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. You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.
Welcome to a very special edition of The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. We are broadcasting live from the 61st annual National Hardware Show.
LESLIE: And Tom, people don’t know it but you’ve been here all 61 years. It’s very exciting. I’m kidding. (laughing) I’m so kidding. That was so mean of me.
TOM: (laughing) It was. It was. Well, I do feel that old because we’ve been walking this floor and it’s …
LESLIE: I know. The dogs are barking.
TOM: It’s like two million square feet of space.
LESLIE: It’s too much. It’s enormous. It’s hard to cover everything and it’s amazing to see the trends in toilet seats. It’s amazing to see what’s going on here. (chuckling)
TOM: Well, it’s an important place for us to be because these are … this is the place. Everything that you have inside your house is located here at the National Hardware Show.
LESLIE: Inside and the outside
TOM: It’s not just the nuts and the bolts when you think of hardware. Like you say, it’s plumbing, it’s paint …
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) It’s not drawer pulls and hinges.
TOM: … it’s lawn and garden. It’s everything. And so, we’re going to do a very special broadcast, this hour, and talk about all the new products that are here at the National Hardware Show.
LESLIE: Well, it’s important that we do so because this is industry only. So we’re seeing a lot of things before everybody else gets to so it’s good for us to tell everybody what we’re getting a sneak peek at.
TOM: And we’re going to start with a man that actually runs this show. His name is Rob Cappiello. He’s the Industry Vice President for Reed Exhibitions and he is in charge of this big party we’re attending.
Hi, Rob.
ROB: Hey, how are you guys doing?
TOM: We are terrific. And we’re a bit tired (laughing) because we’ve been working hard here.
ROB: You think you’re tired.
TOM: You really outdid yourself.
ROB: Yeah, well, it’s not a bad show this year.
TOM: Well, let’s talk about some of the things that our listeners are going to be seeing on the store shelves over the next 12 months that are being exhibited here today. Let’s start with lawn and garden. You have an entire exhibit hall devoted to lawn and garden …
LESLIE: Lawn and Garden World.
ROB: It is a world of lawn and garden. It’s about – well, there’s more than 1,000 manufacturers of everything for the outdoors. And one of the big things we’re seeing this year – and I think you saw it last year, Tom – was the amount of stuff for the patio. I mean, it’s becoming, really, an outdoor room.
LESLIE: Well, it’s a natural progression of the rest of your house.
ROB: Well, yeah, and you’ve got furniture for the outdoor that looks like indoor furniture. And the big thing I saw, this year, was lighting for the outdoors – floor lamps, table lamps – so you can set up a regular living room outside.
TOM: You know, I saw some solar pool lamps that really impressed me because – imagine it – it looks like a star. It floats in the water. You simply turn it on …
LESLIE: Charges up all day.
TOM: … and throw it in and you’re done.
ROB: Isn’t that great? I thought those were great.
TOM: And the guy said you can leave them in there even all winter long when you close the pool.
LESLIE: Oh, really?
ROB: Yeah, I only have a bucket in my backyard with water in it. (laughing) But I got one for that bucket, anyway.
LESLIE: You’re like, ‘But I have eight buckets …’
TOM: Right.
LESLIE: ‘ … and eight lights, so it works beautifully.’
ROB: That’s right.
LESLIE: You know, I was reading here … they’re saying that the outdoor industry is $36.8 billion last year; an average of $450 per home. And I think … you know, we just did some outdoor work at our house and I spent way more than that.
ROB: Well, it’s you and me doing the whole thing. (laughing)
LESLIE: I mean it’s amazing to see that people are really branching out to the outdoors and wanting to make it an extension of those rooms.
ROB: Well, it’s cheaper than putting up a whole new house and it’s also nice to be outside for a while.
TOM: Yeah, the truth is it’s the least expensive way to extend your living space. Because so many of us do live out there for so many months of the year.
ROB: Yeah, but you know what? My manufacturers think it’s not the least expensive way. (laughing) They try to make us spend a few dollars. But you know, it really is beautiful. It went from being a cheap way to make your house a little bit more livable to being … I mean, you can be as elaborate as you want in the backyards.
TOM: Now, Rob, we’ve had a very expensive energy year, this past year, and I’ve seen a lot of weatherproofing products here. What are you hearing from that end of the business?
ROB: Yeah, you know what? With the rise in gas prices and natural gas and oil and so forth, saving on energy is a big thing. So, we’re seeing a lot more products to make your house more energy-efficient, better insulated and so forth. And that’s also a big trend.
LESLIE: And I think we’re seeing a lot more products that make your houses more durable to extreme weather conditions; especially with the hurricanes we saw last year. It’s really important to advance in that technology.
ROB: You’ve got that, too.
TOM: And how about the earth-friendly design elements? There’s a lot of green building going on. Are you seeing more exhibitors from the green area?
ROB: Yeah, not only the green building but also green products. Companies like Simple Green, who makes the environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. That’s a big trend as well. You know, there’s … with 3,500 manufacturers here, there’s a trend going on everywhere. Green is a big trend. Better living outdoors is a big trend. More durable, getting more out of the house. Houses are more valuable than ever before. And I think people are …
TOM: That’s … that’s a …
ROB: … wanting to put some money into those houses and keep it that way.
TOM: That’s a good point. Yeah, and houses are getting smarter than they ever were before. Must take a lot of interconnectivity of the electronics here. Like I was at the Intermatic booth. They have all these home automation systems, now, that are easier and easier to install.
ROB: Yeah. In fact, at some of the building shows, you start seeing folks like the consumer electronics companies, who want to integrate consumer electronics into new home construction. So that you’re going to see … be seeing more of that.
LESLIE: Almost like a WIFI station for your own house …
ROB: Yeah.
