You may be thinking, “Wait, did I already read this post?” Congrats, you are not crazy, this is a sequel to Paint Worth the Price? Valspar, Duron, Behr, and Ralph Lauren Review AND Valspar One Coat Primer.

After my previous posts, I received a lot of good input from fabulous readers like yourself, who recommended Kilz Primer, since my experience with Valspar left me wanting more. So, I took your advice. But, just to make the research project a little more valid, I compared Kilz to both Behr and Valspar.

The project was to prime over my very red walls. On the top of the chair rail will be the color “Sea Star by Benjamin More” (review coming soon). Below, the chair rail will be painted white and will eventually be
wainscoting. Particularly for the bottom half, it was important to fully cover the red.

Valspar Primer

$17.98/gallon

Pros: Even coverage.

Cons: Higher cost comparatively, requires multiple coats of paint to provide full coverage and therefore is more work.

Conclusions: For a small job, you will need only one can of paint and therefore it may be the most cost

efficient. But it’s not worth the time and effort, in my opinion.

Behr Primer

$10.98/gallon

Pros: Even and full coverage, low cost, required one coat

Cons: None!

Conclusions: Behr is well worth the money! Buy Behr!

Kilz Primer

$13.78/gallon

Pros: Even coverage, lower coat than Valspar.

Cons: Required two coats, and on the bottom, still needed two coats of paint over that to cover the color.

Conclusions: For a small job, you will need only one can of paint and therefore it may be the most cost efficient

So was the cost worth it? Valspar and Kilz are not worth the cost, even though Kilz is comparatively inexpensive. Kilz was a little lumpy out of the can and for those of us with texture/sensory issues, this was a little gross, but it went on fine. Behr was worth the cost - it was by far superior, and in the end will save you money because you use less paint, and save time and effort.

What do you think? Do you agree with the pros and cons? What brand would you recommend?

When I (Kim) left my job to stay home with our boys, I was excited to have a few months before the adoption finalized to whip our newly-purchased fixer house into better shape.  Most of our rooms still had their construction-grade paint from 1985, and they were gross.

Summoning my just-enough-to-be-dangerous interior design experience, I picked a neutral-toned color palate, grabbed my brushes and rollers, and I was off!  Armed with flat paint, despite the known touch-up risks. 

You see, I grew up in a home that was all-semi-gloss, and it always looked tacky to me.  My mom swore by it’s “wipeability,”  but I decided to strike off in the opposite direction.  My house would be classy looking from the get-go.  I thought I would rather have to repaint a wall here or there from time to time than succumb to the dreaded “sheen.”

Enter our sons (yes twins), aged 2 1/2 at the time.  Adorable little guys.  So much fun.  Not at all easy on walls.  In the 16 months since we brought them home, they’ve returned our walls to their former look of having been neglected for years.  From the “handrail? what handrail?” line of sticky prints going all the way up the stairs to the tell-tale flung-food spots all around their mini table in the kitchen, it seems systematic, the way they’ve done it. 

I was once especially proud of my gray-purple powder room.  Potty training “aim issues” proved to be my undoing there.  After a couple of months of their “missing” and my cleaning up, the white wallboard was showing through:

Upstairs, I knew the boys would love the bright cheerfulness of their light-orange bedroom.  They do.  But I forgot to mention the “Never use your matchbox cars to write on the walls” rule.  Thought I was covered by keeping all their crayons and markers downstairs.  I wasn’t: 

As I knew all along, there’s a limit to cleaning flat-painted walls.  We simply have passed that limit on an accelerated time-table.  And all over the house.  So this summer, one by one, I will be going back and repainting all the rooms in eggshell.  I’ve already started with my powder room.  There will be ONE space in our home that looks like a girl lives here!  Even if it does need to be (shudder) slightly shiny for practicality’s sake.

Fortunately, I DID have the good sense to paint the boys’ bathroom in eggshell (and dark blue) the first time, so that room can stay as it is.  For the rest, I’ll just have to wait about 20 years to try again with my beloved flat paint.

What do you think?  Have you ever thought you were done with a project only to find yourself back at the beginning? How much do kids, pets or ____ (fill in the destructive life force) play into your decorating decisions? 

