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: What are you working on? We want to help you turn that money pit from house to home to castle. Give us a call, right now, to help yourself first by dialing us at 888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.
Coming up this hour on The Money Pit, we’ve all seen it: a gorgeous, wall-mounted, high-definition flat-screen TV surrounded by ugly, exposed cables and wires. Is your TV guilty as charged? Well, we’ve got tips on how you can get rid of the distraction by hiding those wires once and for all.
LESLIE: And do your clothes, furniture, or electronics include flame-retardant chemicals? Odds are they do, even if you don’t know it. But efforts to keep you safe from fire could be hazardous to your health. We’re going to tell you what you need to know about the dangers of flame retardants, coming up this hour.
TOM: And is that ever-so-slightly-crooked shelf or artwork driving you up a wall? Well, don’t let that happen again. We’re going to tell you exactly what you need to know to make sure all your measurements are level and spot-on.
LESLIE: And this hour, we’re giving away the Delta Showerhead with Temp2O Technology. This is a very smart, handheld showerhead that makes a perfect holiday gift. And it features a water-powered, LED digital-temperature display. You can enjoy the convenience of knowing when the temperature is right for you and the peace of the mind that the water temperature is safe for your family.
TOM: And the Delta Showerhead with Temp2O Technology is available exclusively at The Home Depot. But we’re giving one away to a caller drawn at random, so let’s get to it. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.
LESLIE: Laurie in Nevada is on the line with The Money Pit. Has got a question about a cement sink. What can we do for you?
LAURIE: Yeah, hi there. Yeah, we – you know, I’m helping my parents out with their very old home. Unfortunately, we’re really low on funds, et cetera, et cetera. We have a sink in our old home; it’s in the basement. And the sink is part of the washer/dryer setup there. And it’s an old cement sink that has a crack in it. I was hoping that we could do something to repair it just until they’re ready to move on, because we’re trying to do the downsizing and stuff.
TOM: OK. Is the crack really severe where it’s in two pieces or is it just like one crack that – where water gets through?
LAURIE: Well, it’s kind of like a little forked crack that’s in part of the sink, on the base of it, so …
TOM: So, what I would recommend is you use an epoxy on this. There’s a product called PC-7. It’s sort of like a putty and it comes in a container that has the A part and the B part and you mix it together. And so it ends up being, when it’s mixed together, kind of like Play-Doh. And you can press it into place and get it troweled out and pressed into this crack. And leave it alone for about 24 hours and it will never, ever leak again.
So good luck with that project and thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Clyde in Missouri is on the line with a roofing question. What can we do for you today?
CLYDE: I’ve got a composition roof on my house. I have a garage. It’s 14 foot, 6 inches to the perpendicular, with a metal roof. And I want to attach the two. What would be my most simple way to do it?
TOM: So these two roofs will intersect, Clyde?
CLYDE: Yeah, they’re the same height, floor and roof ridge. Everything is the same.
TOM: But you have metal on one and then you want to put composition on the other. So what would have to happen is the metal roof would be flashed up underneath the composition roof. The metal would actually be both the roof of the garage and the flashing for the composition. So where they come together, the composition would overlap on top of the metal but the metal will actually go under the composition to create the watertight seal. Does that make sense?
CLYDE: Yeah. That’ll help out a lot. I can go from there. Appreciate it.
TOM: Alright. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com. Now you can call in your home repair or your home improvement question 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
TOM: 888-666-3974.
Up next, you paid big bucks for that top-notch flat screen TV in high-definition picture, of course. But don’t let those unsightly cables and wires ruin the look. We’ll have advice on how to hide those wires, after this.
ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is brought to you by the Chamberlain MyQ Garage. If you forget to close your garage door it alerts your smartphone, so you can control it from anywhere. Works with most garage-door openers. Discover smarter possibilities at Chamberlain.com.
TOM: Making good homes better, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: The number to call here is 888-MONEY-PIT.
Hey, have you ever stepped into the shower only to recoil from the shock of the water temperature? Well, Delta has figured out a way to make sure that will never happen again, with the introduction of the new Delta Showerhead with Temp2O Technology.
