Hour 1
Brick Painting Solution
Mary’s Georgia home is covered with red bricks on the outside. She wants to change the color and she’s heard about a special paint for brick surfaces. She’s like to know what that product is and how it works.
The product is called Romabio* and it’s a self-priming paint made from minerals. That means that it adheres well to masonry surfaces while still allowing the surface to breath which reduces the chance of peeling and formation of mold. It can be applied with a sprayer or a brush just like conventional paint.
Weatherization Tip
Doors are a common source of drafts and that causes high heating and cooling costs. The Duck Brand Max Strength® Self-Adhesive Rubber Door Bottom* provides a simple solution to blocking drafts and preventing insects, water, dust, and debris from invading your home.
This product is a flexible self-adhesive door sweep that you add to your existing exterior doors. You simply cut it to the width of the door and attach it with the peel and stick adhesive to the inside of the door for year-round protection that helps prevent air loss under your doors.
Hour 2
Repairing Fiber Cement Siding
Betty’s Tennessee home has fiber cement planks on the exterior. It’s over 18 years old and the bottom planks have been banged up by the lawnmower over the years. She wants to know if it can be fixed and how to replace it.
Individual planks can be replaced but it does require some skill and special tools. The nails going through the damaged planks must be cut from underneath with a reciprocating saw or an oscillating saw. Then the bad plank can be removed from the bottom and a new piece can be slipped up into its place and nailed secure through the course above it.
Temperature When Pouring Concrete
Viola from Missouri is about to have a concrete slab poured at her home. She wants to know what kind of temperatures she needs to be concerned about when the pour occurs so she can make a good decision about whether to proceed or not.
If the temperature is too high concrete can cure too quickly and become brittle. If it’s too low the water in the mix can freeze and the concrete will crack. The ideal temperature for pouring concrete is between 40- and 50-degrees Fahrenheit.
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Simple Solutions
Safer Kindling Chopping—Chopping kindling with an axe can be dangerous because you must hold the board or log with one hand while chopping it with the other. Here’s a much safer solution: First, cut a 1×2 about 16 in. long drive a 1¼-inch drywall screw through one end leaving the pointed screw tip protruding about ½ inch from the 1×2.
Now, set the screw tip onto top of the board you plan to chop, and tap the screw head with the flat end of the axe. You can safely chop the kindling while holding the end of the stick with your hand well away from the danger zone.
Restoring Tarnished Copper Pots—Copper-clad cookware is great because it conducts and transfers heat really well. The problem is that copper tends to stain and tarnish over time. Here’s a quick way to clean up a pot to like-new condition.
First, pour white vinegar into a skillet, sprinkle some coarse salt into the vinegar and turn on the heat. When the vinegar is just about to boil, turn off the heat. Partially fill the tarnished pot with water, just so it won’t float, and set it down into the hot vinegar. Wait for about 10 minutes, then scrub the bottom of the pot with a scouring pad.
