Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp, The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Good morning
and welcome home. Sorry, dry toast, dry toast in the throat.
You know it's always a pro move to chomp down
(00:24):
on a piece of toast right before you go on
the air. I mean seconds before you go on the air.
So you're welcome. You are welcome Southern California. I am
Dean Sharp, the house Whisper, custom home Builder, custom home designer,
and every week your guide to better understanding that place
where you live. Thanks for joining us on the program today,
(00:46):
you early risers out there, or you know you folks
further east in the country who just woke up at
a normal time but enjoy listening to the program. Everybody
is welcome today on the show, as it is always
with our Saturday morning show. Uh, you are telling me
what the show is all about. We are waiting for
your calls. We're just sitting here waiting, literally waiting for
(01:09):
your calls. The phone lines are open. The number to
reach me eight three three two. Ask Dean eight three
three the numeral two. Ask Dean eight three three two,
Ask Dean whatever has you scratching your head about your home,
whether it is a design issue, a construction question, a
DIY concern inside stuff, outside stuff, hardescape landscape, all the escapes.
(01:33):
I got you covered. We will put our heads together.
We will get it figured out. You and I. So
phone lines are open, and as soon as the calls
start rolling in, we will go to those phones. In
the meantime, I'm gonna say good morning to Sam. How
you doing, Bud, Hey, Dean, how you doing. I'm good,
I'm good, I'm good. You're feeling all right this morning?
Had a little stomach trouble this morning. Yeah, I had
(01:55):
a little stomach issue. But I wrote it out and
here we are. It's gonna be a long, but play
about productive day. Okay, all right, good, I'm glad to
hear it. I'm glad to hear you doing. Okay, all
is well? How's our not so live studio audience? He
got them under contract? I had to kick them a
little bit here. Ah, there they are, you guys. You
(02:16):
guys are a little slow on the uptake today. They're
all like coming out of the break room with a
bunch like coffee in their hands. It was a slow
day for everyone. Maybe they also were struggling with toast.
I had a toast issue, just a toast malfunction here
just a few seconds ago. So I understand, I get it.
It's early, and you know what, it's all good. It's
(02:36):
all good for everybody sitting across the table from me.
Look at her, Look at her. She's got a little
Dodger hat on. Today. I'm representing you are your team
has won the National League West Conference, the championship.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It a nail bier.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
That's it. Season's over, we're done, champions let's just end
it here. Yep. So we don't sure we have to
deal with anything else. Now. They won again last night.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
They did, so you know, hey, our boys are on fire.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah. I'm not saying that the next two games don't matter,
but they don't matter at all. Oh so, I guess
I am saying.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
But we're still gonna watch.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, of course we're gonna watch, and they're gonna win.
They're gonna well, well, we'll see, they're gonna play good ish.
But we're in. We're in. We're at the wildcard round,
not the best round to be at, but you know what,
we're in the playoffs. We're gonna get it done. Are
we gonna Are we gonna repeat a World Series win
this year?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
I don't know, but I'm hopeful.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
All right, Good, stay hopeful, stay helpful. I almost had
you commit there for a second. Then then a moment
of doubt flashed across your eyes.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I was just thinking about certain don't say it.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Don't say it.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Our boys they do show up when you know what,
when they're under pressure, suddenly they do what they need
to do. And I'm proud of them.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, quite often, not always, not always, but we won't
talk about that. No, It's like me and toast. Sometimes
it just you know, and help yourself. Oh Heather, where
is Heather?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Heather?
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Are you there?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
I'm here.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
How's it going?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
It's good, It's good. Happy Saturday, everybody.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah. How are things in that exciting news booth today?
Speaker 5 (04:24):
Oh? Wow?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Just ripping it up over here.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, so many news stories just coming at you every second,
breaking developments here at six eleven.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
We've been told that we have to have like much faster,
shorter news. So if I sound a little nuts when
I'm giving the news, then that that's what it is.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Okay, all right, you always sound a little nuts, though, oh.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Good, Oh, good, wow, Dean. Shots fired in a good way,
in a good shots fired Dean.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
It's a good it was good. Nuts.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
You know, I was going to ask you about my
wrinkler system and my yard today, but now I'm not
gonna hi. Oh come on, come on, No, I'm not
gonna let you, gonna let you. I'm let you solve
my home problems.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Always good to have you with us, Bud all, I.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Thinks, always happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
All right, y'all, I'm looking at the clock, I'm looking
at the phone. Oh, we got some calls on the board.
