November 1, 2025 • 27 mins
Dean Sharp takes all your calls every Saturday at 6a on KFI AM640!
Dean gives tips on fixing up older homes, and repairing kitchen floors in 50-year old homes.
Dean gives tips on fixing up older homes, and repairing kitchen floors in 50-year old homes.
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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,
my friend, and welcome home. I am Dean Sharp, the
House Whisper, custom home Builder, custom home Designer, and every
week for you your guide to better understanding that place
(00:23):
where you live.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Why because every home has a path forward. Once you
see it, that's when everything changes. And I'm here every
week to help you try and find that path forward
and to make the changes that you've been wanting to
make but didn't know how exactly, didn't know how to
put it together. And also to help you with just
(00:45):
taking care of your home today on the show. Your
calls as we always do Saturday mornings. The number to
reach me eight three three two. Ask Dean. Eight three
three the numeral to ask Dean the phone lines are.
They may be down at the moment. We're waiting for
the phone lines to come up, so just be patient
(01:06):
with us. Hang tight, hang tight, up up up. I
spoke too soon. The phone lines are up. Eight three
three two Ask Dean A three three the numeral two
Ask Dean. Whatever has you scratching your head about your
home design issue? Construction question, architecture, DIY, inside stuff, outside stuff, landscape, hardscape, decor.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I got you.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
We'll put our heads together. We will get it figured out,
you and me, So give me a call. We'd love
to talk to you about your home. In the meantime,
while we are waiting for all of that to warm up,
let's say good morning to Sam. Good morning, Sam.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Good morning Dean. How you doing. I'm good.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
How is our Not So Live studio audience today? They
are halloweened out. They had a long night here. This
is as quiet as they can get right now. Oh
my goodness, I'm just shocked that they're here at all.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I really am. It was a fun.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Halloween night that Not So Live studio audience knows how
to party. Well, I'm glad you're with me, my friend,
taking care of all the real work while I just
sit here and talk. Sam is literally the second person
that I've spoken to human being this morning. Sam, and
you there you go, So just see you're in You're
(02:26):
in a very very good company, speaking of important people
to speak to. Heather Brooker, good morning, how are you
bright eyes?
Speaker 4 (02:37):
I'm good, I'm good. Well, you know I've been doing
wake up call this week. So I was ready to
wake up this morning. My body just naturally kind of
got up around four, which is annoying.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Which is annoying. I know how you feel. I so
know how you feel.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
We're up at four every day around here, and I'm like,
why why why?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, why do you do that?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
It was so exercize you go out for a walk,
or why do you get up so early?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, you know what.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
We get up and we get our gym and stuff
in in the morning before the day starts, because otherwise
it ain't happening.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
You guys are so healthy. I love that we.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Try to survive. We try to live. Tina is extraordinarily healthy,
and I just try and keep up with her, which
makes me, you know, good too. And so anyway, it
was a pleasure working with you yesterday morning too. I
was so surprised. I'm like, yeah, I forget that, Amy.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
Yeah, I forget Amy now she's.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, but no, wait, we're not supposed to diss the host.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
No, no, no, no never, And Amy like, I honestly
don't know how she does it. Every day she's here
at three, three thirty in the morning doing wake up call,
and so it's I'm more than happy to help out
whenever she needs a break. So she'll be back on Tuesday, though.
So I'll be back in on Monday and she'll be
back on Tuesday. But it was so nice to talk
(03:57):
to you about paint and coloring our world. And I
really do glean I know I've told you this before,
but I do glean a lot of information from you.
I pick up little nuggets and little things. And I
always go home and think I should do a Dean
recommended and then I'm like, oh, I'm tired.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Then You're like, nope, nope, back to real life. No way.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I think every time I go in my bathroom and
my kitchen, I want to repaint it.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
It's just it's driving me crazy.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Well, it's good to it, girl.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
I just need to do it. I need to do it,
all right.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Hey, sitting across the table from me, the healthy one, uh,
my design partner, the co owner and co founder of
House Whisper, most importantly, my better half and my best
buddy in all the world, Tina is here. Welcome home,
Hi there, Hi, how you do good? It's November first,
(04:54):
I know you know you know it. Also, it is
late at October disappeared.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
It did? It was.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
I don't even know what's happening right now. I feel
like I'm gonna blink again. It's gonna be January, and
I'm like, Oh, did anybody give me any Christmas press?
I missed Christmas? What happened?
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Uh? Do you know what season is? All? Yeah'all?
Speaker 5 (05:16):
Oh, I almost didn't do it.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
You gotta do it, oh, y'all. I love that. I
don't know. I'm just kind of stuck on it.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Anyway, folks, it is time to take a quick break,
and when we return, we will go to the phones.
If there are calls for me. I always tell you this,
I've always got things to say. You know this, but
you know Saturday morning, give you a little nudge. We've
got room on the callboard for you right now, and
(05:45):
I would love to talk to you about your home.
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. It's just that simple calls
all the way. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper, Dean Sharp, the house whisper here to
(06:06):
help you take your home to the next level. Good
Saturday morning to you, my friend. I hope you are
up doing something productive, or I hope you're up relaxing
in the quiet of the morning before everybody else gets
up and starts bugging you. You know how it is.
