Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Well it is the weekend and welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
You're at home with Gary Salvan taking it through another
hour of getting some things done.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Around the home. And let me give you the phone
number you can grab a line. It's eight hundred eight
two three eight two five five and let's go right
to the phones we have ed ed.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Welcome, good morning, Gary.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Morning.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I haven't said by mans in the house. Uh, honestly,
get a lot of use and they've gotten dirty over
the years.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
I had one suggestion from somebody about using a little
dawn and water and that seems to help, but it
leads a little TACKI feeling on it.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
I also found on the internet about mixing a cup
of oil and two teaspoons of vinegar. But I was
a little leery about trying that. And you recommend something.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, tell me about this banister. Is it it's a
wood banister? Is it stained and then has varnish on it?
Or is it painted or what?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
What?
Speaker 1 (01:46):
What type of finish?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
It's stained and then varnished? Okay, And you know, I
honestly don't know it was a choice.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
There is an oil which is it's an excellent product,
but it doesn't work on a polyurethane. It works on
varnished surfaces and it's called milsik m I L S
E K and it will it will really clean upwood.
(02:21):
See on a banister, we get the oil from our hands,
we get dirt, we get grime, and sometimes we'll get
almost like if you took your thumb and really rub
that banister, you can roll up the dirt. Sometimes people yeah,
sometimes people even wax it, and that adds to the
(02:45):
problem rather than solving the problem, as does the soap.
It has soap has surfactants in it, which is a
sticky residue. So you know, when you put that on there,
you can use it, but boy, you really got to
work on getting those suffactants off. So what I'll tell
people to do is if they're going to use a soap,
(03:09):
comeback with like a tri sodium phosphate in water solution,
which doesn't have subfactants. In fact, it actually removes surfactants.
But trying to get that clean is really it's challenging,
it really really is. And what I would try, I mean,
(03:30):
I haven't heard of that solution that you were talking about.
When you talked about an oil, what kind of oil
were they telling you to use on that.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Well, they didn't bother to go into any description of
what kind. Yeah, which is a little leary.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah yeah, one of the things you might consider. And
again it's hard to make a recommendation maybe without seeing it.
But if you took a six hundred grit wet dry
sand paper, which is the black automotive sandpaper, and that's
a really really super fine grit, and you can dip
(04:10):
that in water, you know, wet dry, and and and
just use that wet dry sandpaper as a cleaning agent.
Now you're going to have to put another coat of
euthane on there, or another coat of varnish on there.
But if it's really got some issues and you've tried
(04:31):
a few things, I think that might be something I really.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Take a look at. Okay, all right, it's just re
saying you stain.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
You know, and it gets a lot of use, right.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Right, That's what I'm saying. It's not going to hurt
your stain using that wet dry It will certainly remove
the gooey coating, and it will also scratch up that
protective finish a little bit where you could reapply and
it will stick to it. In fact, even if you
wanted to. If it gets a lot of use. Another
(05:07):
suggestion would be use the six hundred grit wet dry paper,
scratch it up, remove the grid, get it really good
and clean, put a code of yourthane on it, let
it dry, come back and put a secondary code of
yourthane on it.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Okay, and you might even do.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
You might even do like a like a water base
your thane and just do two coats. There's about I
think a two hour dry time in between coats, and
that would be taking it the next step up from
just cleaning it.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Okay, okay, Jarry, I appreciate it. I'm going to get
give those a try and see what happens.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Very good, good luck, take care, bye bye. All right,
twelve minutes after the top of the hour, eight hundred
eight two three eight two five five that's our number
dollars up. Happy to talk about your home project, and
let's go to Terry. Terry.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
Welcome, Ah, thank you, Garry. I've called a couple of
times and you always give me excellent advice. All Right,
my neighbor has termites and I'm wondering what I can
do to avoid termites at my house.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Well, there are a few things you can do. I
will always give you the old termite speech. And there's
two types of houses, ones with termites and homes that
are going to have termites. So there are some preventions,
and I can just kind of walk you through.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
A little bit of a list.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Termites, if they're termites, are in colonies, and like all
termites and all ants and things, they're forging for food
and moisture, and they can travel. So if your neighbors
homes has it, you're going to eventually end up unless
(06:59):
you do the prevention. And the first type of prevention
is pretty simple stuff. Remember, they like moisture. So if
there's any leaky pipes, gutters that overflow downspouts that don't
empty the water, you know away from the home. So
you're going to really make sure that there's no water
(07:19):
standing along the foundation of the house, making sure that
the land, the land itself slopes away from the house,
the same kind of things we do to prevent flooding
of a cross space or something along those lines. If
you have areas in your home that are damp, I
would certainly get a do umidifier in there. The humidity
(07:44):
level inside your home should in the summertime be you know,
fifty five percent would be enough humidity you start getting
in the sixties and seventies. That's a real invite for
all kinds of problems, molds and termites and everything else. Also,
keeping wood away from the house. Don't put firewood or
(08:07):
scrap lumber or twigs against the house because that's what
they're eating. And then there's always the old people putting mulch.
Unless you're using a cypress mult or something like that,
putting mult right up against the house, that's a no.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
No. Any kind of wood that's you know, whether it's
garden borders or whatever, just get that away from the house,
including the mulch. Okay, taking a look.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I always talk about walking around the home looking for
cracks and crevices and you know, penetrations for like utility
lines and stuff like that. Get those cocked clothes so
they can't you know, you know, enter the home. And
if you ever had your home inspected for termites, no,
(08:57):
so I would do that, you know, just have a
pest control company inspect annually for termites. Or if you're
do you have a basement in your home in Louisiana,
Probably not right. No, Okay, So are you on a
slab or do you have a crawl space? Take a
(09:18):
look at cross space with a flashlight and look for
mud tubes. They're about the size of your finger, and
they will be going up the mall, up the wall.
That's kind of their highway. Okay, So they'll tunnel in
and they'll make a mud tunnel and maybe go up
to the you know, the joice of the house or
the floor, and that's where some damage would occur. And
(09:42):
that's what a pest control company will inspect. So you
could have it professionally inspected for you know, termites.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
And then there are.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Also different liquid barriers that could be sprayed around the house.
There's termicide products. There's a different baiting stations that can
be installed around the house where they can change out
the wood. That's the bait. Uh change out the wood
for a termicide where they'll eat that and bring that
(10:13):
back to the colony. It's about eliminating the colony too.
So there's a bunch of stuff you can do.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Really that sounds great good, So.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
You can uh certainly get to work on that, you bet,
thank you, all right, very good. Line's open for you again.
It's eight hundred eight two three, eight two five five
will continue with your calls.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
You're at home with Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
Take it right with a call to Gary Sullivan at
one eight hundred eight two three talk this is at
home with Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Mosquitoes can transmit deadly diseases, including West now virus, but
some mosquito dunks kill mosquitoes before they're old enough to bite.
Just float an organic mosquito dunk and ponds bird bass
rain barrels in any standing water to kill mosquito larvae
for thirty days or longer. Don't worry. Mosquito dunks won't
harm people, pets, fish, birds, or wildlife. Mosquito dunks are
(11:30):
available at garden centers, hardware stores, and online. Visit some
responsible solutions dot com. Odor Exit has been making homes
and offices smell great for over twenty five years. If
you have an odor you need to get rid of.
Stick with the natural solution using essential oils that works
on a first try. Enzyme based solutions have to be
(11:50):
reapplied over and over again, taking time. You don't have
odor exits effective on everything from pet odors to mold, mildew,
urine vomit, even sky, so don't waste time and money.