LESLIE: … which is fantastic.
ROB: WIFI and then you want to be able to put … you know, anywhere you walk with your TV set. You know, you’ve got 12 TVs in the house. Anywhere you walk, it’ll be the same station on for you. So you’ll buy one …
LESLIE: So you don’t miss a thing.
ROB: I don’t need to miss anything. (laughing) I want to watch that game. I can’t miss a strike.
TOM: One of the areas, here, that’s huge is paint. You’re seeing a lot more exhibitors that are bringing out new brands of paint and new systems for paint. For example, I was over at one of the paint booths and now they don’t have color chips anymore. Now you could actually get samples; small sizes of samples and you can take them home.
ROB: Yeah, so you can put it on the walls, live with it for a couple days …
TOM: Right.
ROB: Put two or three paints on the wall. And the colors are now changing, of course, because we’re …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
ROB: … it’s all trend; everything is trend-oriented in paint. So, the colors that were those very bold colors of a few years ago are kind of muting right now. And they’re adding paint to places you wouldn’t add paint before. You know, ceilings were always white or off-white …
TOM: Right.
ROB: … now they’re adding a lot of color to ceilings.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
ROB: That’s kind of cool.
LESLIE: Well, it really makes a big impact in a room if you continue the wall color onto the ceiling. It sort of opens up the space a lot more than you think it would.
ROB: I’ll try that as soon as I get home. (laughing)
TOM: There you go. There’s your design tip from Leslie Segrete.
ROB: Alright. Is that free, Leslie? (laughing)
LESLIE: It’s not. You owe me …
ROB: Oh, man.
LESLIE: … you owe me some candy, Rob. That’s how it works.
ROB: Uh-oh. Oh, candy.
LESLIE: Yeah.
ROB: I like that.
TOM: That …
LESLIE: I work cheap.
TOM: That he can do. (laughing) So, Rob, give me some stats. How many exhibitors do you have here?
ROB: We’ve got about 3,400 exhibitors.
TOM: Wow.
LESLIE: Man.
ROB: Yeah, there’s a lot of them. And they’ve come from 59 different countries around the world.
TOM: Now, these guys are trying to attract retailers who are going to put the products in the stores and then we’re going to … you know, us, as consumers, we’re going to these stores and buy these products.
ROB: Exactly. Home Depot and Wal-Mart and Ace Hardware and Do It Best, etc. – Bed, Bath and Beyond – are all here at the show looking at products. So, over the next six to 12 months, you’re going to start seeing all these products filtering to your local stores.
TOM: Very cool. Well, great job. Rob Cappiello, Industry Vice President for the National Hardware Show. Thanks …
ROB: Thanks, guys.
TOM: Thanks for stopping by The Money Pit.
ROB: Alright, well …
LESLIE: Now you can take the rest of the year off until your three days next year. (laughing)
ROB: That’s right. I only work three days a year. Thanks, guys. See you next year.
TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.
We’re going to take a short break but when we come back, I found a saw, walking around this show. It …
LESLIE: Yeah, it has legs, actually.
TOM: It does something very interesting. It’s one saw and it cuts through wood and steel. We’ll learn about that …
LESLIE: It’s fantastic.
TOM: … next.
(promo/theme song)
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 this hour of The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Broadcasting live from the National Hardware Show.
LESLIE: The space is so enormous I just saw a lady walk by with no shoes on. (laughing) You can tell she’s covering a lot of space because her feet are tired.
TOM: Shoe selection is very important here. Would you guys agree with that? Shoe selection? (laughing)
MALE: (inaudible)
TOM: Very important.
LESLIE: You’re going to cover a lot of space over three days.
TOM: There’s a lot of people sitting here just resting their feet while we’re doing this show. (laughing)
LESLIE: Yeah, that’s why they come over to interview with us. (laughing) Because they just need a minute of rest.
TOM: Well, we want to get into some of the products that we’ve found here. We’re going to start with Matthew Gavins. Matthew is from Evolution Rage. They make a new circular saw.
Welcome to the program, Matthew.
MATTHEW: Good to see you both.
TOM: Now, you’ve got a pretty interesting product. You’ve got a circular saw that cuts not only wood but steel.
MATTHEW: We do.
TOM: And I want to explain the demonstration that you showed me, which really blew me away. You guys took a steel spike that was probably six or eight inches long. You drove it into the end of a 2×4.
MATTHEW: We did.
TOM: And then you took this saw and plowed right through it – not once, but several times.
MATTHEW: Absolutely, absolutely. This is ….
LESLIE: Yeah, but how often are you having to change blades because of wear and tear to the blade itself and the differences in material?
MATTHEW: Well, you don’t. This is a multipurpose blade. It’ll cut through all the materials. One blade will do everything. You can cut steel, aluminum, wood, wood with nails. No problem.
TOM: Now, is it the blade that makes this happen? Or is it the saw that makes this happen (inaudible)?
MATTHEW: This is a pretty cool system that we’ve got. It’s a heavy-duty circular saw.
TOM: OK.
MATTHEW: It runs at a different speed to a regular circular saw. It’s got a really heavy-duty high torque gear box. It even tidies up after itself by collecting the chippings in the side.
LESLIE: Really?
TOM: Now, I would imagine, because you’re cutting steel, that that’s important. You wouldn’t want any hot metal running off anywhere.
MATTHEW: Absolutely, absolutely. We’ve got a patented protection system there, as well. Make sure that the operator can use the machine safely.
LESLIE: You know, what I really like, Matthew, is that the blade and the handle and the guide are all lined up so well that you know exactly where that first cut is going. Because with a circular saw, they can be kind of intimidating and you might mis-line your first cut. So this is great.
MATTHEW: Absolutely. You can actually see the blade cutting better on this saw than you can with a regular woodworking saw. It does everything a woodworking saw can do, but it cuts steel and aluminum, too.
