Tag Archives: lawn

Episode 218: Recycling the Right Way, Common Questions, and Beautiful Lawns All Summer Long

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SEGMENT 1: Recycling the Right Way

Are you a contaminator or are you shutting down recycling plants?? There are big stakes when it comes to what we put in our recycling bins. Learn how to avoid the most common recycling mistakes!

SEGMENTS 2 & 3: Meeting the Man Behind the Chat

Peter Ogle from our online chat joins us in the studio! Peter has been manning our online chat from 8am – 9pm M-F to make sure your questions can always be answered. Today we go over some of the most common questions.

SEGMENT 4: Beautiful Lawns All Summer Long

Dan inherited a flawless lawn when he bought his house and it’s been stressful knowing how to keep it looking great. We have tips to take the guesswork out of having a healthy, beautiful lawn this summer.

EP59 – May 26, 2018: Beautiful Lawns, Paint Color Woes, Paint Question Smorgasbord!

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We recently had a customer who really had a strange paint color problem. In the can, the color looked right. On the wall, it was remarkably different. She was frustrated and confused: What was going on? More importantly, what should she do? We tackle that paint question and many others on today’s Home Improvement Show.

Show notes for episode 059:

Jan Meeuwsen from De Bruyn Seed Company in Zeeland joins us in the studio for two segments. She covers everything from what to do about dead patches on your lawn to how to fix a mossy backyard.

We go over a question we received from a listener that is a real head-scratcher! The color looks one way IN the can, but completely different on the WALL! Confusing, yes. But we've got answers!

This segment focuses on a number of wide-ranging paint questions. We talk about how to clean composite decks and shift right into how to clean and repaint your aluminum awnings!

EP22 – September 2, 2017: Lawn Seeding 101, Must-Have Painting Tools, Electrical Questions Answered, and Basement Floor Painting

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We live in Michigan where our basements can be a little scary; especially if you have an older house! There are lots of things that can be done to remedy that. But perhaps the simplest thing to do is to simply paint the floor. It’s amazing how much a coat of paint can brighten a dreary basement. We’ll help give you the confidence to tackle your floor this weekend!

Listen here:

Show notes for episode 022:

Summer is almost over. And that means our lawns have made it through the toughest part of the year. Some may have made it through the heat like champs. Others, however, may have lost the battle with heat and minimal rain, and now have featured brown and dead patches.

Don't fret! According to Matt Bakker from Landscape Design Services, you can still bring your lawn back to its glory days before snow flies. He's got everything we need to know about seeding the bare patches in our yards.

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to do a simple task, only to find you don't have to right tool on hand. Try opening a bottle without a bottle opener (Dan!), or tighten a screw using a penny (Betsy!). It takes way more time to complete the task and there is so much frustration involved!

This same theory applies to painting as well. If you follow our list and always have these painting tools on hand, your next project is guaranteed to be a lot less stressful because you won't have to stop midway through the project (or maybe before you even begin!) to buy the right tool.

Must-Have Painting Tools Check List!

There are a lot of home improvement projects we are comfortable tackling--anything involving wood is generally acceptable, minor plumbing projects are ok, and anything involving paint is a breeze. But electrical....oh, electrical....that is a whole different story! Sure, we can change light bulbs and maybe even wire up a fan or a new lighting fixture. But when it comes to questions like "why do my lights dim when I run the microwave?" we figure it's best to ask a professional.

Lucky for us, Bill Haveman, co-owner of Haveman Electric, agreed to stop by and talk about some common household electrical questions. Hopefully, by the end of the conversation, our power concerns will be put to rest.

Miss Etta James, in the 60s, sang about all the fun you can have in the basement. But what happens if you have a Michigan basement? What if you have dark, cold concrete floors and tony spiders hanging in the corners? It's sounds more like a dungeon that a place to hang out and have fun.

But there is  solution! It's amazing what a difference just painting the floor can make. It will brighten up the space and make it feel a little less cold. And if you are concerned about tackling the project, don't be! We've got you covered with tips and tricks from start to finish.