Remove the bad odors with otor Exit or to yours
today at odor exit dot com. Every paint removal project
comes with its own set of challenges, and finding the
(12:11):
right product for the job can be difficult. I have
the solution. Deman has developed a complete paint removal test
kit that will help you zero in on the best
paint removal product that you need for your project. Test
kit includes a down samples of smart Strip, Advanced, smart
Strip Pro and Peel Away paint removal products with all
the necessary items you need. You can get your test
kit at participating Sherman William's locations or visit Dumont Global
(12:35):
dot com to purchase the kit or find a retailer
near you. April is Healthy Home Awareness Month, and homeowners
across America are raving about the Easy Breed ventilation systems.
Low tech, highly efficient units the most economical and effective
way to create a healthier home. The unit mounts to
basement walls, plugs and invents stagnant musty air out, eliminating
eighty five percent of the airborne particles. Set it and
(12:57):
forget it. Visit Easybreed dot com or call eight six six,
eight two two, seventy three twenty eight get twenty percent
off plus a free humidity monitoring kit. When you call
call today Easy Breeze and we're going to do a
(13:35):
little homework together.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
If you'd like to join us, do so. The phone
numbers eight hundred eight two three eight two five five
several lines open. So join us and let's go to
Jack Jack. Welcome Morren Gary.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
How are you doing doing fine? Sir? Thank you.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
I recently had a deck built the end of the
last year and I tested the It's pressure treated and
it seems to be taking the water if you put
like a tea spoint of water on it.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
And I was wonder to what do you recommend for
the best steelinger stain underneath it?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
So they're they're one and the same. Let me ask
you a question here. Are you thinking of a semi
transparent where it looks like a wood grain, you know
that wood grain shines through or shows through and it's
walnut or redwood or cedar or something like that. Or
are you looking more of a solid color stain where
you cover up the grain looks like a painted dick.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
I'm thinking more of a semi transparent.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
I guess, okay, okay, all right, well there is a
there's all kinds.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
There's all kinds, and I guess the one that would
give you an extra Oh gosh, I don't know. There's
so many different kinds out of here. First of all,
are you in a real sunny location?
Speaker 7 (15:03):
They get sun in the afternoon?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Okay, okay, so I mean it's pretty sunny there in
the summertime. Crack yeah, okay. So the average deck seialer
in there is probably gonna last you a couple two
three years in a sunny location. And there's deck sealers
that are water based, modified oil and acrylics, water and oil,
(15:29):
and then there's some in I'm talking to everybody in
all the states, so some states still allow you to
use oil base UH deck deck sealers. In your city,
you're gonna find modified oils and UH and acrylics.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
So there is.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
There's one called super deck, which is a modified oil
acrylic And there's in the Sherman Williams store they have
a Sherman Williams modified oil and acrylic deck sailor which
has good penetration and decent sun bluckage comes in your
basic sixty seven different colors, you know, cedar redwood brown.
(16:16):
I think they have a gray and then a real
dark brown. So those would work fine. And then probably
the one I'll give you an extra year's worth of
life is one called Defy. It's df y. It is dfy.
(16:38):
I thought, I said, d e f y. What a
skip e e f y? All right, So it's Defy
wood stain is a water base. It'll get you an
extra year. Probably the highest grade and probably a little
more expensive deck stain out on the market.
Speaker 5 (16:59):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
The secret with that is getting it to penetrate into
the wood jack So there's an extra step, which is
not a big step at all. So once it's showing
signs that it can accept water, you would still clean
it with an oxygen at bleach, which would be the
Defied deck cleaner, and then you would use a deck brightener.
(17:24):
And a deck brightener is oxalic acid. It sounds worse
than it is. It's very low grade acid. And what
it does is it opens up the wood fibers, which
allows the Defy wood stain to penetrate deeper. It's also
a little different than the other deck stains. It's two
coats on wet on wet, meaning you might work a
(17:48):
you know, a four by four area and you would
put a coat down, and you'd put a second coat
right on top of it, and then you would move on.
And you could you can roll it on, you could
brush it on, can't really spray it on. But they
also have in fact, i'll give you their websites defy
(18:08):
woodstain dot com. They've got a applicator, which I think
is awesome. It's almost like a mop. So you put
you put a you know, decent amount down and then
you put a secondary code right on top of it.
And if you follow the directions, it does great. People
get in trouble with because they don't follow the directions.
You've got to open up the wood pores to get
(18:31):
good penetration in there. Okay, So now I'll throw one
more at you. And there's one Cabot. I'm kind of
becoming a new fan of the Cabot wood stain. It's
a deck stain and it leaves a little bit of
a sheene on it, almost like like a satin almost
(18:53):
like if you took a handrail and you stained it
with a satin coating on it.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
That's kind of what it looks like. I think think
Lows carries it. I think Ace Hardware carries it. I
haven't used it, I've seen videos on it. I like
their performance numbers and I also like the look. So
something else to investigate. I can tell you of the
(19:18):
ones I mentioned. You're not going to go wrong, just
follow the directions, and you did the right thing by
waiting until it accepts the water. Thank you very much
for the call. I appreciate very timely. If you'd like
to join us.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
It's eight hundred eight two three eight two five five.
We're talking about your home and you're at home with
Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 6 (19:49):
Start a project and don't know how to finish it
and call Gary and one eight hundred eight two three talk.
You're at home with Gary Soliva.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Gary Solvent here for the Zalar pump company. Zalor leads
the way in some pumps and battery backup systems with
continuous innovation. Now you can see the light with their
LED plug illuminating Zalor green when the power is present.
You no longer have to wonder if your some pump
hass power. The plug is always illuminated when power is present.
Check it out today, on the popular Zolar Model sixty
(20:36):
three and M fifty three. Go to zlar pumps dot
com the located factory certified installer in your area zalarpumps
dot com. Tired of sticky fly ribbons that gets stuck
to everything, Well, you'll love the newest fly trap from
Rescue called Flypad. Flies are lured to the trap with
special colors and patterns, and thanks to an innovative ridge surface,
(20:57):
it keeps your fingers away from the glue. Flypa it
can be used anywhere you need fly control. Flypad is
a sticky fly trap that won't stick to you. Flypad
is made in USA by the makers of the popular
Rescue flying Yellowjacket traps. Learn more at Rescue dot com. Hey,
it's Gary Salivent for Roto Ruter plumbing and water cleanup,
a company that has been trusted and recommended for generations
(21:20):
coast to coast. Roto Router fixes clogged drains, leaky faucets,
and running toilets. They repair and replace water heaters, garbage disposals,
some pumps, water softeners, and every other residential commercial plumbing fixture.
I use Rotor Ruter at my house and you should
leave plumbing to the pros too. Call one eight hundred,
get roto or go to rotrouter dot com. Today. Dirty patio,
(21:45):
don't scrub it, wet and forget it. Wet and forget
the easy outdoor cleaner. Wet and forget works overtime with
Mother Nature to eliminate unsightly black and green stains on
your patio or deck with no scrubbing, power washing or bleach.
Use wet and forget on all your outdoor surfaces, including driveways, siding, roofs,
and fencing. Wet and forgets available and concentrate or extreme
(22:08):
reach hose en purchase wet and forget in store online
at Low's Minards or ace.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
At home with Gary Sulvan getting together another weekend and
some things done around the home, and glad to have you.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
In fact, all the lines are open. So if you're
one of those people that always say I tried to call,
but it's always busy, it is busy a lot. But
right now six lines open.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Six lines open. So it's eight hundred eight two three,
eight to five five. Time to get the pressure washer out,
time to start doing a little cleaning on the outside
of the home. And I caution you not to abuse
the pressure washer. It's often abused by folks that especially
as guys that want more power, more power, more water.