LESLIE: And so, the motor senses what the material is and knows how to adjust its rpms? Or it just does it?
MATTHEW: It just does it. It just does it. The nice thing is that the machine is the same price as a regular woodworking saw, too. So, you’ve got no disadvantages; only advantages.
LESLIE: That’s great.
TOM: We’re talking to Matthew Gavins. He’s with Evolution Power Tools, the manufacturers of Evolution Rage, a circular saw that cuts both steel and wood.
It seems to me that this would be very handy to have around the house because you wouldn’t really have to worry about hitting a nail. Even if you didn’t really have a reason to use it, just to purely cut steel. (chuckling)
MATTHEW: It’s going to save you money …
LESLIE: Saves you a step, too.
MATTHEW: … even in the short term.
TOM: Right.
MATTHEW: Yeah.
TOM: And what about the pros? I mean, how about a roofer or a carpenter that’s tearing into a roof?
MATTHEW: That’s who this is for. A circular saw is usually for woodworking, but because this can cut steel and aluminum, you can use it if you’re an electrician, a plumber, roofer, anybody. No problem.
LESLIE: How does it compare, weight wise, to an average circ saw, when you’re out there (inaudible)?
MATTHEW: It’s almost the same. Almost the same. It comes with a carry case; comes with all the accessories; a DVD shows you how to use the machine and what it’s capable of doing.
TOM: Just don’t watch the DVD and use the machine at the same time. (laughing)
MATTHEW: No, don’t do that.
TOM: Probably a bad idea. (laughing)
MATTHEW: But, I mean, why would you buy a saw that can only cut wood?
TOM: Yeah, that’s a good point. That’s a good point.
Matthew Gavins from Evolution Power Tools. Thanks for stopping by The Money Pit.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Much success at the show.
TOM: If we want more information on this product, where can we go?
MATTHEW: Please go to EvolutionRage.com. Or go to your local hardware store. It’ll be available in Home Depot, Ace Hardware and all the good hardware stores throughout the U.S.
TOM: Terrific.
LESLIE: Wonderful. Thanks.
TOM: Thanks for stopping by The Money Pit.
MATTHEW: (overlapping voices) No problem. Nice to see you.
TOM: EvolutionRage.com.
This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. We are broadcasting from the 61st National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the weather is beautiful.
LESLIE: Oh, my God. It’s 97 degrees and sunny, although it’s air conditioned and freezing in here.
TOM: And there are tens of thousands of very tired people walking around this hall looking at the new products.
LESLIE: Well, you know, not only are you systems overload with everything for the house. But then, you go back to your hotel and it’s nonstop partying there as well. (laughing) So this is just a great place to be right now.
TOM: Lay low on the party thing, OK? (laughing) Because the boss is going to be upset that we’re not, you know, working all the time. (laughing)
LESLIE: We’re working pretty hard, though.
TOM: Alright. Let’s get into a different product now. I want to talk a little bit about home security. Imagine this. Think to yourself, for a moment, how many times you may have given your key out to somebody else.
LESLIE: I mean, you do it a lot. Whether it’s to somebody who’s watching the house when you’re out of town or a housekeeper or somebody who’s coming in to do the work. Even when you park your car at a random parking lot, most of the times you leave your house key right with your car key, which is really a bad idea.
TOM: So even if you’ve collected your key, you’ve given it to the contractor and he’s given it back, you don’t know if a copy’s been made of your key. So …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. Which is a scary thought.
TOM: … you may not have the security that you think you need. Master Lock fixed that. They have a new product out which is called Night Watch by Master Lock. With us to talk about that is Steve Hedlund (sp).
Hi, Steve.
STEVE: Tom, how are you?
TOM: Welcome to The Money Pit.
STEVE: Thanks for having me. Glad to be here.
TOM: This is an incredibly innovative product. Please describe how this protects you once you get home at night.
STEVE: Well, what we’ve discovered in our research is that a home is broken into in the U.S. about every 15 seconds. And in about two-thirds of those cases, the burglar doesn’t have to resort to forcible entry to get into the house. Which means either they come through an unlocked door or window or they have their own key to get in. And as you mentioned, about two-thirds of Americans give their copies of their key out to friends, relatives, contractors, cleaning people, valets, etc. And once you’ve given a copy of your key out, you really have no control over what happens to it after that. And the ordinary deadbolt, which has basically remained unchanged since the early 1900s …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
STEVE: … provides no protection against somebody who has a copy of your key. The night watch feature which we’ve developed is basically … allows you to keep somebody who has a copy of your key out of the house.
LESLIE: So how does that work? Do you have to activate a special switch or what’s the trick?
STEVE: Well, it works like a normal deadbolt. You throw the lever to engage the deadbolt when you’re inside the house. And then, once you’ve done that, you have the option of pulling the lever out to engage the night watch feature; which, basically, renders the outside cylinder inoperable. Somebody who’s standing outside the house can’t get in even if they have a key.
TOM: So you could have a key and you’d put it in the lock and you’d twist it; nothing would happen.
STEVE: Exactly.
TOM: Wow. Pretty interesting.
STEVE: It is. It’s a product that I wish we had come up with a number of years ago (laughing) because a few years ago my wife had me take her car into the service station to be repaired and when I got home she said, ‘You remembered to take the keys off the key ring, right?’ And I said, ‘Well, actually …’
LESLIE: You should remember of all people.
STEVE: ‘… no, I … no, I didn’t.’ (laughing) And so she said, ‘Well, you have the choice of driving the half-an-hour back to the car dealer to pick up the keys or you can change all the locks in the house. And so, I opted for the former and ended up spending another hour each way going to get the keys back. And it’s one of those things where she said, ‘You know, you’re traveling a lot in your job and I don’t want to be home alone with the kids at night, wondering what’s out there and worrying about strange noises that you hear during the night.’
