Author Archives: Dan Hansen

EP26 – September 30, 2017: Wood Finishes, Light Bulb Early Burn Outs, Tree Trimming 101, Decorating Small Bedrooms

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Lacquers, Polyurethanes, Shellacs, and more! There are so many finishes that can be classified under the broad heading of “clear coat”. Which one is right for your project? Which one is going to give you the most durability? It’s honestly not as confusing as it may seem! Today we clear up the confusion and give you everything you need to know to make the best choice!

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Show notes for episode 026:

When it comes to choosing the right wood finish for a project, many people are confused. There are so many options. What's best? In this segment, we talk about the most common choices and highlight the best uses for each one!

When light bulbs burn out early, we start to wonder what's going on! The packages say we'll get multiple years out of a given bulb, but sometimes we end up getting just a couple weeks. Why is that? And, more importantly, what can we do about it?

Today we're in the studio with Bill Haveman from Haveman Electric and he's got some answers and some recommendations!

Trimming plants back in the fall doesn't always seem like rocket science. And it isn't. But still, do it wrong (as I have) and you won't have any Hydrangea blooms next year!

Matt Bakker from Landscape Design Services joins us to lay out the do's and don'ts of trimming!

Small rooms can be frustrating to decorate. And often, we tend to just give up and resign ourselves to the idea that they can only be functional . . . not design-oriented.

We want to challenge that! Those small rooms can be eye-catching. You just need to approach the project with a little creativity!

EP25 – September 23, 2017: Surfactant Leaching, Appliance Shopping 101, and Color Flow

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Every time Dan goes to buy a refrigerator, he makes a critical mistake that MANY people make. He starts by going to the store and looking at all the available options. He picks a fridge he just can’t live without, then goes home to measure the space. This is the point where he is overwhelming disappointed. The fridge he has chosen will never, in a million years, fit in the space he has available. He finds out the only fridge that will fit is the most plain, boring model. If he had measured BEFORE he went to the store, he wouldn’t have been disappointed. We’ve got everything you need to know before you step foot in the appliance store.

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Show notes for episode 025:

We got a question from a listener! She has a tan sticky residue on the walls of her freshly painted bathroom and she wants to know what it is. The good news is, we know what it is and its more common than people realize. We dig in to the fix and discuss some hilarious (but wrong!) ideas of the cause that come straight from the internet.
It's a common occurrence: we go to look at appliances, find one we love, only to find out it won't fit in the space we have available. We are so disappointed! If only we hadn't looked at the fridge with the LED touch screen and coffee maker! If only we had only looked at the refrigerators that ACTUALLY fit in our space. Steve Rozema of Northgate Appliance walks us through things we need to know before we ever start looking for kitchen appliances. It's guaranteed to save all of us from a lot of disappointment and help us get more out of our appliance shopping.
In the second segment we talked with Steve Rozema from Northgate Appliance in Holland with the intent of talking about kitchen appliances. However, he had so much information, we only made it through refrigerators! Lucky for us, Steve agreed to hang around to finish talking about the rest of the kitchen appliances.
We see it all the time at RepcoLite; people are worried about choosing a paint color because they've had bad experiences in the past getting color continuity throughout their home. We call this color flow. Usually people paint one room at a time and focus on that room, not how it fits in with the rest of the house. The result is a patchwork feeling. We have simple ways to help you gain confidence in creating color flow. And if you STILL don't feel comfortable creating color flow, Benjamin Moore has the "magic" Affinity fan deck that takes the stress out of choosing color and makes it look like you hired a decorator! Affinity fan decks are available at all RepcoLite, Port City Paints, and Snyder Paints locations.

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EP24 – September 16, 2017: Roof Shampoo, Decks in Fall, Choosing Firewood, and Paint Brush Maintenance

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A few weeks ago we talked about the DIY way to clean moss and algae off your roof, with a few cautions. A phone call we received prompted us to look for some sort of contractor who could possibly do the cleaning. That’s how we found the guys who do “Roof Shampooing.”  The best part is, they don’t have to use chemicals…including bleach. Their product is eco-friendly and biodegradable. And it saves you climbing on the roof!

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Show notes for episode 024:

A few weeks ago we talked about cleaning moss and algae from your roof. We also cautioned you to avoid damaging your shingles. Then we got a phone call from someone who just didn't feel comfortable getting on the roof to clean it. That got us researching, and that's how we found Justin! Justin Teesdale, owner of Peak Performance Roof Cleaning, tells us all about his Roof Shampoo system. It kills and cleans off  moss, algae and lichen, leaving your roof looking like new. He uses a biodegradable, environmentally friendly product that has AMAZING results! We can't believe the before and after pictures!  
We promise this isn't as boring as you may think! Spending money on a good paint brush is always worth the investment. And once you've made the investment, you want to keep it working like new as long as possible. The problem is, many people are cleaning their brush incorrectly and are having to replace it sooner than necessary. We've got the trick to "keep it in shape."

