The Future is in Your Bathroom . . . Now!

Posted on July 16, 2010August 6, 2019

There are times when I think I’ve seen everything. I don’t know why I allow myself to think that. Because whenever I do–whenever that thought crosses my mind–whenever I’m tempted to think that I’ve seen everything . . . I find something like this.

And not only have I never seen something like this–I’ve never even dreamed or imagined something like this. I mean really . . . who does? What kind of person dreams up the notion that a super idea would be a toilet paper holder/iPod dock and music system with waterproof speakers? Who thinks these things up?

I mean really . . . apart from the general “grossness” . . . isn’t there also a lack of aesthetics? And apart from those things . . . who looks at that thing and thinks it’s going to be extremely functional? Can’t you just imagine the deep bass tones and crystal clear sounds that will pump through those (I’m sure) high tech waterproof speakers? And think about the iPod dock part of it. It’s supposed to charge your iPod . . . but using what? I don’t think it’s probably hardwired into the wall. It probably runs off batteries. So you’re using regular double A batteries to charge your iPod. How do you think that’s going to work?

Yeah, I only have to look at it to pretty much guarantee you it’s not going to be a good iPod dock. It won’t be a very good sound system. It’s an ugly, over-complicated and soon to be gross (just look at all those buttons that will soon be coated with gunk) toilet paper holder.

It has three purposes: hold toilet paper, recharge iPods and play music. And, undoubtedly, it will do all three. But how well? Wouldn’t you be better off to just buy a regular toilet paper holder? One that is only designed to hold . . . you know . . . toilet paper? Wouldn’t that make more sense? Then, go ahead and buy another gadget to dock your iPod and play your music. Why try to combine all those things into one? When you do, you end up with a product that WILL do all the things promised–it just won’t do any of them well.

And that kind of reminds me of that new Primer and Paint all combined in one product. Oh, the analogy isn’t perfect–paint and primer in one product DOES work well on certain situations. But really, for many projects, using a primer that’s also a paint can be just as dumb as buying this toilet paper holder.

When you’re painting bare wood . . . inside or outside . . . skipping the primer step is as dumb as buying this toilet paper holder. When you’re painting over unknown stains that are on your walls–water spots, smoke stains, crayon, ink or marker stains . . . .painting over those stains without priming is as dumb as buying that toilet paper holder. Painting over tough-to-stick-to surfaces like plastics and laminates without using a primer is . . . .well, you get it.

There are certain times when the primer/paint all in one product (which is really just a high-quality latex paint) is fine. But there are other times when skipping that primer step is going to fill your home improvement life with misery. Knowing the difference between the two is the tough part. And that’s why we’re here.

Just stop out at RepcoLite and tell us what you’re doing. We’ll help you figure out what you should use, how you should do it and whether or not you should go with the black, white or chrome model of that toilet paper holder thingy.

More Job Application Screw-Ups and a Clever Tie-In to Exterior Primer

Posted on July 15, 2010August 6, 2019

“Peel” by Will Keightley is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Yesterday, I wrote about getting off on the right foot–you know, starting well. Because really, that’s one of the most critical things in life isn’t it? Starting well? If you start poorly in any endeavor, chances are you’re not going to bring it around and end up with great results. It’s just one of those rules of life: we need to make good first impressions, we need to get off to a good start . . . we need to start on the right foot . . . or we’re not going to go very far.

And let me prove it. See, I’m going to breeze through a few real-life lines from some job applications and you decide if these people went terribly far after making this kind of first impression.

OK, first off, here’s a lady who wrote, in the SKILLS section of her job application, that, and I quote, “My twin sister has an accounting degree.” End quote. Yeah. Her TWIN sister. Not just a little sister or an older sister. It’s her TWIN. And we all know how twins are supernaturally or magically or whatever bonded to each other, right? I mean really, there are those stories about twins raised in different homes with no knowledge of each other who end up marrying similar people and naming their children the exact same names. So, having a twin sister with an accounting degree is just like having one yourself. I mean, it’s almost a scientifically proven fact.