LESLIE: So is it pretty easy to activate? Or could I easily lock myself out? Or do I have to press a series of buttons?
STEVE: Well, we’ve built in a safety feature where you have to first press a button on the bottom of the … of the lock and then pull the lever out. And that’s to prevent people from accidentally locking themselves out.
TOM: Right.
STEVE: Because, given the way that it works, even if you yourself have your key and the feature’s engaged, you can’t get back into the house.
LESLIE: What does happen if that accidentally does happen? (laughing)
STEVE: Well, in order for it to work, somebody has to be inside the house. (laughing)
TOM: Right. It has to be set from inside the house.
STEVE: So, in that case, if your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend has locked you out, it’s been intentional. (laughing) What we’re really concerned about is your …
TOM: That is a really mean trick.
LESLIE: You have other problems.
STEVE: Yeah. What we were really concerned about was your kids accidentally locking you out …
TOM: Yeah, that’s a good point.
STEVE: … and basically, by having a two-step operation, we think we’ve addressed that.
TOM: Yeah, you need two hands to do this.
STEVE: Right.
TOM: Now, is it difficult to install this? Any special tools required?
STEVE: (overlapping voices) No. It …
TOM: You have to change the hardware or the size of the hole, anything like that?
STEVE: No, it replaces all deadbolts and fits, basically, all doors. It takes about five minutes to install with a simple Phillips head screwdriver.
LESLIE: Five minutes for such easy piece of mind.
TOM: Wow.
LESLIE: I mean, that’s fantastic.
TOM: Yeah. Steve Hedlund (sp) with Master Lock. Thanks for stopping by The Money Pit.
STEVE: (inaudible)
LESLIE: Great idea.
TOM: The product is called the Night Watch.
STEVE: Night Watch. Available at major retailers like Target, Myers and also you can find more information about it at MasterDoorLock.com.
TOM: Terrific.
LESLIE: Wonderful. Thank you.
TOM: Thanks, Steve.
STEVE: Thank you.
TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show, broadcasting live from the National Hardware Show. It’s getting very dirty here in The Money Pit booth. We’re going to need to get some cleaning help.
LESLIE: Excellent. I love cleaning products.
TOM: We have a guy stopping by to help us with that. His name is …
LESLIE: You know that I have a mild OCD with cleaning, don’t you?
TOM: Yeah, you do. Yeah, you do. Yeah. Yeah, when you go into your house, it smells like bleach. (chuckling)
LESLIE: It’s spotless. I kind of am addicted to cleaning.
TOM: Tony Cronk (sp) is the Marketing Director for Summit Brands.
Hi, Tony.
TONY: Hi, how you doing?
TOM: Now, you actually manufacture one of the products that I’ve been using forever. It’s called Iron Out.
TONY: That’s correct.
TOM: And it’s a toilet cleaner. It gets … it gets all of those stains out.
TONY: That’s right. It’s actually a multipurpose cleaning product that’s good for sinks, tubs, toilets, cleans out your dishwasher, you can wash clothes with it, you can take stains out of your house. So …
TOM: So I could’ve been using it for more things (inaudible). (chuckling) Yeah.
TONY: That’s right. It’s a … it’s a powerful product.
TOM: We get a lot of calls from people that get iron stains in their porcelain fixtures. What makes those so difficult to remove?
TONY: Well, iron itself forms a bond to the surface of the … of the product … to the porcelain that you’re trying to remove it from and that makes it very difficult to pull out with just elbow grease. So you need something to reduce or oxidize that iron.
TOM: So there’s a real chemical connection between the iron and the porcelain.
TONY: That’s correct.
TOM: You think of porcelain as being very easy to clean, very sanitary. But, in fact, iron will attach itself.
TONY: Yes, it will.
LESLIE: And it’s not abrasive too much so that it damages the porcelain? It just works in a safe way?
TONY: Not at all. It actually goes completely into solution and then causes the iron to be reduced to a state that’s soluble in water and then it’s easily rinsed away.
LESLIE: Wow, that’s great.
TOM: You actually make a number of very specialized cleaning products. Tell me about some of the others.
TONY: Absolutely. Iron Out is our flagship brand, of course. But two exciting products that we’ve had over the last couple of years are called our appliance cleaners. The first one’s called Disposer Care and it’s available nationwide right now. And that’s a product that has a powerful blue foaming action that when you turn on your garbage disposal, it scours away the grunge and grime that kind of builds up in there and causes odors. I don’t know if you’ve ever … if either of you have a garbage disposal …
TOM: Yes, yeah.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TONY: … but I don’t know if you’ve ever smelled the scents that come out of it.
TOM: Yeah. If you ever get one the first time, you always have to have one. (laughing)
STEVE: That’s right.
TOM: I didn’t have one for years and then I got one and I’ll never go without now.
LESLIE: You just have to make sure, before you put things down the drain, that there actually is a garbage disposal present.
TOM: Yeah, exactly.
STEVE: That’s correct.
TOM: You know, there’s a lot of sort of old wives’ tales about how to clean disposers. People say to put eggshells down there, put ice cubes. I’ve heard put glass …
LESLIE: Orange peels.
TOM: … orange peels. But, you know, that might make it smell better for the second, but not much thereafter.
STEVE: That’s correct. Disposer Care is formulated to not only just scour the walls but leave behind a pleasant fragrance to cover up the product.
TOM: Very cool.
STEVE: By taking away the bacteria and things that build up over time, you eliminate the source of the problem, which is good.
TOM: Excellent. How do we get more information, Tony?
STEVE: Www.SummitBrands.com.
TOM: Excellent.
LESLIE: Wonderful.
TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show, broadcasting from the 61st National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: We’ll be back with more home improvement tips, including a new caulk product that can help you do all kinds of repairs around your house as well.
LESLIE: Alright. I’m looking forward to it.
(theme song)
ANNOUNCER: This portion of The Money Pit is being sponsored by Peerless. If you’re putting in a new bathroom or kitchen faucet, Peerless can help you with every step including the hardest one – getting that old faucet out. For a complete undo-it-yourself guide, visit the Peerless faucet coach at faucetcoach.com.
TOM: Welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Broadcasting from the National Hardware Show. So what have you learned here?
LESLIE: I’ve learned lots of things. In fact, in the new product world, I’ve seen lots of trends for the bathroom, which is exciting because everybody’s looking to make renovations that make the most sense financially and return-on-investment wise. Just lots of great things and there’s so much more, even, to cover. I can’t believe we only have a day-and-a-half left.
TOM: I’ve seen a lot of products that do more than one thing. We have a lot of …
LESLIE: Yeah, multitasking.
TOM: Multitasking products. We’re multitasking people and we’re seeing multitasking products. (chuckling) One of those is being made by Red Devil. It’s called King Caulk. With us to talk about that is Kate Solecito (sp).
Hi, Kate.
KATE: Hi, Tom. How are you?
TOM: We are excellent. Now, you guys have been in the manufacturing of caulk business for a long time. What makes King Caulk different than caulks that consumers may have available to them right now?
KATE: Well, the great thing about King Caulk is that it does it all. It’s a caulk; it’s a sealant; it’s an adhesive. It replaces all those tubes that you see on the shelves; it replaces them all. You could do just about anything with this product.
LESLIE: How does it know when it’s being used for a different application? Like what if I’m putting it around the bathtub, why won’t things stick to it?
KATE: (laughing) Well, it’s just the way … I guess it’s so great that that’s the way it works. It just … I mean, it does seal when you’re caulking a bathtub. But it also could be used to put up a soap dish or, you know, anything that you need to stick up as well.
TOM: I think people are very frustrated by caulk performance; especially in the bathroom. Because it’s not an … it’s not an easy thing to install. Even though it squirts out of the tube, the prep work is a lot of work.
KATE: Absolutely.
TOM: You know, getting the old stuff off and cleaning out the grunge that forms, you know, behind that caulk. Any tips to make that process a little bit easier?
KATE: Well, I think that making sure that you have a clean surface is the most important thing. You know, making sure that … because, otherwise, the product’s not going to stick, you know.
LESLIE: And a dry surface, as well.
KATE: A dry … exactly. Clean and dry. Exactly.
TOM: (overlapping voices) And that’s going to make it last a lot … last a lot longer and you won’t have to repeat it.
KATE: Because that’s really … when products fail, that’s usually why. Because you didn’t do the initial clean and dry and make sure that there’s no silicone left or no gunk or no mildew.
TOM: Here’s a little trick of the trade that I like to share with the audience once in a while. And that is, you know, a lot of folks are frustrated that the caulk pulls out.
KATE: Right.
TOM: Then with the newer tubs today, too, they’re fiberglass and they stretch more. They’re not the solid – rock solid – cast iron tubs all the time.
LESLIE: That are very weighty.
KATE: Exactly.
TOM: So I always suggest that after you’ve done all that cleanup work, you fill the tub with water; kind of put some weight in. Because water’s very heavy – eight pounds per gallon. So if you fill the tub up, then you caulk and let the caulk dry and then let the water out of the tub, you’re going to get less of that pull …
KATE: That’s right, yeah.
TOM: … the next time you step in it.
KATE: We actually use that tip on the back of our kitchen and bath sealant.
TOM: Oh, yeah?
LESLIE: Oh, that’s great.
TOM: That must be where I stole it. (laughing)
KATE: Maybe … or maybe we got it from you. (laughing)
LESLIE: Now, what about once … once you run that bead of caulk, do you have a smoothing method that you prefer? Like I’m definitely a finger girl. (laughing) Some people use popsicle sticks.
TOM: Right.
LESLIE: Like what’s your favorite technique?
KATE: Well, we do have a Red Devil caulk smoother that we, obviously, recommend that makes it very easy. It’s just a one-step … it’s a smoother and a remover, so it does both if you need to remove the caulk. And … but, you know, finger works; back of a spoon; you know …
TOM: Whatever works for you.
KATE: Exactly.
TOM: Now, is King Caulk water cleanup?
KATE: It’s actually solvent clean up.
TOM: Solvent cleanup? OK?
KATE: But it is low odor. Low VOC, so it’s safe for the environment.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. And safe for you because everything off-gases so much and people aren’t aware of it.
TOM: And you know, products like that just stick a whole lot better.
KATE: They do.
TOM: You can’t … some of the … although we want the convenience, you do give up quality in certain areas when you have a latex product.
KATE: Well, that’s the great thing about this product is it does everything that you would expect a silicone or a polyurethane to do, but it doesn’t have any of the negatives. It doesn’t have the odor. It doesn’t have the messy … polyurethane is really hard to work with.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
KATE: This is easy to tool, so it’s nice. And again, like I said, you can use it anywhere. You can use it in a kitchen; you can use it outside; if you need to fix a brick, you know.
LESLIE: So even around the windows for weatherproofing.
KATE: Absolutely. Outside, indoor, all weather, surfaces. It’s really …
LESLIE: And it’s paintable, right?
KATE: Paintable. It’s flexible. It really does everything. I mean it’s a kind of a wonder product.
TOM: That’s interesting, too. Because I’m sure people would compare it, perhaps, against a silicone, which is not paintable.
KATE: Exactly.
TOM: So, that could be very important in certain applications.
KATE: Exactly.
