Prefer your home repairs on the easy side? So do I! Here is my latest information on new and better products that solve our common fix-it problems. These problem solvers can
tackle the nagging flaws you thought you had to live with, like ceiling cracks and bathroom mildew. Let’s take a peek at my favorites.
—Tom Feiza, Mr. Fix-It
The Mr. Fix-It Secret Window Washing Formula This is the best home brew for washing windows. Put it in a spray bottle and use it like a commercial window cleaner. It also makes a great spot-cleaner for many surfaces.
• 1/2 cup sudsy ammonia • 1 pint 70% isopropyl alcohol • 1 teaspoon dishwashing detergent • water • food coloring
Mix the first three ingredients. Add water to make one gal- lon. Add a few drops of food coloring. Store the mixture in a container marked DANGEROUS CHEMICAL.
GREAT PAINTING PRODUCTS
Where can you find these products? Visit a paint store that professional painting contractors use. A store like that always offers the best products and great advice.
Bin from Zinsser Co.
Bin is a primer/sealer and stain killer that solves many paint- ing problems. It will cover water stains, crayon marks, knots, and marker stains. It sticks to glossy surfaces and provides an excellent base for latex paint, preventing stain bleeding. It can even seal in smoke and pet stain smells. Since it is a white, pigmented shellac, it dries within 45 minutes and has little odor.
Perma-White Mold & Mildew-Proof Interior Paint from Zinsser Co. Perma-White solves the problem of mildew and peeling in bathrooms and damp areas. This one is a real winner. I have used it in several areas with great success. It works in bath- rooms and even on basement walls–wherever there are damp conditions and a potential for mildew.
Before using, you must kill the mildew. Then apply two coats of Perma-White. It is self-priming and cleans up with soap and water. It is guaranteed to be mildew-resistant. White semi-gloss is the standard formula, but it can be tinted.
Painter Quality Masking Tape – 3M, Trimaco Industries Don’t use cheap masking tape for your next paint project. Cheap tape either fails to stick or won’t come off afterward, and the paint still bleeds behind the tape. Use a “professional painter” masking tape designed with a special adhesive that sticks when you want it to yet can be released after painting. Long Mask and BluEdge products can be left in direct sun- light for up to seven days and still can be removed without worry about the tape welding to the surface.
When using masking tape, rub a fingernail or a knife next to the edge to seal it and prevent the paint from bleeding underneath. Also, before applying the tape, clean the sur- face to be protected.
Easy Mask Painting Tape from Trimaco Industries Easy Mask is my favorite masking product. This smooth, flat paper comes in different widths with an effective adhesive on one edge. It leaves a sharp paint edge, and paint will not seep through. The tape is easy to remove and does not leave a sticky residue. One inexpensive roll will mask several rooms.
Lightweight spackling compound from UGL or Red Devil Toss the old vinyl spackling compounds that sag, run, shrink and crack. Try the new generation of lightweight spackling compounds. They dry very quickly without shrinking. You can fill those holes just once and paint within minutes. By the way, do you know where spackling compound comes from? Just ask Tom.
Krack-Kote from TK Waterproof Coatings
Krack-Kote is a wall and ceiling crack repair material that remains pliable and permanent for interior plaster and dry- wall crack repair. The product is packaged in a kit with an applicator and a mesh tape for wider cracks. Krack-Kote has been the choice of professional painters for many years. Because the product remains flexible, it moves as wall or ceil- ing cracks open and close, thus preventing new cracking.