How to Remove Patio Tiles

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Tim Carter

How to Remove Patio Tiles Video

You can remove patio tiles in a flash using a cordless rotary chipping hammer. For one thing, your back is going to love you.

A power tool with a 3/4-inch flat chipping chisel can remove full tiles in seconds if you get under the tile.

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Remove Patio Tiles Requires Minimal Skill

You don't have to have years of experience to remove tiles. I taught a friend of mine to do it in less than two minutes.

The key is chipping pieces of tile away from you if you're trying to preserve nearby tiles.

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local tile contractors if you don't want to do this job.

Use a cordless chipping hammer like this to remove tiles in seconds. You must have the right chisel bit!

Sometimes you can remove an entire tile by chiseling at a low angle getting the bit under the tile so it pops up.

Safety First

Be sure to wear safety glasses, heavy gloves and slow down. Shards of tile can be very sharp and cuts are a constant threat.

Grind Out Grout

You need to grind out the grout around tile that are being replaced. If you bash the tile with a hammer without removing the grout, the force of the hammer blow will transfer to adjacent tile and possibly crack them.

This is a great but inexpensive angle grinder. Put in a dry diamond blade and you can cut away grout in seconds. CLICK THE PHOTO NOW to have this grinder delivered to your door.

Remove Thinset Too

The old thinset that is under the tile needs to be removed. This cement material can get in the way when you go to install the new tile.

A wide chisel tapping towards the thinset is the only way to remove it fast.

Rub the concrete slab with your bare hand to make sure its smooth. All dust must be swept away before installing new tile.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local tile contractors if you don't want to do this job.

How to Install Mexican Tile

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Tim Carter

Install Mexican tile? You bet you can do it. It's much easier than you can imagine.

Install Mexican Tile On Smooth Slabs

Mexican tile is soft because it's not fired long in a hot kiln. The concrete slab under the tile needs to be very strong so the tile doesn't crack.

The concrete slab should be at least 5 inches thick. The slab should have 1/2-inch steel bars both directions in the middle of the concrete.

This steel prevents wide or offset cracks in the slab and tile. The worst thing that may happen is an ultra-thin hairline crack at some point.

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Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local tile contractors who can do this job.

Notched Trowels and Flat Concrete

A 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch square-notched trowel is required to install Mexican tile. Look at the photo below:

This is a perfect-sized trowel for installing Mexican tile. The notches are 1/2-inch wide by 1/2-inch tall. CLICK THE PHOTO NOW to have this trowel delivered to your door. It's a great one.

Another key point is how you hold the trowel. Be sure the trowel is held at a 45-degree angle to the surface of the concrete. If you lower the angle, the thickness of the cement thinset will be insufficient.

Most Mexican tile come from the factory with a very smooth bottom surface. The wear surface may have small undulations that add character.

Be sure the concrete slab is smooth and in the same plane with no humps or dips in it. This is a point often overlooked.

The tile will look best when they lay flat on top of a flat concrete slab. Doing this ensures you don't have to back butter each tile.

Thinset Consistency and Weather

Mexican tile is installed on concrete using thinset. Thinset is a mixture of Portland cement and fine silica sand.

You add water to mix the thinset. The thinset should resemble warm cake icing.

The concrete must be dust-free and damp when you trowel on the thinset. Only trowel on thinset that you can cover in 90 seconds.

It must be remembered the bottom of the Mexican tile should also be damp before it's placed in the wet thinset.

Hot sunny days are the worst weather to do this job. Overcast days with no wind and temperatures in the 60s F are preferred.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local tile contractors who can do this job.

How to Grout Mexican Tile

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Tim Carter

How to Grout Mexican Tile Video

Grout Mexican tile - it's a simple job if you do it in the right conditions and understand how water is both your friend and foe.

Mexican tile is a unique product that by its very nature absorbs water very fast. If too much water leaves the grout too fast, it can become weak.

Grout will become weak if you add too much water while mixing it. Grout that resembles moist applesauce is perfect.

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Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local tile contractors who can grout your tile.

Grout Mexican Tile While It's Damp

A point often overlooked is the weather while you grout. You may feel that sunny warm days with a breeze are best.

The best weather to grout Mexican tile is when the temperature is in the 60s F range and the skies are overcast with no wind.

Hot sunny and breezy weather suck too much water from the tile and grout too fast.

If you must grout in these conditions, then be sure the tiles are very damp with water as you install the grout.

Use a Grout Bag

The best way to grout the lines in Mexican tile is to use a grout bag like you see below. A simple plastic food-storage bag from your kitchen will work too as you see me use in the video above.