TOM: I made the mistake of caulking a garage floor once with silicone (chuckling) right before I went to paint it and was like, ‘Ooh. Dummy.’
LESLIE: You have a glowing border now.
KATE: Yeah. (laughing)
TOM: Yeah. I had to scrape it out. It wasn’t … it wasn’t too easy. Well, Kate, thanks so much for stopping by The Money Pit. It’s an interesting product. For more information, where should we tell folks to go?
KATE: Www.RedDevil.com.
TOM: Excellent.
KATE: Great.
TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show, broadcasting from the 61st National Hardware Show. And among the tens of thousands of square feet – millions of square feet – is an entire convention hall, the size of … got to be 20 football fields …
LESLIE: It’s huge.
TOM: … filled with lawn and garden. That’s … what a hot topic it is right now.
LESLIE: You need to pack some water and a snack to get from one end to the other.
TOM: Well, if you’re a gardener, you want to stick around. When we come back, we’re going to show you a do-it-yourself garden irrigation system that you can put in, in just a few hours, for under 40 bucks.
This is The Money Pit. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: We’ll be back, right after this.
(promo/theme song)
ANNOUNCER: This portion of The Money Pit is being sponsored by Metal Roofing Alliance. We call metal roofing investment-grade roofing. Because in your lifetime, a metal roof will save you money and add value to your home. To find a Metal Roofing Alliance contractor or to learn more about investment-grade roofing, visit www.metalroofing.com.
TOM: Welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show, broadcasting from the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: And let’s go out and do some gardening. Now, you just completed a big gardening project.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Yeah, we just redid the yard …
TOM: Yeah.
LESLIE: … which is fantastic. So this is of timely content for me.
TOM: Alright. Well, I want to talk about, right now, a new product that’s out from Rain Bird. And it’s a garden drip irrigation kit. With us to talk about that is Dave Johnson, the
Corporate Marketing Director.
Hi, Dave.
DAVE: Hi, how are you doing?
TOM: We’re excellent. You guys are pretty busy, here.
DAVE: Oh, very busy. It’s a … it’s a great show.
TOM: Now, an irrigation system is something that I would have thought is very difficult to install.
LESLIE: Yeah, definitely not a do-it-yourself project.
DAVE: You would think that, but Rain Bird solved that. We came out with a new product, a new system that’s very easy to install. You can either hook it right up to your hose bib, in your house …
TOM: Mm-hmm.
DAVE: … or if you already have an irrigation system and want to convert it to a more water-efficient drip system, that’s very easy to do and you can hook it right into your existing irrigation system and do it in an hour or two hours.
LESLIE: That’s great. Now, why is an irrigation system so important? Because I know you spend so much money on plants and landscaping and if you don’t water it right, they’re all going to die. So what do you do?
DAVE: Well, you want to take care of it; that’s for sure. You know, our study shows that a well-maintained landscape can increase your house value by over 15 percent. And Rain Bird makes it easy to take care of it. Just install your plants and then install an irrigation system and you’re good to go.
TOM: Now, why is a drip irrigation system better than, say, a yard sprinkler?
DAVE: Well, it depends on the application. Drip is great because it saves a lot of water. As you know, there’s a lot of areas in the country where water is becoming more and more of a valuable commodity.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
DAVE: Right here in Las Vegas, for example. And Rain Bird makes it easy to convert or start a new system and make it drip. Now, drip irrigation puts water just where it’s needed. It’s not a spray that sprays all over and over-sprays. We have little preinstalled emitters on our system that puts water just where you need it. And just the right amount, too.
TOM: So it down … lay it down right down at the root level.
DAVE: Exactly, right.
TOM: Right. So, you really have to put this in at the beginning of the garden? Or can you put it into an existing garden?
DAVE: Oh, existing gardens. Any place you’ve already installed plants or if you’re doing a new project, it’s good for that, too.
TOM: And how deep does it actually end up being?
DAVE: Well, actually, it can be right on the surface. You don’t even have to bury it. In fact, if you want to, all you’ve got to do is sprinkle a little mulch over the system …
LESLIE: Oh, really?
TOM: Oh, OK.
DAVE: … and the tubes and things that are there and it works perfectly.
TOM: So, there’s a lot of different ways to install it.
DAVE: Right. But it’s also brown, so it’s kind of dirt-colored. So even if you don’t want to bury it …
LESLIE: Blends right in.
DAVE: … it blends right in. Exactly.
LESLIE: Now, is it true if you water excessively in areas that actually don’t need the water, are you going to see a lot of weed growth?
DAVE: It can. It can promote weed growth, which is another great thing about drip irrigation. Again, these emitters – these preinstalled emitters – on our kit put the water just where you need it. So you’re going to water your plants and not the weeds.
TOM: Wow.
LESLIE: I mean that’s great. And it’s so … I think it’s so important to address the current drought situation. Because even if your area is not in a drought, at some point over the warmer months, your area’s going to experience some sort of watering limitation. So it’s better to do it more effectively.
DAVE: Right. Rain Bird promotes what we call the intelligent use of water. And drip irrigation is definitely that. It’s using water smart and just where you need it to water your plants.
LESLIE: And what do you recommend as the best time of day to water?
DAVE: Well, it’s good to do it either early in the morning or early in the evening. If you do it in the hot heat of the day, the water can evaporate before the plants get it. Or if you do it at night, sometimes it can promote mold and things on your lawn because it’s not getting soaked into the ground.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: Now, with drip irrigation, is it on all the time? Or do you actually put it on and then turn it off?
DAVE: You put it on and turn it off. You can … you can, again, hook it up to your existing sprinkler system, which usually has a timer …
TOM: Right.
DAVE: … or you can buy a small hose timer and … but you’ll … you generally run it for a long period of time because it emits water so slowly.
