Show Notes: Finish Summer Projects For Your Own Gourd – On the House
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Show Notes: Finish Summer Projects For Your Own Gourd

By on September 20, 2019

It’s Now Officially Autumn! So Finish your summer projects for your own gourd!

Finish up those last couple of summer DIY projects before the cold weather settles in!

September is the perfect DIY month!

It’s cooled off and Football is on Sunday so make Saturday your DIY day!

Speaking of summer projects, don’t forget to stay safe while finishing them up! Fall is also one of the best times to garden, so start planning! Maybe one of your summer projects should be to prepare your house for winter!

Missed our live show? Don’t worry! Because we have a podcast of the show. It’s the same thing we aired on the radio, but ready for you whenever and wherever you are! Check it out here. 

 

And its Earth Day! And Keep America Beautiful Day!

 

During the month of September 2019, National Cleanup Day, Keep America Beautiful, and Earth Day Network are working with grassroots organizations and community members to clean up green spaces, urban landscapes, and waterways across the U.S. With participation in all 50 States and Territories, we aim to clean-up locations in your area — and opportunities to spread the action to communities nationwide — the National CleanUp Day will build an army of volunteers and make a tangible impact on waste in our environments. 

 

Be on the Lookout For a Stolen Toilet!  

Thieves Steal $5 Million Gold Toilet From Britain’s Blenheim Palace!  

Burglars have stolen a fully-functional 18-carat gold toilet from Britain’s Blenheim Palace, where it had been installed as an art exhibit, police said on Saturday.  

The toilet, valued at more than $5 million, was part of an exhibition of work by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan which opened two days ago at the stately home 60 miles west of London, a major tourist attraction.  

The toilet, named “America”, was previously on display in a cubicle at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, where more than 100,000 visitors were able to use it.  

According to the Gothamist, if the toilet weighs as much as a normal porcelain one does, (which is about 70 to 120 pounds), it could cost anywhere between $1,474,592 and $2,527,872, considering the current value of gold, making this commode a pricy one!

 

How to Avoid and Remove Window Condensation

 You probably notice condensation on windows in winter months, when it’s cold outdoors. You often get frost on the outside or condensation on the inside of windows. 

You’ll especially find window condensation overnight when everyone is home and heaters are running to keep your family and pets warm. 

And in the summer, with cooler temps inside and hot, muggy outdoor temperature, the same phenomenon occurs. 

Over time, the problem of dew and fog on your inside glass can compound to the point where water accumulates on the inside of your windows. 

What’s worse is the moisture builds up and soon, water droplets form and drip down. 

This dripping becomes an issue as it can cause water stains or mold, and even permanent damage to your sills and flooring if rotting occurs. 

Rain-X Glass Anti-fog  

This long-time, trusted product has worked to stop car windows and bathroom mirrors from fogging up for years. 

The insides of your home windows where heavy fogging occurs aren’t much different. 

Simply wipe on window glass surfaces until the solution disappears. Reapply as needed. 

One note is this may not work as well in extreme cold or humid conditions. 

Amazon sells for cheap – get 2-3 bottles depending on how many windows you have! 

Window Film Kit to help with condensation 

When applied to the inside of your windows this 100% see-through film can keep glass surfaces free of condensation. 

How does it work? 

It blocks warmer/humid indoor air from reaching the cold glass and fogging/condensing. 

What’s more is the film obviously helps keep your house warmer too in addition to aiding condensation build-up. 

You might also try monitoring the humidity and dew-point levels in your house with a Thermo-Hygrometer – a great little gadget that tells you the current humidity level indoors. 

 A dehumidifier placed in the room will stop window condensation. 

 Get Air Moving 

The best way to disrupt the warm, moist air from moving to and sticking to your cool windows is to disrupt stale air and get it moving. 

Open Windows? 

If it’s not too cold outdoors, opening the house up (cracking doors or windows slightly) can be a helpful solution. 

This allows the relatively cooler and drier air from outside to balance the warmer air around your windows. 

Now, you might think cracking a window will just make the window even colder and thus more condensation. 

What you’re really doing is affecting the warm, moist air directly around the glass to cool and allow some humidly to escape outdoors instead of landing on your window glass. 

 

RECALL: STIHL PolyCut Mowing Heads Recalled Due to Injury Hazard 

 This recall involves mowing head cutting attachments compatible with some models of STIHL-brand trimmers, brush cutters, and clearing saws.  The mowing heads can be identified by the name “STIHL” and model number “27-3” or “47-3” located on the original packaging and molded on the top side of the mowing head.  The mowing heads have three orange plastic blades, each attached with a bolt and a nut, a black top housing, and a white bottom housing. 

 73,000 units have been recalled. Consumers should stop using the recalled mowing heads immediately and take them to an authorized STIHL dealer for a full refund, as STIHL Inc. has received 28 reports of loose bolts or mowing heads coming apart, including two reports of injuries. 

They were previously sold at authorized full line STIHL servicing dealers nationwide from July 2018 through July 2019 for about $30 for the 27-3 model and about $40 for the 47-3 model. 

 

How to Select Finishes for Your Deck or Porch 

Before committing to a deck finish, make sure you know all of your options. 

 Finishes do more than make the wood look good. The right finish will protect your deck and help it seem a natural extension of your landscape design. 

When you’re out shopping for deck finishes, or while you’re still in the early planning stages, think first about the color you want—for example, brown, red, or green. Then consider what shade of that color your deck should be—dark brown, tan, pale red, or dark green. Then give some thought to what sheen (flat or glossy) will look best. Decks generally look best with a flat sheen, but a contemporary design scheme might call for something different from the norm. 

