Q&A: What’s the best way to repair bare patches in my lawn?

My lawn has several small bare spots. What’s the best way to repair these bald patches?

You can easily revive your yard without starting from scratch. Since you’re dealing with small areas, the easiest fix is to patch the bare spots.

1. Dig up and remove the damaged section, plus 6 inches of surrounding, healthy lawn, cutting 2 inches deep.

2. Smooth and level the soil. Add a small amount of soil amendment and starter fertilizer, firm the soil, water, and level again if needed.

3. Replant with seed, sod, or sprigs. For seed, cover lightly, press into place, and keep moist until germination. For sod, cut a section to fit, press it into place to firm roots against soil, and water frequently until rooted. For sprigs or plugs, plant them a few inches apart, cover lightly and press into place, and water until rooted.

NOTE: Do not use a fertilizer with crabgrass or weed control in the area to be reseeded six weeks before seeding and until after the new grass seed has germinated. Otherwise the grass will not germinate.

Essential information: See our lawn and yard guide for more expert advice for your property, including details on planting the right grass.

Q&A: Are prices for exterior paints going up?

We’re planning to paint our house in the coming weeks, and I’ve noticed that paint prices seem higher. Have they risen? If yes, why?

As we reported in our June 2008 report, rising petroleum prices could cause a jump of several dollars per gallon for exterior paints and stains. The higher prices might tempt you to pick a cheaper coating, but our tests show that penny-pinching by buying a lower-quality finish could cost you more money over time.

Our latest Ratings of more than 40 exterior paints and stains (available to subscribers) include results for major brands after one to three years of accelerated outdoor testing, equal to about three to nine years on a house. But as the scores show, some initially promising finishes look far less impressive when they're fully tested. (See “A Torture Test for Paints and Stains.”)

Get all the details on exterior paints and stains in “Scrimping Doesn’t Pay.”

Rebates and tax credits can lower appliance costs

While you might have back-burnered your plans for a kitchen remodel or a new laundry room, you can’t ignore an ailing dishwasher, a struggling refrigerator, or a washed-up clothes washer.

Fixing these appliances could be an option—see our repair-or-replace-it guide (available to subscribers)—but when you decide to replace appliances, consider more-energy-efficient models. This is one way to spend your federal economic-stimulus payment. And, as unlikely as it might seem, you can also turn to your utility company and the state and local government for some financial relief.

As of mid-May, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, maintained by North Carolina State University’s Solar Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, lists 732 utility rebate and loan programs for consumers who buy energy-efficient appliances or other home systems. (The DSIRE's map is shown.) The site also includes details on 35 state rebate and loan programs and 13 personal-income-tax-credit or tax-holiday plans.

You’ll also fund information on rebate and tax-credit programs from utilities, states, and partners at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Partner Activities search; if you don’t see a program listed for your area, look on your utility bill for more information or contact your state taxation office.

These programs can offset the short-term acquisition and long-term operating costs of new appliances. Here’s how to take advantage of these opportunities:

Plug into utility companies’ rebates. To benefit from rebates and tax credits, you have to buy an appliance that falls into either Tier 1 or Tier 2 of the federal government’s Energy Star standards. For example, a Tier 1 rated-dishwasher with an Energy Factor (the number of loads that can be washed per kilowatt-hour) of 0.65 will use 339 kWh per year, while a Tier 2 model will have an EF of 0.68 and use 325 kWh annually.

In California, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District is offering a $25 rebate on a Tier 1 dishwasher and $75 on a Tier 2 model, provided you’re using an electric water heater in your home. In Oregon, the Columbia River Public Utility District ups the ante to a $100 rebate for a Tier 2 clothes washer that uses water from an electric heater, and $50 for one with water heated by gas, oil, or propane.

Brian Lips, a policy analyst at the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State, notes that even if they don’t offer a rebate, many utilities will offer free pickup of an old refrigerator, saving you the disposal fee. 

Inside Consumer Reports Test Labs: Kitchen-cabinet organizers

“Top drawer” took on a new meaning when Bob Karpel (right), a Tech/Appliance Program Leader for Consumer Reports, and his team put a wide array of pullout drawers, refuse/recycling containers, and rotating lazy Susans through a series of grueling tests as part of our August 2008 report on kitchen-cabinet organizers. At prices ranging from $20 to $220, these add-ons can be a cost-effective upgrade to kitchen cabinets.

Here’s how we tested the gear:

Ease of Installation
One of the heavily weighted factors in our Ratings is ease of installation. Each of the 28 organizers we tested was installed in a typical kitchen cabinet. Those models with clear instructions and modest tool requirements (typically a screwdriver, ruler, and cordless drill) earned higher marks.

In general, bottom-mounting slide-out drawers and refuse/recycling containers were easy to install, but those with side-mounting rails proved difficult as a one-person job. Three of the refuse/recycling containers mounted directly to a cabinet door, which entailed the extra step of shimming out the side-mounted rails with wood blocks.

With the lazy Susans, centering and leveling the center posts and fitting all the needed large parts into a restricted cabinet also proved difficult. Note that if you have stone or composite counters, you’ll need to add a spacing block inside the cabinet to attach the lazy Susan’s top spindle mount.

Pulling-Force and Spinning Usability Testing
Bob added weight to each drawer component, then measured the force needed to pull it open. An alarming surprise: After durability testing, the stop mechanism on one low-priced unit worked only when its front section was heavily weighted; otherwise it just slid free of the rails.

Bob loaded each lazy Susan with some common kitchen items and turned each unit a set number of times to test for smoothness, stability, and sagging. Considering the installation also, the least-expensive model was best overall. And one model had a nice feature: an internal spindle with special grooved threads to allow quick shelf-height adjustments.