Or, what do you think about the first impression this guy made when he wrote in the section called “negative traits”, and I quote “I am very bad about time and don’t mind admitting it. Having to arrive at a certain hour doesn’t make sense to me. What does make sense is that I do the job. Any company that insists upon rigid time schedules will find me a nightmare.” Yeah, I know if I were looking for help, he’d be on my “must-call” list. Because I like his gritty honesty. And his carefree, artist’s disposition.

Anyway, life’s all about first impressions, right? And neither of those folks made terribly good ones. Yeah, life’s all about starting well. And the reason is simple: it’s tough to finish well if you don’t start well.

And that applies to everything from job applications to dating relationships to job interviews to home improvement projects. Starting well can make all the difference in the long-run.

Now yesterday, we talked about specific stain-blocking primers that should be used in some cases. How certain jobs you might tackle might need one of these specialty primers to ensure long-lasting results–like we said, it’s all about starting well. Start well and you won’t struggle with your project. Start poorly and you’ll have a mess.

Today we’re going to talk about another scenario when primers make good sense: exterior wood surfaces. Now, if these are stainable woods . . . that’s another topic for another day. What I’m talking about here are the exterior woods that you would typically paint.

And right now, as I mentioned yesterday, there’s ad on TV that claims you can basically quit using primers as long as you buy this apparently new and amazing paint product. However, there are a couple things to note here. First off, it’s not a new product or new technology–it’s been around for years–it’s just good marketing that’s making it seem new and exciting. Secondly, remember that those ads are 30 second spots. You can’t say everything you should say in a 30 second spot. Sure, there are times when primers can be skipped–and I’ve got products at RepcoLite that you can use just like that apparently new and amazing paint we see on TV. However, there are times when you can’t skip them–or at least you shouldn’t–not if you want to get your project started on the right foot.

And one of those times when primers really pay for themselves in the long run is when you’re painting bare exterior wood. A high quality latex paint over top of bare wood–with no primer–may lay on nicely and look great. But the problem is that it really can’t penetrate into the wood–it’s latex and that’s just not how latex products work. It’ll sit on the surface. Before long, the moisture that penetrates the wood from rain or even dampness in the air, will start to cause that paint to chip and peel. And once that starts, you’ll have a mess.

But, if you prime that wood with a high-quality oil based product, you’ll have much less failure. Primers are specifically MADE for these situations. They have characteristics that are DIFFERENT from paint–think about that for a minute. Primers are fundamentally different in make up from paint for a reason–they have a different job to do. Primers act as an intermediary between the wood and the topcoat. Primers will seal, hide and bind wood fibers to make the surface more uniform. And this allows the paint to adhere better. A quality primer will also improve your paint’s ability to resist surface moisture. As a result, you’ll have less peeling, less mess, longer lasting results and a better, happier ending.

So take a lesson from those folks we talked about earlier. Remember to get off on the right foot–no matter what it is you’re doing: meeting someone new, interviewing for a job, or painting your exterior trim. Get off on the right foot and you’ll end up happy at the finish line.

I Enjoy Long Walks, Donating Blood and Stain-Blocking Primers

Posted on July 14, 2010August 6, 2019

There’s nothing more important at the beginning of a relationship–whether it’s a personal relationship or a professional one–whether it’s a girl you’re meeting for the first time . . . or a potential employer your interviewing with, or even a resume your creating, or a job application you’re filling out–nothing’s more important at the start of any potential relationship than making a good first impression–you know, getting off on the right foot.

And yet, even though it’s absolutely critical to start well . . . so many times we bomb out. So many times, we just say the wrong things . . . we do the wrong things . . . we write the wrong things. For example, I found a number of true, real-life mistakes people actually wrote down on their job applications.

Yeah, under the category of personal interests . . . on a job application . . . somebody wrote: “I enjoy donating blood and have managed 14 Gallons so far.” You probably like long walks on the beach and long, meaningful conversations, too. I mean really, who writes that down? It’s creepy? 14 gallons of blood. So far? I mean, I guess that implies real commitment . . . but think about it . . . he never says it’s his own blood he’s donating . . . . Makes you wonder.

Or, there are these–under the category of REASONS I LEFT MY LAST JOB: Number 1: “I left my last job because the company made me a scapegoat – just like my three previous employers.” Yeah . . . no deep-rooted issues bubbling just under the surface there . . . .