Then look for information that tells you how durable the finish is and how easy it will be to apply. Generally sealers are the easiest to apply, followed by stains, with paint taking the most time and effort. Consider the species of the wood too. A clear finish is a good choice for redwood and cedar. It allows their natural colors to show through. Pressure-treated lumber usually requires staining or painting. 

All finishes will alter the appearance of all woods. The photos on the following slides give some idea of the range of appearances different finishes will effect on the same wood. The colors and tones shown in the photos are only representative of degrees of change. Different brands and changes in the wood grain, even within the same board, produce different results. 

If you like wood with a gray, weathered look, don’t finish, seal, or paint the deck. Let nature weather the wood naturally. Natural weathering works best with all-heartwood grades of durable species, such as cedar, cypress, and redwood. 

The aging time varies with the species and its exposure. Generally cedar and cypress weather to a light silver-gray and redwood turns dark gray. Pressure-treated lumber turns a soft gray but sometimes retains a hint of its green or brown coloring. 

Types of Sealants 

Oil-Based Clear Sealer 

Clear or lightly pigmented sealers protect the wood from water damage and don’t change its color much. Look for additives that will ward off mildew, insects, and fungi. Ultraviolet (UV) blockers are a must—they reduce damage caused by the sun’s rays. Pigmented sealers do all of the above, but the pigment is designed to change the color of the wood slightly.  

Latex Clear Sealer 

All-purpose sealers contain water repellents, preservatives, and UV blockers. You can apply sealers over or under stains and under primer and paint. 

 

Types of Stain 

 Semitransparent Stain 

 Stains are primarily formulated to transform the appearance of the wood—some slightly, some dramatically. Certain formulas are designed to offer some protection to the wood, but this is a job best done with a sealer in conjunction with a stain. 

What kind of stain you use will depend on how much of the original wood tones you want to retain. Semitransparent stains allow more wood grain to show through but wear away more quickly; they are particularly suitable for highlighting wood grains. 

Heavy-bodied Stain 

Heavy-bodied stains contain more pigments and hide the grain. All stains (both oil- or water-base products), including those not designed to penetrate the fibers of the wood, tend to retain the wood’s natural look far more than paint. Apply oil-base stains on redwood and red cedar. 

Stains are somewhat less expensive than paints, take less time to apply, and go on easily over rough and smooth surfaces. 

Paint 

Paints conceal some defects and tend to last longer and look better than stains on smooth surfaces. Exterior alkyds (oil-base products) are more costly, more difficult to clean up, and slower-drying. Water-base latex paints cost less, clean up easily, and dry quickly. Each comes in a range of colors and sheens (gloss, semi gloss, and flat or matte). New, unpainted surfaces need to be primed first. Oil-base primers provide better protection on raw wood than water-base primers. Add stain blockers to stop bleed-through from redwood and cedar. A good-quality acrylic-latex top coat applied over an alkyd primer makes a durable finish. 

Is your deck sealed properly? In some cases the answer is obvious. Old wood with a dried-out look clearly needs a stiff dose of sealer. But boards that look OK may also be in danger of drying out. So do a quick test once or twice a year. Sprinkle a little water onto the surface. If the water beads up and does not soak in within two minutes, the board is sealed well enough. If water soaks in within 2 minutes, apply additional sealer. 

 

September is Attic Cleaning Month! 

 

Attic Cleaning 

This is one project you don’t want to be a part of your “summer projects” list.

Which is why it’s perfect for fall! 

 Like any neglected space, attics tend to get dirty over time. However, while dust and cobwebs are to be expected, many homeowners are unaware of active sources of decay and contamination in their attics. Rodent infestation is a common problem in attics. Most attics contain gaps, cracks and spaces that are big enough for rodents to pass through, and since attics are typically uninhabited, this makes them attractive to rodents looking for a quiet, dry place to nest.” 

 More than a mere nuisance, a rodent infestation in the attic can have a surprising impact on the rest of the home. Rodents can chew through electrical wiring and damage attic insulation, which can cause power outages and reduce energy efficiency. Additionally,  

they can create unhealthy conditions by defecating in the attic and carrying mites into the home. 

 If you suspect a rodent infestation in your atticyou should be on the phone calling a professional attic cleaning company. After cleaning and sanitizing your entire attic, a professional will locate all potential rodent entry points and seal them to ensure the infestation doesn’t reoccur. Put an annual attic inspection  same time next year to verify that rodents haven’t found a way back in. 

 

things to do around the bay

 

15th Annual Disaster Preparedness Day  

Join us at the 15th Annual Disaster Preparedness Day  

at the San Mateo County Event Center, 1346 Saratoga Dr. San Mateo,  on Saturday Sept. 21, 2019,  10 am -2 pm.  

 We’ll be there to tell you about how to prepare for earthquakes and fire !

 

Mentioned Links for “Finish Summer Projects For Your Own Gourd”

~ Thank you~ 

A very special thank you to all of our callers! We live to answer your questions, so keep them coming! 

A caller asked about windows, and the Carey Brothers sent him to https://blainewindow.com/

Thank you to our Technical Support: 

  • Danny Bringer – Chief Engineer  
  • Carol “Remodeling Babe” Carey – Executive Producer  
  • Sam Reed – Associate Producer  
  • Rico Figliolini – Digital Master 

 

Thank you for tuning in to finish off the last of your summer projects! And check in next week for more cool tips and tricks! 

“Finish Summer Projects For Your Own Gourd” Show Notes for On The House with the Carey Brothers aired September 20, 2019. 

@careybros #homeimprovement #diy #radio #september #fallishere

 

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