Cement Floor Repair

If you live in an older home there is always something that needs fixed.  The most recent repair needed in my home (built circ. 1955) has been to the basement bathroom floor.  Which happens to be concrete. 

When we moved into our home 12 years ago the basement was unfinished.  With only 2 bedrooms on the main floor and 3 children in our family the basement became a top priority.  We quickly made habitable one bedroom and the large family room.  Eventually we finished the second bedroom but never did much more to the bathroom than add a shower and make it basically useable.

Over the summer I noticed several spots on the cement floor where the cement seemed loose and flaking.  The time had finally come to fix the bathroom's cement floor.

HOW TO FIX A CEMENT FLOOR

SUPPLY LIST

• bag of top coat premix cement (available at most hardware stores in 50 lbs bags)
• small trowel, or trowel of your choice
• Weld Bond White Glue
• disposable bucket (to mix cement into)
• safet glasses
• dust mask
• hammer
• sturdy mixing stick (to mix your cement, water and glue together)

METHOD

1. Chip out the loose cement.  Wear a good pair of safety glasses and using a hammer (I used a large 5lbs hammer) chip away the loose cement.  Wear your safety glasses because those cement pieces will fly everywhere.
2. Clean the area.  When you have all the loose cement chipped away then clean the area.  Pick up the big chunks, sweep up the smaller stuff and finally vaccum the dust and fine particles - the area needs to be clean.
3. Prepare the area.  Using a mixture of Weld Bond Glue and water (follow directions on premix cement bag) paint a coating of glue/water over the area to be fixed.
4. Prepare the cement mixture.  Using a bag of ready mix cement follow label directions and prepare a batch of cement in a small, disposable bucket. (I used an ice cream bucket.)  Don't forget to add the glue!  Wear a dust mask because the cement mix is very dusty and you will want to avoid breathing any of that dust in.
5. Fill the hole.  Using a trowel, work quickly (before your cement dries out) and fill the hole with your cement mixture.  By jiggling your trowel as you smooth the cement it is possible to acheive a nice smooth finish.  In the thin areas or around the edges you may have to pick out the small pebbles.
6. Let it set.  Depending upon the type of premix cement you used it may take up to a month for the cement to set up properly.  During this time you should avoid walking on the area.
7. Did it work?  Within a week or so you will be able to tell if your patch will hold.  Look at your patch.  Is it developing cracks? Not good!  Press on the surface (or stand gently on the surface), does the patch move?  Not good!

Sometimes if there is too much, or not enough water in your cement mix or the temperature of the room is too cold or too hot, the cement may not set up correctly.  The only thing you can do at this point is to chip it out and try again.

If your patch did work and it should if you followed the directions on the premix package then all that's left to do is seal your floor and paint it - use cement sealer and paint.

Help! I'm Buried in Junk Mail

From an environmental point of view junk mail is bad.  The inks contain chemicals that can be harmful to the environment and the whole paper making process causes a strain on the eco system.

It doesn't take long for our mail boxes to fill with unwanted flyers and papers.  Do you really read them all?  Why don't you cancel the unwanted, unread papers and just read the flyers you want to read online?  It would reduce the clutter and help the environment at the same time.

Here is an excellent article on how to get rid of those unwanted papers.  You may find that stopping the junk mail is not as hard as you originally thought.

Simply Click Here! and leave the junk behind.

Plant A Garden - Live Off The Land

Get back to the basics.  Plant a garden and some fruit trees in your yard and live off the land.

Realistically, unless you have A-LOT (pun intended!) of land, you won't be able to grow enough vegetables to last you and your family over the winter - but you will grow enough to put some in the freezer.

By landscaping your yard to include a garden and some fruit trees you are not only saving some money in you grocery bill but you are teaching your children some valuable lessons, such as :

• vegetables DON'T grow in cans
• lifecycle of a plant (they really enjoy watching as a plant matures and eventually produces vegetables or fruit
• it takes effort to grow vegetables and they should not be wasted
• satisfaction in growing their own food

If you have room give your child a few square feet of garden and let him/her plant and care for their own crop.

Even if you don't have room for a garden in your yard you could still plant some vegetables in containers and set them in windows or on the porch or patio. 

The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment you feel when you eat your first home grown vegetable is exilerating.

Turn Down Your Hot Water Tank

It doesn't get any easier than this. 

Simply turn down the temperature on your hot water tank.

