Show Notes
In this episode, we share smart tips for slashing heating costs, maximizing tax benefits with end-of-year home improvements, and sealing drafts with an innovative spray foam product. Plus, hear practical advice for callers who have home improvement questions of their own!
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Home Repairs and Taxes: Don’t overlook DIY deductions with these tax-saving home improvements.
- Heating Bills: Lower your utility bills by addressing the three most common home heating mistakes.
- Sealing Drafts: This DIY spray foam system makes it easy to seal gaps and stop drafts.
Top Questions & Answers
- Bathroom Flooring: What kind of flooring is best for a kids’ bathroom? Michelle gets recommendations for flooring products that are durable, affordable, and easy to clean.
- Water Filtration: John wants to improve the taste and quality of his water. We share info about a reverse osmosis filtration system that’s compact and efficient.
- Plumbing: Kate gets step-by-step instructions for replacing a laundry room sink and cabinet, and when to call a plumber if she runs into any plumbing issues.
- Electrical Wiring: Ken’s light switch is controlled in two locations and not working properly. It’s actually a three-way switch that’s not wired correctly.
- Patio Cover: Janet should be careful attaching a patio cover to her house. An attractive extending awning would be less expensive and easier to install and maintain.
- Grout: Rust in the water has discolored the black grout in Vince’s shower. He can either replace the grout or use a grout stain to restore it.
- Countertops: Is there any way to smooth down a leather look countertop? We don’t know of a way that Ann can do it, but there are options for refinishing laminate surfaces.
- Basement Walls: The DRYLOK paint is peeling off of Bob’s cinderblock basement walls. He’ll need to think about other options for resurfacing them because the paint will be too hard to remove.
Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript
Read Transcript
| 00:00:00 | TOM: If your roof starts to leak, Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| And I’m Leslie Segrete. | |
| And we are here to help you take on the projects you want to get done around your house. So you need help solving a problem project. Do you want to tackle a decor project? Maybe you got a decor dilemma. You just don’t know which way to go, what color to choose, how to choose the right window coverings. Maybe you’re trying to pick some wall colors or cabinet colors or trying to fit big projects or big furniture into small rooms. There’s lots of projects that people are doing in the fall across the country. You know, it’s the holiday season. We’re trying to spruce up our houses before folks come to visit, want to put forth our best effort. If you’ve got projects to do, we’ve got tips to offer. Reach out to us with those questions at 1-888-Money-Pit, 888-666-3974. Or better yet, just go to moneypit.com slash ask. Click the blue microphone button and post your question there. Coming up on today’s show, as the days get shorter and temperatures start to sink, home heating bills definitely can run out of control. So we’re going to share three ways you can cut those heating costs and be comfortable at the same time. | |
| 00:01:29 | LESLIE: And as the end of the year approaches, we’ve got some tips on which home improvements pay off and pay back at tax time. |
| 00:01:36 | TOM: And one of the most effective ways to reduce winter drafts is to seal spaces where cold air leaks in. Spray foam is a great way to do that. So we’re going to share tips on a new product that makes that easier than ever. |
| 00:01:46 | LESLIE: But first… We want to help you create your best home ever. So what are you guys working on? We are creeping towards Thanksgiving. I mean, like, it is coming at us. And the holidays, too. So let us help you get your home in tip-top shape. |
| 00:01:58 | TOM: And if fixing a toilet that runs and wastes tons of water is on your to-do list, we’re also giving away a set of the new Super Flappers from Fluidmaster to one caller drawn at random. So make that you. Call us right now at 1-888-Money-Pit, 888-666-3974. Let’s get started. Leslie, who’s first? |
| 00:02:16 | LESLIE: All right. We’ve got Michelle on the line who wants to do a special bathroom for the kids. Tell us about the project. |
| 00:02:22 | CALLER: Well, we want to update it. So we’re going to paint. I’ve already got new linen. But because I have boys, young boys… I have the same. I’m wondering what kind of flooring we should put in there because of overspills from the tub. |
| 00:02:40 | LESLIE: Oh, you were very kind in mentioning that first. |
| 00:02:44 | TOM: I don’t… Leslie, I don’t know if it’s possible to have a totally little boy-proof floor. |
