November 15, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode of Home in Progress, host Dan Hansen kicks things off with his first-snowfall story and a few thoughts on the annual fall battle—leaf cleanup. From there, he shifts gears into two seemingly different worlds that have more in common than you’d think: power tools and personal style.Dan breaks down the circular saw—why it’s one of the most versatile tools a homeowner can own, how to choose the right type, which accessories make the biggest difference, and the key safety habits every DIYer should know.Then, in a surprising but perfectly connected twist, the conversation turns to men’s fashion. Dan explains why dressing well isn’t about having an “eye for style” or chasing trends—it’s about learning skills, understanding fit, and applying timeless principles. Just like home improvement, great results come from practice, patience, and quality materials.From the importance of proportion (in both clothes and color schemes) to the “Swap Trick” for stepping outside your comfort zone, this episode is packed with practical takeaways to help you look better, build better, and think differently about the connection between craftsmanship and style.Resources:
Episode Timeline00:00 — Welcome to Home in Progress00:11 — First Snowfall and Fall Cleanup01:21 — Why We’re Talking About Fashion02:33 — The Circular Saw: The Most Underrated Tool04:38 — Sidewinder vs. Worm-Drive Saws07:47 — Must-Have Add-Ons and Safety Tips12:08 — Dressing Well Is a Learnable Skill19:43 — The Overlap Between Fashion and Home Improvement22:16 — Challenging the “Eye for Design” Myth26:21 — Fit and Proportion: From Clothes to Color Schemes30:50 — Avoiding Trends: Choosing Timeless Style33:14 — The Swap Trick: Small Changes, Big Impact35:35 — Investing in Quality: Tools, Paint, and Wardrobes36:44 — Final Thoughts and Giveaway Announcement
Episode Timeline00:00 — Welcome to Home in Progress00:11 — First Snowfall and Fall Cleanup01:21 — Why We’re Talking About Fashion02:33 — The Circular Saw: The Most Underrated Tool04:38 — Sidewinder vs. Worm-Drive Saws07:47 — Must-Have Add-Ons and Safety Tips12:08 — Dressing Well Is a Learnable Skill19:43 — The Overlap Between Fashion and Home Improvement22:16 — Challenging the “Eye for Design” Myth26:21 — Fit and Proportion: From Clothes to Color Schemes30:50 — Avoiding Trends: Choosing Timeless Style33:14 — The Swap Trick: Small Changes, Big Impact35:35 — Investing in Quality: Tools, Paint, and Wardrobes36:44 — Final Thoughts and Giveaway Announcement
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, everybody, thanks for tuning in. You're listening to Home
in Progress, brought to you by repcoll Like Paints and
Benjamin More. And how are you all doing? You know,
I want to know how everybody did with this first
snowfall of the season. I didn't handle it that badly.
I did, okay, But man, what it did really make
(00:22):
me realize is how many leaves I've still got in
my trees. My goodness, you know, I've got two huge
maple trees in the backyard that I think have to
be I mean, I can't do the math on this,
but they seem to be almost ninety percent fall right.
The leaves still seem green up there for the most part.
(00:43):
I think they're going to be falling well well into December.
And I'm hearing coworkers saying that I think I think
they were saying that November fifteenth, So today is the
cutoff day for putting leaves on the road for them
for city pickup. I don't know what the rules are
like where you're at, but I'm pretty sure that's what
(01:04):
a number of my coworkers are dealing with. Fortunately, I
mulch mine, so I'll get through them eventually. But I
do like them to be dry. When I do that,
it's a lot easier, and it's really nice when there's
no snow on the ground when you do it. All right,
let's get to the show now. This week, I'm going
to be stepping way outside of my comfort zone. I'm
(01:25):
going to be talking about fashion, and not just fashion.
It's almost embarrassing to say this out loud. I'm going
to be dishing out fashion advice to men. I'm going
to help you guys be better dressed people. It is
literally an insane concept. You should see what I'm wearing
(01:46):
right now. Jeans with holes, an old sweatshirt. I think
there's salt sustains on it, or it's blood, I don't know,
probably a combination. But I really do have some good
stuff that I'm going to convey, and of course I
got it all from doing a lot of research. Don't worry,
this is not coming from me alone. It's not that
I know any of this stuff. I researched it and
(02:07):
it's good stuff. And if you've ever wished that you
could dress with just a little more style, a little
more panache, you know, or whatever that word is, I
can help. And of course as we do all of that,
I'm gonna make each point. You know, I'll talk about
clothing styles and fashion, but of course I'll be making
a complimenting point about home improvement stuff. Now it sounds
(02:28):
weird maybe, but it's gonna work. Trust me, it's gonna
be good. So hang out for that. But right now,
before we get to all of that brilliance, I want
to talk about one of the most underrated tools in
any homeowner's arsenal, or what should be in any homeowner's arsenal,
the circular saw. And I'm gonna be straight up honest.
(02:48):
For years, I was like freaked out by these things.
You know, they're loud, they're aggressive, you know, they look dangerous,
crazy dangerous, So I avoided them like the plague. Instead,
I'd use my little bench top table saw or my
little mitersaw for everything, even when it made zero sense.
But here's what I've learned through all of my many years,
(03:10):
you know, my many years of accumulating wisdom. I've learned
that if you spend time around professional carpenters or even
really well established di wires, people who know what they're doing,
you're going to notice that a circular saw is a
tool that they're reaching for all the time, and there's
a reason they're doing that. And that's what I want
to talk about today, all right, Before I jump into
all of that, I want to get this out of
(03:31):
the way right away because I don't want the emails.
I know that a good table saw is going to
give you the most precise cuts, you know, especially for
repeat work. And yes, a track saw another option, and
a track saw system, you know, like something from Festool
or Mikita, it's going to deliver laser straight accuracy for
breaking down sheet goods. I get all of that, but
(03:51):
those aren't the tools that most di wires own or
can afford to buy. Now. Lots of us have small
benchtop or contractor saws squeezed in to the corner of
a garage. And if that's what you've got, and you've
ever tried to push like a four by eight sheet
of plywood through one of those things, you know how
awkward and death defying that can be. You know, I've
(04:13):
had sheets bind and kick back on me. It's terrifying.
All right. That's where the circular saw changes things. It's portable,
it's versatile, and with the right accessories, you know, guide rails,
straight edges, things like that. It can be ridiculously accurate.
You know, maybe not furniture grade accuracy, but you're still
going to get more than enough accuracy for pretty much
(04:34):
everything you do around your house. Now, let's talk about
types before we get into some of the things that
you can do with a circular saw. There's two main
types out there. There's a sidewinder and a worm drive. Now,
the sidewinder it's lighter, you know, maybe seven to nine pounds,
and the motor sits beside the blade. It spins fast,
usually maybe five to six thousand RPMs, and it's the
(04:55):
most common homeowner saw. It's what you think of most
likely when you think of a circular saw. The worm
drive circular saw has the motor in line with the blade,
so it's in the back a little bit. It's a
heavier saw, maybe ten to thirteen pounds. It runs slower,
not as many RPMs, but it's got a lot more torque.
The inline design also gives you a much clearer view
(05:16):
of your cut if you're right handed. If you're left handed,
it's a little harder to see. But if you're right handed,
you've got a really nice straight on look at the
cut that you're making. Now, both of these different types
have their place for most homeowners. A sidewinder is going
to be perfect lighter, less fatiguing. But if you're ripping
through heavy lumber or engineered beams or things like that,
that worm drives torque is a real advantage. Now, either way,
(05:40):
getting a saw, look for a seven and a quarter
inch blade. That's the standard size. You can get littler
ones that are for more intricate work, but if you're
looking for a good all around circular saw, make sure
it's that seven and a quarter inch blade size. It's
going to cut clean through a two by four at
any angle. It's just going to be the most convenient
to work with, all right. So those are circular sauce.
(06:03):
Those are the main options out there. Let's talk about
some of the specific things that they can do. First off,
they're great with crosscuts. You know, grab a speed square
as a guide and you can make perfectly square crosscuts faster.
Then you can walk aboard over to a miter saw.
Now let's talk about rip cuts, you know, running the
length of a piece of wood. This is where the
(06:23):
circular saw really really shines, and I think for ripping
big sheets of plywood, this potentially could be even safer
than a big table saw. It's for sure safer than
a little bench saw, especially if you're working alone or
in a tight space. You know, I've fought full sheets
through a bench top saw. I've even done full sheets
through a table saw, and I've had them bind and
(06:45):
then they can kick back, and they can kick back hard.
I mean, it's terrifying when this happens. If you don't
have all the safety mechanisms in place, which of course
we do. With a circular saw. You just lay the
plywood on a few sacrificial two by four, clamp your
guide down, and then make the cut right where it sits. Again,
you're not wrestling with it. You're not worried about kickback.
(07:07):
You're just making clean, controlled cuts. Every circular saw, they're
going to let you tilt the base for bevels. You
can usually get up to like forty five degrees. You
can even make shallow datos or notches by making a
few careful passes, you know, if you had to. It's
not a substitute for a table saw, dato stack or
anything like that, but for quick rough carpentry. It does work.