Your hot water tank uses a lot of energy to keep your water scalding hot and really, you don't need water that hot coming out of the taps. 

By turning the temperature down at the tank you will be saving on your energy consumption therefore reducing your energy bill as well as providing a safer environment for your family by reducing the risk of serious burns from hot water.

You can even take it a step further and turn the temperature on your hot water tank to 'vacation' when you won't be at home for a week or more.  No use keeping that water hot when there is no one to use it.

Turning the temperature down on your hot water tank is simply a smart thing to do.  So what are you waiting for?  Be an EcoWarrior - turn down the temperature on your hot water tank now.

Tip # 4 : Unplug Your Vampire Appliances

For a simple, environmentally friendly action try unplugging your appliances when you are not using them.

Any appliance with an 'instant on', or 'stand by' feature, or has a clock or light displaying uses power even when it is not in use.  These types of appliances are often called vampire appliances because they are constantly sucking power.

Your coffee pot is a prime example - if it has a clock then it is using power.  Why not unplug it after you are finished with your coffee in the morning?  You probably don't even look at the clock anyhow.

Your entertainment system is another big power drain.  You could plug your TV, PVR, dish and surround sound system into a power bar (you probably do anyway for surge protection) then in the evening or when you go away simply turn the powerbar off.

Of course different appliances use different amounts of power in their 'stand by' mode and as time progresses, manufacturers will be pressured into producting more energy effecient appliances. 

In the mean time why not just unplug it when you are not using it. 

Save yourself a bit of money.

Tip #3 : DIY - Do It Yourself!

One great way to reduce your waste production is to reduce the amount of pre-packaged food you buy. 

Convenience - is how most foods are packaged.  You can buy vegetables packaged in one portion packages.  Lunch and snack food are portioned and individually wrapped for your convience.  As well as the single serving sizes you can also get other sizes - in almost everything!  This is all very convenient and makes packing a lunch easy but look at all that extra packaging.

Consider buying bulk instead.  Most dried foods like pasta, rice, spices, beans, etc. will keep for a long time.  If you have the space it certainly makes more sense to buy bulk - its cheaper too!  You can buy larger packages of meat and divide it yourself then wrap and freeze whatever portion sizes you want.

Keep your pantry (or cupboard) well stocked with different herbs and spices (not just blends) and you can easily make your own teas, vegetable dips and sauces as well as many other things that will have your family saying : 'Wow! You made that? - From scratch?'  It's really not that hard either - but don't tell them that!  Here is a link to an eBook with recipies for making great green teas!

Buy yourself some good recipe books and get to it.  Look at cooking as something creative.  Get your family involved and make meal time an event.  Young kids especially enjoy helping in the kitchen. 

When you get away from the pre-packaged foods then you will be eating more natural and healthly foods.  You will  eventually find yourself choosing foods that have less processing, additives and packaging which is good for everyone involved. 

Choosing environmentally friendly, healthy foods now will leave an impression on your children and they will adopt your healthy, environmentally friendly food habits.

Tip #2 : Donate It To Charity

One of the easiest ways to make a difference - both for the environment and for the less fortunate people of your community - is to donate your used but not abused items to a charity. 

The Salvation Army, local church thrift stores, food banks, homeless shelters, etc. all welcome donations of clothing, household items and furniture if it is in good shape.  If you look around you will find recycle bins or drop off's,  in shopping malls or stores for cell phones, eye glasses, even old computers.

Gather together your used items and once a month (more or less), drop your items off at the charities of your choice.

You get tired of the same old stuff and need a change once in a while, there is nothing wrong with that!  But before you set you old things out on the curb for the garbage truck ask yourself if someone else could use them.

Another good resource for 'going green' is the Going Green In Your Home Ebook. This Ebook provides simple tips to the home owner on organic foods, recycling, recycled products, energy savings, rain barrels, drought tolerant landscape and solar products.

Tip #1 : Return Your Beverage Containers

Did you know that if you return your empty pop, juice, liquor, beer and milk containers you will get a refund on the deposit you had to pay?  Simply gather your beverage containers and at the end of every month return them to a bottle recycling facility.  The staff there will probably sort them for you and give you money back.

If you don't want to be bothered hauling your containers in yourself then consider donating them to one of your local groups. ie: school, 4H, scouts, sports teams, etc.  They will be happy to take those bottles off your hands.

Saving our planet - one step at a time.

For more great planet saving tips visit The Green Spot.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net