This is a high-quality grout or mortar bag. The small stainless-steel funnel slides into the bag. The grout must be like wet applesauce to flow out of the bag with minimal squeezing. CLICK THE PHOTO OF THE BAG NOW to have it delivered to your door.

Squeeze the Sponge

A special grout sponge is needed to smooth the grout joints. Squeeze out all water before you run it over the grout.

Grout can be ruined if you allow water to pond on the fresh grout. The water dilutes the Portland cement in the grout. This causes the grout to crumble and crack especially in cold climates.

Keep Grout Damp for Two Days

A point often overlooked is wet curing. You want to cover your new grouted patio with a sheet of plastic to stop water evaporation. Do this for at least 48 hours.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local tile contractors who can grout your tile.

How to Use a Spade Bit

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Tim Carter

How to Use a Spade Bit Video

A spade bit is an affordable drill accessory you'll come to love. These paddle bits, their old name from years ago, can devour wood in seconds.

Screw Tips and Teeth

I've used spade bits for decades. The old one just had a pointed tip like an arrow and the flat part of the bits had a tilted sharp edge.
The best bits I've used recently have a screw tip that pulls the bit into the wood so you have to work less.

It's important to realize you need to conserve energy when working. The bits that have sharp cutting teeth at the outer edges prevent even more fatigue.

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Free & Fast Bids

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Many Spade Bit Sizes

These bits come as small as 3/8-inch and I've seen them up to 1 and 3/4 inches. You must work carefully if you're using a large-diameter bit.

Here's a set of high-quality spade bits. The smallest is 1/4-inch and the largest one drills a 1 and 1/2-inch hole. CLICK THE PHOTO NOW to have these delivered to your door in days.

Drilling Two Holes

In the video above I had to drill a big hole and then a small one. It's best to drill the large hole first. The second smaller bit will not wobble in the tiny cone-shaped hole at the bottom of the larger hole.

Blowouts Out Back

A bit like this can cause wood to splinter out the back of what you're drilling. For this reason you need to stop drilling once you see the tip of the bit pop out the back of what you're drilling.

Reverse the drill and back the bit out of the wood. Insert the tip of the bit in the tiny hole on the back of the wood and start to finish drilling coming in from the back side.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local finish carpenters who can demonstrate how to use a wide bit.

How to Use a Drill Driver

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Tim Carter

How to Use a Drill Driver Video

A cordless drill driver is a magnificent tool that will save you time. This two-in-one power tool will also prevent lots of frustration.

Drill Driver Saves Your Wrist

My drill driver does a great job of preventing fatigue. Decades ago you had to turn screws by hand or use a crude mechanical screwdriver that slipped off the head of the screw.

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local carpenters who can show you how to use this wonder tool!

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Here's the power tool similar to the one in the video. Be sure the one you have has a nice torque-adjustment collar! CLICK THE PHOTO NOW to have one delivered to your home.

Drilling Tips

It's best to always drill pilot holes for screws. Some screws have threads that drill pilot holes, but these are few and far between.

Pilot holes should be the same diameter as the inside shaft of the threaded part of the screw. Simply hold up a drill bit alongside the screw until you have a match.

Long screws that have a large unthreaded shank near the head should have a second pilot hole drilled to reduce friction at the top of the hole.

Driving Tips

It's important to realize that screw heads can be stripped. You can prevent this by using a perfect match with the driver bit.

For example, there are three common-sized Phillips-head drivers:

The most common Phillips bit you'll use is the #2.

Use Firm Pressure

Apply firm and constant pressure as you push against the tool while driving a screw. Screw heads will become stripped and rounded if the bit spins within the screw head. The driving bit will be ruined too.

Don't Overdrive Screws

Another key point beginners should know is the danger of overdriving. A drill driver is powerful and if you don't stop the tool in time, the screw can be driven too deep into the wood or decking.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local carpenters who can show you how to use this wonder tool!

November 19, 2017 AsktheBuilder Forgets

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Tim Carter

A few hours ago I sent out a news blast. I forgot two things!!!

"Comment Held for Approval"

I asked you to watch my new video format and then comment at the bottom of the page.

You may have commented and typed it a second time because after clicking SUBMIT you didn't immediately see your comment.

I forgot to tell you that I HOLD all comments for approval. The reason is simple.

AsktheBuilder.com is a MASSIVE target for SPAM comments other websites try to place on my site so they can suck on my aged SEO nectar.

AsktheBuilder.com is older than Google.com and other websites constantly want me to link to them. Because I've been on the Internet so long, since 1995, Google considers me a top tier authority on all things home improvement.

