Saturday, 23 March 2013
Bosch - The Art of Power (Video)
Thursday, 21 March 2013
6 Tips for Growing Glorious Grass
Are you like the rest of the world in that you want some green, green grass and a white picket fence?
In the spirit of the season, here's another Ash's List of Awesomeness. This time I turn my able hand to the green stuff. On the lawn. I mean grass. On the lawn. Lawn-grass. Just read the list...
1. Water-saving systems are a life-saver.
Aside from adding a rain barrel for harvesting and using rain water in your landscape (which you should totally be doing), think bigger - think about a drip irrigation system around trees and shrubs in your landscape. Imagine the irrigation potential.
Drip irrigation systems apply water only when it's actually needed, so you don't lose so much water to the sun and it's dastardly evaporation – which then prevents moisture from reaching needed spaces between plants.
2. Make sure sprinklers are watering the lawn, and not the driveway or street.
This sounds like common sense right? You'd be surprised. If water is seen running into the street or onto the sidewalk, it means one of three things:
1. you're applying too much water.
2. The soil is over-saturated with water.
3. Your sprinkler is pointing at the driveway or street instead of the lawn. And I'm judging you accordingly.
3. Use the mulch!
Spread mulch when seeding new areas to add a nice comfy protective layer over the soil itself. It will help your soil retain moisture during the germination and establishment stages, which are understandably critical for plant growth. The clippings from mowers also serve the same purpose—preserving soil moisture and nutrients for growing grass.
4. Fertilisation isn't a dirty word (in this context).
Fertiliser, aka pig sh*t, supplies plants with essential nutrients for strength, uniform growth and a healthy, fibrous root system. Everything a growing shrub needs. Healthy plants make the best use of available water, so you need less over time. There also is less chance of the plant being “burned” or dried out to a point beyond recovery... because that would be bad.
5. You are not Aquaman.
 |
| Not you. |
Think of gardening like a 365 day hosepipe ban, because a lot of the time, lawns are being over-watered just to avoid a few dry spots. This causes a bunch of problems, including: shallow root systems; increased disease, weed or insect infestations; reduced drought tolerance; and increased thatch and excessive growth. A lawn does not need water until the colour falls by 50 percent, at which time you should really only be adding a single inch of water. Anything more and you'll drown it. Never forget - you are not Aquaman, nor should you aspire to be... because Aquaman sucks. And his garden's crappy.
6. Conditioning is key.
Plants can be conditioned for dry weather starting at the beginning of the spring season by irrigating less frequently - but for longer. More watering is needed early in the development process as the baby plants grow. For ongoing maintenance, decrease the frequency of watering and increase the amount of water penetration to encourage deeper rooting. Deeper roots will be more drought-tolerant, and everyone likes deep roots.
Friday, 22 February 2013
Toolbox Lust: Wera Joker Spanner
Those brilliant blokes over at ultimatehandyman.com have taken their reviewing chops to the YouTube, to show off this brilliant little spanner called Joker from Wera. Want.
The Wera Joker is a very well designed spanner that has a ratchet ring spanner at one end and a clever jaw at the open end. The open ended jaw can hole a nut captive, which is something that most spanners cannot do. These are a really handy set of spanners to have in your toolbox! Brought to you by
Saturday, 9 February 2013
10 Tiling Tips for Tip Top Tiling
Yes, the title is a cunning bit of wordplay. I thought so myself. Now we (aka me) at the HID are proud to present these Top 10 Tips for Tip Top Tiling.
- Setting Them Out
Make sure to measure the length of the wall and find the half way point. Height too. Use a level to mark a vertical and horizontal base line wherever your points meet. You'll work out your actual layout from here to be sure you cut the tiles properly. If they end up as less than half a tile, offset the start point by a half to avoid weird-looking chips - you're not crazy paving a wall! Make up a simple gauge rod to help with this – a simple length of timber marked at intervals to represent the tiles.
- Adhesive
When you mix powder-type adhesives, always use clean cold water. Dirty water will make the adhesive sticking time a lot longer. Always add the powder to the water to get the right consistency - trying to do it the other way around will leave you with a horrible lumpy mix. If you're going with a power mixer, take it slow and let it churn.