LESLIE: Yeah, this is such a cool idea. The showerhead actually has a built-in LED that’s going to tell you what the temperature is before you get in. And better yet, the LED is water-powered, so no batteries to deal with.
TOM: The Delta Showerhead with Temp2O Technology is available exclusively at The Home Depot. But we’re giving one away to a caller drawn at random so give us a call, right now, at 888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974. We might draw your name from The Money Pit hard hat and give you that beautiful Delta Showerhead with Temp2O Technology.
LESLIE: John in Oakhurst, New Jersey – maybe Tom’s neighbor – has a question about a water heater. How can we help you today?
JOHN: Yeah, we just literally had a water – a new water heater installed today. We started to have some leaking coming out of the top where – I guess where the input and the output lines go in.
So we had a new one put in; we knew that was failing. But the installer suggested and recommended to us that we flush it once a year. And although that sounds like it makes sense to me – I know there’s a lot of people who don’t do it – I just want to get you guys’ opinion on whether that’s really important to do that annually. And if you don’t, what’s the downside of that?
TOM: Well, the reason that you flush a water heater is because you get sediment in the bottom of it and the sediment acts as an insulator. It doesn’t really cause any harm to the water heater and I think in a situation where you have city water, it’s not as important as when you have well water. It’s sort of an old wives’ tale; it’s kind of something that people always started doing and not really ever stopped doing or understand why they do it.
There’s nothing really wrong with flushing it. The only downside is that you may find that the valve that you open up at the bottom of the water heater once a year, one of these years it’s not going to want to shut again and you end up with an expensive repair. So I don’t think it’s critical but I don’t think it will hurt you unless the valve gets kind of gummed up at some point and starts to leak.
JOHN: That’s a good suggestion, Tom. I appreciate that.
TOM: You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Well, a wall-mounted, flat-screen TV gives great views of touching moments and touchdowns but sometimes includes a sight that’s not so appealing: lots of dangling cords and wires.
TOM: Yeah. You know, cables dangling from flat-screen TVs aren’t just unsightly, they can also be unsafe, especially when they run across floors and doors. So, think about it: running them through a hollow wall is generally the solution of choice. But if that’s not in the cards for – if you’re a renter, for example, or for TVs that are mounted on brick, there are other options.
LESLIE: Yeah. And this is where cord-management systems are going to come in. They’re covers that are designed specifically for that job and you can paint them to blend in with your wall color.
Now, a variation on cord management systems are door thresholds. They’re also designed to protect cables and keep them out of eyeshot when they need to extend across doorways.
TOM: And whatever your solution, remember to avoid running the power cord and audio/visual wires too closely together. Why? Well, power-cord electricity can cause picture interference. And I’m sure that would ruin that beautiful, high-definition picture. We don’t want that to happen, so keep that in mind.
LESLIE: Now, we’ve got Ames from Colorado on the line who’s got a question about repairing stucco. How can we help you?
AMES: We have a home that’s eight or nine years old. It has a stucco exterior and it has cracks – horizontal cracks.
TOM: Is it a masonry-stucco house or is it a synthetic-stucco house?
AMES: I don’t know.
TOM: So, is it like a concrete kind of a finish to it? Does it feel like concrete or does it feel soft? Like could you put your finger and push it and it would be spongy?
AMES: It’s hard.
TOM: It’s hard, OK. And so you’ve got cracks in horizontal stucco, eight-year-old house. You’re going to want to get those cracks sealed because what happens with stucco, if the water gets behind it, especially in a cold environment, it will tend to do two things: number one, it will freeze and as it does, it will push and loosen the stucco; and number two, there’s probably a metal mesh that was applied to the home first, that holds that stucco in place, and the moisture will rust that away.
So, the best thing to do is to use an exterior caulk. You can get one that matches the color of the stucco or you could use a clear, silicone-like caulk and seal those cracks to try to minimize the chance for moisture to get through. And that’s going to be pretty much normal maintenance with a stucco surface.