(23:20):
And if you've got a pressure washer, no, no, I
just I'm addicted to mulch and pressure washers. Yes, you know,
once I start, I can't stop. But no, in all seriousness,
if you're going to clean your deck with a pressure washer,
be careful. I know deck companies and everything they use
(23:40):
pressure washers to clean it. But sometimes there's limitations. I mean,
if you had a pressure washer with four thousand psi
and use a fifteen degree nozzle, you can literally write
your name into pressure treated wood, and we don't want
to do that. So again, around twenty four hundred psi
with a twenty five to forty degree nozzle, preferably probably
(24:05):
anything twenty four in above psi, you'd use a forty
degree nozzle under which is a wider fan, wider fan
of the water twenty five much tighter, so there's more
pounds per square inch being thrust onto the wood. You
can develop a little bit of fuzz. You can actually
(24:25):
you can actually strip the coating off wood if you
use enough power. So I'm just cautioning you two thousand
twenty four hundred perfect twenty five hundred or twenty five
degree nozzle is a really good cleaning tool. But above that,
be careful, hold it more than eighteen inches away from
(24:47):
the wood. Use a forty degree nozzle. We don't want
to create fuzz because when you go to.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Stain it, what will happen is the fuzz that you've
created will stain darker than a solid piece of would.
So just be careful, um use the cleaners. Don't just
try to blast the mildew and the dirt off a
(25:12):
wood deck. You're not doing yourself any favors. If you
use a deck.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Cleaner or an oxygenated bleach, spray it on, let it
sit for like, I don't know, ten fifteen minutes, ten
minutes is enough, and then combine. Just even if you
use the hose. If you use a pressure washer, that's fine,
but I've given you the uh you know, directions on
how to use that and then remove it.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Let the cleaner do the work. That's the key.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Shifting gears going to concrete sure sane thing, though, use
if you want to use an oxygenated bleach on that
concrete surface or a driveway cleaner, put it on there,
let it sit, let it stay wet, and then come
by with low pressure and a pressure washer to do it.
(25:59):
Don't you just try to blast the dirt, the mildew.
I mean, you'll get good satisfaction. Nobody likes the pressure
washer more than me. You'll get good satisfaction. You'll use it,
it will be clean. But I can guarantee you that's right.
I'm gonna guarantee you that the mold, the mildew on
(26:20):
that concrete surface will come back faster by just trying
to blast it clean than if you use products to
clean it. In fact, you doen'erally have to use the
pressure washer at all. If you use in a driveway,
you can use the wet and forget products, Spray it
on there and forget about it.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Now. Unfortunately for people like myself, you don't use the
pressure washer at all, and it'll take four to six weeks.
But here's the good part. It'll disappear, it'll be very clean,
and next year it'll still be very clean. Because it's
an it's a total kill of the algae. But if
(27:00):
you want to use the pressure washer, out and spray, spray, spray,
just you know, spray it all off. Probably by fall
it'll be growing back. Then you can do it again.
But again using the wet and friget works well. If
you want to use an oxygen ay bleach on their
and let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes and
(27:22):
then use it, that's an ultimate kill also. Or you
can just every year in the springtime just spray down
your driveway with the wedding frigate. You'll never see this coloration.
So that's kind of that's kind of a preferred method
if you will. And you can do the test yourself
where you do one square with pressure washer and the
(27:43):
other one with a wet and forget and see for yourself.
I get emails on that. All right, Well let's go
to Lynn. Lynn welcome, Yes.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Thank you for taking my call. Gary have a two
story call it a colonial home. And on the apex
side there are no soffits, you know, on that straight
up all about twenty six feet up to the apex there.
So anyway, there's an established about a three foot deep
away from the house, established from the foundation of the house,
(28:14):
flower garden between that foundation of the house and a
narrow sidewalk. And I was thinking of relocating all these flowers,
and then have concrete poured after laying in you know
that what is that stuff called, It's an expansion board,
and then have the be poured and I suppose it
(28:35):
has to have some sort of plastic or something on
the ground under that the concrete would be poured on.
But have concrete poured from that house foundation with that
expansion board, and then come out and butt up next
to that narrow sidewalk. It's about three feet out and
then that little narrow rock is about two feet or so.
(28:55):
So I'm just wondering, you know, what do you think
of this idea? I want to any water that drops
from the heaven, I want it all to come down
onto that instead of going down into that soil next
to the basement foundation, because I am noticing a little
effort lessons on the inside, well on the inside of
the basement foundation.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Yeah, well that would create you know, the biggest thing,
quite honestly, Lynn, is you know how well that's installed.
Because the one thing you want to do if you're
going to put in a butt a piece of concrete
up against the foundation, is you still want to have
a positive fall away from the house with that concrete.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Okay, yeah, I would.
Speaker 8 (29:41):
I would.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
I would have a higher and up on the blocks,
or not the blocks, but the expansion board or the
expansion stuff up and up a higher so that it
would come down at a diagonal.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
As soon as you can pull that away from the house,
that's fine. And then you know the the old ad
if things are always settling and moving.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
When you have a landscaping bed and it starts tilting
maybe towards the house or settling, you just a had soil.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, who knows how many years. If
you have the concrete there and it settles underneath that concrete,
which is the possibility, then you're going to have to
use somebody to inject cementatious material underneath that to lift that.
I'm not saying it's going to happen. Something to consider, Okay,
(30:38):
So yeah, I mean it can be poured.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Have you had anybody take a look at it and
give you their thoughts on it a contractor Yeah?
Speaker 4 (30:46):
Not yet? But yes that's anticipated. But so do you
think I could solve the you know, because I imagine
that effor less since I was out on Google, and
that's caused from the moisture going into that black wall
down through the ground, the water going through, and then
they salt coming out on the inside.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Right right, So the water reacts over time with a
lot of moisture, either from the heavens or just laying
on the ground. It reacts with the salts and the
lime in the concrete and creates an efflorescence. Have you
have you scraped any of that off or tried to
(31:24):
clean any of that at this point?
Speaker 4 (31:27):
Oh, we haven't. We're you know, we're still looking for
the best method to you know, to work with. I
know that just putting paint on the inside isn't going
to solve it.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
No, No, it'll push the paint off. But on the
there are efflorescence cleaners, which are heavy detergents or very
mild acids which will clean the surface. It's not going
to prevent it from from happening. In fact, even if
we take the water away, it may still I'll call
(32:00):
it bloom or show up just from being wet from
the heavens. I mean, I don't know how it's wicking
that water. But how old is that house or that block?
How old is it? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (32:15):
It was built in the forties.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Okay, so has it always been a problem since you've
been there, or is it just kind of new.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
I would say about the last ten years noticed it.
You know, it's right where the washer and dryer are
in that part of those of the lower level. But
do you think do you think I should just remove
the flowers and then just put in some sort of
that lawn fabric or landscaping fabric and then put a
(32:45):
little bit of soil on top of that. Would that
help eradicate.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
It or what do you Well, I don't know, That's
what I'm saying. I don't know if you're ever going
to eradicate it no matter what you do, because there's
just going to be moisture there from either the water
table or from the heavens, or from its settling. I
will say this, you know that one of the key
(33:08):
things is to make sure it doesn't puddle or pond
around the foundation, which would exacerbate the problem. So adding
soil and creating a slope may be very beneficial. Putting
in concrete and they haven't it properly angled away from
the house, that could be beneficial. But I don't want
to sit here and tell you that if you do
(33:29):
that work, you're never going to see effluorescence again because
you're likely to still have it.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
I was thinking that maybe it's been from the watering
of the flowers, you know, well, it.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Could be it is reacting from a long period of
time of water inundating that block. So it's there, it's.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Blooming, and it's kind of one of these things. Once
it starts, it doesn't just go away. You know, if
there's moisture. I've seen high humidity in a basement cause
efflorescence on block. So you know, if you can, certainly,
if you remove the vegetation and you're not watering, that's
a plus because we're taking some of that water that
(34:13):
was causing the problem to begin with is gone. If
we put in a sidewalk and we have it properly
tilted away from the house, it's moving water away. So
it can be beneficial. Whether there's enough moisture in the
soil from the water table that's wetting the block, could
that still be causing efflorescence to bloom. Maybe, So that's
(34:37):
what I'm saying. It will be helpful what you're thinking
of doing, and anything where you we're moving more water
away from that foundation is going to be beneficial. So again,
if you want to sidewalk there and you want to
move that, you know landscaping away and you're going to
like that, look, just make sure that the contractor knows
(35:00):
what you're doing this for and get his thoughts on
how he's going to position that.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
I hope that helps. Lynn. Thank you much for the call,
and we'll continue with your calls. You're at Home with
Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 6 (35:13):
Help for your home is just a click away at
Garysullivan online dot com. This is at Home with Gary Sullivans.
