June 14, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode of the RepcoLite Home Improvement Show, Dan Hansen shares his recent adventure at Six Flags Great America and insights on how his diminished senses make him a 'superhero.' The episode then delves into practical home improvement topics, including a detailed comparison of bagged vs. bagless vacuums, the benefits of RepcoLite's new waterborne Deck and Dock stain, and useful advice on choosing the perfect front door color. Listeners get recommendations on tools and products, insights on color psychology, and tips on keeping their homes aesthetically pleasing and up-to-date.00:00 Introduction and Personal Anecdote03:59 Show Overview and Upcoming Segments05:13 Bagged vs. Bagless Vacuums: A Detailed Comparison10:56 Favorite Things: Power Pump Plunger and Freshly Painted Ceiling19:12 Repco Light's New Deck and Dock Waterborne Stain20:31 Choosing the Right Deck Stain21:54 The Benefits of Waterborne Deck Stain22:47 Easy Cleanup and Quick Drying25:33 Application Tips for Deck Stain31:17 Selecting the Perfect Front Door Color32:26 Popular Front Door Colors and Trends37:38 Practical Tips for Painting Your Front Door38:49 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Well, good morning, everybody, Happy Saturday. You're listening to the
Repcolite home improvement show sponsored by Benjamin Moore. And before
I jump all into the show, I do want to
brag a little bit, kind of want to blow my
own trumpet here, blow my own nose. I'm going to
brag a little bit. This past week or so, I
can't remember exactly, it doesn't matter. I went to six
(00:23):
Flags Great America, you know, the amusement park. I went there,
to the one near DC. And when I was there,
I rode the rides, capital rode. I rode the rides
like a champion. I haven't been to an amusement park
in ages, and I really wasn't sure what to expect
(00:43):
when I heard that I was going to be going.
You know, I was a little bit worried that it
was going to be a lot of girly giggles and
girly screams coming out of my mouth. That would not
have been something that surprised me. But in this instance,
by the time I was on my third ride, that's it,
just my third ride, I was already climbing onto the
biggest roller coaster they had in the park. It was
(01:06):
the ride of Steel the Superman ride. And let me
tell you, as we ascended into you know, the atmosphere,
as that thing just went up and up and up,
I could hear people all around me screaming in terror. Literally,
I kid you not. These people were in the prime
of their lives and they were freaking out. You know,
young people, elderly people, but healthy ones. Uh, you know,
(01:32):
everybody freaking out. The people next to me, in front
of me, behind me, everybody's upset, they're hollering, they're screaming,
they're having fun, but they are terrified in the process. I,
on the other hand, I was utterly without concern or fear.
I was calm and cool as a cucumber. And there
are not many times in my life. I don't know
(01:54):
that there's been any times in my life that I
can say that in a large group of people, I
was the cool one. You know, I can't even think
that in a small group of people, I've ever been
the cool one. I'm not even sure if I was
alone in a room, if I'd be the cool one.
You know, that's how it rolls for me. But in
this instance, I was the cool one. I was a
(02:15):
real life superhero on a superhero ride. All right, So
that's the amazing cool thing that I wanted to brag about.
Now there's a little bit of info. You need to
fill in some of the gaps here so it all
makes sense. And that's this. When we would get on
a ride, before they would let us get on, you know,
climbing to that coaster, we had to put all of
(02:35):
the things that we could drop. We had to put
all of those things into bins, so our phones, you know, hats,
all kinds of stuff that we could be scattering throughout
the park. They wanted in bins. And for me, that
meant my glasses. And it just happens to turn out
that I am so nearsighted that the reason I was
(02:56):
so brave and so without fear is really just because
I couldn't see anything. You know, the world around me,
the entire world around me, was a soft, satisfying, utterly
safe and embracing blur. You know, I didn't have the
same experience of dizzying heights because I can't see four
foot beyond my face. Now, it is kind of funny.
(03:17):
A few years ago, a couple of years back, I
guess I noticed that I can't smell certain smells, and
I've joked on the show here that that is my superpower.
You know that if there's ever a bunch of children
trapped in a building surrounded by skunks, you could call
me and I could walk right in, no worries and
rescue the children. Now I can contribute my fearless experience
(03:38):
with terrifying heights to my terrible vision. It's like all
my senses are diminished, and that's what makes me powerful.
That's my superhero gig. You know, I'm diminished man or
something like that. Anyway, that was my week, you know,
last week or so, and I thought it was kind
of funny. I hope you all had a good week.
But that's enough of all of that. Let's get to
(04:00):
the show. And this week I've got really quite a
mix coming up. At the end, I'm going to be
talking about how to pick the right front door color.
You know, front door color it sets the tone for
your home. I think that's true. It certainly makes a statement,
and you want to make sure that the statement you're
setting is the right statement, and you can do it wrong,
(04:21):
and we don't want that, so I'm going to help
you do it right. I've got some things to think
about as your chick choosing that color. I'm also going
to be launching a new segment that I'm calling My
Favorite Things you can kee up the sound of Music soundtrack.
I'm going to regale with some random home improvement things
that I've been enamored of for the last few weeks
or so. They're not big enough on their own to
(04:41):
be their own segments, but I can sure mush them
together and make one segment out of them. They're good things.
You're gonna like that. It's just a lot of fun
and I still think it's really practical, So that's coming up.
I'm also going to be talking about a new product
that we're making at Repcolite our Deck and doc Waterborne
deck stain. Now. I talked about it briefly a couple
of weeks when I talked about decks in general, and
(05:03):
this time this week, I want to dig into it
more deeply. I used it on my own deck, and
I've got a lot that i want to say about it,
and I'm going to get to all of that coming
up next. But right now and the time that I've
got left, I want to talk about vacuums. Specifically bagged
versus bagless vacuums. You know which system is better. See,
I'm in the market for a new vacuum right now,
and I figured it was a no brainer that the
(05:25):
bagless vacuum system, right the new modern thing that's superior.
It's got to be to the old bagged technology. But
is it. It actually might not be the case. I
dug into it and I was really surprised. So I'm
taking that info to you right now. Let's look at
both different types of vacuums in terms of a few
key categories and see which one seems better. All right,
(05:47):
first category I want to look at. Let's start with
dust collection and retention. Now, when it comes to bagged vacuums,
the bag doubles as a high capacity filter. It's trapping
fine dust and allergens in it as it fills. This
makes them really great at keeping the air clean, especially
in homes with allergy sufferers. So bag vacuum is really
good in that regard. Bagless vacuums they use something called
(06:10):
cyclone technology and secondary filters, you know, a combination of
the two to capture dust. Top models you know, that
is the more expensive ones. They can perform almost as
well as bag vacuums in this regard. But your average
run of the mill bagless vacuum, the one that I
would buy, is not going to be as good when
it comes to dust collection and retention. On top of that,
(06:32):
whether you buy a top tier or mid range bagless vacuum,
the filters are going to clog up and they need
to be cleaned regularly, or the dust collection and retention
is going to drop. So surprisingly, at least to me,
bagged vacuums take the lead when it comes to better
dust capture, especially when you're talking about fine particles and allergens.
All right, what about ease and cleanliness of disposal, you know,
(06:54):
getting rid of the dust. Now, this one isn't surprising,
not at all, not to me anyway, with the bag system.
With a bag vacuum, all you do is you pop
out the bag. I'm laughing because in my notes I
missspelled pop. I put an extra oh in it, and
I'm not gonna say it. You guys can not do
(07:14):
the math. Just do the spelling pop with an extra oh.
You can figure out what I said and why I'm laughing.
With the bag vacuum, you just pop out the bag
and you toss it in the trash and you're done.
No dust clouds. Right, it's really easy. That sealed bag
keeps things hygienic, you know, it's perfect for allergy prone households.
Bagless vacuums, on the other hand, they're absolutely a crapshoot.
(07:38):
I'm sorry, I can't help myself. It's just they're messy.
You know. It's an absolute adventure. Every time you empty
one of those things, you pretty much have to take
them outside and dump them straight into your outdoor garbage bin.
It's a big mess. So in this category ease and
cleanliness of disposal, bag vacuums definitely take the win there.
(07:59):
All right, what about suction power and performance? I mean,
what good is a vacuum if it doesn't have good
suction and performance? All right, bag vacuums they do a
decent job in this regard, and they can maintain strong
suction until the bag gets full or starts to fill up.
High end again, that means expensive models with powerful motors.
They can stay consistent with the suction power even as
(08:21):
the bag fills. But your average middle of the road
bag vacuum is going to see suction drop off as
that bag fills up. Now, bagless vacuums, you know cyclone models,
they're designed to maintain suction as that bin fills, and
they're often marketed as no loss of suction vacuums. You
know they're not going to have a drop off in suction. Now,
I don't know how completely true that claim is, because
(08:42):
my current bagless vacuum, it really seems to drop off
in terms of suction power if the canister is nearing
the point of being full. However, it's still better suction
than you get with a bag vacuum that's got a
full bag. So here, bagless vacuums have an edge when
it comes to consistent suction. But remember those high and
bagged models. They can hold their own. If you want
(09:02):
to drop the money for them, they can hold their own,
all right. What about maintenance and upkeep? Well, bag vacuums
there's less hands on maintenance since the bag really acts
as both your filter and your container. All you need
to do is swap the bag and you're good to go.
