Blog for Carter Lumber

• 20Feb

  Carter Lumber Helps Habitat for the Super Bowl

  The Marion County Indiana Habitat for Humanity held their annual Super Build 46 at the Carter Lumber facility in Franklin, IN. Volunteers used the facility to manufacture 32 wall panels that will be used a Habitat house in 2013.

  The volunteers even received a visit from A.J.Edds, Indianapolis Colts linebacker. He spent time with the crew taking pictures and even signing blocks of wood.

  Read more about the even and see pictures here: http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/local_story/Super_support_for_Habitat_1328334647/

• 18Feb

  Seven Neat Caulking Tips

  Spring is a great time of year to inspect the caulking in your house. Here’s 7 great caulking tips to ensure that you’re sealed-up properly.

  1. If you’re going to be caulking around a bathtub, fill the bathtub with water first. This prevents cracking caulk later should your tub flex under weight.
  2. Using silicone caulk? Be sure the surface you’re applying to is 100% dry.
  3. When you open a new tube of caulk, cut the tip at an angle for a easier to control flow.
  4. Silicone caulk is not paintable. Use a siliconized acrylic caulk if you need to paint over it.
  5. Caulk won’t flow freely if it’s colder than 40 degrees. If you need to caulk outside in cold weather, keep your tubes in the house until you’re ready to start.
  6. If there is still caulk left in the tube when you’re job is finished, push a Phillip’s head screw into the end of the nozzle. The caulk in the nozzle will dry creating a air-tight seal and the next time you need to caulk, use a screwdriver to remove the screw.
  7. Want to be super fancy? You can use painter’s tap to cover both sides of the gap you’re caulking. Peel it off as soon as you’re finished so that the caulk doesn’t dry.
• 17Feb

  Some Great Deck Resources

  Things are finally starting to thaw out here. Being able to see the grass again and not having to wear a heavy coat flips a switch somewhere in my mind that makes me want to spend as much time as possible outside.

  That got me to thinking about my backyard. It’s a nice open space, but when we have company there’s not much room to socialize back there. We only have a tiny little concrete patio. That got me to thinking, we need a deck. How great would that be to have everyone out on the deck while the kids played in the yard?

  So, I starting doing some research this week to see what all it entails. As I did, I learned a lot and came across many great links for building and taking care of decks. Here’s the best deck links on the web:

  I remembered this great post from Lifehacker, that’s a real Deck Building 101(http://lifehacker.com/182647/how-to-build-your-own-backyard-deck). While the deck they talk about is pretty basic, it covers all the basics and includes a TON of great tips in regards to preparation. A great place to start when building a new deck.

  This Old House has a very thorough post about building a deck(http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,262821,00.html) with fantastic step-by-step instructions.

  One thing we hear our customers having difficulty with is building deck stairs. It can be a little complicated if you’ve never tackled it before. This article (http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Outdoor-Projects/Decks/Decking/how-to-build-deck-stairs) does a great job explaining all the intricacies of stair construction.

  While composites are becoming very popular for decks, there are a lot of ways to dress up a treated lumber deck. I really like this idea of “painting a rug”(http://www.hgtv.com/decks-patios-porches-and-pools/spruce-up-a-deck-with-a-painted-rug/index.html) on your deck to add some style.

  If you already have a deck, taking care of it is important, regardless of the material used. Danny Lipford covers everything from sealing your deck to adding a simple bench in this 4 minute video(http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/16/earlyshow/contributors/dannylipford/main1621242.shtml).

  I’m still in the research phase for my deck. Can you help me out? Share your favorite resources for building and caring for decks in the comments.

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