Well this past weekend temperatures here in the Deep South  hit the mid 80s. What happened to the mild 70s I wanted?  The greening of the trees means it’s time for outside projects to move from planning to doing. Here are a few of the things we are working on.

Matt is working diligently to finish his deck project.  If the weather cooperates, he soon will be adding railings and caps.

I have the dock renovation going on.  2000 feet of decking and a lot of paint will be going on over the next few months.  Prepping as always is the biggest, but most necessary step in the process.  Also in a dock makeover, it is important to start high and work down.  The roofing is first, then the eaves, and overhangs and columns must be done before the decking part can even begin.  Paint your high areas first or you will have a speckled deck.  The exception to this rule is taking care of what is underneath the decking before covering it with new dock decking.  After the high areas are finished, I will begin the demolition in stages of the dock decking.  Once the decking is removed, we will inspect the structural steel and the pressure treated lumber that forms the framework and joists that support the decking.

Milwaukee Airless Paint System being used to Paint Eaves

As with most marine applications, this dock is built using 24″ OC joist. The dock is a floating dock, conforming to the new environmental standards and using encapsulated flotation.  Using 16″ OC joists would add extra weight and result in more flotation being needed.  However the 24″ span requires the use of dock decking that can handle the greater joist span. In this case, several companies make products especially for this application and we will be using a composite or synthetic decking to create a low maintenance surface.

Structural steel will have to be cleaned of loose rust and then primed and painted before beginning the tasks of replacing bad lumber joists.  On a dock, everything is subject to extremes in moisture, wind and sun so don’t skimp on quality.  The decking being replaced is comprised of redwood that has been installed for nearly 40 years, 5/4 pressure treated lumber on walkways has been down for 10 years, and the real decking killer on this project, the two large platform decks go through lumber decking every few years.  The shallow water platform still has some of the original redwood 2x12s as decking. That is quite impressive.

Once the decking has been removed then the fun really begins. Replacing the existing deck with the new composite product means saying good bye to splinters finally and hopefully no more boards warping and pulling through the screws, no more popped nails leading to bloodied toes. One of the main considerations in choosing the docking material was selecting a material and color that didn’t become excessively hot on summer days. Several years ago I built a deck that was composite and dark in color and that product would not work in this application as shade only exist beneath the boat slip’s covered area. I tried a piece of the dark material and as expected we showed a huge temperature gain between air temperature and surface temperature. To make sure the chosen dock material had acceptable heat gains we used Milwaukee’s M12 Temp Sensor and Fluke’s TI-32 Thermographer to record surface temperatures in various conditions.

Fluke Thermographic Image of Various Decking Products

As you can see here, there is a great variation between different docking products and even between colors of the same product.  The farther south you live, the lighter the color you should choose.  One product that really blew away competition in the minimal heat gain area was the white Genova Products decking. That is the cool material seen in the top of the photo, the surface temperature measured 73 F. However 5/4 Genova is not acceptable for this project since it is limited to spans of 16″ or less.(Correction and Editor’s Note: I just spoke with Joe Holt at Genova Products, turns out Genova’s first profile was the 2″ made for docking and spans of 24″.  So if heat gain is an issue and if you live in many areas it is, take a look at Genova’s 2″ product.)

Grey is the lightest color we have found in decking for marine docks.  Therefore grey will be the chosen color for this project.  Well it is off to the store to pick up some rust converter and primer. If you have thoughts or comments on products related to marine dock applications let us know.  If you know of a product that has worked well for you, we want to hear about it.

I will be posting updates on the dock renovation progress, so check in and see where we are in the process.

I was talking with my good friend Doug Mahoney yesterday. Doug is editor of ToolSnob, and writes the tool columns for Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, but his real job is as a builder in Boston. One of the subjects we talked about was upcoming trends in tools and products.  We have seen the new cordless recharging technology where tools, cellphones, and laptops will charge without being attached to cords just by being placed next to charging mats or on tables with mats built into them.  This is very cool stuff, but what about other innovations?