(07:27):
You can make it work now. Finally, because the saw
goes to the material. You know, you're bringing the saw
to the project, you can cut boards or siding right
in place. You're not walking back and forth to your chopsaw.
So this is perfect, perfect for deck projects, siding projects,
you know, building a shed or anything like that. Now,
all right, as we get to the end of this
(07:49):
something that really is going to help you elevate your
experience of using a circular saw, are going to be
some add ons. I've talked about some of these all
segment long, I just kind of drop names, but I
want to point them out specific just for a minute,
because they're really really valuable. You know, first off, a
speed square, you know, a good seven inch rafter square
is your best friend for you know, quick accurate cuts.
(08:10):
You hook it up, you line it up, and you've
got a perfect ninety or forty five degree cut every time.
So a speed square, get one of those. Second, a
straight edge or a track guide, this is how you
get pro level accuracy. You know, you could buy commercial tracks, Mikita,
DeWalt and others. They make them. They start around you know,
one fifty to two hundred something like that. Craig kr
(08:31):
e G has a number of offerings and I've seen
those starting as low as fifty bucks. You know, somewhere
in that range you can buy tracks that will help you,
you know, make sure you're getting straight, consistent cuts. Or
if you don't want to make that purchase, you can
always make your own. If you've got some scrap plywood
line around, you know, there's a lot of plans online
that will walk you through the process what you need
(08:52):
to do. I'll link to one of them, one particular
one in the show notes if you want to check
it out, and that one talks about how to make
your circular saw into a di why tracksaw. It's definitely
worth checking out, So I'll put that link or that
video in the show notes. Dig into that afterwards a
little bit. Another add on that you want or need
are quality blades. You know, the blade that you saw
(09:14):
came with it's really going to be for rough framing
lumber period. If you want cleaner cuts, you're gonna want
to step up to a forty tooth carbide blade for
general work, or even a sixty to eighty tooth for
plywood and finish cuts. And remember a dull blade is dangerous.
You know. It binds, it burns, it kicks, So keep
it sharp or replace it when needed. And if you
(09:35):
aren't aware, you know there are places all around that
will offer blade sharpening services. You know. I didn't realize
that and did a quick google, you know, I just
ran it through the goog and I found a number
of places near me that will sharpen blades. I had
no idea, So keep that in mind. Fourth thing, you're
going to want to make sure you've got our clamps.
You know, don't try to hold a guide with one
(09:56):
hand and cut with the other. Do not do that.
Just don't even picture it because it's going to give
you the willies just picturing that process. Use clamps, barclamps,
seat clamps, whatever you've got, but use clamps, all right.
Last thing I want to talk about, of course, is safety.
Gotta be safe, eye protection, ear protection, you know, watch
(10:17):
out for the cord as you're cutting. I've seen people
saw through cut right through their extension cords. Don't be
one of those people. It's avoidable, It's dramatic and it's avoidable.
You don't want that, so watch out for that cord.
If you're using a corded device. Another thing, let the
blade stop completely before you set the saw down. And
here's where some newer saws really shine. Many of them
(10:38):
have electric brakes that stop the blade in about a
second or two after you release the trigger. Now they
cost a little bit more, but they can be worth it,
you know, especially if that blade guard. You know, every
saw has a blade card that will swing back. It's
spring driven and it will pop back into place once
you're done with your cut. Every now and then that
guard can stick and it doesn't cover the blade again.
(11:00):
So you've got to be mindful to let that blade
stop completely before you set it down. Or invest in
a circular saw that has one of these electric brakes,
but still make sure that the blade stopped before you
set it down. Keep both hands on the saw. That
front handle on it is there for a reason. And
if the saw starts bogging or binding, just stop. You
(11:21):
got to figure out why it's doing that before you
force it through the cut. That's how you keep things safe. Basically,
treat it with respect, stay alert, and you'll be fine.
I know they're intimidating a little bit, but if you
treat it with respect, stay alert. You'll be fine, all right,
circular sauce. If you don't have one, look into it.
You'll use it for so many projects throughout the years
(11:41):
around your house. All right, let's take a break, and
when we come back, I am going to be dishing
all kinds of brilliant information for the better dressed man
out there. If you want to be one of the
better dressed men on your block, I've got the scoop
and that's all coming up next. Stick around Home in
Progress is to you by Repcolite Paints and Benjamin Moore.
(12:02):
Top to your paint expert advice. Your next project is
way easier than you think it's going to be. All Right,
it's time for me Dan Hansen to dish out fashion
advice to the well dressed men out there, the people
who want to be well dressed men. You know, hopefully
(12:24):
you're scooting your chair just a little closer to the
radio box and you're listening with rapt attention to all
the gold that is going to be dripping from my mouth.
I guess I don't know anyway, let's get on with it.
A few weeks ago I talked about how my daughter
(12:44):
got married. You know, recently she got married, and of
course for the wedding, everybody got dressed up right, and
for the first time in probably twenty years, I found
myself wearing a suit. I felt like a very short
and a little portly version of James Bond, but still
I did have that James Bond feel. It was kind
of fun. But on top of that, I also got
(13:05):
to see my sons dressed in suits or tuxes or
whatever they were for the first time, really for the
first time. But my daughters looked great and all of that.
I'm not dissing on them. It's just that we're talking
men's fashion here, so I'm focusing on the dudes. Anyway,
my kids looked great. My sons looked great. My girls
look great too. Just in case they listen. They never
(13:26):
listen to the show, but just on the off chance,
they were amazing. They were beautiful. But my sons they
looked great too, and they looked a lot better than
I did. In fact, at the reception, as we're all
hanging out, kicking back, having a big time, somebody walks
up to my middle son and compliments him on his clothes.
And in fact, this person said something that really stuck
(13:46):
with me. He said, lots of people can put a
suit on, but not as many people can really wear
a suit or something like that. It was really smart.
And then he told my kid that he was one
of those people who were really able to wear a suit.
That was a great compliment, and it got me thinking,
I just wish I knew what it took to dress well,
you know, because honestly, and I'm sure this will come
(14:08):
as a profound surprise to pretty much everybody listening, but
I don't dress well at all. You know. I've got
some decent things, you know, a couple of nice sweaters,
I've got some khaki pants and all. But I don't
dress well. I just don't know what to do, you know.
That's the idea anyway, And most of the time that's okay, right.
It's not like I've got loads of reasons to dress impeccably,
(14:31):
you know, I mean, for starters, I work in a warehouse,
largely by myself. There are mice, two less mice than
there were earlier in the week thanks to some well
placed mouse traps, But really I work with mice machinery
and that's pretty much it. Not many people, and when
I go home I go home to the kids who
(14:51):
really don't care if I'm wearing sweatpants or jeans with
holes in them, as long as I'm not just sitting
around in my underpants. Right, So, I don't have a
huge pile of reasons for wanting or needing to dress impeccably,
But there is something inside that says, wouldn't it be
nice if you didn't look like your clothes were all
hand me downs? And yes, yes, it would, internal Dan
(15:14):
internal monologue voice, it would be nice if I didn't
always look like a hobo. So I'm thinking about all
of that, you know, that's on my mind. And then
right on the cusp of having those thoughts, Benjamin Moore
comes out with their Color of the Year for twenty
twenty six, Silhouette, and all of the literature that they
release about it, or most of the literature that they
release about it, talks about how a silhouette and their
(15:37):
choice is tied to the fashion world, you know, they
talk about how color and fashion go hand in hand.
And then in one of the release videos, I can't
remember it might be on most of them, but one
particular one for sure that I saw, they talked about
dressing a room in the same way that we dress ourselves.
And I really, really really liked that connection. I thought
that was great. But since I have no idea how
(15:58):
to dress myself to look good, I know you put
your legs through the legholes of the pants and stuff
like that. You put your underwear on first, then your pants.
I know that much about dressing myself, but I don't
know great things, great huge things about dressing myself. Well.
Apparently I don't even know great huge things about talking well.
But anyway, since I don't know all of those things
(16:21):
you know, and I'm not fluent in them, how can
I talk about dressing a room well? That finally brings
me to the bigger point that I want to make
in the next few segments. You know, I've taken a
deep dive into the world of fashion and the art
of dressing well, and I've uncovered many, many things, many
profound things that could help me if I implement them.
(16:42):
They can help you dress better men out there and
women too. Maybe maybe you're gonna have to do the
groundwork on that to fill in the gaps. I'm talking
to the dudes at this point. But not only have
I uncovered all of these hidden truths, these secret wonders
about dressing well. I've also cataloged a number of home
(17:03):
improvement points and lessons that we can learn from these
same fashion points. So with all that said, let's get started.
The first lesson that I've got is this, and I
should highlight right off the bat that this is coming
from this brilliant article that I found online. It's an
article in or on the Essential Man dot com. It's
(17:23):
written by Peter guyan N g u y e N.
And I'll link to this article in the show notes.
