Podcast Episode 91 — Solar Roofs and Collapsing Sheds
If you could recreate your house from scratch, what trim material would you use?
In this podcast, Fine Homebuilding staffers Justin, Brian, and Rob talk about stain, brushes, roofs, solar panels, building codes, small barn restoration, trim materials, and insulation.
Justin starts off with a finishing project, with the conversation ranging over bases, glazes, oil stains, shellac, and drying rates. Plus, natural bristle brushes vs. china bristle vs. synthetic vs. blend. Brian shares his tips for cleaning brushes.
The guys also have some interesting comments on building code updates for roofs with solar panels. Seems that firefighters need a space to walk, in an emergency.
Listener Brian has a question about an old, small, collapsing barn (see a slideshow of barn photos below). Is this barn worth saving? Justin and Rob are skeptical, but editor Brian thinks it might be a fun project.
Listener Ben wants advice on the best material for exterior trim. Wood? Polyvinyl? Fiber Cement? The guys debate romance vs. practicality, and then, inevitably, turn to insulation issues.
If you are going to IBS next month, please consider coming to our awesome fundraiser event. Check that out at the KeepCraftAlive website.
We hope you will take advantage of a great offer for our podcast listeners: A special 20% off discounted rate to subscribe to the Fine Homebuilding print magazine. That link goes to finehomebuilding.com/podoffer.
The show is driven by our listeners, so please subscribe and rate us on iTunes or Google Play, and if you have any questions you would like us to dig into for a future show, shoot an email our way: [email protected]. Also, be sure to follow Justin Fink, Rob Yagid, and Fine Homebuilding on Instagram — and “like” the magazine on Facebook. Note that you can watch the show above, or on YouTube at the Fine Homebuilding YouTube Channel.
The Fine Homebuilding Podcast embodies Fine Homebuilding magazine’s commitment to the preservation of craftsmanship and the advancement of home performance in residential construction. The show is an informal but vigorous conversation about the techniques and principles that allow listeners to master their design and building challenges.
Paintbrush cleaning resources:
- Cleaning Paintbrushes and Roller Covers.
- Choosing, Using and Maintaining Paintbrushes.
- Cleaning Paintbrushes.
- Paintbrush-Cleaning Advice.
- How to Clean a Paint Brush.
Here are a few links related to this podcast:
- How to Hang Airtight Drywall.
- All FHB podcast show notes: FineHomebuilding.com/podcast.
- IBS Preview Post.
- IBS Fundraiser Event Registration.
- #KeepCraftAlive tee-shirts make great holiday gifts, and the proceeds support scholarships for building trades students. So go order some shirts at KeepCraftAlive.org.
Click below to see a gallery of listener Brian’s small barn photos.
View Comments
The panelist on the viewers right with the arm tattoo has a good technique for oil based brush cleaning that's closest to mine. I take a glass jar with lid and fill it 2/3 way with mineral spirits or paint thinner. Then into a metal coffee or soup can I pour 1/2 the spirits in to it. This is where I wash the brush(not much is used). Next with the mineral spirit laden brush I swish it around in a metal can of wood ashes, wack it out on a hard surface and do this over again .The ashes absorb the smallest amount of paint that's left in the brush via the spirits. Now just brush out the bristles with a stiff brush. Last step is to pour back the dirty spirits into the jar into the clean spirits. The paint will settle to the bottom. At your next cleaning carefully pour off the clear spirits that rose to the top into your cleaning can and proceed as before. There is so little waist of spirits in this process and environmentally it is superior! Recycle as paint when the paint in the jar out numbers the spirits left and start a new jar of spirits.