Bagless vacuums, you've got to empty that bin more often,
and it's dusty, it's messy, and the filters themselves need
(09:23):
regular rinsing and drying. It's that part's a real pain
to keep them working to the top of their line,
to the top of their abilities. So there's a lot
more going on with a bagless vacuum. So when it
comes to ease of maintenance and upkeep, bagged vacuums far simpler. Finally,
last thing, I want to look at noise levels. Right,
who doesn't love a quieter vacuum. That's what we all
(09:45):
would love. You know, as a kid, I would have
loved a quieter vacuums. So I could have watched I
Love Lucy or the price is right as Mom vacuumed,
you know, without having to crank the volume on the TV. Anyway,
Bagged vacuums they're often going to be a little bit
quiet because that bag muffles the sound. The bagless vacuums
they've generally got a more powerful motor and that makes
(10:06):
them a little bit louder. So the winner here. If
you're looking for quiet, peaceful cleaning, or at least quieter
more peaceful cleaning, the bag systems are going to be
a little bit better, all right. Final verdict, what's the
best choice? Well, bag vacuums are going to be the
champs for allergy sufferers, for low maintenance, you know, folks
who want low maintenance and for quieter operation. Bagless vacuums
(10:27):
they're going to shine for modern design. They just look cool.
They've got consistent, powerful suction and great versatility, so they're
great in busy households, you know, pets, kids, things like that.
And also, you know, multiple surfaces. If you're going from
hardwoods to carpets and back and forth, you're going to
probably have more options and a better way of dealing
with that with a bagless system than you would with
(10:48):
a bag system. But that's not entirely you know, straight
across the board. Anyway, there you go, enough about vacuums.
Let's take a break. When we come back, we'll talk
about a few of my favorite things. It's gonna be exciting.
Stick around, cream colored ponies and crisp apple stroodles, doorbells
(11:10):
and sleigh bells, and schnitzel with noodles, while gieese the
fly with the moon on their wings. These are a
few of my favorite things. You're listening to the Recolite
home improvement shows sponsored by Benjamin Moore and as Julie
Andrews is suggesting in that opening music, this segment is
about some of my favorite things. Here's the deal. Every
(11:31):
week or so at home, this has to happen to
you too, But every week or so for me, I
run into things that I really really like, you know,
I really really get attached to them. I really get
hyper focused on them. They're not necessarily new and cutting
edge items. They're not even always necessarily items. You know,
maybe they're concepts or results of something I've done, it
(11:53):
doesn't really matter. The point is is that there are
things that I've really been focused on for the past
few weeks, things that made it difference in my home,
that solved a problem, that made me happy, you name it. Anyway,
I run into these things all the time, and I
want to talk about them on the show. But they're small,
you know, they're little, and it's tough to make a
full segment out of them. So I'm going to do
(12:14):
this from time to time and just lump a few
of them together into a favorite things segment. And let's
jump into this one right now. And I want to
start with this. One of my favorite things for the
past three weeks has been Dun Da da dn the
power pump plunger. You know, absolutely glamorous, right, but seriously,
this thing is great. It's basically, you know, a plunger
(12:37):
for your sink. I suppose it could be for a
toilet as well, but I've only used it on the sink.
But it's a plunger for your sink. But instead of
that standard rubber suction cup thing on a handle, you know,
with a traditional up and down motion, the plunging motion,
this is a suction cup with a pump handle. You know.
It almost looks like a bike pump. You put it
in the sink, you block the overflow holes, and then
(12:59):
you pump the handle. That's it. No plunging technically, no mess,
just pump it a few times and the clog clears.
I've read mixed reviews on these, which is surprising, but
you know, it's a whole world of people trying it,
so there's definitely mixed reviews out there. But here's what
I know. I've used it three times in just the
past couple of weeks, and in three different sinks, and
(13:22):
each time I had that drain cleared in under ten
effortless pumps. You know, these are not complicated pumps. It's
not like a typical plunger. It's so easy. With a
household of long haired girls, you know, long haired daughters,
that's what I've got. This has been a huge help.
I've used standard plungers before plenty of times, and sometimes
(13:44):
they work and sometimes they don't. Sometimes I make it worse,
you know. Sometimes I dislodge the clog just enough to
really lodge it really well, so that now I've got
to take everything apart and get a pipe snake out
to clear things off. But with this thing, that's never happened.
I've had solid results every time I've used it. Man,
(14:04):
I don't know ten different times, like I said, three
times in just the past few weeks, and each time
absolutely perfect. And that's why it's earned a spot on
my list of favorite things. Because I hate plunging things,
but with this one, I really don't mind that much.
All right. Another of my favorite things over the past
few weeks has been done it on my freshly painted ceiling.
(14:28):
And yes, I know that sounds ridiculous and dumb, but
it's true. I painted the living room ceiling a few
weeks ago, and ever since I find myself staring at
it all the time. You know, I'm definitely one of
those people that judges the quality of the work I've
done on a project by how long I spend sitting
(14:50):
in a chair looking at it. Right, If I clean
the garage, am I out there in a little folding
chair looking at the garage? If I'm doing that a lot,
that means and so, oh, this was good work, This
was good stuff. Well with the ceiling. I'm staring at
the ceiling a lot in my living room. The kids
think I've passed out, you know. Multiple times, I'm just
(15:11):
in my chair with my head back and my mouth open,
and I'm just in awe at the ceiling. TV's on,
I'm not even watching it because I'm looking at my ceiling.
You know, it turned out that well. I think there's
a number of reasons that I'm so happy with it.
I think the first one is that I've dreaded this
project for a long time, did not want to do it,
(15:31):
didn't want to get that out. I was just I
didn't know what was going to happen. I had some
other problems in the same room. I've talked about them before.
Peiling paint on the upper part of the wall, you know,
near the ceiling. I had no reason to think the
ceiling would be a problem, but still I just it
felt like bad vibes for me. I didn't want to
do this room, but I did it, and I did
(15:53):
run into problems on the ceiling. I'll tell you about
those in a minute. But even with all of that,
the project still, oh went better than I thought it
was going to. And I had a lot of stuff
lined up that I was convinced was going to go wrong. Still,
in the end easier than I thought. So in that regard,
I loved it just because it's done now and I'm
just soaking in the glory of a finish project. I
(16:15):
love that. But on top of that, it was a
huge improvement. Now. I used Benjamin Moore super Highe, which
I'd never used before, super high in a flat finish,
and I was really surprised how easy it was to
work with. It's a dead flat finish, and I was
able to paint that ceiling in four by four square
sections and blend it altogether with no visual overlaps at all.
(16:37):
And really that is a near miracle, because here's the
problem that I ran into. And you'll understand why that
was such a miracle. In a second, as I'm rolling
the paint on the ceiling, I found multiple areas, probably
three different areas, one of them really large, where the
old paint, the old paint on the ceiling, which looked
like it was adhered well to my ceiling. The minute
(16:59):
I hit that with new paint, it was flaking off,
I mean falling to the floor, wet paint falling, you know.
The old paint came with it. As I would roll
over those areas, more and more and more of the
old paint would come off. It was a huge, huge mess.
So I've got areas painted, and then I'm up on
a ladder trying to scrape off all this paint that
(17:19):
I've realized now the old ceiling paint that isn't adhered well.
I'm scraping as much off as I can and trying
to reroll, finding more paint, starting to peel, scrape it again,
scrape more off, reroll all of that while the paint
is wet all around me and I'm trying to blend
it together. I got the whole thing done, and I
(17:39):
was absolutely convinced it was going to need another coat.
I was sure. I'm going to see all these overlaps
because of how horrible that application went. And funny, even
though that application was that horrible, it was still better
than I was anticipating. So that should let you know
how much horribleness I was planning on for that particular room.
(18:00):
I guess I just knew I was picking up the
vibe of the room. I knew deep down what was
going to happen. Anyway, the ceiling paint blended together, that
super high from Benjamin Moore completely blended away. I was stunned.
I was looking at the before pictures when I was
all done. I pulled up these old pictures that I'd
taken before I got the paint on there, and I
was blown away by how bad that ceiling looked before
(18:22):
I put the new code on. I didn't realize it
as we were living with it. But I'm really glad
I put that new code up there before I painted
all the walls. I think I would have been really
disappointed to get new paint on the walls if I
had left that ceiling alone. So anyway, my ceiling. I
have been staring at it in awe for the last
few weeks. That is one of my favorite things. How
(18:43):
about you. Do you have favorite things, favorite tools, favorite projects,
favorite anything that you've run into over the last little bit.
If so, let me know. I want to know about them.
Email Radio at repco light dot com and I'll share
them on a future episode. All right, let's take a break.