That's one of the reasons I get up early in
the morning. Why because I'm naturally a crabby person. No,
(06:27):
I just enjoy ah the quiet of the morning before
the demands start coming. And they will, they will start
to come. But to Saturday mornings, nothing nothing, nothing better
than sitting here talking with you about your home. It
is an all call Saturday. The number to reach me
eight three three two. Ask Dean eight three three the
(06:49):
numeral two. Ask Dean anything that's got you scratching your
head about your home. Let's go to the phone, shall we.
I want to talk to Anne. Hey, Anne, welcome home.
Speaker 6 (07:01):
Good morning. We had a small little plastic nut break
on the inlet pipe that goes into the back of
our toilet tank. No one was home in for about
an hour and a half. It just free flooded about
half the house. Dealing with yeah, yeah, one little bitty
piece of plastic and it did a whole lot of damage.
(07:22):
We're dealing with insurance right now. But it only flooded
half the house, so we're going to try to do
as much of the repair as possible. It's been shitting
for two weeks. We know when they first came up.
It's oysterre that wicked up the drywall. We can't touch
the dry wall until the asbestos abatement team comes out
because they found asbestos in the glue that held down
(07:45):
the old wamoleum floor and in the mud that's on
the dry wall.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
So don't find out where is the house and how
old is it.
Speaker 6 (07:56):
The house is in San DIMIs and it was built
in nineteen sixty eight.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Okay, all right, and they've wait, they've now who tested
for They found asbestos in the dry wall mud.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
They found asbestos in the dry sad and in the
glue that held down the initial linoleum. They've floored over
floor over carpeted over floor layers and layers of stuff
there and they've they've found asbestos. So come in and
do the asbestos abatement, and we're going to take the
wallboard twenty four inches. My two questions are is there
(08:36):
something now that it's been sitting for two weeks and
it's probably gonna be another week. Is there something that
we can use to treat the studs and the floor
boards to prevent mold, to kick the spores before they
go in and seconds? How long does it need to
stay open to dry before we can get back in
(08:57):
and cover it up and flooring down?
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Okay? Well, is there something you can do?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Uh? Okay, so the flooring, let me ask you, it's
the flooring. Is this a raised foundation house. You're not
on a slab.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
We're on a concrete slab.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Oh, you are on a slab. Okay, Well, the problem,
as you know, is the asbestos because they're just not
letting you touch the thing.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Right, here's the thing. When it comes.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
When it comes to mold, you know, a couple of weeks,
three weeks soaking wet, uh the you know, the the
air has been pretty dry and warm lately, it had
you know, we're not in a real wet, moist time
of year. I would just I think you're just gonna
have to wait it out. I mean, you can surface
(09:51):
treat anything that you can see and touch. You can
surface treat it. Uh, the stuff is ruined anyway, you know,
it's all coming up anyway, you could surface treat to
prevent mold with you know, forming on the surfaces, not
back in the wall cavity.
Speaker 6 (10:09):
When they open the walls, we want to treat the studs.
We want to treat the wood. Okay, dry wall back up?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah. So I mean when that
when that gets all opened up. Uh, you know, mold
is not easy to defeat. It really isn't you know.
I know there are a thousand horror stories out there,
and the thread of mold is really when it goes
untreated and and just sits in a wall and then
you know, it just does its thing. But you're going
to open the wall up, You're gonna expose it. You're
(10:38):
going to get it all dried out. And a simple
mixture of bleach and water, like fifty to fifty mixture
of bleach and water in a small sprayer like a
Hudson sprayer, will you know, douse and take down the mold.
Mold is not like the the alien from the other
planet that resists all efforts to take it out. Is
(11:00):
actually very very sensitive. It has to grow in the dark,
and it has to grow where it's dark and wet,
and it doesn't like any It loves water, but it
does not like any other kinds of chemicals. And whether
it's vinegar because vinegar has an acetic acid in it,
or bleach, either one will easily take mold out and down.
(11:23):
And then if for some reason the mold is thick
on the wall, then you know, masking up with a
respirator and brushing the walls clean. I'm guessing you're not
going to have that degree of mold happening. But the
point is mold is actually far far easier to deal
with than most people think. It's just a threat when
(11:49):
it gets to grow and grow and grow and never
get exposed to the light and the open air. So
you dry it out mold, vinegar or bleach, and the
mold will be you know, done with it, really will
it'll be done.
Speaker 6 (12:05):
How long shall we leave it open before we put
a new willboard up?
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (12:09):
So that's the that is the sixty four thousand dollars question,
as it were. And I don't know how to tell
you an answer to that, because we're not looking for
a period of time on the clock. We are looking
for a moisture content in the wood, Okay, And I'm
gonna double check what that is. We're gonna have to
(12:30):
go to break and I'm gonna double during the break,
I'm gonna double check what that is. But what we'll do,
what should be done for the project is that once
that's all opened up and it's drying out, it's gonna
get dry looking and dry feeling really quickly, pretty quickly.
But what we're doing is we're gonna use moisture meters
and we're gonna test the wood to make sure that
(12:50):
we've got the moisture content down inside the wood to
the level that it should be before you know, you
close it all back up. So I can't tell you
because I don't know how fast it's going to dry
based on your weather conditions, humidity. I will tell you
this though, to be encouraged, because things are very dry
right now. Right we're in the middle of the San
(13:11):
Ana season here in southern California. Temperatures have been warm,
we don't have a lot of moisture in the air.
Things are pretty dry, and so it's going to dry
out quickly, especially with the fans and all of the
stuff that they do to mediate all of that stuff
to imediate that. So I will check and when we
come back from break, and I will let you know
(13:32):
over the air of the moisture content that is most desirable.