Durability Testing
Bob’s “pièce de résistance” for this project was a “durability rig” (right) that used a pair of electric motors and a couple of crank arms to pull the drawer components in and out thousands of times; it also rotated the lazy Susans back and forth. Bob felt this setup would simulate five to 10 years of use, depending on a family’s size and lifestyle. The testing machine was set to push each drawer unit against its stop.

Kitchen remodeling remains a popular project

My 84-year-old father told us a joke at the dinner table last Sunday (remember, this is a joke): “A guy cutting down a tree with a chain saw accidentally severs his left pinkie. His wife rushes him to the local hospital, where the emergency-room doctor explains to him, ‘You have two choices. We can replace the finger using expensive experimental microsurgery—it’ll cost $75,000—or you can live a perfectly normal life without the digit. Which would you prefer?’

“The guy tells the doctor he needs to quickly talk it over with his wife. The wife comes in, and her husband asks her what he should do. She ponders the question for a moment and replies: ‘I’d rather have a new kitchen.’”

There’s a raunchy version of that joke, but its point is the same: People love to remodel their kitchens, and some are willing to give up a lot to do so. And even in the midst of the economic slump we’re in, kitchen remodeling remains popular in the United States. In fact, kitchen projects are estimated to be the biggest source of remodeling spending in 2008, garnering 18 percent of the total home- improvement dollars American consumers will shell out, according to the Home Improvement Research Institute’s 2007 Project Decision Study. (Adding a bathroom accounts for 7 percent of spending; replacing a roof, 8 percent.) The average kitchen remodel in 2007 cost $6,800, according to HIRI.

Some other interesting findings from the HIRI study:

• 46 percent of U.S. kitchen remodels were completely do-it-yourself, while 62 percent were at least partially DIY.

• “Buy-it-yourself,” or BIY, remodels—in which the consumer buys the products and has a contractor install them—account for 21 percent of kitchen remodels.

• Women initiate most kitchen-remodeling projects. Still, men initiated 31 percent of kitchen remodels, up from 18 percent in 2003.

• The use of built-in appliances in remodeled kitchens is growing. (Read our recent Q&A on the repair history of built-in refrigerators.)

• Average spending on kitchen remodeling projects has not increased much over the last two years.

With inflation on the rise, how have consumers managed not to spend more on their kitchen projects even as prices are increasing? The answer might lie in the BIY trend: Savvy homeowners who shop around for materials and appliances are making wise choices in the products they use and are getting good deals.—Karin Weisburgh, Senior Research Analyst

Essential information: Be a smart shopper yourself and read our report on where to buy appliances.

Turn your bathroom into at-home retreat

Given the current depressed housing market, Americans are more likely to stay in their current homes than to move. But they’ll continue to pump money into their condos, town homes, and houses: U.S. consumers are expected to spend in excess of $170 billion on remodeling projects in 2008, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

The bathroom remains one of the most commonly fixed-up rooms. One trend in recent years has seen bathrooms converted into getaway spaces as consumers bling out their baths with whirlpool tubs, steam and multihead showers, high-style sinks, faucets, counters, and flooring, and other fixtures and surfaces once found only in high-end hotels and resorts. And, of course, the bathroom has become a multimedia center just like the kitchen, as manufacturers add music and video to their bathroom gear.

At last week's 2008 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, we saw of the latest bathroom offerings, including the Hansgrohe Pharo Showerpanel SkyLine,  the Brondell Swash Ecoseat toilet seat, and the SonicSplash audio option from Lasco. Learn about these and other products in our video (right), featuring Bob Markovich, Home editor of Consumer Reports.—Steven H. Saltzman

Essential information: Use our expert advice when you’re shopping for a new toilet and refer to our Ratings (available to subscribers) to find the right model for your home. Also learn how to remodel a bathroom for less and avoid common project mistakes.

Bamboo is growing in the home

Consumer Reports has tested bamboo towels, bamboo flooring, and even bamboo plates, many touting the claimed green aspects of these products. And last week we saw all kinds of bamboo offerings at the 2008 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, including Rio Grande Imports' Zoom bamboo bath sink, Totally Bamboo's bamboo countertop panels for kitchens and baths, and Teragren's Studio bamboo flooring.

Learn about the latest green-themed bamboo products in the video (right) featuring Bob Markovich, Home editor of Consumer Reports.

Protect Your Investment: Wood Floors

Part of the beauty of wood floors is that they change over time, taking on character and patina. You might even appreciate the squeaks and creaks that sometimes develop—as long as they’re not too loud.

But you still need to manage the aging process of your floors. Severely worn wood floors don’t look good, and when you sell your home, prospective buyers won’t see the “character” of the floors so much as several thousand dollars they’ll have to spend having the surfaces refinished or replaced. Here’s how to keep your wood floors looking their best.

Daily Duty
Sweeping is essential to maintaining the integrity of the finish. Regularly sweep wood floors with a soft-bristle broom. If the floorboards have beveled edges that trap dirt and crumbs, use the bare-floor option on your vacuum instead of a broom. (In our tests, canister vacuums perform better than upright vacuums on wood floors. The trade-off is they can be heavier and pricier than uprights. For more advice on choosing a vacuum, read our latest report and use our expert shopping advice.)

Occasional Tasks
Clean your floors periodically with a wood-cleaning solution. (If you sweep or vacuum diligently, cleaning a few times a year might suffice.) Which cleaner you use will depend on the type of finish you have. To test, apply a few drops of water in an inconspicuous area, says inside a closet. If white spots appear within 10 minutes, the finish is wax. If no white spots show up, it's polyurethane. Another way to identify a polyurethane finish is to scratch the surface (again, in an out-of-the-way area) with a coin or other sharp object. If the finish does not flake, it’s polyurethane.

