I just got a new toy to tinker with at home (because even on my days off I'm not content to sit around and do nothing... I need a project to mess around with). Stick with me, there are money-saving and life-saving lessons in this. My new hobby is a vintage Mark Twain speedboat from 1977, and it needs a little work. That is to say, all of the interior wood is rotten. I need to strip it all the way down to the hull and totally rebuild it. At first I was let down. This is a huge repair and I definitely won't have the boat on the water this summer. Just call me Captain Drydock. But once I got used to the idea, I got excited and started researching the right way to fix it. Now whenever I'm working on my custom cabinets and need to stop for a minute while the paint dries or the glue sets up, I'll hop in the boat and rip out the floor for half an hour. Since boating is a new world for me, I've been studying boating forums and Youtube channels to see how this kind of project is done. A lot of the guys doing the demonstration are hobbyists as well, and outside of boat remodeling, many of them don't have a lot of experience doing handyman or carpentry work. And there's a big mistake I've noticed amateurs making again and again when they DIY their boat repair: They use cheap materials. Think about it: you're about to spend the only resource you can't recover or get back... a resource that in some ways is even more precious than your money... your time. In the case of a total boat repair like this, you'd be spending about 300 hours of your life. Yet instead of choosing marine-grade materials that will last for a long time, some of these guys are using the cheapest plywood available and just trusting in their fiberglass coating to do the work. Since it's hard to add a perfect waterproof coating, changes are that the plywood is going to rot in ten years and all of that time will be wasted. And the money they spent on the cheap materials will be wasted, too. And here's another mistake to avoid making... and this is one that even the pros make all the time... and it drives me crazy because it's really dangerous... They don't wear proper masks or safety gear. Heck, some of them don't even use ventilation! Your health is just as precious as your time. And wood dust causes cancer. When you breathe wood dust, you're basically breathing in silica (the stuff they make glass out of) and the worst part is, the most dangerous dust is the finest dust. It hangs in the air longer, you can't see it, and most masks don't filter it out. If you are going to DIY a project, always buy the best mask you can afford and work with the best available ventilation. That's why even though I have a professional workshop with the best ventilation I can buy... ...I still leave the windows and doors open in good weather, and I wear my powered-air dust filter. Is it overkill? I have good reason to believe that it is not. I'm fortunate (if that's the word) to have an allergy to wood dust because I spent so many years breathing it in. If I expose myself to a dangerous cancer-causing level of dust, my body reacts as if I've just inhaled a handful of pollen. And if I don't wear my powered air mask and use good ventilation for even a few minutes of light sanding, I get that allergy. If you're not "lucky" enough to have a wood dust allergy, you can easily expose yourself to a dangerous level of carcinogens without ever knowing it. Don't believe me? Ask the American National Cancer Institute and the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Those are just the first two that came up on my Google search. The evidence is there. And speaking of carcinogens, I have an outdoor work table which I like to use when painting, because even with low-VOC paint there can still be dangerous fumes, and I don't trust my spray booth to clear the air as well as a strong breeze. I'm not saying you shouldn't DIY your household projects. But don't save money at the expense of the more important things in life... the things you can't get back once they're gone... your time, and the health of you and your loved ones. OK, I'll climb down off my soapbox now.
If you have a project that you'd like to DIY, but don't have the time, know-how or safety equipment, give us a call. We'll take care of it for you. I just finished a fun project in north Asheville's historic Grove Park neighborhood: installing new wainscot and chair rail in a home office. We started out with a blank canvas: the room had nice white trim and French doors, but there was plenty of room for architectural interest. I started off by installing a chair railing, which is nice in an office or dining room because it protects the wall from nicks and dings caused by the backs of chairs. The homeowner requested a two-piece railing built up from pre-milled, pre-painted trim. If you look closely at the right-hand photo, you can also see that I've penciled in the lines for the wainscoting. Then I installed squares of moulding directly on the wall. Using the existing wall (instead of adding a wooden backing) makes a significant cost savings. Wow! What a big difference this trim makes! It looks like something you'd see in the White House, and it's perfectly suited to this historic home. Interestingly, the cost difference to install the two piece chair rail (as opposed to the generic standard) was very minor, and it is much more elegant than the plain piece would have been. Wainscoting like this could be what sets your home apart from the "plain white box" construction that we see in so many modern houses. If you have a room that needs a little dressing up, get in touch with us. We'll be glad to help.
Today I want to highlight some excellent work done by Jesse Scott of J. Scott Handyman and More, LLC. Jesse is one of the craftsmen in our referral network, and he sent some awesome photos of a tuckpointing job he recently completed here in Asheville. "Tuckpointing" (which is also called "repointing") simply means replacing the mortar between bricks. Bricks can last for hundreds of years, but the mortar between them usually wears out in about 25 years. Water gets into the joints and freezes and thaws repeatedly until finally the mortar crumbles away and if the wall is left unrepaired, the bricks tumble down. In this case, the bricks were part of the foundation of a house. They had been plastered over and painted blue some years before, so he had to remove the crumbling plaster first, then carefully replace the mortar where it had disintegrated. Let's get a close-up of that beautiful wall. I know from experience that tuckpointing is hard physical labor, and Jesse did a great job! It's not just a question of hard work... good masonry repair also requires know-how, and that is where Jesse's experience really shines through. In his words, I custom blended the mortar batch by batch to ensure that the bricks would not “deface” any further. Most folks just shove in a bunch of mortar from off the shelf, and that is not the correct way. The mortar needs to be as soft as, or softer than, the bricks. If not, then the bricks “deface” and degrade prematurely. So this isn't just a quick patch job... it's a real repair that will last for another generation. As a bonus, the newly-exposed red brick looks great against the green siding, much better than the crumbling old blue plaster. Talk about curb appeal! His customers must be very happy with their new foundation. If your home needs repairs done with the same care and experience that Jesse brought to this brick foundation, give us a call. We'll put you in touch with a craftsman who's just right for the job.
I recently did an onsite furniture refinishing job, and the outcome was amazing! The "Before" picture of this old table looks absolutely hopeless. Most of the lacquer finish has worn off. Kids have "decorated" it with red, green and purple crayons, and there are countless rings and scratches. I didn't have much hope for it, but my clients weren't too worried about that. "Just do the best you can," they said. "We're trying to sell our house, and we need a decent table in the dining room." So I got started. Click any picture to see more: As you can see, a few passes from my sander stripped the old finish right off, including the crayon "art" and the water rings. What was revealed was a gorgeous white oak top which worked beautifully with my clients' other furniture: My clients liked it so much that they decided to keep it. I love it when I can take an old beat-up table and unearth its "family heirloom" potential.
If you have battered old wooden furnishings, why not ask me over for a furniture touch-up session? I can also fix scratches on wooden trim and baseboards. It's a great way to breathe new life into old wood. I recently repainted a porch, and I can't resist showing you the best picture first. Don't you just want to sit there and enjoy the pleasant fall weather? The porch was actually in pretty good shape when I arrived, but closer inspection revealed that it needed a new paint job on the railings, the floor and the swing. The swing was really gratifying to repaint. While I was there, I also re-hung the porch gate. I used double-swing hinges, so you can push straight through the gate no matter which way you're going. It makes a big difference when you're coming onto the porch with an armload of groceries. If your porch is looking tired and dirty, why not call me and get a coat of paint and a pick-me-up? The curb appeal of a clean porch is a great investment in your home value and, more importantly, in your lifestyle. After all, who doesn't enjoy a comfortable porch swing during Asheville's warm fall weather?
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