| 00:02:49 | LESLIE: I don’t know. Something without grout lines that absorbs every scent of everything. I’m telling you, the boy bathroom issue is a problem. And, you know, it grosses me out every day. Every darn day. So for bathroom floors, I mean, your first bet is obviously something that’s, you know, waterproof or at least water-resistant. So tile, people tend to go to first. But there’s also laminates or EVPs or water-resistant sort of fabricated floorings that can look like a variety of things. Now, if you are going to go with a tile, please make sure it’s glazed and not unglazed because that will just absorb everything and be an issue. And you also want to try… I know with grout lines on the floor, they tend to go wider with the sanded grout because of the floor. But if there’s any way to avoid them being so wide or be sure to seal them immediately so that anything that’s… Spills on the floor, whether it comes from the tub or from the human children, does not get absorbed into the floor and cause an issue. I mean, it really depends on the look that you’re going for. But the main thing we’re looking at here is durability and cleanability. |
| 00:03:56 | CALLER: Yes, those are my issues because right now we’ve got linoleum tile in the bathroom and it just needs to be replaced. |
| 00:04:07 | TOM: You know, Michelle, I just recently got a chance to check out a new product from L.L. Flooring that’s called Durvana, and it’s a composite flooring. Now, I’d never seen a composite flooring product before, so I was interested. Now, this stuff is only about four bucks a square foot, and I got to tell you, I’m really impressed with its durability. First of all, it’s 100% waterproof, but this is what I do to test flooring. I did a little bit of work on the Money Pit Test Lab. First of all, I took a hammer and I swung it full force five or six times and I couldn’t dent the stuff. So that’s good, right? Next. Next, I took a piece of sandpaper, 120 grit, I put it on the bottom of my vibrating sander and I tried to sand the finish. So if you can imagine years of dirt being ground in the floors, I thought that was a pretty fair test and it didn’t take off the finish, didn’t even affect it at one iota. And finally, I took a utility knife, brand new, I did a little video on this and I showed me using it to cut sandpaper in one swipe. Then I must have swiped it across this floor about 20 times and the scratches didn’t show at all. So I was really impressed with this stuff, especially at the price and the fact that it’s 100% waterproof. It’s not out just at this moment, but it’s coming out very soon. So you might want to take a look at that as an inexpensive flooring option for this bathroom. |
| 00:05:23 | CALLER: Great. Do we just get it at like our local hardware stores? |
| 00:05:26 | TOM: No, it’s an LL Flooring product. So you can go to llflooring.com or to one of the LL Flooring stores. They’ve got about 400 or so odd stores across the country. |
| 00:05:35 | LESLIE: I wish you good luck. I’d like to say it gets easier. I have a 13-year-old and an 8-year-old. And it’s still terrible. |
| 00:05:42 | CALLER: Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. |
| 00:05:45 | LESLIE: We’ve got John in Phoenix on the line who’s looking at a water filtration system for the home. Tell us what’s going on. |
| 00:05:50 | CALLER: Well, I’ve lived in Phoenix for about a quarter of a century, amazingly. And the water here is safe. I get a yearly report from the city on it. But the taste is substandard. And I’m tired of spending money on bottled water and buying that stuff. So I’m wondering if filtered water from my house is a better solution. And if so, what’s the best product to use for that? |
| 00:06:16 | TOM: So are you mostly concerned about taste? |
| 00:06:18 | CALLER: Taste is primary, but I also want to have it, you know, good if there’s bad chemicals or any other unseemly things that shouldn’t be there. |
| 00:06:27 | TOM: I meant in terms of like hard water and stains from minerals that get onto your faucets and bathroom fixtures and that sort of thing. |
| 00:06:34 | CALLER: Yeah, good question. We do have hard water here. And I’m aware of, you know, buying a soft water system. But I don’t like the idea of adding all that salt continually and maintaining that kind of thing. And so I’m not so concerned about the minerals, even though that does cause an issue to clean up. That doesn’t bother me, really. |