Floor Painting Tips

  • Use a 14" or 18" cover if possible
  • Use a 3/8" nap cover
  • Use an extension pole. It will save your back!
  • Brush 2" strip around all the edges (cut in)
  • Roll paint from paint tray
  • OR try pouring paint straight out of the bucket in a line on the floor!
    • Pour a few feet from wall
    • Pour a 4" wide strip
    • Only pour as much as you can evenly spread before the paint dries
    • Could use a 3/16" nap cover with this application method
    • Work with a helper
  • Let paint dry completely before introducing light foot traffic
    • Waterborne - at least 6 hours
    • Oil - at least 12 hours
    • All dry times will be slowed even more without air circulation and/or humidity

EP15 – July 15, 2017: An Inexpensive Fix for Wet Basements

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  • Lighting and Paint Colors with Beth Maguire from Benjamin Moore
  • Back to School Supplies — Home Improvement Edition!
  • Waterblock: An Inexpensive Fix for Wet Basements
  • New Tech for Greener Lawns with Grapids Irrigation

Listen here:

Show notes for episode 015:

Have you ever picked a color that seemed perfect while you were in the paint store, only to get it home and find it was totally wrong?! You are not alone! Lighting, and the absence of lighting, plays a big part in how we perceive color. Beth Maguire from Benjamin Moore walks us through things that will help us pick the perfect color every time.   Beth Maguire, Architectural & Design Representative with Benjamin Moore, has a passionate approach to color and design. While working as the showroom manager for Benjamin Moore's Designer Showroom at the Merchandise Mart, She was able to share her knowledge and passion for color with the design community for 5 years. Beth holds an accredited degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois Chiacago, and has over 15 years' experience doing retail design and marketing for several companies. In her 12 years with Benjamin Moore, Beth has worked on both the retail design side of the business, as well as with the Architect & Designer segments, delivering trend, color, and coatings presentations to designers, architects and students.  
  It's almost that time of year kids hate to think about....back-to-school! But for college students, it is a chance to escape from mom and dad to freedom. It's a time for them to make all kinds of new friends. And we've got a way to help. If you have kids going off to college, arm them with the right tools....literally!
A lot of people deal with wet  or damp basements. And the problem is even worse after a heavy rain or in spring when snow melts. More often than not, the dampness is accompanied by a less-than-pleasant musty smell. What most people don't know, is there's a paint that can be put on bare concrete or block that will drastically reduce, if not eliminate, the moisture that occurs in basements. And you'll be surprised at how little it costs to do! It's a great first step toward a dry, odor free basement.
Green lawns are something we all strive for. A sprinkler system may help. But for those with an older system, it can be very complicated. Aaron Katerberg from Grapids Irrigation joins us in the studio once again. This time he tells us all about the newest technology in sprinkler systems. The best news is, many things can be retrofitted to older systems.

EP01 – April 1, 2017: Getting Your Deck Ready for Spring

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It’s Spring! At least mostly…. And there is no better time to clean your deck and get it ready for the season. In this episode, we talk all about what it takes to get that deck cleaned and ready for stain. We also talk with Rose Pest Solutions about a common outdoor pest: mosquitoes.

That and much more on this inaugural episode!

Listen now:

Shownotes for episode 001:

Cleaning the deck is a simple Spring project (or Summer or Fall!!). We ran you through the basics on the show today, but there's a lot more information out there. If you're interested, stop out at any RepcoLite, Port City Paints, or Snyder Paints location and let us help.

Also, we recorded a podcast last summer. It's basically a Deck Cleaning Q&A and it's full of great info. Check it out:

OnFloor Machine Demo

Here's a demo of the OnFloor Machine we discussed in the episode, though we want to note that the situation in this video shows the OnFloor Machine removing nearly 5 layers of freshly applied stain (yikes!). As a result, the speed is dramatically reduced. Still, you can see a great example of how clean the OnFloor Machine will get your deck. It's a very quick way to get your wood ready for stain without having to do any cleaning or introduce any water to the deck at all. This means you could clean it and stain it on the same day!

We have an OnFloor Machine for rent. You can contact us at 616-396-5213 to check availability and rental rates!

Which Tools are Best?

We didn't have time to get to all the different tools on the radio show today, but below we have a video that walks you through a number of different application options and how quickly (or not!) they work!

Mosquitoes are a giant pain in the neck! You just get your deck looking great and find that you can't even be out on it for more than 10 minutes at a time. And all of that time is spent running in circles, waving your arms, and trying to present them with a moving target.

Today, we sit down in the studio with David Popp from Rose Pest Solutions and we talk about prevention and reduction of this annoying spring, summer, and fall pest!

In this first Ask RepcoLite! segment, we answer your exterior paint questions:
  • How early is too early to paint outside?
  • Can you use exterior paint inside?
  • Can you use interior paint inside a garage?
We've got the answers!
It's Spring and that means we're going to be working on our lawns soon enough. Is your lawn equipment ready? What do you need to do to make sure it's ready to go for the season? We sit down with Brian Stacey from Bergman Power Equipment and he tells us everything we need to know!