June 1, 2010 AsktheBuilder News And Tips

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Latest News
ServiceMagic
Sharpening Chainsaw Chains
Staining Decks in New York - Test Update

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Latest News!

Last week, I was getting ready to test exterior paint colors on my house here in New Hampshire. The house has a mix of dark green Andersen casement and double-hung windows. The house was built in 2002, and many of the vinyl parts of the windows have experienced significant color fade. I wanted to get rid of the fade so I could get the correct complementary colors on the body of the house.

I called Andersen to see if there was a wipe-on product that would restore the color much like you do with automotive vinyl. Much to my surprise I discovered the vinyl color fade is covered under warranty.

The Andersen folks sent out a professional painter, John Resnick with his crew to apply a special lacquer coating that matches the original finish. John's sister Lizzy and another employee Randy make up the team.

John, Lizzy and Randy do interior and exterior painting, wallpaper work and commercial painting. He told me he services much of Massachusetts, southern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. If you need a quote from a real professional, give John a call. 978-831-3924. Be sure to mention my name! Wait until you see the trailer he brings to the jobsite. Wow!

If you have some of these faded green Andersen windows, I suggest you contact Andersen now and get them taken care of. To the best of my knowledge, no other Andersen windows are suffering this fading issue.

I can't say enough good things about Andersen's response to this situation. It's refreshing to see companies that respond positively to problems. All too often companies run away from predicaments instead of running towards them. Remember, only contact Andersen if you have the dark green windows like mine.

ServiceMagic

I need your help. Are you a contractor that gets leads for your business from ServiceMagic? If so, can you please email me ASAP. I have some questions to ask you. Thanks in advance!

Exterior Painting Tip

As I just mentioned, I'm getting ready to paint the house here in New Hampshire. I wanted to paint an entire section of the house to get a good feel for the look of the paint on the siding and trim. As I've done my entire career, I washed the surfaces with soap, water and some of my magic Stain Solver.

Why do this? Be sure to read the label on any paint you intend to use. Everyone I've ever seen says: "Apply to a clean, dry surface." I don't like using pressure washers on houses because they blast water into cracks and behind the exterior surfaces if not used properly. What's more, they can leave behind a thin film of dirt.

The house is currently painted red with green trim. Surprisingly it doesn't look dirty at all. There's no visible dirt, dust or diesel soot on the siding. The exact opposite is true about my home we're selling in Cincinnati. I just washed it down last December and a month ago, it had a coating of soot on it. Imagine how much of that soot is in my lungs from all the years living in the city! But I digress.

As I washed the house here, the water in the bucket turned red and you could see the sun-damaged red pigment come out of the paint on the siding as I rinsed it. Based on past experience cleaning the solid color stain of my house in Cincinnati, the Stain Solver aggressively removed the damaged finish. That's a good thing when you're getting ready to repaint or stain.

Sharpening Chainsaw Chains

Up here in New Hampshire, people are busy as beavers getting ready for next winter. Now's the time to cut firewood as it needs time to season and dry so it burns hot. To cut wood efficiently and effectively, you need a sharp chain that cuts straight.

I tested a fantastic tool that sharpens chains used to cut logs and firewood. It's the Timber Tuff upright bench mount chainsaw chain sharpener. This tool works just like a compound miter saw. It has a spinning abrasive disc that you can rotate and tilt to match the grooves in cutting teeth of the chain.

If you've ever sharpened a chainsaw chain by hand, you know the issues you can have. The slightest mistake will have the chainsaw blade cutting the logs in a curve. This causes the blade to bind.

Using a professional tool like this Timber Tuff machine keeps the cutting teeth in the exact alignment they had when the chain left the factory. The best part is the price of the tool. It's just a little over $100. You'll save that money quickly in time and aggravation. If you use chain saws heavily, you'll love this tool.

It's sold at a few retailers, all with different prices! Take your pick:

Tractor Supply
Gempler's
Mills Fleet Farm

Staining Decks in New York - Test UPDATE!

Joan Rowland, from Lindenhurst, NY emailed me:

"We live on a river on long Island NY.  How often do we need to stain/seal our deck?  We cleaned (not power washed) and wood-lifed it last year and it looks a little faded. Is this an annual project?"

Joan, it depends on the sealer / stain you decide to use. I used a clear sealer last year that failed in just four months. I'm in the midst of a test now to see how three different sealers work. In rare cases you may get a deck stain/sealer to last three years. Colored sealers, because of the pigments they contain, may fare better for you, but these will fade over time from the direct ultraviolet rays of the sun that blast deck surfaces in the middle of the day.

I just taped the one-month video two days ago. I'll be loading that video tonight and will share it with you next issue. After one month, all the stains/sealers look pretty much the way they did when applied. The original deck stain test video showing the beginning of the test is available to watch.

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