Let me give the number out one more time, and
that means uh, right out there, heav give Heather, Heather,
Heather gives us some news. Get the toast out of
my mouth. Then we'll we'll be going right to the phone.
So the number to reach me eight three three two.
Ask Dean eight three three the numeral two. Ask Dean
(05:43):
more of your calls on the way. You are listening
to home with Dean Sharp. The house whisper, Dean Sharp,
the house whisper, good Saturday morning to you here to
help you take your home to the next level. Cool
autumn weather, cool autumn weather, Tina. These three words music
(06:08):
to our ears. Cool autumn weather here in southern California. Glorious,
Bye cool, I don't mean actually cold. Okay, just get
yourself under control at southern California. But seventies, right, we're
back in the set, even the low seventies for a bit,
for a bit. Yes, well, I'm glad you're up. You're
(06:32):
experiencing cool autumn weather right now. If you are up
and about with me, and we're going to be going
to the phones in just a second. I want to
tell you about something that is happening. Let me see,
let me pull it up here. I got to get
the deats, give me the details. Something's happening in on
(06:54):
October eleventh here in Thousand Oaks, which happens to be
the town that to T and I call home, At
Caneo Creek North Park in Thousand Oaks on Saturday, October eleventh,
from ten to two. It is the Native Plant Palooza
and Ecofest happening. What is that all about? It is
(07:17):
a free, family friendly outdoor festival where you are guaranteed
to have fun or your money back because it's free.
But you'll have fun and you're gonna learn all about
how native plants magically create wildlife habitats, save water, help
fire safe your home. All at the same time, there's
gonna be stuff for the kids, food trucks like the
legendary Chendos Tacos, experts from thirty five eco focused organizations,
(07:43):
and vendors like the California Wildlife Center, wild Birds Unlimited,
Great Great, Great Company, and the Theodore Payne Foundation, the
most fantastic native plant nursery in all of California. All
of them gonna be hearing guess what. To help it
all make sense, a certain house whisper and his boss
(08:03):
Tina will also be there too, So come on down,
say hi, get a hug. Let's talk about native plants
and the way they transform design and the environment to
the better always. That's Saturday, October eleventh, from ten to
two at Caneo Creek North Park in Thousand Oaks. If
you live I believe, I believe this is true. If
(08:24):
you live within three hundred miles of Thousand Oaks, you
are legally required to attend. I'm just gonna say that, Yes,
that may not be true, but let's just pretend that
it is. Okay, we got calls on the board. Let's
go to the phones. I want to talk to Karen. Hey, Karen,
welcome home.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Hi, Hi Dean, thank you for taking my call.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
I have a very strange room upstairs. I have a
bedroom and it has a door that goes into a
smaller room. It was built above a portico, so one
wall is straight, the other wall is slanted. There is
only one window and it's in the ceiling and that's
(09:08):
three feet by one and a half feet and that
window lifts up. So I have carpet in there. My
daughter decided to make it a girl cave and put
her bed in there. And I want to take the
carpet out and put in a vinyl floor that I've
heard that they can be toxic in small areas like that.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
And that's you're concern you're concerned about, like you don't
want to do anything.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm just afraid there is ventilation with
the window on top.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
But I'm not sure if you have an opinion on that.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Well, yeah, I mean so when you say vinyl floor,
you mean like luxury vinyl plank.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Yeah, like yeah, because the bedroom, all my whole house
has gorgeous mahogany wood floors.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
And I know they're not in anymore, right, noll.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
But so the bedroom has the dark mahogany floor and
I was hoping to get a vinyl that looks.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Sort of like that.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Gotcha, gotcha? Well here's the thing, Uh, my friend, you're
you have reason to be concerned. Only I would say
in terms of the cheaper uncertified. There are a lot
of There are a lot of vinyl products on the
market that you know, kind of our brand brandless, right,
you know, you know what I'm talking about. You go
(10:30):
to a flooring stone, they're like, oh, but we have
these these are and you're like, yeah, what what manufacture these?
