5 Reasons Fireplace Owners Think Early Spring is "Firewood Time"Written by Susan Penney
As weather hints of warmth and spring buds appear on trees, firewood may not be first thing that comes to mind. But early spring is ideal time to buy or gather your firewood for your fireplace or woodstove. Why? Here are 5 good reasons:1.Firewood needs at least six months to season. If you want your firewood ready for cool days of next fall, now’s time to be getting it. 2.Insects living under bark are dormant in early spring. When you store firewood now for use next fall or winter, any insects will likely die before you bring firewood into your home. That’s a plus! 3.Prices for firewood are generally down in early spring, and supplies are good. Buying now instead of waiting for cold weather to buy your firewood will save you money. 4.Fuel costs, especially cost of heating oil, are rising. Many people will be turning to their fireplaces as a source of supplemental heat, especially when they see their fuel bills next winter. So next fall is expected not only to have regular seasonal increase in firewood prices but also to see additional price increases due to unusually high demands. Buying your firewood now puts you ahead of those price increases that are forecast for firewood next fall.
| | Repairing holes in Sheetrocked WallsWritten by Mark Donovan
It is quite simple to repair a hole in a Sheetrocked wall, however there are minor differences in methods of repair depending on how large hole is.Small size holes (1/4” or smaller) With small holes, simply apply a little joint compound or wall putty with a small putty knife or trowel. Let dry, then sand lightly and paint. Medium size holes (Greater than ¼” in diameter and smaller than 2” in diameter). First clean out hole and surrounding area of any debris and loose sheetrock. Then apply a mesh tape, specifically manufactured for sheetrock applications, across hole. Use your putty knife to ensure that it is applied evenly on wall surface. Next apply a liberal amount of Joint Compound over hole and mesh. Let this set for 1 to 2 days. After initial coat has been applied and has had time to fully dry, apply a second skim coat of Joint Compound over area. However, this time spread Joint Compound over an area that is 2-3 times size of original hole. Basically you want to flare out area that you are repairing so that it will blend in nicely with rest of wall. Again let area dry for a day. Finally lightly sand area and apply one last skim coat over area. Again spreading Joint Compound out a little further than last application. Let Joint Compound set up one more day, sand lightly and then paint.
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