And then the key is you just keep checking the
studs and when you get to that point, then it's
time to close it back up, and not a minute sooner,
because we don't want again to trap moisture in the
wall and invite mold to do its thing again. And
thank you for your question. I'm so sorry that that
(13:55):
happened to you. But it sounds like you know, as
soon as the asbestos is out of the way, they'll
get your hands.
Speaker 7 (14:00):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
But you hang on, keep listening, and I'll let you
know about the moisture content in the wood and the
rest of you. We're gonna take a quick break and
we'll come back to more of your calls to reach me.
All you have to do is dial eight three three two.
Ask Dean eight three three the numeral two. Ask Dean
your home with Dean Sharp, the house Whisper.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Dean Sharp the house Whisper here to help you transform
your ordinary house into an extraordinary home. Thanks for joining
us on the program this morning. Hope your Saturday morning
is going well, or if you're listening to us on
the podcast, I hope you're fill in the blank, time
of day is going well. Just so glad that you
are here with us. It is an all calls Saturday,
(14:50):
and so we are taking your calls. The number to
reach me eight three three two. Ask Dean eight three
three the numeral two, Ask Dean.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
All right.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Before I go to the next call, I just want
to finish up with Anne's question. And had a terrible flood,
a toilet leak. It leaked out all over half the house,
and so she wants to make sure and she's had
to wait. She's had to wait because they found asbestos
in the flooring, asbestos in the drywall mud, and so
(15:23):
they've got to wait for the abatement. So they haven't
been able to open up the house and get it
all aired out and get it drawing. She is concerned
about mold, and I told her, once it's all opened up,
a little bit of a bleach and mixed with water
and Hudson spray is going to take the mold out.
If you have to brush it down a little bit.
That may be the case, but likely not at this point.
(15:43):
That is just going to take mold out done. The question, though,
of greatest importance, is how dry does that would have
to be before we, you know, close it back up
again with drywall and other things. And the answer is or.
And she was concerned about how long is it going
to take? And I'm not sure how long it's going
(16:04):
to take because that has to do with weather conditions
and how wet the wood is and so on. Butt
there is a magic number, and I told her I
would double check to make sure, because I didn't.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Mind it was rolling around in my head.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
I just wanted to make sure because I never want
to give inaccurate information out. And the magic number is,
in fact what I thought, which is fifteen percent. We're
going to use moisture meters and and we're going to
measure all of those studs and the base plates of
the wood, and we're looking for a moisture content of
(16:36):
less than fifteen percent in the wood when we're there.
When we get to fifteen percent or below, it is
generally considered safe to put the dry wall back in
to rebuild the walls. Just FYI, nineteen percent nineteen percent
is the threshold of moisture that is necessary for moreld
(17:00):
and mildew to be growing in the wood. So fifteen
percent is several points below that threshold. So it's safe.
You just need to know it's safe, because pretty much
we need nineteen to twenty percent moisture trapped in the
wood in order to encourage mildew and mold growth. You
get down to fifteen percent, it is for all intents
(17:21):
and purposes, a dry wall, and you're good to rebuild.
So I just wanted to follow through with that answer.
All right, let's start another call, shall we. Let's talk
to Holly. Hey, Holly, welcome home.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
Hi, good Morning's papi post have Halloween. I have a
moisture problem. I have a moisture problem in the kitchen.
They had alkali coming up. I'm going to need to
put a new floor, and I can't remember this proper
steps to prepare the floor before it goes back down.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Okay, all right? Is it a slab? Are we on
a slab?
Speaker 7 (17:57):
Here? Oh? Is it a slab? Nineteen seventy slab?
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
And and you're saying you've got you've got white stuff
appearing on the floor. Is what's going on with the floor.
Speaker 7 (18:09):
It has alkaloli coming up.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
ALCOHOLI coming up alcohol, yeah, coming up through the slab, yes, okay.
And what kind of a floor we gonna put down
or do we know?
Speaker 7 (18:22):
We're gonna put vinyl tile down?
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Okay, and uh not the plate uh so floating floor
or we're gonna.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Use an adhesive adhesive okay? All right, So, uh it's
real simple in your situation.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And it's unfortunate that the the the slab is kind
of leeching that out, but it's not gonna be an.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Issue, uh not if we do this right.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Number one, we're gonna make sure that we get the
slab nice and cleaned up on the surface so that
we don't have those alkali deposits on the surface. That
can be done with a mild acid.
Speaker 7 (19:03):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
And by mild, I mean again.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Like vinegar, vinegar and water mixed will break up because
all all it is, you know, whether it be alkali,
whether it be watered salts, it's it's efflorescence coming through
the slab and its moisture in the slab. That's uh,
that's that's coming up through the slab and leaving behind
the mineral content that was in the water. The water
(19:29):
is evaporating and the mineral content is staying behind and
forming that uh, that caking on the surface. So it's
just minerals, just rocks, and so all we want to
do is get it off the surface of the slab
so that's not clogging up the porosity of the slab
and not allowing the adhesive on the new vinyl floor
(19:51):
to seal well to the slab instead of to them. So, uh,
a vinegar bath of mild acid, a little brushing should
clean it all up. We get it all cleaned up.