I would like a jig that frames right angles for dimensional lumber. I am tired of dealing with deck corners of 85 degrees instead of 90 and ceiling corners that are off just enough to make my crown molding show gaps. Make it out of plastic if you want, but make it a true right angle. I have also been the victim of trying to hold a square and fasten at the same time and losing square at the moment of impact.  If you don’t start out square then every cut cut following will have to be mitered to some degree.  At the same time, create a jig for attaching a  joist square.  This would be a great time saver for workers who often work alone.

I like the Antex Soldering tool for copper pipe. No flames, so it is somewhat safer than the traditional torch. I would like to see a pouch I could slide the hot tool inside to prevent burns when working in tight spaces.  Mini torches are very cool. I have used them extensively in the outdoors on backpacking expeditions of several weeks, where the ability to light fires and stoves in very windy conditions is often times the difference between life and death.

Tapes are an area where more development needs to be done.  I want a tape that I can use on exhaust stacks without fear of the adhesive burning away. I want duct tape to perform. Too many companies are selling products as duct tape that don’t work and are giving one of our favorite repair items a bad rap.  I also want a heat shrink tape that I can seal electrical fittings without having to cut the wires and slide a tube over the joint.

Plumbing products. I want a PEX style pipe that can be used in the outdoors and won’t break down.  Pex style pipe that doesn’t require connections at each turn are a homeowners answer to solid worry free plumbing repairs. But a $150 for PEX connection crimpers will prevent most DIYs from using the product to its full potential. They will opt for the Shark and Gator Bite connectors, which seem to work fine, but it’s too early to tell how long those connections will last without problems. Manifold Distribution systems with individual service valves would make plumbers and homeowners much happier when repairs need to be made. Simply shut the valve to the specific device at the manifold and you can use the other water outlets without service interruption.

Measuring Devices Wants-  I want a laser measure that will take my measurements directly to my software, period-end! The fact that we are still waiting on this at the consumer level baffles me. I have even tried to set up meetings between the major players in these fields and everyone says they want it, but no one does anything. Guys it’s simple, Bluetooth the measurement device and let the software do the rest.

Cordless tool pet peeves- I am tired of toting innumerable chargers for my cordless tools. Let’s work  towards standardizing these. LED lights built into tools that don’t light the work area,omit them if you can’t aim them.  Lasers on saws, ditto, if they serve no function, omit them or make them functional.  Using non LED lights in tools is bad. LED lights last and are durable, feel free to use them.

HVLP paint systems are good.  No one has ever accused me of being a tree hugger, but HVLP is a better solution. The green people love the low over spray and not releasing paint into the atmosphere.  For me, I like my paint staying on the wall where God intended it to be. I also hate cleaning up and hate wasting paint. Does this qualify me as green? Nope, just pragmatic on my part. I was asked not to attend tree hugging functions because of my stance on using pneumatic nailers as a means of pest control.

What are your ideas on home improvement products and tools. We want to hear from you.

HVLP sprayers offer the highest quality finish available for woodworking, automotive, furniture or any other application that requires an immaculate finish, and the 1040VR is the top-of-the-line unit in our opinion. This is the same unit we reviewed earlier, but felt it deserved its own blog post.  For most of  the applications I used the 1040VR on, I kept its atomization setting on high. However when I needed to apply some samples of finishes that were made exclusively for HVLP systems, the ability to fine tune a finish  by dialing in the PSI to the tenth of a pound, became apparent.  In fact the 1040VR is now set up to use the gravity feed gun for the final finish on all of my projects.

When you aren’t willing to compromise on the finish of your projects, then take a look at Apollo’s 1040VR.  It hasn’t won all of those awards for no reason, it is a serious tool, a tool at home in the hands of an artisan or a production finisher.

The Apollo 1040VR  is a four turbine unit with a precision LCD that displays atomizing pressure that is accurate to 0.10 PSI.

Specifications:

• 4 Stage
• 8.0 PSI (.055 bar)
• 130 CFM (3.68 cmm)
• Dual Air Filtration
• HVLP Only – Single Spray Gun
• 110VAC – 60HZ or 240VAC – 50Hz
• 30 lbs/13.6 Kg
• 15″ X 8.5″ X 12″ (38.1cm X 21.6cm X 30.48cm

For more information check out Apollo’s site at http://www.hvlp.com