Does it appear like any chunks are coming off or is it just the crack that is forming?
AMES: Yeah, it’s just a crack.
TOM: Yeah, so stay on top of it, Ames, and you’ll really minimize it. And it’ll last for a long time.
AMES: Alright. And then it also has rust stains, probably from that metal lath.
TOM: Yeah. And so, after you get all of the cracks sealed, if you’re getting – next time you repaint the house, I want you to prime it first. That will seal in the rust stains and prevent them from coming through quite so quickly.
AMES: OK.
TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Well, we’ve been talking so much about this Delta Hand Shower with Temp2O Technology this hour. And I want to take this opportunity to explain how unique this technology really is. Now, with the Temp2O, you’re going to get an LED readout of the exact temperature of the water on the handheld shower.
And there’s also going to be three color indicators, which will signal to you the temperature range so you’re just easily getting a visual check. And this is really important for kids who don’t really understand how a thermometer works but will know what it’s like with – between a red and a green and a yellow indicator. And this technology is included in many of the hand showers and showerheads in the Delta line. The products are available exclusively at The Home Depot.
TOM: Agreed. And another very cool feature is that the technology is powered by water. So, no batteries; they’re never needed. And the Delta fixtures have the WaterSense designation, which means the EPA has signed off on the fact that the fixture is water-efficient and it makes it the perfect holiday gift for friends and family.
We’re giving one away this hour. So give us a call, right now, for the answer to your home improvement question and your chance to win at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Now we’ve got Shay from Tennessee on the line with a washing-machine issue. Tell us what’s going on.
SHAY: There’s a smell coming out of my washing-machine drain. It was like that when I bought the house.
TOM: Can you describe the drain? Does the drain go into a pipe or does it go into a sink? What’s the drain look like?
SHAY: It goes into a pipe.
TOM: And is the smell kind of a sewer smell?
SHAY: Yes.
TOM: So it may very well be that that drain does not have a trap in it. Now, if you’ve ever looked under a sink and you see the U-shaped drainpipe, that’s known as a trap. Because what it does is it gets filled with water and then it stops sewage gas from backing up that drain and getting into the house. But sometimes, when I’ve seen washers installed, it’s kind of almost an afterthought; it doesn’t seem to get the same kind of care and attention that a sink drain would. And if that happened to you, they may have put that in without a trap.
The solution is pretty easy, though. You can add a trap by extending that drainpipe and then adding that U-shaped trap to it. If you have the U-shape trapped in there, you will not get a sewer-gas smell, because that gas can’t back up through the pipe. Does that make sense?
SHAY: Yes, it does.
TOM: So it’s a minor plumbing repair but it should solve it.
SHAY: OK. Thank you very much.
TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Next up, our caller has a great name. We’ve got Leslie on the line who’s got a question about cutting down a door.
Welcome, Leslie.
CALLER LESLIE: We have one door that I need to cut down. Goes into the basement.
TOM: OK.
CALLER LESLIE: It’s also a six-panel, solid-core oak door.
TOM: Right.
CALLER LESLIE: When we went to cut it off, there seems to be staples or some kind of small metal pieces inside the – there’s about 8 inches that go across the bottom. We were cutting that off or a portion of it - 6 inches of it. And it’s totally ruined a saw blade.
TOM: Right.
CALLER LESLIE: Do you have any suggestions as how to cut off a solid-core door?
TOM: Yeah, having the staples inside of that is not unusual. Depends on how – they might have been used in the manufacturing process. I’ll be willing to bet that you used a non-carbide saw blade, because had you used a carbide saw blade, it would have probably cut through the metal and all.
CALLER LESLIE: OK. So just use a carbide.
TOM: Use a carbide blade and safety glasses and not a great carbide blade, because it will ruin the blade. But generally, it’ll cut right through something like that.
CALLER LESLIE: Alright. Thank you so much for your help.
TOM: You’re welcome, Leslie. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Rich in Illinois is on the line and working on a concrete project. How can we help you today?