- Check and Blend Tiles
Check the tiles you've bought straight away - it's possible for boxes to have been dropped and contain lots of broken tiles. The sooner you notify the supplier the better. Tiles, particularly those made of natural materials, will have shade variations. Unpack the tiles and mix them so that these variations will be less obvious. Order extra tiles to allow for breakage and wastage from cutting. This will also mean you should have a few tiles left over so that if any need replacing at a later date you’ll have some handy. Finding replacements a few years on is likely to be impossible.
- Wet Areas
When tiling wet areas such as wet rooms or shower areas, the background that you’re going to fix the tiles to should be waterproof. Surfaces such as sand and cement render and specialist tile backing boards are fine. Plaster, plasterboard, plywood and the like will need to be treated with a waterproofing product otherwise the absorbent nature of the material will give problems later. For these areas you must use a water resistant adhesive.
- Spreading Adhesive
Use a good quality notched trowel of a size suited to the particular job. Spread the adhesive only over an area that you can comfortably manage to tile in 20 minutes or so. Lift one edge of the trowel so that it’s at 450 to the surface to create an even ribbed bed. The ribs should all run in the same direction to ensure proper drying of the adhesive.
- Tile Spacing
Most people will lay the second tile a little away from the first then adjust to get the correct spacing. This can often lead to a build up of adhesive in the joint. A better way is to lay each tile butting up to its neighbour, then to slide it away to create the correct gap. This slight sliding action also helps to ensure the tile is fully bedded into the adhesive.
- Tile Cutters
Use the right tool for the job. A simple rail type cutter will do a great job of ordinary ceramic tiles. Make sure the blade is in good condition – worn blades should be replaced. Note: you should only score the surface once. A wet saw should be used for cutting natural stone and textured porcelain tiles – rail cutters are likely to damage them and leave a ragged cut. Wet saws with diamond tipped blades are also great for cutting accurate right angle cut-outs in most tiles. Remember to wear suitable protective gear including goggles when cutting tiles.
- Shaped Cuts
If you have awkward or complicated shapes to cut out of the tile, make up a stiff paper or card template first. You can shape the paper as you would when trimming wallpaper around an awkward shape. You can then copy the outline direct onto the tile. Curved cuts can be done with a tile hand saw. You can also buy specialist jig saw blades which will make light work of shaped cuts but remember to support the tile fully or else the vibration may crack it.
- Grouting
Allow the adhesive to dry properly. This will usually be 24 hours but may be longer on non porous surfaces such as old tiling. Use a grout float for grouting the tiles. Work the grout fully into the joints and clean off the excess before it dries. Tiles can be polished up with a clean cloth to remove any powdery residue.
- Keep Tools Clean
Make sure that you keep all your tools clean. When you’ve finished or if you’re taking a break, clean off all adhesive or grout straightaway. Hardened adhesive on trowels and the like can be a real pain to get off.
Thursday, 17 January 2013
The Menace of DAMP
Damp. Yes, damp is rising. It's the time of the season for the horrible musk, the sweaty walls and the health concerns that come along with this fragrant condition. But what in the hell is it? Why is it a problem? And How do you fix it?
We find out!
What in the blue hell is damp?
Damp is a menace with many forms. It can be a musty smell in the air, mould on the walls, a tidemark (!) on the wall, a cold feeling when you touch the wall (aka sweating), horrible brown patches on the floor, walls or ceiling (which might match your 70s decor if you're into that sort of thing) or... condensation.
There are THREE types of damp to look out for.
1. Rising Damp
2. Condensation
3. Damp
Rising damp is both a sitcom from the long long ago times and a bit of a problem for walls. It only happens on walls that are in direct contact with the ground - internal or external. It's caused by the Damp Proof Course being either missing or only partially installed. It means your bricks are coming into contact with the actual soil below your house. Like a mud hut.
The brickwork sucks up the water, causing the damp marks on the wall.
You'll probably need to get a surveyor in to get the DPC fixed but the resulting work will be pretty expensive and it will take time to actually happen, with planning and execution taken into account. Obviously it's not ideal to just sit and wait around while the earth reclaims your wall as an irrigation outpost.