Speaker 9 (35:36):
Spring is here, and so the Jaws Spring Cleaning Caddy
packs just in time to tackle your spring cleaning jobs.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
This all in one cleaning.
Speaker 9 (35:43):
Solution features five high performance Jaws cleaners, including my favorite
streak free glass cleaner, plus refill pods, microfiber towels, and
Jaws dish spray, all neatly packed in a convenient caddy.
With Jaws just add water system, you'll clean smarter and faster.
This limited time spring cleaning cadipac won't last. Order now
at jawscleans dot com. Enjoy free shipping on orders over
(36:07):
thirty five dollars.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Be prepared to conquer all your lubrication projects with Blaster
MultiMAX premium synthetic lubricant from the Blaster Folks that outperforms
the leading competitor in six ASTM tests. Its odor Listen
provides the longest lasting lubrication and protection against corrosion for
thousands of applications from door hinges and window tracks to
(36:28):
laun and garden equipment, chains, locks, and more. Look for
at anytime at a hardware store, auto or home center
near you and always use Blaster products and work it
like a pro. Every paint removal project comes with its
own set of challenges, and finding the right product for
the job can be difficult. I have the solution. Deman
has developed a complete paint removal test kit that will
help you zero in on the best paint removal product
(36:50):
that you need for your project. Test kit includes a
down samples of smart Strip, Advanced, smart Strip Pro and
Peel Away paint removal products with all the necessary items need.
You can get your test kit at participating Sherman Williams's
locations or visit to Montglobal dot com to purchase a
kid or find a retailer near you. Mosquitoes can transmit
deadly diseases, including wesnow virus, but some mosquito dunks kill
(37:14):
mosquitoes before they're old enough to bite. Just float an
organic mosquito dunk and ponds bird bass rain barrels in
any standing water to kill mosquito larvae for thirty days
or longer. Don't worry. Mosquito dunks won't harm people, pets, fish, birds,
or wildlife. Mosquito dunks are available at garden centers, hardware stores,
and online. Visit some Responsible Solutions dot com. Alright, you're
(37:51):
at home with Gary Salvin walking through a weekend talking
about your home, and let's get back to the phone calls.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
If you'd like to join us, do so, Robert welcome.
Speaker 8 (38:02):
Yeah, thanks for taking my call. You bet, I got
a question about my deck.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (38:09):
Initially I follow your instructions, you know, wait of the
year or so, and then I'll put sheow with Williams
stain on it. But then a couple of years later
it got doll looking, so I put another coat. I
think I used the deck wash, but now that second
coat is peeling. So what do I do?
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Well? What walk me through?
Speaker 2 (38:32):
Did you put a semi transparent on the first time
and then a solid color on the second or tell
me about what you used.
Speaker 8 (38:40):
Now they're both shared with Williams.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Semi solids, semi solid okay, right, right, So semi solids.
They appear to be like a paint.
Speaker 8 (38:51):
Correct, correct, You can't feed through it.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Okay, okay. The first coat held fine, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
In the second coat when it peels, can you see
the wood or do you just see the first coat?
Speaker 8 (39:09):
In some places, I think I can see the wood.
In other places, I'm looking at the first coat.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Well, it's you know, the news I'm going to give you, Robert,
isn't good news, because obviously, when it's peeling, we've got
to address that issue.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
We got to strip that.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
Probably usually when they fail or they delaminate, they're either
one or two things. That preparation is improper or there's
water getting in between the coats. So if it's breaking
all the way down to the wood, I'm sure when
(39:49):
I was talking to you about instructions, I talked about
the need for cleaning it, and I probably even mentioned
using like a deck brightener, which opens up the pores
of the wood and allows it to create a better
bond to the wood. And it sounds like that's not
(40:10):
happening That's why I asked the very important question of
if it's peeling all the way down to the wood,
the fault is in the first coat. If it's peeling
down to the first coat, it's probably the prep work
that was done on top of the semi solid stain.
Speaker 8 (40:33):
Okay, so what do I do now?
Speaker 2 (40:36):
So the so how extensive is this? I don't want
to work here a death, but how extensive is this?
Is this twenty percent of the deck, two percent of
the deck, eighty percent of the deck, or how about
is it?
Speaker 8 (40:52):
I'd say it's about twenty percent.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
So it's fairly extensive. Is it in traffic patterns or
is it just kind of all over the place.
Speaker 8 (41:03):
Now, just randomly it seems like all over the place.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
All over the place. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
I'll tell you what I would do is I would
go to the Sherman Williams and at first truly make
sure where you really take hard notice of where it's
peeling down to. And if it's you know, over fifty
percent of it's peeling down the wood, I personally I
(41:28):
would use a deck stripper and I would strip that
finish off. And when I finished stripping that finish off,
I would then come back with a deck brightener to
open up the pores of the wood and reapply also,
(41:49):
and I'll tell you Robert again, I don't know exactly
what product. If it was a water based product, which
is it's a very good product. But water based products
are capped a little bit with their ability to penetrate,
so that deck brightener becomes really important. But I would
use it with an whether it's an oil base that
(42:11):
will penetrate better, it will be more fade, have the
possibly of fading more than the water base, but the
penetrateing and the appealing would be enhanced. It'd be better.
So again deck stripper. And if you can get an
(42:33):
oil base or a modified oil semi solid.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
That'd be great. And I talk all the time and
this goes for everybody. They both have their benefits and
they both have their negatives. And the negative with semi
solids or solids is it's a coating. It's laying on
the surface. It's more finicky. But if it's.
Speaker 2 (43:02):
Adheres, and it adheres well, it's going to last longer.
A semi transparent is going into the wood fibers and
it's pigmented down into the wood fibers. There is no
coating when it's not going to peel, and when it
needs to be recoated due to fading, you simply clean
(43:25):
the deck, let it dry, and reapply the stain. There
is no stripping with a semi solid or a solid.
If there's a failure on penetration or moisture being an issue.
In other words, it wasn't quite time to stain it,
there is a possibility of peeling. And I want to
(43:49):
say another thing for people. The deck restore products, the
real thick coating that hides all the splintering.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
And all the cracks. It does what it says, but
it's a water base. And I'll tell you what, there's
a lot of people that.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
Have had problems with that appealing and not creating a
good easience.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
Hopefully that helps you there, Robert.
Speaker 2 (44:10):
I know it's a lot of work, and I'm sure
you're disfrontled, but that's what's causing the issue. All right,
we'll continue with your cause as we continue working through
the weekend.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
You're at home with Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 6 (44:56):
Weekends. I mean, I'm never writing list of things to
do around your home. Open one eight hundred and eighty
two three.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Talk.