Or, number 2: “I left my last job because they insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 every morning and I couldn’t work under those conditions.” Yes, those 8:45 am start-times are grueling. I suppose you probably had to limit yourself to 1 hour lunches, too?

Or there’s this one: Number 3: “I left my last job because responsibility makes me nervous.” Again, who writes stuff like that down? And really, what job doesn’t involve at least some responsibility? What employer would advertise: Great starting pay, great benefits and best of all . . . job requires no responsibility at all. Heck, you don’t even need to wear pants most of the time if you don’t want to?” Yeah . . . every job requires at least some responsibility . . . and even if there is one out there that doesn’t, chances are no employer likes to think of it that way.

Anyway, I could go on and on–and I will in another post because these are so good–but the point I want to make today is that none of these people made a good first impression. They didn’t get off on the right foot. They crashed and burned right out of the gates. They never got running . . . they never had the chance to hit their stride . . . . They tripped over their shoelaces the minute the race started and that was it. They were out. The guy giving all the blood probably never got to an interview . . . at least not with the employers, maybe with the police . . . but certainly not for the job he was hoping for.

Anyway, starting on the right foot is critical to success. Absolutely critical. And it’s not just that way in the search for a job . . . it’s also that way in pretty much anything else we do. And since my line of work involves paint . . . I’ll apply it to that.

See, one of the big things right now sweeping through the paint world . . . thanks to some very effective ads . . . is the notion that you don’t need primer anymore. Just go out and buy that special paint that primes and paints all in one and you can skip a whole step.

Yeah, it sounds great . . . and, in some cases, it’s true–though we’ll talk more about that another time. But in other cases, if you follow their advice and skip the primer, you’re going to find yourself getting off on the same wrong foot that all those people we just talked about did. You’re project will crash and burn before you even got into your stride.

See, there are certain situations that NEED a primer. One of those–today’s focus–involves stains that might be on your walls. And these stains could be anything from ink to markers, to crayons to grease. Or, maybe they’re stains where water leaked in once–you know those brown, yellow rings–or maybe it’s a smoke stain. And, honestly, the stains don’t have to be visible. It could be that your walls stink. Literally. Charred wood, kitchen odors, even the overpowering smell from years of cigarette smoking.

All of those stains–in fact, most stains on your walls–are water-based or water-soluble stains. If you topcoat them with a water-based paint or primer . . . that stain–or the stink–that stain is going to bleed right through. It may take a few days, a few months, or it could happen within a few minutes, but however long it takes, those stains will bleed through.

In order to prevent that from happening, you need to make sure you use a very specific stain-blocking primer. We’ve got a couple different ones at RepcoLite that will seal these trouble spots in with one coat. Remember that. If you’re trying to coat over any unusual stain or mark or smell . . . stop in at RepcoLite and explain to us what you’re seeing. Don’t screw up your project right from the beginning. Avoid the mistakes and start strong. And seriously . . . watch out for that 14 gallon blood donor guy . . . he’s probably really pale and tired . . . but he may be dangerous.

Confessions of a Dope

Posted on June 25, 2010August 6, 2019

Well, I did it again. See, I’ve got a way of humiliating myself on a regular basis. I don’t mean to–I honestly would love to avoid it–but I seem drawn to humiliation. For example, about once a week or so, I wander through some large, public area with my zipper down. Unintentionally. DEFINITELY, unintentionally. I’m not one of those people.Anyway, another thing I routinely do that embarrasses me involves involuntary grunting. I don’t know what is causing this or why it happens, but I think it’s got something to do with old age. At any rate, apparently, I sit around and when I’m not thinking about what I’m doing, I grunt. Quietly. And, of course, with great dignity. But it’s still grunting. And because of it, my whole family gathers around me at night, listening and laughing and making fun of me.