| 00:06:51 | TOM: So I think probably the best option for you is a reverse osmosis system. And today these systems have become very compact and very efficient. We’ve worked with a company that is part of the company. It’s a Watts brand. And Watts is a name that’s been in the plumbing business for many, many years. And we first started working with them when they developed a system for hot water circulation so you didn’t have to, you know, wait for your shower to heat up for 10 minutes in the morning. They figured out how to move water through the house and solve that in an efficient way. And one of their brands is a company called Premier. And Premier makes a very good quality reverse osmosis system. Lots of options designed there. They’re designed to reduce contaminants in the water and improve the way the water system tastes. And so you might want to check that out. Their website is PremierH2O.com. PremierH2O.com. And I think we have a promo code for them, which is simply Money Pit. That might save you some money as well. So why don’t you take a look at Premier and start right there. I think it’s a good quality system. And I really trust this Watts brand because I’ve watched them over the years. And had a lot of experience with some of their other products. The fact that they’re getting into this side of the business is, I think, a good sign. Because some of the products I’ve seen out there just don’t do what they promise. And that’s just not the business these guys are in. |
| 00:08:16 | CALLER: Well, thanks so much for the approval. I appreciate that. I’ll check it out. |
| 00:08:19 | TOM: All right. Good luck with that project. Thank you. |
| 00:08:22 | LESLIE: Hey there. We hope you’re enjoying this episode of our podcast. If you are, you know what would totally make our day is if you leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. |
| 00:08:31 | TOM: Absolutely. Just go to MoneyPit.com slash review. And let the world know how much you enjoy our home improvement tips and tricks. And you might even win a copy of our book. Hey guys, have you ever noticed that your toilet tends to run and run or even flushes all by itself? We call that ghost flushing. It’s kind of freaky. You know, especially when it happens like in the middle of the night. Well, we’re giving away a product that will stop all that. It’s the new Super Flapper from Fluidmaster. It stops noisy and running toilets from wasting water and flushing all your cash down the drain. It’s got a great design because it fits both 2-inch and 3-inch toilet flush valves. And it fits pretty much every toilet imaginable. It’s also got a cool feature which makes it possible to adjust the water level. And that allows you to customize it and maximize your flush and save water at the same time. Super Flapper retails for $14.98. We’re giving away a set of three. So that value is about $45. If you want to win it, reach out to us with your questions at 1-888-Money-Pit. We’re going to give that package of Super Flappers out to one caller. Drawing it random. Make that you. |
| 00:09:34 | LESLIE: We’ve got Kate in Delaware on the line who wants to replace a sink in a laundry room. Tell us about your project. |
| 00:09:40 | CALLER: So I have a laundry room sink. And the sink has been there for quite some time. It’s just a basic, like, Home Depot sink with a cabinet and a silver tub up top. And the sink is leaking quite a bit. And the cabinet’s old, so I just want to replace what’s there. So I want to remove the sink from the wall so that I can then repair the wall behind it because it’s, I guess it’s glued to the wall, maybe just at the top. And then I would like to go ahead and wallpaper or paint, do the repairs on the wall behind the sink, and then install a new laundry tub with sink that comes with plumbing, et cetera. But underneath of the sink, there’s the drain going out through the wall. And there’s also the hot and cold water. So I was just trying to figure out how to do that so that I can leave it off for maybe just a few days to allow me some time to fix the wall. |
| 00:10:42 | TOM: Sure. Okay. So first of all, do you want to keep that cabinet that you mentioned, or do you want to replace that? Because I don’t know if you could have a laundry tub that’s, like, self-standing and a cabinet. Just clarify that for me. |
| 00:10:53 | CALLER: I do have a cabinet right now, and the cabinet is pretty beat up. So the one that I purchased to replace it, it has a tub and has kind of a shelf underneath, but it’s not identical to what I had before. Okay. |
| 00:11:05 | TOM: So the goal here is to get rid of the old sink, get rid of the old cabinet, fix up the walls, and obviously address the leaks. Now, in terms of the leaks, is it a leak in the drain line, or is it a leak in the supply pipes or the faucet? |
| 00:11:19 | CALLER: It’s a leak in the drain line. So I believe it’s been here for quite some time. And when there’s water in the sink from people washing their hands or using the sink, it’s leaking right around the edge of the sink. So it’s leaking right around the edge of that drain. I repaired it several years ago with putty, but it’s leaking again. |