To our blogmates: Thanks so much for your response so far to Before and After 2008! Many of you have posted articles on your blogs encouraging others to support our event for Habitat for Humanity, and have committed to providing an article yourselves.  We very much appreciate it, and are excited about watching the event unfold! 

If you’re interested in showing your support for Before and After throughout the Summer, we’ve created a series of graphics that will fit nicely on the side of your blog to do just that.  Feel free to shrink/enlarge the graphics as necessary, or to make changes to the colors.  We’d appreciate it if you didn’t edit the text or make it illegible. 

If you want a graphic with a color combination that isn’t here, just e-mail us @ oneprojectcloser@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to make it for you…

Please link the graphic back to this post, which is the overview of the Before and After event:  http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/community/before-and-after-summer-2008-supporting-habitat-for-humanity/

Also, please consider submitting an article early in the Summer…  You can use a project you already completed in the Spring.  We were a little late coordinating the kick-off for this event.  Most folks haven’t had time to prepare an article. 

Submit articles to oneprojectcloser@gmail.com.  There’s no limit on the number of submissions you can make.  If you submit 13 and no one else does, you’re guaranteed $50.00

Complete event details are available on the event kick-off article.

What do you think?  Is there another common color pattern I should create?  Will you add a button to your blog?

I love the trees on my court. When they bloom, it’s an explosion of pink and white blossoms. They last only for a short time, but I look forward to it each spring. This year I noticed that one of the trees had been pruned back quite a bit, but only on one side. It didn’t take long to figure out that it wasn’t the owners who trimmed the tree.

Legally Right or Wrong to Trim a Neighbors Tree?

I was curious what laws existed about trimming a neighbor’s tree. Here is what I found specific to Maryland; however, it seems that most states follow similar rules.

From: “Trees, People and the Law”, By Kevin J. Best, Esq:

“Maryland subscribes to the “Massachusetts Rule” which states that no cause of action will accrue against the tree owner for the overhanging limb; however, the offended person may exercise self-help in the matter by pruning the tree in a manner that leaves it in a reasonable condition. According to the Court of Appeals of Maryland, “a landowner has a right to cut encroaching branches, vines and roots back to the property line … but may not enter the adjoining landowner’s property … without the neighbor’s consent.” Melnick v. CSX, Md. (1988)

So, legally you can trim a neighbor’s tree, but only to the property line. Double check where that line is before you begin. Don’t go past your property; any further and you are trespassing. Also, the pruning can’t cause the tree (or a major portion of the tree) to die. It’s smart to hire an arborist as they can decide the best way to prune the tree without causing harm.

It’s obviously better to work with your neighbors rather than around them. Hopefully you can work out a beneficial solution for everyone. In my experience, staying friends with neighbors has its own rewards.

This is the poor mangled tree.

What do you think? Do you trim the tree? What do you say to your neighbor? Ever been in this kind of situation?

Two weekends ago we sealed our deck for the first time.  At the recommendation of friends, we chose Behr Premium Transparent Weatherproofing Wood Finish for Decks, Fences, and Siding.  Our primary goal in sealing the deck was to prevent cracks and splinters from developing.  A secondary, yet still important goal was to maintain the deck’s overall natural southern yellow pine look. 

After reading through Behr’s weatherproofing pamphlet, we decided their Premium Weatherproofer line was the best value for our job.  Behr claims their Premium Weatherproofing Wood Finish lasts up to 4 years on decks, and 6 years on fences when two coats are applied. After examining Behr’s color choices, we decided to go with Behr’s Natural Finish (#500 in premium, #400 in non-premium).  As you can see from the picture on the right, Behr Natural #500 promises a relatively light, natural color that preserves the authentic look of a pine deck.

Preparation Experience

Behr Premium weatherproofer requires the deck to be completely clean of foreign debris, mold and mildew, and previous sealers.  Our deck was built 8 months ago, had never been sealed, and was relatively clean.  Kim powerwashed the deck to remove a minimal amount of residue and to restore its natural yellow pine color.  She did this without using a chemical stripper or cleaning agent. 