We let that cleaning process dry out. Okay, so we
give it a couple of days so that the slab
gets real dry again. And then we want to put
(20:11):
down a really really good penetrating concrete seiler. Penetrating ceiling,
not a surface sealer, because I don't again, I don't
want to think on the surface of the concrete sealing
up the porosity of the concrete. We want that open
porous concrete for the glue to grab onto all those
tiny microscopic portes. So that's our best best adhesion for
(20:35):
the glue. But a penetrating sealer will go down in
there and what it will do. It's not a one
cure all, but a penetrating sealer will go down below
the surface of the concrete and form a relative barrier
to keep moisture from wanting to creep back up and
you know, and and bring its mineral content with it,
(20:55):
and that's what's going to give us the very very
best seal for the adhesive. Also would recommend, as we're
laying down the new vinyl floor, since we've had some
moisture issues in the past, that we actually use an
adhesive for the vinyl that is in fact rated as
(21:17):
a water barrier. There are glues out there for standard
vinyl floors that are just what they are, and there
are glues out there that have extra components in them
that also seal the concrete as they go down. And
in your case, that's what I would strongly recommend. But
that's all it's going to take, just to go through
those steps, be faithful for that.
Speaker 7 (21:37):
What kind of panetary sealers do I need to look
for for the guide to do it?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
There are different brands out there, but you know, anything
from like Thompson's water seal to a penetrating seiler made
by like Miracle I'm a big fan of that particular brand.
And also it's readily available. You can find it on
the shelf like in the flooring entiled Departman at the
big box stores like Home Depot or Low's. I love
(22:04):
that brand. But yeah, penetrating sealer Thompson's water sealer will
work great as well. You just make sure you get
a couple of good coats down and then let the
slab dry again before you put down the vinyl adhesive. Holly,
thank you for your question. I'm up against a break again.
Here more of your calls when we return your home
with Dean Sharp, the house Whisper. Dean Sharp, the house Whisper,
(22:29):
here to remind you. Every home deserves great design, especially
your home. Why especially yours, because it's awful. No, no,
that's not I didn't mean to say that. No, especially
your home. Why Because you live there. That's why. Because
you live there. A great designed home, a custom home,
(22:49):
a home that's wrapped around you, becomes an amplifier of
your life. It becomes a tool that your life, your
best life, gets lived out and through and in. And
every home deserves great design. Every home can have great design.
It doesn't have to be the big, old fancy house
up on the hill behind the gates. It can simply
(23:11):
be your modest little home. And you know, Tina and
I live in a modest little home and we love
the way it works with us. We love the way
it allows us to live. Your home can be the same.
You hang with me will help you get there. It's
an all call Saturday morning. The number to reach me.
(23:32):
And by the way, we've got room on the callboard
and sleepy heads, We've got some folks out there who
are having a Halloween candy hangover this morning. But if
you've just woken up, good morning to you and join
the conversation. Eight three three two Ask Dean A three
three the numeral two.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Ask Dean.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
If you've tried calling before, as so many have and
haven't been able to get through, now's a good time
just saying A three three two, ask Dean, there's room
for or you in this morning's conversation. All right, I
want to talk to Chip. Hey, Chip, welcome home.
Speaker 9 (24:09):
Heyjane, so hey there. My question is I've got a
nineteen twenty four house, so it's one hundred years old
and it basically needs almost everything. It's up on piers,
so I'm not worried about the plumbing and electrical. I'm
probably just going to do pecs for the plumbing. It's
all easy to get to. But my question is about
(24:31):
timing and contractors with roofing, siding, and windows. A couple
of quick questions there. Number one, can I sheave over
as best as siding or do I have to pay
to remove it? And the second question is, I've got
several contractors that want to do an all in one.
They want to do the roofing, of siding and the
(24:53):
windows at one price. In your experience, is that the
better way to go to have? And if not, if
I do separate contractors with the windows, siding, and roof
what order would I do them in?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Okay, really really good questions.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
All right, So, and I'm going to start to answer,
and then we're going to go to a break and
then we're going to pick this up on the other
side ship if that's okay with you. So when it
comes to the three main company, well, let me answer
the asbestos question first. Asbestos is always a tricky issue,
right if you're going over, if you're encapsulating asbestos, the
(25:35):
general rule is that you're allowed to do exactly that.
You can encapsulate the asbestos and not worry about it.
And technically speaking, by the way, you know, asbestos is
a really good fire retardant, so it doesn't hurt the
house in terms of exterior sighting to have a layer
of asbestos in between you and flames. So that's a thing.
(25:57):
The question is how much we're disturbing it in order
to do that. Okay, asbestos is only a danger to
humans if we when we disturb it and we kick
it up and we get it all dusted and floating
through the air, and then we breathe in that dust,
and those fibers sitting there staring at us, you staring
(26:17):
at it, or locked inside a wall away where nobody
can get to it, not a problem. It is not
a threat to anybody. So that's how you evaluate that.
An abatement you know obviously very very expensive, and you've
got to evaluate whether you want to, you know, have
that in the wall again safe, whether you know, if
(26:40):
you sell the house down the road, whether you know
you want to have to be able to declare that
or not. Everybody has to make their own decision about asbestos.
