Zar Ultra Polyurethane – Fast Drying

Several years ago when we built our new home we ordered custom Brazilian Cherry stair treads to match the houses Brazilian Cherry floors. We needed to apply our own polyurethane after the stairs were built so we chose Zar Ultra Polyurethane based on a recommendation at the local lumber yard. I remember the guy at the lumber yard bragging about this product saying that he’s never found a better polyurethane.

This week I finally got around to sealing the newel post cap (someone forgot to seal it almost 4 years ago when the rest of the stairs were sealed!) and realized that our stairs, hand rails and newel were all sealed using the Zar Ultra Polyurethane. It quickly dawned on me that the stair treads still look new which is a true testament to the quality of this product.

Our Thoughts on Zar

Zar Ultra Polyurethane works great! First of all this polyurethane dries very quickly in as little time as 1 hour up to 2 hours on subsequent coats. It’s very easy to work with  because of it’s self leveling formula which helps reduce brush marks. More importantly we are very impressed with it’s ability to hold up under tough conditions like stairs. Our stairs are almost 4 years old and they still look new, no visible scratches or blemishes in the urethane.

We’ve used lots of different polyurethanes over the years and this one tops our list of most recommended. The best part is you can buy a gallon of this stuff for under $20! It’s available at most hardware stores or you can buy it online here.

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La Crosse Down Comforter Review

The Company Store recently sent us one of their La Crosse Down Comforters to review. The Company Store sells Designer Quality Bed and Bath Linens. They sent us the La Crosse Down Comforter to show us how warm they are which turns out to be a great way to save some energy in the winter!

La Crosse Down Comforters

• The Company Store’s best selling comforter / duvet.
• 250-thread count cotton cover.
• 12″ sewn-through box construction prevents the down from shifting.
• 500-550 fill power tcs® down.
• Meticulously cleaned down to assure that it is hypoallergenic and free of dust and odor.
• Machine wash.
• Also available in our non-allergenic Primaloft® Deluxe polyester microfiber.
• Made in La Crosse, Wisconsin of fine imported materials

Our Thoughts

The La Crosse Down Comforter is really nice. In fact we were very impressed with several features of this comforter compared to past experiences with down comforters. We particularly like the following features:

• The 12″ sewn-through box construction is such a nice feature. We’ve owned other down comforters without that feature and didn’t enjoy that old comforter at all. The box construction keeps all the feathers evenly distributed all over the comforter which is great.
• The comforter smelled nice and fresh right out of the packaging. Our previous experiences with other brands of down comforters were not so pleasant. Some down comforters smell awful at first until they are aired out for several days. This comforter went directly onto our bed and smelled great.
• The La Crosse comforter is VERY warm. In fact, it’s so warm we were able to drop the temperature in our room by another 4 degrees.
• The comforter is very soft and doesn’t even need a duvet cover as we’re using it under a quilt.

Final Thoughts

We’re really enjoying our La Crosse Down Comforter from The Company Store. The quality is great and it’s a very warm comforter for the cold nights here in New England. At just under $150 we think the La Crosse Down Comforter is a great value and a product we’d recommend.

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Craftsman Auto Hammer Giveaway Results

The Craftsman Auto Hammer Giveaway was a huge success with almost 300 entries! Frankly we’re not surprised at the interest this giveaway had based on the popularity of the Auto Hammer during the holidays this year. The Auto Hammer is a neat tool to have in your toolbox when you need to hammer a nail in tight spaces!

First we wanted to thank the 292 people who entered the contest as well as Craftsman for providing this great prize. As usual random.org as used to randomly select a winner and that winner is Nicole from This D*mn House. Nicole blogged about the giveaway which earned her 50 entries. I hope you’ll all congratulate her on winning the Craftsman Auto Hammer.

If you didn’t win this time be sure to sign up for our email feed so you’ll be aware of all the great articles and giveaways here at HCI.

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Pump Jack Scaffolding

Pump Jacks are better than ladders for many reasons. If you’ve ever painted a two story home or installed siding high up on a ladder than you know safety is surely a top priority. Pump jacks are designed to create a moving scaffold system that allows you to get close to the work area and work safely.

As you can see in the photo our crews use an aluminum pump jack system. The pump jack system includes two aluminum column sections along with the pump jacks and two aluminum OSHA planks. The lower plank is the surface which you stand on. The upper plank acts as a safety stop and a work surface. The planks can be raised and lowered by two people pumping the jacks up or down.