This requires me to delete SPAM comments so I have my comments set that none show at all until I approve them.

In the future, just type your comment, check it for spelling and typos and click SUBMIT. You'll eventually see it, although it might take up to a day for me to approve it.

Please don't submit multiple *identical* comments thinking my website is broken.

Oh, here's another tip if you leave comments at websites. If you type a long one, BLOCK and COPY your comment before you click SUBMIT. More than one comment has disappeared in the ether! This saves you from typing twice.

Thanksgiving Table Accidents

and Pots & Pans

I forgot to tell you I've got a super STRESS reliever!!!

Holidays like Thanksgiving are filled with family stress and drama.

Maybe you're getting out that heirloom tablecloth / napkin set. Perhaps you just got NEW carpet installed.

By accident someone spills red wine, gravy, beet juice, cranberry juice and everyone FREAKS at the table!

Stain Solver to the RESCUE!

Years ago, a woman wrote this story to me I need to share:

"Dear Tim,

I wanted to tell you how Stain Solver saved my holiday. Two days before Thanksgiving I had new WHITE carpet installed.

One of my dinner guests spilled her red wine on my tablecloth and it sloshed over onto the carpet. She was mortified and tried to get up to start to clean it.

I told her to remain seated, I wasn't flustered and said, 'Don't worry. I'll get it tomorrow. I've got Tim and Kathy's Stain Solver. It will get all the stain out. Let's get back to having fun.'

I'm so thankful you make this great product and it saved our Thanksgiving!"

Do you want your pots and pans, cookie sheets, and glass cookware to be like NEW for your company?

Or do you want them to look great after all that cooking?

Look at these crazy before and after photos I took myself three days ago!!! Yes, this is a pan we use everyday here at the Carter Casa.

Kathy is very happy with what I did! What do you think?

CLICK HERE to see the step-by-step photos of HOW I made the pan look like new in hours with minimal work.

CLICK HERE NOW to order some Stain Solver.

Holiday Stress Reliever Extraordinaire

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Tim Carter
Forgetful Date Desireman

Do It Right, Not Over and Over Tim!

November 19, 2017 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Tim Carter

This is a weird newsletter with a potpourri of all sorts of goodies.

I think you're going to like it. Let's start with some something I've seen online that disturbs me.

Unethical Advertising

Yesterday I was uploading my latest videos to my AsktheBuilder Facebook page and the following ad showed up in my timeline.

I get quite upset when I see things like this.

I feel it's highly unethical advertising meant to lure you into buying something under false pretense.

Have you ever stopped to do the math on how much you spend each day to heat the water in your home?

You should.

When you do, you'll be steaming at the above "$400-a-year-savings claim".

It's VERY EASY to come up with a fairly accurate number of what you spend to heat water assuming you heat with natural gas or propane.

CLICK HERE to see how to do it.

When you do the math, you'll probably discover you spend about $1 to $1.50 a day.

$1 per day times 365 = $365.00

$365 is less than $400 the last time I checked.

Sarcasm ALERT: So you buy a Rheem hybrid heater and you pay nothing to heat water, right.......

Let's all go out and buy one today!!! NOT!!!!!!

Big Buying Week Ahead

Can you believe my favorite meal of the year is in four days?

WOOT!!!!! Thanksgiving!!!!!

This holiday generally starts the Christmas shopping season for many.

If you shop at Amazon.com, please consider using the following affiliate link. It doesn't cause the price of anything you buy to go up.

Amazon simply shares a small part of their profit with me. It's a much-appreciated method of giving back for any money-saving tips I gave you over the past year.

CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING

I'll resend this affiliate link on Thanksgiving night as a reminder.

Here are some GREAT Christmas gift ideas - fairly strange ones for the most part!

Succulent Tasty CA Dates

The fresh dates idea came from these EXACT ones I bought at a farmers market in Altadena, CA about twelve days ago. They're grown by the Davall Farm west of LA not too far from Joshua Tree National Park.

CLICK HERE to order them.

Be SURE you order the Medjool dates to get the ones I had. Two pounds is less than $16. WOWZA!!!!

When I bit into these plump moist dates, there was an explosion of flavor unlike any other I've ever had. I found it impossible to believe these tasty dates grew naturally!

They were the BEST MEDJOOL DATES I've ever had and Steve, my friend who lives in LA, said the same thing! He's a date connoisseur.

These are way at the top of my list for Santa. I'm trying extra hard to be good so I get some! Anyone you give these too will be very thankful!

