Happy Monday. Back to the grind, huh? A few things to wake you up:
1. Thanks to everyone who has shown support for me over in Apartment Therapy’s 2013 Homies. Of all of the blogging popularity contests on the interwebs, it’s a fun one to check out if you haven’t done so already. You’ll inevitably find another handful of blogs to be inspired by, at least I have. Enjoy! And if you haven’t done so and feel so inclined, sign up and vote for me on the Best Home Projects & DIY Blog page.
2. To say I complained all weekend about Vine–Twitter’s latest big thing in social media–is an understatement. I’ve embraced it, and I’m sure the app will continue to evolve and improve. More importantly, now you have an easy way to see my short 6-second looping “videos.” (Find it in the App Store if you have an iPhone or iTouch, and look for me – search Merrypad). And if you don’t have an iPhone and you just want to see my first few videos, check them out here, here, here, here, and here.
3. I’m giving Google+ another go. This time, I have a page dedicated to Merrypad, so if you’re looking for more circles to join, find me here. I still have to work on the lingity. My community? My network? Wanna Hangout? What do you mean live video?
4. Today’s post (from here down) was sponsored by Cinch. It is a brief review written by yours truly, but I was under no obligation to write it even though the company gave me a f-r-e-e door weatherizer to install in my home. I only write about products I think you’ll either love, or need to be informed about, and this one is fitting.
I’ve been really, really diligent about getting our home insulated this year and it’s made a noticeable difference, especially on cold days like these (it’s 24-degrees). Certain rooms, doorways, and windows that were once drafty seem to be no longer, and my efforts have been more obvious that you’d expect; it’s reflected in our still low heating bill.
M-D Building Products picked up on my mission to over-insulate my 1940’s home, and sent along its newest product Cinch for me to test. It’s a good product, especially in theory because it’s main benefit lends to easy installation without the use of brad nails, which so many traditional weatherstrippers mandate. I have only one issue with it, one issue that I suspect will break the sale for you guys, and that’s why I’m being vocal. Not vocal, I mean, that’s why I’m sharing my thoughts here.
One of the least insulated exterior doors in our home is our side entry door, original to the house and plenty heavy, but even with a storm door installed over it has been exceptionally drafty. It was really noticeable on windy days, the inefficient spaces actually whistled with the breeze. It was definitely a poorly weatherproofed door if I’ve ever seen one.
Cinch mailed me one of their white finished products so that I could seal all sides of my door (it also comes in silver and chocolate brown); the existing sweep of this particular door was actually doing a good job already, so I didn’t replace it, but a new one did come with the set I received.
M-D Building Products’ claim to it being a simple install is true, the 3M adhesive strips are strong, and there’s no arguing that it’s easy to get a really good seal when you’re able to align and mush the adhesive right into position on your frame.
The issue I had is evident in that above picture though, because the product that installs on the walls and top of the door frame are sold in 5 pieces (two for each side of the door, one for the top), there are unavoidable breaks in the clean line of the weatherizer. And maybe this could have been avoided had I had the foresight to install the finished end of the strips together instead of one finished end and one hacksawed-to-length end (palm to forehead) but any break in seal is going to be visible, and it hits right about at the height of the doorknob, so it’s not especially subtle. The two pieces are jointed together with a small piece of plastic tube, a detail that I found especially difficult to wrangle into place cleanly. Based on this picture, I’m not entirely sure it’s doing a perfect job at weathersealing where the pieces connect.
I really still need to paint the frame of this door. I wish I had done that before installing the weather strips, because the adhesive is so strong I won’t be able to get it off cleanly to do so. Appearance aside, Cinch was easy to install (I did so in about 10 minutes, and I was battling a strong wind), and we really do think that it’s made a significant difference in the draftiness of the door; no more whistling wind, no more cool air breezes.
If you’re looking for an easy fix, this may be a good product for you. It’s $30 for the sides, top, and bottom and sold at Lowe’s, Home Depot and Menard’s (I also found it on Amazon
If you’re looking for something clean-lined and finished-looking, keep in mind that the strips on the left and right are two panels pieced together and do not have a clean, finished effect.
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