Articles tagged “Caulking”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Replace Toxic Caulking in Your Bathtub Now! (Or Learn to Hold Your Breath) By Sara Novak IN Home & Garden Jun 19 2009 A clean serene bathroom can be a great refuge. But a dingy, mold laden bathroom does nothing to serve you. Moldy caulking around the tub is especially gross. I have to admit that my bathroom doesn't get the amount of attention that other parts of the house get. Especially that tub. No one sees it besides my husband and I and my puppies during their bi-monthly bath. I know that's no excuse, it's just that it is likely my least favorite household chore. + READ MORE

7 Easy Around-the-House Projects to do with Dad for Father's Day By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Jun 11 2009 I grew up on a farm. My dad is a farmer out there in Iowa, and he's well-versed in carpentry and mechanics as well as agriculture. He's added three rooms onto his home by himself and fixes his own tractors and combines with the help of his hired hand. Growing up, I used to assist him in his work. I've scooped my fair share of corn, greased a few wheels, replaced a few radiators and hoed more than a few rows of beans. It's hard, horrible work for not a lot of money. That's why I live in Los Angeles and do internet work. + READ MORE

Caulking Tips By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Apr 28 2009 We like to promote energy efficiency here at Planet Green. One of the ways to increase your energy efficiency is by sealing your thermal envelope. One of our most stalwart allies in thermal-envelope sealing is caulk. + READ MORE

What You Need to Know About Caulking and Health By Josh Peterson IN Food & Health Mar 4 2009 Air leaks can really sip the heat right out of a house. Our biggest ally in the war against air leaks is caulk. This amazing compound can seal the spaces between our windows and our walls, our electrical outlets and our door frames. It's great stuff. However, there are some health concerns when it comes to caulk. + READ MORE

5 Ways to Green Your Windows for Under 30 Bucks By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Feb 4 2009 Many of us cannot afford to replace our windows with state-of-the-art, energy-efficient windows. The economy is bad. Sure, it's also bad for window makers, but as long as there are baseballs and other projectiles, I reckon they'll weather this rocky economy. + READ MORE

Eliminate Mold from Your Bathroom By Sara Novak IN Home & Garden Jan 29 2009 I began to get really nervous about the amount of mold building up in my bathroom last year. I have to admit that the bathroom doesn't get the amount of attention that other parts of the house get. Especially that tub. No one sees it besides my husband and I and my puppies during their bi-monthly bath. I know that's no excuse, it's just that it is likely my least favorite household chore. But recently I noticed some nasty buildup and I realized that there was no way that it was good for my health. + READ MORE

To Block... or Not to Block Crawlspace Vents during the Winter? By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Jan 28 2009 Should you block your crawlspace vents? This is a very common question. Especially in areas that have both a reasonably hot summer and fairly frigid winter. There is not much question that in general these vents are a needed and necessary part of a well maintained home. These vents are placed within the crawlspace to allow the moisture that builds up underneath to have an escape route. + READ MORE

How to Insulate the Door Between Your House and Garage By Seth Leitman IN Home & Garden Jan 28 2009 Homes with attached garages lead to energy waste. The effort that goes into insulating the outside of the house is not often extended to the garage. That's a mistake and here is why. + READ MORE

Weatherstrip Your Doors and Windows for Under $20 By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Jan 22 2009 Heat can escape from your house in many unexpected places, through electrical outlets, attic entrances and furnace flues. It is more likely, however, to sneak out of the likely places like the doors and the windows. You could replace your door with an extremely expensive insulated door or have state-of-the-art windows installed, but that would cost you tons of money. An easier way to reduce heat loss is with weatherstripping. + READ MORE

How to Rid Your House of an Unwanted Chill! By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Dec 22 2008 While these are usually not the biggest source of a chill flowing through a home, they can certainly add to the problem. Cold air has the ability to creep through just about any minuscule cracks around your home, including light switch and outlet plug covers and cracks in the drywall. You can actually purchase and easily install Foam Insulating Gaskets for a couple bucks. This will be your best defense, as stuffing insulation around electric wiring is not a good idea. + READ MORE

How to Rid Your House of an Unwanted Chill! By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Dec 22 2008 A lot of cold air can come up through a crawlspace. These are often quickly framed with little attention to detail since they are not exactly a featured area of the home. In order to improve on your existing door, you can install foam board insulation on the underside of the door via adhesive or small screws. + READ MORE

How to Rid Your House of an Unwanted Chill! By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Dec 22 2008 This is one that a lot of people don't think about. The bottoms of your walls where the trim molding is located can be quite problematic if the caulk seal is broken. This seal gets broken for a lot of reasons, such as re-painting, replacing carpeting with hardwood floors, etc. What happens is that air creeps in through the bottom framing of your home and seeps in around the moldings. Most often there is a gap where the drywall meets the floor, which is exactly what the molding is used to cover. + READ MORE

How to Rid Your House of an Unwanted Chill! By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Dec 22 2008 If you suspect your door is the culprit, there are a few ways to attack this problem. First of all you can purchase a brand new energy efficient door and make sure that it is installed correctly. + READ MORE

How to Rid Your House of an Unwanted Chill! By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Dec 22 2008 To fix poor windows you can either purchase and install new ones (an expensive task), or better yet, install plastic sheeting around the window's surface. In order to install this plastic correctly, remember that you need an air gap between the bad window and the plastic. This is what will aid your windows the most in sealing out the chill. + READ MORE

How to Rid Your House of an Unwanted Chill! By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Dec 22 2008 There is a chill in the house. The thermostat says that's is 68 degrees in the room, but it feels more like 58. If this is one of the symptoms you've been experiencing this winter, then chances are you've got a draft (or several drafts) blowing through your house. This not only wrecks havoc on your own comfort, but also on the efficiency and carbon footprint of the heating system in your home. + READ MORE

How to Install a Foam Insulating Gasket By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Nov 14 2008 Heating and cooling is the largest source of energy consumption in the American household. Installing foam insulating gaskets in all our electrical outlets is a small, useful and oft-overlooked step towards home energy efficiency. + READ MORE

How to Fix a Loose Window Pane By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Nov 13 2008 Loose window panes rattle in the wind because the glass on the bottom of the pane is thicker than the glass at the top. That "rattle room" can let cold air in and hot air out. This will decrease your home's energy-efficiency. Luckily, this can be dealt with inexpensively and easily. + READ MORE

3 Ways to Green Your Rental Apartment Without Getting Evicted By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Sep 26 2008 There are many downsides to renting. Landlords can be a real pain. I had this landlord who would complain because I was always almost late with my rent. That means, technically, I was always on time. There's just no accounting for some people. + READ MORE

5 Ways To Green Your Home for Under $100 By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Sep 23 2008 The economy is rough right now. Everyone is scrambling to save money and going green is a good way to do that, but a lot of us can't scrape the capital together to install triple pane windows, a complex rainwater storage system or radiant floor heating. Those folks who renovate their houses on the various Planet Green television shows have a lot of going-green dough. Many of us are just happy to get the bills paid on time. How can people living in these hard economic times go green without going broke? + READ MORE

When Construction Materials Finally Die By Team Planet Green IN Home & Garden Jul 4 2008 The Harlem building on World?s Greenest Homes is a showcase for the amazing transformations that can happen when your green remodel uses anything and everything you find on a building site. But, what are the eco-smart options for building materials that are really, seriously, definitely, totally, absolutely non-negotiable trash, and can?t be re-used? + READ MORE