I bet you can imagine how many manufacturers send me products hoping that I will put them on TV. Well, here is one where I called MinWax and asked them to send me over some Wipe-On-Poly. I have fallen in love with this stuff.
It is simply a clear polyurethane finish, but formulated to not gum up...
There are a myriad of choices for a new kitchen, from style to counter top materials – and choosing what is right for you has always been a balance between your “desires” and your “budget”. This kitchen renovation tips article was written in 2003 in Toronto, but the basic information is still...
Building codes require that a heating system be able to just barely maintain a comfortable house during the coldest day of the year. Hence the size of the heating system depends not only on the size of the house but on where it is located and how well it is winterized (sealed and insulated). The ...
BAMBOO FLOORING -- LOOSING FAVOUR
Bamboo flooring is beautiful and reasonably durable -- but it is falling out of favour.
Ecologically bamboo is a sustainable resource as it is a very fast growing grass, so bamboo production on a piece of land is far more profitable than growing trees on th...
Note: There is one important exception to all the pollution control described below. The Montreal by-law states: "Authorizing the use of all solid fuel-burning devices during electricity outages that last more than three hours." (but you must keep your fireplace and chimney clean and in good ...
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...
revised November 2004
Viewers are constantly asking me if there are alternatives to using pressure treated wood. In 2004 the wood treating companies 'voluntarily' withdrew the standard CCA pressure treated wood from the residential market. Ecological groups had lobbied long and hard to ban this...
This entry has been updated in 2013 and you may want to jump to the last paragraph to see the positive current state of Pressure Treated Wood.
Is pressure treated wood safe or not? Is the wood used to build my deck a few years ago now banned? There is a lot of confusion about pressure treated wo...
Have we really moved to a new generation of Pressure Treated Wood?
With the introduction of MicroPro treated wood to the Canadian market in the spring of 2013, some are saying that we have a game change in exteriour wood and building decks. It has taken several years to get this technology adap...
Îpe is a beautiful hardwood from Brazil’s Amazon forest that is popular as a premium decking material. There are social, moral and sustainable reasons why you should not buy Îpe. Click here to read the Green Peace documentation of the tragedy of this beautiful wood: “Blood Stained Timber – Rura...
