Tips

Tip of the Day: You Weren’t Born In a Barn

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:30:00 GMT

Some individuals often use the expression, “You weren’t born in a barn,” to indicate when a person needs to close a door. When you consider that most thieves enter through unlocked doors, it’s easy to see how keeping this phrase in mind may just be one of the best components of your home security system.

In addition to locking your door, use the following tips with your home security system:

Plan to rob yourself. Where would you attack? What goodies would you go for first? Thinking like a thief may help you catch flaws in your system. It may also help you realize that you need to move something of value from its current location to another.

Change the locks when you move into a new home. The average homeowner has more than one copy of key made. How many keys do you have? You may have one hidden in a rock in another location around the house. Perhaps you keep a spare key in the car. Maybe you gave a copy of the key to the house sitter, a cleaning service, or a relative. Like you, the people who lived in your home most likely made extra copies. For your safety, get new locks when you move into a home.

Avoid spring-lock latches. If you don’t have a deadbolt on your entryway doors, install one. A thief can release a spring-lock latch by slipping a credit card between the door and the lock. Once the lock disengages, it’s simply a matter of turning the door knob to open the door. A deadbolt will keep the door shut even if a thief tries to use a credit card on the bottom lock.

For more on home security, visit our DIY blog.

Tip of the Day: Finding the Right Paint

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:29:00 GMT

Paint is often the most inexpensive improvement you can make to a home; however, the overall impact of your paint job often depends on two things. The first is how well you paint, and the second is whether you used the right type of paint.

If you don’t know how to paint a room, hire a professional painter. Many have their own supplies, which can reduce the supply cost a bit and help cover the cost. This will also eliminate the need for you to hike up and down ladders, juggle supplies, or exhaust your own energy.

People who want to tackle the paint job on their own can eliminate mistakes by using the following types of paint.

Ceilings: Paint manufacturers actually make ceiling paint. The flat finish hides marks and other surface blemishes while rolling on with low splatter. Additives reduce yellowing with age.

Walls: Latex paint is usually the best choice. You can use it over drywall, wood and masonry.

Floors: Paint manufactures also have special options for floor coverings. These products stand up to the rough abrasion of heavy traffic and frequent scrubbing.

Woodwork: After you prime the bare wood, you should use either an oil/alkyd paint or a latex paint. Most painters use semi-gloss finishes because they clean easily. If the area won’t have much wear and tear, you can use flat or sating finishes.

Masonry: Bricks, concrete blocks, and cement can soak up the paint, making coverage difficult. For the best results, use an acrylic latex wall paint.

Metal: Even though you can apply latex directly to galvanized metal and aluminum, your paint job will look better if you prime the metal before you paint. With some metals, you must prime before the latex will adhere to the surface.

For more on paint, visit our DIY blog.

Tip of the Day: Keep Your Hot Air in Your House

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:25:00 GMT

Hot air can describe many things, from the talkative individual who works in the cubical across from you to temperature. With winter approaching (or in full swing, depending on where you live), it's time to make sure your home loses less hot air than your co-worker does. Here are four things you can do to lower energy costs while maintaining a warm home.

1. Set the thermostat to 68 degrees.

reduce the heating bill

2. Test the accuracy of your thermostat.

3. Keep hot air inside.

4. Work with a professional to upgrade your system.

Electricians

zonal heating

Hot air can be expensive, so make sure you aren't wasting yours.

Tip of the Day: Is it Time for a Ductless Air Conditioner?

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:01:11 GMT

It may seem strange to think about your air conditioner in the middle of October, but this may be the perfect time of year for you to do exactly that. Many retailers and air conditioner services offer sales during this time so they can clear out remaining inventory and prepare for next season's new products. Let's take a look at these cooling units.

So, what is a ductless AC? These systems work without ductwork, similar to how a window AC unit works. Instead of having half the unit inside the window and half outside the window, a ductless unit, like the Mr. Slim MXZ30TN 28400 BTU Split System Air Conditioner from Mitsubishi has two components. The first component, the condensing unit, goes outside your home. The second component is a fan or evaporator that you mount to your ceiling or wall. Wires connect the two components, which can be 20 feet apart.

Aside from being safer to use than a window unit, which can be an easy access point for a burglar, a ductless unit is also quieter. In some cases, you can't even hear the unit running. The system is also great for homes or buildings where it would be difficult to install the ducts most AC units use.

Ductless AC units can also be useful to homeowners with traditional air conditioners installed in their homes. A regular AC often cannot produce enough cool air to lower the temperature of the entire house. This is especially true for multi-story homes. By adding a ductless unit, you can lower the temperature in your home's hot spots without causing unnecessary stress on your regular unit. By doing this, you can help your regular AC last longer, and you may even reduce your energy bill.

You can learn more about Mitsubishi's model by visiting Epinions.com.

Tip of the Day: How to Safely Store your DIY Tools

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:56:00 GMT

As any DIY enthusiast will know, it is important for DIY tools to have an effective storage system. Cupboards, cabinets and workstations can often provide a great deal of convenience, as equipment is quicker and easier to find once everything is put in its place. Keeping organised can be time saving, but storage solutions have numerous additional benefits.

Child Safety

One of the chief concerns facing the modern parent is the safety of the child. To avoid misuse and potential injury, all DIY tools should be made inaccessible to infants. This can be easily done by investing in tool boxes with in-built locks at retailers such as Tool-Net, or else padlocks can be added to existing storage. Some parents choose to store their tools out of reach of children, for example on high shelves. Whilst this can be effective, you should also consider the safety of the adult in accessing these tools. During a DIY project, ensure that pets and children are well out of the way. The naturally inquisitive nature of every child can pose a serious danger in the presence of tools. Whilst infants are unlikely to activate power tools due to their inbuilt safety features, sharp or heavy hand tools can be easily overlooked. Similarly, small items such as screws should be kept out of the reach of children to avoid ingestion.

Maintenance

DIY is a popular choice for home improvements on a shoe string budget. The cost of tools and materials, however, can quickly mount up if they need to be replaced. With the right care, equipment can stay in working order for many years.

Tools with Iron or steel elements are susceptible to rust. It is possible to remove rust from DIY tools, but heavy corrosion can damage equipment beyond repair. The iron oxides are formed from a reaction with oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture, so garden tools are particularly at risk. Due to changing weather conditions, throughout the winter months your tools will be especially vulnerable. Much modern machinery is coated either in zinc or resistant paints which delay the rusting process. One simple solution for keeping tools rust free is to fill a large container with a mixture of fine grain sand and vegetable oil. Once garden tools such as shovels have been used and cleaned, dig them into the oily sand mixture before storage. This coats them in a fine layer of oil which prevents moisture in the air reacting with the metal surface. Of course, it is important to clean all tools after use to remove debris and prevent corrosion.

Some people are off put by the amount of space that storage systems require. This can be avoided by investing in multi-purpose tools such as the MultiMaster, which use less storage space by combining the functions of numerous tools in one piece of equipment. Whichever method best suits your needs, storing your DIY tools safely is vital to avoid injury, save time, and money.