About this column:
Blair Gilbert is a third generation hardwareman and owner of Gilbert's Hardware in St. Clair Shores. The shop is an old-fashioned hardware store with a wide selection of items for both the do-it-yourself type and contractor. He also writes on his blog at www.mrhardware.com.Q. With all the rain this spring our basement has several wet areas that we have never seen before. Can we use waterproofing paint or do we need to have the house waterproofed? Steve in St. Clair Shores. A. Dear Steve, before I recommend waterproofing, I suggest raising the grade around the house. Make the water flow to the yard, away from the house. It works more often than not. Although we sell waterproofing paint, I do not recommend it. Most of the basements in our area are of block construction, which are hollow. Using waterproofing paint on a hollow masonry surface only traps the water …
If you see ice over an inch thick on top of your gutter you need to take action! The ice you see is the beginning of an ice dam that can cause water damage to your ceilings and outside walls. Weather conditions have a lot to do with formation of ice dams. Warm days, cold nights and enough snow on the roof can set the stage for an ice dam. Ice dams form when snow on the roof melts during the day and refreezes over the overhangs (soffits) at night. After several nights the ice can build up to a thick layer that will trap melting snow right over your outside wall. The first warm day the snow on …
Q. Mr. Hardware, this fall I insulated the attic. Before I blow the wad on Christmas, I want to know what else I can do to offset the cost of gas? From Thrifty in St. Clair Shores. A. Dear "Thrifty," once the attic is insulated (which is the best place to start because heat rises) you can concentrate on insulating other areas and reducing air infiltration. The windows are an easy, and needy, area to insulate. Unless you have installed new windows you are probably losing heat through the glass and letting too much wind to infiltrate through poor seals. Window-shrink film kits return up to a …
A clean humidifier is a happy humidifier, and a happy humidifier provides lots of moisture all winter. A humidifier increases humidity in the home, which provides comfort and helps to reduce heating costs. Proper humidity keeps noses soft, elbows from getting white, the plants smiling, the furniture tighter and rooms warmer. It also prevents static electricity, which keeps my computer from getting a little jumpy when I wear wool socks. Before running to the furnace, you should know that there are two basic styles of humidifiers: drum and flow-through. Drum humidifiers have a drum with a …