Clean floors with a polyurethane finish with a solution of 1 cup distilled white vinegar and 3 to 4 gallons of warm water. (Or use a waterborne cleaner designed specifically for urethane finishes, such as Bona.) Damp-mop the floor damp—don’t soak it: Dip a terry-cloth towel into the solution, wringing the towel of excess solution and covering a standard flathead mop with the towel to clean the floor.

Clean wax-finish floors with a solvent-based cleaner and liquid wax designed specifically for wood floors.

Regardless of the finish, never use products intended for vinyl or tile on wood floors, as they can dull the finish and make the floors slippery. Be careful when using a sponge mop; some have hard metal edges that can easily scratch floors.

Preventive Measures
• Place a doormat outside entrances to your home to keep people from tracking dirt and grit indoors.
• Better yet, instate a no-shoes policy, which will preserve the floors. If you can’t ban all footwear indoors, at least ask people to remove high-heel shoes; they can have an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch, enough to mottle the surface of a wood floor over time.
• Use plastic or felt protectors under furniture legs to prevent scratches. When rearranging furniture, always lift pieces instead of sliding them.
• If you have a wood floor in the kitchen, place a mat in front of the sink and range to prevent steady foot traffic from wearing bare spots into the finish.

Essential information: When you need to install new floors, read our latest report on solid-wood, engineered-wood, and plastic-laminate options.

International Builders’ Show Product Preview: QuietRock Soundproof Drywall

Dedicating a room of a new home theater with the latest flat-panel TV and state-of-the-art sound system? Then the last thing you want to do is wake the kids while you’re watching the DVD or have your entertainment ruined by your neighbors’ noisy central-air compressor.

QuietRock drywall is a soundproofing wall and ceiling panel that manufacturer Quiet Solution claims will reduce up to eight times more noise than ordinary gypsum board. The QuietRock comes in varying thicknesses in 4x8-foot sheets, with additional sizes up to 4x12 feet.

QuietRock 510 (shown), suitable for DIY installation, according to the manufacturer, costs $40 for a 1⁄2-inch 4x8-foot sheet; the same-size panel of the 5⁄8-inch 530 costs about $130. The highest-performance panels are 1-3⁄8 inches thick.—Ed Perratore

International Builders'€™ Show Product Preview: American Standard FloWise Toilet

The latest low-flow toilets use even less water: California now requires that a residential toilet use 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf), 20 percent less than the 1.6-gpf standard in effect elsewhere nationwide.

The American Standard FloWise (shown) is among the first commodes to meet the new California standard without requiring a second, water-saving mode. It also carries the EPA's WaterSense label for high-efficiency toilets—€”akin to an Energy Star qualification—€”and is eligible for rebates in drought-prone areas.

This gravity-fed toilet is green without being wimpy, claims American Standard, thanks to a funnel-shaped, piston-action flush valve that helps accelerate incoming water; the valve is similar to the one on the company'€™s Champion models, a line of gravity toilet that did well in our last toilet report.

The FloWise retails for $395 in white and is backed by a 10-year limited warranty. We'll see how these American Standard models and other lower-flow toilets fare in our next toilet test.—€”Bob Markovich

International Builders' Show Product Preview: Kohler Express Vanities

A vanity will add style and storage to your bathroom, but getting that bulky piece home from the store, schlepping it to its location, and assembling the piece can prove challenging.

The Kohler Express installation system, available on the Alberry, Chalkstripe, Clermont, and Westmore vanities, addresses those inconveniences. This patented setup (shown partially open) uses a patented hinge design that allows you to stow the vanity relatively flat in your car, lift it more easily through a doorway, and essentially snap it into shape. Even better, there'€™s no charge for delivery and installation.

Vanities with the express system costs $450 to $700; countertop and sink are sold and installed separately. The vanities are available at Kohler showrooms and at major retailers nationwide, including Home Depot and Lowe'€™s.—€”Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Our report on bathroom makeovers includes information on countertop materials and a primer on how to avoid common remodeling blunders.

Protect Your Investment: Make your paint last

“At the end of a paint job, you’ll almost always have some leftover paint. Don’t dispose of it,” says Debbie Zimmer, director of communications and media relations at the Paint Quality Institute. Inevitably you’ll need to touch up a paint job, and you could have trouble matching the color at a later date if you don’t save the leftover paint.

Follow this expert advice to properly store open cans of paint. Do the job right, and your paint could last for years:

1. Never store paint where it will be subjected to subfreezing cold or extreme heat (more 100°F). Although most paints are formulated to withstand several freeze/thaw cycles, these conditions can ruin coatings by causing them to solidify
2. Always store the paint in its original container, with the label intact. This will help you properly identify the color and type of paint when you use it again
3. If key information is concealed by paint drippings, write down the brand, manufacturer’s code, color, gloss level, and type of paint on a strip of masking tape and affix it to the side of the can before you put it away. It’s also a good idea to include detailed information on where you used the paint, especially when similar colors were used throughout the house.
4. Clean wet paint from the groove on the rim with paper towels.
5. Cover the can opening with plastic wrap to help keep the container airtight.
6. On a metal can, replace the lid by using strong pressure to press it down into the groove lines. Don’t use a hammer to seal the can—you could damage the rim. Instead, use a rubber mallet, but not with too much force. If you have a plastic can with a screw-on lid, follow the first two steps, then apply the lid. If the leftover paint is an alkyd, or oil-based, product, place a piece of waxed paper directly onto the paint before sealing the can to prevent a film from forming as the paint sits.