RICH: Well, I’ll tell you what, we’ve had a new house built for us and because it was in a flood zone, we decided to have the house built on 9-foot poured concrete walls. Now, originally what we thought was going to happen is they were going to be concrete-slab walls and we were going to wrap a nice façade river rock around the whole bottom.
TOM: OK.
RICH: This is out in the country, in a forest setting on a lake and it’s got nice cedar siding. And when they poured the concrete, they poured it in forms, rather than being a slab, that looked like bricks.
TOM: OK.
RICH: And we ended up looking at it and thinking, “You know, we kind of like the look of this – these forms left.” Instead of spending a lot of money to wrap it in river rock, we were thinking about leaving it. And then somebody came by and said there’s a technique that you can use to paint this brick-like concrete so it actually looks a lot like brick. And I’d never heard of that. And they said they had seen it but they didn’t know how it was done. I was wondering if you guys knew anything about that.
TOM: So, Rich, this is a poured concrete wall that has a brick pattern but of course, it looks like gray concrete, so we’re not fooling anybody into thinking it’s real brick, correct?
RICH: Right.
TOM: So, there is a way to add color.
I would suggest acid staining, right, Leslie?
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. And there’s several manufacturers that do make an acid-staining product. And it’s – it really is a chemical reaction done onto the surface of the concrete that causes the concrete to truly change its color; it’s not something that’s applied to it. There’s an etching process and then the coloration process.
QUIKRETE makes them. If you look up online, you’ll find a ton of different manufacturers that do also make them. And if you get a little creative, you can mix and match and give it the depth and texture of an aged brick. I would recommend working on an area behind a bush or somewhere in the back side of the house until you get comfortable with your technique and the coloration, so you know what you’re going to get.
RICH: Right. OK. Fantastic. Thank you.
TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Now, Libby from Missouri is on the line and has some issues with a hardwood floor. Tell us what’s going on at your money pit.
LIBBY: I really think my hardwood floors need to be redone. They’re very faded where there’s traffic and a lot of gap.
TOM: OK.
LIBBY: And that house is about 60 years old. It’s very noisy. Lots of just wear and scratches. And I’m trying to decide whether I should just not try to redo them and – or maybe there’s something that I can do to them to make them look better without totally refinishing them. I don’t know. You have any suggestions?
TOM: Well, sure, Libby. Let me ask you about the condition of the floors. You said that they’re scratched but are the scratches just in the finish or are they sort of deep scratches in the wood boards themselves?
LIBBY: No, they’re not deep scratches. Just from like – just every day wear, mostly. They’re in really good shape. One room that’s not used very much is in I mean excellent – it looks almost brand new. But the other, there’s – it’s just normal, everyday kind of wear.
TOM: Alright. So here’s what you can do, Libby. You don’t have to belt-sand the floors, which is the way – when you totally refinish them, you take all the old finish off and you grind down an 1/8-inch of material. You don’t have to do that. What you can do is you could just lightly sand the upper surface of the finish and then put another layer or two of urethane over that.
The best way to do that is with a floor buffer and a sanding screen. Now, you can go to a tool-rental place and you can rent a floor buffer and then you can purchase sanding screens, which are these screens that are about 18 inches in diameter. Looks kind of like window-screen material but it’s abrasive.
And there’s two sides to it, so you can use one side, flip it over, then use the other side. And you position it underneath the floor buffer and as you use the buffer in the room, it lightly abrades the surface of the old floor. That takes out the dirt and the grime. It takes off some of the old – any old wax, that kind of stuff. And it’ll start to take out the scratches and that kind of evens it out and cleans it up. Then you vacuum it or damp-mop all that dust up. And then you can apply two layers of urethane.
Now, I’ll give you a trick of the trade. The first layer should be a high gloss, because the glossy urethane is harder than satin. So put the first layer of high gloss and maybe even a second layer of high gloss but your last layer could be satin. And that will give you a nice, even, soft finish and still be as hard as possible.
LIBBY: Oh, OK. I will see if I can get someone to help me with that.