| 00:11:36 | TOM: So it’s probably going to make sense for you to completely replace that trap underneath the sink. That’s the J-shaped piece of pipe. And it’s not a terribly difficult plumbing project, but, you know, it may not be a first-time project if you’ve not worked with that before. So let’s take this sort of one step at a time. First of all, you have to turn the water off, right? So now inside that cabinet, there should be a handle that turns off the hot, another one that turns off the cold. Sometimes and seldom use fixtures like that, though. It can become very difficult to turn that. If you can’t turn it with hand pressure, don’t put a plier on it because you’re probably going to twist it and break it right off. At that point, you’re going to need a new valve and you’re probably going to need to have a plumber do that. But make sure you can turn that water off. If you can get the water off, then you don’t have to worry about how long it takes you to do this job because, you know, you can just leave those faucets shut off in the meanwhile. Once you get the water off, then you can disconnect the supply line that goes up. That would be from the sink side of the valve up to the faucet. Disconnect the drain pipes. Get that old sink out. Get the cabinets out. You said maybe it’s glued to the wall. That would be odd. It’s more likely secured to the wall. If it’s in a cabinet, typically the cabinet would be screwed to the wall. There could be some adhesive there. Sometimes people use construction adhesive for that. Do whatever it takes is my advice to get that out. And once you see what the wall looks like, you’re probably going to have to either replace some drywall if it’s really bad, or at least you’re going to have to spackle over the rough areas, do quite a bit of sanding, and then you’re going to want to prime it with a primer and then paint it. Don’t just paint it because it’s not going to look right. So prime that area and paint it. So then once you’re done with that, now we can talk about reinstalling or installing, I should say, the new cabinet. And that’s a matter of making sure that hopefully the pipes are in a place where they’re going to fit well with the plumbing, how it’s going to line up. You can use flex lines to connect the water supply pipes to the faucet. That is really the easiest way to do that because it gives you some flexibility. You don’t have any corners to put together. And then you have to work on that drain. And if you use the PVC drain and you have all the proper components, these are sold in kits, by the way, at home centers. They actually work pretty well. You know, you stack them up with the right components. You have a little bit of cutting to do, but it’s usually something you can do with a hacksaw because it’s a plastic pipe. Make it fit. I’m sure there’s a few YouTube videos out there that will walk you through that as well. But it’s not a terribly difficult job. But I would say that if you start to get into a jam, if you find you can’t get the water turned off or anything of that nature, that would be the right time to call a plumber. |
| 00:14:12 | CALLER: Got it. Okay. Well, thank you so much. I’m going to definitely attempt it myself. And I do have a reliable plumber in case I get stuck. But I appreciate all that, especially the information about the painting and priming and all that. And I will. Tackle that this weekend. Thank you so much. |
| 00:14:30 | TOM: You’re very welcome, Kate. Thanks so much for calling the Money Pit. |
| 00:14:33 | LESLIE: Have a great day. Well, as the days are getting shorter and those temperatures are starting to sink, most households are finding their home heating bills starting to run out of control. And even worse, sometimes it feels like your house just stays cold no matter how high you crank up that heat. |
| 00:14:49 | TOM: Well, that sounds like what you’re dealing with. It’s time to take some action to lower those heating costs by addressing the three most common home heating problems. Number one is neglecting HVAC system maintenance. Whether you’ve got baseboard heat, old school radiators, forced air heat, or radiant heat through the floor, it’s really essential to keep up with routine maintenance. So, for example, with forced air systems, you can lose a lot of efficiency when they’re not properly maintained. So get your heating system serviced and change those filters regularly. |
| 00:15:19 | LESLIE: All right. Mistake number two is ignoring those drafty windows and the attic. Now, older homes with outdated windows, they can leak a surprising amount of heat. Especially if they aren’t properly sealed. Even a very small crack along the base or at the side of a window can have a big impact when it’s very cold outside. And a poorly sealed window can be a major point of energy efficiency as well. Also, glass really isn’t a great insulator on its own. And an outdated single pane window is often to blame for a lot of heat leaks. Heavy drapes, insulating panels, those can definitely help solve that problem. And curtains that are heavy enough to block cold air can actually also keep that hot sunshine out of the house, which can provide you a year-round temperature control benefit. |