Speaker 5 (10:35):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Well we get these special from Okay, those I would
not trust, especially in a small area when it comes
to that kind of thing. But and you know, luxury
vinyl plank is made out of vinyl, so it does
have a certain degree of voc off gasing that takes place.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
How well, that was what I was reading about.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, however that's not to be Uh, it's not a
concern across the board. So what you want to do
is you want to look for a reputable manufacture, and
those I guarantee you, especially if you go to your
local flooring story. You can say, listen, I'm looking for
a low vo C luxury vinyl plank manufacturer. You'll find them.
You want to find certifications like floor Score or green
(11:22):
Guard Gold, and there are floors out there that that
fall under those certifications. And uh and then uh, I
never know how to pronounce this word. Balate p h
T h A l A t E. The they late
they I think it's theay late stay late free labeling. Anyway,
(11:42):
the point is they're out there, especially American uh L
VP manufacturers and wholesalers.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
They know that we have concerns about those kinds of things,
and there are products out there. I'm not going to
say there's a product out there that has zero off gasing,
but if you've got v elation and you get one
of the certified ones, I'm I wouldn't personally be concerned
at all.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Okay, So I should look for the American certified.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, look for a certified floor. Look for an American
manufactured floor that has certifications like floor Score or green Guard.
And you know what I always say this, it's it
won't be hard to see. Okay, they're not hiding it
because it's one of those things. It's like organic food, right,
it costs farmers more to grow organic, and so they're
(12:35):
gonna put it on the label. They're going to be like, hey,
the reason this bread is a dollar more expensive than
that bread is because we did it right. So they
won't they won't be shy about telling you that it's
a low VOC floor. It'll be easy to find.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
Okay, So I suggest ask those questions. I'm not going
to go to a big box store and then I go,
I think, to a smaller Yeah, go.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
To a local flooring specialty shop, and I guarantee you
you'll be able.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
To find it, and then she'll be safe in there.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Yeah, I think so, especially you've got ventilation, and off
gassing is not forever, by the way, It's simply something
that initially starts to happen and it fades with time,
and so you get a good certified low VOC floor,
some good ventilation. I wouldn't I'm all I can tell
you is I wouldn't hesitate to, you know, put my
daughter in there.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Oh that is wonderful. Thank you so much, Deane.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
You are so welcome. Karen, thanks for the call. All right,
more of your calls when we return your Home with
Dean Sharp the House Whisper. You're listening to Home with
Dean Sharp on demand from KFI AM six forty Dean Sharp,
the House Whisper. Welcome Home. Here to help you transform
(13:59):
your ordinary house into an extraordinary home. We do that
every Saturday by taking your calls, and you get to
set the agenda for what's going on with the show.
So let's talk to Sharon. Go back to the phone. Hey, Sharon,
welcome home.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
Hi, good morning. I have a question about the best
way to repair tile. The grout around the shower tile
is cracked and some parts it's flaking out. I'm thinking
I need to get a dremal and like remove all
of it and redo it.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
How wide are the grout joints?
Speaker 4 (14:42):
By the way, they're kind of that boy that traditional.
They're not super skinny, they're not super wide, just your
traditional that square.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Tile.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
What the house was built in forty nine and the
original blue tile, which I love is that is in
great condition. That was around the bathtub and then what
later they added a shower and they just added that
square white you know home depot tile right right right right, Yeah,
it's the white tile. That's bad.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Yeah. So the reason I was asking is is that
I was trying to get a sense of whether you
had sanded grout. Is it rough to the touch or
is it pretty smooth looking grout when you run your
finger across it.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
I think it's I mean, we've done tile and stuff
ourselves and other bathrooms, and I think it's sanded.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Okay, yeah, I mean yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yeah, So I mean sandy grout will go. You can
use sandy grout down to an eighth of an inch
of gap in between the tiles. Then when you go
thinner than that, you have to go to non sanded grout.
And the only reason I was asking because nonsanded groud
is so much easier to pull out between times. I
was hoping some hope, some encouragement.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Yeah, that's a huge job that out.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
It is.
Speaker 5 (16:15):
It is.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
I'm afraid it just it just is. And but if
it's failing, and if it's cracking all over the place
and you really want to, you know, kind of bring
it back. Uh and uh, you know, now I gotta say,
if you don't like those tiles, if you're not absolutely
in love with those tiles, I don't know how big
of an area it is. But if you're not absolutely
(16:37):
in love with those tiles, and you guys have done
tile work before, I'll tell you what. Honestly, it's probably
just as much time and labor, maybe even less to
just chip all the tiles out, uh, then to spend
all the time with a dremal dragging the grout out.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
You know.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
So here's the thing. I yes, you're gonna have to
do it. Yeah, a dremal tool, a little you know,
a little micro grinder that's probably exactly what you're you know,
up against.