Another thing I do involves my voice. Oh, I know you’d never guess it if you listened to our daily radio shows . . . but in real-life, I have a nasally, sissy-voice. I understand that and I’m dealing with it. But for some reason, God didn’t just see fit to leave me with this obnoxious voice, but He also worked in a state of perpetual puberty for me. See, most guys . . . their voices crack and break as they move through their early teen years. Eventually, they end up with a man voice and they move on with their lives. Not me. Nope. I’m in a state of perpetual puberty. My voice still cracks. All the time. I can edit it out of the radio shows, but I can’t edit it out of normal conversation. Once it’s out, it’s out. Once you try to say something in a group of people–try to say something impressive–and your voice breaks . . . well, there’s no chance to go back, clip out the girly-voice, and then have another go at it. Sadly, that’s not how real-life works. And so I try to live with it. And everytime it happens, people snicker and giggle and then I get nervous and start grunting. Which doesn’t help.

Anyway, the point is, my life seems to be one big long string of embarrassing actions. And last night was just another in a long line of humiliations.

See, my wife was out with a friend and I was home with the kids. So I thought I’d have some fun with them. We whipped out our Rock Band game, I plugged in the little fake plastic guitar, plugged in my microphone, cranked up the volume on our surround sound and started rocking it out.

Yes. It was like a rock show in our living room . . . . The sound was deafening . . . I was screaming out songs, hopping around the room, playing the guitar so hard I was sweating buckets. (Which is partly a testament to how hard I was playing but also an indication of how out of shape I am). Anyway, I’m hoping around, sweating profusely . . .almost obscenely . . . belting out rock song after rock song, rattling the windows, acting like a dope . . . but having fun. And then I noticed that my daughter was standing by the front door. She had pulled the blind up and was staring at our front porch. I figured she was just looking for my wife . . . wondering when she was coming home or something . . . so I kept going with my rock show.

I was saying things like “Everybody on your feet . . . put your hands together” and junk like that in between lines of the song. I was hopping around and my daughter kept trying to get my attention. But, I was in the middle of a song. I was singing. I was rocking. And EVERYBODY knows that you don’t interrupt rock stars in the middle of a song, so I ignored her. But then, on one of my spins around the room, I happened to look up and there, standing on the front porch, staring directly at me with an open mouth and a clipboard in his hands, was a man I’ve never seen before in my life.

Well, naturally, I paused for a second . . . because really, this isn’t something you prepare for–this isn’t one of those situations that you plan out. You know, if the house is ever on fire, I know what I’d do–I plan for those things . . . . But I’ve never sat down and worked out a strategy flow chart about what to do when I’m confronted with a stranger on my front porch while I’m dancing around the living room singing songs loudly and badly while sweating like an animal.

So I paused and stared at him. And then, finally, I opened the door and tried to say, in my most manly and professional voice, “Why hello . . . how may I help you.”

But of course, my voice cracked. And, of course, when that happened, I started grunting.

The Age Old Adage: Do As I Say, Not As I Do!

Posted on June 24, 2010August 6, 2019

Alright, last time, I told you a big, long, sad story about my bathroom. I told you how I, in all my cheapskate wisdom, installed the most inexpensive beadboard I could find in my bathroom about a year ago. I told you how that beadboard was basically an mdf board–a composite, compressed, high density paper board. And while it all looked nice for a while, it didn’t take long before the kids and lots of splashing water started to take its toll. In just weeks, I was looking at puckered spots and bubbled spots and areas where the board was flaring out because it had gotten damp.Continue reading→

Worse Than the Disease?

Posted on June 21, 2010August 6, 2019

Have you ever paid attention during some of those “new Wonder Drug” commercials? You know, the wonder drug that’s supposed to completely relieve allergy symptoms? Yeah, the commercials usually show us a bunch of actors (ahem, I mean, real people who AREN’T actors) who are finally living their lives again thanks to this particular drug.

We see them running and jogging, exercising and hanging out with other folks their age. They’re driving convertibles and laughing and playing tennis and drinking fancy coffees. It’s amazing. Just days earlier, they had been curled up on the floors of their bedrooms and now their alive. Fully and completely ALIVE!

Well, the commercial usually goes on like that, but then, just before it ends, there’s that one fast-talking announcer who comes on to tell us about a few, minor side-effects. Oh, tiny things–things that are hardly worth mentioning. Insignificant-little-nothing things like sleeplessness, occasional headaches and the ever-popular uncontrollable and unpredictable bouts of vomiting and nausea.