For new and older decks that were previously stained or sealed, Behr recommends their own #64 Premium Stain and Finish Stripper.   To brighten the finish, they recommend Behr No. 63 Premium 2-in-1 Wood Prep.  For serious stains, they offer a heavy-duty stain remover: Behr #62 Premium Mildew Stain Remover.  We opted not to use any of these preparation products as our deck was in extremely good, clean condition after Kim finished powerwashing.  As a result, preparation was tedious only to the extent of the power washing.

Application Experience

Environment Requirements: Behr requires that the sealer be applied when outside temperatures are between 40 deg. and 90 deg., and when no rain is expected within 24 hours of the application of the final coat.  We applied the sealer over a 48 hour period.  All three days were in the mid-80s, and rain free. 

Coating Requirements:  Behr recommends two coats for complete protection.  Behr also recommends that the second coat be applied within 48 hours of the first coat.  We started the second coat at the 46th hour.   We believe that because we waited 46 hours to apply the second coat, it took much longer to dry.  As a result, the deck remained sticky for the next 3 weeks.  Fortunately, it did eventually dry completely.  We recommend applying the second coat on the same day (between 2-12 hours after the first coat).  For large decks, this may mean working only half the deck the first day, and half the deck at a later date.

Application Method:  We tried 4 different application methods, with the following results:

1. Airless Sprayer: the instructions indicate that an airless sprayer with a .015 tip may be used to apply the sealer.  We used our Wagner Airless Sprayer and found that it was simply too eratic.  The sprayer was very efficient at putting weatherproofer on the deck, but it created a stain cloud between our house and our neighbor’s.  Fortunately, it didn’t damage their house.  We had to discontinue use of the sprayer.  Even if you use an airless sprayer, Behr still requires that you back brush every area to ensure even coverage.  This substantially reduces the efficiency of a sprayer.
2. Pump Sprayer: we also tried a pump sprayer (similar to what you would use to apply bug repellant or weed killer).  The sprayer worked, but we still had to back brush and it never misted quite as well as we would have expected. 
3. Flat Sponge Brush: this method was the fastest method to apply the Weatherproofer.  Unfortunately, the sponge brush was inefficient at applying the weatherproofer around the edges of decking boards (which have curved edges, unlike traditional 2×6s). 
4. Polyester Paint Brush:  the traditional 4″ brush turned out to be the most efficient method of applying the stain.  We ended up dipping our brush into a pan and sealing the old fashioned way.  We had hoped to find a faster method; unfortunately, it just wasn’t in the cards for us.  Looking back, a larger brush on the end of a pole may have worked as well.

Coating/Coverage Experience:  The first coat is quickly absorbed into the boards and thus much more tedious to apply.  The second floats on top of the first and is thus much easier to spread.  Behr claims 300-360 sq. ft. coverage for the first coat and 600-700 sq. ft. coverage for the second.  Their estimates were accurate.  We used about 4.5 gallons to cover 1000 sq. ft. + railings.

Behr Natural No. 500 Color Experience (It’s Orange!)

The color on the side of the 5 gallon container of Behr Natural No. 500 shows a very authentic yellow-pine wood look. This is simply incorrect. Behr Natural No. 500 dries an auburn / orange color that gets incrementally darker with the second coat. This was a major disappointment to us. When we first started applying the sealer, under a bright sun and with only a small area covered, we did not realize how auburn / dark orange it would look. We’ve since grown accustomed to the color and have gotten over the “un-natural” look. Behr certainly needs to update their color on the 5-gallon container to more accurately reflect the resulting color.

Price Per Gallon

We bought Behr’s Premium Weatherproofer for $125 / 5 gallon container (or $25/gallon). This was about 30% more expensive than comparable weatherproofers, but most of those sealers only provide 2 years of protection.

Overall Experience

When we purchased Behr Premium Transparent Weatherproofer, we were shopping for three things: durability, authentic color, and a reasonable price. In this case, we haven’t had enough time to evaluate durability, but assuming Behr meets it’s claim of 4 years of protection, it will be very good. Behr clearly fails for color. The Natural No. 500 simply isn’t true to the color on the container. The price was high, but reasonable for a product that protects for 4 years.

Bottom line: If we had to do it again, we wouldn’t choose Behr Natural No. 500. Since Behr doesn’t make a more transparent/yellow color, we would be forced to choose another brand.

What do you think?  Have you had a good experience with Behr or another deck sealer?