Speaker 6 (45:02):
You're at home with Gary Sullivan,
Well it is the weekend and welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
You're at home with Gary Salvan taking it through another
hour of getting some things done.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Around the home. And let me give you the phone
number you can grab a line. It's eight hundred eight
two three eight two five five and let's go right
to the phones we have ed ed.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Welcome, good morning, Gary.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Morning.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I haven't said by mans in the house. Uh, honestly,
get a lot of use and they've gotten dirty over
the years.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
I had one suggestion from somebody about using a little
dawn and water and that seems to help, but it
leads a little TACKI feeling on it.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
I also found on the internet about mixing a cup
of oil and two teaspoons of vinegar. But I was
a little leery about trying that. And you recommend something.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, tell me about this banister. Is it it's a
wood banister? Is it stained and then has varnish on it?
Or is it painted or what?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
What?
Speaker 1 (01:46):
What type of finish?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
It's stained and then varnished? Okay, And you know, I
honestly don't know it was a choice.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
There is an oil which is it's an excellent product,
but it doesn't work on a polyurethane. It works on
varnished surfaces and it's called milsik m I L S
E K and it will it will really clean upwood.
(02:21):
See on a banister, we get the oil from our hands,
we get dirt, we get grime, and sometimes we'll get
almost like if you took your thumb and really rub
that banister, you can roll up the dirt. Sometimes people yeah,
sometimes people even wax it, and that adds to the
(02:45):
problem rather than solving the problem, as does the soap.
It has soap has surfactants in it, which is a
sticky residue. So you know, when you put that on there,
you can use it, but boy, you really got to
work on getting those suffactants off. So what I'll tell
people to do is if they're going to use a soap,
(03:09):
comeback with like a tri sodium phosphate in water solution,
which doesn't have subfactants. In fact, it actually removes surfactants.
But trying to get that clean is really it's challenging,
it really really is. And what I would try, I mean,
(03:30):
I haven't heard of that solution that you were talking about.
When you talked about an oil, what kind of oil
were they telling you to use on that.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Well, they didn't bother to go into any description of
what kind. Yeah, which is a little leary.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah yeah, one of the things you might consider. And
again it's hard to make a recommendation maybe without seeing it.
But if you took a six hundred grit wet dry
sand paper, which is the black automotive sandpaper, and that's
a really really super fine grit, and you can dip
(04:10):
that in water, you know, wet dry, and and and
just use that wet dry sandpaper as a cleaning agent.
Now you're going to have to put another coat of
euthane on there, or another coat of varnish on there.
But if it's really got some issues and you've tried
(04:31):
a few things, I think that might be something I really.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Take a look at. Okay, all right, it's just re
saying you stain.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
You know, and it gets a lot of use, right.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Right, That's what I'm saying. It's not going to hurt
your stain using that wet dry It will certainly remove
the gooey coating, and it will also scratch up that
protective finish a little bit where you could reapply and
it will stick to it. In fact, even if you
wanted to. If it gets a lot of use. Another
(05:07):
suggestion would be use the six hundred grit wet dry paper,
scratch it up, remove the grid, get it really good
and clean, put a code of yourthane on it, let
it dry, come back and put a secondary code of
yourthane on it.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Okay, and you might even do.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
You might even do like a like a water base
your thane and just do two coats. There's about I
think a two hour dry time in between coats, and
that would be taking it the next step up from
just cleaning it.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Okay, okay, Jarry, I appreciate it. I'm going to get
give those a try and see what happens.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Very good, good luck, take care, bye bye. All right,
twelve minutes after the top of the hour, eight hundred
eight two three eight two five five that's our number
dollars up. Happy to talk about your home project, and
let's go to Terry. Terry.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
Welcome, Ah, thank you, Garry. I've called a couple of
times and you always give me excellent advice. All Right,
my neighbor has termites and I'm wondering what I can
do to avoid termites at my house.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Well, there are a few things you can do. I
will always give you the old termite speech. And there's
two types of houses, ones with termites and homes that
are going to have termites. So there are some preventions,
and I can just kind of walk you through.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
A little bit of a list.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Termites, if they're termites, are in colonies, and like all
termites and all ants and things, they're forging for food
and moisture, and they can travel. So if your neighbors
homes has it, you're going to eventually end up unless
(06:59):
you do the prevention. And the first type of prevention
is pretty simple stuff. Remember, they like moisture. So if
there's any leaky pipes, gutters that overflow downspouts that don't
empty the water, you know away from the home. So
you're going to really make sure that there's no water
(07:19):
standing along the foundation of the house, making sure that
the land, the land itself slopes away from the house,
the same kind of things we do to prevent flooding
of a cross space or something along those lines. If
you have areas in your home that are damp, I
would certainly get a do umidifier in there. The humidity
(07:44):
level inside your home should in the summertime be you know,
fifty five percent would be enough humidity you start getting
in the sixties and seventies. That's a real invite for
all kinds of problems, molds and termites and everything else. Also,
keeping wood away from the house. Don't put firewood or
(08:07):
scrap lumber or twigs against the house because that's what
they're eating. And then there's always the old people putting mulch.
Unless you're using a cypress mult or something like that,
putting mult right up against the house, that's a no.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
No. Any kind of wood that's you know, whether it's
garden borders or whatever, just get that away from the house,
including the mulch. Okay, taking a look.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I always talk about walking around the home looking for
cracks and crevices and you know, penetrations for like utility
lines and stuff like that. Get those cocked clothes so
they can't you know, you know, enter the home. And
if you ever had your home inspected for termites, no,
(08:57):
so I would do that, you know, just have a
pest control company inspect annually for termites. Or if you're
do you have a basement in your home in Louisiana,
Probably not right. No, Okay, So are you on a
slab or do you have a crawl space? Take a
(09:18):
look at cross space with a flashlight and look for
mud tubes. They're about the size of your finger, and
they will be going up the mall, up the wall.
That's kind of their highway. Okay, So they'll tunnel in
and they'll make a mud tunnel and maybe go up
to the you know, the joice of the house or
the floor, and that's where some damage would occur. And
(09:42):
that's what a pest control company will inspect. So you
could have it professionally inspected for you know, termites.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
And then there are.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Also different liquid barriers that could be sprayed around the house.
There's termicide products. There's a different baiting stations that can
be installed around the house where they can change out
the wood. That's the bait. Uh change out the wood
for a termicide where they'll eat that and bring that
(10:13):
back to the colony. It's about eliminating the colony too.
So there's a bunch of stuff you can do.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Really that sounds great good, So.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
You can uh certainly get to work on that, you bet,
thank you, all right, very good. Line's open for you again.
It's eight hundred eight two three, eight two five five
will continue with your calls.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
You're at home with Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
Take it right with a call to Gary Sullivan at
one eight hundred eight two three talk this is at
home with Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Mosquitoes can transmit deadly diseases, including West now virus, but
some mosquito dunks kill mosquitoes before they're old enough to bite.
Just float an organic mosquito dunk and ponds bird bass
rain barrels in any standing water to kill mosquito larvae
for thirty days or longer. Don't worry. Mosquito dunks won't
harm people, pets, fish, birds, or wildlife. Mosquito dunks are
(11:30):
available at garden centers, hardware stores, and online. Visit some
responsible solutions dot com. Odor Exit has been making homes
and offices smell great for over twenty five years. If
you have an odor you need to get rid of.
Stick with the natural solution using essential oils that works
on a first try. Enzyme based solutions have to be
(11:50):
reapplied over and over again, taking time. You don't have
odor exits effective on everything from pet odors to mold, mildew,
urine vomit, even sky, so don't waste time and money.
