Hi Everyone Nearly Time for That Spring Clean Up. DECKS: Any rotted or split pieces should be replaced. Remember for wood decking put the "bark to the weather". That means if you look on the end grain it will resemble a frown. That way when the board dry's out it will cup with the center higher and the water will have a tendancy to roll off. Then use a deck wash, rinse, (. Directions). Let dry, then seal with a water repellent, deck sealer, preservative or paint as desired. Don't forget to bang in any "popped" nails first.
GUTTERS: Now is the time to get up there and clean those gutters. Also fix any missing or damaged downspouts. Install a downspout screen into the hole in the gutter, this will keep things from getting clogged again later. LAWN: Early spring is the time to get started taking care of your lawn. Get your lawn mower sharpened, oil changed and ready to go. When the soil is firm enough to walk on it without leaving footprints, (usually April or so) clear the branches left by winter storms. Rake the grass if it is matted from the snow. You may have to de-thatch. Seed any bare spots that you forgot last fall. Then apply a pre-emergent weed control agent for crabgrass and annual weeds. Apply fertilizer in late April or early May. If sod is needed May is the time! Remember, have fun in the sun, its been a long winter. FINALLY at last, the weather is warming up. Its time to go outside and take care of business. Look around, see if everything looks OK. Check your fences and gates. If they are in need of repairs, now is the time. FENCE: If your fence is wood and is not redwood, cypress, cedar or pressure treated, all the parts should be protected against insects and rot with either a preservative or paint. If any parts are already rotted or broken, replace them first. Wire brush the bad areas then preserve or paint. GATES: If you have a gate that sags, first check to see if the hinges are secured to both the gate and the post. If not, remove the screws, put a few toothpicks into the holes (with some exterior glue) and put the screws back in. Do the same with the latch hardware while your there. If the gate still sags then its time for more drastic measures. You can either a) get a kit at the local home center for sagging gates which has a steel cable, turnbuckle, and some corner brackets or you can just use a 1 x 4 piece of wood attached at the bottom corner on the hinge side (the side with out the pickets of course!), to the opposite corner at the top of the gate. Make sure you use weather resistant hardware and hold the gate how you want it before you screw the second corner! To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
