Re-Building After a Hurricane

I write hurricane articles fairly regularly during the season, pretty much to get folks to prepare early, not at the 11th hour.

I keep most supplies all year round, but the specific ones I need for the big blow, I can get at Home Depot early in the day. I've found that here in the bedroom communities south of Houston, folks that commute to the city are expected to show up, stay until the last minute, and storm-proof the facilities. "Do ya want yer job next week?"

That's the way it was when I worked for Marriott. It was a difference of opinion. I thought my family and my major lifetime investment was a priority and my boss thought a hotel property (which the guests had mostly fled) was a more important investment. Good old Howard said, "Take one for the team, Kelly!"

I don't think so.



Anyway, there is plenty of devastation in the wake of a major storm. Sometimes a remodel is needed, but there are times when nothing short of a demo and re-building will do.

If you have to re-build or you're just adding on, I suggest doing it right. Go green construction and use Insulated Concrete Forms for your exterior walls. Not only are you going to save money in the long run, but you will be able to withstand those winds.

Go for it, uh-huh!

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How to Touch Up Furniture

Do you have a piece of wood furniture or two that's got a few dings? Not quite enough to warrant the effort of stripping, puttying, sanding, and refinishing? Been there, done that. Well, there's an elegant solution that you can DIY in just a few moments (say, right before the company arrives)!

This little bit of touch-up magic comes in the form of a marker; it looks kind of like a magic marker and you can pick them up at most home improvement centers. It's nowhere as complicated as web design.


I know, it sounds lame, but it really does work. The brand I'm familiar with is Mohawk, which is a company under the same corporate umbrella where RustOleum resides. That says quality to me.

The real trick is in matching the shade. I learned how to do this when I was the Engineering supervisor at the Marriott in Houston's Medical Center where guests seem to get a sardonic pleasure in abusing furniture in ways they would never at home.

Don't even get me started about the damage done by the Hurricane Katrina refugees...



Anyhow, they only come in a certain number of shades. Here's the trick: swipe with a shade slightly darker than your finish and quickly wipe with a cloth. After wiping it'll be lighter than the marker says.Repeat with the swipe 'n wipe until you've got a match. Each swipe will get you closer. Using the chisel edge of the marker, you can even match grain patterns with practice.

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Acoustic Drywall - Shhhh!

Acoustic drywall - is it soundproof? Well, not really. Just like you don't run into too many waterproof watches, just a lot of water-resistant ones. It's one of the best acoustical solutions in many situations though.

When Would You Use Sound - Dampening Drywall?

The best time to use this product is during new construction or during a remodel. It's possible to simply add a layer over an existing wall, but in most cases, the offset problems created make this impractical.

There's one situation that would make me go to the trouble of dealing with the offset issues - when installing a home theater.

QuietRock, Brought to You From Quiet Solution

Quiet Solution is a division of Serious Materials and is really at the forefront of this technology. Their solution of putting sound control in the wall itself sidesteps traditional techniques such as suspended baffles and wall-mounted acoustic panels.

The range of their customers speak volumes about the effectiveness of the product: Usher, Snoop Dog, KB Homes, Hitachi, Marriott, Hyatt Hotels, Ozzy Osbourne, and others.

QuietRock Installation

Acoustical drywall is installed just like regular drywall. If you can tape and float drywall already, you've got all the skills in your toolbox already.