TOM: Very slowly, right?
DAVE: Yeah. Maybe for a few hours you would run it, as opposed to just a few minutes for a sprinkler system that pops up and sprays all over the place.
TOM: Now, I think a lot of people have experience with soaker hoses. That sounds like it’s similar to soaker hoses. But soaker hoses really let out a ton of water all at once.
DAVE: Yeah and we’ve really improved it. If you understand the concept of soaker hose, you know exactly what this system does. Only it does it so much better. You can cut it. You can shape it anyway you want it. You can insert other emitters and tap off of it and …
TOM: So you can add kits together?
DAVE: Yeah, you can add kits together.
TOM: It’s very modular.
DAVE: You can run it much longer lengths than soaker hose. And it’s much more efficient than soaker hose as well.
LESLIE: Well, and how does it compare cost wise to having a pro come in and put in an irrigation system?
DAVE: Oh, yeah, no comparison at all. You can buy this kit for about 40 bucks …
TOM: Wow.
DAVE: … and be done with it in, you know, an hour or two hours.
LESLIE: That’s great.
TOM: Forty bucks and a couple of hours and you’ve got your garden …
LESLIE: Yeah, compared to waiting weeks and weeks up to thousands of dollars.
DAVE: That’s right.
TOM: (laughing) Yeah, exactly.
Dave Johnson with Rain Bird. Thanks for stopping by The Money Pit.
DAVE: Thanks.
TOM: Interesting product and we’re glad we found it here at the National Hardware Show.
LESLIE: Yeah, really nice.
DAVE: Thank you.
LESLIE: Thanks, Dave.
DAVE: Yep.
TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show, broadcasting from the 61st National Hardware Show. We’re going to talk to a very good friend of ours right now. She is Lauren Paine (sp). She is an editor with House Beautiful Home Remodeling and Decorating.
Hi, Lauren.
LAUREN: Hi. How are you doing?
TOM: Now, as a fellow journalist, are you learning a lot of stuff here?
LAUREN: I’m learning too much. I’m a little bit overwhelmed, I have to admit. (chuckling)
TOM: Talk to us about the kinds of projects that you look … now, you work … we should say, you work on several magazines, so tell us about some of the projects that you work on.
LAUREN: Well, we’re looking for a little bit of everything, from the do-it-yourself project to the luxury home project where you hire everyone else to do it for you. (chuckling) So we really cover the whole gamut.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) And spend a ton of money.
LAUREN: Exactly. Exactly. We like money. So …
LESLIE: (chuckling) And are you seeing that there are certain home renovations that you can do that have a better return on investment? Like we’ve always thought kitchens and baths. But is the trend changing a bit?
LAUREN: The trend has changed a little bit. Every year, we work with our sister publication, Remodeling Magazine, to do a cost value report to see is it really worth it to do the project that you are planning to do in your own home. What project makes sense? This year, we discovered that exterior projects are really recouping the most amount of money ever. So …
TOM: We were just talking about that because there’s so much here, in terms of exterior rooms and all of the different products that go into exterior … working on the outside of your house. And your numbers are finding that those are great investments?
LAUREN: Absolutely. Curb appeal does matter. So, if you are to put up new siding, a new roof, new windows, even landscape or new pavers up your front walkway, that’s going to recoup a lot of the cost.
LESLIE: Well, that’s really what’s getting people in the door to come look at your house, if your selling. And since the market is so flooded with houses for sale and the prices are all over the place, you’ve got to do what attracts people most.
LAUREN: Absolutely. Absolutely. And our national average percentage of return on investment is 102 percent.
LESLIE: That’s huge.
TOM: Wow, so you can even make money.
LAUREN: Yeah, you can. (laughing) You can. And you can live in it while you’re enjoying it, too.
TOM: Right. Who would have thought it?
LESLIE: Now, I also see hear that it says a mid-range bathroom remodeling project has a 102 percent and a minor kitchen remodeling is 98.5. What do you consider mid-range and what’s minor?
LAUREN: Well, let me tell you exactly. Let’s start with the bathroom. The bathroom, a mid-range remodel adds a national average of about $10,000. So, we know that we still want to use our bathrooms as a private retreat, as a place to get away from it all. But it doesn’t have to be a hugely expensive ordeal to remodel your bathroom. So, for about $10,000, you can recoup a 102 percent when you go to sell your house.
TOM: That’s a great deal. We’re talking to Lauren Paine (sp) – she’s an editor with House Beautiful home remodeling – about some of the new investments and how you’re getting a good return on investments with the home improvement projects. Baths, kitchens – very consistent. Outside. Anything to avoid? Anything that maybe is a surprise to you?
LESLIE: Yeah, what’s the worst? (laughing)
TOM: What’s the worst improvement you can do?
LAUREN: I don’t know that there’s anything that’s really bad. Everyone loves working on their homes and improving their homes. So I don’t think that there’s anything that you shouldn’t do, other than over-improve. If you improve your home too much for the neighborhood you’re in, for the other homes in the area, then it’s just not going to work.
TOM: I think, sometimes, the decorating, too. If it’s too personal, it’s not going to have a great return on investment. If you like the velvet wallpaper, that doesn’t mean that …
LESLIE: Yeah, that might not …
LAUREN: Right, no one else might. (laughing) But kitchens are always good. We love gathering in our kitchens. So kitchens are always good. And master bedrooms. We love to get away from it all, too.
TOM: Awesome. This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Lauren, thanks so much for stopping by.
LESLIE: Yeah, thanks, Lauren.
LAUREN: Thank you.
TOM: Very exciting show here at the National Hardware Show. Learning about all of the cool beneath (ph) the innovative products that are out there.
We’re going to take a short break. When we come back, we’re going to learn about some improvements you can make (audio gap).