All right, The first lesson that the article has is this,
You've got to realize that dressing is a skill, and
it's a skill nobody's born with it, you know, knowing
how to dress, nobody's born with it. We don't spring
from the womb with some perfectly tuned intuition regarding how
(17:45):
to dress well. It's a skill you get better with practice.
And that's so important for me. You know. It's such
a real life, down and dirty place to start because
as smart as I tell myself that I am, and
make no mistake about it, I tell myself I'm pretty smart.
As smart as I tell myself, I am There are
a large number of things, you know, skills that I
(18:07):
convince myself are somehow innate. You know, dressing well is
one of them. I feel like I'm utterly clueless when
it comes to this. You know, it's an innate skill.
It's something that you just have or you don't have.
And because I don't have it, I pretty much write
it off as something I'll never be able to do.
I don't have what it takes. Now. Some people do.
They just know what kind of clothes to put with this,
(18:29):
or that they've got a superpower, this inherent ability. That's
what I tell myself, but it's not the truth. Nobody's
born with it. We all start in diapers. It's a
developed skill learning to you know, wearing diapers. It's not
a developed skill you can just fall right into that.
Dressing well is a developed skill. You learn it with practice.
And that's really good news, you know, because if you'd
(18:51):
like to dress better, to know what to put with what,
if you want to look intentional in what you choose
to wear, it's something you can learn. It's going to
take time, it's going to take practice and all of that,
but you can get there. I can get there. That
ship hasn't sailed. You know, that's the bottom line and
all of this in this first lesson, that ship hasn't sailed.
(19:13):
It doesn't matter how old you are. That ship is
still in port, you know, honking its horn or no
blowing its whistle, whatever ships do, it's doing it and
you can still get on. And I'm sure that you
can see the paint in the design and the home
improvement connection in all of that. Right, it's a connection
(19:34):
to almost everything related to life in general. But let's
just keep it to home improvement. You know, painting well,
Let's get specific. Painting well is a skill that you
can learn using saws and tools and constructing cabinets and
installing trim. All of those things are skills you can learn.
Putting together color combinations that look great, that capture the
(19:56):
mood and the atmosphere that you're trying to create in
a space. All of that is a skill. You know.
I couldn't tell you percentages, but so many people, you know,
way too many people write themselves off on way too
many things. You know, I hear it all the time,
I do it all the time. I've done it in
the open part of this show. You know everything. Preceding this,
I've talked about how I'm not good at dressing well, right,
(20:19):
we write ourselves off all the time, and I really
hear it. In regards to home stuff. That's one of
the most common areas that I hear this happening. You know,
people say they're not skilled with painting, they're not skilled
with home repairs in general, they're not mechanical, they're not
good with their hands. All of that. You've heard it too,
hundreds of times. You know, everybody out there listening knows
exactly what I'm talking about. Maybe you've said it for sure,
(20:41):
you've heard it. But here's the thing to take out
of this. First. Lesson all of those things that people
are talking about, well most of them. I can't say
all of them, but most of those things that people
are talking about that they're not good at. Our skills
and all skills, I think I can say all there.
All skills are learned, they're developed, they're fine tuned. And
(21:03):
everybody who's good at those things, whatever they are. Everybody
who's good at those things right now, every master craftsman,
every master painter, whatever you want to imagine, every master
of their craft was new at it and stunk at
it at one point. You know, we don't spring from
the womb with fashion sense, and we don't spring from
the womb with this inborn knowledge of how to paint ceilings,
(21:26):
cut in around trim, or to install tile on our backsplashes.
You know. Yes, some of us maybe have certain characteristics
that we're born with that make us a little more
inclined to be able to learn certain things quicker, you know,
pick things up faster than other people. But everything is
within your reach, you know. So if you find yourself
sitting around like I was after that wedding, you know,
(21:47):
my daughter's wedding, And if you find yourself thinking, man,
I wish I knew how to dress better. If you
ever do that with anything, you know, with design and decorating,
with painting, with woodworking, plumbing, automotive repair, any thing, if
you have a desire and a wish to be better
at something like that, remember almost all of those things
that you're thinking about, our skills, they can be learned.
(22:09):
So don't waste your time wishing when you can actually start.
That's the first point. You can learn this stuff, all right.
Second point, after saying all of that stuff about dressing
well being a skill, and interior design being a skill.
I can already hear some of the objections out there,
you know, I've already hinted at some of them. But
let's sum up some of these objections with a simple phrase.
(22:31):
I'm sure you've heard it, and it's possible you've used it.
I can learn certain hands on skills, but personally, I
just don't have the eye for choosing colors and putting
things together in that regard, right, I don't have the
eye for it. Let's go back to clothes for a minute,
fashion for a minute, because I've said the same thing
many times in regards to fashion, I don't have the
eye for putting together clothing articles that just look good together. Well,
(22:55):
if you're in that boat again, let's just keep it
at clothes at fashion for this moment. If you're in
that boat and you're thinking those thoughts, the author of
our Essential Man article says, there's something to try. He
explains that he gets these objections all the time when
he's trying to help guys get better at dressing, you know,
to dress better. You know, like I said earlier, we
(23:18):
all know how to dress ourselves. Most of us do.
We just don't know how to dress ourselves. Well, not
all of us do. So when he's got people that
he's trying to help and they say things like that,
he says he gets the objection all the time. I
just don't have the eye for it. He tells them,
take five minutes and list off a few people that
you think look good. You know, other guys who dress well.
You know, who maybe have looks that you'd like to
(23:40):
emulate to some extent, actors, musicians, you name it. Now,
he tells his clients that when he's working with him.
But I'm telling you to try it right now. If
you don't think you've got an eye for fashion, just
mentally list off some people that you think do have
a good eye for fashion, people that you've seen who
you think really look good in their clothes. Even if
you don't think you could pull off the look, just
(24:01):
create a list very quickly of a few people that
you think look great. Well, here's the thing, and this
is really kind of fun. It's like a little parlor trick.
If you created a list of people in your mind
and in your head that you think look good in
their style choices, you've just completely debunked the entire assumption
that you don't have an eye for fashion. You do
(24:22):
have an eye for fashion. You know what looks good.
You may not know why it works or how to
do that yourself, but you do know what looks good
to you. You do have an eye for fashion. So
the second lesson, or whatever you want to call it,
is to challenge your assumptions the stories that you tell yourself.
The article points out that the stories we tell ourselves
(24:42):
are often invisible barriers that we put up to keep
us in our comfort zone. So challenge those things. You
think you don't have a good eye for fashion. Chances
are you do have a better eye for fashion than
you think. Don't let an excuse stop you from moving ahead. Now,
let's translate that into the world of design and color choices,
and I'm sure you can already connect the dots here.
(25:03):
You can see where I'm going. People all the time
fall back on the story, you know, because we're challenging
our assumptions, we're challenging the stories that we tell ourselves.
People often fall back on the story that they don't
have an eye for choosing colors. I have been in
so many conversations about this. It's impossible to count them all.
And I'm sure you've been in conversations like this too.
(25:23):
People say, or you say, or I say, I don't
have the eye for putting colors together, not like my sister,
not like my friend, not like this or that person
on Instagram. You know, their rooms are amazing, their spaces
and their color choices are mind blowing. Right, they're perfect.
You know, everything they put together is like magical, and
I don't know how they do it. I don't have
(25:44):
an eye for doing that. We've all heard those things said,
and of course that's where you're wrong. You know, the
fact that you know this or that room, or this
or that color palette looks great means you've got an
eye for it. You get it, You know what looks good,
you know, but you, like you may not know how
to do it yet. You may not know all the
(26:05):
formulas for finding the right proportions of colors and textures
and patterns in a space, but you do have an
eye for it. So, just like with clothing and style,
challenge your assumptions. Don't let a false conclusion keep you
from accomplishing things that are easily within your reach. All right,
Another clothing lesson in our Essential Man article that we're
(26:27):
referencing here. Another lesson is that fit matters more than
everything else. You know, getting the right fit solves almost
all of your wardrobe problems. You don't need designer labels,
you don't need fancy fabrics whatever. When clothes fit, even
something simple looks good. Remember my example from the wedding.
I talked about it at the beginning. I was in
(26:47):
a suit. My son was in a suit or a
tux or whatever it was, and he got the compliment.
You know, he was told that he was truly wearing
that suit. Now what about me? I looked at myself
and him a little more closely after that comment, and
here's what I found. My suit coat was longer than
it should have been, and the shoulder in the sleeves
and the shoulders didn't sit exactly right. And it's because
(27:10):
it came from the thrift store. Right, it was five bucks.
I was thrilled to have found this thing, but it
wasn't made for me. I fit into it kind of,
but it wasn't, you know, truly fitted to me. It
didn't sit exactly right. The pants that I wore, they
were just cheap O's that I snagged on Amazon. The
(27:31):
pants were touched shorter than they should have been. And
my shirt it was just one that I had at home.
