June 27th, 2008
Deb emailed me a few days ago asking my if there was anything special needed to wash hardwood floors.
Collin
My husband and I just installed new hardwood floors in our home, and they are the type that are pre finished. We forgot to ask the installer if there was anything we needed to know for washing the floors so we thought maybe you can answer this question for us.
I sure will Deb, even though there is a lot of different products out there for cleaning and maintaining hard wood floors and like always some say they are better then the rest. What I have always found to be good and safe on the hardwood floors is just to use warm water and a damp mop. Make sure how ever that the mop is not to wet and dripping or anything. If to much water is put onto the floor, it can seep into the cracks where the boards meet and cause them to swell which is something you don’t want.
I hope that you found this helpful Deb, and if any of my other readers have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Collin
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By Collin De Ruyck -- 0 comments
June 26th, 2008
Jeff emailed a very good question this morning and he is what he asked.
Collin
I noticed here on your site you are getting some new windows for your home. I am wandering though what is the big difference if any, between double or triple pain windows.
The biggest difference between them is that there clearly is an extra pane of glass and if you live in a cold environment in the winter that can really help you save some money on your heating bill and that extra pane can help keep your cool air in your house when it is hot out as well.
There is not much difference in cost so for the extra money it is well worth it. I think it only added a few hundred dollars to my bill for my project. I thought that was not bad at all.
Hope this helps you make your choices a bit better.
Collin
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By Collin De Ruyck -- 0 comments
June 25th, 2008
I got an email from Susan who asked me what type of paint I like to use when I am painting in my home and she asked:
Hi Collin
My Husband and I are repainting our home in the next few weeks and we were wandering what type of paint is better, Latex or Oil Based?
Hi Susan, thanks for the great question! Myself I like to use Latex paint, they are environmentally friendly and it is way easier to clean up after as you just need to use water. Have you ever tried to get oil based paint out of your hair? That is not fun!
You can also get more colors in latex paint then oil as well. So enjoy the new look your going to get. I hope this helps you and your husband out in the future and good luck with the painting project.
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By Collin De Ruyck -- 1 comment
June 24th, 2008
Ok I got a very interesting email from a reader (who wants there name not published which is fine with me) asking me if I am paid for reviewing products. I emailed them back asking what their concerns were and this is there reply.
Hi Collin
I was wandering if you are paid for the reviews you complete on your site/blog simply because if you are paid for them aren’t we getting a false review?
I will tell everyone here the same thing I told this lady who brought up a good point, but one that does not apply to Toolbelt Tips simply because I give my honest opinion of everything that I review. If you have seen the video’s I made on Thompson’s Water Seal you will see that I actually use the product from start to finish and give it a good test. That is also why I do not do reviews with out the products simply because I don’t know if they are good or not. I have 15 years working in the trades so I know the difference between good and bad and if I think something is bad I will say so.
I have been very good in my off line sales as an estimator and such simply because I thrive on being honest and that is something I am bringing to this site and any recommendations I make or products I review. If you have a product you want reviewed please visit this page or fire me an email and I will be glad to take a look at what you have. But remember, I will be honest.
Tags: Asking Collin, reviews, toolbelt tips
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By Collin De Ruyck -- 0 comments
June 23rd, 2008
I got an email the other day from Tom asking me what type of flooring was the best for his kitchen. For me that was a very easy question to answer. Duraceramic is the best!
The reason why I like Duraceramic flooring for a kitchen is the fact that it looks just like ceramic tile but is not cold like it. It comes with a 25 year warranty which is awesome and it also comes is many, many different styles and colors. The grout that is supplied with the tiles when you buy them is also stain resistant, so you know those wine parties you have that get out of control and you have little spills all over your kitchen, well that’s fine with this stuff too. When a dish falls off the counter, it don’t break either. Really I can keep going on and on about this product and how good it is.
Installation for me was fairly simple as well, it took me one day to install the flooring right over my vinyl floor I use to have, and a few hours to grout it. Nothing major and there is one more thing I want to point out too, it still looks like the day it was installed and that was 2 years ago.
If you want to get a new floor for your kitchen, this is my number one pick by far.
Tags: Asking Collin, duraceramic
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By Collin De Ruyck -- 0 comments
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