Household Fixes

Whether we are into woodworking or not the majority of us know a little something about sandpaper even if it is just the name. Sandpaper is really just a very mild form of a chisel for example or any tool that reduces or alters the wood. The sandpaper is made of tiny coarse blades. Needless to say, they are very fragile and therefore wear down quickly.

One of the issues of using sandpaper is knowing which one to use for which job. To begin with, you have to determine whether you want commercial or industrial sandpaper. You will have less looking around for stores to buy it from if you are using the commercial grade as most hardware stores or home building centers keep it in stock. The industrial is more specialized and is an item most often used on the manufacturing line.

When you hear someone refer to sandpaper, you will most probably hear them refer to grit. All this is, is the way to identify what strength it is. Its referring to each of those little blades we talked about per inch. So the lower the number the coarser the sandpaper will be.

Now with a little understanding you need to determine which grit you need for which job. As we said, they are several to choose from and it will depend on the job you have to do. If you have heavy, sanding where you need to strip the paint or rough up the surface then you will need 40-60 coarse grit. Lighter sanding required for removing small imperfections means you would use an 80-120 medium grit. The final sanding before you are going to put your finish on dictates the use of 150-180 fine. Then for in between the stain coating you use the very fine, which is 220-240. If you have, some dust marks in-between these coatings you can use the extra fine grit 280-320 and then finally for some light scratches you can use the super fine 360-600 grit.

There are various backings used on the sandpapers such as low-grade fabric or Kraft paper. These are held on with bonding agents.

Going through the grits means working on your project from the heavier sandpapers up through to the lighter ones. Usually if all looks well you can finish off at the 150-180 grit although up to 200 if you are going to use a water base stain.

You may hear reference to open and closed coat sandpaper. Open coat has spaces between the grits which means less clogging and is more applicable for woodwork. Closed grit works better on metal and wood finishes but clogs easily.

There are four different types of sandpaper each having a specific use. Aluminum oxide most commonly used by woodworkers. Garnet also another favorite but is short lived. Then Silicon carbon more for steel, paint, plastic and fiberglass and finally ceramic which is the toughest of all of them. It is very expensive and is used predominantly for shaping and leveling.

Now you have some basic knowledge when it comes to what type of sandpapers there are and their best uses.

Tags: diy, garden, general, hobbies, home and family, Home Improvement, landscaping, outdoor, recreation, shed, shed plans, woodworking
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You probably haven’t thought about it much but their are 5 or 6 different ways to aerate your lawn. Each method produces different results and for a different cost. This review is written to help you compare the different types of aerators you can use and determine which is the best for you.

Learn more about the 6 different type of aerators with this basic aeration review guide. This guide compares, spike aerators, liquid aerators, mechanical aerators, aeration sandals, tow behind aerators, and mechanical core aerators to help you find out which is the best for which type of uses.

Lawn Aerator Shoes- (Price $10-$40) Effectiveness (2 stars out of 5) Durability (1 of 5) Price Cost (5 of 5) Ease of use (4 of 5) *** We give lawn aeration shoes a 2.5 star rating overall. It is a great idea but the cheaper lawn aeration shoe models break easily. The shoes that actually work, need to be used quite regularly (about twice a month because the holes are so small they only last for about two weeks.

Lawn Aeration Liquid, (price $25 to $50) Effectiveness 2.5 of 5 (out of 5 stars) Durability 3 0f 5 Price Affordability 3 of 5 Ease of Use 4 of 5 Lawn aerating liquid gets an overall ranking of a 3. It is a good idea. It is also one of the easiest way to aerate your lawn. It works well if it is put down at the right time or in conjunction with other types of aeration. The best time is before the ground gets to hard. Also lawns tend to require a few applications before a sustainable difference can be achieved.

Hand Aeration Tools, ($10 to $50) Effectiveness 4 of 5 (out of 5 stars) Durability 3 of 5 Price/Affordability 4 of 5 Ease of Use 1 of 5 Please use on lawns under 1000 ft. Lawns that are too big may prove difficult and time consuming. Hand aerators may also be a great compliment to other types of aeration like yellowing spots, and parking strips. The best type of hand lawn aerators have two coring tines. Spike hand aerators are not as good as the coring models. For best results areate while lawn is still soft.

Machine Core Aerator- ($40-$110) Effectiveness (5 stars out of 5) Durability (4 of 5) Price Cost (2 of 5) Ease of use (3 of 5) ***We give mechanical core aeration an overall rating of a 4. Using a mechanical core aerator on your lawn is the quickest way to see visible results. The down side is that you need to rent it and it is more expensive than aeration shoes or a hand aerator. These machine are very heavy they can do a great job. Many people can also aerate their lawn 2 or 3 times for better penetration and better results. Rental rates range from $40 to $110. Surprisingly, you can often find a local service willing to do it for the same price. The advantage of renting is you can do your neighbor’s lawn at the same time and split the cost.

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If you have any type of outdoor property and you have a garden of any size there is going to come a time when you have to have a shed.

Don’t forget that a shed isn’t just applicable to the summer months, it can be utilized to store all those winter items as well. Once you have determined that you are ready to invest in a shed then you will need to determine if you are going to build it yourself or erect a prefabricated one. Either one there is a little planning involved or you need to follow some steps to make your shed project a successful one.

First Step: Obviously, the primary purpose of your shed is going to be for storage. Then you may want a small amount of space to do some repairs or small hobbies. What you are considering right now is the size. Consider the large summer and winter items. Most certainly, you are going to want to store these in your new shed. Probably the biggest items will be your lawn mower and your snow blower. You need to think about both floor space and wall space. Many of your garden tools can be hung up.

The more you plan and organize the more you will be able to utilize the space. Now that you have an idea of just what you have to store and approximately the size of shed you need there are two more things to consider while you are still on this step. First, you need to determine just where the shed is going to be. If you have a specific amount of space available to you then your shed size is going to have to coincide with that area. Secondly, you need to think of the plan to get your shed a little bigger than what you need right now because no doubt your garden and outdoor inventory will grow.

Step Two: Once you start shopping for your shed you are going to be amazed at the models and styles. You need to constantly keep in mind your needs. If you are going to be working in the shed quite a bit then lighting is going to be important to you. You may want something with windows or preferably a skylight. You want to utilize your walls for handing items.

Step Three: You may have finally determined that you have found the perfect shed. It has everything you need. It?s the right size it has plenty of lighting and there?s room to grow. It?s ultra modern and sleek in design. There?s one problem your home happens to be an English style cottage and your entire landscape is English gardens. Somehow, the ultra modern just isn?t going to fit in with the over all look. You must keep this in mind during your shopping excursion, as it must blend in.

Step Four: Determine everything thing that you are going to need before you erect your shed. No matter whether it?s a build it yourself kit or a prefab. For example, you will need some type of foundation so you need to keep that in mind and any other extras that are applicable to your needs.

Step Five: Finally consider others. Don?t put your shed in a conspicuous place where its going to block a family members window for example. Think about your neighbors as well. I?m sure they would prefer to look out their window at your English garden rather than the back of your shed.

Tags: diy, floor space, garden tools, general, hobbies, Home, home and family, home and garden, Home Improvement, landscaping, lawn mower, lighting, models, no doubt, outdoor, recreation, shed, skylight, snow blower, storage, summer and winter, wall space, william boyle, woodworking
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