DIY Builds
DIY Builds
Photo: Ivars
Even companies that sell landscaping fabric caution against using plastic because it doesn't allow plants to breathe, inhibits proper drainage and creates an environment for fungus, mold, bacteria and rot.
If your shed has a built-in floor, you want the gravel foundation to be 2ft longer and 2ft wider than your shed wall dimensions. If your shed does...
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Do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity? Yes. Dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity. While the wattage (483.24W is average) and the hourly...
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These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.
Learn More »In a perfect world, gardeners would lay down black landscapers' cloth, cover it with mulch and have weed-free beds. It could work so well that first year that their neighbors would copy them. But fast-forward five years and the pesky fabric is poking through the mulch and the weeds are having their way with the flower beds. What the gardening-show landscapers don't tell you when they demonstrate how to lay down landscaping fabric - a porous cloth - is that after mulch breaks down and produces dirt, the weed seeds take root in the dirt that has built up on top of the cloth. "It works for a year or two. It always, in the end, looks ugly," says Bill Duesing, executive director of Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut. "It doesn't do its purpose," which is to block weeds. In general, he says, it's not a good idea to add non-biodegradable matter to soil. Even companies that sell landscaping fabric caution against using plastic because it doesn't allow plants to breathe, inhibits proper drainage and creates an environment for fungus, mold, bacteria and rot. There are several biodegradable alternatives. Leaves make a great weed barrier, Duesing says. Rather than rake the leaves out of the garden, home gardeners could just dress them with a thin layer of bark mulch. If you don't like the thought of keeping your leaves where they fall and you're looking for a biodegradable weed barrier, Carol Quish, a program aide with the University of Connecticut Home and Garden Education Center, recommends newspaper and cardboard laid down under the mulch. These will eventually break down and lose their effectiveness, but they won't have to be pulled up. "Lay down five or six layers of newspaper and top dress with a half-inch of mulch. The worms love it," Quish says. She avoids newspaper circulars and pages with colored ink. If the weeds have started growing on top of the landscaping cloth, say Quish and Duesing, remove the cloth. Plastic should be avoided as a liner under mulch, but farmers sometimes use heavy duty black plastic to warm up the soil and as a weed barrier; home vegetable gardeners can do so, too. On the plus side, black plastic holds in the sun's heat and warms the soil, speeding up the time it takes for heat-loving plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons and sweet potatoes, to bear fruit, Duesing says. It also creates a barrier to weeds, but the weeds can become a problem at the edges. Gardeners have to be diligent about watering, however, because the nonporous plastic repels rainwater. If gardeners water just the plants, the plastic helps conserve water because the water goes into the soil around the roots.
However, this can be boosted up to 18 to 24 inches for exposure and accessibility reasons. Additionally, as far as height from the ground goes,...
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Wood in Toothpaste A form of cellulose known as cellulose gum, or Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), plays several roles in toothpaste: thanks...
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Unlike plaster and resin, concrete doesn't tend to stick to molds, says Ceramics, but this doesn't mean that it won't do so, especially if the concrete is an aggregate mix or the mold is brand new.
Coat the mold with a release agent to prevent concrete from sticking, advises Smooth-On . The release agent forms a thin film that lubricates the mold so the concrete will slip right out once it has dried. You can purchase a release agent made specifically for concrete molds, or make your own by mixing 1 part castor oil with 8 parts denatured alcohol. Shake the mixture well before spraying the mold. Apply a light coat to the mold, making sure that the release agent does not pool in the bottom, and pour the concrete immediately. If the release agent collects in the bottom of the mold, wipe it out and start again. Too much release agent or allowing it to collect in the bottom can create small voids in the surface of your concrete and eliminate small details meant to be imparted by the mold.
Metal averages $14 a square foot to build, a far lower cost than wood's square foot rates. Cost per square foot varies from one region of the...
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Diseases are mainly spread to people from rodents when they breathe in contaminated air. CDC recommends that you NOT vacuum or sweep rodent urine,...
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Colonial-style homes have the highest resale factor when all other elements are equal. These two-story homes that often have a boxlike appearance...
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Do you need a foundation for your shed? Typically, small sheds in the size range of 6×8 or smaller do not require a foundation. However, we suggest...
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