’s already down there, if it is, in fact, lead based paint, you’re going to need a pro to do it because it could be quite hazardous to your health.
TOM: You know, the other thing that might be very cool, a lot of times when we talk about patios we talk about painting rugs on patios. You can actually use stencils to paint what appears to be a throw rug on an outdoor patio. It occurs to me, Leslie, that he could do something very similar and very interesting inside the house using the same technique.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. As long as you remember to use highlights and lowlights of the color to actually show dimension and depth. Like say if you’re doing a tassel. Move that stencil over once it’s dry and put a brighter color on top of a darker color to show depth and almost make it look dimensional. But again, you’re going to need to start with a nice, clean surface and make sure you get rid of any paint that’s chipping and then prime it and then paint it.
STEVE: Yeah, the main reason that I wanted to do a concrete staining was to kind of get the natural stone texture or look …
LESLIE: Look into polished concrete which is a very heavy resin epoxy type coating on top. As long as you get that concrete down – and you might need a pro to come in and almost power wash that concrete to get whatever’s on there off.
STEVE: Yeah, part of my problem is that I’ve already bought all the stain materials …
TOM: Ah.
STEVE: … (inaudible) a Behr product. So I’m kind of inclined to go ahead and try it. And what I – one thing I was considering was to get a floor sanding machine in there and do a wet sanding on it; you know, get a hose in there, spray it real lightly with some water.
TOM: Steve, if you’re going to do that – if you are concerned about lead paint and you abrade that and wet that down, you could be creating a big, stinking hazard.
STEVE: Right.
TOM: So if you’re going to go that route, you’ve got to have it tested first to make sure you know what you’re dealing with before you start abrading that.
STEVE: So even if it was wet?
TOM: Yes. Because now you’re going to have runoff. That water’s going to go off somewhere …
STEVE: Yeah.
TOM: … and if that leaks – I don’t know if you’re going to run it out your front door or wherever you’re going to run it, but I mean that gets in the ground; now the ground is contaminated. So that’s potentially a big mess. I would recommend that you keep it very simple here. If you bought the products and they’re not open, take them back to the store.
I think if you want to have a concrete surface, we’ve given you a couple of good options. You can have a highly polished concrete surface that has a lot of character to it. You could have one that has a painted finish on it that might appear to be a throw rug. These are very attractive finishes, they’re very modern finishes and they’re safe. And they’re easy for you to do and they’ll stick within your budget.
Steve, thanks so much for calling us 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Hey out there in Money Pit land. You know, a fireplace is a good way to keep warm and save some money on your energy bills. But what’s a good way to store the wood so it’s nearby and always ready to go? Well, we’re going to answer that question, next.
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ANNOUNCER: This portion of The Money Pit was brought to you by Ryobi, manufacturer of professional feature power tools and accessories with an affordable price for the do-it-yourselfer. Ryobi power tools. Pro features, affordable price. Available exclusively at The Home Depot. Now, here are Tom and Leslie.
TOM: Welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Making good homes better. Hey, do you want to learn how to save money on your energy bills without spending a dime? We’re going to give you some easy ideas in our next e-newsletter. You can easily cut your energy costs by 10 to 50 percent and we’re going to show you how. And that’s coming up in the next edition of The Money Pit’s e-newsletter. It’s free. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up right now at MoneyPit.com.
LESLIE: Alright, Tom, let’s get right to our e-mail questions because some of you prefer to e-mail us your questions and we like to answer those, too. The first one we’ve got is from Jean in Summerville, South Carolina who writes: ‘We have a fireplace and would like to put a pass-through – like the old milk ones – for the firewood. Is there any way we can get one of these or is there a way to build one that would be leakproof and bugproof?
TOM: Well, I think it’s definitely possible to build one. I’ve actually never seen a prefabricated one only because there’s …
LESLIE: I bet you can’t buy a store-bought one because there’s so many different conditions …
TOM: Yeah.
LESLIE: … to how it would have to be shaped and built and materials.
TOM: And also, although it sounds pretty darn convenient, it sounds to me like it would also be a big energy waster because it would essentially be another hole in your wall. It would be a security issue, so you’d have to be concerned about it being lockable. I don’t think that I would recommend a pass-through for firewood. I’d rather see you store the firewood properly outside, Jean, and then bring it in as you need it. Certainly you could build into your fireplace a recessed area to store it on the inside but I don’t like the idea of doing a pass-through from the outside; even if you could construct one.
LESLIE: And when you’re storing your firewood outside, remember to keep it away from your home’s structure itself. You never want to stack your firewood right against your house because it’s an excellent place for bugs – whether they’re insects – or mice or rats – whatever you’ve got outside –
TOM: Or termites.
LESLIE: – to sort of hide in there and then they come right into your house. They burrow their way in there. So keep it away; keep it dry; keep it covered; and keep it up off the ground and you’ll be really happy and ready to use it when you need it.
TOM: Hal from North Charleston, South Carolina says: ‘I just put on a new shingle roof on our single-story duplex six months ago. We have very large pine trees in the backyard and pine straw is piling up on the roof. How damaging can the straw be? Do I need to clear it off periodically?’
Hal, my answer would be I don’t think it’s any – it’s damaging whatsoever. It’s not really going to impact your roof except in a cosmetic way and if that’s the case, you could probably clean the roof.
LESLIE: Yeah, it’s probably really easy; especially if you can get up there just to sweep it away and just periodically do that. And maybe, while you’re up there, take advantage of cleaning your gutters. This way you’re not dealing with the big buildup seasonally. The only thing I’d be concerned of is if they sort of get sappy and then sort of stick to the shingle itself.
TOM: Yeah but even if that happens, I don’t think it’s going to impact the shingle except in a cosmetic way.
LESLIE: Exactly.
TOM: It’s not going to cause any shortening of your roof life. Your roofs very often get dirty, Hal, but that dirtiness – it’s usually moss or other tree droppings that get on there – has really no effect on their longevity whatsoever.
LESLIE: You know, we have a super large pine tree in our backyard and every time, after I do the yard work, about five minutes later that yard is covered in pine needles. I always love it when it’s done shedding.
TOM: (chuckling) Well, they’ve been around probably since the 1600s. Wood frame houses are still the most common type of construction. But there are better alternatives out there and Leslie has the lowdown in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word.
LESLIE: Alright. So if you’re building a new home, there’s one key to its longevity and appearance. The frame of a house provides support and a base for outer layers. This is going to include the foundation, the floor joists, wall studs, beams and the rafters. And while wood framing is most common, new advances in technology have made steel framing or even concrete forms a popular alternative. So before digging in, talk to your architect about which material best suits your geographic and your design needs. You’d be surprised what might work for you.
TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
Coming up next week, going green is the big buzz right now from everything to the organic food we eat to cleaning products that we use in our homes. But on the next edition of The Money Pit, we’re going to tell you how to separate the hype from what’s best for your family. Find out how to go green in a good way next week on the program.
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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(Copyright 2006 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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