When we come back, we're going to dig into my
experience with repcolites new Decandoc water based deck stain. We'll
(19:04):
talk about that in just a minute. Stick around, reme,
we're back. You're listening to the Repcolite Home improvement show
sponsored by Benjamin Moore, and last week or so, two
weeks ago, I had the opportunity to try out a
new deck stain from Repcolite. It's called decan Doc Waterborne,
(19:26):
and I talked about it briefly on the show a
couple of weeks ago, But this week, I want to
dig into the product a little more deeply because it's
really really a great product. I loved working with it,
but there definitely are some things that you're going to
need to know to determine if this is something that
you want or if it's something that you should be
working with. I'll get to all of that in a
(19:47):
little bit. All right. The original oil based version of
deck and doc you've probably at least a bunch of
you have used that in the past. It's kind of
been our standard for decks for a long time at REP,
a lot of condo associations used at contractors. Like I said,
homeowners for decades in West Michigan have been using that.
(20:07):
And now as of last year, last summer, basically, I think,
is when it came about. As of then, we've got
a new water based version that we're offering, and I
think I think it's my favorite deck coding. I think
it's the best, but I do have some caveats and
we're going to get to all of that all right.
(20:28):
The color that I chose was butternut. It's a deep,
rich brown that looks great. There are a few other
colors that I could have chosen from, but butternut that's
the darkest one and that's what I wanted. Now. Over
the years, because I do the show, I've used a
ton of different deck products on the deck, and every
time that I've done it, usually by the time I
(20:48):
finish it up and wrap it all up, I think
it looks great. No matter what I've used, the deck
looks way better than it had looked, and usually I'm
pretty happy. But usually as few hours go by, in
some instances, the deck stain becomes duller and duller, and
I'm not joking about that hour's thing. The oil based
(21:08):
deck and dock, you know, the standard product that Repcholite
sells has been used all over the place for years
and years. When it goes on, it's oil based, it's
got a little bit of a sheene because the stain
is actually a little bit wet, and that sheen just
gives it this richness and this depth and this beauty,
and you're amazed at it and you can't take your
eyes off of it. But then it dries and that sheen,
(21:32):
that that depth kind of fades out a little bit.
The product still great, it holds up wonderfully and it
looks good, but you lost that that little bit of
that that beautiful furniture finish that it had when it
was wet, sometimes within just a few hours, and that's
what normally happens. I get it on, looks great, dries
out completely and now that that richness goes away. Well,
(21:55):
in this case with the deck and dock waterborne product,
that sheen has lasted, it doesn't fade out nearly as quickly.
Most likely, I'm thinking by the end of summer that
sheen might be dull down. I'm thinking for sure by
next spring if I want that sheen back, I'll probably
need to redo it. But right now, you know, it's
been about two to three weeks or so since I
(22:15):
did it, and still that deck has a finished look.
It looks like it looks like furniture. There's no other
way to say it. It's absolutely beautiful, you know. And
my deck boards are not in good shape. If you
remember a couple of weeks ago I talked about that
they're old, they're worn in places. I had a lot
of rot in a couple places that I sanded down through.
(22:35):
It did not look good prior to staining. But now
I put this deck in doc waterborne product on there,
I've got this sheen almost looks like furniture. It's rich,
it's beautiful, and that sheen has lasted. I can't be
happier with how it looks. On top of that, the
water based cleanup was absolutely brilliant. Of course it was
(22:56):
you know, it was water based products, so no mineral
spirits gloves that I had to wear. I could have
worn gloves, but I didn't need to because I could
wash up easily. I had no messy, sticky hands to
deal with, no throwing away brushes. You know, I don't
know how many times I've thrown away the big stain
brushes because I just don't want to labor through cleaning
those out with mineral spirits. And now I can wash
(23:18):
it all out easily in the sink, you know, the tray.
Everything I used could be washed up easily in the
sink and put away again, and I can use it
again next year. So that's a second happy thing that
I got from this. First off, this beautiful furniture finish
on my deck. I mean, it's the holy grail of
what people want on their decks, and I've got that
(23:39):
right now with duck and dock waterborne. So that's great.
Second thing, easy clean up. A third happy result was
the speed at which that deck dried and was ready
for use. It was absolutely amazing, And to be clear,
I'd recommend giving it hours before getting on it now,
because I'm me and my goal was to put product
(24:00):
through its paces. I was standing on the deck within
less than an hour, and even that it's a stretch really,
to be honest, I was on it in more like
thirty minutes. It was possibly even less than thirty minutes,
you know, twenty minutes, fifteen minutes, something like that. Should
you do that? Should you stay in your deck and
then walk all over it in twenty minutes? No, don't
do that. Absolutely don't do that. But if you give
(24:22):
it a few hours, it should be fine. And that
part of the product is great, you know, no more
letting it sit overnight or for a couple days. My
kid is an exterior painter, and you know, he's doing
a bunch of condos and they were just at a
house and he was telling me about it. That a
different crew had come through, you know, somebody not using
(24:42):
any of the products that I carry, and they did
the decks there, and those people told my kid and
the crew that he was on that they need to
stay off of that deck for forty eight hours. It's got
a drive for forty eight hours before they can get
on it. And he was asking me about that, and
I said, I don't know what they put down, but
whatever they put down, the crew was on it within
you know, after forty eight hours, you know, three days later,
(25:04):
they're on it and it was still experiencing trouble, you know,
as they walked across it. So there's a lot of
products out there that are going to require a long
wait before you can put it back to use. This
is not one of them. The deck and dock waterborne product.
I was walking on mine in about twenty to thirty minutes. Again,
don't do that, give it a couple hours. But even
with a couple hours, you are miles ahead of most
(25:27):
other products out there. So all of those things are
really really positive. But there is a catch. You know,
As I mentioned, it dries quickly, and I'm talking crazy
fast dry times at least in my situation, and I
was applying it in early May. Now when I say
all of that that it dried fast, that a lot
(25:48):
of people hear that as a positive, and it is.
I just talked about it. It is a positive. It's
nice to be able to get on it quicker. But
as I mentioned on the show, if you listen to
the Deck, you know the show about decks a couple
weeks ago go, I mentioned that fast dry times make
application trickier. You know, I ended up as I was
putting it down I had to adjust my application methods
(26:09):
to make sure that I got the results I needed. So,
for instance, whereas I typically would work with a partner
and I'd have somebody roll the oil based coding onto
the deck, you know, maybe a couple boards at a
time ahead of me, and then I'd follow behind with
a brush, you know, and work it into the wood.
Well that's how i'd normally do it. In this instance,
I couldn't do that. I couldn't do that with deck
(26:29):
and dock waterborn because it was drying just way too fast,
ridiculously fast. So I had to go to brushing it
straight out of the can. Now that sounds horrible, but
as I mentioned again a couple weeks ago, if and
in fact, if you're gonna do a deck project, go
to the archives. Go to repcollite dot com, click the
on the radio tab, click the archives shows or you know,
(26:52):
all the different collected shows, and then find the episode
on decks. I did a whole episode walking you through
everything you need to know. If the deck projects your future,
go check that out. And within that episode I mentioned
that there's a stain brush that's absolutely brilliant for decks.
It's that same stainbrush that I talked about earlier that
when I'd use it with oil based products, I'd just
throw it away, you know. And it's not inexpensive, it's
(27:16):
not terrible, but it was always sad to throw it away.
Now I can clean it and keep it for the
next project. Anyway, it's called the Bravo stainbrush from Wooster.
There's a four inch version, there's a four point seventy
five inch version, I think. And what makes it really cool,
besides the fact that it holds a ton of product,
is that the handle will screw off, so you can
unthread the little handle that it comes with and you
(27:38):
can thread on an extension pole, you know, like the
same kind of extension pole you'd use for a push
broom in your garage. So basically you can stand up
and stain your deck, you know, by brushing. So it's wonderful.
So when I say that I had to apply the
stain by brush, you know, right out of the can,
it's not what you're picturing. I was standing up. It's
really not that big of a deal. It moves pretty fast.
(28:00):
So anyway, with Decandock Waterborn, I switched to that method
because it was the only way to get the product
on fast enough without it starting to drag a little
bit or stick as I was brushing it, So that
was a little bit of a negative. Once I adjusted
to that, it went on beautifully, no problems. So you
do have to keep that in mind. Now if you're
thinking about trying Decandock Waterborn, and I'm sure some of
(28:23):
you are because and you should be, because that furniture
finish it really is absolutely something to see. But if
you're gonna try it, If you're thinking about trying it,
I'd recommend a few things to help you with the application.
First off, get that Wooster Bravo stainbrush that I just
talked about, in an extension pole, and right now until
Monday June sixteen, through Monday June sixteen, that brush is
(28:45):
on sale, and so is Decondock Waterborne. I'll give you
more info on that in a little bit, but that
brush is on sale right now through June sixteen, so
come in and get it now or then you know,
before that sale is over. So get that brush, get
an extension pole, and apply it that way straight out
of the can. That's first. Secondly, work on a cool
day and work in the shade if possible. You know,
(29:07):
if your deck is in full sun and the only
time you can do it is in the heat of summer,
you know, as the weather's starting to heat up a
little bit, then you probably don't want to use Decandock
Waterborne or really any water based stain at that point.
