Hosts: Tom Kraeutler & Leslie Segrete
(NOTE: Timestamps below correspond to the running time of the downloadable audio file of this show. Text represents a professional transcriptionist’s understanding of what was said. No guarantee of accuracy is expressed or implied. ‘Ph’ in parentheses indicates the phonetic or best guess of the actual spoken word.)
BEGIN HOUR 1 TEXT:
(promo/theme song)
TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles. This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Call us right now with your home improvement question. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. Whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re working on, we’re here to help you get the job done. It’s fix-it advice for the hammer impaired, the improvement challenged. We don’t judge. We’re just here to help you get those projects accomplished. The number, again, if 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
Hey, are you thinking about installing a wood or laminate floor? You know, it can be a do-it-yourself job. But if you’re not too careful it could also be a do-it-to-yourself job.
LESLIE: That’s true.
TOM: So we are going to, this hour, deliver some tricks of the trade to make sure you can tackle this very popular project all by yourself.
LESLIE: And also this hour, you know, is your water running hot and cold? Well, if you want an easy way to keep your water temperature exactly where you want it without fluctuation, we are going to tell you how to get that water to the exact degree of your liking.
TOM: And if you hear the phrase ‘track lighting,’ do you think dated 1980s living room with the perfect match to your mood lamp that you just can’t throw out? Well, track lighting does not have to look dated. We’re going to give you some tips to make it really dazzle in just a bit.
LESLIE: And also, we’ve got a great prize this hour. One caller is going to win a brand new Ryobi four-piece lithium ion combo kit. It’s really a fantastic prize. It’s worth 260 bucks and Tom and I have had a few chances to work with these tools and they really are great.
TOM: I love the fact that we just completed this AARP home makeover project and I was running through those batteries pretty quick with all the work we were doing …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: … and they charge in like 15 minutes.
LESLIE: And they’re lightweight and powerful. You know, I picked up an older model of – you know, I carry around – I hate to say it, but I carry around the DeWalt that my grandpa gave me when I was a little girl and it’s 14 volts and, you know, it’s near and dear to my heart. And I one point I picked up your Ryobi lithium and it was like, ‘Rrrrr’ (Tom laughs) and I was like, ‘Oh.’ And then I think I may have walked away with it and you came chasing after me. (laughing)
TOM: (overlapping voices) Oh, that’s what happened to it mid-job. I was looking for that thing for about an hour. Now I know where it was.
LESLIE: I had it. I was installing grab bars in the bathroom.
TOM: Well, we’re going to give a Ryobi One+ combo kit, lithium combo kit, away this hour. Worth 260 bucks. It’s a circ saw, it’s a drill, it’s a flashlight, it’s a reciprocating saw worth $260 if you call us right now with your home improvement question. You could be the lucky person that wins it. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. Let’s get right to the phones.
Who’s first?
LESLIE: We’re going to talk to Ashley in Indiana about sealing her windows. What’s going on?
ASHLEY: Hi, I moved into an apartment about a month ago and my bedroom window, you can feel the breeze coming in. But the problem is I am three stories up.
LESLIE: OK, where do you feel the breeze coming in? Sort of around the frame or through the glass itself when it’s closed?
ASHLEY: Actually, you can feel the breeze all the way around the window.
TOM: OK, and this is an apartment, Ashley?
ASHLEY: Yes, sir.
TOM: So you don’t own the windows, right? You wouldn’t be replacing windows.
ASHLEY: Right.
TOM: OK. So, here’s a couple of things you can do. First of all, there’s a product out that’s a temporary caulk. It’s called Seal ‘N Peel and that one is made by the DAP company. There’s one made by Red Devil. I think there’s one made by a generic, like mega-store brand, and basically what these temporary caulks do is they allow you to essentially caulk the window shut in the winter so you seal out all the drafts. But then in the spring you peel the stuff off.
You know when you get a credit card in the mail and it’s kind of stuck to the paper with like that white gel or that clear gel?
ASHLEY: Yeah.
TOM: That’s what this stuff feels like and it peels off just like that; kind of stringy and rubbery. And it’s a really good invention because it’s very inexpensive and it’s – you know, it’s not as obtrusive as putting the plastic on your windows and that kind of stuff.
ASHLEY: Right.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm, and it’s perfect for the apartment installation. You know, my mom’s using it at her place in the city.
ASHLEY: That’s great. And what’s the name of that again?
TOM: Seal ‘N Peal. S-e-a-l, the letter N, and then Peal; P-e-a-l.
ASHLEY: OK, great. Thank you so much.
TOM: You’re welcome, Ashley. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
And we probably should mention, Leslie, that the only time you need to be cautious using that stuff is when it’s a bedroom egress window.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: You don’t want to seal it shut. Now, in Ashley’s case, that wasn’t …
LESLIE: I mean it does come out but if you’re stumbling and rushing for quick exit, you don’t want to have to peel this out.
TOM: Exactly. In Ashley’s case, she’s three stories up. It didn’t sound like that was the egress. But if you were on the first floor and that’s the only way out in the event of a fire, then you do not want to seal your window shut. For all other uses it’s a great product.
LESLIE: Now we’re going to talk to Clyde in Florida who is trying to deal with moisture in a bathroom. And Clyde, you are already in a super-humid state. How can we help you?
