How to properly insulate your home

We all know that we need to have insulation in our attics for comfort and energy efficiency. But how much do we need? And how do we add more? Let me help you figure this out.

All insulation is rated by an R-value, which is the amount of resistance required to transfer heat from one side of it to the other. You need to figure out what R-value you already have and what is required in your area to know how much more you need to add, if any.

Start by going to your attic and measuring the depth of the existing insulation. If it's loose-fill, try to level it out first. You can consult your county energy office, home center, a local contractor or www.energy.gov to help you determine your existing R-value.

Once you know what you already have, you can find out what is required in your area of the country and calculate what you need to add, if anything.

The easiest way to add insulation is probably going to be blowing in more loose-fill on top of the existing stuff. You can have this done, or do it yourself. Check your home center to see if it has a blower machine for use with the purchase of the insulation.

There is one thing you'll need to address whether you're adding more insulation or living with what you already have, and that's proper ventilation. Air needs to circulate through your attic over the top of your insulation in order to prevent excess moisture buildup inside your home or attic. It's important that you do not block any of your soffit vents, and you also should make sure that gable or roof vents are properly functioning.

This is something you probably won't have to do again for many years, so if it takes a little extra time or money, it will be worth it. You will be more comfortable all year round!

A handy holder

Paper towels are great in the shop, too. I keep a roll right on my workbench. I installed an inexpensive paper towel holder that I used to have in my kitchen onto the side on my workbench. It was easy enough to do, and it keeps a roll right where I need it when I am painting, cleaning or doing any other messy work. Put a holder in your garage or your garden shed. There are lots of places other than the kitchen for paper towels!

Open stubborn jars

The older I get, the more jars I have to bring to my husband, Richard, to open for me. But if he's not around, I have a backup plan: I just grab a rubber band from the junk drawer in my kitchen, and place it around the outside rim of the jar lid. This gives me some extra traction so I can get the lid off myself. It works most of the time. It's not as nice as having Richard there, but it works OK.

Super hints

• Those big, clunky flashlights of old are not much good any more, but if they are watertight, you can use them to store things you wan to protect from moisture damage. Take out the big battery and fill one of the old flashlights with fishing gear, medical supplies or tools.

Q. Our patio has a brick planter box around the edge of it. We just painted the concrete a light-gray color, and I would like to try to paint the brick planter to match. What type of paint should we use? Do we need to paint the inside, too?

A. Clean the entire brick surface thoroughly with trisodium phosphate, which is available in your paint store. After it is completely dry, use a primer made for masonry followed by a paint also made for masonry. If you have time, you can seal the inside with a concrete sealer to prevent moisture from leaching through the bricks on the outside. This will help the finish last longer.

Q. I'm going to try my first wallpaper job in the guest bathroom. If it doesn't come out perfectly, I won't have to see it very often. I want to practice before I try the dining room. My question is, what is "strippable" paper, and why would I want to buy this type?

A. Strippable wallpaper is better to use because it's made so that when you decide to make a change, it will come off easily. You may have heard that wallpaper is hard to remove, but if it's put up correctly, it's not very hard. Take your time, and have some fun doing it. As my Dad always would say, "It will look good on your resume!"

Q. I try to be thrifty when I can. When my refrigerator went out, I started looking at scratch-and-dent stores and finally found one that would look good and fit into the opening in my kitchen. The problem is that it has a sticker on the side that has the price and other information on it. I can't peel it off, and I don't want to damage the finish (the dent is on the other side)! How can I loosen the sticker?

A. Try using WD-40. Just spray some on the sticker and allow it time to soak in. This should loosen it. Mayonnaise also would work. Another option might be to heat it with a hair dryer.

Reader tips

• If you have gas appliances, you should have carbon monoxide detectors in your home. When we had our heater inspected, we discovered a major problem with its vents. Thank goodness we had it inspected before we used it. We added a second detector just to be extra safe. And here's something else I learned: These detectors will go bad with age, so if you have one that is old, you might want to replace it, just to be safe.

• I've made the switch to LED candles instead of the real thing. I accidentally knocked over a candle and almost burned the house down. That was the last time I will have a candle burning in my home. Some of the new LED candles have built-in timers, so if you wish, you can set them once, and they will automatically come on whenever you set them to, without flames or the danger that comes with that. They actually look pretty good.

• I created a neat way to clean out my shop drawers and storage boxes. I used a large piece of hardware cloth to place over the top of the drawer. Then I used my vacuum to clean out the dust and other debris. Anything larger will be stopped from being sucked into the vacuum by the screen, and will fall back into the drawer when the vacuum is removed.

• In my city, we have to use our own grocery bags or pay an extra fee to use a plastic one from the store. I keep the mesh bags that fruit and vegetables come in for my groceries. Potato and onion bags are perfect for holding a lot of stuff, and they are easy to hang onto with the handles that are woven into them. I also like these mesh bags because I can see what's in them and quickly get the groceries to the right places in the kitchen.

• My sister and I both wanted a table that my mom had and we decided to split it - literally! We carefully sawed through it right down the middle, and ended up with two thin tables with two legs on each one. We added a scrap of plywood to the cut side for extra bracing and used screws to attach each one to the wall. This way, we both ended up with a thin hall table. We love these little tables, and our mom is pretty happy that we finally found a way to share things!

• I have a pretty super craft room. One of the ways I store rolls of ribbon is on the spindles that a stack of DVDs come on when you buy a large package of them. They are really great because you also can put the top back on and transport them if you need to. These are perfect.

Shoptalk

• We've always used the two-part epoxies and had great success. But SEAL-KRETE has a one-part epoxy that will do the same thing with less mess and no mixing. Epoxy-Seal resists peeling and blistering, and will stand up to road salt, as well as hot tires. It's three times more durable than patio paint, too. That means it's perfect for floors, porches, pool decks and walkways. You even can have it tinted in lots of different colors, so it will look a lot better than the standard gray stuff. Look for it at paint and hardware stores, as well as home centers. You can get additional details at www.seal-krete.com.

• King Kaulk is the most powerful caulk around right now. It's a polymer hybrid, and this one tube of caulk will replace all of your other caulks, sealants and construction adhesives. Use it on showers, countertops, windows, doors, gutters, wood, concrete, brick, metal and plastics. It's UV-, weather- and mildew-resistant, but stays flexible. It even can be painted. Best of all, it has a lifetime durability guarantee. To find out more, see it at your local hardware store or home center, and get more details at www.reddevil.com.

• Write to Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit online at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2015, Cowles Syndicate Inc.