Speaker 5 (17:05):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
And all I'm going to tell you is the time
and energy put into that. I would only do it
if I was absolutely in love with the tiles that
I'm trying to regrout. And if not, then especially since
it's a you know, if the smaller area and retiling
it is not going to be that expensive, and you
(17:26):
guys have experience without anyway, I might just advise you
to go ahead and just pop the tiles out, just
will you know. It'll go faster. I mean, it'll go faster,
and you'll be able to get back and maybe put
in some tiles that you actually like better, uh, and
then grout it and you know, done and done. You know,
I'm not trying to make more work for you. I'm
actually suggesting that you take the same amount of effort
(17:49):
and and end up with a much better product than
the end.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
Sure, and if if we probably have to replace the
green board behind it, I guess you might.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
You might have to. It depends, you know it Sometimes Uh,
you know, here's the thing, Sharon, Sometimes a substandard tile job.
It's surprising how easily they come off the green board
and uh and and preserve it.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Yeah, uh.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Now if they used by the way, if they used
green board like green dry wall behind it, then it's
a good thing that you're tearing it all out, because
that's the wrong stuff to use. Okay, tiles should always
be tiles should always be put on backer board, never
on drywall, never ever ever on drywall. Always on concrete
(18:38):
backer board. I don't care whether we're in the shower,
out of the shower, wet area, dry area. That's how
we do tile, right, We don't put it on drywall.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Hmmm hmmmm hmm.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
And do you usually recommend like a fine everything we've
done the corner Uh seems you know, they say they
use kulk instead because they crack. They tend to crack eventually.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Well, I mean if we're talking about like the corner
of the tile to the floor or the tile to
the wall, you know it all depends tile to the tub. Okay,
if we're connecting to a tub, anything that we stand
on that flexes under our weight, or tile at the
bottom to like a fiberglass shower pan. Uh, don't hesitate
to calk that, but you know, to a stand to
(19:26):
it to a static wall next to it. Nah, we
would groud it. We would groud it. Okay. We only
use cock when it when when we know that that
joint is going to flex.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Okay, okay, okay. I have a quick dining chair question.
If there's time a chair.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Here's the thing. I'm up against a break, but I
am happy to uh go for another question. So if
I can pop you on hold, we'll just pick it
up right on the other side, so you hang tight.
Share And because you've got some very intelligent questions, I
like to hear another one. We'll do it right after
we hear some news. Let's take a quick break back
to the phones your home with Dean Sharp, the house
(20:08):
whisper and we are back Dean Sharp, the house whisper
here to remind you that when it comes to transforming
your home, design, design, no, not that that fancy material, No,
not that reputable contractor, design matters most, first and foremost,
the right design. Okay, after you've thought it all through
(20:31):
and you've got the right design, then call the contractors,
shop for the materials, make it all happen. And you'll
find that once your design is so well focused on
your home that you know it won't make a huge
difference whether you have to buy the super ultra luxury
material or the middle of the road material or even
the low material, because the design is what's working for you. Otherwise,
(20:56):
what do you end up with a really well made,
very expensive, poorly desig designed home, And you know what,
that just doesn't get it done. Design matters most, my friend.
That's what we preach here every weekend. All right, we
are taking your calls. It's Saturday morning. It's an all
call Saturday morning. We're a little thin on calls, I'll
tell you that. Right now. I've got a couple of
calls on the board, but I got room for you.
(21:17):
So if you want a call, it's a great time
to do it eight three three two Ask Dean eight
three three the numeral to ask dean A three three
two ask Dean. We'll see what happens to the phone.
Otherwise you might have to hear, you know, more about
the toast that I had for breakfast this morning, and
no one, no one wants to hear about that. All right,
I want to go back to share and Sharon, are
(21:39):
you still with me?