If you can only work in full sun and in
the heat of summer, go with an oil based deck
stain because it's going to stay wet longer and it's
going to soak into the boards even in the heat.
(29:29):
But if you can work in the shade and in
cooler temps, Decandock Waterborne is going to give you a
beautiful look. Now, the last thing I'd say before wrapping
it all up is it's on sale. I mentioned that already,
but it's on sale until or, I guess I should say,
through Monday, June sixteen, at all Repcolite locations. The oil
based version of Decandoc is on sale as well, and
the savings for this particular sale are really really big.
(29:52):
You can get the water based decon DOC for twenty
nine bucks a gallon, which is a savings of fifteen
bucks per gallon, and we've got the oil based decon
DOC on sale for thirty five bucks a gallon, which
is a savings of twenty eight bucks per gallon, So
thirty five bucks for the oil base, twenty nine bucks
for the water based deck and DOC, and again savings
from fifteen dollars all the way up to almost thirty
(30:13):
so huge savings. Now's the time to do it if
you've got a deck project coming up. So deck and
Dock waterborn. Really, when I think about it, it's my
favorite deck product that I've ever used up to this point. Anyway,
I don't know what the future holds, but so far,
it's absolutely the best coding I've ever put on the deck.
It's the best stain I've ever used. I'm happier with
(30:33):
it than I've ever been, So definitely think about it,
check it out. Remember, like I said that Sheen Luk
is going to fade over time, and you'll still be
redoing this product every year to year and a half.
It's just like any other deck product. This is not
a miracle. You know, silver bullet that you put it
on and now you don't need to touch it again
for three years. We talked about that on the show
a few weeks ago. Those things are false. It's false
(30:55):
advertising in Michigan. Deck products will not last that long period.
This is just like all deck products. You're gonna need
to maintain it every year to year and a half.
But I've tried a lot of deck products and by far,
this is the best looking one so far. So definitely
think about it. Definitely swing out to any Repco Light,
look at some samples, check it out. All right, let's
(31:17):
take a break. When we come back, we're gonna be
talking about front doors. How do you get the right
color for your front door? Not make a big mistake,
not make the neighbors laugh at you, not annoy the neighbors.
How do you pull it all off? We'll get to
that in just a little bit. Stick around, and we're
(31:37):
back here listening to the Repco Light Home improvement Show
sponsored by Benjamin Moore. And here's a question that we
get all the time, what's the best color for my
front door? That sounds simple, sounds like an easy question,
something that experts like us could handle with no problem.
But it's actually a little bit tricky because the truth is,
there's no one size fits all answer to that. There's
(32:00):
no magical best color that works for every single home.
You know, instead, the best color for your front door
is going to be one that doesn't distract or clash
with your home's architecture. You know, it's a color that
complements the style of the home, something that works with
the overall look, not against it. So with all of
that said, let's talk about a few things that are popular,
(32:20):
you know, some popular colors, and then we'll get into
some deeper stuff. We'll get into the weeds on it
a little bit. All right, popular colors, If you're curious
about trends, here's what people are generally doing. Red is classic.
You know, it's timeless, works on everything from traditional colonials
to modern farmhouses, so red generally always works well. Black
(32:41):
and charcoal they're huge right now. And you're definitely going
to see a lot of navy blues and deep greens
out there too. You know, they're rich, they're elegant. They
pair nicely with a wide range of exterior colors. But
and this is a big butt. If you're asking what's
the most popular front door color, you're probably asking the
wrong question. You know, you're looking at it for the
wrong point of view, because if you're chasing what's trendy.
(33:03):
And this is the case with interior stuff too, But
if you're chasing what's trendy, you're setting yourself up for
disappointment or at least a kind of a boring result.
You know. Instead, the better question to ask is this,
what color reflects my personality better? And don't be afraid
of doing something unique, especially on a front door. If
you love pastel green, or maybe something coral or who
(33:26):
knows what. If that's your color, go for it, you know,
make it yours. Now. The front door is a small
part of your home's exterior, it's a great place to experiment.
And you know, even though it's a small area, because
it's the focal point of it's really the focal point
of your exterior. It's what all of our eyes are
naturally drawn to, is front doors. We all know that's true.
(33:48):
Because of that, it really makes a powerful statement about
your exterior. You know, it really lends itself towards amping
up your curb appeal. It helps create a great first impression.
A good color choice can really enhance the architectural features
of your home. It can add personality. It can even
affect how people perceive the value of your home. So
(34:08):
if you're trying to pick the right color, you know
it's important. Let's get it right. Here are some things
to consider, you know, here's where we're going to get
into the weeds a little bit and give you a
little more practical, actionable intel. First off, think about the
style of your home. You know, if you've got a
traditional colonial house, colors like deep reds, navy blues, blacks,
they tend to work beautifully. If you're in a modern home,
(34:30):
try something bold. You know, who knows what that could be.
Maybe teal, bright yellow, you know, a deep orange, a
coral color. Who knows. It all depends on some of
the other things that we'll talk about. But go for
something a little bit bold. If you've got a cozy cottage,
maybe a farmhouse. Pastels, you know, they work, sage greens,
powder blues, they can all be perfect, all right. So
that's the first thing to think about the style of
(34:52):
your home. Next, look at the other colors on your exterior.
All right, this is not rocket science here, of course,
you've got to do that. What color you're siding, your trim,
your roof, don't forget about the roof. The front door
color should either compliment those or offer you know, a
tasteful contrast, a tasteful contrast for example, a red door
(35:12):
on gray siding that works really really well, a navy
blue door with white trim that feels classic and clean.
So keep in mind all the other colors on your exterior,
and if you've got perennials and flowers like that that
come up every single year with the same color tones,
don't forget to take those into consideration as well. All right.
Third thing, think about the mood that you want to set.
(35:33):
You know, what mood do you want your home or
your front door to exude. You know, colors definitely play
into this. You know, color psychology is a real thing.
Reds are all about energy and confidence. Blues they feel calm,
you know, steady rock, solid, peaceful. Green that gives a
sense of balance and harmony. You know, it's got real
(35:54):
natural tones, natural inclinations, you know, just the peace of nature. Yellow.
It's cheerful, optimistic. It's not going to be anywhere near
my home, that's for sure. Now It's not even true
because I've painted entire rooms yellow, because I'm entirely in
you know, completely cheerful, and I'm one hundred percent optimistic.
So think about that. Black it adds elegance and sophistication. White,
(36:16):
it's clean, timeless, it's simple. So bottom line with this point,
if there's a mooor an atmosphere that you're trying to create,
find a color that will help you accomplish that. All right. Finally,
last thing to keep in mind here is keep your
neighborhood in mind. You know, your house should express you,
that's true, but it's really worth considering the vibe of
the neighborhood too. You know, if you're planning to sell,
(36:38):
a color that fits in even while standing out a
little bit might help boost your curb appeal. And one
other thing to think about when you're considering the neighborhood
is this. And I think this is one of the
more important things that I'm saying. And I see this
mistake happen all the time. If somebody three houses down
from you picked the absolute perfect color, you know, the
most perfect color in the whole wide world. You drove
(36:59):
home one day, saw it on the door, and boom,
the lights went off. That's the color, that's what you've
looked for all your life. If you found it three
houses down from you, don't steal it. That's not cool.
There are still a million other colors you can go
out there and find, and many of those are going
to be the perfect color too. Go and find one
of those and let those people three houses down from
(37:21):
you live in the glory of their choice. All right.
We see people all the time swipe the front door
color from houses just down the road, and things get
dicey in the neighborhood when that happens sometimes, so keep
that in mind. All right. Some practical things to keep
in mind as we wrap this up. First, off, stretch
outside your comfort zone. You know, a typical door is
(37:42):
only going to need about a quart of paint. Painting
it is only going to probably take you a small
portion of your day. And because it's a cheap project
and an easy one, it's the perfect project for experimenting
with color. You know, if it's not right, that's not fun,
But repainting it isn't that big of a deal. But
you might find by by stretching outside your comfort zone,
you might find that you've really hit it out of
(38:03):
the park with your color choice. So stretch outside your
comfort zone. Second, get the right paint. Benjamin Moore's Aura
and Repcolites and Dura. They're both excellent choices. They'll clean
up with soap and water and they'll hold up for
years to come. Last thing, test your color with Benjamin
Moore's Color Portfolio app. It's a free app. You can
take a picture of your front door and then you
(38:24):
can try out all of the Benjamin war colors you
want on the front door. It's really really cool. It
works really really well, super easy. You'll get a great
view of what each color is going to look like.
That's the Benjamin Moore Color Portfolio App. So check that
out all right. Bottom line, pick a color that makes
you happy when you pull in the driveway. That's what
you're after. And if you do run stock, remember you
(38:45):
can stop out at any Repcoal Light and we'll help.
