The Home Ownership Thread

[otc]

Magic erasers are great.

Get them damp and rub lightly on the wall...most stuff comes right off. I went crazy when I first bought a pack...I was so amazed with how well they cleaned things that I touched up everything I could find.
Now I have a whole box of them and nothing left to use them on

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

They are great, I use them on painted doors and moldings as well.

 

[Medwed]

"Magic eraser"....? I was just using any sponge I can find in the bathroom or kitchen with the same results. The genious of marketing : take a household 10 cent sponge and call it Magic.

 

[sonick]

It's actually melamine foam, not just 'any sponge' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam...

It works well on painted surfaces but be careful on mirror/glossy finishes as it is quite abrasive and if the material is too soft will leave scuffs.

 

[otc]



"Magic eraser"....? I was just using any sponge I can find in the bathroom or kitchen with the same results. The genious of marketing : take a household 10 cent sponge and call it Magic.

1. Must be how real genious's spell genius.
2. It is melamine foam, it works via a completely different method (you don't use it with soap or chemical cleaners) and works great on things that soapy sponges completely fail on...all while only needing to be slightly damp (they work some when dry, but a tiny bit of water is key).
3. an 8 count box is $6.50 on amazon, and I usually cut them in half for use (since the things magic erasers are good for are rarely large marks). 2 6-count packs of my preferred sponge (the blue scotch brite) go for $11 on amazon. So the magic erasers are actually cheaper than the household sponge (even before cutting them in half). Even cheaper if you just go online and buy blocks of "melamine foam" without any branding.

 

[otc]

But yes, it *can* mar glossy finishes on softer materials
It works by virtue of the fact that the melamine itself is very hard, but the foam structure becomes soft. So the little bits of solid melamine that make up the open cell structure are able to conform to the texture of the surface and pull out whatever is marking it.

They disintegrate a bit through use. Too much water seems to speed this up, as does using it on rougher surfaces.
They work awesome for cleaning rubbery things--the sides/toe caps of sneakers, gaskets, weatherstripping, etc.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

I was comfortable thinking it was magic....thanks guys, for ruining the illusion.

 

[Medwed]

I think it was Socrates who said: 'Any sponge becomes Magic if you have a magic touch.'

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Sounds more like Oscar Wilde.

 

[Medwed]

Yea , you r right, Socrates said: 'Wall unexamined not worth rubbing!", or something like that.

 

[brokencycle]

I just had a contractor come by to give me an estimate for residing the house in Hardieboard. The guy was professional and punctual which is a good sign. They have quite a few references and I've seen some of their work on places like houzz.com.

Does anyone have any recommendations for siding besides Hardieboard? Is there better fiber cement out there? Should I be looking at something else for siding in the same price range?

 

[SkinnyGoomba]



Yea , you r right, Socrates said: 'Wall unexamined not worth rubbing!", or something like that.

Lol!


BC, what is currently there?

 

[dah328]



I just had a contractor come by to give me an estimate for residing the house in Hardieboard. The guy was professional and punctual which is a good sign. They have quite a few references and I've seen some of their work on places like houzz.com.

Does anyone have any recommendations for siding besides Hardieboard? Is there better fiber cement out there? Should I be looking at something else for siding in the same price range?

It's pretty hard to beat the price and availability of Hardie. This is certainly more expensive fiber cement out there such as Nichiha, but I'm not sure what the value proposition is. I went round and round with considerations for cladding the exterior of a new garage I put up that had a more modern feel to it and in the end, I went with Hardie siding combined with Tamlyn Xtreme trim as it was much cheaper and more readily available.

 

[jbarwick]

Any leaf blower recommendations? Thinking of a Stihl BR350 which is one step below professional grade. With 10-20 large trees I need something with power and preferrably a backpack as I will have to use it to cover a little over an acre. Trying to keep the price <$500.

Also a side note....anyone have a preferred brand of power equipment? My experience has been good with products sold at specialized dealers instead of Lowe's or HD. Though I do love my Honda mower.

 

[Medwed]

I am getting a gun if you are getting leaf-blower.

Dog, I hate neigbours.