Our crew is using the pump jack system for several tasks on this tall gable end. They are using it as a work platform for installing the windows, installing the ZIP system tape on the wall sheathing, installing the fascia trim and soffit material.

There are two basic types of pump jack systems on the market. There is the aluminum pump jack system like the one in the photo. You can also buy pump jacks that are used with wood columns and wood planks. Both of these systems can be bought at Amazon by following these links:

• Qual-Craft 2000-Ultra Kit Ultra Jack Aluminum Pump Jack Scaffolding System

• Qual-Craft 2200 Pump Jack Steel Scaffolding (Must supply your own wood)

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Recommended Basement Ceiling Types

Basement remodeling / finishing seems to be one of the hottest DIY projects right now. We get tons of emails about how to insulate  basement walls, how to insulate basement floors and what type of basement ceilings are best.

Finishing or remodeling a basement requires lots of planning. The basement ceiling is no different because many of the homes utilities (water, waste drains, electrical, phone, cable and even heating pipes are located in the floor system. Because of that careful planning is required to prevent future maintenance issues while providing the most flexibility to the home owner.

Suspended (Acoustical) Ceilings Vs Hard Ceilings

The debate about basement ceilings always comes down to a battle between suspended (or acoustical ceilings) and hard ceilings (drywall, plaster or wood). For me the debate isn’t much of a debate at all when you consider the quantity and importance of the utilities that will be inaccessible behind a hard ceiling. Suspended ceilings provide the greatest amount of flexibility and access for those utilities in the event of problems.

I know many of you are probably cringing (my wife included) at the thought of suspended ceilings in a newly finished basement. However, the reality is you can buy almost any style, color, level of detail in a suspended ceiling as you could ever create with a hard ceiling. The other huge benefit to suspended ceilings is they are typically much easier for a DIY’er to install. There are lots of great resources online showing you How To Install Suspended Ceilings if you’re interested in doing it yourself.

Cost of Basement Ceilings

Whether you decide to install a suspended acoustical ceiling or a drywall ceiling, the costs are fairly similar. Both of those ceiling types range from about $1.50 per square foot to $2.50 per square foot installed. Obviously you can spend tons of money on a beautiful copper ceiling tile or mahogany wood panels. We recently built some removable cedar ceiling panels for a custom indoor pool house which allowed the owner to remove them if necessary while taking advantage of a hard ceiling appearance.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of the type of ceiling you choose for your basement it’s important to plan ahead and consider the pro’s and con’s of the removable type ceilings vs the hard permanent ceiling types.

Photo Credit: Tim’s Blog

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How Construction Loans Work

If you’re planning on building a new home then chances are you’ll need a construction loan. Understanding how construction loans work is one of the first steps in building your new home. Without the financing you’ll be stuck in limbo waiting for that new dream home!

Construction Loans

Construction loans are typically short term loans with interest only payments during construction which convert to traditional mortgages after construction is complete. Banks will typically evaluate and appraise the proposed construction project based on the construction plans. Most construction loans are offered up to about a maximum of 85% of the total cost of construction. This is pretty standard and forces the owner to have a significant stake or “skin” in the game compared to some of the higher loan to value ratios that are seen with traditional mortgages.

After a construction loan is closed on the money sits in escrow with the bank awaiting “draws”. Draws are progress payments to the contractor during construction. At certain milestones (or dates) throughout construction, the contractor will request payment for work completed to day. The bank will then send an inspector to the site to verify that the payment being applied accurately reflects the level of completion in the project. Once a draw is paid the mortgagee is required to start paying interest payments on the amount that’s been drawn. The draws continue until the project is complete and the final contractor payments are made.

Typically the bank or lending institute will require that each contractor or sub-contractor being paid sign a lien waiver after each payment. This ensures that the property cannot have a lien placed on it by un-paid contractors at the completion of the job. Most draws are also administered with two party checks, which require both the home owner and the contractor to sign. This provides one more level of protection for the bank and home owner.

After Construction Is Complete

Almost all construction loans automatically convert to some type of traditional mortgage at the completion of construction. In fact, most convert with no closing costs (the original closing costs cover both loans) to a fixed or variable rate loan. It’s important to fully understand the rates that are applicable to both portions of the loan as most start with a higher rate during construction and a more favorable rate after construction.

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