While-u-wait, a dehumidifier is your stop-gap solution. It will dry the air in the room which will mean that the wall will then release the moisture that it's holding in, into the dehumidifier. Although the wall will start to suck water up again from the ground and the process will become cyclical, the dehumidifier will help to control the problem until the DPC can be fixed. It's a quick fix, but well worth the trouble.
Leaking pipes exhibit themselves as a brown patch in the middle of the wall or a wall that's not in contact with the ground. On the plus side, this means that your home isn't slowly turning into a mud hut. On the downside, the wall could collapse. Don't panic! Call a plumber to find the source. Once again, a dehumidifier is the best friend you could ever have in this situation.
The smell
If you've had it, you've smelt it. Don't worry, the wall dealt it. Once you've fixed the damp through dehumidifier + professional help (and please do get professional help), that horrible odour will disappear and you'll have to go back to blaming the dog. Speed is of the essence here - mould spores released by the damp can be very damaging to your health with prolonged exposure. Be careful.
Read More...
We find out!
What in the blue hell is damp?
Damp is a menace with many forms. It can be a musty smell in the air, mould on the walls, a tidemark (!) on the wall, a cold feeling when you touch the wall (aka sweating), horrible brown patches on the floor, walls or ceiling (which might match your 70s decor if you're into that sort of thing) or... condensation.
There are THREE types of damp to look out for.
1. Rising Damp
2. Condensation
3. Damp
Rising damp is both a sitcom from the long long ago times and a bit of a problem for walls. It only happens on walls that are in direct contact with the ground - internal or external. It's caused by the Damp Proof Course being either missing or only partially installed. It means your bricks are coming into contact with the actual soil below your house. Like a mud hut.
The brickwork sucks up the water, causing the damp marks on the wall.
You'll probably need to get a surveyor in to get the DPC fixed but the resulting work will be pretty expensive and it will take time to actually happen, with planning and execution taken into account. Obviously it's not ideal to just sit and wait around while the earth reclaims your wall as an irrigation outpost.
While-u-wait, a dehumidifier is your stop-gap solution. It will dry the air in the room which will mean that the wall will then release the moisture that it's holding in, into the dehumidifier. Although the wall will start to suck water up again from the ground and the process will become cyclical, the dehumidifier will help to control the problem until the DPC can be fixed. It's a quick fix, but well worth the trouble.
Leaking pipes exhibit themselves as a brown patch in the middle of the wall or a wall that's not in contact with the ground. On the plus side, this means that your home isn't slowly turning into a mud hut. On the downside, the wall could collapse. Don't panic! Call a plumber to find the source. Once again, a dehumidifier is the best friend you could ever have in this situation.
The smell
If you've had it, you've smelt it. Don't worry, the wall dealt it. Once you've fixed the damp through dehumidifier + professional help (and please do get professional help), that horrible odour will disappear and you'll have to go back to blaming the dog. Speed is of the essence here - mould spores released by the damp can be very damaging to your health with prolonged exposure. Be careful.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
The Christmas Spirit of Composting
Christmas is coming! And in the spirit of the season, here's a guilt trip. We're all going to be producing massive amounts of rubbish over the xmas break and a lot of that crap is just going to get thrown into black bags, tied up with a pretty little bow, and put on the curb for those nice men with the big truck to take away. Don't do that this year, save those nice men from having to haul your crap and give your plants some much needed nutrients by composting!
If you need more reasons than my guilt-trip, here's a few reasons courtesy of a doctor named Edward F. Group, posted over at the Global Healing Center. Remember, Santa Clause originally wore green!
1. Free up space in the landfill.
It’s estimated that more than 50 percent of your rubbish is organic waste – 12.45 percent food scraps, 12.8 percent yard trimmings, and 32.66 percent paper products (by weight). That’s 57.96 percent organic waste that composting could help divert from landfills. That's a supermajority of trash taken out of dumps if you just compost!
2) Cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
Compostable items in landfills emit methane, a greenhouse gas that according to the IPCC is 72 times more powerful than carbon dioxide!
3) Reduce the risk of air and groundwater pollution.
Though we line our landfills with plastic (or clay) and top them with soil, the risk of polluting our environment with toxins from our rubbish is a real possibility that composting can help minimise.
4) Break down your food waste.