TOM: Alright. Well, good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Coming up this hour, fire-resistant chemicals are in everything, from clothes to building materials. But there is concern about their safety. We’re going to tell you how you can keep your family safe from the health risks all around us, after this.
ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is brought to you by Lutron’s new Maestro Occupancy-Sensing Switch. Never ask “Who left the lights on?” again. Starting at around $20, this motion-sensing light switch turns the lights on automatically when you walk into a room and off when you leave and works with all types of light bulbs. Learn more at LutronSensors.com.
TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Well, they are in a lot of consumer products, furniture, clothing and even electronics. We’re talking about flame retardants but just how safe are these chemicals designed to keep us safe?
LESLIE: Well, here to talk about that is Mike Schade from Mind the Store, a campaign of SaferChemicals.org.
Welcome, Mike.
MIKE: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
TOM: So, we are so accustomed to coming in contact with chemicals in our daily lives. But some chemicals are more toxic or unsafe than others. What types of chemicals do we come in contact with, perhaps, when you’re doing home renovations?
MIKE: Well, hazardous chemicals are commonly found in all sorts of products and particularly in building materials, which could be for hazards for us as consumers or homeowners and even workers.
One example of the chemical of concern is the classic chemicals called “phthalates,” which are commonly used to make vinyl, PVC plastic soft and flexible. Another example is halogenated flame retardant chemicals that are found in building materials, like carpeting, insulation, couches. And unfortunately, these chemicals are not bound to these materials and plastics.
And so when we’re doing renovations in our home, we unfortunately could come in contact with them, which could be harmful to our health or the health of our children or other young ones in our homes.
LESLIE: Now, Mike, when we’re thinking about this – because everything that you’re talking about – the siding, the furnishings, the carpeting – that is all, basically, a solid material. So, are we talking about the off-gassing? How exactly are these chemicals of concern to us?
MIKE: Yeah. So in the case of phthalates, phthalates are added to vinyl plastic to make it soft and flexible. But unfortunately, they’re not bound to the polymer. They can migrate out over time. They’re what’s called “semi-volatile chemicals” and so they can get in the air, they can get in the dust and eventually, they can make their way into our bodies.
And so if you install, say, vinyl flooring in your home or workplace, these phthalates, you can be exposed to them by breathing them in, by touching the surface of the flooring. They often tend to make their way into dust and we can be exposed to the chemicals by the dust.
And we know that they’re getting into our bodies. According to the Center for Disease Control, over 90 percent of Americans have measurable levels of phthalates in their bodies. And those that have the highest levels are those of us that are most vulnerable to exposure: pregnant women, infants and young children. And over 90 percent of all phthalates are used to make vinyl plastic soft and flexible. Thankfully, there are safer alternatives and we don’t need to use these chemicals in building materials.
TOM: Well, Mike, that’s my question. You know, we have so many decisions to make when we’re tackling home improvement repairs and renovations. How do we make the best decisions, when it comes to those building materials, to reduce exposure to chemicals?
MIKE: Yeah. Well, there’s a lot of great resources out there. One resource is the Healthy Building Network, which is an allied organization. And they publish lots and lots of information on identifying safer and healthier building materials for homes.
In the case of phthalates, one way to reduce or avoid your exposure to phthalates is to use safe flooring materials, like linoleum, for example, which is a bio-based material made from linseed oil. And in fact, it lasts longer than vinyl flooring.
TOM: I agree with you on that, because I think that linoleum really is far more durable than vinyl. Vinyl seems to tear a lot easier than linoleum does. And I remember growing up with linoleum; I’m sure many of us do. I mean that was the flooring of choice. And then when vinyl came around, it just seemed to be much softer and you couldn’t do things like roll your refrigerator out to clean behind it because it would tear the floor.
MIKE: Yeah. And it – actually, it’s not just the phthalates that are problematic but the whole life cycle of the vinyl plastic, itself, poses hazards to workers and communities where it’s manufactured.
