Seven Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Install Carpet

Devil’s Advocate: Seven Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Install Carpet

1. Dirt. The fibers in carpet naturally hold everything they come in contact with. Whether you can see it or not, carpet traps pounds of dirt.

2. Allergies. Carpets hold dust and other allergens. For instance, if you’ve got a cat and you have a friend over with allergies, the carpet will add to their misery.

3. Germs and Worms. Carpets aren’t only holding dirt. They’re holding everything that came in with your shoes, and everything that’s settled to the ground over the past few years. Your kids probably play on that carpet.

4. Time. Carpets take longer to clean than hard surfaces like ceramic, hardwoods, or tile. And, they never get truly clean. Vacuuming only picks up the dirt close to the surface. Steam cleaning wets down the dirt, much of which gets trapped in the fibers.

5. Investment. Carpet companies make a living on selling carpet to folks every 5-10 years. What’s worse, the “good” carpeting costs $27.00+/sq. yd. (that’s $3.00+/sq. ft.). Decent hardwoods can be obtained for about the same price from discount flooring places like Lumber Liquidators.

6. Good Alternatives. You can always put down quality rugs with thick padding on top of hard surfaces if you need extra comfort. Those rugs can be professionally cleaned, and allow you to change styles more easily.

7. Maintenance. Besides cleaning time, carpets need to be stretched every few years; else you get “rolls” in the carpet that are eyesores and tripping hazards.

What do you think? Don’t you agree?

Incandescents: Wait for Burn Out?

Back on my latest Energy Efficient Lighting post, Andy left a comment that really got me thinking. His comment was, “…and [I] will likely buy more [CFLs] when my other bulbs burn out.”

This raised the question for me: Is it more efficient to wait until your existing incandescent bulbs burn out, or is it better to toss them in the trash and upgrade to CFLs immediately? This calls for some analysis (something that Jim over at Bargaineering would like). Here’s what I’ve come up with:

We’re currently paying $.15 / KWH for electricity.

Burning a 100-watt bulb for 1000 hours uses 100,000 WHs or 100 KWHs of energy. At $0.15/KWH, that costs me $15.00.

If I switch to a 23-watt CFL (100 watt equivalent output), I use 23% of the energy over that same 1000 hrs, or 23KWH. Again, at $0.15/KWH, that would only cost $3.45, a savings of $11.55.

For $11.55, I could buy a whole pack of CFL bulbs. But, that really doesn’t factor into the analysis, because I would have to buy the CFL bulbs at some point anyway (when the other bulbs burn out). So this really isn’t a difference. The small amount of interest I might earn if I didn’t buy the CFLs for another 6 months would surely be negligable.

You might ask, what if the incandescent only has 2 hours of life left? Even then, the numbers say to make the switch early.

The verdict: Throw out those incandescents and make the switch to CFLs immediately.

So the real question is: why is this so hard to do? I think it’s because most of us feel like it is wrong to throw out a working bulb, but we fail to recognize that we’re throwing away energy every day we don’t make the switch. I know that was my feeling. Putting a working incandescent in the trash just feels wrong. So I didn’t, I put them in a box and saved them for who-knows-what. Home improvement shouldn’t involve such moral dilemmas!

What do you think? Will you throw out your incandescents before their time?

Fixing Stippled Ceilings

Our house was built in 1984, and as such came with a few features we’d rather not have. One of those features is stippled ceilings. Last year, I read and read on how to remove the stipple texture. A simple Google search revealed many methods for removing it: sanding, wetting down the stipple, scraping. Many people said removing the stipple was easy… It wasn’t.

I decided to try the most endorsed method I could find, which consisted of wetting down the stipple and scraping it off. That was in our upstairs bathroom. The process destroyed the underlying drywall, and I ended up replacing the drywall ceiling (what a pain!). Later, when Kim finished the lower bath, she decided to give sanding a try. The results were much better. We decided to use the technique on the dining room. The key to Kim’s method was not sanding so far down as to remove the pattern altogether, but rather just enough to get rid of the stalactites. The major problem with stipple is that the large (1/2″+) stalactites create shadows on the ceiling, making the room feel like it is “coming down on you.” Sanding off the hard edges eliminates this, and creates a nice, nearly smooth, visually-pleasing texture.

Both of these pictures are links to larger versions. Let me know what you think.