Remove the bad odors with otor Exit or to yours
today at odor exit dot com. Every paint removal project
comes with its own set of challenges, and finding the
(12:11):
right product for the job can be difficult. I have
the solution. Deman has developed a complete paint removal test
kit that will help you zero in on the best
paint removal product that you need for your project. Test
kit includes a down samples of smart Strip, Advanced, smart
Strip Pro and Peel Away paint removal products with all
the necessary items you need. You can get your test
kit at participating Sherman William's locations or visit Dumont Global
(12:35):
dot com to purchase the kit or find a retailer
near you. April is Healthy Home Awareness Month, and homeowners
across America are raving about the Easy Breed ventilation systems.
Low tech, highly efficient units the most economical and effective
way to create a healthier home. The unit mounts to
basement walls, plugs and invents stagnant musty air out, eliminating
eighty five percent of the airborne particles. Set it and
(12:57):
forget it. Visit Easybreed dot com or call eight six six,
eight two two, seventy three twenty eight get twenty percent
off plus a free humidity monitoring kit. When you call
call today Easy Breeze and we're going to do a
(13:35):
little homework together.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
If you'd like to join us, do so. The phone
numbers eight hundred eight two three eight two five five
several lines open. So join us and let's go to
Jack Jack. Welcome Morren Gary.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
How are you doing doing fine? Sir? Thank you.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
I recently had a deck built the end of the
last year and I tested the It's pressure treated and
it seems to be taking the water if you put
like a tea spoint of water on it.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
And I was wonder to what do you recommend for
the best steelinger stain underneath it?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
So they're they're one and the same. Let me ask
you a question here. Are you thinking of a semi
transparent where it looks like a wood grain, you know
that wood grain shines through or shows through and it's
walnut or redwood or cedar or something like that. Or
are you looking more of a solid color stain where
you cover up the grain looks like a painted dick.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
I'm thinking more of a semi transparent.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
I guess, okay, okay, all right, well there is a
there's all kinds.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
There's all kinds, and I guess the one that would
give you an extra Oh gosh, I don't know. There's
so many different kinds out of here. First of all,
are you in a real sunny location?
Speaker 7 (15:03):
They get sun in the afternoon?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Okay, okay, so I mean it's pretty sunny there in
the summertime. Crack yeah, okay. So the average deck seialer
in there is probably gonna last you a couple two
three years in a sunny location. And there's deck sealers
that are water based, modified oil and acrylics, water and oil,
(15:29):
and then there's some in I'm talking to everybody in
all the states, so some states still allow you to
use oil base UH deck deck sealers. In your city,
you're gonna find modified oils and UH and acrylics.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
So there is.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
There's one called super deck, which is a modified oil
acrylic And there's in the Sherman Williams store they have
a Sherman Williams modified oil and acrylic deck sailor which
has good penetration and decent sun bluckage comes in your
basic sixty seven different colors, you know, cedar redwood brown.
(16:16):
I think they have a gray and then a real
dark brown. So those would work fine. And then probably
the one I'll give you an extra year's worth of
life is one called Defy. It's df y. It is dfy.
(16:38):
I thought, I said, d e f y. What a
skip e e f y? All right, So it's Defy
wood stain is a water base. It'll get you an
extra year. Probably the highest grade and probably a little
more expensive deck stain out on the market.
Speaker 5 (16:59):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
The secret with that is getting it to penetrate into
the wood jack So there's an extra step, which is
not a big step at all. So once it's showing
signs that it can accept water, you would still clean
it with an oxygen at bleach, which would be the
Defied deck cleaner, and then you would use a deck brightener.
(17:24):
And a deck brightener is oxalic acid. It sounds worse
than it is. It's very low grade acid. And what
it does is it opens up the wood fibers, which
allows the Defy wood stain to penetrate deeper. It's also
a little different than the other deck stains. It's two
coats on wet on wet, meaning you might work a
(17:48):
you know, a four by four area and you would
put a coat down, and you'd put a second coat
right on top of it, and then you would move on.
And you could you can roll it on, you could
brush it on, can't really spray it on. But they
also have in fact, i'll give you their websites defy
(18:08):
woodstain dot com. They've got a applicator, which I think
is awesome. It's almost like a mop. So you put
you put a you know, decent amount down and then
you put a secondary code right on top of it.
And if you follow the directions, it does great. People
get in trouble with because they don't follow the directions.
You've got to open up the wood pores to get
(18:31):
good penetration in there. Okay, So now I'll throw one
more at you. And there's one Cabot. I'm kind of
becoming a new fan of the Cabot wood stain. It's
a deck stain and it leaves a little bit of
a sheene on it, almost like like a satin almost
(18:53):
like if you took a handrail and you stained it
with a satin coating on it.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
That's kind of what it looks like. I think think
Lows carries it. I think Ace Hardware carries it. I
haven't used it, I've seen videos on it. I like
their performance numbers and I also like the look. So
something else to investigate. I can tell you of the
(19:18):
ones I mentioned. You're not going to go wrong, just
follow the directions, and you did the right thing by
waiting until it accepts the water. Thank you very much
for the call. I appreciate very timely. If you'd like
to join us.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
It's eight hundred eight two three eight two five five.
We're talking about your home and you're at home with
Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 6 (19:49):
Start a project and don't know how to finish it
and call Gary and one eight hundred eight two three talk.
You're at home with Gary Soliva.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Gary Solvent here for the Zalar pump company. Zalor leads
the way in some pumps and battery backup systems with
continuous innovation. Now you can see the light with their
LED plug illuminating Zalor green when the power is present.
You no longer have to wonder if your some pump
hass power. The plug is always illuminated when power is present.
Check it out today, on the popular Zolar Model sixty
(20:36):
three and M fifty three. Go to zlar pumps dot
com the located factory certified installer in your area zalarpumps
dot com. Tired of sticky fly ribbons that gets stuck
to everything, Well, you'll love the newest fly trap from
Rescue called Flypad. Flies are lured to the trap with
special colors and patterns, and thanks to an innovative ridge surface,
(20:57):
it keeps your fingers away from the glue. Flypa it
can be used anywhere you need fly control. Flypad is
a sticky fly trap that won't stick to you. Flypad
is made in USA by the makers of the popular
Rescue flying Yellowjacket traps. Learn more at Rescue dot com. Hey,
it's Gary Salivent for Roto Ruter plumbing and water cleanup,
a company that has been trusted and recommended for generations
(21:20):
coast to coast. Roto Router fixes clogged drains, leaky faucets,
and running toilets. They repair and replace water heaters, garbage disposals,
some pumps, water softeners, and every other residential commercial plumbing fixture.
I use Rotor Ruter at my house and you should
leave plumbing to the pros too. Call one eight hundred,
get roto or go to rotrouter dot com. Today. Dirty patio,
(21:45):
don't scrub it, wet and forget it. Wet and forget
the easy outdoor cleaner. Wet and forget works overtime with
Mother Nature to eliminate unsightly black and green stains on
your patio or deck with no scrubbing, power washing or bleach.
Use wet and forget on all your outdoor surfaces, including driveways, siding, roofs,
and fencing. Wet and forgets available and concentrate or extreme
(22:08):
reach hose en purchase wet and forget in store online
at Low's Minards or ace.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
At home with Gary Sulvan getting together another weekend and
some things done around the home, and glad to have you.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
In fact, all the lines are open. So if you're
one of those people that always say I tried to call,
but it's always busy, it is busy a lot. But
right now six lines open.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Six lines open. So it's eight hundred eight two three,
eight to five five. Time to get the pressure washer out,
time to start doing a little cleaning on the outside
of the home. And I caution you not to abuse
the pressure washer. It's often abused by folks that especially
as guys that want more power, more power, more water.