So I looked fine, you know, for the most part,
I looked okay, I looked decent. My kid, on the
other hand, had to go right because he was standing
up in the wedding, so he had to go and
get fitted for his suit, and it was adjusted so
that everything was designed for him, and that made a
(27:52):
huge difference in how we carried off the look. All right. Now,
I'm not saying that everything has to be professionally fitted,
but when I think about my wardrobe, most of the
stuff that I've got, it's too big, you know. And
lots of guys have the same issue. The bag ear clothes. Yeah,
they just feel more comfortable, right, We're not stretching the
(28:12):
seams or stretching against or fighting against the constraints of
the clothing. They're big, they're baggy, they're comfortable, but they
throw off our proportions, right. They can make it look shorter,
they can make you look heavier. These are all absolute
deal breakers for me. I should not be made to
look shorter and heavier. I am really working against things.
(28:32):
When I allow my clothing to do that, I mean
I'm already behind the eight pall on some of these things.
I don't need help. So fit is important with clothing,
but it's also hugely important for interior design. Now in design,
the fit and I love this point is this is
one of those aha moments that was really fun for
me to think about. In design, the fit that we're
(28:55):
talking about is how color, furniture, and balance, you know,
all work together. So take the sixty thirty ten rule
for example. It's a basic color guideline that designers use
all the time. Sixty percent of your space should be
your main color. The walls are biggest pieces. Thirty percent
should be a secondary color, maybe the drapes, you know,
a rug, furniture, things like that. Ten percent is your
(29:18):
accent color, so the pillows, the artwork, other little touches. Now,
when you keep those proportions largely in check, your space
feels calm, and it feels polished, and it feels well
put together. When you don't, you know, when every color
is fighting for equal attention, it feels busy and it
feels off balance, no matter how nice the paint or
the furniture is so keep that sixty thirty ten rule
(29:41):
in mind when you're putting your color schemes together. And
just like close, furniture has to also fit the room.
You know, Furniture that's too big for a space isn't
a good look. And also conversely, furniture that's too small
for a space, it just feels awkward and weird. It's
got to be the right fit. So a good rule
of thumb is this large pieces. They should take up
about two thirds of the wall that they're on, and
(30:03):
that's going to leave breathing room and keep the space balanced. Now,
on top of all of those things, you know, there's
visual weight. You know, every room needs a mix of
heavy and light pieces to feel comfortable. If you've got
too many dark colors, too many chunky items. You know,
like if I'm sitting in the living room now, it's
maybe one too many chunky items. But if you've got
too many chunky items, they can make a room feel
(30:23):
closed in. Too many delicate or light elements in the
room can feel empty. All of the magic happens in
the mix of the right amounts of things. Solid anchor
pieces paired with lighter materials textures or open space. Now,
in the end, whether you're getting dressed or choosing pain
colors or furniture for your home or whatever, the principles
(30:44):
the same. When things fit right, when the proportions make sense,
everything is going to fall into place. All right. Now,
we're onto our fourth tip, and it's this, don't let
trends drive your choices. Start with classic styles that are
timeless and proven. You know, trends in clothing, as in
everything else, they catch the spotlight for a bit, they're
(31:04):
everywhere you look, right, and then before long everybody's moved on,
and there are new trends out there that are capturing
everybody's interests. Now, if you want to avoid the money
pit and the exhaustion of trends, opt for clothing styles
that are classic. You know, items that are timeless. A
leather jacket, you know, dark jeans and boots all looked
good in the fifties. They all still look good. That's
(31:27):
what our article says about fashion. Avoid the trends, stick
with the timeless stuff. Now, the paint connection is really
really obvious here. If you're trying to improve your design
skills and you don't want to be repainting all the time.
Then watch out for trends and stick to the classics.
You know, when I had my first house, the trend
at that point was bright colors, you know, lime greens, yellows, blues.
(31:48):
It was a crazy time, right, maybe some of you
remember it. But those bold colors, they were everywhere, everywhere
I looked anyway, and I was so tempted to opt
for this funky line. I'm green in one particular space.
You know, I was convinced it was going to be fun.
You know, it was gonna be something new, It's gonna
be different, not the same old thing. My kitchen, my
(32:09):
dining room, whatever space it was, was going to be unique.
In the end, fortunately, I decided to skip the trend
and I went with something much more classic. And as
a result, I painted the kitchen dining room whatever it was,
and I didn't have to change anything for the next
five years or so. And even then when we changed it,
it wasn't because the color wasn't really working for us.
(32:30):
We just wanted to go in a new direction, right.
Benjamin Moore's new Color of the Year, silhouette. It was
chosen with literally this concept in mind. You know, it's
a trending color, right, it's color trends, that's what we're
talking about. This is a trend, but it's a color
that they chose specifically so you can live with it
for a long, longer period of time than a typical trend.
(32:53):
It's not something that's going to be here today and
gone tomorrow. You can work with silhouette confidently and know
it's going to be working for you years down the road.
So keep that in mind. With clothing and colors, timeless
combinations and color schemes and styles are really going to
help you achieve great results quickly, and you won't find
yourself changing them out when the next trend drops. Now,
(33:14):
the fifth point or the lesson or whatever you want
to call it about dressing well is called the swap
swap trick, and it works just as well for your
wardrobe as it does for your home. And here's the scoop.
Let's say your go to outfit again. This all comes
from the Essential Man article that I'm going to link
to in the show notes. But let's say your go
to outfit is something like a linen button down shirt,
(33:36):
navy pants, and white shoes. It's classic look, it's clean,
it's safe, it's reliable, but maybe you're getting a little
bored with it and you want to change things up
without going full fashion experiment. Now, instead of overhauling everything,
just swap out one piece, that's the recommendation. Lose the
linen shirt, let's say, and replace it with a light
blue one. Suddenly the outfit feels a little bit fresh.
(33:58):
It's still you, but it's got new energy behind it.
And once that feels comfortable, maybe you swap out something else,
maybe a patterned your shirt next time, or pants in
a different color. You build confidence. That's the idea. One
small change at a time, and before you know it,
your look has evolved without jarring your senses or you know,
more likely having a moment when you walk out of
(34:20):
the bedroom all dressed in your new wardrobe and you
find all the kids staring at you with open mouths
before they run off laughing. You go slow. It's better
for you, it's better for everybody. Well, that same idea
applies when you're working with color in your home. If
your rooms have always been beige, gray, white, neutral, whatever,
and you're craving something new, don't start by repainting every
(34:45):
wall in some new funky color that you're jumping into.
Just make one swap, you know, bringing a new accent
color with throw pillows, with artwork, with a rug, and
once that feels right, then you can take the next step.
Maybe you paint a single wall, maybe you add a
colorful piece of furniture, you know, whatever. But bit by
bit you kind of expand your comfort zone. You know,
(35:07):
you swap one thing out for something that's a little bolder,
Your eye adjusts to it, you get used to living
with it, and before long you find you can make
bolder choices with your colors. And maybe someday down the
road you're even painting the trim a color other than
white or an off white, and maybe you're wallpapering the ceiling.
Who knows. Those big dramatic changes can be incredible, they
(35:29):
can be game changers, but they're going to look and
feel best when you've eased your way into them, all right.
Last thing I'll bring up from the article is this,
buy the best quality that fits into your budget. You know,
the best quality whatever it is that fits into your budget.
You know, there's not much reason to expand on this point.
It's really obvious in regards to clothes. The better quality
products are going to look better and lasts longer. They're
(35:51):
just made better and it matters and it shows. And
the same is true with paint, with brushes, with tools
and all of that. And I'm not necessar i's really
talking brand name stuff. I'm not saying by brand names
necessarily there's a difference between quality and name brand items,
or there can be a difference. I've seen plenty of
name brand goods that really aren't all that great at
(36:13):
the end of the day, not in terms of quality.
I'm talking about good stuff. Buy the best stuff that
your budget will allow. You know, investing in good brushes,
good paint, good tools, whether it's a saw or a
socket set, or you know, even something as basic as
a hammer. Good tools make every project easier, They last longer,
and they end up saving you money down the road.
(36:33):
You know, good paint, it applies easier, it covers and
hides better, and it lasts longer. If you don't want
to be replacing stuff regularly by the best quality that
your budget allows. All right, that's it for my fashion
fashion slash home improvement tips. Hopefully i helped some style
impaired men out there. Myself first and foremost, and hopefully
(36:56):
you all had some home improvement connections and takeaways that
you you pulled out of that. All right, once again,
that article that I referenced came from The Essential Man
and it is really worth a read. It's a really
good article and I've got links in the show notes
if you want to check it out. All right, one
note of business before I wrap everything up officially, Today
is your last day to get entered into our big
(37:16):
Color of the Year giveaway. We're gonna be giving away
four two hundred and fifty dollars Repcolite gift certificates and
to get entered, you just need to leave a comment
on a Color of the Year post that we've got
on Facebook and Instagram. The easiest way to find these
posts is to go to Repcolite dot com and then
click the contest banner on the homepage. From there, I've
got links to the posts that I'm talking about. And
(37:38):
then all you need to do is tell us which
color trend color from Benjamin Morreri's twenty twenty six Color
Trends Palette moves you, Which color moves you and which
room in your home it moves you to paint. That's it.
