Be Back Soon

Have not posted in a while. It might be a few days. Working on some sever maintenance and doing a little web development for a friend :)  Ha za!

Lead paint in the US vs. the rest of the world

I just thought Id post a little information on lead paint since I am forced to comply with the new lead laws and certifications required to perform work on homes built prior to 1978. Though paint companies knew about the dangers of lead in paint (which causes irreversible brain damage in children) as early as the 1930s, the United States did not ban lead paint until 1978.   Paint manufacturers, knowing of the danger,marketed their products as kid-friendly and safe in America, while providing Europe with lead-free paint and protecting farm animals from the effects of lead poisoning.  The paint companies, fully aware of the health effects, profited immensely from their deadly paint.  Moreover,  most of these companies are still in business today  and continue to profit from their past misdeeds.   At the same time, many children live in pre-1978 housing and are therefore tragically at risk for lead poisoning.  State and local governments have borne substantial costs enforcing safety measures that protect children from being poisoned. It just amazes me at what companies will be okay with just to get a little more profit. Selling it to our own people and having a  different product for the rest of the world.

SNOW

Well back outside today. I know this pic doesn't do this justice but the mailbox post is 4 1/2 feet high.  I'm going out to do estimates today because I had to cancel them, after spending 5 hrs digging out of snow yesterday. Really sick of snow I hate it. I'm seriously thinking of moving out of state to warmer climate.

Properly installing step flashing

Before installing your step flashing, you should first install the drip edge. The drip edge must be installed before you roof or apply the step flashing.

Step 1 - Corner Flashing

Step flashing is not a hard process for you to complete. In fact, it can save you money if you are having your roof re-shingled. If you choose to rip off the existing shingles, you may want to tackle this as well. The first part of installing the step flashing is the installation of the corner flashing. You will start by snipping one of your pieces of step flashing at a forty five degree angle. You will want to place the lower portion of the step flashing against the roof and the other edge goes around the corner edge. Nail the piece of flashing in place and lay some caulk around the edges.

Step 2 - Step Flashing

Now that the corner flashing is installed, the first row of shingles should then be ran. After your shingles are laid down, you can than begin to lay your step flashing. You should place the next step of flashing approximately 1/4 inch above the next row of shingles, which will prevent the flashing from being seen. After you have laid down your first row of step flashing, you will continue this same process until you reach the top of the roof. You will not need the caulk until you begin installing the step flashing at the top of the roof, known as the roof peak.

Step 3 - Roof Flashing

After you have completed the flashing up to the peak of the roof, it is then time to install the flashing on the roof peak itself. You must first design a piece of flashing that will fit on your peak. Once you have customized a piece of flashing for your peak, you can then nail it in place and put some caulk along the edge of the flashing as well as run it along the wall. You will then continue this same process as you go along the peak of the roof. Make sure that your caulk beads are straight and even so you don’t have excessive drippage. After you have completed running your roof flashing, you are now ready to allow the roofing company to come in and run the rest of the shingles although considering what you have done so far, shingles are very simple.

500 an hour

Just got paid $500 for one hours worth of work. Why cant all jobs be like this?
Also unrelated.I finally watched Zeitgeist for the first time. I was just wondering what everyone else thought of this. I thought it was a good film but should have been compacted down to about an hour and a half. 

 

 

Painting a wall mural

 The process of painting a wall mural used to be done directly on the wall. But for several reasons we have begun to paint them in house.  The first is that a customer looking over your shoulder and watching all day is annoying. The second by doing in house allows customer to remove it if selling or for other reasons. The new process involves measuring the area of mural. Cutting raw canvas to size. Wetting the canvas for shrinkage. After drying a coat of gesso is applied as a base. The next step is to paint the mural. Allow 1 - 2 weeks to dry. Roll it up and deliver to the house. We then rough it into the area and make all nec. cuts. We then use wallpaper adheasive rolled on the wall and back of the canvas. the canvas is slid into place and rolled to smooth and remove air pockets. We then trim off the access on all sides, replace trim, outlets and caulk where needed. The painting can then be removed carefully at a later date or left.

Should I wear pants today?

Well slow season is here. January thru march there is no work in michigan . So while I wait around for work to show up I'm going to see how long I can go without leaving the house or putting pants on. Today will be day one. I hope i wont need to go to the store (I'll have to send my wife)

State of Michigans empty gesture to small business owners?

The state of Michigan just received millions of dollars in federal aid to help small business in Michigan. What it about?  The aid is for small business loans. What is the scam? In order to qualify for this "small business loan" you have to be able to have capital in the amount of 10x the amount of the loan requested. So if I wanted a small business loan funded by the govt. for 10,000 I would have to have 100,000 to back it up. Why would I be trying to get a loan if I had an extra 100,000 laying around. Its just one more tactic of manipulation. All a voter will see is the headline of  "michigan funds new small business loans to stimulate the economy" and will feel all warm inside that our state is back on the right track. But will never read the fine print and understand that small business owners will never get this money because large corporations are the only ones to have the capital to get these loans. So in short business as usual. Destroy the middle class.