About Home Repair
Home Repair
28 Aug 2010 at 4:46am
Enjoying your deck in summer is part of our American suburban culture. But if If you're building or replacing a deck board this summer, then you'll be faced with one of the oldest questions in deck construction.
Should the boards be placed bark side up or bark side down? This is important because wood deck boards will cup and then you wind up with tripping or splintering problems.
Understanding why wood warps and cups and how grain of the wood affects this behavior is helpful. There are lots of opinions are out there about which way to orient wood decking but I'll try and shed some light on how to place your deck boards so you end up with a great looking deck!
And don't forget that refinishing a wood deck is a great summer project that will improve your outdoor living space and extend the life of your deck. And your deck is a significant investment in your home.
Deck refinishing includes several steps such as:
inspection,
basic deck board repair and replacement (if needed),
initial deck board cleaning / brightening,
deep cleaning with a power washer,
sanding,
staining / sealing and
and of course, the celebration Labor Day BBQ!
There are several tricks and tips I outline for you in How to Refinish a Wood Deck to make short work of this project and get you professional looking results. I'll give you specific product recommendations and lead you through a very detailed and photo packed tutorial of each step in the refinishing process.
So this Labor Day, fix those warped or splintered deck boards and celebrate the holiday on your new refinished wood deck and enjoy the rest of the summer! Replacing Deck Boards to Minimize Warping Problems and Refinishing Your Wood Deck originally appeared on About.com Home Repair on Saturday, August 28th, 2010 at 09:46:03. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Gardening
Gardening
2 Sep 2010 at 8:01pm
One of the great pleasures of summer is the abundance of fresh herbs and their fragrance as you pick them. For many of us, summer is just about over. But there is one herb that truly loves the chill of fall, rosemary.
Rosemary isn't hardy outdoors in cold climates. It can take a slight frost, but not a chilly, snowy winter. You'll need to move it indoors at some point, unless you live in Zones 8 or higher. But for now, let your rosemary luxuriate in the fall air.
If you don't have a rosemary plant, why not? It's such a luxurious indulgence for so little money or effort. You really should try growing rosemary.
Photo: fantax / stock.xchng Featured Plant of the Week: Rosemary originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 01:01:12. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Landscaping
Landscaping
3 Sep 2010 at 2:29am
When it comes to hydrangea flower heads, there are basically two things people look for:
Color
Size
'Incrediball' hydrangeas live up to their name, producing incredibly big, rounded flower heads. They can reach a size even larger than those on 'Annabelle.' The branches supporting those large flower heads are supposed to be stronger on 'Incrediball' hydrangeas, but I, personally didn't find them strong enough: Branch snapping occurred on mine during a heavy rain this summer.
That's the problem with focusing on the size of the flower head with hydrangeas: It's a double-edged sword. Sure, large flower heads look wonderful when the sun is shining. But they trap rain; and if enough water builds up in them, they flop over. 'Incrediball' hydrangeas were designed with an eye to fixing this problem. But as far as I can tell, the issue remains unresolved.
Read article: Incrediball Hydrangeas
'Incrediball' Hydrangeas Live up to Their Name originally appeared on About.com Landscaping on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 07:29:27. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Home Renovations
Home Renovations
2 Sep 2010 at 5:00am
This shop vacuum does not make me happy. Just sayin' here.
I tend to be a soft reviewer. If the product generally falls within the boundaries of what it's supposed to do--well, God bless.
But this RIDGID 6 gallon wet/dry shop vacuum barely hits the outside boundary. The caster wheels insist on falling off. The hoses and electrical cord have no place to go.
It has barely enough suction to pick up the sand and sawdust that the carpenter ants tracked into my furnace room. It's light-weight and chintzy. After only 3 months, it's already falling apart. Three months.
Do yourself a favor and spend a few extra bucks for a decent shop vac. You get what you pay for, huh?
ConsumerSearch has a few shop vac reviews. While I'm not sure I'd buy another RIDGID vac, they do list a hugely expensive ($500+) Bosch AirSweep that looks like it would do the job just fine.
RIDGID 6 Gallon Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum Review originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 10:00:42. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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