When Centipede invades your home it can be very disturbing.  They are creepy and most people can’t stand them in their home. Having said that, Centipedes can be beneficial as they feed on termites, bed bugs, roaches and spiders.  The bottom line is people still want them out of their home. So it is all about control, you need to caulk and fill any opening to the outside of your home to prevent entry.  That means weather-stripping around doors and caulking by siding, brick and foundations.  Centipede can’t live without moisture, so remove damp wood, mulch, leaves and debris from the perimeter of the home.  If they are in the home look for any area of moisture and work on elimination of the water.  Using an insecticide dust around the exterior of the home will also help prevent the Centipedes from invading your home. 

There are, many types of roof flashings but the type I see improperly installed more than any other kind is the flashing between a roof and brick.  This type of flashing runs along the roof and is then tucked into the brick.  The problem is a lot of roofers will use just a piece of base flashing.  After a few years and with the movement of the house it begins to have stress on the flashing and pulls it out of the mortar joint.  The home owner starts using caulk but it will never be right.  The proper way to flash this area is with two pieces of flashing (the base flashing) but a secondary flashing that then tucks into the mortar joint. As the house moves the flashing moves with it preventing any problems. Just proves how important quality contractors can be for your home. 

This past weekend we took a bunch of calls regarding interior painting.  That means take down pictures and posters and get to the bare walls. It is important to wash down the walls before painting. Why?  Because indoor dirt is not water soluble so the paint is not going to stick to the walls.  Wash the walls down with a soapy water solution and then rinse. The next part of the project is to fill all the nail holes.  A spackling compound is the perfect fix for this problem. There are several types of spackling and I recommend the Red Devil Lite Spackle. This will dry fast and is easy to work into the holes.  You can also get the type that goes on pink and dries white.  That way you will know when it is time to paint. Painting over the spackle before it has dried can cause an adhesion problem.