The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

- - ,-:'~,~i Poge 14. Whltby Free Pies, Wednesday, Juns 12j 1996 k A HOME DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT FEATURE __________ For the -do4mLtoyourbeIfer Tipsfor deck staining How cmn I malee my new deck laat longer and how cSn I malse my old deck loe ée new -amejust two of the questions asked each year by do-it-yourselfers. W/zen to atain? June, July, Augusttand September are the beat montha for outdoar painting or staining. A general rule of thumb is that you can paint or stain outdoors when the temperatur is between 10 - 25 per cent Celsius. Avoeid freezing the product. e Staining your dock can and should be don. once a year or at least every two years & Early . morning or late afternoon are the best Urnes te, apply stain oin a prepared surface. he abject is to avoid direct sunlight; therefore, an overcast day will provide maximum resuits. What atain toamus? 0 Stain protect mganst wear and tear and water damage by penetrating the wood wrhe aBows your deck or: porch to, retain its natural look langer. 9 When deciding te st"n a wooden deck, be aware that several differet sMains are available. There are transparent, smn-transparent and wsoi ior latex stains. Latex stains are not recommended for decha, porches, or any other surface which may- b. walked on. Semi-trfansparent or transparent st" nsare ideal for decks and porches; depending on the grade if wood used on thee structures. Ibm finer the grade% the moretrspen the stain should be; or depending on the colour or texture desired. How m'Uch aaiwneeded? Determine how much stain will be needed is fairly easy. Simply calculate the square footage of the deck floor by multiplymng the width of the deck býy its length. Remember, for maxmm results when building your deck or porch, the wood should be stained on al aides, therefore, multiply the square footage by two. *Do the sanie for ail railing places and add te the square footage of the deck floor. * With the total square footage, consult the charte available at your pant store and the label ci, thé product to establish how much stain should be purchased. * Coverage per litre will dépend on-the surface being stained. On avarage, stains will cover 4.5 te 7 métres squared (49-75 square feet) on smooth surfacesandl 3.5 te 4.5 metres squared (38-49 square feet) on rough surfaces. e Remember,, it's better te have- teo much stain than be caught with too little when staining any surface. Delays caused by a second'tri pte the pint store côuld r=%i in non-uniformity of the finished stain. e When in doubt concerning what shade or colour te prcs, ailwayo choose a lightershade as the colour of wood, if treated, may contributo te darkening the finished colour of your deck. Prepamaion 9 toer surface prpartion ensures success every' Urne you *Before getting started o surface preparation, cuver up outside areas such as gardens, dbrube and amail tree with drap sheets. This will help keep, your plant life clear of any stai/pant scrapings and spilîs. e Examin your deck thoroughly. Bubbling and flaking wfll occur if damp or decaying areas are not taken care cf. *Brush and/or sand the surfaces with a stiff brush or rough grade of sand paper. Sand or brush with the grain of the wood. Be'sure to rernove anypaint or arkings tu the rignal oodsurface. *To remove any dirt or. grame, wipe down alsurface with a solution cf tri-sodium 'phoshate (commonly..nown as 1)and water. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection as a precaution. To remove any moui.annly a solution cof one part bleacl and four parts, water and leave. for 48 hoursand then rmv with a stiff brush.* 0 For new wood work, sand any edges with: abrasive paper .te ensur a smooth surface. Remember tu sand with the grain only., Begin with medium grade sanding paper and work your way te a finer grade until the wood is smooth. ]Remove or 511l any holes, cracks or nails. Ensure that galvanized, rust proof nails are used as any corosion will blemish the finish. e A better bond is ýachieved byi making sure that ail- dust and wood particles are removed from ali surfaces. Do this by either SUR PAGE 15 e cei-seport I L rri e e Pto * - s * flsonisa ernbe ftes eyln ReCAP'S SPRING HOME TUNE-UP In May, the Residential Conservation Assistance, Program (ReCAP) hosted its firat 'spring home tune-up' sérninar in Oshawa. Theo.8prig home tune-upe provided by ReOAP offer alternative cieanlng -product anmd methods, disposai of chemlcal cleaners and lawn Care products safiely, natural spring TurfCare, and instruction in preparing your backyard composter for the spring and aunimer. seasons. "Many homeowners perform a spring cleanfing of their property. This is an excellent Urne te begin a sustairiable approach te home, care," says Trevor Dobbs, ReCAP's naturalizati .on specialiat. "Many products and services are available te homeowners that are safe alternatives te the usuai spring chemical deluge..ReCAp wants te help point people ini the right diretion."t ýg You wlll save money with a ReCAP home assessment by allowing a team of two highly trained home efficiency assessors te visit your home, by appointment only,, to recommend and lnsta]l energy and water conservation producta. ReCAP expeits carry out a detalledassesement of your home, inspecting doors'and windows, insulation heating and ventilation systema, tegether with lighting and appliances. .Their teani will offer' personaiized recommendations and documentation on home conservation; waste reduction, composting, naturai landscaping and'lawn mSr, alternatives te ouso'7ehold and h.azardous.producta,_ and waste management For more information on ROAP and their activities or, te book a Orson Spring home tune-up, oeil 571-RCAP (7227). The programla, reglon wide and residents of Durham are welcome te, visit ReCAFs downtewn Oshawa location at 14 King St. W. GREEýN GARDEN TIPS: takenfrom the booklet, 'Environ-- mientailly Friendly Household H-ints'.,by Selwyn Womes Institute., *ýWhen plantingbroccli, oebbage,-and caulifower, àdd 'one' tablespoon of white vinegar per gallon. o@To prevent root maggots on cabbage or cauliflower, try crusbing dry eggshells andtsprinkling in rows before planting or putting 1/8 cup of wood ashes irn hole, adding some earth, then, the plant and' water. *To prevent wormy radishestay ming sedawithScoled wood ashes and sra terwo sdcfe srnldi h, row before planting seeda. Ifyouwant Durhami's new lawn slgn, We Grasacycle, on your lawn te help promote grasscycing, call 668-7721. I e.8 Types of wire shelvng-weil cut to qualuikd mstalers or you may instafl fit atno extra cost. e*Availalin widths ot6", 9 ".12, e AI VilCoated Steel Shelving 16 *& 20 aldbug fordcothes or l'weu cosets and e.Corpet" itnng, personaiservice. storage shelves. eOver 300(000 feet of sheMng soid a' Rods and bracloets extra annally. *Guaranteed installations byoçur own -~CE AUE Ow Z/> UCO w CE: w' En o o> <w> I e> Cl N En o o> QUALITY CUSTOM NMADE * Drapes e*Blinds * Shades andter Shutermore Forfree in-home consultations (I~b54 )-3192- AUDIO I VIDEO Al servir Brands V«lýc Durhé On Premises SinCE 1973 *Wriftn (g ir'nf) - * -Lowcarry-; n rates *Factory Trained Technicians *VCR~ *Camcorder *Tlevision *Stero *CD Player *Cassette *Cordless Phone *Amplifiers *Walkman *Car Stereo *Fre. cleanig ~~RII eFre estimate R I thsadd ol *FExiries June 28/9Ï6 ng iarn C.ustoneE.Iec ive mmmmý v v 1 8 L tqý-.o 8 1 1 %-J M CI 1 CI 1 1 tq=w 1