| 00:16:06 | TOM: And finally, here’s some abuse we deal out to ourselves when we abuse the thermostat. There are a few ways to improve your use of the thermostat. And one common mistake that families make is to crank up the heat for folks that are cold while shutting off heat registers in the bedrooms of those that don’t like it hot. This is actually not a good idea because it causes pressure in the air. And it’s not a good idea to do that. And it ultimately leads the system to have to work harder and use more energy as it works to compensate. |
| 00:16:35 | LESLIE: Yeah, and you might also want to upgrade to a digital programmable thermostat because that’s going to allow for round-the-clock temperature control. You can set it to turn the heat down when you’re asleep or at work, for example. And that’s going to help you save a lot of money when you really don’t need a toasty warm house. |
| 00:16:51 | TOM: They also have motion detectors built in so that if you’re not in the house, it knows the house is empty and it drops the temperature automatically to a vacant state. Not super cold, but certainly not heated to the same state it would be when you were in. So all these technologies work well to help us reduce costs and be comfortable. |
| 00:17:09 | LESLIE: Ken in Illinois is online with a question about a light switch. It seems like some sort of mysterious light switch that works, doesn’t work. What’s going on? |
| 00:17:17 | CALLER: I have a light switch that’s controlled in two locations, but it seems like unless they’re in the exact right up or down spot, it doesn’t work. It’s like one controls the other one. Just wondering how I can fix that. |
| 00:17:34 | TOM: Ken, you have a three-way switch that’s not correctly wired. That’s your problem there. That’s why you have to have one of these switches in one position because that’s providing power to the circuit, and then that’s why it doesn’t automatically turn on or off depending on which switch you’re at. So you need to have this wiring evaluated and repaired. Repaired by an electrician. That’s what’s going on here. It’s not a bad switch. It’s just that it’s wired incorrectly because it’s not behaving properly for a three-way switch. |
| 00:18:04 | LESLIE: Janet in South Carolina has got a question about covering a patio. Tell us about your project. |
| 00:18:08 | CALLER: I want to build a patio cover. I want to know if I should come out from the soffit. The people I’ve talked to that are going to maybe be building it want to come off the house, go underneath the soffit, and come out that way. There’s a corner where it’s perpendicular. I guess the soffits are going to be perpendicular, so the roofline is also perpendicular if that’s the correct word I’m using. So I just want to know if I should come or could come off the soffit, or do I need to come back and go against the house? |
| 00:18:34 | TOM: So Janet, I think this kind of project you have to be very careful about how you build it because I’ve seen it more built poorly than built correctly. The idea of attaching it underneath your soffit is basically the first sign that it was kind of an amateurish project because normally you wouldn’t attach a roof under a soffit like that. But I’ll tell you what you would attach under that, and that would be a removable awning. You know, there are really nice awnings today that can extend out ten or more feet that are mounted on the wall, exterior wall, and, you know, with a touch of a remote control, extend out and cover that whole dining area, the patio, really effectively. And I think that is much more likely to give you enjoyment, will have less maintenance hassles, and improve the value of your house than trying to put together any kind of a roof structure over that. If the option is just to make a patio cover, I think that’s probably a much more attractive way to go and probably less expensive. What do you think, Leslie? |
| 00:19:31 | LESLIE: I mean, I think an awning for certain is far more customizable. You can have it come in, come out, depending on the weather. You can pick an interesting fabric that’s going to work nicely with the house. I mean, truly, awnings are lovely and really do, you know, a wonderful job of just updating the facade of a home. So I feel like that’s a better way to go for sure. |
| 00:19:51 | TOM: Well, now that the end of the year is near, it’s a good time for a refresher on which home improvements might be deductible. Because while they’re not all deductible, some very common tax-saving improvements are often overlooked. |
| 00:20:03 | LESLIE: That’s right. So here are some of the deductions that homeowners often forget. First, basically anything that helps you save energy, that could be a deduction. For example, a new high-efficiency heating or cooling system, new windows, insulation, adding a solar panel, that kind of stuff. You can get specifics at energystar.gov. Also, home offices can be the home of even more deductions. For example, if your home office takes up 10% of the space in your house, that is the percentage of expenses that you can deduct from your gas, oil, even your electric bill. |