Essential information: Read our March 2008 report on interior paints, including the latest information on one-coat finishing and details on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paint. And when the time comes to dispose of paint, find out the best ways to handle your old finishes.

How to hire a contractor

While most home contractors out there are legit and do quality work, the rogues gallery of bogus builders, careless carpenters, pitiful plumbers, and the like is a vast one.

Some of your friends and neighbors likely can relate cautionary tales of purloining pros, and perhaps you’ve even been the victim of a contractor whose work you cursed.

I’m sure you don’t want to revisit the miserable days when your project got derailed by an incompetent contractor, but “The Pros and Cons,” in the January 2008 issue of Angie’s List magazine, is a worthwhile read. The article (scroll to pages 12-21) features a nationwide who’s who of the top contractors and their sketchy counterparts.

The story won’t make up for any nightmares you’ve endured, but it might reassure you that genuine pros are out there. (Thousands of people use Angie’s List each month to report their customer experience in 250 categories, including home improvement and handymen. A membership fee gets you access to first-hand accounts from members and A to F ratings in several areas, including price, quality, punctuality and professionalism.)

To avoid hiring the contractor from hell, follow our advice:

Plan for success. Get three bids to gauge the going rate for work. But don't jump at the lowest bid; our surveys have shown that people who hired the lowest bidder generally got poorer work.

Get an estimate. It should list product, material, and labor costs and a timetable. Material and product allowances should give prices and quantities. Compare services and prices before making a final decision.

Choose pros you know. Our surveys have indicated that people who hire contractors they had worked with before were happier and had fewer time and cost overruns than those who hired someone new. While readers who hired pros recommended by a friend or neighbor were more satisfied than those who hired strangers, they faced as many delays and extra costs.

Get references from recent and older jobs. Reputable contractors will be happy to provide names and contact information for satisfied customers. Then check the work to see how it’s holding up.

Look for proper licensing and insurance. Make sure the contractor is licensed to do business in your state and that he has proper general liability and workers-compensation insurance. Check with your local government for permit requirements and confirm with the contractor who is responsible for paying for permits. Also visit the Contractor's License Reference Site to learn about licensing requirements in your state and to find out if a contractor is licensed.

Check the Better Business Bureau for filed complaints. Also contact your state's attorney general's office. Look for contact information in your state here. (Should you encounter a problem or fraud later on, report problems or fraud to your state attorney general.)

Do the hiring yourself. Your project is more likely to stay within budget and on time if you hire pros yourself than leaving the hiring and supervising to a general contractor.

Obtain a contract. A written contract will specify what will be done to complete the job, associated costs, and the payment schedule. Never sign a blank contract or one with blank spaces.

Stick with the plans. Making changes to plans after work begins could lead to cost overruns and delays.

Pay by check. Write out the check to the contracting company rather than to an individual. A reasonable down payment is 30 percent of the total project cost to be paid upon initial delivery of materials.

Make final payments only when the work is completed to your satisfaction. A reputable contractor will not threaten you or pressure you to sign documents if the job is not finished properly.—Steven H. Saltzman

Universal design can make a safer bathroom

An estimated 34 million Americans care for a parent, relative, or family friend over the age of 50, according to a recent survey conducted by National Alliance for Caregiving, a research and policy organization, and Evercare, a provider of health plans for frail elderly, disabled, and chronically ill Americans. That number is expected to grow as more baby boomers move into retirement.

If your parents will be moving in to your home, you might want or need to accommodate them by remodeling a bathroom following universal-design guidelines. (See our Bed & Bath page for more information on bathrooms.)

Before you start your project, read the advice here from Mary Jo Peterson, a universal-design expert in Brookfield, Connecticut, on how you can make the bathroom work for everyone in your family:

DOOR
Simple solutions. Switch a doorknob to a lever and remove or countersink the doorsill between rooms. Also, since a wheelchair typically requires a doorway 34 to 36 inches wide, install an open-out door or fold-flat hinges—they might provide a wide enough access.

Upgraded option. Use twin 18-inch pocket doors, which slide into the wall on each side.

FAUCET
Simple solutions. Avoid rounded, smooth faucet controls, which can be difficult to grip. Look for antiscald features.

Upgraded options. Faucets with wide levers or a spout with a single-handle control look good and are easiest to use.

SHOWER STALL
Simple solutions. Use a curtain for stand-alone showers. Angle the floor to direct water toward the drain. Put controls near the entryway so they’re reachable from outside. Use textured tiles, grab bars, and a seat.

Upgraded option. A built-in seating platform adds security and a spalike feel. Read "Go for the flow" for  information on showerheads.

SINK
Simple solutions. If the bathroom has two sinks, consider adding one that’s taller to reduce bending. To allow adequate knee space beneath, a sink should be at least 29 inches high by 30 inches wide.

Upgraded options. Four-legged consoles, including recessed or countertop bowls, are a trendy alternative to vanities. A wide console can accommodate a wheelchair, as can a wall-mounted sink and a sink counter that leaves space below itself.

SUPPORT GRIPS
Simple solution. Use grab bars in the toilet and bath areas. Anchor them in 3/4-inch-thick plywood behind the drywall.

Upgraded options. Some companies offer grab bars in a range of colors. These bars are made of nonslip nylon, a better choice than metal.

TOILET
Simple solutions. Install a taller, comfort-height toilet; it’s a plus for anyone with a bad back or weak leg muscles. And an elongated bowl is more versatile than a round one. Remember, a wheelchair requires a space at least 30 inches wide by 48 inches deep in front of the toilet.

Upgraded options. A wall-mounted toilet can be installed at any height. An open-ended toilet-paper holder is simpler to use than a spring-loaded holder. Learn more about toilets in "Comfortable and efficient."

