Ask This Old House

Kevin

On "Ask This Old House," our experts travel across the country to answer questions about your house. Today, Mauro will share how he became a painter and reveal how he joined the "Ask This Old House" family. Then Jenn will demonstrate how to test soil to help your garden thrive. And Heath will add a receptacle to a family's kitchen island.

Heath

I'm going to connect the new wires, to the old ones in this box, ground-to-ground, neutral-to-neutral, and, finally, hot-to-hot.

Kevin

All that on "Ask This Old House."

Mauro

My dream profession wasn't being a painter, I thought I was going to be a carpenter because my father was a handyman, and I was doing this project for this guy in Cambridge. I was helping this carpenter. And then, one day, the painter didn't show up, and he said, "Hey, Mauro, can you paint?" I said, "I can try. You know, how hard could that be, right? Let's do it." But my boss said, "You got two days to paint this room." It took me four days. But it was really nice. And I came home, I spoke with my wife, said, "I think I like painting," and she said, "You must be out of your mind. You dreamed about being a professional carpenter." I said, "But, you know, I just like it." And I started practicing, painting inside the closets, painting the walls, painting trim, ceiling. Anything that I see in front of me, I wanted to paint. And that was the beginning. Then I opened my own business and then I started to get more and more work. I love my job because when I open the paint can, I love the smell of that paint. You know, I love to see spreading that paint on the walls. I love to work with the bolder colors, because that pops right away. To be a good painter is -- like I always say, 85% of the whole work in any painting project is the preparation. The painting part -- it requires some skills, but once you get a nice, prepped surface, you you'll learn how to paint faster then. I started painting a house for this lady, and she said, "If you do a great job, my father is going to call you." But she never told me who her daddy was. This guy called and said, "Listen, my name is Russ, and I want you to come to my house next Tuesday. Be here sharp, 6:30 a.m. I got a little job for you." I said, "Okay, painting the walls," and around noontime, we finished everything. He said to me, "What are you gonna do the rest of the day?" I said, "Oh, I got to check a couple more jobs." He said, "I would like to show you my shop." I said, "Well, you know, this is really strange." We opened a door, and then they were filming. And then he said to me, "I know you know me by Russ, but my full name is Russ Morash. I'm the founder of 'This Old House' and the New Yankee Workshop. I want you to learn more what we do here, and you're going to spend the day here with us." Yeah, I have no idea he was trying me out for a different project. And he shook my hand and he said, "Listen, pal, next year, around April, I'm going to give you a call. But be prepared because you're going to be on camera. You're going to do a project for 'This Old House.' And so get ready.

Kevin

Mauro, what's the finish coat going on top of the primer?

Mauro

I'm going to be applying a two-finish coat, so solid border stain, 100% acrylic, Kevin.

Kevin

Oh, stain, huh?

Mauro

And then I got a call from the producers of "Ask This Old House" to do a segment, which was painting an old bulkhead door.

Beth

It's really coming off.

Mauro

Yep. I thank him everyday, you know, for it got me to where I am now. But I think it's important for people to know where I came from. I grew up in Brazil. And I get some -- I got a couple friends from my hometown that they -- they came to America and they came to Miami and they keep sending us pictures and more pictures and "Life here is different. It's so beautiful." And I got my visa and I came and I came to Miami. We all live in this building in Miami Beach. And one of the guys knew someone that lives in Boston, and they said, "Oh, I know someone, so let's go." Well, we came. We drove a car from there to here. I said, "I'm gonna stay here for about one or two months and then I'll go back. I'll learn some English and then I'll go back." Yeah, but those two months became like almost like 35 years. I think that was the best decision I ever done in my life -- to come to this country. You can make your dream come true. I like to have fun. I like to spend time with my wife. We go out with the kids a lot. And I like to travel. I used to travel with my kids. My kids -- we constantly talk with them. We say, "Try to learn everything as much as you can. And don't ever forget, work hard." I learn everything by doing it. This country gave me an opportunity to do what I love and, at the same time, teaching people how to do things right. It all worked out, and that was, like, perfect.

Kevin

Oh, look at you! Mrs. Science here. What's going on?

Jenn

Soil testing.

Kevin

Soil testing.

Jenn

At-home kits.

Kevin

Do I really need to test my soil? I mean, my lawn's fine.

Jenn

I mean, do you take your kids to the pediatrician?

Kevin

I don't. My wife does.

Jenn

So it's just the same thing. They analyze what's wrong with the child. I'm analyzing what's wrong with soil.

Kevin

So if I don't measure, I can't fix?

Correct. Kevin

Okay.

Jenn

If you do a soil test at home, it's like taking, like, a little screenshot of your overall soil health.

Kevin

Yeah.