All right, that's all the time we've got. We're going
to wrap it up. But before I do that officially,
I want to remind you that our Decandock waterborne product,
the product that I talked about last segment, and the
Decandoc oil based product to the old standby, both of
those are on sale significant sales through June sixteenth, so
through Monday. Yet. If you've got a deck project coming, up,
(39:09):
now's the time to act on it. You can save
up to almost thirty bucks per gallon for the oil
base and over fifteen bucks a gallon for the water
based products, so definitely check that out and take advantage
of that sale before it wraps up. All right, whatever
you do today makes your paints a part of it,
and remember the next project you tackle is easier than
you think. Have a great weekend, everybody. Have a great
(39:31):
Father's Day to all you fathers out there, and I'll
see you next week. I'm Dan Hansen. Thanks for listening.
Well, good morning, everybody, Happy Saturday. You're listening to the
Repcolite home improvement show sponsored by Benjamin Moore. And before
I jump all into the show, I do want to
brag a little bit, kind of want to blow my
own trumpet here, blow my own nose. I'm going to
brag a little bit. This past week or so, I
can't remember exactly, it doesn't matter. I went to six
(00:23):
Flags Great America, you know, the amusement park. I went there,
to the one near DC. And when I was there,
I rode the rides, capital rode. I rode the rides
like a champion. I haven't been to an amusement park
in ages, and I really wasn't sure what to expect
(00:43):
when I heard that I was going to be going.
You know, I was a little bit worried that it
was going to be a lot of girly giggles and
girly screams coming out of my mouth. That would not
have been something that surprised me. But in this instance,
by the time I was on my third ride, that's it,
just my third ride, I was already climbing onto the
biggest roller coaster they had in the park. It was
(01:06):
the ride of Steel the Superman ride. And let me
tell you, as we ascended into you know, the atmosphere,
as that thing just went up and up and up,
I could hear people all around me screaming in terror. Literally,
I kid you not. These people were in the prime
of their lives and they were freaking out. You know,
young people, elderly people, but healthy ones. Uh, you know,
(01:32):
everybody freaking out. The people next to me, in front
of me, behind me, everybody's upset, they're hollering, they're screaming,
they're having fun, but they are terrified in the process. I,
on the other hand, I was utterly without concern or fear.
I was calm and cool as a cucumber. And there
are not many times in my life. I don't know
(01:54):
that there's been any times in my life that I
can say that in a large group of people, I
was the cool one. You know, I can't even think
that in a small group of people, I've ever been
the cool one. I'm not even sure if I was
alone in a room, if I'd be the cool one.
You know, that's how it rolls for me. But in
this instance, I was the cool one. I was a
(02:15):
real life superhero on a superhero ride. All right, So
that's the amazing cool thing that I wanted to brag about.
Now there's a little bit of info. You need to
fill in some of the gaps here so it all
makes sense. And that's this. When we would get on
a ride, before they would let us get on, you know,
climbing to that coaster, we had to put all of
(02:35):
the things that we could drop. We had to put
all of those things into bins, so our phones, you know, hats,
all kinds of stuff that we could be scattering throughout
the park. They wanted in bins. And for me, that
meant my glasses. And it just happens to turn out
that I am so nearsighted that the reason I was
(02:56):
so brave and so without fear is really just because
I couldn't see anything. You know, the world around me,
the entire world around me, was a soft, satisfying, utterly
safe and embracing blur. You know, I didn't have the
same experience of dizzying heights because I can't see four
foot beyond my face. Now, it is kind of funny.
(03:17):
A few years ago, a couple of years back, I
guess I noticed that I can't smell certain smells, and
I've joked on the show here that that is my superpower.
You know that if there's ever a bunch of children
trapped in a building surrounded by skunks, you could call
me and I could walk right in, no worries and
rescue the children. Now I can contribute my fearless experience
(03:38):
with terrifying heights to my terrible vision. It's like all
my senses are diminished, and that's what makes me powerful.
That's my superhero gig. You know, I'm diminished man or
something like that. Anyway, that was my week, you know,
last week or so, and I thought it was kind
of funny. I hope you all had a good week.
But that's enough of all of that. Let's get to
(04:00):
the show. And this week I've got really quite a
mix coming up. At the end, I'm going to be
talking about how to pick the right front door color.
You know, front door color it sets the tone for
your home. I think that's true. It certainly makes a statement,
and you want to make sure that the statement you're
setting is the right statement, and you can do it wrong,
(04:21):
and we don't want that, so I'm going to help
you do it right. I've got some things to think
about as your chick choosing that color. I'm also going
to be launching a new segment that I'm calling My
Favorite Things you can kee up the sound of Music soundtrack.
I'm going to regale with some random home improvement things
that I've been enamored of for the last few weeks
or so. They're not big enough on their own to
(04:41):
be their own segments, but I can sure mush them
together and make one segment out of them. They're good things.
You're gonna like that. It's just a lot of fun
and I still think it's really practical, So that's coming up.
I'm also going to be talking about a new product
that we're making at Repcolite our Deck and doc Waterborne
deck stain. Now. I talked about it briefly a couple
of weeks when I talked about decks in general, and
(05:03):
this time this week, I want to dig into it
more deeply. I used it on my own deck, and
I've got a lot that i want to say about it,
and I'm going to get to all of that coming
up next. But right now and the time that I've
got left, I want to talk about vacuums. Specifically bagged
versus bagless vacuums. You know which system is better. See,
I'm in the market for a new vacuum right now,
and I figured it was a no brainer that the
(05:25):
bagless vacuum system, right the new modern thing that's superior.
It's got to be to the old bagged technology. But
is it. It actually might not be the case. I
dug into it and I was really surprised. So I'm
taking that info to you right now. Let's look at
both different types of vacuums in terms of a few
key categories and see which one seems better. All right,
(05:47):
first category I want to look at. Let's start with
dust collection and retention. Now, when it comes to bagged vacuums,
the bag doubles as a high capacity filter. It's trapping
fine dust and allergens in it as it fills. This
makes them really great at keeping the air clean, especially
in homes with allergy sufferers. So bag vacuum is really
good in that regard. Bagless vacuums they use something called
(06:10):
cyclone technology and secondary filters, you know, a combination of
the two to capture dust. Top models you know, that
is the more expensive ones. They can perform almost as
well as bag vacuums in this regard. But your average
run of the mill bagless vacuum, the one that I
would buy, is not going to be as good when
it comes to dust collection and retention. On top of that,
(06:32):
whether you buy a top tier or mid range bagless vacuum,
the filters are going to clog up and they need
to be cleaned regularly, or the dust collection and retention
is going to drop. So surprisingly, at least to me,
bagged vacuums take the lead when it comes to better
dust capture, especially when you're talking about fine particles and allergens.
All right, what about ease and cleanliness of disposal, you know,
(06:54):
getting rid of the dust. Now, this one isn't surprising,
not at all, not to me anyway, with the bag system.
With a bag vacuum, all you do is you pop
out the bag. I'm laughing because in my notes I
missspelled pop. I put an extra oh in it, and
I'm not gonna say it. You guys can not do
(07:14):
the math. Just do the spelling pop with an extra oh.
You can figure out what I said and why I'm laughing.
With the bag vacuum, you just pop out the bag
and you toss it in the trash and you're done.
No dust clouds. Right, it's really easy. That sealed bag
keeps things hygienic, you know, it's perfect for allergy prone households.
Bagless vacuums, on the other hand, they're absolutely a crapshoot.
(07:38):
I'm sorry, I can't help myself. It's just they're messy.
You know. It's an absolute adventure. Every time you empty
one of those things, you pretty much have to take
them outside and dump them straight into your outdoor garbage bin.
It's a big mess. So in this category ease and
cleanliness of disposal, bag vacuums definitely take the win there.
(07:59):
All right, what about suction power and performance? I mean,
what good is a vacuum if it doesn't have good
suction and performance? All right, bag vacuums they do a
decent job in this regard, and they can maintain strong
suction until the bag gets full or starts to fill up.
High end again, that means expensive models with powerful motors.
They can stay consistent with the suction power even as
(08:21):
the bag fills. But your average middle of the road
bag vacuum is going to see suction drop off as
that bag fills up. Now, bagless vacuums, you know cyclone models,
they're designed to maintain suction as that bin fills, and
they're often marketed as no loss of suction vacuums. You
know they're not going to have a drop off in suction. Now,
I don't know how completely true that claim is, because
(08:42):
my current bagless vacuum, it really seems to drop off
in terms of suction power if the canister is nearing
the point of being full. However, it's still better suction
than you get with a bag vacuum that's got a
full bag. So here, bagless vacuums have an edge when
it comes to consistent suction. But remember those high and
bagged models. They can hold their own. If you want
(09:02):
to drop the money for them, they can hold their own,
all right. What about maintenance and upkeep? Well, bag vacuums
there's less hands on maintenance since the bag really acts
as both your filter and your container. All you need
to do is swap the bag and you're good to go.