Lots of people picked rain dance for their bathrooms or
silhouette for their bedrooms. You know. Just tell us which
color moves you and which room you're inspired to paint,
(37:59):
and you're entered into the contest. Every comment you make
is an entry, So go to repcoll Light dot com
and click the contest banner on the homepage. Get entered.
You've got till the end of today to do that,
and then we'll draw winners and I'll post them and
get a hold of you next week. All right, that's
going to do it for this episode of Home in Progress.
If you like what you heard, please consider subscribing to
(38:20):
the show. You'll never miss an episode although just always
show right up in your inbox, and when we release
bonus episodes, you'll get those two without having to go
searching for them. So it's a big win there. And
if you wouldn't mind, if you feel so inclined, please
consider leaving a review for the show. It helps other
people find it and that really helps us out. All right.
(38:41):
If you've got any comments, thoughts, topics you'd like me
to cover in the future, you can email me at
radio at repcol Light dot com that'll go straight to
me and we can talk about what you think should
be on the show or what you think about what
was on the show. I'm all for those conversations, So
email me at radio at repco Light dot com, R
(39:02):
E P C O L I T E dot com
and we can have those conversations. That'd be great, all
right for home in Progress. I'm Dan Hansen. Thanks for listening.
Hey, everybody, thanks for tuning in. You're listening to Home
in Progress, brought to you by repcoll Like Paints and
Benjamin More. And how are you all doing? You know,
I want to know how everybody did with this first
snowfall of the season. I didn't handle it that badly.
I did, okay, But man, what it did really make
(00:22):
me realize is how many leaves I've still got in
my trees. My goodness, you know, I've got two huge
maple trees in the backyard that I think have to
be I mean, I can't do the math on this,
but they seem to be almost ninety percent fall right.
The leaves still seem green up there for the most part.
(00:43):
I think they're going to be falling well well into December.
And I'm hearing coworkers saying that I think I think
they were saying that November fifteenth, So today is the
cutoff day for putting leaves on the road for them
for city pickup. I don't know what the rules are
like where you're at, but I'm pretty sure that's what
(01:04):
a number of my coworkers are dealing with. Fortunately, I
mulch mine, so I'll get through them eventually. But I
do like them to be dry. When I do that,
it's a lot easier, and it's really nice when there's
no snow on the ground when you do it. All right,
let's get to the show now. This week, I'm going
to be stepping way outside of my comfort zone. I'm
(01:25):
going to be talking about fashion, and not just fashion.
It's almost embarrassing to say this out loud. I'm going
to be dishing out fashion advice to men. I'm going
to help you guys be better dressed people. It is
literally an insane concept. You should see what I'm wearing
(01:46):
right now. Jeans with holes, an old sweatshirt. I think
there's salt sustains on it, or it's blood, I don't know,
probably a combination. But I really do have some good
stuff that I'm going to convey, and of course I
got it all from doing a lot of research. Don't worry,
this is not coming from me alone. It's not that
I know any of this stuff. I researched it and
(02:07):
it's good stuff. And if you've ever wished that you
could dress with just a little more style, a little
more panache, you know, or whatever that word is, I
can help. And of course as we do all of that,
I'm gonna make each point. You know, I'll talk about
clothing styles and fashion, but of course I'll be making
a complimenting point about home improvement stuff. Now it sounds
(02:28):
weird maybe, but it's gonna work. Trust me, it's gonna
be good. So hang out for that. But right now,
before we get to all of that brilliance, I want
to talk about one of the most underrated tools in
any homeowner's arsenal, or what should be in any homeowner's arsenal,
the circular saw. And I'm gonna be straight up honest.
(02:48):
For years, I was like freaked out by these things.
You know, they're loud, they're aggressive, you know, they look dangerous,
crazy dangerous, So I avoided them like the plague. Instead,
I'd use my little bench top table saw or my
little mitersaw for everything, even when it made zero sense.
But here's what I've learned through all of my many years,
(03:10):
you know, my many years of accumulating wisdom. I've learned
that if you spend time around professional carpenters or even
really well established di wires, people who know what they're doing,
you're going to notice that a circular saw is a
tool that they're reaching for all the time, and there's
a reason they're doing that. And that's what I want
to talk about today, all right, Before I jump into
all of that, I want to get this out of
(03:31):
the way right away because I don't want the emails.
I know that a good table saw is going to
give you the most precise cuts, you know, especially for
repeat work. And yes, a track saw another option, and
a track saw system, you know, like something from Festool
or Mikita, it's going to deliver laser straight accuracy for
breaking down sheet goods. I get all of that, but
(03:51):
those aren't the tools that most di wires own or
can afford to buy. Now. Lots of us have small
benchtop or contractor saws squeezed in to the corner of
a garage. And if that's what you've got, and you've
ever tried to push like a four by eight sheet
of plywood through one of those things, you know how
awkward and death defying that can be. You know, I've
(04:13):
had sheets bind and kick back on me. It's terrifying.
All right. That's where the circular saw changes things. It's portable,
it's versatile, and with the right accessories, you know, guide rails,
straight edges, things like that. It can be ridiculously accurate.
You know, maybe not furniture grade accuracy, but you're still
going to get more than enough accuracy for pretty much
(04:34):
everything you do around your house. Now, let's talk about
types before we get into some of the things that
you can do with a circular saw. There's two main
types out there. There's a sidewinder and a worm drive. Now,
the sidewinder it's lighter, you know, maybe seven to nine pounds,
and the motor sits beside the blade. It spins fast,
usually maybe five to six thousand RPMs, and it's the
(04:55):
most common homeowner saw. It's what you think of most
likely when you think of a circular saw. The worm
drive circular saw has the motor in line with the blade,
so it's in the back a little bit. It's a
heavier saw, maybe ten to thirteen pounds. It runs slower,
not as many RPMs, but it's got a lot more torque.
The inline design also gives you a much clearer view
(05:16):
of your cut if you're right handed. If you're left handed,
it's a little harder to see. But if you're right handed,
you've got a really nice straight on look at the
cut that you're making. Now, both of these different types
have their place for most homeowners. A sidewinder is going
to be perfect lighter, less fatiguing. But if you're ripping
through heavy lumber or engineered beams or things like that,
that worm drives torque is a real advantage. Now, either way,
(05:40):
getting a saw, look for a seven and a quarter
inch blade. That's the standard size. You can get littler
ones that are for more intricate work, but if you're
looking for a good all around circular saw, make sure
it's that seven and a quarter inch blade size. It's
going to cut clean through a two by four at
any angle. It's just going to be the most convenient
to work with, all right. So those are circular sauce.
(06:03):
Those are the main options out there. Let's talk about
some of the specific things that they can do. First off,
they're great with crosscuts. You know, grab a speed square
as a guide and you can make perfectly square crosscuts faster.
Then you can walk aboard over to a miter saw.
Now let's talk about rip cuts, you know, running the
length of a piece of wood. This is where the
(06:23):
circular saw really really shines, and I think for ripping
big sheets of plywood, this potentially could be even safer
than a big table saw. It's for sure safer than
a little bench saw, especially if you're working alone or
in a tight space. You know, I've fought full sheets
through a bench top saw. I've even done full sheets
through a table saw, and I've had them bind and
(06:45):
then they can kick back, and they can kick back hard.
I mean, it's terrifying when this happens. If you don't
have all the safety mechanisms in place, which of course
we do. With a circular saw. You just lay the
plywood on a few sacrificial two by four, clamp your
guide down, and then make the cut right where it sits. Again,
you're not wrestling with it. You're not worried about kickback.
(07:07):
You're just making clean, controlled cuts. Every circular saw, they're
going to let you tilt the base for bevels. You
can usually get up to like forty five degrees. You
can even make shallow datos or notches by making a
few careful passes, you know, if you had to. It's
not a substitute for a table saw, dato stack or
anything like that, but for quick rough carpentry. It does work.
(07:27):
You can make it work now. Finally, because the saw
goes to the material. You know, you're bringing the saw
to the project, you can cut boards or siding right
in place. You're not walking back and forth to your chopsaw.
So this is perfect, perfect for deck projects, siding projects,
you know, building a shed or anything like that. Now,
all right, as we get to the end of this
(07:49):
something that really is going to help you elevate your
experience of using a circular saw, are going to be
some add ons. I've talked about some of these all
segment long, I just kind of drop names, but I
want to point them out specific just for a minute,
because they're really really valuable. You know, first off, a
speed square, you know, a good seven inch rafter square
is your best friend for you know, quick accurate cuts.
(08:10):
You hook it up, you line it up, and you've
got a perfect ninety or forty five degree cut every time.