| 00:20:36 | TOM: Yeah, and there’s lots of tax credits out there right now that are available for those folks that upgrade their HVAC equipment. Now, this next one is a little harder to understand. Uncle Sam defines a home improvement as any expenditure that increases the value of your home or extends its life. But, and this is sort of the rub, you can’t write them off the year you make them. Instead, they go under the capital improvements sort of category. That’s those that increase the value of your home over time, and they’re only deductible at the time you sell your home. |
| 00:21:02 | LESLIE: All right, and here’s one more that surprises a lot of people. Your moving expenses. If you’re moving 50 miles away or more, and it’s for a new job, you can also write off the cost of that move. |
| 00:21:13 | TOM: So, as you keep improving, keep track of those expenses so you can claim them come tax time. And this way, you’ll have money for even more. You’ll have more fix-ups in the year ahead. |
| 00:21:22 | LESLIE: I’m going to help Vince with a well water issue. Tell us what’s happening in your money pit. |
| 00:21:26 | CALLER: We’ve got a black pebble stone shower, walk-in shower with black grout. Well, it got the rust on it from the water, and the wife tried to clean it, and it discolored it. Is there a way to try to make it black again? |
| 00:21:39 | TOM: The grout that’s there, is this like a tile grout? Yes. You could re-grout it. You know, sometimes when the grout becomes in bad shape, it can be replaced. Or the other thing you can do is you can stain the grout. Now, especially because you want it to be dark, there’s a product called grout stain that’s readily available. You could try picking up some grout stain and maybe start in an area that’s not quite visible. Clean it real well, and try to apply the stain to the grout and see if it darkens it up enough. Because I presume what it did was lighten up when it tried to clean it. Is that the case? That’s correct. I might try to clean it and see if it’ll take stain. Okay. If it’s a sand-colored grout, it will take the stain, and I think that might be the hot ticket. And this way, if you ever have to do it again, it’ll be an easy fix for you. |
| 00:22:18 | CALLER: Yeah, because I built a shower myself, and it took like six bags of grout. I mean, that’s a lot of grout. |
| 00:22:26 | TOM: Sounds that way. |
| 00:22:27 | CALLER: It got lighter when we tried to clean it with different stuff, and I want to get it all back one color. |
| 00:22:33 | TOM: Yeah, I know. I know what it feels like to do a project like that and work really, really hard with it, and then something happens that makes the whole thing look bad. I did a fence once, and it looked great for many years, and all of a sudden, it got attacked by artillery fungus, and I was heartbroken. That stuff’s hard to get rid of. But anyway, I think if you tried grout stain, that’ll be a good solution for you. |
| 00:22:51 | CALLER: All right, man. I didn’t know if there was anything out there to do to that grout. Then after that, I need to reseal it, right? |
| 00:22:56 | TOM: Yes, that would be a good idea. You make sure the sealant is silicon-based. Okay. All right, good luck. Thanks so much for calling the Money Pit. |
| 00:23:01 | CALLER: Thank you. |
| 00:23:03 | TOM: Hey, just a reminder that we’re giving away the new Fluidmaster Super Flapper to one lucky caller. Actually, we’re going to give away a set of three. This is a really neat invention. It stops noisy running toilets from wasting water and flushing your cash down the drain. It’s incredibly easy to install. I’ve done it myself, and it was really a piece of cake. And it fits both two-inch and three-inch toilet flush valves. We’re giving away a set of three that’s worth 45 bucks, so you get to fix up all the toilets in your house at once. The new Super Flapper is available at Home Depot for $14.98, but we’ve got a set of three going out to one listener drawn at random. So make that you. Call us right now at 1-888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:23:40 | LESLIE: We’ve got Ann in Texas on the line. She’s on the line with a question about a countertop. Tell us what’s going on. |
| 00:23:44 | CALLER: I wondered if my countertop, if I could have a leather look to them, and I would like to have them smoothed down. Is that something that can be done since they’re already installed, or do I have to change them out? |
| 00:23:58 | LESLIE: Ann, I mean, if this is a leather look granite, which is, you know, a very specific finish to give it that sort of rippled texture, I mean, I don’t think it actually looks like leather. It just looks like it has, you know, a very matte sheen and a lot of texture to it. I don’t think you can smooth that down at all, especially if it’s installed. I mean, this is something that would have to go through extensive machinery to be smoothed and resurfaced completely. Right, Tom? |
