With the biblical rains and extended power outages experienced this winter it is probably not a good idea to trust a battery backup sump pump system to protect your home from rising water.  Most battery systems will only operate for a few hours before running out of juice.  Two other options may be a better choice. First, a water powered sump pump run by the water, under pressure, supplied from your water company which can be installed in the existing sump pit and can pump out two gallons of rising water for every gallon of "city" water it uses. Second, a generator, and there are two choices here, depending on your budget. Either a whole house, totally automatic, generator powered by propane or natural gas which will provide power for your sump pump and HVAC, refrigeration, lights, Internet....pretty much everything you need to resume a normal life, or a portable generator which you set up outside (NOT in the garage) and configure to run the essentials to protect your basement, keep your food cold and possibly provide heat.  Cost is directly proportional to what things you need to run. It's a good idea to plan ahead and make your purchase before you need it.  Running to Home Depot during a storm may have you coming home empty-handed or with an under-powered unit. 

GOOD LUCK!

Got a ding in an a ceiling tile? For holes the size of a pencil eraser and smaller, repair them with white flat latex caulk. Don't use silicone! The shiny caulk will stand out worse than the hole. 

FAST CAULKING: A common mistake is to cut off too much of the caulk tube tip, leaving a hole that is way too big for most interior work.  Instead keep the hole tiny...maybe 1/16",  so that you will have just enough caulk for small to medium sized cracks.  Use a second pass or have a second tube with a larger hole handy for the wider cracks. A quick swipe with a wet fingertip and you'll be paint ready!

Drop Cloth Substitute: Dropcloths can be a hassle.  They slip on hard floors, get bunched up under ladders and are difficult to fit tight to baseboards.  Eliminate the hassel and save time by buying a roll of rosin paper at the home center.  They come 160' long by 3' wide. Roll out, leaving a 1/2" gap from wall, then tape down with blue painter's tape.  Voila! 

SHED RESISTANT ROLLER COVERS: If you're picky about how your walls look when you're done rolling on the paint, then you'll want to avoid leaving a trail of roller fuzzies behind. Look for rollers labeled "shed-resistant woven." They cost a little more but the smooth, lint-free finish is worth it!  Don't forget to lightly sand the walls before you start to remove previously imbedded lint, dirt particles, pet hair and the like from your last job before you learned the "Pro" way of painting.

Stay tuned for updates!