And before you throw away that brush, give it a life in retirement. We have uses for that brush, long after it's days of putting paint on walls is over.
Unexpected things happen all the time. And this is an unexpected project for this time of year. Most people think of deck staining as a spring project. The snow melts and everyone decides the deck has seen better days. But fall is a great time for this project!  

By doing your deck now, you are sealing it against the elements of winter. It's also easier to work with the product this time of year because it's not as hot. Just remember, your staining window during the day IS shorter, but you can still get great results.
Buying firewood is pretty...well...cut and dry, right? Not according to Rob Cackowski from Heritage Fireplace and Design Center. A while back we stopped in the store to see some of his new products and talk fireplaces. While we were there, he told us he could fill an entire segment talking about firewood. Really? It's firewood. There's that much to know. Apparently there is a lot that most of us are missing when it comes to the wood we burn. Thanks to Rob, we are about to be VERY well informed.

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EP23 – September 9, 2017: Bold Cabinets, Clogged Drains, Cold Weather Painting, New House “Must-Do’s”

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It’s getting colder and we’re heading into sweatshirts and jeans weather, football, beautiful fall colors, and all the other great things that autumn brings. But with the dropping temperatures raise a lot of questions about exterior painting: when is it officially too cold to paint outside? We’ve got the answer to that and much more in this episode of the RepcoLite Home Improvement Show!

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Show notes for episode 023:

Is it time for a kitchen makeover? Are you thinking of just painting the cabinets white? Have you thought of stepping outside the white box and into a little bit of color? We want to challenge the thought that kitchen cabinets should be white. Kim Scott, of KJS Interiors, joins us in the studio to talk about ways to bring color into your kitchen. Kim is an interior designer who is not afraid to use color in her decorating. She encourages people to the out of their comfort zone and try out a new, fun color. It's amazing how great a little color can look in a kitchen.

How many times have you been brushing your teeth and spit the toothpaste in the sink, only to find that the drain is clogged and the water refuses to drain? Yuck!

We tackle how to unclog a drain, before you call a plumber. And Dan gets the chance to talk about his favorite plumbing tool; a sink auger. The consensus is that he likes it just because it pulls some of the most disgusting looking things from drains!

As the weather gets cooler, we start to get the same questions over and over again in our stores, "Can I still paint outside?" Yes, you can, but there are some very important things that you need to know before doing so. We also talk about proper fall/winter paint storage and how to estimate how much paint you need to paint the exterior of a house. Many people think it is more complicated than it really is. It's just like estimating paint for your walls. You just have to find the total square footage of surface area. To do that:
  1. Assuming you have 4 sides of the house to be painted, take each side separately and find the square footage. To get this, take the length of each side and multiply by the height. Add square footage for 4 sides together.
  2. Subtract windows, doors, and anything else that won't be painted with the body color.
  3. Divide remainder from step 2 by 350-400, depending on surface to be covered. (Ex. 2500 square feet÷350=7 gallons. You would probably need just a bit more; maybe just a quart more.) This is for one coat.
When people move into a new house, usually the first thing they do is unpack. But wait! Before doing that, read this list of things you should be doing as soon as you move into a new house. And even if you haven't just moved, this list might still help you get organized and prioritize home projects. The article, 20 Things to Do When You Move Into Your New Home, originally appeared on the Family Handyman website. We took our favorite ideas and put our own spin on them. Here are our top 13 favorites:
  1. Make a prioritized list with help from everyone in the household
  2. Clean refrigerator coils
  3. Clean dryer (we covered this on Episode 8)
  4. Install a new toilet seat (we thought this was absolute brilliance! Why didn't WE think of that?!)
  5. Replace furnace filter
  6. Clean air conditioner (we covered this on Episode 5)
  7. Locate and mark main water shutoff
  8. Locate electrical panel (it might not be where you anticipate)
  9. Check smoke and CO detectors
  10. Make sure sump pump works
  11. Live in your home for a year before making major changes
  12. Make one room a retreat
  13. Meet your neighbors

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Is It Too Cold to Paint Outside?

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When the temps drop, questions crop up in the stores about painting in colder, fall weather. People are unsure how long they can effectively paint outside as the year crawls toward winter. After all, who wants to paint outside, only to find out in the spring that it has to be redone because the paint blistered and peeled?

Don’t worry! There’s still time to get one more project in, but there are some things you need to know before you paint outside as the temperature drops.