Jenn

So you could determine what nutrients you have, if you lack, if there is abundance of them.

Kevin

Okay. Okay. When should I do it? Do I care?

Jenn

Yes, you should care, Kevin. In the fall is really the best time, especially if you have to amend the pH of the soil. There's a window. You have alkaline, which is high, and acidic, which is low.

Kevin

Low pH. Okay.

Jenn

Yep. And it goes through numbers 1 to 14. Right in the middle, 7, is neutral. So, for plants to pull up the nutrients out of the soil, it needs to be within the pocket of, say, a 5.5 to like a 7.5.

Kevin

And, so, you're saying, do it in the fall, because if they have to fix it, it's going to take a while. So when the spring growing season comes, over the winter, whatever I add to it will help.

Jenn

If you have the opportunity to have the forethought for that. Like, a lot of farmers do that.

Kevin

What if I'm too high? What if I'm close to the 14? What if I pull a 12?

Jenn

If you're too high or you're too low, the plant will not be able to uptake the nutrients. It has to be in that sweet spot right in the middle.

Kevin

So that's where I want to get it. Okay. So that's important. In terms of how I test, home kits, I presume? Is that what you brought us?

Jenn

You know what? Home kits -- they're easy to use. It's really simple. This one tests pH only, right? So, you do one part water, one part soil, mix it up, and then you stick the piece of paper in it. Like old science class. It'll give you a read right here, and you test it against this.

Kevin

It tells you what you got.

Jenn

Right. And, so, this one is the next level. You, again, take a mixture of 1-to-1, soil/water. This one is for the pH, right? This one is the N-P-K ratio. So, this one is for the nitrogen, this one is for the phosphorus, and this one is for the potash.

Gotcha. Jenn

Right? And they're always going to be the same three numbers on a bag of fertilizer. So, the nitrogen is for the green -- green leaves, green blooms. The phosphorus is for the strength of the roots of the plant and helps with blooms and flowers. And the potash is for the overall health of the plant, to just keep everything healthy and in check.

Kevin

So, how does this work? Do I have to take the pill and lay down?

Jenn

Do not take the pill. So, you put your soil sample in there, the one part of distilled water and soil. And then you empty the contents of the capsule in there, give it a shake, and then you'll be able to just read where you are on the pH.

Kevin

Do the same thing, and this one will tell me what my nitrogen is.

Yep. Kevin

The K and -- Okay.

Jenn

N-P-K.

Kevin

So, I've seen that, as well. So, those three numbers are always on a bag of fertilizer.

Jenn

Always.

Kevin

They're always in the same order.

Jenn

Always in the same order. Just like this bag right here. 10-10-10 -- N-P-K. It's always going to be nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash. So, say your lawn is struggling --

Kevin

My lawn is not struggling.

Jenn

Because I know you need to have a green, green lawn. You might need to hit it with a little more nitrogen. So I would take something like this and do like a 20-10-10, right? Have the higher amount of nitrogen to give it that little boost.

Kevin

And if you determined -- or the test determined you needed more potash, then it might be a 10-10-20.

Correct. Kevin

Pick the right bag.

Jenn

Yeah. First, determine your problem, analyze it, and then hit it with the proper nutrients.

Kevin

Oh, I got problems. What's this kit for? Similar idea?

Jenn

This one is just a specialized version of this, just a different way to do it, same kind of results.

Kevin

A lot of chemistry for me. I don't know.

Jenn

Well, that is why I brought you the four-way analyzer.

Kevin

Ah! The barbecue probe.

Jenn

So, this measures how much fertilizer you have, if you have a proper mix of the N-P-K ratio, right? With the sunlight, moisture, and pH.

Kevin

It measures all four. Just toggle between them?

Jenn

Exactly. So, this one I have set to "moisture."

Nice. Jenn

Watch this meter.

Kevin

Oh, yes! Look at that.

Jenn

So that's going to measure that, and then you put it to each setting, if you want to do light versus pH. So,

that's kind of cool. Kevin

Cool. That is very cool. I like that one. That's coming home with me.

Jenn

Yeah, I'll let you have that one.

Kevin

So, I get the results back, and now I've got to actually amend. It is just some version of fertilizer, right? Picking the right mix?

Jenn

Right. So, this one right here is the 10-10-10. And picking the right mix -- go off the recipe that you find out that you're depleted. You could always -- If you want to go to another specialized level, take 10, 14 different samples from your yard, a cup here of each, mix it together. Then you send one cup in to the extension school, to the lab, and they will say you are lacking in this one micronutrient that we didn't talk about because who knew it was even there?

Kevin

Yeah. And I don't mean to play the skeptic. I've actually done that and sent it away because I didn't want to over-fertilize, 'cause that's a problem.