So a speed square, get one of those. Second, a
straight edge or a track guide, this is how you
get pro level accuracy. You know, you could buy commercial tracks, Mikita,
DeWalt and others. They make them. They start around you know,
one fifty to two hundred something like that. Craig kr
(08:31):
e G has a number of offerings and I've seen
those starting as low as fifty bucks. You know, somewhere
in that range you can buy tracks that will help you,
you know, make sure you're getting straight, consistent cuts. Or
if you don't want to make that purchase, you can
always make your own. If you've got some scrap plywood
line around, you know, there's a lot of plans online
that will walk you through the process what you need
(08:52):
to do. I'll link to one of them, one particular
one in the show notes if you want to check
it out, and that one talks about how to make
your circular saw into a di why tracksaw. It's definitely
worth checking out, So I'll put that link or that
video in the show notes. Dig into that afterwards a
little bit. Another add on that you want or need
are quality blades. You know, the blade that you saw
(09:14):
came with it's really going to be for rough framing
lumber period. If you want cleaner cuts, you're gonna want
to step up to a forty tooth carbide blade for
general work, or even a sixty to eighty tooth for
plywood and finish cuts. And remember a dull blade is dangerous.
You know. It binds, it burns, it kicks, So keep
it sharp or replace it when needed. And if you
(09:35):
aren't aware, you know there are places all around that
will offer blade sharpening services. You know. I didn't realize
that and did a quick google, you know, I just
ran it through the goog and I found a number
of places near me that will sharpen blades. I had
no idea, So keep that in mind. Fourth thing, you're
going to want to make sure you've got our clamps.
You know, don't try to hold a guide with one
(09:56):
hand and cut with the other. Do not do that.
Just don't even picture it because it's going to give
you the willies just picturing that process. Use clamps, barclamps,
seat clamps, whatever you've got, but use clamps, all right.
Last thing I want to talk about, of course, is safety.
Gotta be safe, eye protection, ear protection, you know, watch
(10:17):
out for the cord as you're cutting. I've seen people
saw through cut right through their extension cords. Don't be
one of those people. It's avoidable, It's dramatic and it's avoidable.
You don't want that, so watch out for that cord.
If you're using a corded device. Another thing, let the
blade stop completely before you set the saw down. And
here's where some newer saws really shine. Many of them
(10:38):
have electric brakes that stop the blade in about a
second or two after you release the trigger. Now they
cost a little bit more, but they can be worth it,
you know, especially if that blade guard. You know, every
saw has a blade card that will swing back. It's
spring driven and it will pop back into place once
you're done with your cut. Every now and then that
guard can stick and it doesn't cover the blade again.
(11:00):
So you've got to be mindful to let that blade
stop completely before you set it down. Or invest in
a circular saw that has one of these electric brakes,
but still make sure that the blade stopped before you
set it down. Keep both hands on the saw. That
front handle on it is there for a reason. And
if the saw starts bogging or binding, just stop. You
(11:21):
got to figure out why it's doing that before you
force it through the cut. That's how you keep things safe. Basically,
treat it with respect, stay alert, and you'll be fine.
I know they're intimidating a little bit, but if you
treat it with respect, stay alert. You'll be fine, all right,
circular sauce. If you don't have one, look into it.
You'll use it for so many projects throughout the years
(11:41):
around your house. All right, let's take a break, and
when we come back, I am going to be dishing
all kinds of brilliant information for the better dressed man
out there. If you want to be one of the
better dressed men on your block, I've got the scoop
and that's all coming up next. Stick around Home in
Progress is to you by Repcolite Paints and Benjamin Moore.
(12:02):
Top to your paint expert advice. Your next project is
way easier than you think it's going to be. All Right,
it's time for me Dan Hansen to dish out fashion
advice to the well dressed men out there, the people
who want to be well dressed men. You know, hopefully
(12:24):
you're scooting your chair just a little closer to the
radio box and you're listening with rapt attention to all
the gold that is going to be dripping from my mouth.
I guess I don't know anyway, let's get on with it.
A few weeks ago I talked about how my daughter
(12:44):
got married. You know, recently she got married, and of
course for the wedding, everybody got dressed up right, and
for the first time in probably twenty years, I found
myself wearing a suit. I felt like a very short
and a little portly version of James Bond, but still
I did have that James Bond feel. It was kind
of fun. But on top of that, I also got
(13:05):
to see my sons dressed in suits or tuxes or
whatever they were for the first time, really for the
first time. But my daughters looked great and all of that.
I'm not dissing on them. It's just that we're talking
men's fashion here, so I'm focusing on the dudes. Anyway,
my kids looked great. My sons looked great. My girls
look great too. Just in case they listen. They never
(13:26):
listen to the show, but just on the off chance,
they were amazing. They were beautiful. But my sons they
looked great too, and they looked a lot better than
I did. In fact, at the reception, as we're all
hanging out, kicking back, having a big time, somebody walks
up to my middle son and compliments him on his clothes.
And in fact, this person said something that really stuck
(13:46):
with me. He said, lots of people can put a
suit on, but not as many people can really wear
a suit or something like that. It was really smart.
And then he told my kid that he was one
of those people who were really able to wear a suit.
That was a great compliment, and it got me thinking,
I just wish I knew what it took to dress well,
you know, because honestly, and I'm sure this will come
(14:08):
as a profound surprise to pretty much everybody listening, but
I don't dress well at all. You know. I've got
some decent things, you know, a couple of nice sweaters,
I've got some khaki pants and all. But I don't
dress well. I just don't know what to do, you know.
That's the idea anyway, And most of the time that's okay, right.
It's not like I've got loads of reasons to dress impeccably,
(14:31):
you know, I mean, for starters, I work in a warehouse,
largely by myself. There are mice, two less mice than
there were earlier in the week thanks to some well
placed mouse traps, But really I work with mice machinery
and that's pretty much it. Not many people, and when
I go home I go home to the kids who
(14:51):
really don't care if I'm wearing sweatpants or jeans with
holes in them, as long as I'm not just sitting
around in my underpants. Right, So, I don't have a
huge pile of reasons for wanting or needing to dress impeccably,
But there is something inside that says, wouldn't it be
nice if you didn't look like your clothes were all
hand me downs? And yes, yes, it would, internal Dan
(15:14):
internal monologue voice, it would be nice if I didn't
always look like a hobo. So I'm thinking about all
of that, you know, that's on my mind. And then
right on the cusp of having those thoughts, Benjamin Moore
comes out with their Color of the Year for twenty
twenty six, Silhouette, and all of the literature that they
release about it, or most of the literature that they
release about it, talks about how a silhouette and their
(15:37):
choice is tied to the fashion world, you know, they
talk about how color and fashion go hand in hand.
And then in one of the release videos, I can't
remember it might be on most of them, but one
particular one for sure that I saw, they talked about
dressing a room in the same way that we dress ourselves.
And I really, really really liked that connection. I thought
that was great. But since I have no idea how
(15:58):
to dress myself to look good, I know you put
your legs through the legholes of the pants and stuff
like that. You put your underwear on first, then your pants.
I know that much about dressing myself, but I don't
know great things, great huge things about dressing myself. Well.
Apparently I don't even know great huge things about talking well.
But anyway, since I don't know all of those things
(16:21):
you know, and I'm not fluent in them, how can
I talk about dressing a room well? That finally brings
me to the bigger point that I want to make
in the next few segments. You know, I've taken a
deep dive into the world of fashion and the art
of dressing well, and I've uncovered many, many things, many
profound things that could help me if I implement them.
(16:42):
They can help you dress better men out there and
women too. Maybe maybe you're gonna have to do the
groundwork on that to fill in the gaps. I'm talking
to the dudes at this point. But not only have
I uncovered all of these hidden truths, these secret wonders
about dressing well. I've also cataloged a number of home
(17:03):
improvement points and lessons that we can learn from these
same fashion points. So with all that said, let's get started.
The first lesson that I've got is this, and I
should highlight right off the bat that this is coming
from this brilliant article that I found online. It's an
article in or on the Essential Man dot com. It's
(17:23):
written by Peter guyan N g u y e N.
And I'll link to this article in the show notes.
All right, The first lesson that the article has is this,
You've got to realize that dressing is a skill, and
it's a skill nobody's born with it, you know, knowing
how to dress, nobody's born with it. We don't spring
from the womb with some perfectly tuned intuition regarding how
(17:45):
to dress well. It's a skill you get better with practice.
And that's so important for me. You know. It's such
a real life, down and dirty place to start because
as smart as I tell myself that I am, and
make no mistake about it, I tell myself I'm pretty smart.
As smart as I tell myself, I am There are
a large number of things, you know, skills that I
(18:07):
convince myself are somehow innate. You know, dressing well is
one of them. I feel like I'm utterly clueless when
it comes to this. You know, it's an innate skill.
It's something that you just have or you don't have.
And because I don't have it, I pretty much write
it off as something I'll never be able to do.
I don't have what it takes. Now. Some people do.
They just know what kind of clothes to put with this,
(18:29):
or that they've got a superpower, this inherent ability. That's
what I tell myself, but it's not the truth. Nobody's
born with it. We all start in diapers. It's a
developed skill learning to you know, wearing diapers. It's not
a developed skill you can just fall right into that.