But from a safety factor, from a one safety factor
encapsulated in a wall where no one can ever get
to it. Again, not a problem with the asbestos. Now
the bigger questions of roof siding and windows and whether
(27:03):
they're best to be handled independently or an all in
one with a general contractor. Who's going to handle them
all that. Let's talk about that and let's do it
right on the other side of the brake. So Chip,
you hang tight, my friend. I appreciate the call, and
we'll pick it up right after this. Your Home with
Dean Sharp, the house Whisperer.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Good morning,
my friend, and welcome home. I am Dean Sharp, the
House Whisper, custom home Builder, custom home Designer, and every
week for you your guide to better understanding that place
(00:23):
where you live.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Why because every home has a path forward. Once you
see it, that's when everything changes. And I'm here every
week to help you try and find that path forward
and to make the changes that you've been wanting to
make but didn't know how exactly, didn't know how to
put it together. And also to help you with just
(00:45):
taking care of your home today on the show. Your
calls as we always do Saturday mornings. The number to
reach me eight three three two. Ask Dean. Eight three
three the numeral to ask Dean the phone lines are.
They may be down at the moment. We're waiting for
the phone lines to come up, so just be patient
(01:06):
with us. Hang tight, hang tight, up up up. I
spoke too soon. The phone lines are up. Eight three
three two Ask Dean A three three the numeral two
Ask Dean. Whatever has you scratching your head about your
home design issue? Construction question, architecture, DIY, inside stuff, outside stuff, landscape, hardscape, decor.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I got you.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
We'll put our heads together. We will get it figured out,
you and me, So give me a call. We'd love
to talk to you about your home. In the meantime,
while we are waiting for all of that to warm up,
let's say good morning to Sam. Good morning, Sam.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Good morning Dean. How you doing. I'm good.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
How is our Not So Live studio audience today? They
are halloweened out. They had a long night here. This
is as quiet as they can get right now. Oh
my goodness, I'm just shocked that they're here at all.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I really am. It was a fun.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Halloween night that Not So Live studio audience knows how
to party. Well, I'm glad you're with me, my friend,
taking care of all the real work while I just
sit here and talk. Sam is literally the second person
that I've spoken to human being this morning. Sam, and
you there you go, So just see you're in You're
(02:26):
in a very very good company, speaking of important people
to speak to. Heather Brooker, good morning, how are you
bright eyes?
Speaker 4 (02:37):
I'm good, I'm good. Well, you know I've been doing
wake up call this week. So I was ready to
wake up this morning. My body just naturally kind of
got up around four, which is annoying.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Which is annoying. I know how you feel. I so
know how you feel.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
We're up at four every day around here, and I'm like,
why why why?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, why do you do that?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
It was so exercize you go out for a walk,
or why do you get up so early?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, you know what.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
We get up and we get our gym and stuff
in in the morning before the day starts, because otherwise
it ain't happening.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
You guys are so healthy. I love that we.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Try to survive. We try to live. Tina is extraordinarily healthy,
and I just try and keep up with her, which
makes me, you know, good too. And so anyway, it
was a pleasure working with you yesterday morning too. I
was so surprised. I'm like, yeah, I forget that, Amy.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
Yeah, I forget Amy now she's.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, but no, wait, we're not supposed to diss the host.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
No, no, no, no never, And Amy like, I honestly
don't know how she does it. Every day she's here
at three, three thirty in the morning doing wake up call,
and so it's I'm more than happy to help out
whenever she needs a break. So she'll be back on Tuesday, though.
So I'll be back in on Monday and she'll be
back on Tuesday. But it was so nice to talk
(03:57):
to you about paint and coloring our world. And I
really do glean I know I've told you this before,
but I do glean a lot of information from you.
I pick up little nuggets and little things. And I
always go home and think I should do a Dean
recommended and then I'm like, oh, I'm tired.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Then You're like, nope, nope, back to real life. No way.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I think every time I go in my bathroom and
my kitchen, I want to repaint it.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
It's just it's driving me crazy.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Well, it's good to it, girl.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
I just need to do it. I need to do it,
all right.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Hey, sitting across the table from me, the healthy one, uh,
my design partner, the co owner and co founder of
House Whisper, most importantly, my better half and my best
buddy in all the world, Tina is here. Welcome home,
Hi there, Hi, how you do good? It's November first,
(04:54):
I know you know you know it. Also, it is
late at October disappeared.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
It did? It was.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
I don't even know what's happening right now. I feel
like I'm gonna blink again. It's gonna be January, and
I'm like, Oh, did anybody give me any Christmas press?
I missed Christmas? What happened?
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Uh? Do you know what season is? All? Yeah'all?
Speaker 5 (05:16):
Oh, I almost didn't do it.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
You gotta do it, oh, y'all. I love that. I
don't know. I'm just kind of stuck on it.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Anyway, folks, it is time to take a quick break,
and when we return, we will go to the phones.
If there are calls for me. I always tell you this,
I've always got things to say. You know this, but
you know Saturday morning, give you a little nudge. We've
got room on the callboard for you right now, and
(05:45):
I would love to talk to you about your home.
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. It's just that simple calls
all the way. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper, Dean Sharp, the house whisper here to
(06:06):
help you take your home to the next level. Good
Saturday morning to you, my friend. I hope you are
up doing something productive, or I hope you're up relaxing
in the quiet of the morning before everybody else gets
up and starts bugging you. You know how it is.
That's one of the reasons I get up early in
the morning. Why because I'm naturally a crabby person. No,
(06:27):
I just enjoy ah the quiet of the morning before
the demands start coming. And they will, they will start
to come. But to Saturday mornings, nothing nothing, nothing better
than sitting here talking with you about your home. It
is an all call Saturday. The number to reach me
eight three three two. Ask Dean eight three three the
(06:49):
numeral two. Ask Dean anything that's got you scratching your
head about your home. Let's go to the phone, shall we.