If you’ve been reading here for some time, you know that each Sunday one of us here at OPC posts an article with Before and After pictures from a project we’ve been working on around our house. If you’re new here, or don’t remember what we’re talking about, take a look at this Before and After article on pressure washing our deck.

StumbleUpon & Digg Visitors: Welcome!  Thanks for stopping by!  We hope you’ll be inspired by our event and will consider giving to Habitat for Humanity.   Please also consider marking us with a “thumbs up” so others can find our event!

Summer 2008 - Supporting Habitat for Humanity

This Summer, we’re going to change how Before and After works… to make it more meaningful, to highlight the work of our fellow home improvement bloggers, and most importantly, to raise awareness and support for a great organization: Habitat for Humanity.

Before you read further, please be aware that we are in no way affiliated with Habitat. This site is an independent home improvement blog run by two families in Baltimore, MD. That said, we believe in what Habitat does for individuals and families in our community; we agree with the way Habitat carries out their work; and, we’re impressed with their stewardship of resources that merited a 4-star rating from CharityNavigator.

Also, in case you’re curious, we did run this by Habitat’s marketing department and got the ok for the project.

How Will Before and After Change?

We’d like you (fellow home improvers) to submit Before and After pictures and a story from a project you’ve worked on during the late Spring or Summer. Each week, we’ll select one submission from those we’ve received and run that article on Sunday.

If your Before and After article is chosen, One Project Closer will make a donation a $25.00 in your honor to Habitat for Humanity. The donation will be to Habitat’s general fund, to be used at their discretion.

At the bottom of each Before and After article, we’ll include a link to Habitat’s online donation page, encouraging our readers to match our donation, or to donate whatever they are able. We’ll also include an interesting fact or other piece of information about Habitat on each post.

A Prize for the Best Submission

At the end of the Summer, we’ll open it up to a commmunity vote to choose the best Before and After article of all those we ran.

The winner will receive a $50 gift card to the Home Improvement store of their choice.

Also note that every article that is selected automatically receives at least one link back to the author’s blog (if they want it).

What Qualifies as a Before and After Article?

Any house project where you made an improvement to your home, property, or community in a way that can be captured in Before and After pictures. It can be as simple as painting a wall, or as complicated as building an addition.

We think the best Before and After articles are ones that show amazing improvements, and teach the reader how to make that improvement on their own, or offer tips and advice for the project.

How Do I Submit an Article?

E-mail the article to oneprojectcloser@gmail.com.

Recent Submissions:

• June 22: Mary at NotBefore7 on Konnecto Flooring Install.
• June 29: Beth at A Cotterpin House on Bungalow Kitchen Restoration.
• July 6: Rhoda at Southern Hospitality on Decorated Patio Transformation.
• July 13: Katie at In Pursuit of Our Place on Tiny Kitchen to Breakfast Bar.
• July 20: Melanie in Richmond on Rustic Wood Floors Restoration.

When Does the Event Start & Finish?

An article will run each Sunday from June 22, 2008 - Sept. 21, 2008.

We will select a winner of the $50 gift card in early October.

What Else Can I Do to Help?

Before and After 2008 will only be successful if folks from the community participate. There are at least five ways you can get involved:

1. Submit an article.  This event will be fun if lots of folks submit articles.
2. Write an article on your site telling your readers about the event.
3. Add a Before and After 2008 graphic to your web site and link back to this article.
4. Make a monetary or volunteer donation to Habitat for Humanity in your area.
5. Tell your friends about the event and the prize.

Our hope is that we will generate many submissions, inspire dozens of people to support Habitat along with us, and prepare to make even larger impacts in the future.

What do you think? Let us know what you think of the idea… Please feel free to help us make it better. Either leave a comment below, or e-mail us at oneprojectcloser@gmail.com

Two weeks ago I purchased an item listed on Craigslist that I was pretty sure I wouldn’t use.  I was sure that I could resell the item for about 3-4x the purchase price.   I wasn’t looking for a flip opportunity; I just happened across it.  There it was: a great deal.  It was so great, in fact, I didn’t haggle with the seller.  I paid the price, loaded up the item, and walked. 

