Waterproofing the deck that your family barbecues on or that surrounds the pool is an important thing to do if you want your deck to stand up to the weather for a long time. Warping and cracking will eventually happen to every deck made of wood, but what waterproofing will do is slow this process down quite considerably and the sealant will keep out most of the moisture that is placed upon it, whether it is rain, snow, or pool water.
If you wish to waterproof a new deck, it is best to wait at least 30 days before doing this, since the chemicals that the wood was treated with before installation need time to evaporate. Give the wood time to adjust to the climate. After you have waited this long, it is safe to begin the waterproofing process.
Start with cleaning off the surface of the deck and removing all debris. Also remove all patio furniture and equipment such as barbecue grills. The deck should be completely cleared off. A deck cleaner can be bought at most hardware and home improvement stores. Follow the instructions and you can apply this with a pump sprayer. When it starts to foam, start scrubbing the deck with a stiff bristled brush. This will make sure that the stains on the deck, almost no matter how stubborn they are, will come up. Rinse it off completely with a garden hose, but make sure you have on eye protection to keep anything from spraying into your eyes.
This is the time to apply the sealant. Spray it onto the deck with a pump sprayer or a roller. Sometimes there will be puddles of sealant that will form and these need to be rolled out evenly over the deck. Allow it to dry completely and after two days, you should be able to walk on it without damaging the seal.
When you apply sealant or any chemical to your deck, you should always wear eye and skin protection.
If you want to help keep your deck further waterproofed, you can drill some small holes into the areas of it that retain water on a regular basis. These holes can be as small as 3/16 of an inch to even ¼ of an inch and they will not adversely affect the appearance of the wood very much. They will, however, help keep the water drained.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
north carolina flood water damage restoration and other states such as
New Jersey mold remediation companies across the united states.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Fire Damage Cleanup Tips
Having to deal with a house fire, even a small one, is something that no homeowner ever wants to have to do, but unfortunately, these are often cruel facts of life. If you are like the majority of the rest of us, you probably do not have enough money to hire a professional to take care of the cleanup process for you, so educating yourself about how to go about it before this event takes place is a good idea. The cosmetic damage to your home can mostly be done by you, but the structural damage will probably need to be handled by a professional.
Depending on the size of the fire, there is probably some standing water in the home from the fire hose spilling gallons upon gallons of water into it to put out the fire. Electricity to the part of the home affected by the fire and water should be cut off so that you can clean up the standing water without fearing electrocution. Remove the standing water as quickly as you can, since this will cause water damage to your floor and walls in addition to the fire damage that is already there.
Pets should not be allowed back into the home until the initial cleanup is finished.
Any plants that you have need to have the soot and ash cleaned off of their leaves. Leaving this on the leaves will kill them.
If there is food in your kitchen that was open at the time of the fire, it should be thrown away, since it could be contaminated due to the excess heat and soot.
The smoke damage to your ceiling and walls can often not be removed by washing. The most that you can do to this is paint over it with a primer made for this purpose and then paint over that with the color of your ceiling.
Things like marble, stainless steel, chrome, and formica should be cleaned as soon as possible with the proper cleansers, since soot and ash can etch these items if you leave it on there too long. This etching cannot be repaired.
Furniture that is upholstered should not be sat on until it has been vacuumed thoroughly with a hose that has no brushes on it, since a brush attachment will only work the soot further into the fabric. This is also true for carpets. Once these have been vacuumed, put plastic over them so you do not track soot and ash in from other areas of the house.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and other states such as
north carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Depending on the size of the fire, there is probably some standing water in the home from the fire hose spilling gallons upon gallons of water into it to put out the fire. Electricity to the part of the home affected by the fire and water should be cut off so that you can clean up the standing water without fearing electrocution. Remove the standing water as quickly as you can, since this will cause water damage to your floor and walls in addition to the fire damage that is already there.
Pets should not be allowed back into the home until the initial cleanup is finished.
Any plants that you have need to have the soot and ash cleaned off of their leaves. Leaving this on the leaves will kill them.
