Homeowner’s Academy
This is your guide to interesting facts, tips and general homeowner information. We hope you find the information useful – and feel free to share with friends!

Are You Prepared for These 4 Damaging Parts of a Hurricane?

Spring cleaning often comes with a fresh coat of paint. Painting can be a great way to change the feel of a room or give your home some great curb appeal. Painting also plays a role in home repair by protecting the wood of your home against the elements, essential here in Florida.

If you decide to try your hand at painting this spring, People’s Trust has some tips that can keep the experience enjoyable and safe for everyone in your family.

Try Some Eco-friendly Paint

Spring conjures up the sniffles for many people in the great outdoors, but paint may do the same thing inside of your home. Household paints have previously contained up to 300 toxic chemicals, including the hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release particles into the air for years after you paint.

Try a low-VOC paint, which tends to be water-based, for any home interior painting. These have taken off in recent years and come in every shade and finish imaginable. Some brands also create no-VOC paints by replacing chemicals with more natural ingredients. These no-VOC paints are often pet-safe, but always check the label and never leave your pet unattended in a room where paint cans are open.

Home Repair Supervision

If you have children, never let them be in a room with open paint cans by themselves. If children are under the age of 10, they should never be in a room with any open painting materials. Even eco-friendly paints are extremely dangerous if ingested. If you believe your child has ingested any paint, immediately call poison control at 1-800-222-1222.

Try Cloth Catchers for Indoor and Outdoor Painting

You can pick up plastic sheets to protect your floors and lawn, but these often move and tear as you walk around painting. Turn to cloth or canvas drop cloths that will stay in place easier and can be weighed down with objects without the risk of tearing.

For painting the outside of your home, try a tarp with tie-holes. These can be staked into the ground to provide a steadier surface for a ladder.

Ventilate: Make Room to Breathe

If you’re painting inside, open the doors and windows. If your room has a fan, turn it on. You want proper ventilation for any space you’re painting to help air out the room and not breathe in paint fumes. If you can’t ventilate where you’re working, get a respirator and only paint in short stints.

Ventilation is essential to most common home repair improvements.

Stick to the Shade

If painting outside, you know that you need to take a break in the shade, but what about your materials? Paint, paint thinner and lacquer all need to stay in the shade as much as possible when painting outdoors.

Not only can heat and sun alter some of these items when they’re sitting in the can, but heat can also be a big problem for these flammable items. The city of Las Vegas actually warns its citizens to be careful when painting their homes or canvases outside because paint thinner has been ignited by the sun and started home fires.

Clean Up after Home Repairs

When you finish painting for the day, clean up the entire space. This will prevent spills and any accidental exposure.

Latex paints can typically be cleaned from surfaces and your skin with soap and water. Oil-based paints will have specific cleaning instructions located on the paint can itself. Take a look at your can before you start painting and write down what it says, because paint often spills on the outside of the can during the painting process.

Gasoline was once used to clean paint off of brushes, but this should never be used. Gasoline is extremely dangerous and should never be used as a cleaner for any object.

It’s always a smart practice to clean up and watch your space clearly when doing any home repair project.

 

Hurricanes have often been called “The Greatest Storms on Earth.” These powerful storms can travel across water and land, wreaking havoc on neighborhoods in their path.

In addition to having an evacuation plan in place, you should also be familiar with hurricane-related hazards, especially if you choose to ride out the storm at home. Here are four common hurricane-related hazards and what you can do to protect your home and family.

Storm Surge

Storm surge is a deadly rush of Ocean or Gulf water caused by strong wind gusts. Storm surge is capable of reaching heights of over 20 feet and stretching hundreds of miles in length, making it the greatest threat to life and property along Florida coastlines during a major storm.

Be Prepared:

  • Find out the elevation of your property and whether the land is flood-prone so you can know how your property will be affected when storm surge is forecast.
  • Listen to your local emergency news station for information on the progress of the storm.
  • Before evacuating, unplug appliances, turn off water at the main valve, and deactivate electricity at the breaker box.
  • Never attempt to drive through flowing water. It only takes 12 inches of rushing water to carry away a small car, and 2 feet of rushing water to carry away most vehicles.

Heavy Rain and Flooding

Tropical cyclones often produce torrential rainstorms, which may cause deadly and destructive floods. Intense rainfall over a short period of time can result in flash flooding, while longer-term flooding in rivers and streams can last several days after the storm has passed.

Be Prepared:

  • Find out the elevation of your property and whether the land is flood-prone.
  • When approaching water on a roadway, always remember to Turn Around Don’t Drown.
  • Clear clogged gutters and rainspouts, and make sure they are properly secured to your home.
  • Losses due to flooding are not typically covered under most homeowners’ insurance policies. Add a Florida Flood Insurance policy to ensure complete protection of your home in case of a flood.

Strong Winds

Hurricane‐force winds are powerful enough to destroy buildings and mobile homes and can maintain their strength well inland. In 2004, Hurricane Charley made landfall on the coast of Southwest Florida and caused major damage across central Florida, with wind gusts of more than 100 mph.

Atlantic and Eastern Pacific hurricanes are classified into five categories under the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which estimates potential property damage according to the hurricane’s sustained wind speed.

Be Prepared:

  • Set aside two hours on a Saturday morning to organize and label your storm shutters, and practice installing them.
  • Clear low-hanging or dead tree branches to reduce the risk of “flying missiles.”
  • Before a storm strikes, install aluminum hurricane shutters on your home. If you don’t have aluminum hurricane shutters, board up windows and doors (including garage doors) with plywood.
  • Bring in outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans, and anything else that isn’t tied down. Secure or remove large objects, such as grills and potted plants, from around your yard.

Tornadoes

Hurricanes and tropical storm systems can also spawn tornadoes, which typically develop in thunderstorms well away from the eye of the storm. However, they can also form near the eyewall. While these tornadoes tend to be relatively weak and short-lived, they still pose a serious threat. Protect your home and family in the event of a tornado with these top tips.

Be Prepared:

  • Build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
  • Regularly trim your trees and clear any low-hanging or dead branches to reduce the risk of “flying missiles.”
  • Select an interior “safe room” with no windows, such as a bathroom or walk-in closet. In the event that your roof develops a hole or completely blows off, have a mattress readily available in the safe room to function as a barrier against flying debris and wind.
  • Tune in to NOAA Weather Radio or your local news station for information and updates.