Dressing well is a developed skill. You learn it with practice.
And that's really good news, you know, because if you'd
(18:51):
like to dress better, to know what to put with what,
if you want to look intentional in what you choose
to wear, it's something you can learn. It's going to
take time, it's going to take practice and all of that,
but you can get there. I can get there. That
ship hasn't sailed. You know, that's the bottom line and
all of this in this first lesson, that ship hasn't sailed.
(19:13):
It doesn't matter how old you are. That ship is
still in port, you know, honking its horn or no
blowing its whistle, whatever ships do, it's doing it and
you can still get on. And I'm sure that you
can see the paint in the design and the home
improvement connection in all of that. Right, it's a connection
(19:34):
to almost everything related to life in general. But let's
just keep it to home improvement. You know, painting well,
Let's get specific. Painting well is a skill that you
can learn using saws and tools and constructing cabinets and
installing trim. All of those things are skills you can learn.
Putting together color combinations that look great, that capture the
(19:56):
mood and the atmosphere that you're trying to create in
a space. All of that is a skill. You know.
I couldn't tell you percentages, but so many people, you know,
way too many people write themselves off on way too
many things. You know, I hear it all the time,
I do it all the time. I've done it in
the open part of this show. You know everything. Preceding this,
I've talked about how I'm not good at dressing well, right,
(20:19):
we write ourselves off all the time, and I really
hear it. In regards to home stuff. That's one of
the most common areas that I hear this happening. You know,
people say they're not skilled with painting, they're not skilled
with home repairs in general, they're not mechanical, they're not
good with their hands. All of that. You've heard it too,
hundreds of times. You know, everybody out there listening knows
exactly what I'm talking about. Maybe you've said it for sure,
(20:41):
you've heard it. But here's the thing to take out
of this. First. Lesson all of those things that people
are talking about, well most of them. I can't say
all of them, but most of those things that people
are talking about that they're not good at. Our skills
and all skills, I think I can say all there.
All skills are learned, they're developed, they're fine tuned. And
(21:03):
everybody who's good at those things, whatever they are. Everybody
who's good at those things right now, every master craftsman,
every master painter, whatever you want to imagine, every master
of their craft was new at it and stunk at
it at one point. You know, we don't spring from
the womb with fashion sense, and we don't spring from
the womb with this inborn knowledge of how to paint ceilings,
(21:26):
cut in around trim, or to install tile on our backsplashes.
You know. Yes, some of us maybe have certain characteristics
that we're born with that make us a little more
inclined to be able to learn certain things quicker, you know,
pick things up faster than other people. But everything is
within your reach, you know. So if you find yourself
sitting around like I was after that wedding, you know,
(21:47):
my daughter's wedding, And if you find yourself thinking, man,
I wish I knew how to dress better. If you
ever do that with anything, you know, with design and decorating,
with painting, with woodworking, plumbing, automotive repair, any thing, if
you have a desire and a wish to be better
at something like that, remember almost all of those things
that you're thinking about, our skills, they can be learned.
(22:09):
So don't waste your time wishing when you can actually start.
That's the first point. You can learn this stuff, all right.
Second point, after saying all of that stuff about dressing
well being a skill, and interior design being a skill.
I can already hear some of the objections out there,
you know, I've already hinted at some of them. But
let's sum up some of these objections with a simple phrase.
(22:31):
I'm sure you've heard it, and it's possible you've used it.
I can learn certain hands on skills, but personally, I
just don't have the eye for choosing colors and putting
things together in that regard, right, I don't have the
eye for it. Let's go back to clothes for a minute,
fashion for a minute, because I've said the same thing
many times in regards to fashion, I don't have the
eye for putting together clothing articles that just look good together. Well,
(22:55):
if you're in that boat again, let's just keep it
at clothes at fashion for this moment. If you're in
that boat and you're thinking those thoughts, the author of
our Essential Man article says, there's something to try. He
explains that he gets these objections all the time when
he's trying to help guys get better at dressing, you know,
to dress better. You know, like I said earlier, we
(23:18):
all know how to dress ourselves. Most of us do.
We just don't know how to dress ourselves. Well, not
all of us do. So when he's got people that
he's trying to help and they say things like that,
he says he gets the objection all the time. I
just don't have the eye for it. He tells them,
take five minutes and list off a few people that
you think look good. You know, other guys who dress well.
You know, who maybe have looks that you'd like to
(23:40):
emulate to some extent, actors, musicians, you name it. Now,
he tells his clients that when he's working with him.
But I'm telling you to try it right now. If
you don't think you've got an eye for fashion, just
mentally list off some people that you think do have
a good eye for fashion, people that you've seen who
you think really look good in their clothes. Even if
you don't think you could pull off the look, just
(24:01):
create a list very quickly of a few people that
you think look great. Well, here's the thing, and this
is really kind of fun. It's like a little parlor trick.
If you created a list of people in your mind
and in your head that you think look good in
their style choices, you've just completely debunked the entire assumption
that you don't have an eye for fashion. You do
(24:22):
have an eye for fashion. You know what looks good.
You may not know why it works or how to
do that yourself, but you do know what looks good
to you. You do have an eye for fashion. So
the second lesson, or whatever you want to call it,
is to challenge your assumptions the stories that you tell yourself.
The article points out that the stories we tell ourselves
(24:42):
are often invisible barriers that we put up to keep
us in our comfort zone. So challenge those things. You
think you don't have a good eye for fashion. Chances
are you do have a better eye for fashion than
you think. Don't let an excuse stop you from moving ahead. Now,
let's translate that into the world of design and color choices,
and I'm sure you can already connect the dots here.
(25:03):
You can see where I'm going. People all the time
fall back on the story, you know, because we're challenging
our assumptions, we're challenging the stories that we tell ourselves.
People often fall back on the story that they don't
have an eye for choosing colors. I have been in
so many conversations about this. It's impossible to count them all.
And I'm sure you've been in conversations like this too.
(25:23):
People say, or you say, or I say, I don't
have the eye for putting colors together, not like my sister,
not like my friend, not like this or that person
on Instagram. You know, their rooms are amazing, their spaces
and their color choices are mind blowing. Right, they're perfect.
You know, everything they put together is like magical, and
I don't know how they do it. I don't have
(25:44):
an eye for doing that. We've all heard those things said,
and of course that's where you're wrong. You know, the
fact that you know this or that room, or this
or that color palette looks great means you've got an
eye for it. You get it, You know what looks good,
you know, but you, like you may not know how
to do it yet. You may not know all the
(26:05):
formulas for finding the right proportions of colors and textures
and patterns in a space, but you do have an
eye for it. So, just like with clothing and style,
challenge your assumptions. Don't let a false conclusion keep you
from accomplishing things that are easily within your reach. All right,
Another clothing lesson in our Essential Man article that we're
(26:27):
referencing here. Another lesson is that fit matters more than
everything else. You know, getting the right fit solves almost
all of your wardrobe problems. You don't need designer labels,
you don't need fancy fabrics whatever. When clothes fit, even
something simple looks good. Remember my example from the wedding.
I talked about it at the beginning. I was in
(26:47):
a suit. My son was in a suit or a
tux or whatever it was, and he got the compliment.
You know, he was told that he was truly wearing
that suit. Now what about me? I looked at myself
and him a little more closely after that comment, and
here's what I found. My suit coat was longer than
it should have been, and the shoulder in the sleeves
and the shoulders didn't sit exactly right. And it's because
(27:10):
it came from the thrift store. Right, it was five bucks.
I was thrilled to have found this thing, but it
wasn't made for me. I fit into it kind of,
but it wasn't, you know, truly fitted to me. It
didn't sit exactly right. The pants that I wore, they
were just cheap O's that I snagged on Amazon. The
(27:31):
pants were touched shorter than they should have been. And
my shirt it was just one that I had at home.
So I looked fine, you know, for the most part,
I looked okay, I looked decent. My kid, on the
other hand, had to go right because he was standing
up in the wedding, so he had to go and
get fitted for his suit, and it was adjusted so
that everything was designed for him, and that made a
(27:52):
huge difference in how we carried off the look. All right. Now,
I'm not saying that everything has to be professionally fitted,
but when I think about my wardrobe, most of the
stuff that I've got, it's too big, you know. And
lots of guys have the same issue. The bag ear clothes. Yeah,
they just feel more comfortable, right, We're not stretching the
(28:12):
seams or stretching against or fighting against the constraints of
the clothing. They're big, they're baggy, they're comfortable, but they
throw off our proportions, right. They can make it look shorter,
they can make you look heavier. These are all absolute
deal breakers for me. I should not be made to
look shorter and heavier. I am really working against things.
(28:32):
When I allow my clothing to do that, I mean
I'm already behind the eight pall on some of these things.