If there is food in your kitchen that was open at the time of the fire, it should be thrown away, since it could be contaminated due to the excess heat and soot.
The smoke damage to your ceiling and walls can often not be removed by washing. The most that you can do to this is paint over it with a primer made for this purpose and then paint over that with the color of your ceiling.
Things like marble, stainless steel, chrome, and formica should be cleaned as soon as possible with the proper cleansers, since soot and ash can etch these items if you leave it on there too long. This etching cannot be repaired.
Furniture that is upholstered should not be sat on until it has been vacuumed thoroughly with a hose that has no brushes on it, since a brush attachment will only work the soot further into the fabric. This is also true for carpets. Once these have been vacuumed, put plastic over them so you do not track soot and ash in from other areas of the house.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and other states such as
north carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Areas in the Bathroom Prone to Water Damage
Since your bathroom is one of the most important rooms in the house, you need to be aware of the different areas of it that are the most at risk for water damage. These are the water junctions in your bathroom and this means that these are the areas that water comes out of the plumbing and into the room at some point, whether it is at the shower, the sink, or the toilet.
Having tile down in your bathroom to protect the floor underneath from water is an absolute must. While you can put down carpet in the bathroom, this is not advised, since mold will eventually start to grow in it or under it, especially in the bathroom closet where you are likely to throw wet towels and clothes. These wet items are usually forgotten about and dry clothing is thrown on top of them.
Do an inspection of your bathroom when you go in it every now and then to make sure that there are no real signs of water damage occurring.
The tiles on the floor and on the walls around the shower and bath tub can become cracked over time and when they do become cracked, you need to replace them to keep water from seeping under them. Water that gets under these tiles will damage the surface underneath and if they become very damaged, tearing up the tile and replacing this surface is the only option to maintain structural integrity.
The plumbing under the sink should be inspected for leaks on a regular basis and you should replace the pipes if they are cracked or loose at all.
You should also pay attention to the area around the base of the toilet and cracked tile around it needs to be replaced. Toilets overflow all the time from clogging and you can prevent this most of the time by just not putting too much toilet paper in the toilet. Also avoid putting hanging toilet bowl cleansers in it, because these also tend to cause clogging.
The plumbing inside the walls can be checked out, but this is the most difficult area of the bathroom to keep an eye on, since the pipes are located inside the walls. Watch for moisture on the drywall or leaking into the floor from any part of the wall. Either of these signs should be a giveaway that there is a problem in the wall.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.moldrestorationny.info
http://www.moldrestorationnj.info
Having tile down in your bathroom to protect the floor underneath from water is an absolute must. While you can put down carpet in the bathroom, this is not advised, since mold will eventually start to grow in it or under it, especially in the bathroom closet where you are likely to throw wet towels and clothes. These wet items are usually forgotten about and dry clothing is thrown on top of them.
Do an inspection of your bathroom when you go in it every now and then to make sure that there are no real signs of water damage occurring.
The tiles on the floor and on the walls around the shower and bath tub can become cracked over time and when they do become cracked, you need to replace them to keep water from seeping under them. Water that gets under these tiles will damage the surface underneath and if they become very damaged, tearing up the tile and replacing this surface is the only option to maintain structural integrity.
The plumbing under the sink should be inspected for leaks on a regular basis and you should replace the pipes if they are cracked or loose at all.
You should also pay attention to the area around the base of the toilet and cracked tile around it needs to be replaced. Toilets overflow all the time from clogging and you can prevent this most of the time by just not putting too much toilet paper in the toilet. Also avoid putting hanging toilet bowl cleansers in it, because these also tend to cause clogging.
The plumbing inside the walls can be checked out, but this is the most difficult area of the bathroom to keep an eye on, since the pipes are located inside the walls. Watch for moisture on the drywall or leaking into the floor from any part of the wall. Either of these signs should be a giveaway that there is a problem in the wall.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.moldrestorationny.info
http://www.moldrestorationnj.info
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