TUB
Simple solutions. Build a tub into a “deck” someone can sit on before getting into the water. Put controls and faucets on the sides of the tub, and install a hand-held showerhead on the wall or deck.

Upgraded options. Ease entry to the tub by installing grab bars and an undermount tub.

More safety information: Smooth, glazed ceramic tiles can be slippery in the wet bathroom environment. To prevent slips and falls, be sure the floor, shower area, and tub have slip-resistant finishes. Also consider adding a rubber bath mat or stick-on strips. To prevent burns from hot water, install antiscald valves in the shower or tub.

Tip of the day: How to hire a painter

Most homeowners hire a contractor to repaint the exterior of their home. Follow our advice to help ensure a high-quality job, whether you’ll have your house painted this fall or next spring.

Meet the pros. Call in at least three different contractors for your job. (Friends and family are good reference sources.) And be home for the initial meeting with them. That way, you’ll know how much time each contractor took to assess the condition of your home. The longer he takes, the more realistic the estimate you’ll get. Even an experienced painter will need more than a quick walk around your house.
    Also ask each contractor about the size of his crew and the members’ experience level.

State your expectations. The number of coats a painter applies isn’t the only factor in determining the quality—and price—of the project. Preparation is also key. If you want a surface that’s free of unevenness from past paint jobs, tell the contractors—and be prepared to pay extra. But if you can live with some imperfections, agree on what level of prep is acceptable and what isn’t.

Get estimates. Seek a written estimate from each contractor. It should include a breakdown of labor, material costs, the number of coats of primer and paint, the brand and model of materials, and a detailed description of the amount of surface preparation that will be done.

Check references and past work. Get a list of references from each contractor and call them to find about their experience with the pro. A history of positive references is a good sign. Also examine jobs the painters did several years ago to see how their work is holding up. Use recent projects to check the skill of their current crews.

Consider credentials. Before you hire someone, consider his credentials. Membership in a trade or local business group, for example, isn’t a guarantee of quality work, but it shows a level of commitment and reliability on his part. Also verify whether the pro has the appropriate license(s). (You’ll find the licensing information in your state at the Contractor’s License Reference Site. Also check with the Better Business Bureau, the attorney general’s office in your state, or a local consumer-affairs agency to learn whether the contractor has a history of unresolved complaints.

Obtain a complete contract. The contract should include all the contractor’s key information: name, address, office and cell numbers, and license number, plus whatever details were in the estimate. Make sure the contract clearly states what is and is not included in the job.
    Get a copy of the painter’s liability and workers’ compensation insurance certificates. If he doesn’t have coverage, you could be on the hook if, for example, the crew drops a ladder on your neighbor’s car or a crew member gets hurt on the job.

Ask for a guarantee. The painter should promise to correct any chipping, peeling, blistering, flaking, or excessive fading or chalking that occurs within two years after the job is done at no or little cost. If he tells you the paint itself has a warranty, remember that doesn’t include labor, which is a far more costly proposition than material.

Choose the paint yourself. Your painter might try to talk you into a paint he prefers, but use the finish you want. See our latest report on exterior paints and stains and refer to our Ratings (available to subscribers) to find top performers.

Look for lead. If your home was built before 1978, older coats of paint could contain lead. That means the painter might need to take extra precautions to avoid any hazards. See “Getting the lead out” for more information.

Hold out. Finally, don’t make a large down payment and withhold the final payment, typically 10 to 15 percent, until you are fully satisfied with the job.

Illustration by Jason Schneider

With DirectBuy, it will cost you a lot to save

Your town or city might have been blanketed recently with newspaper ads and TV commercials for DirectBuy. The nationwide buying club, with headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana, promises members access to 700 brand-name manufacturers of home goods and the opportunity to buy merchandise with no “hidden store markups and middlemen costs.” Ads invite you to an open house, where you’ll see “confidential” wholesale prices. “We can’t show you the brand names and we certainly can’t show you the prices,” read one ad. What it also doesn’t show you is DirectBuy’s steep membership cost.

The Real Deal
To evaluate the pitch, we went undercover at two DirectBuy franchises in New York. Both gave us the same hard sell and offers of up to 70 percent off retail prices if we were to join. Only after an hour and a half of sales pitches and video testimonials from members did we learn the membership fee: $4,900 to $4,990 (plus tax) for three years and then $190 a year for seven more. Financing is available at 17.75 percent.

After the fee disclosure, we discovered that we had to sign up on the spot or never come back. We couldn’t bring DirectBuy’s “confidential” prices elsewhere to comparison shop, the representatives said, because this would likely anger retailers who might then retaliate against the manufacturers by refusing to sell their merchandise.

The fine print in the DirectBuy contract says you cannot return items, cancel orders, or terminate your membership. When we asked if, after plunking down $5,000, we could cancel and get a refund, a salesperson said, “You’ll have to check state law.” A review of New York state law revealed that the three-day cooling-off period for canceling contracts wouldn’t apply in this case.

Tacked onto the cost of merchandise—which you select from catalogs since DirectBuy has limited showrooms—are a 6 percent handling fee, shipping fees, and tax. Goods are typically shipped only to your local center, so you might pay additional fees to actually get your new stuff home.

Just how good are the prices? We compared them against those of other retailers. Prices for electronics and appliances were often only slightly better than those at online retailers and in some instances higher. For example, a 46-inch JVC flat-screen TV selling for $2,586 on DirectBuy’s site cost $2,095 elsewhere. We did find deep discounts on flooring and high-end furniture. In fact, one member we interviewed estimated that she saved about $50,000 over several years on furniture and a kitchen remodel using DirectBuy. Yet the club did poorly on some basics. We found a Kohler bath faucet for $300 less on a kitchen-and-bath Web site.