Before:

After:

In response to 4KM’s question on prep method and time for the sanding: We cut two large trash bags and taped them over the two doorways to the dining room. (It has no real doors). We opened the room’s two large windows (making the place freezing cold), donned our drywall masks, and began sanding with two electric palm sanders. The total sanding time was about 15-20 minutes for two people for a room that is about 12′x14′ (168 sq. ft.). Of course, we were covered in powder.

We didn’t cover the carpet because we’re planning to get rid of it. I regret that decision, because now I think about the powder that is lodged in the carpet in the interim, and, we ended up covering it to paint anyway. When we do future rooms, I’ll put down the plastic sheeting first. (By the way, Walmart sells .6mil 9′ x 12′ plastic sheeting rolls for about $1.29/each).

Safety Information: The other regret I have is that we did not first check the ceiling stipple for asbestos. Now, our house was built in 1985, and from all my reading on the internet, interior products that could be sanded to a powder (like drywall compound) would very likely not have had asbestos in them at that time. That said, in older homes (particularly from the 60s and 70s), asbestos was used in some popcorn and stipple ceiling textures. For a small fee, a number of labs will perform an asbestos check. I decided to go ahead and send a few samples to a lab I found through Google. Click here to read my asbestos testing lab review.

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Fixing Low Water Pressure in the Shower

Last weekend, two friends of ours (Ethan and Jocie) finally finished their bathroom remodel. After everything was done (and looked great), Ethan turned on the water for the first time to find that the water pressure was extremely disappointing. Together, we worked to identify the problem and fix it (this shouldn’t be hard for two college graduates). Ethan took photos and videos along the way, and then compiled this great little finished product on what the problem was, and how we fixed it. Kudos to Ethan for the film. He’s got better video mixing skills than me.

Of course, not every fix will be this easy. Remember when you’re doing plumbing work, especially on the pressurized side, it’s important not to get anything in the line. If something gets clogged in a pipe behind a wall, it is awefully hard to fix it, and you might be ripping out drywall (or worse, tile or granite) to make it right.

Sylvania and Bright Effects CFL Bulbs Review

We finally made the switch. Over the weekend, I bit the bullet and went to the local big box to purchase several different brands of energy efficient bulbs to replace our “dinosaur incandescents.” We installed the lights in several rooms with various results. As we work over the next few months to “go green” on lighting, we’ll be trying several different brands and styles of lights to see which ones best meet our needs in different rooms. As we do that, I will update this post with my findings, and I’ll periodically post updates in the current day’s post pointing back to this one. (This post is the aggregate).

I know many people across the blogosphere are switching to CFLs and other forms of efficient lights (I’ve chatted with a few of you via your blogs). I hope that you’ll add your experiences here, particularly if your experience differs from mine with one of these products. Feel free to link back, too. Without further ado, here’s my review(s):

Sylvania CFL Review

1. Sylvania 23 Watt (100W Equiv.) Soft White Micro Mini “Instant-On” CFL.

My Rating: OK

Pros: Really, really bright white light. (Seriously, it nearly blinded me!) Lasts forever (12000 hrs). A little smaller than the other 100w equivalent bulbs.

Cons: Too harsh; Requires 1-2 minute warm-up time to reach full glow. Doesn’t really suffice as a traditional incandescent replacement.

My Experience: This CFL’s packaging claims that it is “Instant-On,” so I figured it might work great in our laundry room where we use the light for about 20 minutes each day in small spurts. The bulb definitely comes on immediately, but the light output is only about half the final output. It still takes about 1-2 minutes to warm up to full glow. This proved to be very annoying in a space where you turn the light on and start working immediately. At first, it’s too dim, then there’s an eerie feeling as the the light slowly increases while you’re working. On the plus side, at full brightness the bulb puts out A LOT of light. I decided to use 4 of them as temporary lighting in the basement during my refinishing project. I can afford the warm-up time there and the “harsh” light actually provides good visibility throughout the room.

Bright Effects CFL Review

2. Bright Effects 23 Watt (100w Equiv.) (Item# 153972)

Sorry, I couldn’t find a good picture of this one! I’ll need to upload a pic sometime in the future.

My Rating: Very Good

Pros: Casts a light that looks very similar to an incandescent. Lasts a long time (8000 hours).