When it comes to kitchen composting, you don't need to wait long for your food scraps to decompose. In fact, a grub composting bin can break down your organic food matter in less than two days time!
5) Nourish your plants naturally.
Not only do chemical fertilizers contribute to the pollution of our soil and groundwater, but they also do not contain all of the nutrients your flowers, fruits, vegetables and other plants need to grow. Compost nourishes naturally while also providing the necessary nutrients to ensure your plants’ optimal health and growth.
6) Save money on fertilizers and pesticides.
Instead of buying fertilizer for your plants, you can make it in the form of compost right there at home. Plus, plants nourished with composted organic matter are stronger and more fibrous than those treated with chemical fertilizers. In turn, they’re less prone to insect attack so you can save on pesticides too.
7) Build your own ecosystem.
When you take your rubbish or recyclables out to the curb, your role ends there. With composting though, you’re responsible for the entire life cycle of your food. You can grow it, eat it, then compost the scraps to nourish your next meal.
8) It's simple and clean.
Contrary to what you may have heard about composting in the past, it’s not complicated or smelly. As a fertiliser, it's either compost you make or compost some horse makes. Which one's cleaner?
9) You can do it just about anywhere.
You don’t need a big yard for composting. With safe, streamlined worm and grub bins, you can compost on a deck or patio. Then, straight to the plants!
10) Teach your kids that their waste is a resource.
Ash's Home Improvement Depot is for the children! This one goes without saying really, kids will need to know that there's value in their trash. Just think - if you saved all those bottlecaps, you'd be very rich in Fallout.
Merry Christmas!
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Paint is a lot more complicated than you'd think.
We've all been there. Painting the exterior or interior of your house is something that has to be done once every few years to keep a nice facade and especially to keep moisture away... above other things, so you will inevitably come to a daunting moment - picking the right paint.
That might not always be an easy task regardless of what your favourite colour might be. There are several options one might choose from based on their qualities.
Paint is a LOT more complicated than you'd think.
What makes paint what it is its composition, a mixture of resin, carrier and pigmentation which allow it to keep water away up to a point and to look as nice as we were hoping it would. The main ingredient used is titanium dioxide, which acts as the base white used. Other types of pigmentation are added on to give the mixture its particular hue later. The resin used helps paint stick to its target surface and the carrier is usually the substance which allows the paint to thin so it can be applied to surfaces. What makes paint prices fluctuate are the actual materials used and their grade as well, so choosing the right paint is tricky. Titanium dioxide is the most expensive ingredient and the more of it is in the mixture, the more expensive it becomes.
Latex or oil-based paints are the point of the dilemma most home owners find themselves in. Latex paints offer an easier alternative when it comes to painting since they are easier to clean up, though oil-based alkyd paints give a great finish and seal surfaces very nicely. Both of those options are great, though the latter is usually used on the outside because of its properties.
Traditionally latex paints are water-based and among that category we have paints like fully 100% acrylic, vinyl-acrylic and also alkyd-modified paint.
The more acrylic the content of a paint, the better adhesion they have and their colours retain for longer periods too without fading.
On the other hand enamel-based and alkyd house paints are suitable for any material though they are generally more resilient to abrasion and wear and tear. For that reason we use them outside because of their hard finish on doors, windows and house siding. Regardless of its higher quality base there exist a problem in that there are contaminants which evaporate from the paint and into the air. Some US states have banned the use of such paints on grounds of air quality regulations and for various reasons that makes it an expensive choice in states that allow its use. Alkyd paints are very useful because of their ability to adhere to glossy surfaces where latex-based paints have trouble and they take a longer time to dry off, which allows smoothing out defects and marks. They are thick and apply too well and in greater quantities unfortunately they may even sag.
The gloss of the paint comes from the ratio between resin and pigment and for that reason there are many levels of luster in the world of paints. The usual classification goes along the terms of flat, pearl, eggshell, gloss, semi-gloss and satin. Manufacturers have variations on the subject and overall because of the wide variety possible when it comes to luster and pigmentation the choices are literally nigh-limitless. It is possible to apply a glossy texture over your paint later on by using a high-gloss finish with a water base which has the advantage of looking almost like it was sprayed-on.