Some DirectBuy members complained to us about poor customer service and long waits for merchandise. But since DirectBuy outlets are franchises, service varies by location. Most outlets have a good record with the Better Business Bureau, though some have a poor one or have been suspended from the BBB.

The Bottom Line
The lack of price transparency makes it hard to evaluate whether you’ll save by joining DirectBuy. But even if you were to save 25 percent on purchases after joining, you’d need to spend more than $20,000 just to recoup your membership fee. DirectBuy might save you money if you’re furnishing a house from scratch or doing a major renovation. But since you can’t shop around beforehand, you’ll be joining blind.—Chris Fichera

This article first appeared in the September 2007 issue of Consumer Reports Money Adviser.

Inside CR Test Labs: A cleaner glass?

I love looking through clean windows, but washing windows is among my least favorite chores. So when I saw Andersen’s High-Performance Low-E4 windows at the International Builders’ Show last February, I knew we had to test this new product as part of October 2007 report on windows. The sunlight-activated titanium-dioxide coating on the glass is supposed to create windows that, claims Andersen, “stay cleaner, dry faster for easy cleaning and that have up to 99% less water spots.”

Five months after the Builders’ Show I found myself on the roof of our Yonkers, New York, headquarters with Ed Perratore, one of our senior editors, and Rico De Paz, a Tech department project leader. We were examining two Andersen windows—one with the Low-E4 glass and one with regular low-e glass—to see whether we could identify which had Low-E4 glass. At that point the windows had been exposed to the elements for three months as part of our testing.

We looked at the exterior glass of each window from a few feet away and then scrutinized each one from up close. They appeared the same—one was not any filthier than the other. We also ran our fingers across the glass on each to determine whether one felt grimier. We still couldn’t tell them apart. Finally, we looked through the interior side of the windows. Again, one wasn’t noticeably dirtier than the other. In fact, neither was particularly dirty.

Our conclusion: When it comes to window cleanliness, it’s not worth the extra money to upgrade to the Low-E4 glass; in our tests, Andersen’s standard low-e glass stayed just as clean.—Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman

Essential information: Look for our special report, Save Hundreds on Energy Costs, in the October 2007 issue, on sale in late August. It includes full reports on windows, space heaters, compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and much more. Visit GreenerChoices.org for the latest news on environmental issues and expert advice on ways to save energy and money every day.

Doing It Right: Flooring Installation

How to get the best installation for your new floor

Installing a wood or laminate floor is a big job that can take over a room for days. Whether you’re doing the job yourself or hiring a contractor, proper preparation and attention to detail are essential for high-quality results. To ensure a beautiful, level, squeak-free floor, follow these dos and don’ts.

Buy more material than you need. Most wood or engineered-wood (plywood covered by a wood veneer) flooring should be matched for color and grain by the manufacturer. But there could be variance from batch to batch, so buy all the flooring you’ll need all at once and from the same manufacturer. Experts advise buying seven to 10 percent more flooring than you need for your project to allow for mistakes, bad boards, and waste.

Plastic-laminate floorboards are essentially fiberboard with a picture of wood grain under a clear protective layer. But laminate panels can have similar patterns, so you may want to pull from multiple packages when installing to avoid repetition.

Inspect the subfloor before installation. Solid-wood flooring must be nailed to a plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) subfloor. Engineered wood can be nailed or glued to a subfloor or glued directly to above-grade concrete. Laminate flooring locks together and goes over a vapor barrier and foam padding in a process called “floating.”

You can check that the subfloor is level by stretching a string or laying a 2x4 on its narrow edge against the surface. It should be level within 1/8 inch within 10 feet in any direction.

If the flooring is going over above-grade concrete, be sure the contractor inspects the subfloor for excess moisture before installation.

Acclimate the boards. Wood or engineered wood should be unpacked and left to acclimate to the moisture level in your home for 24 to 72 hours before installation (laminate flooring may or may not need to acclimate—check with your manufacturer). “Almost all the problems with wood floors are because of moisture,” says Ken Schumacher, of Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors in Newport, Kentucky, and the chairman of the board of the National Wood Flooring Association. “If conditions are right before installation, you won’t have problems down the road.”

Allow for expansion. Molding should be removed from the walls during installation, and the installer should allow a 1/4- to 1/2-inch gap between the edge of the flooring and the wall (often done with spacers). To avoid ending up with overly thin boards at the finish wall, measure from the start to finish wall, then divide by the width of the boards. If the remainder is less than one half the width of a board, trim the lead boards by one half the remainder. (The same principle applies to the start and lead walls, widthwise.) Be sure to measure each board at the finish wall before cutting to allow for irregularities in the wall.

Know your sealant. Laminate floors need no stains or sealants. Your installer will, however, need to sand solid-wood floors and some engineered-wood products and treat them with three to seven coats of polyurethane. Water-based poly dries faster (about one hour per coat) than oil-based sealant (about a day per coat) and leaves less of an odor, but might need an extra coat to fill in the wood grain. In between coats, the installer should use a buffer or sander to prepare it for the next coat. Newer, prefinished wood boards are more expensive, but allow for a faster installation with less mess and fewer fumes. With prefinished boards, you might also notice small gaps between the edges since the boards are beveled.

Protect the floor. Sweep or vacuum floors with a soft broom or brush and clean with a damp but not overly wet mop. Consult the manufacturer’s guidelines for suggested cleaning products. Finally, put felt pads on the bottom of all furniture to prevent scratching.

Essential information: Read our latest flooring report, “Latest isn’t greatest,” which covers six different types of flooring and includes Ratings of 39 different products.  Also refer to these illustrations, which show you what to look for in a topnotch installation. For help hiring a contractor, read “Remodeling: Secrets of success.”