The other thing with vinyl flooring is that some vinyl-flooring manufacturers are bringing phthalate-free vinyl flooring to market, which doesn’t contain these harmful chemicals in the flooring. So that’s – another option, as well, is to look for phthalate-free vinyl flooring and phthalate-free building materials.
TOM: Mike Schade with Mind the Store – he’s the campaign director for Safer Chemicals and Healthy Families – thank you so much for stopping by The Money Pit.
MIKE: Great. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
TOM: If you’d like more information on how to choose safer chemicals for your home and your building projects, visit their website at SaferChemicals.org. That’s SaferChemicals.org.
LESLIE: And if you could have sworn that that wall shelf or fence post was level – “I swear. It’s level.” Maybe it’s not. Well, we’ve all been there.
If you’re wondering what went wrong, we’ve got info on a tool to prevent messing up yet another home improvement project, when The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show continues, after this.
TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. The number to call us at is 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
Now, with young children in my home, I’m always super-careful to get that water temperature just right before I even let them step one foot into the shower or tub. So, Delta has just introduced a really amazing, new showerhead that’s going to make that super-easy and safe for me and any other person out there who is always curious about what that water temperature is.
It’s the new Delta Showerhead with Temp2O Technology. And it’s a product available exclusively at The Home Depot and we’ve got one to give away.
TOM: That’s right. This definitely takes the guesswork out before you get in. The Temp2O LED digital-temperature display is water-powered and it shows the temperature of the water in your shower.
Now, there are three color indicators to signal different temperature ranges for an easy, visual indication of the water temperature. And this way, you can enjoy the convenience of knowing when the temperature is right for you and the peace of mind that the water temperature is safe for your family.
We’re going to send out that new Delta Showerhead with Temp2O Technology to one lucky Money Pit caller, so pick up the phone, give us a call with your home improvement question. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.
LESLIE: Robert in Alaska is on the line with a crawlspace situation. Tell us what’s going on.
ROBERT: Basically, what I’ve got going on is we had a lot of rain this summer, so I had water kind of penetrate the foundation. And I was wondering if there is anything I could do from the inside to maybe stop some of that penetration from coming in and getting on the wood that’s holding up the, I guess, the floor.
TOM: Yeah, absolutely. Now, are you talking about concrete-block walls?
ROBERT: Yes.
TOM: OK. So a couple of things. First of all, we want to make sure that you are doing what you can to slow the collection of water from outside moving inside. So that means looking at your gutter system, making sure you have gutters and that they’re diverting water away from the house, not just a couple of feet from the foundation but well away. And make sure that the angle of the soil around the foundation slopes away. And that will do a lot to move the water away from that backfill zone.
Inside the crawlspace, you can add a vapor barrier to the soil and that will stop moisture from evaporating up. And on the blocks themselves, you can apply a product called Ames’ Blue Max, which is a rubber paint. It’s very stretchable and it adheres really well. And when you apply it to the block, it stops any moisture from coming through the block. Ames is spelled A-m-e-s and the product is called Blue Max. You can search for it online. Their website is AmesResearch.com.
ROBERT: OK. Good deal. Yeah, I’ve got a company coming in to, I guess, dig the outside of the foundation and lay some drainage this spring – this coming spring – so …
TOM: OK. Well, let me stop you right there, OK? Because that’s not likely going to help you and it’s not necessary.
ROBERT: Oh, OK.
TOM: If that moisture is consistent with rainfall – in other words, you get a lot of rain, like you mentioned, and then you get leakage – then putting all those drainage pipes and disturbing all that soil is really not the way to go. If you improve your gutter system and you improve the grading – the angle of the soil around the foundation perimeter – that stops the majority of that surface water from getting in.
ROBERT: OK.
TOM: The only time we recommend drainage systems, like what you’re describing, is when you have a rising water table which, if you did, you wouldn’t be getting leakage that’s consistent with rainfall.
ROBERT: Ah, OK. Well, good. That’s important to know then.
TOM: Yep. So now there you go; saved you a bunch of money.
ROBERT: Oh, yes, you did.