The Right Paint

The cooler the temp, the more important it is to use a low temp exterior paint. Traditional exterior paints could only be applied as low as 50°, but many paint companies have formulated paints that can be applied in the 40’s and sometimes even the 30’s. RepcoLite’s ENDURA is rated for temps down to 36 degrees and Benjamin Moore’s AURA and REGAL are rated for temps down to 40 degrees.

Important Reminders

  • Temperature ratings include night time temps. You’re looking for temps that reach 36 (or 40) or higher and remain that way for 6-8 hours after application. This allows the paint to dry and form the protective film on the surface. Also,  the temperature rating is for the surface temperature, not just air temperature.
  • The best time to paint is between 10 AM and 2 PM. By starting at 10, you give the dew time to dry before application and the surface you are painting has time to warm up to at least the minimum temperature. By quitting at 2, you are giving the paint enough time to dry before dew sets in again.
  • The short paint window is critical as the temperature drops because paint takes so much longer to dry as it gets cooler.
    • Latex takes 4 hours to dry at 70°
      • It takes at least 6 hours if it is 60° or below
    • Oil takes 8 hours to dry at 70°
      • It takes about 48 hours in cold weather
  • Paint in the sun! We normally tell people to paint in the shade, but as the weather gets cooler, it is actually a benefit to paint in the sun. The sun will help the paint dry and cure better. And it doesn’t hurt that your hands will stay warm too!

You can have great success painting outside well into the fall. It’s just important to be aware of the limitations and conditions that have to be worked around. If you follow the above tips, you will be able to squeak in that one last project before snow flies.

EP22 – September 2, 2017: Lawn Seeding 101, Must-Have Painting Tools, Electrical Questions Answered, and Basement Floor Painting

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We live in Michigan where our basements can be a little scary; especially if you have an older house! There are lots of things that can be done to remedy that. But perhaps the simplest thing to do is to simply paint the floor. It’s amazing how much a coat of paint can brighten a dreary basement. We’ll help give you the confidence to tackle your floor this weekend!

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Show notes for episode 022:

Summer is almost over. And that means our lawns have made it through the toughest part of the year. Some may have made it through the heat like champs. Others, however, may have lost the battle with heat and minimal rain, and now have featured brown and dead patches.

Don't fret! According to Matt Bakker from Landscape Design Services, you can still bring your lawn back to its glory days before snow flies. He's got everything we need to know about seeding the bare patches in our yards.

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to do a simple task, only to find you don't have to right tool on hand. Try opening a bottle without a bottle opener (Dan!), or tighten a screw using a penny (Betsy!). It takes way more time to complete the task and there is so much frustration involved!

This same theory applies to painting as well. If you follow our list and always have these painting tools on hand, your next project is guaranteed to be a lot less stressful because you won't have to stop midway through the project (or maybe before you even begin!) to buy the right tool.

Must-Have Painting Tools Check List!

There are a lot of home improvement projects we are comfortable tackling--anything involving wood is generally acceptable, minor plumbing projects are ok, and anything involving paint is a breeze. But electrical....oh, electrical....that is a whole different story! Sure, we can change light bulbs and maybe even wire up a fan or a new lighting fixture. But when it comes to questions like "why do my lights dim when I run the microwave?" we figure it's best to ask a professional.

Lucky for us, Bill Haveman, co-owner of Haveman Electric, agreed to stop by and talk about some common household electrical questions. Hopefully, by the end of the conversation, our power concerns will be put to rest.

Miss Etta James, in the 60s, sang about all the fun you can have in the basement. But what happens if you have a Michigan basement? What if you have dark, cold concrete floors and tony spiders hanging in the corners? It's sounds more like a dungeon that a place to hang out and have fun.

But there is  solution! It's amazing what a difference just painting the floor can make. It will brighten up the space and make it feel a little less cold. And if you are concerned about tackling the project, don't be! We've got you covered with tips and tricks from start to finish.

Floor Painting Tips

  • Use a 14" or 18" cover if possible
  • Use a 3/8" nap cover
  • Use an extension pole. It will save your back!
  • Brush 2" strip around all the edges (cut in)
  • Roll paint from paint tray
  • OR try pouring paint straight out of the bucket in a line on the floor!
    • Pour a few feet from wall
    • Pour a 4" wide strip
    • Only pour as much as you can evenly spread before the paint dries
    • Could use a 3/16" nap cover with this application method
    • Work with a helper
  • Let paint dry completely before introducing light foot traffic
    • Waterborne - at least 6 hours
    • Oil - at least 12 hours
    • All dry times will be slowed even more without air circulation and/or humidity