Hide rough concrete patio crack repairs

If you have a rough concrete driveway, patio, or walkway with minor surface cracks, one of the best ways to repair these cracks is to fill them in with concrete repair caulk (siliconized latex concrete caulk). The only problem is that once you caulk these minor surface cracks, it will be extremely obvious that a caulk repair was made because the texture and color of the caulk does not blend in with the texture and color of the concrete slab.

A trick used to help hide any minor crack repairs in your concrete floor using concrete caulk is to sprinkle ordinary play sand over the caulk immediately after you apply it to the crack - while it is still setting up - or wet. Don't be stingy with the sand, and just cover the entire area of the caulk job so that you do not risk missing any of it. If you have a colored concrete slab, patio, or walkway, or you need to try to match the sand closer to the true color of the concrete - pick up some concrete colorant from your hardware store and add it to the sand. I recommend that you mix the sand and colorant in a small plastic re-usable container when doing this.

Let the caulk and sand mixture dry, and then simply brush it all off for a clean repair. The crack lines will still be visible, but they will not stick out as badly as they would with just a caulk repair.

The correct way to protect your home A/C condenser in winter

If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow-fall and you have been wondering about the proper way to protect your A/C condenser during the winter, this is how you do it.

I will start this off with the things you SHOULD NOT do to protect it, but are highly recommended in department stores. DO NOT WRAP YOUR CONDENSER OR COVER IT WITH AN A/C COVER. Doing this promotes moisture and condensation inside the tarp or cover and rusts the internal components. Additionally, covering an A/C condenser also encourages rodents to take up residency inside the unit. These guys chew through wiring, insulation, and electrical components and cause very expensive repairs.

So with that being said - how do your protect your external A/C condenser. Simply cut a scrap piece of plywood to the length and width of the top measurement of your A/C condenser and place it over the fan guard directly on top of the unit.

Place your 3-4 bricks on top of the plywood to keep it in place.

If you want to help protect the metal exterior and keep it looking good, simply give it a coat or two of car wax before all of the snow and rain come down.

How to Hang Holiday Lights Outside Quickly

This December, here is a holiday light hanging tip that will help get the job done quickly, cleanly - will not damage your home' s facia, will get you in out of the cold much faster, and will also help you take-down your lights faster!

Test your christmas lights first String out your holiday lights and plug them in to test that you do not have any burnt out bulbs. If you have any burnt out bulbs, replace them.

Take a package of clothespins, open it up, and put them into your coat pocket for easy access. We will be using the clothespins as clips to hang the lights to the aluminum soffit and fascia under the roof overhang when we get outside.

Take your lights outside and run them the length of the wall under the roof-line that you would like to hang them from to measure for coverage. Add more strings of lights where needed.



Start clipping your lights at the end of the roof-line. Get your ladder or step stool, and start at one end of the roof-line. We will be hanging the lights from end-to-end. Climb up the ladder with one end of the light strings - take a clothespins from out of your pocket - and simply clip the wires to the bottom lip of the fascia. If you have grooves in your siding material below the roof over-hang, try to place the clip inside those grooves.



Place a clothespin every foot of light along the roof facia. Now simply move down your roof-line hanging a clothespin and light wire to the bottom lip of the fascia every 1 foot of length. This will keep the lights held up tightly and securely. Complete the entire length of your roof-line, plug your lights in to test, and go inside - YOUR DONE!

When the Holiday season is over and you need to remove your lights - simply unclip the clothespins, wrap up your lights, and store them away until next year!