| 00:24:27 | TOM: It’d probably be cheaper to replace it completely than it would be to smooth out what you have. Yeah. I mean, if it turns out that it’s not granite, you just have like a leather pattern to say a laminate, there are great countertop finishing kits out there. There’s one called Spreadstone, which is a countertop kit that when you apply it, it takes about a week, and it gives you a good-looking top. It’s heat-resistant. It’s water-resistant. But again, you can only use it on a laminate. If this is granite and it has that textured rough pattern, then no, you cannot definitely smooth it out. So, wish we had better news for you, but that’s the situation, Ann. Good luck with that project. Well, one of the most effective ways to reduce drafts and lower home heating costs, is to seal spaces where cold air leaks in. Now, spray foam is a great way to do that. And DAP has just launched a new spray foam system that is perfect for builders, remodelers, and those serious DIYers that we know love to listen to this show. Yeah. |
| 00:25:27 | LESLIE: You know what? It’s called the DAP Wall and Cavity Foam with Widespray Applicator. And it’s portable, self-contained, one-component polyurethane foam dispensing kit that is perfect for sealing those gaps in your wall and your floor cavities, as well as the attic, the basement, even crawl spaces. |
| 00:25:45 | TOM: Yup. And unlike the two-part spray foam systems that require mixing separate components, the DAP Wall and Cavity Foam is easier to use and it can be applied in a wide temperature range of between 40 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit. |
| 00:25:59 | LESLIE: The kit’s easy to use for both professionals and homeowners doing repairs, renovations, and new installations. They effectively air seal and insulate homes and buildings. While enhancing the R-value and providing Class A fire resistance, it’s great for repairs, renovations, and new installations. |
| 00:26:18 | TOM: And the formula is pre-mixed, it’s portable, and it’s easy to set up. Plus, except for overhead, the responsive Widespray Applicator can spray horizontally and vertically. DAP’s Wall and Cavity Foam has definitely revolutionized spray foam application with the first one-component broadcast spray foam system. Learn more at DAP.com. That’s D-A-P dot com. |
| 00:26:42 | LESLIE: We’ve got Bob in Ohio on the line. Bob, it seems like you’ve got a real mess going on. What happened along those basement walls? |
| 00:26:49 | CALLER: Well, we’ve got a house that’s, I don’t know, 7,500 years old almost. And it’s got the old block walls in the basement, of course. And over time, another owner or two, whoever it may happen to be, originally probably painted the walls with a house paint maybe, rolled it on. And then subsequently, it was ultimately… The service yield, theoretically, to drylock it by somebody else. Of course, they put it right over the blocks that had the paint on it. And now we’ve got the… It’s peeled off. Yeah. Some of it will stay on. I mean, some of it won’t come off at all, it seems like. And so I just wondered if there were any new products or anything. If you get all the loose stuff off now and then redid it with something, would it hold the stuff that’s on there on? Or is it a no-win situation? |
| 00:27:38 | TOM: Man, I can’t think of anything more difficult than trying to get that kind of a thing off a masonry surface, a concrete block, because it’s really porous. And as you’ve discovered, when it gets a hold of that porous surface in some areas, man, it really locks in because it just digs in there. So that’s a tough one. Are you still having moisture issues, though? I mean, that’s where I would start with a project like that. Most people do this as the first way to stop walls from leaking. It actually should be the last thing you do. But the first thing you should be doing is making sure that you have gutters that are clean and downspouts that are extended like four, five, six feet away. You’ve got to manage that water around the house and make sure nothing’s sloping inward or collecting water in those spaces. That’s what stops the walls from leaking. If that’s under control, I think you really need to think about some other way of finishing those walls. The way to think about this is what could I put on the part of the drylock that I can’t get off or the black original tar or whatever that I can’t get off of? That might cover it. And I’m afraid that whatever you put on in terms of a finish is never going to be designed to hold in that scenario. So I think you really need to think about some other way of finishing those walls. |
| 00:28:49 | CALLER: The utility part of the basement, quite honestly, and finish with other types of wallboard and all that kind of stuff probably doesn’t seem to be practical. So we’re just trying to make it look homogenous and pretty a little bit. Right. Based on what you’re saying is what I already thought, but I just thought maybe you guys knew something. |