CLYDE: Yes, it is that. I purchased a mobile home at the beginning of the year …
TOM: OK.
CLYDE: … and it has cathedral ceilings in it and the vents are in the ceiling. And I’ve noticed in the hotter days that the vent in the front bathroom, it builds up condensation on it and then it drips and makes a puddle on the floor and I’m just trying to figure out if there’s anything I can do to eliminate that.
TOM: This vent, is this the air conditioning vent?
CLYDE: Yes.
TOM: Hmm. Well, the condensation, is it collecting around the outside of the duct and then dripping through the ceiling?
CLYDE: Well, it’s just dripping from the duct itself. From the vent.
TOM: (overlapping voices) From the duct itself.
CLYDE: Correct.
TOM: Probably what’s happening is this. There’s so much humidity in the space above it that it’s condensing on the outside of the ducts, running down and then dripping into the room and the solution, therefore, is to do a couple of things. First of all, take every step you can to reduce the level of humidity in the attic. That would be by making sure that you have good ridge ventilation and soffit ventilation so you’re flushing air out of that.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm, and also make sure that your bathroom ventilation vents themselves are venting outside and not just into the attic space.
TOM: Yeah, because that could be dumping moisture in there. And then, also, make sure that you insulated around that duct; especially in the area close to the bathroom. If you insulate the duct from the outside surface then you can’t get condensation in it because you’ll be protecting that from the temperature exchange and it forces the moisture out of the air, resulting in the water droplets and that is what results in the moisture kind of running down into the floor.
LESLIE: You are tuned in to Money Pit and maybe you are still feeling a little full from your big Thanksgiving meal. Well we’ve got home improvement projects to help you work off those extra pounds in your house and on you, so give us a call now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
TOM: 888-666-3974.
Coming up, do-it-yourself tips to make sure your flooring project ends up perfectly.
(promo/theme song)
ANNOUNCER: This portion of The Money Pit is 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: Making good homes better, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Back with more how-to and how-not-to home improvement tips to make your projects go just a bit easier. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT and if we talk to you on the air today, you could win a four-piece lithium ion combo kit from Ryobi.
What, in fact, is a lithium ion combo kit, Tom? What possibly could (inaudible)?
LESLIE: I was just going to ask you that. My goodness.
TOM: Well, it’s a circular saw; it’s a battery-powered drill; it’s a reciprocating saw and a battery all in one handsome bag. Worth $260. Helps you get all the jobs done around your house and the One+ batteries, they work with all of the other One+ tools from Ryobi and really charge up quite quickly. So if you’d like to win it, pick up the phone right now and call us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. You must have a home improvement question and be willing to come on the air and ask us.
LESLIE: Hey, and with that great toolkit from Ryobi you could go ahead and start working on your new flooring project. Well, whether you’re the winner or not, if you’re thinking about floors or in the middle of it we’ve got a trick here that’s going to make your life so much easier when installing a floor. Alright, here you go.
A chalk line. All you need to do is snap a line with your chalk line. It is such a simple step to make sure that you’re laying your floor and any material floor completely straight; whether it’s tile, stick-on laminate squares, wood planks, even a wood-look laminate. There’s only one thing that you do need to keep in mind. Once you snap that chalk line it’s kind of delicate so be really careful when you’re crawling around laying the floor or walking over it because you don’t want to erase your straight edge. So if you’re going to be doing a lot of trafficking over that chalk line, spray a little hairspray over that bright blue or that red chalk line you’ve just put down and it will totally stay put for your entire project.
TOM: Great advice. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. Soup to nuts and floorboards to shingles, give us a call right now.
Who’s next?
LESLIE: Now we’re going to Kansas to talk to Debbie about flooring. What’s going on?
DEBBIE: Well, I have carpet in my basement and it’s time to replace it. But I’m kind of hearing from different sources that maybe I shouldn’t replace it with carpet.
LESLIE: Yes, and let me tell you from the horse’s mouth. (Tom chuckles) I had carpeting when we moved into our home. I loved it. It was cozy and cushy and I kept that basement dry. We had a terrible rainstorm. Water got into the basement. That carpet sucked it all up; was a breeding ground for mold and mildew. I felt that wet floor. I pulled it up. Now we have laminate.
DEBBIE: So, laminate flooring is what you’re recommending then?
LESLIE: It’s probably the best choice for basements only because you’re dealing with a very moist subfloor, which is your concrete floor that’s down there below that carpet. When you get weather outside that’s very wet, whether it’s snow or rain, that water’s got to go somewhere so it just sort of wicks through that concrete; not in a great amount but you will get consistent moisture. And then you’re dealing, of course, with a below-grade room that’s going to be inherently more humid than any other place in the house and all of that leads to mold growth really bad.
TOM: Now there is one other option and that is, if you like the look of wood you can put in a type of hardwood flooring called engineered hardwood. It’s not solid hardwood. What the engineered term refers to is the fact that this hardwood is made up various layers of wood that are glued together at opposing angles; much like plywood …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: … except with a very attractive finished hardwood as the top layer and because of that, it’s dimensionally stable and it can go in a damp, below-grade space. Regular hardwood flooring, say
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