I don't need help. So fit is important with clothing,
but it's also hugely important for interior design. Now in design,
the fit and I love this point is this is
one of those aha moments that was really fun for
me to think about. In design, the fit that we're
(28:55):
talking about is how color, furniture, and balance, you know,
all work together. So take the sixty thirty ten rule
for example. It's a basic color guideline that designers use
all the time. Sixty percent of your space should be
your main color. The walls are biggest pieces. Thirty percent
should be a secondary color, maybe the drapes, you know,
a rug, furniture, things like that. Ten percent is your
(29:18):
accent color, so the pillows, the artwork, other little touches. Now,
when you keep those proportions largely in check, your space
feels calm, and it feels polished, and it feels well
put together. When you don't, you know, when every color
is fighting for equal attention, it feels busy and it
feels off balance, no matter how nice the paint or
the furniture is so keep that sixty thirty ten rule
(29:41):
in mind when you're putting your color schemes together. And
just like close, furniture has to also fit the room.
You know, Furniture that's too big for a space isn't
a good look. And also conversely, furniture that's too small
for a space, it just feels awkward and weird. It's
got to be the right fit. So a good rule
of thumb is this large pieces. They should take up
about two thirds of the wall that they're on, and
(30:03):
that's going to leave breathing room and keep the space balanced. Now,
on top of all of those things, you know, there's
visual weight. You know, every room needs a mix of
heavy and light pieces to feel comfortable. If you've got
too many dark colors, too many chunky items. You know,
like if I'm sitting in the living room now, it's
maybe one too many chunky items. But if you've got
too many chunky items, they can make a room feel
(30:23):
closed in. Too many delicate or light elements in the
room can feel empty. All of the magic happens in
the mix of the right amounts of things. Solid anchor
pieces paired with lighter materials textures or open space. Now,
in the end, whether you're getting dressed or choosing pain
colors or furniture for your home or whatever, the principles
(30:44):
the same. When things fit right, when the proportions make sense,
everything is going to fall into place. All right. Now,
we're onto our fourth tip, and it's this, don't let
trends drive your choices. Start with classic styles that are
timeless and proven. You know, trends in clothing, as in
everything else, they catch the spotlight for a bit, they're
(31:04):
everywhere you look, right, and then before long everybody's moved on,
and there are new trends out there that are capturing
everybody's interests. Now, if you want to avoid the money
pit and the exhaustion of trends, opt for clothing styles
that are classic. You know, items that are timeless. A
leather jacket, you know, dark jeans and boots all looked
good in the fifties. They all still look good. That's
(31:27):
what our article says about fashion. Avoid the trends, stick
with the timeless stuff. Now, the paint connection is really
really obvious here. If you're trying to improve your design
skills and you don't want to be repainting all the time.
Then watch out for trends and stick to the classics.
You know, when I had my first house, the trend
at that point was bright colors, you know, lime greens, yellows, blues.
(31:48):
It was a crazy time, right, maybe some of you
remember it. But those bold colors, they were everywhere, everywhere
I looked anyway, and I was so tempted to opt
for this funky line. I'm green in one particular space.
You know, I was convinced it was going to be fun.
You know, it was gonna be something new, It's gonna
be different, not the same old thing. My kitchen, my
(32:09):
dining room, whatever space it was, was going to be unique.
In the end, fortunately, I decided to skip the trend
and I went with something much more classic. And as
a result, I painted the kitchen dining room whatever it was,
and I didn't have to change anything for the next
five years or so. And even then when we changed it,
it wasn't because the color wasn't really working for us.
(32:30):
We just wanted to go in a new direction, right.
Benjamin Moore's new Color of the Year, silhouette. It was
chosen with literally this concept in mind. You know, it's
a trending color, right, it's color trends, that's what we're
talking about. This is a trend, but it's a color
that they chose specifically so you can live with it
for a long, longer period of time than a typical trend.
(32:53):
It's not something that's going to be here today and
gone tomorrow. You can work with silhouette confidently and know
it's going to be working for you years down the road.
So keep that in mind. With clothing and colors, timeless
combinations and color schemes and styles are really going to
help you achieve great results quickly, and you won't find
yourself changing them out when the next trend drops. Now,
(33:14):
the fifth point or the lesson or whatever you want
to call it about dressing well is called the swap
swap trick, and it works just as well for your
wardrobe as it does for your home. And here's the scoop.
Let's say your go to outfit again. This all comes
from the Essential Man article that I'm going to link
to in the show notes. But let's say your go
to outfit is something like a linen button down shirt,
(33:36):
navy pants, and white shoes. It's classic look, it's clean,
it's safe, it's reliable, but maybe you're getting a little
bored with it and you want to change things up
without going full fashion experiment. Now, instead of overhauling everything,
just swap out one piece, that's the recommendation. Lose the
linen shirt, let's say, and replace it with a light
blue one. Suddenly the outfit feels a little bit fresh.
(33:58):
It's still you, but it's got new energy behind it.
And once that feels comfortable, maybe you swap out something else,
maybe a patterned your shirt next time, or pants in
a different color. You build confidence. That's the idea. One
small change at a time, and before you know it,
your look has evolved without jarring your senses or you know,
more likely having a moment when you walk out of
(34:20):
the bedroom all dressed in your new wardrobe and you
find all the kids staring at you with open mouths
before they run off laughing. You go slow. It's better
for you, it's better for everybody. Well, that same idea
applies when you're working with color in your home. If
your rooms have always been beige, gray, white, neutral, whatever,
and you're craving something new, don't start by repainting every
(34:45):
wall in some new funky color that you're jumping into.
Just make one swap, you know, bringing a new accent
color with throw pillows, with artwork, with a rug, and
once that feels right, then you can take the next step.
Maybe you paint a single wall, maybe you add a
colorful piece of furniture, you know, whatever. But bit by
bit you kind of expand your comfort zone. You know,
(35:07):
you swap one thing out for something that's a little bolder,
Your eye adjusts to it, you get used to living
with it, and before long you find you can make
bolder choices with your colors. And maybe someday down the
road you're even painting the trim a color other than
white or an off white, and maybe you're wallpapering the ceiling.
Who knows. Those big dramatic changes can be incredible, they
(35:29):
can be game changers, but they're going to look and
feel best when you've eased your way into them, all right.
Last thing I'll bring up from the article is this,
buy the best quality that fits into your budget. You know,
the best quality whatever it is that fits into your budget.
You know, there's not much reason to expand on this point.
It's really obvious in regards to clothes. The better quality
products are going to look better and lasts longer. They're
(35:51):
just made better and it matters and it shows. And
the same is true with paint, with brushes, with tools
and all of that. And I'm not necessar i's really
talking brand name stuff. I'm not saying by brand names
necessarily there's a difference between quality and name brand items,
or there can be a difference. I've seen plenty of
name brand goods that really aren't all that great at
(36:13):
the end of the day, not in terms of quality.
I'm talking about good stuff. Buy the best stuff that
your budget will allow. You know, investing in good brushes,
good paint, good tools, whether it's a saw or a
socket set, or you know, even something as basic as
a hammer. Good tools make every project easier, They last longer,
and they end up saving you money down the road.
(36:33):
You know, good paint, it applies easier, it covers and
hides better, and it lasts longer. If you don't want
to be replacing stuff regularly by the best quality that
your budget allows. All right, that's it for my fashion
fashion slash home improvement tips. Hopefully i helped some style
impaired men out there. Myself first and foremost, and hopefully
(36:56):
you all had some home improvement connections and takeaways that
you you pulled out of that. All right, once again,
that article that I referenced came from The Essential Man
and it is really worth a read. It's a really
good article and I've got links in the show notes
if you want to check it out. All right, one
note of business before I wrap everything up officially, Today
is your last day to get entered into our big
(37:16):
Color of the Year giveaway. We're gonna be giving away
four two hundred and fifty dollars Repcolite gift certificates and
to get entered, you just need to leave a comment
on a Color of the Year post that we've got
on Facebook and Instagram. The easiest way to find these
posts is to go to Repcolite dot com and then
click the contest banner on the homepage. From there, I've
got links to the posts that I'm talking about. And
(37:38):
then all you need to do is tell us which
color trend color from Benjamin Morreri's twenty twenty six Color
Trends Palette moves you, Which color moves you and which
room in your home it moves you to paint. That's it.
Lots of people picked rain dance for their bathrooms or
silhouette for their bedrooms. You know. Just tell us which
color moves you and which room you're inspired to paint,
(37:59):
and you're entered into the contest. Every comment you make
is an entry, So go to repcoll Light dot com
and click the contest banner on the homepage. Get entered.
You've got till the end of today to do that,
and then we'll draw winners and I'll post them and
get a hold of you next week. All right, that's
going to do it for this episode of Home in Progress.
If you like what you heard, please consider subscribing to
(38:20):
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(38:41):
If you've got any comments, thoughts, topics you'd like me
to cover in the future, you can email me at
radio at repcol Light dot com that'll go straight to
me and we can talk about what you think should
be on the show or what you think about what
was on the show. I'm all for those conversations, So
email me at radio at repco Light dot com, R
(39:02):
E P C O L I T E dot com
and we can have those conversations. That'd be great, all
right for home in Progress. I'm Dan Hansen. Thanks for listening.
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