New Items for October
- , by Trudy Chuoke Trudy Chuoke
I love October. I go to Do It Best hardware shows in September, and so by October, the new items are trickling into the store. I have a couple of new items to talk to you about today, and a quick refresh on some items that have been on the shelves that I haven’t talked about in a while. But mainly, I love October because the weather in San Antonio will shift to a gentler start to the morning with less humidity and heat.
Magic Sliders are the top-rated sliders on the market. I will steer my customers past the less expensive sliders every time to get them to try a better slider. And when I say they are better, it’s for a few reasons. One, the slider is a high polymer product that reduces friction better than any other product and will let you move furniture like magic. Have you ever wanted to move a desk, table, chairs, sofa, or shelving unit? And the sheer weight of the furniture stops you until you can talk someone into helping you? Well, when you have Magic Sliders on the legs of your furniture, you can move anything by yourself. They make sliders in an adhesive-backed, nail-in, self-gripping, concave, and the new “Magic Fit” sliders. So, what's new about this slider is that it’s a more flexible fit slider. So, if the leg on your chair or table is not the exact size of most sliders, you will find the flexible fit of this slider beneficial. There is another reason I like this slider. So, you have someone who cleans for you, and they bump the furniture with a vacuum cleaner? That leaves scratches on the bottom of the leg, and then you have to touch the scratch up with a stain stick. But with the flexible fit sliders there is a protective cushion on the slider that goes over the bottom inch of the leg. No more scratches. They are also great for outdoor furniture. They come in square and round sizes.
If you have fruit flies, you probably have bought those little “apple” shaped traps that sit out on your counter. They work, but I have something new that is much more aesthetically pleasing. It’s from ZendoZones and it’s a fruit fly trap that looks like a little succulent plant in a cute little terracotta-looking container. To use, just remove the top of the succulent trap, fill the container with the bait, and then replace the succulent top and place it wherever you are having problems with fruit flies. It will look great in the kitchen or in the bathroom. I promise you will throw out the apple and replace it with this cutie.
Now, let's talk about silicone caulking. If anyone asks me about putting caulk in any area around the bath or kitchen, I will never suggest silicone. It’s a mildew magnet. What do I mean by that? Well, it draws mildew to the surface, and then the mildew settles on the back side of the caulking. So, if you see that you have mildew and you try to clean it off, it doesn’t work. That’s because the mildew is not on the surface. So, when you need to caulk around a sink, tub, or shower, always use a caulk from Sashco Sealants called Clean Seal. Clean Seal comes in white and is the only caulk with an active enzyme additive. This will keep mold from growing on the surface of the caulk and leave your caulked areas mildew-free. If you need a clear caulk, Sashco makes Lexel, which is crystal clear. Don’t let your plumber, who is installing a new sink or shower door, use silicone caulking. Insist on them using Sashco Sealants that never mildew.
Do you need to install something and wish you didn’t have to screw it down? Like maybe a name plate or address plate on the house, or a door threshold or transition strip from one room to the next? A piece of laminate that has come loose on the floor or countertop edge, and you just want to glue it back? The answer to those problems is F-26. It’s a superior construction adhesive. It’s a waterproof, gap-filling adhesive that will repair everything from tile to wood. Follow the directions on the packaging, making sure the surfaces are clean, and then I support anything that I am gluing down for at least 24 hours. Keep a small tube in the toolbox, and when a loose situation happens, stick it down with F-26.