| 00:29:10 | TOM: I think it’s a no-win situation, my friend. Okay. This is not designed to be pretty. Not too many people have ever seen a concrete block wall and said, hey, that’s pretty. Well, exactly. |
| 00:29:23 | CALLER: But if it’s painted, it comes out a little nicer. I mean, now it looks ugly because, you know, the original color that somebody painted plus the drylock that they put on there plus the scrapings that I did. They’re all showing. So I have, you know, three or four different surface looks and just want to make it a homogenous look of some sort. |
| 00:29:41 | TOM: There are a lot of paint removers that are out there, but I just can’t guarantee any of them are going to work. I think this is a really tough nut. All right, Bob. Sorry. Couldn’t be more help. Good luck with that project. |
| 00:29:51 | LESLIE: Blake in New Mexico wrote in to Team Money Pit asking, I’m teaching myself some basic woodworking. I’m wondering what the difference is between regular white glue and glue that is specifically for wood. I mean, not even to my knowledge. You mentioned, Blake, every other glue that fills that aisle because there’s so much out there. |
| 00:30:07 | TOM: Oh, there really, really is. And I can see why it gets confusing because, you know, once upon a time, we had like Elmer’s white glue, right? And that was all we used. And that’s actually called polyvinyl glue. And it’s still a very effective one for wood. If you want something that’s a bit stronger, you would choose yellow glue. And that is an alphatic resin glue. Now, both are water-based. The difference between yellow and white is that the yellow can actually be sanded and painted, although I will say it can’t be stained. It can be painted, but it can’t be stained. However, if you try to paint the polyvinyl glue, the paint won’t stick. So that’s the difference with yellow. Now, here’s a trick. Because neither of these are stainable, you need to be careful about spillage. Usually, that happens is when it sort of seeps out of a seam or crack you’re trying to fix. So the trick is to basically go ahead and clamp it up. Use a rubber band or clamp, whatever you’re doing to hold the wood together. And let it start to dry, but not all the way. Once it gets sort of into like a gelatin consistency, grab a chisel or a sharp knife and sort of scrape that whole piece of glue off of the wood. Don’t rub it. Don’t grab a rag and rub it to clean it because all that’s going to do is push the glue into the grain. And that will cause an uneven coloration when you touch it. Don’t try to stain that wood. It’ll just look terrible. So keep in mind that both are water-based, so they’re not great for anything that’s going to get really, really wet. But if you do have something that’s going to get damp, polyurethane is probably the strongest and most waterproof glue that’s out there. But it is messy because it expands, and it expands, and it expands, and it’s pretty hard to get off. But it’s an option. Leslie, what’s your favorite glue? What’s your go-to? What do you find yourself going to? |
| 00:31:52 | LESLIE: You want to be honest? Hot glue. I feel like I use hot glue all the time. |
| 00:31:57 | TOM: Well, that makes so much sense. I forgot to include that in the list. I feel terrible. |
| 00:32:03 | LESLIE: I mean, I just find the stuff that I do over at Good Morning America, the costumes I make for friends, the crafty projects, it’s always kind of my go-to. It dries super quick, obviously, because it cools down. The only thing I do need to remember, which I often forget, and it’s a tip that I give everyone, is keep a little dish of ice water. Because when you get that glue on your finger, it burns like the Dickens, and putting it immediately in an ice water will kind of stop that heat. But it’s terrible. I made a bunch of Halloween costumes for a couple of people at work this past October, and I think I walked around with like blistered fingers and fingertips for like a week and a half. And people were like, what is going on with you? And I’m like, I’m making costumes, and I want to hold things, and then I burn myself. But I do, like, I find hot glue to be so valuable. So, that’s another thing. |
| 00:32:58 | TOM: Good tip. This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. So glad you stuck around to listen to our program today. If you’ve got questions as you work on your house, especially as we get here into the holiday season, with Thanksgiving and the holidays just a few weeks away now, if you want to fix up your place and have it look spectacular and don’t know where to start or are stuck in the middle of the project, you can always reach out to us 24-7 at that same number of 1-800-544-7000. That’s 1-888-Money-Pit. Till next time, I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| 00:33:27 | LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. Remember, you can do it yourself. 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 2024 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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