2018 Calendar - NH Scenery

Frequently I share photos with you I take while hiking and exploring here in central NH as well as the White Mountains.

A local NH professional photographer, Chris Whiton, has produced a calendar that's now hanging on my wall. I see it everyday as I enter my man cave.

Each month has a fabulous NH nature photo similar to what you see above. Chris has gotten up in the middle of the night to hike in the dark on bitter cold days to capture rare and exceptional winter photos that you or I would never obtain.

At $13.00, this is a no-brainer. The nature-lover on your list will really cherish this calendar. CLICK HERE to order one.

New Video Format - NEED YOUR HELP!

Two weeks ago, I was getting ready to fly to LA to do a bunch of home repair projects for my good friend Steve and his lovely wife Karin.

I was lucky to leave LA with eleven new videos for you!

While taping one on the third work day, an idea popped into my head just as the camera began to roll.

I decided to turn the video into a fun guessing game.

Would you do me two favors?

1. Watch the following video - it's short.
2. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page telling me what you thought of the new format.

CLICK HERE to watch the short video.

I edited and uploaded all the other videos. I don't want to overload you with new ones today, so I'm going to share them over the next few weeks.

If you LOVE the new format, then I'm going to start to do many more incorporating this format.

Remember, you need to TELL me in the comments below the video why you liked it. I'm also open to other suggestions - so tell me in the comments how to make the videos BETTER.

Click to read Tim's Update on the request in his November 19, 2017 AsktheBuilder Forgets!

That's enough for today.

Please consider once again using my Amazon.com shopping link. It will really help keep this newsletter coming to you.

CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING

THANKS!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com & Dreamer of Dates!

Do It Right, Not Over!

Stop Woodpecker From Pecking House

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Tim Carter

Here's where the devil woodpecker was munching on my house. See the aluminum sheet behind the bottle? You should see the size of the hole he created two weeks ago! CLICK THE PHOTO NOW to have the magic hot sauce I used delivered to your door.

Stop Woodpecker

I had a "Stop Woodpecker" sign up on my roof fascia board, but it didn't do any good.

As a matter of fact, I installed aluminum sheet metal thinking he'd go away.

White Hot Woodpecker Victory!

I had success once I started thinking about what made my eyes water.

Was there a way to make the wood distasteful so the woodpecker would leave?

Hot sauce! Of course, why didn't I think of it before?

Stop Woodpecker and Grab Some Water!

I think birds hate hot sauce. The most compelling evidence lies in my experiments.

A few days ago I tried standard Tabasco sauce. It contains aged red peppers and vinegar.

It worked for a day, but then the invader bird came back enlarging the hole looking for tasty insects.

Goya Hot Sauce Rules

This afternoon he was back. Peck peck peck. I was determined to win.

I ran downstairs and grabbed my small squirt gun and rummaged through the spice cabinet.

Want to stop a woodpecker? Use this weapon to deploy a film of white-hot hot sauce on the wood! CLICK THE GUNS NOW to have these delivered to your home!

Boom! There it was. Goya Hot Sauce.

I twisted open the cap and the fumes about killed me.

This is the ticket. Want to stop woodpeckers at your home? Spray this on your wood. CLICK THE SAUCE BOTTLES NOW TO HAVE THIS MAGIC NECTAR delivered to your home!

I made a 50/50 mixture (half hot sauce and half water) and went outdoors.

The miscreant bird saw me coming and flew off. I then soaked all the wood with the hot sauce solution.

It's been hours and he's not returned. In the past it only took him a few minutes to come back to continue his mission of destruction on my home.

Periodic Spraying

I intend to spray the wood every few days to keep the woodpecker away. It's my hope that he'll discover some other better food source or fly farther away.

Let me know in the comments below how Goya worked for you!

Fraudulent Consumers Cheating Builders

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Tim Carter

Fraudulent Consumers Are In Every City and Town

Fraudulent consumers and homeowners take advantage of businesses each and every day. They target builders and remodelers because the average building or remodeling job can run in the thousands and tens of thousands of dollars.

The swindling homeowners can keep tons of money in their accounts and pockets because they have no morals.

I was a victim of an evil woman several decades ago who cost me approximately $60,000 in the early 1990s. I still simmer each time I think of how crafty and cunning she was.

Cheating Builders Too

There are plenty of dishonest builders and remodelers out there too. I've written extensively about them in previous columns.

It's important to realize this article is dedicated to all the double-dealing homeowners and fraudulent consumers who get great delight from not paying deserving contractors for satisfactory work performed on time and within budget.