Bagless vacuums, you've got to empty that bin more often,
and it's dusty, it's messy, and the filters themselves need
(09:23):
regular rinsing and drying. It's that part's a real pain
to keep them working to the top of their line,
to the top of their abilities. So there's a lot
more going on with a bagless vacuum. So when it
comes to ease of maintenance and upkeep, bagged vacuums far simpler. Finally,
last thing, I want to look at noise levels. Right,
who doesn't love a quieter vacuum. That's what we all
(09:45):
would love. You know, as a kid, I would have
loved a quieter vacuums. So I could have watched I
Love Lucy or the price is right as Mom vacuumed,
you know, without having to crank the volume on the TV. Anyway,
Bagged vacuums they're often going to be a little bit
quiet because that bag muffles the sound. The bagless vacuums
they've generally got a more powerful motor and that makes
(10:06):
them a little bit louder. So the winner here. If
you're looking for quiet, peaceful cleaning, or at least quieter
more peaceful cleaning, the bag systems are going to be
a little bit better, all right. Final verdict, what's the
best choice? Well, bag vacuums are going to be the
champs for allergy sufferers, for low maintenance, you know, folks
who want low maintenance and for quieter operation. Bagless vacuums
(10:27):
they're going to shine for modern design. They just look cool.
They've got consistent, powerful suction and great versatility, so they're
great in busy households, you know, pets, kids, things like that.
And also, you know, multiple surfaces. If you're going from
hardwoods to carpets and back and forth, you're going to
probably have more options and a better way of dealing
with that with a bagless system than you would with
(10:48):
a bag system. But that's not entirely you know, straight
across the board. Anyway, there you go, enough about vacuums.
Let's take a break. When we come back, we'll talk
about a few of my favorite things. It's gonna be exciting.
Stick around, cream colored ponies and crisp apple stroodles, doorbells
(11:10):
and sleigh bells, and schnitzel with noodles, while gieese the
fly with the moon on their wings. These are a
few of my favorite things. You're listening to the Recolite
home improvement shows sponsored by Benjamin Moore and as Julie
Andrews is suggesting in that opening music, this segment is
about some of my favorite things. Here's the deal. Every
(11:31):
week or so at home, this has to happen to
you too, But every week or so for me, I
run into things that I really really like, you know,
I really really get attached to them. I really get
hyper focused on them. They're not necessarily new and cutting
edge items. They're not even always necessarily items. You know,
maybe they're concepts or results of something I've done, it
(11:53):
doesn't really matter. The point is is that there are
things that I've really been focused on for the past
few weeks, things that made it difference in my home,
that solved a problem, that made me happy, you name it. Anyway,
I run into these things all the time, and I
want to talk about them on the show. But they're small,
you know, they're little, and it's tough to make a
full segment out of them. So I'm going to do
(12:14):
this from time to time and just lump a few
of them together into a favorite things segment. And let's
jump into this one right now. And I want to
start with this. One of my favorite things for the
past three weeks has been Dun Da da dn the
power pump plunger. You know, absolutely glamorous, right, but seriously,
this thing is great. It's basically, you know, a plunger
(12:37):
for your sink. I suppose it could be for a
toilet as well, but I've only used it on the sink.
But it's a plunger for your sink. But instead of
that standard rubber suction cup thing on a handle, you know,
with a traditional up and down motion, the plunging motion,
this is a suction cup with a pump handle. You know.
It almost looks like a bike pump. You put it
in the sink, you block the overflow holes, and then
(12:59):
you pump the handle. That's it. No plunging technically, no mess,
just pump it a few times and the clog clears.
I've read mixed reviews on these, which is surprising, but
you know, it's a whole world of people trying it,
so there's definitely mixed reviews out there. But here's what
I know. I've used it three times in just the
past couple of weeks, and in three different sinks, and
(13:22):
each time I had that drain cleared in under ten
effortless pumps. You know, these are not complicated pumps. It's
not like a typical plunger. It's so easy. With a
household of long haired girls, you know, long haired daughters,
that's what I've got. This has been a huge help.
I've used standard plungers before plenty of times, and sometimes
(13:44):
they work and sometimes they don't. Sometimes I make it worse,
you know. Sometimes I dislodge the clog just enough to
really lodge it really well, so that now I've got
to take everything apart and get a pipe snake out
to clear things off. But with this thing, that's never happened.
I've had solid results every time I've used it. Man,
(14:04):
I don't know ten different times, like I said, three
times in just the past few weeks, and each time
absolutely perfect. And that's why it's earned a spot on
my list of favorite things. Because I hate plunging things,
but with this one, I really don't mind that much.
All right. Another of my favorite things over the past
few weeks has been done it on my freshly painted ceiling.
(14:28):
And yes, I know that sounds ridiculous and dumb, but
it's true. I painted the living room ceiling a few
weeks ago, and ever since I find myself staring at
it all the time. You know, I'm definitely one of
those people that judges the quality of the work I've
done on a project by how long I spend sitting
(14:50):
in a chair looking at it. Right, If I clean
the garage, am I out there in a little folding
chair looking at the garage? If I'm doing that a lot,
that means and so, oh, this was good work, This
was good stuff. Well with the ceiling. I'm staring at
the ceiling a lot in my living room. The kids
think I've passed out, you know. Multiple times, I'm just
(15:11):
in my chair with my head back and my mouth open,
and I'm just in awe at the ceiling. TV's on,
I'm not even watching it because I'm looking at my ceiling.
You know, it turned out that well. I think there's
a number of reasons that I'm so happy with it.
I think the first one is that I've dreaded this
project for a long time, did not want to do it,
(15:31):
didn't want to get that out. I was just I
didn't know what was going to happen. I had some
other problems in the same room. I've talked about them before.
Peiling paint on the upper part of the wall, you know,
near the ceiling. I had no reason to think the
ceiling would be a problem, but still I just it
felt like bad vibes for me. I didn't want to
do this room, but I did it, and I did
(15:53):
run into problems on the ceiling. I'll tell you about
those in a minute. But even with all of that,
the project still, oh went better than I thought it
was going to. And I had a lot of stuff
lined up that I was convinced was going to go wrong. Still,
in the end easier than I thought. So in that regard,
I loved it just because it's done now and I'm
just soaking in the glory of a finish project. I
(16:15):
love that. But on top of that, it was a
huge improvement. Now. I used Benjamin Moore super Highe, which
I'd never used before, super high in a flat finish,
and I was really surprised how easy it was to
work with. It's a dead flat finish, and I was
able to paint that ceiling in four by four square
sections and blend it altogether with no visual overlaps at all.
(16:37):
And really that is a near miracle, because here's the
problem that I ran into. And you'll understand why that
was such a miracle. In a second, as I'm rolling
the paint on the ceiling, I found multiple areas, probably
three different areas, one of them really large, where the
old paint, the old paint on the ceiling, which looked
like it was adhered well to my ceiling. The minute
(16:59):
I hit that with new paint, it was flaking off,
I mean falling to the floor, wet paint falling, you know.
The old paint came with it. As I would roll
over those areas, more and more and more of the
old paint would come off. It was a huge, huge mess.
So I've got areas painted, and then I'm up on
a ladder trying to scrape off all this paint that
(17:19):
I've realized now the old ceiling paint that isn't adhered well.
I'm scraping as much off as I can and trying
to reroll, finding more paint, starting to peel, scrape it again,
scrape more off, reroll all of that while the paint
is wet all around me and I'm trying to blend
it together. I got the whole thing done, and I
(17:39):
was absolutely convinced it was going to need another coat.
I was sure. I'm going to see all these overlaps
because of how horrible that application went. And funny, even
though that application was that horrible, it was still better
than I was anticipating. So that should let you know
how much horribleness I was planning on for that particular room.
(18:00):
I guess I just knew I was picking up the
vibe of the room. I knew deep down what was
going to happen. Anyway, the ceiling paint blended together, that
super high from Benjamin Moore completely blended away. I was stunned.
I was looking at the before pictures when I was
all done. I pulled up these old pictures that I'd
taken before I got the paint on there, and I
was blown away by how bad that ceiling looked before
(18:22):
I put the new code on. I didn't realize it
as we were living with it. But I'm really glad
I put that new code up there before I painted
all the walls. I think I would have been really
disappointed to get new paint on the walls if I
had left that ceiling alone. So anyway, my ceiling. I
have been staring at it in awe for the last
few weeks. That is one of my favorite things. How
(18:43):
about you. Do you have favorite things, favorite tools, favorite projects,
favorite anything that you've run into over the last little bit.
If so, let me know. I want to know about them.
Email Radio at repco light dot com and I'll share
them on a future episode. All right, let's take a break.
When we come back, we're going to dig into my
experience with repcolites new Decandoc water based deck stain. We'll
(19:04):
talk about that in just a minute. Stick around, reme,
we're back. You're listening to the Repcolite Home improvement show
sponsored by Benjamin Moore, and last week or so, two
weeks ago, I had the opportunity to try out a
new deck stain from Repcolite. It's called decan Doc Waterborne,
(19:26):
and I talked about it briefly on the show a
couple of weeks ago, But this week, I want to
dig into the product a little more deeply because it's
really really a great product. I loved working with it,
but there definitely are some things that you're going to
need to know to determine if this is something that
you want or if it's something that you should be
working with. I'll get to all of that in a
(19:47):
little bit. All right. The original oil based version of
deck and doc you've probably at least a bunch of
you have used that in the past. It's kind of
been our standard for decks for a long time at REP,
a lot of condo associations used at contractors. Like I said,
homeowners for decades in West Michigan have been using that.