Cons: Takes about 2-3 minutes to reach full brightness.

My Experience: We used these bulbs in 5 lamps in the living room and family room. There was certainly some immediate reward in realizing that when all 5 of these lamps are on, we’re using about the same amount of energy as we were on only 1 lamp last week. Better yet, these bulbs don’t make us feel like we’re sacrificing in the way of quality. Other manufacturers could take a lesson from Bright Effects. Of course, there is still the 2-3 minute warm-up time, which can be a bit annoying depending on the task you’re trying to perform, but in rooms where lights stay on for a good amount of time, these are a great substitute for Edison’s invention.

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What do you think? I know many folks out there are making the move to CFLs. What bulbs do you like the best? Which ones are the absolute worst?

Home Improvement Planning Ideas

Last week I wrote about The Mythical Two Day Project, which can basically be summed up as that reasonably hard project we all think we can accomplish in “just two days” if everything went perfectly (and we had the expertise, experience, time, manpower, and supplies at just the right time). Almost all of my two day projects take at least three days, and usually five or six to finish. So, to help myself improve, I’ve thought of a few planning strategies that would help me better estimate what a project is going to take. This list is by no means comprehensive, but rather just a few ideas for doings things better. Let me know what you would add to my list, or how you would change it.

1. Think about everything that must be done for a project to be successful. For instance, this past weekend we decided to paint the dining room, a project we’d been putting off for two years. But, we didn’t only want to paint it, we also wanted to sand down the stiple ceilings and throw up a fresh coat of ceiling white. Since our dining room is small, we also opted to move the furniture out of the dining room into the living room to paint. After everything was said and done, it took nearly 24 person-hours to complete (we had some help). I would have never guessed it would take that long to do the job! Fortunately, with some help, we were able to get the job done in only 2 days.

2. Know your limitations, or at least your learning curve. Most home improvement jobs require some kind of know-how, particularly jobs that require plumbing or electrical. If you don’t have that know how, you must account for the additional learning time to do it. For me, this also includes 3-4 extra trips to the store as I learn (through trial and error) how to do this job.

3. Make lists. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to run back to the big box because I haven’t had everything written down on a list. I usually start a list after I figure out what I need to do, and by that time, I’m writing down everything all at once. I’ve found its better if I start a list at the beginning of a project and carry it around in my pocket, adding to it as things come up. Now, if I could only remember this advice at the next project!

4. Make friends. There’s no better way to reduce the amount of time a project takes than to add free labor. I’ve made it a habit of helping everyone I can with their projects so I can ask nicely for help with my own. Besides, most projects require at least 2 sets of hands. Some will require 5 or 6 sets!

What do you think? What would you add to my list? What would you change? Leave a comment and let us know.

Tool Shed – Powder-actuated Nailers

weLast week I wrote about the pneumatic nailer. While that is perhaps the most useful tool I’ve encountered in my home improvement life, there is at least one type of job that the adventurous improver will need more power to complete. That job is fixing framed walls to a concrete slab, or any other job where you must fasten wood tightly to poured concrete or block. For fixing walls to a slab, it’s easy enough to build the framed walls on the ground but how are you going to fix the bottom board to the concrete slab? Attempting to drive the bottom board in place by hand would be very challenging – particularly if you’re working with concrete that has been curing for years.

That’s where a powder actuated tool comes in handy. These tools are made by a few different vendors, with Home Depot carrying the most popular brand: Ramset. There are a number of different calibers and types of tools, including semi-automatic guns with trigger-firing mechanisms, and ones that you must hit with a hammer to drive (the latter is significantly cheaper at the big box stores).

After you buy the tool, you’ll need to select the right powder charge for the job, which depends on what material you’re fastening into what other material. Fortunately, vendors color-code these to make it easy. Most of the tools have a guide on the box you buy the tool in; and I know the Home Depot near here as a whole display set up to help.

In the introduction to my basement finishing project video, you can see the result of using one of these tools to fix the bottom board of my walls to the slab.

More Information: Jeff Krotzer over at Ezine Articles writes even more about these tools; how to select one, and what to look for.

Unrelated note: You may have been expecting to see the planning article I promised as a follow up to last week’s The Mythical Two Day Project. Well, a two-day project got in my way. That article should come tomorrow.