TOM: You’ve got it, Robert. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Well, do you ever look at your hanging shelves or wall art and feel annoyed by that ever-so-slight tilt? Well, we’ve all been there. You use a level to hang something, you think it’s spot-on and of course, it’s only after you make that cut or drill the hole that you realize that it isn’t.
TOM: Yeah, it’s frustrating when that happens with décor but it can also be dangerous on a job site. With all the new technology out there, levels are still often incorrect or just really cumbersome to use, even for experienced pros, which is ironic considering how crucial they are.
LESLIE: Well, one of our sponsors is putting an end to the uncertainty and clunkiness (ph). Stanley has the FatMax Premium Box-Beam Levels. And they’re available in 7 different lengths, from 24 inches to 96 inches, and come with a variety of features that make measuring easier and much more accurate.
TOM: And they’ve got some cool features. One of which that I like are the removable end caps. Now, the ends of the Stanley FatMax levels are capped. This protects against cutting yourself or scratching a surface with the sharp corners. But that end cap comes off when you want it to, so you’re no longer sacrificing safety for accuracy or vice versa.
LESLIE: And there’s not one but three vials. The center vial is magnified so you can actually see it better. And all three vials are extra-brightly lit. So no more trying to balance a flashlight with a level when you work.
TOM: And most importantly, the FatMax Premium Box-Beam Levels are accurate.
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LESLIE: Sean in Ohio is on the line and needs some help with a moist basement. Tell us what’s going on.
SEAN: Yes. My basement, I finally got the outside fixed. I heard you guys say if it’s a rain event, that’s usually drainage. So I got that done and now there’s some kind of ceramic – or some waterproofing on the walls and it is flaking off onto the floor.
TOM: Oh, great.
SEAN: And it’s been there – the house was built in the 70s and I was wondering a good way to clean that up or what I could put on the walls to re-waterproof it.
TOM: OK. So, I think what you’re talking about are mineral-salt deposits. Is it sort of like a whitish, grayish, powdery substance?
SEAN: Yeah, yeah. This is like it’s been spackled on, though.
TOM: Oh. So somebody put something on the walls and it’s releasing and falling off the block?
SEAN: Right.
TOM: Hmm. OK. What do you plan to do with these walls?
SEAN: I just want to just waterproof them again, get the mold off of them and clean them up.
TOM: So, I don’t know that you have mold on the walls. It sounds to me like you’ve got some sort of a finish that’s separating. So, can you scrape it off? Will it release easily?
SEAN: Yeah, yeah. I just didn’t know, being the 70s, whether it might have asbestos in it or is there a good – better way to clean it up?
TOM: I would say not likely. Of course, you could have that tested, too. But if it’s coming off easily, I would remove it and if I put anything on the walls at all, it would simply be a damp-proofing material, like a Thompson’s WaterSeal.
And remember, the purpose of that is not to waterproof your walls; it’s to slow down the evaporation of moisture from the soil outside into the walls and any mineral salts that will be drawn through because of that. You’re not going to waterproof simply by painting your walls; it just doesn’t happen that way. You waterproof by redirecting the water away from the house, which it sounds like you’ve already tackled on the outside.
SEAN: Yeah. It took me about 15 years but I finally got it done.
TOM: Yeah. If it scrapes off easily, I would continue to take the rest of it off. I’d clean it up, I’d put a couple of coats of damp-proofing paint on it and I’d call it a day.
SEAN: Oh, OK. Well, thank you very much.
TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
You know, people tend to think sometimes that everything that’s black and dark is moldy and it’s not always the case, especially when you’re talking about concrete-block walls. The walls themselves don’t grow mold. It’s what’s attached to them that grows the mold. And those home test kits are notroriously inaccurate. And they can be misleading.
LESLIE: Well, there’s so many different kinds. I think you’re bound to get some sort of reading.
TOM: And it’s normal to have mold in a house. You’re always going to have some level of mold. So, it’s – as I said, it’s very misleading and it really should only be used in the hands of a professional.