Q&A: What’s your take on hands-free faucets for the kitchen?

As part of a major kitchen remodel, I’m considering buying a hands-free faucet for the primary sink. Have you tested any hands-free models that work well?—C. Weber, via e-mail

Hands-free faucets appeal to some people because they believe they will help them reduce household water consumption. (We’ve yet to conclude that hands-free models save water.) Others appreciate the fact that they don’t have to touch a handle to turn on the water, which could keep the faucet cleaner and free of germs, say from raw poultry being handled.

We recently tested one hand-free fixture, the Danze Parma Dual Function Kitchen Faucet With Spray, $500 (shown), and found that its hands-free function performed well.

Unlike some other hands-free faucets—like the early-generation ones in airport restrooms that practically had you doing the Hokey Pokey to get the water to flow—the Parma quickly detected our hands when we wanted to wash them and a pot when we wanted to fill it.

The single-handle faucet uses a motion sensor in the base to start the water flow. A battery-powered control valve lets you set the water temperature and running time—from 5 to 45 seconds. And a simple wave of the hand in front of the sensor turns off the water.

The Parma is either hardwired or battery powered. Note that you can operate the faucet the old-fashioned way if the power goes out in your home or when the sensor battery dies.

Overall, this Danze does a good job, but it’s pricey. In our August 2007 report on faucets, prices ranged from $80 to $600, and we found few performance differences among the models.

Essential information: Before you start work on a kitchen remodel, read our 30-page special section in the August 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, Great Kitchens for Less. You'll learn about 10 kitchen products that don't match the hype surrounding them, get expert advice on paying for your project, and find the best deals on appliances. Also use our Kitchen-Planning Guide for information on appliances, design, materials, project oversight, and other remodeling subjects .

Send your questions about any home-related topic to our experts.

Midnight savings at Sears

Far be it from me to suggest that you should spend your free hours shopping, but if you are a real night owl, suffer from insomnia, or will otherwise find yourself out after midnight tonight, you might want to head over to your local Sears.

From 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on July 7 (that's Friday night into Saturday morning), the retailer is holding a 10 percent off sale on many appliances. As you might imagine, there are loads of restrictions on what items are part of the sale, so click here for details.

Before you rush out to buy any appliances for your kitchen, be sure to read our 30-page special kitchen section from the August 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, Great Kitchens for Less. We cover 10 kitchen products that don't match the hype surrounding them and also include expert advice on paying for your project and tell you where to get the best deals on appliances. (Sears does well for both small and large appliances.)

And when you need information on appliances, design, materials, project oversight, and many other topics related to a kitchen remodel, use our Kitchen-Planning Guide. The advice will save you a lot more than 10 percent and help make your dream kitchen a reality.—Steven H. Saltzman

How to sell your home in a down market

Unlike a couple of years ago, you’re likely not going to have an easy time selling your home. But there are some ways to make your home stand out in the very crowded marketplace, and you won't have to break the bank to do so.

When the housing market was hot, many homeowners believed that pouring money into their homes would pay off big when they eventually sold. But remodeling and upgrading are generally mediocre investments—few projects pay for themselves. Even kitchens and bathrooms remodels, long considered the most profitable improvements to undertake, may return only 50 percent to 75 percent at sale—and only if you sell a year after the project is completed. Five or 10 years later, your state-of-the-art kitchen could be a relic. (Read “Is your remodel worth the investment?”) Here are some other tips to consider when preparing your home for the market:

Undertake the right projects. The ones that should take priority are those that will protect your home from deterioration and damage, like roof replacement and plumbing and electrical upgrades. Although such improvements don't do much to beautify your home, they will help preserve its value.

Consider curb appeal. Be sure your home isn't an eyesore on the outside. At the very least, buyers visiting your home will expect a decent paint job. If the body of your house is in good shape, you may just need to touch up the trim. This work will make your house stand out. "A gallon of paint and a paint brush don't cost much, but they can really make a difference," says National Association of Realtors president Tom Stevens.

• Keep this thought in mind. Exterior paint isn't just for show. A quality paint job—we recommend two topcoats—provides an important layer of protection against moisture, mildew, and the effects of the sun. (Read our latest report on exterior paints and stains.)

• Further, keep your yard tidy—it's one of the first thing potential buyers see before entering your home. If your lawn is in pretty good shape, there's no need to hire a landscaper. The NAR recommends that you spend no more than 1 or 2 percent of your home's value on sprucing up landscaping before you sell. Stevens recommends spreading mulch on beds around trees, mowing grass, and trimming shrubs and walkways. And if the season is right for blooms, place flowerpots around the entry and in the patio.

Don't forget your driveway. If it hasn't been resurfaced in a while and doesn't have major cracks, head down to the hardware store and pick up some asphalt resealer and a spreader. According to Stevens, it's a great way to kick up without spending a lot of money.

Avoid overimprovement. Making too many changes is a game of diminishing returns. So don't add a third story on your house if your home will be the only one on the block to have one. Think twice about adding a swimming pool, too. In some areas, a pool can decrease resale value—it costs a lot to insure and maintain a pool, and many buyers don't want to be hassled with these added expenses.

Fit in with the neighborhood. Before you make changes to your home, take a hard look at houses in your neighborhood. You'll get the biggest bang for your buck by keeping up with the Joneses, not by going them one better. If most houses have three baths and yours has only one and a half, adding a new bathroom will boost the value of your home. The same goes for bedrooms.