Now, if that’s all the side-effects there were . . . maybe we’d be alright trying the drug. But the fast-talking announcer is usually just getting warmed up at that point. She goes on to explain that “in rare cases, users will experience dry mouth, bleeding gums, the loosening or losing of teeth coupled with a pronounced difficulty of saying words that have “th” in them. In ultra rare cases, patients” (notice how first the people are called “users” and now they’re called “patients”? Makes you wonder about the progression). Anyway, back to our fast talking announcer friend: “In ultra rare cases, patients may experience hair loss, liver damage, internal bleeding, immense weight gain and possibly death followed by loss of appetite.”

Wow. But usually, before we can ponder those horrible side-effects too long, the actors . . . I mean, the real, honest-to-goodness regular folks . . . come back on and tell us how none of that happened to them and how they’re finally living again.

Anyway . . . long description . . . but you’ve seen those before haven’t you? And if you have, you must have wondered, as I have, whether the cure is worse than the affliction.

Well, that brings me back to my point from the other day about Chlorine bleach cleaners on our decks. This is a typical example of a solution that’s worse than the condition it’s trying to remedy. See, many folks (and honestly, many home improvement centers) recommend deck cleaners that contain or ask you to add Chlorine Bleach. And while Chlorine bleach is a wonderful sanitizer and does a great job killing germs . . . it unfortunately also does a great job of killing all the trees and plants around your deck. It’ll take the natural color out of your deck as well as accelerate the corrosion of the nails, screws and structural hardware that hold the deck together. It kills or damages the naturally occurring lignin in the wood, causing the wood to deteriorate more rapidly and, to top it all off, the ionic structure of the Chlorine won’t allow it to penetrate into your wood. The water will–and after all, bleach is 99% water–but that really only makes things worse. The water penetrates and simply feeds the roots of the molds or algaes that are deep in your wood. Basically, it provides food for the things you’re trying to kill.

So that led me to urge you to lay off the Chlorine Bleach cleaning solutions when it comes time to clean your deck–you’re just likely to cause more damaging results than happy ones.

But, while that’s hopefully helpful information, it’s actually, kind of empty. Telling you not to do something or telling you about a product not to use is only half-helpful. The information’s only truly helpful if I supply you with an alternative–another product that can and should be used in place of Chlorine bleach cleaners.

Well . . . that’s the plan for today. See, while Chlorine Bleach is a bad, nasty and ultimately detrimental solution to cleaning your deck . . . Oxygenated Bleach is perfect.

First, Oxygenated bleach is safe for the wood of the deck–it won’t harm the lignin. It’s not going to cause the wood to break down and fail quicker than it naturally would. Also, it’s not going to bleach out the wood’s natural colors. It will clean away the washed out, sun-bleached gray look of your deck and it will restore those deck boards to something much more like their original cedar or brownish, red color.

Secondly, it’s safe for all the vegetation and plant life around your deck. With Chlorine bleach, all your landscaping needs to be protected at all costs. Even a little Chlorine bleach can bring about rapid death to plants. Oxygenated bleach doesn’t. It’s biodegradable and perfectly safe for most vegetation.

Thirdly, Chlorine bleach is a hazard to work with on your own account as well. It can bleach out your clothing, burn your skin, hurt your pets or kids. Oxygenated bleach won’t do these things and it’s safe around your pets and kids.

Add to this the fact that it actually works better than Chlorine bleach cleaners on a deck and it’s really a no-brainer. Why use a product that’s got a list of side-effects as long as your arm AND that will only work moderately well to fix the problem? Why use that when you could switch to a product with NO side-effects and which is 10x more effective?

So, when it comes to cleaning your deck, head to RepcoLite and we’ll steer you towards Defy’s Safe Oxygenated Bleach. It’ll cost about $21 for a container that will clean over 1,000 square foot, so it’s not going to break the bank . . . and best of all, it’s both easy to use AND effective.

Next time I’ll walk you through the deck cleaning project using a cleaner like this, and I’ll fill you in on a couple tricks that will make sure your project turns out great.