(23:20):
And if you've got a pressure washer, no, no, I
just I'm addicted to mulch and pressure washers. Yes, you know,
once I start, I can't stop. But no, in all seriousness,
if you're going to clean your deck with a pressure washer,
be careful. I know deck companies and everything they use
(23:40):
pressure washers to clean it. But sometimes there's limitations. I mean,
if you had a pressure washer with four thousand psi
and use a fifteen degree nozzle, you can literally write
your name into pressure treated wood, and we don't want
to do that. So again, around twenty four hundred psi
with a twenty five to forty degree nozzle, preferably probably
(24:05):
anything twenty four in above psi, you'd use a forty
degree nozzle under which is a wider fan, wider fan
of the water twenty five much tighter, so there's more
pounds per square inch being thrust onto the wood. You
can develop a little bit of fuzz. You can actually
(24:25):
you can actually strip the coating off wood if you
use enough power. So I'm just cautioning you two thousand
twenty four hundred perfect twenty five hundred or twenty five
degree nozzle is a really good cleaning tool. But above that,
be careful, hold it more than eighteen inches away from
(24:47):
the wood. Use a forty degree nozzle. We don't want
to create fuzz because when you go to.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Stain it, what will happen is the fuzz that you've
created will stain darker than a solid piece of would.
So just be careful, um use the cleaners. Don't just
try to blast the mildew and the dirt off a
(25:12):
wood deck. You're not doing yourself any favors. If you
use a deck.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Cleaner or an oxygenated bleach, spray it on, let it
sit for like, I don't know, ten fifteen minutes, ten
minutes is enough, and then combine. Just even if you
use the hose. If you use a pressure washer, that's fine,
but I've given you the uh you know, directions on
how to use that and then remove it.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Let the cleaner do the work. That's the key.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Shifting gears going to concrete sure sane thing, though, use
if you want to use an oxygenated bleach on that
concrete surface or a driveway cleaner, put it on there,
let it sit, let it stay wet, and then come
by with low pressure and a pressure washer to do it.
(25:59):
Don't you just try to blast the dirt, the mildew.
I mean, you'll get good satisfaction. Nobody likes the pressure
washer more than me. You'll get good satisfaction. You'll use it,
it will be clean. But I can guarantee you that's right.
I'm gonna guarantee you that the mold, the mildew on
(26:20):
that concrete surface will come back faster by just trying
to blast it clean than if you use products to
clean it. In fact, you doen'erally have to use the
pressure washer at all. If you use in a driveway,
you can use the wet and forget products, Spray it
on there and forget about it.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Now. Unfortunately for people like myself, you don't use the
pressure washer at all, and it'll take four to six weeks.
But here's the good part. It'll disappear, it'll be very clean,
and next year it'll still be very clean. Because it's
an it's a total kill of the algae. But if
(27:00):
you want to use the pressure washer, out and spray, spray, spray,
just you know, spray it all off. Probably by fall
it'll be growing back. Then you can do it again.
But again using the wet and friget works well. If
you want to use an oxygen ay bleach on their
and let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes and
(27:22):
then use it, that's an ultimate kill also. Or you
can just every year in the springtime just spray down
your driveway with the wedding frigate. You'll never see this coloration.
So that's kind of that's kind of a preferred method
if you will. And you can do the test yourself
where you do one square with pressure washer and the
(27:43):
other one with a wet and forget and see for yourself.
I get emails on that. All right, Well let's go
to Lynn. Lynn welcome, Yes.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Thank you for taking my call. Gary have a two
story call it a colonial home. And on the apex
side there are no soffits, you know, on that straight
up all about twenty six feet up to the apex there.
So anyway, there's an established about a three foot deep
away from the house, established from the foundation of the house,
(28:14):
flower garden between that foundation of the house and a
narrow sidewalk. And I was thinking of relocating all these flowers,
and then have concrete poured after laying in you know
that what is that stuff called, It's an expansion board,
and then have the be poured and I suppose it
(28:35):
has to have some sort of plastic or something on
the ground under that the concrete would be poured on.
But have concrete poured from that house foundation with that
expansion board, and then come out and butt up next
to that narrow sidewalk. It's about three feet out and
then that little narrow rock is about two feet or so.
(28:55):
So I'm just wondering, you know, what do you think
of this idea? I want to any water that drops
from the heaven, I want it all to come down
onto that instead of going down into that soil next
to the basement foundation, because I am noticing a little
effort lessons on the inside, well on the inside of
the basement foundation.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Yeah, well that would create you know, the biggest thing,
quite honestly, Lynn, is you know how well that's installed.
Because the one thing you want to do if you're
going to put in a butt a piece of concrete
up against the foundation, is you still want to have
a positive fall away from the house with that concrete.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Okay, yeah, I would.
Speaker 8 (29:41):
I would.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
I would have a higher and up on the blocks,
or not the blocks, but the expansion board or the
expansion stuff up and up a higher so that it
would come down at a diagonal.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
As soon as you can pull that away from the house,
that's fine. And then you know the the old ad
if things are always settling and moving.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
When you have a landscaping bed and it starts tilting
maybe towards the house or settling, you just a had soil.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, who knows how many years. If
you have the concrete there and it settles underneath that concrete,
which is the possibility, then you're going to have to
use somebody to inject cementatious material underneath that to lift that.
I'm not saying it's going to happen. Something to consider, Okay,
(30:38):
So yeah, I mean it can be poured.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Have you had anybody take a look at it and
give you their thoughts on it a contractor Yeah?
Speaker 4 (30:46):
Not yet? But yes that's anticipated. But so do you
think I could solve the you know, because I imagine
that effor less since I was out on Google, and
that's caused from the moisture going into that black wall
down through the ground, the water going through, and then
they salt coming out on the inside.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Right right, So the water reacts over time with a
lot of moisture, either from the heavens or just laying
on the ground. It reacts with the salts and the
lime in the concrete and creates an efflorescence. Have you
have you scraped any of that off or tried to
(31:24):
clean any of that at this point?
Speaker 4 (31:27):
Oh, we haven't. We're you know, we're still looking for
the best method to you know, to work with. I
know that just putting paint on the inside isn't going
to solve it.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
No, No, it'll push the paint off. But on the
there are efflorescence cleaners, which are heavy detergents or very
mild acids which will clean the surface. It's not going
to prevent it from from happening. In fact, even if
we take the water away, it may still I'll call
(32:00):
it bloom or show up just from being wet from
the heavens. I mean, I don't know how it's wicking
that water. But how old is that house or that block?
How old is it? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (32:15):
It was built in the forties.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Okay, so has it always been a problem since you've
been there, or is it just kind of new.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
I would say about the last ten years noticed it.
You know, it's right where the washer and dryer are
in that part of those of the lower level. But
do you think do you think I should just remove
the flowers and then just put in some sort of
that lawn fabric or landscaping fabric and then put a
(32:45):
little bit of soil on top of that. Would that
help eradicate.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
It or what do you Well, I don't know, That's
what I'm saying. I don't know if you're ever going
to eradicate it no matter what you do, because there's
just going to be moisture there from either the water
table or from the heavens, or from its settling. I
will say this, you know that one of the key
(33:08):
things is to make sure it doesn't puddle or pond
around the foundation, which would exacerbate the problem. So adding
soil and creating a slope may be very beneficial. Putting
in concrete and they haven't it properly angled away from
the house, that could be beneficial. But I don't want
to sit here and tell you that if you do
(33:29):
that work, you're never going to see effluorescence again because
you're likely to still have it.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
I was thinking that maybe it's been from the watering
of the flowers, you know, well, it.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Could be it is reacting from a long period of
time of water inundating that block. So it's there, it's.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Blooming, and it's kind of one of these things. Once
it starts, it doesn't just go away. You know, if
there's moisture. I've seen high humidity in a basement cause
efflorescence on block. So you know, if you can, certainly,
if you remove the vegetation and you're not watering, that's
a plus because we're taking some of that water that
(34:13):
was causing the problem to begin with is gone. If
we put in a sidewalk and we have it properly
tilted away from the house, it's moving water away. So
it can be beneficial. Whether there's enough moisture in the
soil from the water table that's wetting the block, could
that still be causing efflorescence to bloom. Maybe, So that's
(34:37):
what I'm saying. It will be helpful what you're thinking
of doing, and anything where you we're moving more water
away from that foundation is going to be beneficial. So again,
if you want to sidewalk there and you want to
move that, you know landscaping away and you're going to
like that, look, just make sure that the contractor knows
(35:00):
what you're doing this for and get his thoughts on
how he's going to position that.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
I hope that helps. Lynn. Thank you much for the call,
and we'll continue with your calls. You're at Home with
Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 6 (35:13):
Help for your home is just a click away at
Garysullivan online dot com. This is at Home with Gary Sullivans.