(20:07):
And now as of last year, last summer, basically, I think,
is when it came about. As of then, we've got
a new water based version that we're offering, and I
think I think it's my favorite deck coding. I think
it's the best, but I do have some caveats and
we're going to get to all of that all right.
(20:28):
The color that I chose was butternut. It's a deep,
rich brown that looks great. There are a few other
colors that I could have chosen from, but butternut that's
the darkest one and that's what I wanted. Now. Over
the years, because I do the show, I've used a
ton of different deck products on the deck, and every
time that I've done it, usually by the time I
(20:48):
finish it up and wrap it all up, I think
it looks great. No matter what I've used, the deck
looks way better than it had looked, and usually I'm
pretty happy. But usually as few hours go by, in
some instances, the deck stain becomes duller and duller, and
I'm not joking about that hour's thing. The oil based
(21:08):
deck and dock, you know, the standard product that Repcholite
sells has been used all over the place for years
and years. When it goes on, it's oil based, it's
got a little bit of a sheene because the stain
is actually a little bit wet, and that sheen just
gives it this richness and this depth and this beauty,
and you're amazed at it and you can't take your
eyes off of it. But then it dries and that sheen,
(21:32):
that that depth kind of fades out a little bit.
The product still great, it holds up wonderfully and it
looks good, but you lost that that little bit of
that that beautiful furniture finish that it had when it
was wet, sometimes within just a few hours, and that's
what normally happens. I get it on, looks great, dries
out completely and now that that richness goes away. Well,
(21:55):
in this case with the deck and dock waterborne product,
that sheen has lasted, it doesn't fade out nearly as quickly.
Most likely, I'm thinking by the end of summer that
sheen might be dull down. I'm thinking for sure by
next spring if I want that sheen back, I'll probably
need to redo it. But right now, you know, it's
been about two to three weeks or so since I
(22:15):
did it, and still that deck has a finished look.
It looks like it looks like furniture. There's no other
way to say it. It's absolutely beautiful, you know. And
my deck boards are not in good shape. If you
remember a couple of weeks ago I talked about that
they're old, they're worn in places. I had a lot
of rot in a couple places that I sanded down through.
(22:35):
It did not look good prior to staining. But now
I put this deck in doc waterborne product on there,
I've got this sheen almost looks like furniture. It's rich,
it's beautiful, and that sheen has lasted. I can't be
happier with how it looks. On top of that, the
water based cleanup was absolutely brilliant. Of course it was
(22:56):
you know, it was water based products, so no mineral
spirits gloves that I had to wear. I could have
worn gloves, but I didn't need to because I could
wash up easily. I had no messy, sticky hands to
deal with, no throwing away brushes. You know, I don't
know how many times I've thrown away the big stain
brushes because I just don't want to labor through cleaning
those out with mineral spirits. And now I can wash
(23:18):
it all out easily in the sink, you know, the tray.
Everything I used could be washed up easily in the
sink and put away again, and I can use it
again next year. So that's a second happy thing that
I got from this. First off, this beautiful furniture finish
on my deck. I mean, it's the holy grail of
what people want on their decks, and I've got that
(23:39):
right now with duck and dock waterborne. So that's great.
Second thing, easy clean up. A third happy result was
the speed at which that deck dried and was ready
for use. It was absolutely amazing, And to be clear,
I'd recommend giving it hours before getting on it now,
because I'm me and my goal was to put product
(24:00):
through its paces. I was standing on the deck within
less than an hour, and even that it's a stretch really,
to be honest, I was on it in more like
thirty minutes. It was possibly even less than thirty minutes,
you know, twenty minutes, fifteen minutes, something like that. Should
you do that? Should you stay in your deck and
then walk all over it in twenty minutes? No, don't
do that. Absolutely don't do that. But if you give
(24:22):
it a few hours, it should be fine. And that
part of the product is great, you know, no more
letting it sit overnight or for a couple days. My
kid is an exterior painter, and you know, he's doing
a bunch of condos and they were just at a
house and he was telling me about it. That a
different crew had come through, you know, somebody not using
(24:42):
any of the products that I carry, and they did
the decks there, and those people told my kid and
the crew that he was on that they need to
stay off of that deck for forty eight hours. It's got
a drive for forty eight hours before they can get
on it. And he was asking me about that, and
I said, I don't know what they put down, but
whatever they put down, the crew was on it within
you know, after forty eight hours, you know, three days later,
(25:04):
they're on it and it was still experiencing trouble, you know,
as they walked across it. So there's a lot of
products out there that are going to require a long
wait before you can put it back to use. This
is not one of them. The deck and dock waterborne product.
I was walking on mine in about twenty to thirty minutes. Again,
don't do that, give it a couple hours. But even
with a couple hours, you are miles ahead of most
(25:27):
other products out there. So all of those things are
really really positive. But there is a catch. You know,
As I mentioned, it dries quickly, and I'm talking crazy
fast dry times at least in my situation, and I
was applying it in early May. Now when I say
all of that that it dried fast, that a lot
(25:48):
of people hear that as a positive, and it is.
I just talked about it. It is a positive. It's
nice to be able to get on it quicker. But
as I mentioned on the show, if you listen to
the Deck, you know the show about decks a couple
weeks ago go, I mentioned that fast dry times make
application trickier. You know, I ended up as I was
putting it down I had to adjust my application methods
(26:09):
to make sure that I got the results I needed. So,
for instance, whereas I typically would work with a partner
and I'd have somebody roll the oil based coding onto
the deck, you know, maybe a couple boards at a
time ahead of me, and then I'd follow behind with
a brush, you know, and work it into the wood.
Well that's how i'd normally do it. In this instance,
I couldn't do that. I couldn't do that with deck
(26:29):
and dock waterborn because it was drying just way too fast,
ridiculously fast. So I had to go to brushing it
straight out of the can. Now that sounds horrible, but
as I mentioned again a couple weeks ago, if and
in fact, if you're gonna do a deck project, go
to the archives. Go to repcollite dot com, click the
on the radio tab, click the archives shows or you know,
(26:52):
all the different collected shows, and then find the episode
on decks. I did a whole episode walking you through
everything you need to know. If the deck projects your future,
go check that out. And within that episode I mentioned
that there's a stain brush that's absolutely brilliant for decks.
It's that same stainbrush that I talked about earlier that
when I'd use it with oil based products, I'd just
throw it away, you know. And it's not inexpensive, it's
(27:16):
not terrible, but it was always sad to throw it away.
Now I can clean it and keep it for the
next project. Anyway, it's called the Bravo stainbrush from Wooster.
There's a four inch version, there's a four point seventy
five inch version, I think. And what makes it really cool,
besides the fact that it holds a ton of product,
is that the handle will screw off, so you can
unthread the little handle that it comes with and you
(27:38):
can thread on an extension pole, you know, like the
same kind of extension pole you'd use for a push
broom in your garage. So basically you can stand up
and stain your deck, you know, by brushing. So it's wonderful.
So when I say that I had to apply the
stain by brush, you know, right out of the can,
it's not what you're picturing. I was standing up. It's
really not that big of a deal. It moves pretty fast.
(28:00):
So anyway, with Decandock Waterborn, I switched to that method
because it was the only way to get the product
on fast enough without it starting to drag a little
bit or stick as I was brushing it, So that
was a little bit of a negative. Once I adjusted
to that, it went on beautifully, no problems. So you
do have to keep that in mind. Now if you're
thinking about trying Decandock Waterborn, and I'm sure some of
(28:23):
you are because and you should be, because that furniture
finish it really is absolutely something to see. But if
you're gonna try it, If you're thinking about trying it,
I'd recommend a few things to help you with the application.
First off, get that Wooster Bravo stainbrush that I just
talked about, in an extension pole, and right now until
Monday June sixteen, through Monday June sixteen, that brush is
(28:45):
on sale, and so is Decondock Waterborne. I'll give you
more info on that in a little bit, but that
brush is on sale right now through June sixteen, so
come in and get it now or then you know,
before that sale is over. So get that brush, get
an extension pole, and apply it that way straight out
of the can. That's first. Secondly, work on a cool
day and work in the shade if possible. You know,
(29:07):
if your deck is in full sun and the only
time you can do it is in the heat of summer,
you know, as the weather's starting to heat up a
little bit, then you probably don't want to use Decandock
Waterborne or really any water based stain at that point.
If you can only work in full sun and in
the heat of summer, go with an oil based deck
stain because it's going to stay wet longer and it's
going to soak into the boards even in the heat.
(29:29):
But if you can work in the shade and in
cooler temps, Decandock Waterborne is going to give you a
beautiful look. Now, the last thing I'd say before wrapping
it all up is it's on sale. I mentioned that already,
but it's on sale until or, I guess I should say,
through Monday, June sixteen, at all Repcolite locations. The oil
based version of Decandoc is on sale as well, and
the savings for this particular sale are really really big.