Well, skylights are sometimes like the tattoos of home improvement. Many homeowners get them and then they want them gone a few years later. Are you ready to say goodbye to your skylights? Well, don’t make a move until we tell you where to start, after this.
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TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: So many home improvement projects, so little time to listen? You can visit MoneyPit.com and sign up then for our free e-Newsletter. You’ll get great tips and ideas in every issue. And you’ll also have direct access to our podcasts, so you can listen to The Money Pit whenever you want. And best of all, it’s free. And don’t worry. We don’t share e-mail addresses with anyone.
LESLIE: Well, just each other, so we can e-mail you all the time and answer your question. Because, sometimes, you post a question. And this one says, “My house has skylights – seven of them – that constantly leak.” Zoiks. “The added light isn’t necessary, so we’d like to get rid of them. But I have no idea where to start. Do I do it myself? Hire a pro? What are my steps?”
TOM: Well, removing a skylight is actually a lot of work. And what you have to do is remove the roof around the skylight, tear out the old skylight and then you’d have to reframe the roof, reroof that spot. It’s just – it’s a lot of work.
You might want to think about just upgrading those skylights: keeping them and putting in new ones, hopefully, that are the same size as the holes that you took out. Because frankly, if you consider the fact that if you were to tear those out and you had to re-sheathe the roof, then you had to close in the ceiling and do all that drywall work, I bet you it would be as expensive, if not more expensive, than simply replacing the skylights that are there and just sort of trimming around the existing opening.
What I would suggest is make sure that you select, this time, a very good-quality skylight like, for example, an Andersen skylight or a Pella skylight. These skylights have curbed flashing, they sit up off the roof, they are virtually leak-free. I’ve had them for many years and never ever had a leak issue. Usually, the type of skylights that leak are the ones that are flush with the roof. That’s a really bad idea. You need to have a curbed skylight with built-in flashing.
LESLIE: Alright. And Laura writes: “We’re planning to gut our ranch and we’re wondering, which walls are the load-bearing walls?”
TOM: Yeah. That’s an important question because you don’t want to mess with those. And something could – the house could come tumbling down. Well, generally, if it’s a ranch, there’s only one load-bearing wall and it’s parallel to the front and the back walls and runs down the middle of the house. But having said that, you really can’t rely on that without having a contractor check it. So I would presume, from a design perspective, that’s what you’re working with. But before you decide to tear any of that out, get a contractor to confirm it.
LESLIE: Yeah, Laura. Better you play it safe. Otherwise, you’re going to be in a pile of rubble.
TOM: Well, when you run your dishwasher, do the dishes come out dirtier than when they went in? The culprit could be a clogged drain valve and that’s easy to fix. Leslie has advice on how to do just that, in this week’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word, presented by Blindsgalore.com.
LESLIE: Well, dishwasher drain valves should only open during the draining cycle. But if it’s clogged, it’s going to also let water out during its wash cycle. So you’ve got to listen carefully during your dishwasher’s washing cycle. If you hear water flowing into the sink, the drain valve is definitely clogged. Also, you should be checking the bottom of your dishwasher for a buildup of food particles.
Many dishwashers have ball-style check valves that can get gummed up and then prevent the dirty water from draining out of the unit. A wet/dry vac is all you’re going to need to clean out those hard-to-reach areas and get that drain working again.
Bottom line: this isn’t hard. With just a couple of steps, your clogs will be fixed and your dishes are going to come clean once again.
TOM: Yeah. And no need to call in a plumber.
And today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word was presented by Blindsgalore.com. For free samples, free shipping, free window expertise and truly amazing prices, go to Blindsgalore.com.
And how about this? The first 25 listeners who select Money Pit at checkout will get a free copy of our book, My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure. So head on over to Blindsgalore.com today.
This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Coming up next time on the program, do you plan to stay in your house for years to come or maybe just want to make it a little bit easier to navigate right now? Well, we’ve got tips on accessible design that can do just that. We’ll have that info, on the next edition of The Money Pit.
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 2014 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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