Speaker 4 (21:41):
I'm here, all right, my friend here with some I'm
here with some squeaky chairs, some dining chairs that yeah,
and we guess over like, oh, that's really annoying. And
I've taken apart kind of the bottom to see what
it is, because it has a covering.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
It's the the.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
There's the frames, seems really secure, but then across the
bottom there's like a wire or a heavy wires, you know,
s type coils, and then they put foam on top
of that, and it seems like when you're sitting those
those coils, like if you move a little bit, they
really squeak.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Mmmm. Okay, So so we're talking about like upholstery coils,
like a like coils underneath a mattress or in a
sofa that kind of thing, right, You've got chairs that
have got that kind of a cushion underneath them.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
Well, it's it's it doesn't go up word like a
cylinder like in a mattress. It goes across. And I look,
we have some antique chairs too, and I looked at
the bottom of those. It's kind of very similar, but
those use kah, yeah, they all kind of have this
wire frame that gives and then on top of that
(23:06):
is the foam and then the you know on the street.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
All right, I'm trying to imagine it. So here are
my two questions. And this is and I'll explain why
I'm asking this. How are the how are those coils
attached on each end of the chair frame? And do
do they crisscross each other? Or they just in one direction?
Speaker 4 (23:27):
They're they're just in one direction okay, like a squiggly
line all the way across.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
How do they attach to the frame?
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Okay, so I'm looking.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
We're actually doing this live everyone, We're just just mantling
a chair live.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Yeah, I mean they're gosh, I'm just you know, they're
all right.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
So here, let me tell you share it. Let me
tell because you know, I I don't have time for
you to despond to whatever chairs on the show. Although
I would love for that to happen. Believe me, there
was nothing I would mold more. But yeah, they'll get
mad at me. So here's the thing. Let me just
give this principle and this again. This will take a
very very specific question caller question and universalize it for everybody,
(24:21):
so everybody can gain some benefit from this. So, whether
it is a squeaky hardwood floor, which I deal with
all the time, or uh, you know, coils or something
like that, springs you know in furniture that are squeaking,
here's the thing. The chances the coil itself, the zigzag
(24:42):
coil itself, okay, very very unlikely that it is squeaking.
In other words, just you know, you take a spring
and you pull a spring back and forth in your hands,
you know, a small spring. It doesn't squeak. It's metal
to metal to you know, that's not the squeak. The
squeak is very very likely. I would almost be willing
(25:04):
to put good money on it that the squeak occurs
where that coil spring is attaching itself to the frame
of the chair, because that's a point of attachment and
what happens is as the coil spring moves, as pressures
put on it, you sit on it, you get off it,
you move around on it. Then that end is the
(25:26):
coil spring rubbing against the frame work of whatever it's
attached to, whether it's a screw, whether it's a bolt,
whether you know, whatever the case may be. So I
don't know exactly on your chair how to fix this,
because I haven't seen your chair and we were not
staring at your chair, but I will tell you this,
if there is a way, Let's say you get to
(25:48):
the coil, you can get to the ends of the
coils and you realize, oh, yeah, there's a screw, there's
an eyelet, and there's a screw down into you know,
the frame at each one of these coils. If you
could undo that screw and actually put like a nylon washer,
a nylon washer in between the screw in between the
coil wire and the frame, then you would probably eliminate
(26:11):
a squeak, because it's the rubbing of that material next
to each other. Just like when people ask me about
hardwood floor is squeaking That are older floors that are
nailed in and they're like, I don't know the wood
is squeaking on the wood, and they try all these
things like putting baby powder in the grooves of the wood,
and I say, you know what, don't don't it is
(26:35):
the squeak of a hardwood floor is very very rarely,
almost never wood to wood squeaking. What it is is
that the nails of steel nails that have attached the
floor to the subfloor underneath, they've gotten a little loose,
and so now that piece of wood, hardwood is riding
(26:56):
up and down a little bit on that steel nail,
and that rubbing is the squeak. So it's almost always
when there's a squeak, it's always. It's almost always the
connection point between two pieces of material and the moving
around right there, material on material rubbing. It's not the
spring to the cushion, it's not the spring itself, but
(27:19):
it is where the spring attaches to the frame. How
do I know that, I don't know it for sure,
just lots of years of experience of chasing squeaks down
and Sharon, I so appreciate your question, Thanks for hanging on.
It's a really good question, and hopefully that answer helps
a lot of people in a lot of different ways.
Thank you, my friend for your call, and everybody. Hey,
(27:41):
we're at the top of the hour. More calls coming.
The number two reach me eight three three two. Ask
Dean A three to three the numeral two. Ask Dean.
You are home with Dean Sharp the house whisper. You're
listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from KFI
Am six forty