Walls often have air spaces hidden somewhere between the siding on the outside and the drywall on the inside. Some are accidental -- some on purpose, even code required -- some served a purpose at one time in history but because of the evolution of construction, are no longer useful -- some a...
A viewer caught our TV cameras in a renovation centre and asked about cleaning aluminum siding.
An interesting fact about siding is that white aluminum siding and to some extent white vinyl siding both tend to "chalk". If you run your hand over it, you get a bit of a chalk like deposit on your h...
More and more people have domestic power washers, allowing them to quickly clean all kinds of things around the house. Of course one of the first things we want to use it for is to clean off the siding on the house. CAUTION -- you all know that you need to be careful not to damage wood or spra...
An ivy covered wall
John from Mississauga, Ontario writes: "We recently bought a house that was half covered in ivy. We didn't like it and we were told to cut the roots and let the ivy die and then just tear it down from the walls. We cut the roots and let the ivy die but we noticed all these li...
Drum Cymbal noises --> Furnace Ducting
Gina in Saskatoon is complaining about drum cymbal-like crashes that happen every time her furnace goes on. This is common when you have smooth flat ductwork. The heat and pressure of the air can cause the large flat surface of sheet metal to flex eithe...
Albert Bacci of the Noble House Coatings company in Toronto came to the TV studio to share his experience in applying outdoor stains.
First rule, if there is mill glaze (that washer board look caused by the planing blades in the lumber mill) on the boards, you must sand them off or no stain will...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Finishes Product: Acrylic Latex Paint
Temperature Limitations: Use above +10 C (+50 F) and below +32 C (+90 F)
Rain Limitations: No rain for 24 hours
Wind Limitations: low to moderate to avoi...
Steve asks: "I have a question about insulating a home from the exterior. My house has got wood siding and I'm going to be removing it and replacing it with vinyl siding and when I do I want to insulate certain areas with blown in insulation but I heard that it settles over time. So if it starts ...
Homeowners hear a lot of strange suggestions when it comes to repairing a flashing at the bottom of a brick wall, or installing one where it had not been installed. Actually it is a bit difficult to find reliable guidance in this endeavour as most industry brick information is intended for indus...
Susan from Calgary, Alberta has mice that just keep coming into her house. She knows where they get in and would like to block the entrance. She wonders if the foam in a can would stop them.
No. They will eat right through it. But if you mix the foam in a can, or caul...