After making the deal, something inside me felt a bit…cold.  And that gives rise to this post.  I wanted your take on being on each side of a deal where one party is going to flip the item for profit.  So I came up with these questions.  My answers are at the bottom.

#1: Would you buy something on Craigslist, a yard sale, or equivalent just to flip it? 

If you answer “yes” to #1:

#1a) If the seller asks you what you’re going to do with the item, do you tell them you’re going to resell it? 

#1b) Do you feel guilty about flipping the item? Why/why not?

#1c) Would it be any different if the seller was selling in distress (e.g. foreclosure)

If you answer “no” to #1:

#1d) Why wouldn’t you buy something to flip it?

—–

#2 If someone flipped something they bought from you, would you be upset about it?  Why / Why not?

Here’s my answers.  I hope you’ll comment so I won’t be the only one…

#1: Yes (obviously, I just did it).

#1a: If asked, I would tell the seller it’s part of how I make some extra spending money for fun things our family enjoys.  If the seller doesn’t ask, I’m not bringing it up.

#1b: Well, I felt a little guilty this time.  Since I didn’t tell the seller, I was a little bit nervous about listing the item on Craigslist just because that seller might be offended…

#1c: It depends on whether I feel like the person is at a real negotiating disadvantage… In other words, if someone is selling a diamond engagement ring for $50 because they need to buy food, I couldn’t do that deal - clearly there is a negotiating power difference.  If, on the other hand, someone really wants something moved quickly but they aren’t particularly disadvantaged, I might feel like I were doing them a service by taking it.

#2: I don’t think I would be upset if someone flipped it.  I *would* be upset if someone lied to me about whether or not they were going to flip it if I asked.  I feel like if I’m not smart enough to price an item at market value, and another person is willing to take the risk of buying it for resale, I’m ok with that.

What do you think?  I hope you’ll weigh in…

Copper pipes can spring leaks for many reasons: corrision, freezing and bursting, inadequate soldering, or human accident.  For large holes, cracks, or bends, you’ll need to replace the portion of the copper line that broke with a new piece of copper.  This involves a fair amount of plumbing know-how, but can be achieved by a do-it-yourselfer (you can Google Search for “sweat solder copper pipes” and find plenty of help).  If you’re not comfortable with the idea of cutting, heating, and solder-joining pipes, you’ll need to call a plumber to fix a large/unusual leak situation.

For very small leaks (also known as “pinhole” leaks), one easier solution is to use a repair clamp purchased at your local home improvement store for about $5.00.  Repair clamps are metal sleeves with a flexible rubber pad inside that clamp over the pipe in the area where the leak has sprung.  They are straightforward to use, and can be applied in under 5 minutes.  When applied properly, a repair clamp will last as long as the rest of the plumbing structure.

In the picture on the left, a self-tapping valve for a refrigerator water line has been installed on the main water pipe.  This valve has malfunctioned, and will  no longer completely close (not an unusual problem for self-tapping valves).  The house is to be sold without a refrigerator, so this tap valve must be replaced.  It would not have been wise to replace the valve with another self-tapping valve in the same location because it would suffer the same problem.  Instead, we’ll repair the hole created by the tap valve with a repair clamp, and the new owner can tap the line in another location when the next refrigerator is installed.

The picture on the right shows the small hole created by the self-tapping valve.  This hole size is well within the range of the type of leak that can be repaired with a repair clamp.  You can see in the picture a small area on the pipe where the self-tapping valuve was that is particularly shiny.  This is the area that the rubber pad inside the self-tapping valve was touching.  A repair clamp uses the same principle to close the hole as the self-tapping valve was using to prevent the water from spraying out the sides.

How to Install a Repair Clamp

To install the repair clamp, simply place the repair clamp on the pipe with the flexible rubber pad centered over the hole.  Place the metal clamp over the pad, and tighten the two screws and nuts until the rubber pad is compressed over the hole.  Be careful not to over-tighten the screws, as this could bend the copper pipe.

The finished project is shown on the left.  In this case, a repair clamp saved us the cost of calling a plumber (about $120 just for the visit in this area).  Instead, with $5.00 and 5 minutes we repaired the problem ourselves.

What do you think?  Was this article helpful?  Have you ever used a repair clamp to fix a plumbing problem?