• Remember this: Projects that merely update styles might make the house sell more quickly, but only if you sell when the style is still, well, in style. Elaborate and expensive window treatments featuring this season's favorite colors and tones may appear out of date next year. Kitchen appliances can also go out of style—remember avocado and burnt orange refrigerators of the 1970s? Stick with the basics and avoid being too trendy.

Don't overdecorate. Gold-plated faucets or a bathroom tiled in puce won't add to the value of your home. If your interior features splashy colors, or paint appears dirty or worn, repaint with neutral colors that won't feel dated. Further, simple white or beige walls provide potential homeowners with a clean slate on which they can envision their own personal touches.

Clear clutter. Too much stuff makes rooms look smaller and less appealing. Keep tables and countertops clean and clear, and remove extra furniture. But don't relocate your possessions to a garage, attic, or basement. All you're doing then is cluttering another space and turning off potential buyers. If you plan to hold on to Grandpa Lou's armchair and your collection of beer cans, consider renting a storage space. A 10x10-foot storage space ranges from about $40 to several hundred dollars a month, depending on the region.

Make it homey. Set the stage for comfortable living. A bright, tidy home will sell a lot faster than a dingy one, Stevens says. Hang your guest towels in the bathroom, set your dinner table with your best china, and place fresh flowers in an attractive vase. Appeal to the potential buyer's sense of smell as well. Clean carpets and drapes. Empty the trash and freshen cat-litter boxes.

PRICE TO SELL
Setting the right price is also key to selling your house quickly and maximizing your profit. Research has found that houses whose prices had been changed sell for less than homes whose prices had never been revised. The longer a house sits on the market, the more it becomes stigmatized in the minds of buyers—and the harder it is to sell.

So before you set the asking price of your home, research prices on comparable properties in your market. Scour newspaper and Web listings, attend open houses, and consult several real-estate brokers for sales information on comparable properties.—Helen A.S. Popkin

Not your average shower

Kramer: "You went to the coffee shop without me? I told ya, I just wanted to hop in the shower."
Jerry: "That was an hour ago. What were you doing in there?"
Kramer: "Showering. How long does it take you?"
Jerry: "Ten minutes."
Kramer [seeing Elaine come into Jerry's apartment]: "Ten minutes? That's kooky talk. Hey Elaine, how long do you spend in the shower?"
Elaine: "Ten minutes."
Kramer: "Let me smell you."
Elaine: "All right. Whiff away."
Kramer [after delicately sniffing Elaine]: "Uh . . . that's not bad at all."
—From Seinfeld episode “The Apology,” which originally aired on December 11, 1997. (Script excerpt from www.seinfeldscripts.com).

Kramer, Jerry’s gangly, loony neighbor, would probably love the new DTV II from Kohler (shown). The guy who couldn’t get in and out of the shower in less than an hour could luxuriate in the splendor of the DTV II, “an easy-to use, custom, digital hydrotherapy system” that includes built-in sound, steam, lights, and the pleasant-sounding WaterTile Ambient Rain Showering Panel.

When I reviewed the Kohler press release—a slick four-color pamphlet with a CD—I started to wonder why someone would need this in-home spa. How long does the average American shower, after all?

It turns out, according to Cyndi Schoenbrun, a senior research analyst in our InfoCenter, that American adults shower on average for only 8 minutes at a time. Get wet, lather up, rinse, sing or hum a few bars of your favorite song, ponder life or the daily to-do list, and head out to start (or end) the day.

To be honest, I wouldn’t mind having such a stunning, apparently life-changing bathroom setup in my home. My own steam shower is quite nice, mind you, but it doesn’t come close to the DTV II. Then again, when the alarm goes off at 5:55 a.m. Monday through Friday—signaling a routine that includes my own getting ready for work and making breakfast and lunch for our three kids—the last thing I have time for is, in Kohler’s words, a “showering experience.”

I guess that’s what weekends are for.—Steven H. Saltzman

Essential information: If you’re planning a bathroom remodel, read “Bathroom makeovers: Relaxing retreats for less” (available to subscribers). Also check out “Is your remodel worth the investment?” Perhaps you’d be better off spending your remodeling dollars somewhere else besides the bathroom.

Q&A: Are closet and garage organizers a good deal?

Friends and family tell me I live in fantasyland because I’m obsessed with turning my pigsty into a model of order. I’ve seen some closet- and garage-organizing systems that cost up to $2,000. Are they worth it?—Sloppy in Seattle

The dream of orderly closets and a clutter-free home is compelling. But in our tests of install-it-yourself systems, we found that many are poorly designed, made of shoddy materials, and a nightmare to install. The good news is, others matched professionally installed systems for a small fraction of the cost. Before you invest your time, money, and patience, consider these tips:

Look online first. After checking our closet and garage organizer Ratings (available to subscribers) for the best systems, visit manufacturers’ Web sites to see the accessories that are available—the offerings change over time. Add-ons such as shoe storage and extra drawers might make the difference in what you buy.

Decide how handy you are. If the sight of a screwdriver makes your head spin, you might want one of the highly rated professionally installed units we tested. But be prepared for a sales pitch, subtle or otherwise. If you’re comfortable using a drill, screwdriver, and level, you can do the work yourself. The three closet organizers and three garage organizers with top scores typically fit together well, had clear assembly instructions, and required little or no cutting.

Match the material to the use. Avoid garage products that use cardboard or unsealed particleboard where exposure to the elements or normal use can weaken or damage the material. Wire shelves let air circulate but can leave lines in sweaters and delicate fabrics. So look for closet systems with solid shelves or thin boards you can put over the wire.

Consider Einstein’s Three Rules of Work. “Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” I’m not sure what that means, but an expensive and perhaps difficult-to-install closet system isn’t the only way to achieve the dream of an organized home. Maybe you just have too much stuff.—Helen A.S. Popkin