Energy Efficient Lighting

Two of our close friends have ‘encouraged’ us to switch to energy efficient lighting. For a long time I’ve been reluctant for two reasons:

1. I’m stubborn. I like my incandescent lighting and I don’t want anyone (including the Government) telling me I can’t have it.

2. The few examples I had seen of these new bulbs left me wanting more. The first was a 75-watt “equivalent” compact flourescent (CFL) I had installed at our prior house. That bulb emitted a strange white-ish glow, flickered, and surely was dimmer than a standard 75 watt incandescent. The second was a series of lights installed in a fixture at our friend’s house. Those were 30-watt “equivalent” bulbs. All I’ll say is that they reminded me of prison lighting – a term that I have frequently used to describe these types of lights.

While I have disagreements with the Government mandating energy efficient lighting – it is nonetheless a reality. By 2012, nearly all bulbs will have to use 70% less energy. So, I figured I better read up a bit.

A simple Google search on energy efficient bulbs yields more information than I can digest. In the abundance of information, I found two articles worth reading.

The first is Earth Easy’s article on efficient lighting. In that article, they provide a buyers guide for efficient lighting and some additional interesting facts. They note that CFLs use 50-80% less energy than incandescents, and that vendors are beginning to overcome some of the initial limitations of these bulbs. For instance, Phillips has introduced a dimmable CFL, previously a major gripe about this technology.

The second is Julie Scelfo’s article in the New York Times. Her article gives an overview of the Government’s lighting efficiency laws, the general gripes from lighting designers, and an honest review of several compact flourescent lights.

We are going to make the switch to CFLs soon. I’m going to take some before and after pictures and post them here.

What do you think? Have you made the switch to energy efficient lighting? If so, what type of lighting do you use?

New Poll: This week’s poll is about energy efficient lighting. Vote!

"Her" Home Improvement

While I know this from personal experience, it may come as a shock to some men out there that women are playing an increasing role in Home Improvement — and not just selecting materials and designing, but also in actually doing the work. Those men who would be surprised by this have never met my wife — who is quite handy and involved in all phases of our home improvement projects… (Now, if I could only get her to write for this blog).

In fact, the Home Improvement Institute’s Home Page includes a link to buy a 127-page special report entitled The Role of Women in Home Improvement. That special report is $895. Since I don’t have that kind of spare change, I thought I’d look up online and see if anyone has any good information from it. Turns out, ToolGirl wrote on the topic back in November. She writes,

“Spending decisions made by the female HOH (head of household) account for 36.7% of all of the money spent on home improvement products. Whereas male HOHs only account for 25.5% of the cash spent. “

Of course, I’m not sure who accounts for the other 38%. Maybe it’s both of them deciding together. Or, maybe its their friends or family making decisions for them. Anyhow, her blog goes on to say that not only are women spending more of the money, they’re doing more of the projects. This has given rise to whole new product lines, including such great things as Pink Hammers. Some of these products are even marketed to support a good cause. The site I linked to here donates 10% of their profits to Breast Cancer Research.

What do you think? What role does the woman in your life play in your home improvements? If you *are* the woman in your life, let us guys know what you think. So far on our basement, Kim helped waterproof the block wall and build and install framing. I suspect she’ll continue to design and build on all of our future projects.

Harbor Freight Offers Cheap Tools

Harbor Freight, “America’s Favorite Tool Store” (Their words, not mine) offers an oft-overlooked cheaper alternative for many DIYers.

While not as common as Home Depot and Lowes, Harbor Freight offers some pretty amazing deals. For example, I recently needed 4 GFCI receptacles for 4 new circuits in my basement. Harbor Freight sells 15amp GFCI receptacles for $9.99 each, while the other big boxes get $16.99 or more for each. That’s a $28.00 savings on 4 plugs. They have similar deals on all types of tools including electric, pneumatic, and manual.

Harbor Freight will also send you a free catalog and accepts mail orders for tools and other parts – something neither Lowes nor Home Depot offer.

Of course, Harbor Freight has many fewer locations than any of the big home improvement chains, and the old adage may apply: “You get what you pay for.” I’ll certainly be monitoring the GFCI circuits in the basement to see how they hold up.

Want more? Wikipedia has an article discussing GFCI circuits here. Did you know that you should be checking your GFCI circuits every month?

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