I want to talk to Anne. Hey, Anne, welcome home.
Speaker 6 (07:01):
Good morning. We had a small little plastic nut break
on the inlet pipe that goes into the back of
our toilet tank. No one was home in for about
an hour and a half. It just free flooded about
half the house. Dealing with yeah, yeah, one little bitty
piece of plastic and it did a whole lot of damage.
(07:22):
We're dealing with insurance right now. But it only flooded
half the house, so we're going to try to do
as much of the repair as possible. It's been shitting
for two weeks. We know when they first came up.
It's oysterre that wicked up the drywall. We can't touch
the dry wall until the asbestos abatement team comes out
because they found asbestos in the glue that held down
(07:45):
the old wamoleum floor and in the mud that's on
the dry wall.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
So don't find out where is the house and how
old is it.
Speaker 6 (07:56):
The house is in San DIMIs and it was built
in nineteen sixty eight.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Okay, all right, and they've wait, they've now who tested
for They found asbestos in the dry wall mud.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
They found asbestos in the dry sad and in the
glue that held down the initial linoleum. They've floored over
floor over carpeted over floor layers and layers of stuff
there and they've they've found asbestos. So come in and
do the asbestos abatement, and we're going to take the
wallboard twenty four inches. My two questions are is there
(08:36):
something now that it's been sitting for two weeks and
it's probably gonna be another week. Is there something that
we can use to treat the studs and the floor
boards to prevent mold, to kick the spores before they
go in and seconds? How long does it need to
stay open to dry before we can get back in
(08:57):
and cover it up and flooring down?
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Okay? Well, is there something you can do?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Uh? Okay, so the flooring, let me ask you, it's
the flooring. Is this a raised foundation house. You're not
on a slab.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
We're on a concrete slab.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Oh, you are on a slab. Okay, Well, the problem,
as you know, is the asbestos because they're just not
letting you touch the thing.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Right, here's the thing. When it comes.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
When it comes to mold, you know, a couple of weeks,
three weeks soaking wet, uh the you know, the the
air has been pretty dry and warm lately, it had
you know, we're not in a real wet, moist time
of year. I would just I think you're just gonna
have to wait it out. I mean, you can surface
(09:51):
treat anything that you can see and touch. You can
surface treat it. Uh, the stuff is ruined anyway, you know,
it's all coming up anyway, you could surface treat to
prevent mold with you know, forming on the surfaces, not
back in the wall cavity.
Speaker 6 (10:09):
When they open the walls, we want to treat the studs.
We want to treat the wood. Okay, dry wall back up?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah. So I mean when that
when that gets all opened up. Uh, you know, mold
is not easy to defeat. It really isn't you know.
I know there are a thousand horror stories out there,
and the thread of mold is really when it goes
untreated and and just sits in a wall and then
you know, it just does its thing. But you're going
to open the wall up, You're gonna expose it. You're
(10:38):
going to get it all dried out. And a simple
mixture of bleach and water, like fifty to fifty mixture
of bleach and water in a small sprayer like a
Hudson sprayer, will you know, douse and take down the mold.
Mold is not like the the alien from the other
planet that resists all efforts to take it out. Is
(11:00):
actually very very sensitive. It has to grow in the dark,
and it has to grow where it's dark and wet,
and it doesn't like any It loves water, but it
does not like any other kinds of chemicals. And whether
it's vinegar because vinegar has an acetic acid in it,
or bleach, either one will easily take mold out and down.
(11:23):
And then if for some reason the mold is thick
on the wall, then you know, masking up with a
respirator and brushing the walls clean. I'm guessing you're not
going to have that degree of mold happening. But the
point is mold is actually far far easier to deal
with than most people think. It's just a threat when
(11:49):
it gets to grow and grow and grow and never
get exposed to the light and the open air. So
you dry it out mold, vinegar or bleach, and the
mold will be you know, done with it, really will
it'll be done.
Speaker 6 (12:05):
How long shall we leave it open before we put
a new willboard up?
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (12:09):
So that's the that is the sixty four thousand dollars question,
as it were. And I don't know how to tell
you an answer to that, because we're not looking for
a period of time on the clock. We are looking
for a moisture content in the wood, Okay, And I'm
gonna double check what that is. We're gonna have to
(12:30):
go to break and I'm gonna double during the break,
I'm gonna double check what that is. But what we'll do,
what should be done for the project is that once
that's all opened up and it's drying out, it's gonna
get dry looking and dry feeling really quickly, pretty quickly.
But what we're doing is we're gonna use moisture meters
and we're gonna test the wood to make sure that
(12:50):
we've got the moisture content down inside the wood to
the level that it should be before you know, you
close it all back up. So I can't tell you
because I don't know how fast it's going to dry
based on your weather conditions, humidity. I will tell you
this though, to be encouraged, because things are very dry
right now. Right we're in the middle of the San
(13:11):
Ana season here in southern California. Temperatures have been warm,
we don't have a lot of moisture in the air.
Things are pretty dry, and so it's going to dry
out quickly, especially with the fans and all of the
stuff that they do to mediate all of that stuff
to imediate that. So I will check and when we
come back from break, and I will let you know
(13:32):
over the air of the moisture content that is most desirable.