(29:52):
You can get the water based decon DOC for twenty
nine bucks a gallon, which is a savings of fifteen
bucks per gallon, and we've got the oil based decon
DOC on sale for thirty five bucks a gallon, which
is a savings of twenty eight bucks per gallon, So
thirty five bucks for the oil base, twenty nine bucks
for the water based deck and DOC, and again savings
from fifteen dollars all the way up to almost thirty
(30:13):
so huge savings. Now's the time to do it if
you've got a deck project coming up. So deck and
Dock waterborn. Really, when I think about it, it's my
favorite deck product that I've ever used up to this point. Anyway,
I don't know what the future holds, but so far,
it's absolutely the best coding I've ever put on the deck.
It's the best stain I've ever used. I'm happier with
(30:33):
it than I've ever been, So definitely think about it,
check it out. Remember, like I said that Sheen Luk
is going to fade over time, and you'll still be
redoing this product every year to year and a half.
It's just like any other deck product. This is not
a miracle. You know, silver bullet that you put it
on and now you don't need to touch it again
for three years. We talked about that on the show
a few weeks ago. Those things are false. It's false
(30:55):
advertising in Michigan. Deck products will not last that long period.
This is just like all deck products. You're gonna need
to maintain it every year to year and a half.
But I've tried a lot of deck products and by far,
this is the best looking one so far. So definitely
think about it. Definitely swing out to any Repco Light,
look at some samples, check it out. All right, let's
(31:17):
take a break. When we come back, we're gonna be
talking about front doors. How do you get the right
color for your front door? Not make a big mistake,
not make the neighbors laugh at you, not annoy the neighbors.
How do you pull it all off? We'll get to
that in just a little bit. Stick around, and we're
(31:37):
back here listening to the Repco Light Home improvement Show
sponsored by Benjamin Moore. And here's a question that we
get all the time, what's the best color for my
front door? That sounds simple, sounds like an easy question,
something that experts like us could handle with no problem.
But it's actually a little bit tricky because the truth is,
there's no one size fits all answer to that. There's
(32:00):
no magical best color that works for every single home.
You know, instead, the best color for your front door
is going to be one that doesn't distract or clash
with your home's architecture. You know, it's a color that
complements the style of the home, something that works with
the overall look, not against it. So with all of
that said, let's talk about a few things that are popular,
(32:20):
you know, some popular colors, and then we'll get into
some deeper stuff. We'll get into the weeds on it
a little bit. All right, popular colors, If you're curious
about trends, here's what people are generally doing. Red is classic.
You know, it's timeless, works on everything from traditional colonials
to modern farmhouses, so red generally always works well. Black
(32:41):
and charcoal they're huge right now. And you're definitely going
to see a lot of navy blues and deep greens
out there too. You know, they're rich, they're elegant. They
pair nicely with a wide range of exterior colors. But
and this is a big butt. If you're asking what's
the most popular front door color, you're probably asking the
wrong question. You know, you're looking at it for the
wrong point of view, because if you're chasing what's trendy.
(33:03):
And this is the case with interior stuff too, But
if you're chasing what's trendy, you're setting yourself up for
disappointment or at least a kind of a boring result.
You know. Instead, the better question to ask is this,
what color reflects my personality better? And don't be afraid
of doing something unique, especially on a front door. If
you love pastel green, or maybe something coral or who
(33:26):
knows what. If that's your color, go for it, you know,
make it yours. Now. The front door is a small
part of your home's exterior, it's a great place to experiment.
And you know, even though it's a small area, because
it's the focal point of it's really the focal point
of your exterior. It's what all of our eyes are
naturally drawn to, is front doors. We all know that's true.
(33:48):
Because of that, it really makes a powerful statement about
your exterior. You know, it really lends itself towards amping
up your curb appeal. It helps create a great first impression.
A good color choice can really enhance the architectural features
of your home. It can add personality. It can even
affect how people perceive the value of your home. So
(34:08):
if you're trying to pick the right color, you know
it's important. Let's get it right. Here are some things
to consider, you know, here's where we're going to get
into the weeds a little bit and give you a
little more practical, actionable intel. First off, think about the
style of your home. You know, if you've got a
traditional colonial house, colors like deep reds, navy blues, blacks,
they tend to work beautifully. If you're in a modern home,
(34:30):
try something bold. You know, who knows what that could be.
Maybe teal, bright yellow, you know, a deep orange, a
coral color. Who knows. It all depends on some of
the other things that we'll talk about. But go for
something a little bit bold. If you've got a cozy cottage,
maybe a farmhouse. Pastels, you know, they work, sage greens,
powder blues, they can all be perfect, all right. So
that's the first thing to think about the style of
(34:52):
your home. Next, look at the other colors on your exterior.
All right, this is not rocket science here, of course,
you've got to do that. What color you're siding, your trim,
your roof, don't forget about the roof. The front door
color should either compliment those or offer you know, a
tasteful contrast, a tasteful contrast for example, a red door
(35:12):
on gray siding that works really really well, a navy
blue door with white trim that feels classic and clean.
So keep in mind all the other colors on your exterior,
and if you've got perennials and flowers like that that
come up every single year with the same color tones,
don't forget to take those into consideration as well. All right.
Third thing, think about the mood that you want to set.
(35:33):
You know, what mood do you want your home or
your front door to exude. You know, colors definitely play
into this. You know, color psychology is a real thing.
Reds are all about energy and confidence. Blues they feel calm,
you know, steady rock, solid, peaceful. Green that gives a
sense of balance and harmony. You know, it's got real
(35:54):
natural tones, natural inclinations, you know, just the peace of nature. Yellow.
It's cheerful, optimistic. It's not going to be anywhere near
my home, that's for sure. Now It's not even true
because I've painted entire rooms yellow, because I'm entirely in
you know, completely cheerful, and I'm one hundred percent optimistic.
So think about that. Black it adds elegance and sophistication. White,
(36:16):
it's clean, timeless, it's simple. So bottom line with this point,
if there's a mooor an atmosphere that you're trying to create,
find a color that will help you accomplish that. All right. Finally,
last thing to keep in mind here is keep your
neighborhood in mind. You know, your house should express you,
that's true, but it's really worth considering the vibe of
the neighborhood too. You know, if you're planning to sell,
(36:38):
a color that fits in even while standing out a
little bit might help boost your curb appeal. And one
other thing to think about when you're considering the neighborhood
is this. And I think this is one of the
more important things that I'm saying. And I see this
mistake happen all the time. If somebody three houses down
from you picked the absolute perfect color, you know, the
most perfect color in the whole wide world. You drove
(36:59):
home one day, saw it on the door, and boom,
the lights went off. That's the color, that's what you've
looked for all your life. If you found it three
houses down from you, don't steal it. That's not cool.
There are still a million other colors you can go
out there and find, and many of those are going
to be the perfect color too. Go and find one
of those and let those people three houses down from
(37:21):
you live in the glory of their choice. All right.
We see people all the time swipe the front door
color from houses just down the road, and things get
dicey in the neighborhood when that happens sometimes, so keep
that in mind. All right. Some practical things to keep
in mind as we wrap this up. First, off, stretch
outside your comfort zone. You know, a typical door is
(37:42):
only going to need about a quart of paint. Painting
it is only going to probably take you a small
portion of your day. And because it's a cheap project
and an easy one, it's the perfect project for experimenting
with color. You know, if it's not right, that's not fun,
But repainting it isn't that big of a deal. But
you might find by by stretching outside your comfort zone,
you might find that you've really hit it out of
(38:03):
the park with your color choice. So stretch outside your
comfort zone. Second, get the right paint. Benjamin Moore's Aura
and Repcolites and Dura. They're both excellent choices. They'll clean
up with soap and water and they'll hold up for
years to come. Last thing, test your color with Benjamin
Moore's Color Portfolio app. It's a free app. You can
take a picture of your front door and then you
(38:24):
can try out all of the Benjamin war colors you
want on the front door. It's really really cool. It
works really really well, super easy. You'll get a great
view of what each color is going to look like.
That's the Benjamin Moore Color Portfolio App. So check that
out all right. Bottom line, pick a color that makes
you happy when you pull in the driveway. That's what
you're after. And if you do run stock, remember you
(38:45):
can stop out at any Repcoal Light and we'll help.
All right, that's all the time we've got. We're going
to wrap it up. But before I do that officially,
I want to remind you that our Decandock waterborne product,
the product that I talked about last segment, and the
Decandoc oil based product to the old standby, both of
those are on sale significant sales through June sixteenth, so
through Monday. Yet. If you've got a deck project coming, up,
(39:09):
now's the time to act on it. You can save
up to almost thirty bucks per gallon for the oil
base and over fifteen bucks a gallon for the water
based products, so definitely check that out and take advantage
of that sale before it wraps up. All right, whatever
you do today makes your paints a part of it,
and remember the next project you tackle is easier than
you think. Have a great weekend, everybody. Have a great
(39:31):
Father's Day to all you fathers out there, and I'll
see you next week. I'm Dan Hansen. Thanks for listening.
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