Jenn

Right. And, I mean, that's a big environmental problem. People just think, throw fertilizer down, and it's just going to fix your problem. You know, do the test, save some money, and don't pollute the waterways.

Kevin

Because all of that fertilizer is going to run off eventually. So too much nitrogen, you're going to end up with bad water nearby.

Jenn

Right. Try to just, like, conserve, be conservative, use only what you need, and, yeah, teach yourself a new thing.

Kevin

I love it. Thank you, Jenn.

Appreciate it. Jenn

Yep.

And thank you. Jenn

Yep. Take care of that. -

Australian accent

And thank you. Jenn

Put this in the barbie.

Katie

Hi,

Heath. Heath

Hi, Katie.

It's nice to finally meet you. Katie

Thanks for coming over. Come on in.

Heath

So, I got your e-mail about looking for some work in the kitchen. Do you want to explain what you have going on?

Katie

Yeah. So, we have this big kitchen island here, but it has no electrical outlets. So when we go to get out the mixer to make cookies, we can't plug it in, or doing work, we have no place to plug in for our devices.

Heath

So an island this big doesn't have one receptacle on it?

Katie

Yeah.

Heath

It doesn't look like the kitchen was remodeled too long ago, right?

Katie

No.

Heath

So I'm surprised, because it should have been required at the time to have one. But let's look at adding one now. So, up front, not really a lot of room. It's all full of drawers and doors. We don't want to do anything there.

Katie

Yep.

Heath

On the back, it's a nice seating area, but we have a big overhang. I don't won't have too many cords going that far in with an overhang this big and risk something being yanked off. What about the two sides?

Katie

Yeah, that would be great.

Heath

I think we can make that work.

Katie

Yeah. On this side over here, we know there's, like, an electrical box, but I don't know what it goes to or how it works.

Heath

Let's take a look. So, we do have a box down there that's covered up. Maybe we'll get lucky, and they actually prepped for the receptacle to go in, but just never quite finished it for some reason.

Katie

Okay.

Heath

So, I'd say our next step is to take this apart, take a look at what's in there, see where it goes, see if we can use it, and then go from there. Loosen these couple of screws and take that cover off. Alright, so, good news. We do have a wire in there that looks about right we might be able to use. Let's make sure it's de-energized first. Alright. So, the non-contact tester is saying there's nothing there, but just to be safe, I still want to check it with a meter before we go doing anything else. Alright, great. So that is off. So, now the next trick -- let's find out where it goes.

Katie

Okay.

Heath

So, for that, there are a couple of options. We can start a little bit of guesswork and start taking things apart and see what we find. But I think I have something that might make this a little bit faster for us. Let's take a look at this. So, this is a toner. And what we do is, we have two parts -- a transmitter and receiver. So, I'm going to take the transmitter and actually attach it to the wire that's down there. And that'll give us a little signal across that wire. And set that level to about the midpoint of it. And then we'll take our receiver. We'll start it off kind of low. I don't want to get too much of a signal.

Toner humming

Heath

Put it close to see that it's working. And then this wire should be going through the floor and coming up somewhere, so let's see what we got.

Toner humming

Heath

Ooh! There we go. So, it sounds like it comes back to this kitchen wall, maybe? Yeah, it comes this way. Let's see.

Static crackling, toner humming

Heath

Yeah, look at that. So maybe we get lucky. It might even go into this receptacle for us, which would be great. So, before we take that apart, I want go downstairs, turn the power off to this. We'll take it apart, open it up, and see what we have.

Katie

Okay. How did it go in the basement?

Heath

Good. So, I think the breakers are off. They look like they were labeled properly. We're just gonna double-check. Alright. So, that shows us there's no power, so we can go ahead and start taking this apart. So, we'll start by taking the plate off. And now we will take the receptacle out. Pull this out of the way. And look at that right there. So, these are the wires that we have running to the cabinet. So I think we're good to go ahead and install that receptacle. So, this is the box we're going to use. And we talked about kind of going in this panel, so probably somewhere up here, centered side-to-side. Something like that make sense to you?

Yeah. Heath

Okay. So, what we want to do is, we want to mark that now before we go ahead and cut. So what I'll do is, we'll take a couple pieces of painter's tape, and this will make it a little easier to see the pencil when we write on here versus the dark wood and help us with any chipping. So, we know we want to be even side-to-side and somewhere down about here? Does that look about right? Kind of keep it even all the way around?

Katie

Mm-hmm.