(theme song)
ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is sponsored by The Home Depot. You can do it, we can help.
TOM: Welcome back to this hour of The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Broadcasting from the 61st annual National Hardware Show.
LESLIE: Very exciting.
TOM: Hey, there’s a lot going on here and a lot of things where you’ve got to go into a booth and you get ideas about projects you can do. I got one idea and that is I’ve got to do something about my garage.
LESLIE: Well, you know, it’s interesting. On …
TOM: I’ve got so much stuff.
LESLIE: On the shows that I work on, on While You Were Out, we find that people are expanding into the garage spaces. Whether to make it a good workshop or take it over as a room. So there are some things that you need to do in there before you can get in it.
TOM: Well, I found a cool product to help and it is called the QUIKRETE Epoxy Garage Floor Coating Kit. With us to talk about that is Tim Beasley.
Hi, Tim.
TIM: Hi, Tom, how are you doing?
TOM: We are excellent. Now, you’ve got a very interesting system, here, for really doing a complete makeover of the garage floor. Tell us about it because it’s sort of a kit. There’s a lot of parts involved and it helps get that job done once, done right and you don’t have to do it again.
TIM: That’s correct. It is a … it is a kit that is all in one; everything you need from start to finish to do your garage floor, to make it beautiful and also protect it from gasoline and oils and salts and all other types of material that can get on the floor. It’s all in the kit. So, we’ve got everything from cleaning, prepping, all the way to the coating and also the color flakes at the end to give it a little beautifully (ph).
LESLIE: (inaudible) jazz.
TIM: (inaudible)
TOM: Why is epoxy the best type of paint for a floor?
TIM: Well, I think you have two things; especially with ours … with our unique Bond-Lok system that we have. It makes it twice as strong as the concrete that you’re actually putting it on. So, when your car pulls in, you don’t have the hot tar pick up. The floor actually … the coating becomes stronger than the … than the concrete floor. And I think that’s what you’re looking for when you’re working in the garage.
TOM: That’s interesting. And QUIKRETE … you guys must know concrete, huh? (laughing)
TIM: That’s correct.
LESLIE: (chuckling) You would hope.
TIM: We’ve been doing … we’ve been doing it for 66 years, so we do know a little bit.
TOM: (laughing) You know how to protect it.
TIM: That’s right.
LESLIE: How long does the whole process take to complete, start to finish?
TIM: Well, you’re probably looking at four to five hours from start to finish. The cleaning process probably takes a little longer because you’ve got to … you’ve got to prep it, clean it, degrease it and then let it dry and then actually do the coating. As far as putting the coating down, it’s fairly simple. It’s like painting.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TIM: So, to paint 500 square feet, you know, it really doesn’t take that long to paint it.
TOM: Now you mentioned you have a Bond-Lok system. What does that do?
TIM: Well, the Bond-Lok system is actually … is in the product called Bond-lok, which is what we have to clean, degrease and etch concrete to accept the coating as … on the floor.
TOM: So you really have to get the concrete surface ready to take that epoxy connection; that hand off.
TIM: Absolutely. Mm-hmm.
TOM: Because if you get that connection just right, that’s what’s going to make it last a long time.
TIM: Absolutely. And that’s the most important thing of the job. You’ve got to make sure that you can prepare the surface to make sure that the epoxy will stick to the floor.
LESLIE: And the prep work will actually get all of the stains off the floor right away, on it’s own? You don’t have to do anything extra for it?
TIM: Well, there’s some … you’ll have to actually use a hard-bristle brush to scrub some of the harder stained areas.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: Right.
TIM: But it’ll also come up fairly good.
LESLIE: How many colors do you offer?
TIM: Well, we have two colors. It comes in a gray and also tan.
LESLIE: And it’s really pretty. I mean it’s a beautiful product.
TIM: It is a beautiful product and it really increases the look of the garage and the home itself.
TOM: Now, what does it cost to do an average garage?
TIM: Well, you’re probably looking at about 28 cents a square foot.
TOM: Wow.
LESLIE: Wow, that’s inexpensive.
TIM: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
TOM: And do you have to leave the car off of it for a while? (laughing)
TIM: Oh, absolutely. You really need about 72 hours …
TOM: Right.
TIM: … to keep the car off of it. You can actually start putting your items back in the garage after 24 hours, but you really want to wait at least 72 hours before the … before you actually put the car back in.
TOM: Now, it’s actually two parts when you mix this together. It’s a hardener …
TIM: Mm-hmm.
TOM: … and then the paint itself. So is it a chemical actuated cure?
TIM: It is a chemical action that, when you add the two together, it causes that epoxy. And what you have to do is you add your part A and part B, which is the hardener and the actual coating itself.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TIM: You have to let it set for 30 minutes before you actually start using the product to make sure it gets activated and make sure you get a good bond.
LESLIE: And do you mix up the whole product all at once or do you mix it up in batches as you’re working in a space?
TIM: You mix it up all at one time.
LESLIE: That’s great.
TIM: Mm-hmm.
TOM: Tim Beasly, the National Sales Manager for QUIKRETE. Thanks for stopping by The Money Pit. The product’s called the QUIKRETE Epoxy Garage Floor Coating Kit.
This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Wow, what an hour we have had. (laughing) We have taken a tour around the entire house.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Lots of information.
TOM: We’ve been to the bathroom. We’ve been to the kitchen.
TIM: OK.
TOM: We’ve been to the basement.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Inside, outside.
TOM: We’ve been all over the place …
LESLIE: Landscaping.
TOM: … here at the 61st National Hardware Show. A very exciting place to be.
LESLIE: Yeah, well …
TOM: Lots of stuff to learn. We’ve got another day-and-a-half here to learn as much as we can about these products.
So, 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.
(theme song)
END HOUR 1 TEXT
(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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