Possible Reasons for Dishonorable Conduct

There are any number of reasons why fraudulent consumers would want to cheat a builder or remodeler. A point often overlooked is simple greed. I'm not a psychologist, but my guess is a greedy person desires to keep as much money as they can.

Another key point is selfishness. Selfishness is the root of all evil.

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Advance Payments to Contractors

House Plans and Contracts

A homeowner that withholds a final payment to a builder or remodeler for unjust reasons is only thinking of themselves. The homeowner doesn't care about the contractor's sub-contractors who have bills to pay, the contractor's own obligations and most certainly the contractor's peace of mind.

Construction started on this house three years ago. It's possible the builder was dealing with a fraudulent consumer and pulled the plug early. A month ago the walls and roof finally went up. (C) Copyright 2017 Tim Carter

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who have families to feed.

Source of Misunderstandings

Some homeowners are indeed evil and premeditate their plan to not pay the contractor. I've served as an expert witness for over fifteen years in homeowner/contractor disputes and have come to realize that most non-payment issues on the part of a homeowner stem from any number of misunderstandings.

The misunderstandings can be eliminated to a large degree with excellent plans and written specifications. It would be great if homeowners produced these, but most have no clue what to even specify.
If you're a builder and want to get paid, then the onus is on you to go to great lengths in the contract documents to explain exactly what you intend to do and what materials you intend to use.

Face-to-Face Meeting

Prior to signing the contract, it's a great idea for you to meet face-to-face with the homeowner and go over in painstaking detail all the fine points of what's going to happen.

Modern technology allows you to create electronic documents overflowing with color photos of construction details that might become points of disagreement months from now.

Eliminate Allowances and Change Orders

Allowances are hidden time bombs. Eliminate them in the bidding phase by requiring the homeowner to make the needed selections so they stay within budget. If a homeowner goes over budget on an allowance item, how are you to know if they have the money to pay for it four months into the job?

Change orders almost always add cost to the job. Eliminate them using technology to transform two-dimensional plans into 3D renditions so homeowners can see what is really going to happen.

Given these points it's still up to you the builder and remodeler to look for signs and past history that might telegraph you're about to sign up a miscreant homeowner.

There's a good chance the homeowner asked you for references before they chose you. It's your turn to be selective. Run a credit report on them. Do fast internet searches to see if some other business complained about them.

Demand bank statements. Be sure the homeowner has plenty of cash to pay you.

If the homeowner is getting a loan, get a copy of a pre-approved loan and contact the lending institution to ensure the homeowner has closed on that loan. Don't assume the pre-approval letter means the homeowner has the money!

Be bold. Be brave. Don't worry about losing a job by asking probing questions. There are plenty of other honest homeowners looking to hire you! You can only blame yourself if you get tangled up in the vile webs of a fraudulent consumers!

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who have families to feed.

How to Install Anchor in Concrete

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Tim Carter

Install Anchor in Concrete With Epoxy and Magic

When you install anchor (s) in concrete or concrete block, you want it to stay put.

The best method in my opinion is to create a wedge-shaped hole in the concrete using a hammer drill.

The hole will be wider deep in the concrete than the smaller entry hole you see on the face of the wall or ceiling.

The above video was one of Tim's favorite projects he did with Steve Loyola. Steve helped with the Server Transfer for AsktheBuilder.com.

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Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local carpenters who can install anchors using my method.

Anchor Dovetail Trick

I borrowed this secret tip from dentists and woodworkers. The fillings in your teeth don't come out because the hole the dentist drills is wider at the bottom.

Dovetail joints in woodwork don't fail for the same reason.

Permanent Epoxy for Anchoring Into Concrete

CLICK HERE to get the best epoxy to install anchor in concrete.

This is the magic epoxy that fits into a regular caulk gun. I've used it with great success. CLICK THE PHOTO NOW TO HAVE IT DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME.

It's important to realize the hammer drill needs to be angled about 20 degrees from perpendicular in both directions. This creates the required wedge-shaped hole.

Use Blower to Blast Dust

Use a turkey baster to remove all drilling dust. A wet-dry vacuum works well too.

Reverse the vacuum hose so it's blowing instead of sucking. Slide just a small part of the blower hose over the edge of the hole. LOOK AWAY from the hole as clouds of abrasive concrete dust will begin to blow out of the hole.

Twist Anchor While Installing

After squirting in the wonderful PC Concrete epoxy you see above, twist the anchor back and forth as you slowly insert it into the hole.

The twisting motion coats the entire anchor and ensures the entire hole has no air in it. You want the hole to be completely filled with the anchor and epoxy.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local carpenters who can install anchors using my method.