October 7, 2009 AsktheBuilder News And Tips

What’s in This Issue?

Disclosure Policy
Simple Light Bulb Reminder
A Wood Stain Tip
Latest Columns and Videos
Cracks in New Stucco

I do product reviews frequently. Please read my Disclosure Policy to understand the relationship between the companies that make the products or offer the services I review and me.

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Friendly Question Reminder!

If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them.

Does the week zip by for you like it does for me? I'm busy up here in New Hampshire working on several projects, among them creating a video studio out in the garage. It will be sporting some fantastic metal pegboard from WallControl.com and a radiant heater that will keep us comfortable as we tape. I'll be on the road for three weeks - Gulp! - beginning October 19th. I'll be in Santa Fe, NM, Phoenix, AZ, southern CA and then the San Francisco area in that order. It's a combination business/pleasure trip. The newsletters over that period may be skin and bones, but I'll do my best to share all new things I discover.

New Disclosure Guidelines

I'm not a fan of big government - you can see that below in The Fire Pit if you're a new subscriber. But in certain instances, the Federal government does do something that's very good. On October 5th, 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released guidelines for web sites to follow with regards to product reviews. I'm square in the middle of that, as I regularly test new products and tell you about them. These guidelines go into effect on December 1, 2009.

The guidelines require the reviewer, as well as the manufacturer, to disclose any financial relationships. This is a very good thing, because over the past few years, some companies and bloggers have been very unethical. Fake blogs have been created by companies and certain bloggers have been paid money to say good things or things that might not be true. More and more, you and I are starting to trust online reviews, so guidelines had to be set up.  On the day the FTC went public with this announcement, I published my own Disclosure Policy. It will become a permanent item at the top of each newsletter from now on.

I urge you to be very careful of web sites that don't have a published Disclosure Policy. Use the Contact Form on any web site you find a review but no Disclosure Policy. Try to find out the relationship between the reviewer and the manufacturer or service provider. Remember, you can always visit the manufacturer's website to see what their policy is. That's a good way to double check.

Simple Light Bulb Reminder

I just had to change two burned-out light bulbs in typical ceiling-mount fixtures. These fixtures are less than 10-years old, so they had labels in them as to the maximum bulb wattage. In my case, it was 75 watts. It's really important that you pay attention to these labels. The bulbs produce lots of heat that can cause fires.

Always look to make sure the reflective insulation between the bulb and the wiring in the electrical box behind the fixture is in good shape and that the wires leading from the back of the socket look good with no cracks or degradation. Electrical fires kill people every day here in the USA. It's the silent killer. Never underestimate the power of electricity to hurt or kill you.

Editor's Note: There is an important follow-up to this story in my October 14, 2009 AsktheBuilder News And Tips. Be sure to click here to read it.

A Wood Stain Tip

Years ago, I had a problem with a painter that was trying to match stain on woodwork in a large remodeling job. He stained the poplar wood that was specified for the job, but it wasn't red enough. I was able to easily solve the problem without stripping the woodwork and starting over. I went to the paint store and had them add some red pigment to the clear urethane we used as a finish. I lucked out the first time and put just enough red in the can. Once applied, the woodwork looked perfect. After that coat dried, we put on two coats of clear urethane with no pigment in it to ensure none of the pigment would rub off when it was cleaned.

Latest Columns and Videos

Want to install my latest version of storage shelving in your garage or basement?

Do you have worn wood stair treads in your home? Want to make sure you don't have to refinish them?

Are you attracted to the frameless shower doors? My wife and I were. We just installed one!

Roofing contractors are a dime a dozen. You surely want the best one to do your work, right?

Will you have plenty of electricity when the next storm hits? You will if you have a standby generator!

Cracks in New Stucco

Dean Primrose from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada wrote to me:

"G'day, we just had our home re-stucco'd and after 2 weeks, we have been seeing cracks develop. Is this common? The contractor tells us so. It was done in late July."

Dean, since you say you had an existing home re-stuccoed, I'm assuming that the house is several or many years old. If this is so, then the cracks are probably related to rapid drying of the stucco. This causes plastic shrinkage cracks. The same thing happens in concrete slabs, as just yesterday I was sent a photo of classic shrinkage cracks in a new stamped-concrete slab. You prevent these cracks by immediately spraying new stucco with a high-quality curing compound or covering it with plastic. You do the same with concrete.

In new stucco homes, cracks can be attributed to stresses caused by significant lumber shrinkage. If I was building a new stucco home, I would have it framed, roofed and the exterior covered with a water barrier. Then I would wait 3 months or more before I would apply the stucco. This would allow time for the lumber to dry and shrink. Part of the drying process assumes that you can ventilate the house well making sure no rain water enters the house through window or door openings.
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