Heath

So, I'm gonna make that my starting point for the top. And in order to keep this in the middle of the panel, we have these couple of screw holes that go right down the middle of the box. So I'm going to go ahead and just mark the center of the panel where the edges are. And that is... 4 inches, so we're going to go at 2. And with that, I'm just going to make a plumb line right down the middle of this panel. It's much easier to see on that tape. Then we can take the same box. We know what our starting point was. Now we can look through and line up the holes. So we know that center, and that's center. Then we simply trace it. I'm gonna start with the drill, with a small bit. What I want to do is, where the two little ears are, make those holes. Alright, and we'll go down to that one. And I'm going to drill a couple of corners just for starting points so that we don't have any chipping out of there.

Katie

Okay.

Heath

And then, for the actual cut, we're gonna use a multi-tool and we're just going to take this plunge cut straight through here. Alright. So, let's see how we're doing. So, this is the last spot that we need to trim. So, when we slide this into place, we know the sides and the top and bottom are good, but we still have to notch out for these little ears right here.

Katie

Okay.

Heath

Gonna ahead and use the multi-tool and just make a little notch there -- in there. Alright. Perfect. So, now that we have that done, we can go ahead and take the tape off, we'll fasten the box in place, and then we'll take a look inside and see what we want to do about getting the wire up to the box.

Katie

Okay.

Heath

So, what we're going to do is, we're going to use this wire, this metal-clad cable. So, I'm gonna have you strip the piece off of this while I readjust this box. You're gonna use that great tool, that roto-strip.

Katie

Okay.

Heath

And put it somewhere in there. Go ahead and put it together. And strip that up. You'll feel it pop when it's all the way through.

Katie

Yep.

Heath

Perfect. Alright. So, now that we have that stripped, if you want to grab one of the 90-degree connectors and one of the red bushings. And we'll go ahead and get this assembled. So, I'm just gonna take those couple of screws out so we can open up that cover. And we'll take the bushing. What this does is, we slide this around the conductors inside this metal jacket, right to here. Get it nice and snug. And what it does is, it protects us from any damage from any sharp edges on the metal jacket when we made that cut. So that keeps everything nice and insulated. Next, I'm just gonna put a little bend in it, since we're using a 90-degree connector.

Katie

Okay.

Heath

Then we'll go ahead and slide the connector on. And you can see how everything just kind of fits right in there nicely. This stays exposed. We have a little groove that holds the wire into place. So, then we put the cover on. And we put the screws in. We'll go ahead and tighten those up and hold it in.

Katie

Okay.

Heath

Okay. Alright. Now that this is re-secured, we can look through the sight hole here and see that that insulating bushing is in place and that the conductors are in good shape, nothing is going to get damaged. So, our next step is going to be to attach it to the junction box we have inside here and then re-secure this box. And then we're going to go ahead and install this into the back side of this box. Put the lock nut on.

Then we can re-secure this box. Katie

Okay.

Heath

I'm going to connect the new wires, to the old ones in this box, ground-to-ground, neutral-to-neutral, and, finally, hot-to-hot. So, now we want to wrap this around that ground screw.

Time to wire the device. Katie

Okay.

Heath

Then I want to install the wire around the screw. First, we'll connect the ground wire to the green screw, and then we'll connect the neutral wire to the silver screw. And, finally, we'll connect the hot wire to the brass screw. Alright, now that we have the receptacle all made up and the splice made in that junction box, we're going to go ahead and tie that wire back into this receptacle so we can send power underneath and over to there. Alright, now that the panel cover is back on and the breaker installation is complete and the power is back on, we can go and turn this breaker on. Test it. Turn it back on. Seems to be operating properly. We'll go upstairs and check that receptacle. Alright, so, we've taken out the standard breaker that was in the panel before and installed an AFCI breaker to protect the circuit. Now, we had to do that because we added a new receptacle to this. So, I'm going to plug the tester in to make sure everything's wired correctly. Great. And it is. But the one other thing we couldn't check before that I want to check is that that GFCI receptacle is working properly and protecting this. So I'm going to hit a test button on this.

Click

Heath

You could hear that trip. If you wouldn't mind resetting that.

Katie

Sure.

Click

Heath

Great. And we're back in business. Everything's working properly.

Katie

Would you mind if we tested out my mixer?

Heath

Not at all. Let me just plug that in. Let's give it a shot.

Katie

It works. Thank you so much. I'm really excited to be able to use this space to bake cookies now with my daughter.

Great. Happy to help. Katie

Thank you.

Kevin

Next time on "Ask This Old House"... we'll share a quick and easy trick to space out balusters perfectly, no tape measure required. Then, on "Tool Lab," we'll break down the best tools and techniques for drilling holes in studs to run electrical wire. Plus, are you dealing with a damp basement? We'll show you how to keep moisture at bay.

Richard

Dehumidified air will come out here into the room.

Kevin

All that on "Ask This Old House."