And then the key is you just keep checking the
studs and when you get to that point, then it's
time to close it back up, and not a minute sooner,
because we don't want again to trap moisture in the
wall and invite mold to do its thing again. And
thank you for your question. I'm so sorry that that
(13:55):
happened to you. But it sounds like you know, as
soon as the asbestos is out of the way, they'll
get your hands.
Speaker 7 (14:00):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
But you hang on, keep listening, and I'll let you
know about the moisture content in the wood and the
rest of you. We're gonna take a quick break and
we'll come back to more of your calls to reach me.
All you have to do is dial eight three three two.
Ask Dean eight three three the numeral two. Ask Dean
your home with Dean Sharp, the house Whisper.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Dean Sharp the house Whisper here to help you transform
your ordinary house into an extraordinary home. Thanks for joining
us on the program this morning. Hope your Saturday morning
is going well, or if you're listening to us on
the podcast, I hope you're fill in the blank, time
of day is going well. Just so glad that you
are here with us. It is an all calls Saturday,
(14:50):
and so we are taking your calls. The number to
reach me eight three three two. Ask Dean eight three
three the numeral two, Ask Dean.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
All right.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Before I go to the next call, I just want
to finish up with Anne's question. And had a terrible flood,
a toilet leak. It leaked out all over half the house,
and so she wants to make sure and she's had
to wait. She's had to wait because they found asbestos
in the flooring, asbestos in the drywall mud, and so
(15:23):
they've got to wait for the abatement. So they haven't
been able to open up the house and get it
all aired out and get it drawing. She is concerned
about mold, and I told her, once it's all opened up,
a little bit of a bleach and mixed with water
and Hudson spray is going to take the mold out.
If you have to brush it down a little bit.
That may be the case, but likely not at this point.
(15:43):
That is just going to take mold out done. The question, though,
of greatest importance, is how dry does that would have
to be before we, you know, close it back up
again with drywall and other things. And the answer is or.
And she was concerned about how long is it going
to take? And I'm not sure how long it's going
(16:04):
to take because that has to do with weather conditions
and how wet the wood is and so on. Butt
there is a magic number, and I told her I
would double check to make sure, because I didn't.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Mind it was rolling around in my head.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
I just wanted to make sure because I never want
to give inaccurate information out. And the magic number is,
in fact what I thought, which is fifteen percent. We're
going to use moisture meters and and we're going to
measure all of those studs and the base plates of
the wood, and we're looking for a moisture content of
(16:36):
less than fifteen percent in the wood when we're there.
When we get to fifteen percent or below, it is
generally considered safe to put the dry wall back in
to rebuild the walls. Just FYI, nineteen percent nineteen percent
is the threshold of moisture that is necessary for moreld
(17:00):
and mildew to be growing in the wood. So fifteen
percent is several points below that threshold. So it's safe.
You just need to know it's safe, because pretty much
we need nineteen to twenty percent moisture trapped in the
wood in order to encourage mildew and mold growth. You
get down to fifteen percent, it is for all intents
(17:21):
and purposes, a dry wall, and you're good to rebuild.
So I just wanted to follow through with that answer.
All right, let's start another call, shall we. Let's talk
to Holly. Hey, Holly, welcome home.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
Hi, good Morning's papi post have Halloween. I have a
moisture problem. I have a moisture problem in the kitchen.
They had alkali coming up. I'm going to need to
put a new floor, and I can't remember this proper
steps to prepare the floor before it goes back down.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Okay, all right? Is it a slab? Are we on
a slab?
Speaker 7 (17:57):
Here? Oh? Is it a slab? Nineteen seventy slab?
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
And and you're saying you've got you've got white stuff
appearing on the floor. Is what's going on with the floor.
Speaker 7 (18:09):
It has alkaloli coming up.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
ALCOHOLI coming up alcohol, yeah, coming up through the slab, yes, okay.
And what kind of a floor we gonna put down
or do we know?
Speaker 7 (18:22):
We're gonna put vinyl tile down?
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Okay, and uh not the plate uh so floating floor
or we're gonna.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Use an adhesive adhesive okay? All right, So, uh it's
real simple in your situation.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And it's unfortunate that the the the slab is kind
of leeching that out, but it's not gonna be an.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Issue, uh not if we do this right.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Number one, we're gonna make sure that we get the
slab nice and cleaned up on the surface so that
we don't have those alkali deposits on the surface. That
can be done with a mild acid.
Speaker 7 (19:03):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
And by mild, I mean again.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Like vinegar, vinegar and water mixed will break up because
all all it is, you know, whether it be alkali,
whether it be watered salts, it's it's efflorescence coming through
the slab and its moisture in the slab. That's uh,
that's that's coming up through the slab and leaving behind
the mineral content that was in the water. The water
(19:29):
is evaporating and the mineral content is staying behind and
forming that uh, that caking on the surface. So it's
just minerals, just rocks, and so all we want to
do is get it off the surface of the slab
so that's not clogging up the porosity of the slab
and not allowing the adhesive on the new vinyl floor
(19:51):
to seal well to the slab instead of to them. So, uh,
a vinegar bath of mild acid, a little brushing should
clean it all up. We get it all cleaned up.