Speaker 9 (35:36):
Spring is here, and so the Jaws Spring Cleaning Caddy
packs just in time to tackle your spring cleaning jobs.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
This all in one cleaning.
Speaker 9 (35:43):
Solution features five high performance Jaws cleaners, including my favorite
streak free glass cleaner, plus refill pods, microfiber towels, and
Jaws dish spray, all neatly packed in a convenient caddy.
With Jaws just add water system, you'll clean smarter and faster.
This limited time spring cleaning cadipac won't last. Order now
at jawscleans dot com. Enjoy free shipping on orders over
(36:07):
thirty five dollars.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Be prepared to conquer all your lubrication projects with Blaster
MultiMAX premium synthetic lubricant from the Blaster Folks that outperforms
the leading competitor in six ASTM tests. Its odor Listen
provides the longest lasting lubrication and protection against corrosion for
thousands of applications from door hinges and window tracks to
(36:28):
laun and garden equipment, chains, locks, and more. Look for
at anytime at a hardware store, auto or home center
near you and always use Blaster products and work it
like a pro. Every paint removal project comes with its
own set of challenges, and finding the right product for
the job can be difficult. I have the solution. Deman
has developed a complete paint removal test kit that will
help you zero in on the best paint removal product
(36:50):
that you need for your project. Test kit includes a
down samples of smart Strip, Advanced, smart Strip Pro and
Peel Away paint removal products with all the necessary items need.
You can get your test kit at participating Sherman Williams's
locations or visit to Montglobal dot com to purchase a
kid or find a retailer near you. Mosquitoes can transmit
deadly diseases, including wesnow virus, but some mosquito dunks kill
(37:14):
mosquitoes before they're old enough to bite. Just float an
organic mosquito dunk and ponds bird bass rain barrels in
any standing water to kill mosquito larvae for thirty days
or longer. Don't worry. Mosquito dunks won't harm people, pets, fish, birds,
or wildlife. Mosquito dunks are available at garden centers, hardware stores,
and online. Visit some Responsible Solutions dot com. Alright, you're
(37:51):
at home with Gary Salvin walking through a weekend talking
about your home, and let's get back to the phone calls.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
If you'd like to join us, do so, Robert welcome.
Speaker 8 (38:02):
Yeah, thanks for taking my call. You bet, I got
a question about my deck.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (38:09):
Initially I follow your instructions, you know, wait of the
year or so, and then I'll put sheow with Williams
stain on it. But then a couple of years later
it got doll looking, so I put another coat. I
think I used the deck wash, but now that second
coat is peeling. So what do I do?
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Well? What walk me through?
Speaker 2 (38:32):
Did you put a semi transparent on the first time
and then a solid color on the second or tell
me about what you used.
Speaker 8 (38:40):
Now they're both shared with Williams.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Semi solids, semi solid okay, right, right, So semi solids.
They appear to be like a paint.
Speaker 8 (38:51):
Correct, correct, You can't feed through it.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Okay, okay. The first coat held fine, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
In the second coat when it peels, can you see
the wood or do you just see the first coat?
Speaker 8 (39:09):
In some places, I think I can see the wood.
In other places, I'm looking at the first coat.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Well, it's you know, the news I'm going to give you, Robert,
isn't good news, because obviously, when it's peeling, we've got
to address that issue.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
We got to strip that.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
Probably usually when they fail or they delaminate, they're either
one or two things. That preparation is improper or there's
water getting in between the coats. So if it's breaking
all the way down to the wood, I'm sure when
(39:49):
I was talking to you about instructions, I talked about
the need for cleaning it, and I probably even mentioned
using like a deck brightener, which opens up the pores
of the wood and allows it to create a better
bond to the wood. And it sounds like that's not
(40:10):
happening That's why I asked the very important question of
if it's peeling all the way down to the wood,
the fault is in the first coat. If it's peeling
down to the first coat, it's probably the prep work
that was done on top of the semi solid stain.
Speaker 8 (40:33):
Okay, so what do I do now?
Speaker 2 (40:36):
So the so how extensive is this? I don't want
to work here a death, but how extensive is this?
Is this twenty percent of the deck, two percent of
the deck, eighty percent of the deck, or how about
is it?
Speaker 8 (40:52):
I'd say it's about twenty percent.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
So it's fairly extensive. Is it in traffic patterns or
is it just kind of all over the place.
Speaker 8 (41:03):
Now, just randomly it seems like all over the place.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
All over the place. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
I'll tell you what I would do is I would
go to the Sherman Williams and at first truly make
sure where you really take hard notice of where it's
peeling down to. And if it's you know, over fifty
percent of it's peeling down the wood, I personally I
(41:28):
would use a deck stripper and I would strip that
finish off. And when I finished stripping that finish off,
I would then come back with a deck brightener to
open up the pores of the wood and reapply also,
(41:49):
and I'll tell you Robert again, I don't know exactly
what product. If it was a water based product, which
is it's a very good product. But water based products
are capped a little bit with their ability to penetrate,
so that deck brightener becomes really important. But I would
use it with an whether it's an oil base that
(42:11):
will penetrate better, it will be more fade, have the
possibly of fading more than the water base, but the
penetrateing and the appealing would be enhanced. It'd be better.
So again deck stripper. And if you can get an
(42:33):
oil base or a modified oil semi solid.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
That'd be great. And I talk all the time and
this goes for everybody. They both have their benefits and
they both have their negatives. And the negative with semi
solids or solids is it's a coating. It's laying on
the surface. It's more finicky. But if it's.
Speaker 2 (43:02):
Adheres, and it adheres well, it's going to last longer.
A semi transparent is going into the wood fibers and
it's pigmented down into the wood fibers. There is no
coating when it's not going to peel, and when it
needs to be recoated due to fading, you simply clean
(43:25):
the deck, let it dry, and reapply the stain. There
is no stripping with a semi solid or a solid.
If there's a failure on penetration or moisture being an issue.
In other words, it wasn't quite time to stain it,
there is a possibility of peeling. And I want to
(43:49):
say another thing for people. The deck restore products, the
real thick coating that hides all the splintering.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
And all the cracks. It does what it says, but
it's a water base. And I'll tell you what, there's
a lot of people that.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
Have had problems with that appealing and not creating a
good easience.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
Hopefully that helps you there, Robert.
Speaker 2 (44:10):
I know it's a lot of work, and I'm sure
you're disfrontled, but that's what's causing the issue. All right,
we'll continue with your cause as we continue working through
the weekend.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
You're at home with Gary Sullivan.
Speaker 6 (44:56):
Weekends. I mean, I'm never writing list of things to
do around your home. Open one eight hundred and eighty
two three.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Talk.
Speaker 6 (45:02):
You're at home with Gary Sullivan,
At Home with Gary Sullivan News
Popular Podcasts
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!