We let that cleaning process dry out. Okay, so we
give it a couple of days so that the slab
gets real dry again. And then we want to put
(20:11):
down a really really good penetrating concrete seiler. Penetrating ceiling,
not a surface sealer, because I don't again, I don't
want to think on the surface of the concrete sealing
up the porosity of the concrete. We want that open
porous concrete for the glue to grab onto all those
tiny microscopic portes. So that's our best best adhesion for
(20:35):
the glue. But a penetrating sealer will go down in
there and what it will do. It's not a one
cure all, but a penetrating sealer will go down below
the surface of the concrete and form a relative barrier
to keep moisture from wanting to creep back up and
you know, and and bring its mineral content with it,
(20:55):
and that's what's going to give us the very very
best seal for the adhesive. Also would recommend, as we're
laying down the new vinyl floor, since we've had some
moisture issues in the past, that we actually use an
adhesive for the vinyl that is in fact rated as
(21:17):
a water barrier. There are glues out there for standard
vinyl floors that are just what they are, and there
are glues out there that have extra components in them
that also seal the concrete as they go down. And
in your case, that's what I would strongly recommend. But
that's all it's going to take, just to go through
those steps, be faithful for that.
Speaker 7 (21:37):
What kind of panetary sealers do I need to look
for for the guide to do it?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
There are different brands out there, but you know, anything
from like Thompson's water seal to a penetrating seiler made
by like Miracle I'm a big fan of that particular brand.
And also it's readily available. You can find it on
the shelf like in the flooring entiled Departman at the
big box stores like Home Depot or Low's. I love
(22:04):
that brand. But yeah, penetrating sealer Thompson's water sealer will
work great as well. You just make sure you get
a couple of good coats down and then let the
slab dry again before you put down the vinyl adhesive. Holly,
thank you for your question. I'm up against a break again.
Here more of your calls when we return your home
with Dean Sharp, the house Whisper. Dean Sharp, the house Whisper,
(22:29):
here to remind you. Every home deserves great design, especially
your home. Why especially yours, because it's awful. No, no,
that's not I didn't mean to say that. No, especially
your home. Why Because you live there. That's why. Because
you live there. A great designed home, a custom home,
(22:49):
a home that's wrapped around you, becomes an amplifier of
your life. It becomes a tool that your life, your
best life, gets lived out and through and in. And
every home deserves great design. Every home can have great design.
It doesn't have to be the big, old fancy house
up on the hill behind the gates. It can simply
(23:11):
be your modest little home. And you know, Tina and
I live in a modest little home and we love
the way it works with us. We love the way
it allows us to live. Your home can be the same.
You hang with me will help you get there. It's
an all call Saturday morning. The number to reach me.
(23:32):
And by the way, we've got room on the callboard
and sleepy heads, We've got some folks out there who
are having a Halloween candy hangover this morning. But if
you've just woken up, good morning to you and join
the conversation. Eight three three two Ask Dean A three
three the numeral two.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Ask Dean.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
If you've tried calling before, as so many have and
haven't been able to get through, now's a good time
just saying A three three two, ask Dean, there's room
for or you in this morning's conversation. All right, I
want to talk to Chip. Hey, Chip, welcome home.
Speaker 9 (24:09):
Heyjane, so hey there. My question is I've got a
nineteen twenty four house, so it's one hundred years old
and it basically needs almost everything. It's up on piers,
so I'm not worried about the plumbing and electrical. I'm
probably just going to do pecs for the plumbing. It's
all easy to get to. But my question is about
(24:31):
timing and contractors with roofing, siding, and windows. A couple
of quick questions there. Number one, can I sheave over
as best as siding or do I have to pay
to remove it? And the second question is, I've got
several contractors that want to do an all in one.
They want to do the roofing, of siding and the
(24:53):
windows at one price. In your experience, is that the
better way to go to have? And if not, if
I do separate contractors with the windows, siding, and roof
what order would I do them in?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Okay, really really good questions.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
All right, So, and I'm going to start to answer,
and then we're going to go to a break and
then we're going to pick this up on the other
side ship if that's okay with you. So when it
comes to the three main company, well, let me answer
the asbestos question first. Asbestos is always a tricky issue,
right if you're going over, if you're encapsulating asbestos, the
(25:35):
general rule is that you're allowed to do exactly that.
You can encapsulate the asbestos and not worry about it.
And technically speaking, by the way, you know, asbestos is
a really good fire retardant, so it doesn't hurt the
house in terms of exterior sighting to have a layer
of asbestos in between you and flames. So that's a thing.
(25:57):
The question is how much we're disturbing it in order
to do that. Okay, asbestos is only a danger to
humans if we when we disturb it and we kick
it up and we get it all dusted and floating
through the air, and then we breathe in that dust,
and those fibers sitting there staring at us, you staring
(26:17):
at it, or locked inside a wall away where nobody
can get to it, not a problem. It is not
a threat to anybody. So that's how you evaluate that.
An abatement you know obviously very very expensive, and you've
got to evaluate whether you want to, you know, have
that in the wall again safe, whether you know, if
(26:40):
you sell the house down the road, whether you know
you want to have to be able to declare that
or not. Everybody has to make their own decision about asbestos.
But from a safety factor, from a one safety factor
encapsulated in a wall where no one can ever get
to it. Again, not a problem with the asbestos. Now
the bigger questions of roof siding and windows and whether
(27:03):
they're best to be handled independently or an all in
one with a general contractor. Who's going to handle them
all that. Let's talk about that and let's do it
right on the other side of the brake. So Chip,
you hang tight, my friend. I appreciate the call, and
we'll pick it up right after this. Your Home with
Dean Sharp, the house Whisperer.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty
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