Tips to Help Birds Survive the Winter

On October 4, 2017   /   Birding Blog, News from Sneade’s Home Center, Outdoor Living, Sneade’s Helpful Hints  
Tips to Help Birds Survive the Winter

Tips to Help Birds Survive the Winter Winters in the Chesapeake region are unpredictable for certain. Heavy wind and rain, sleet and snow, coupled with fluctuating temperatures create challenging outdoor living conditions, especially for non-migratory birds. While birds are very well equipped to survive on their own, studies have shown that birds with access to bird feeders and birdhouses survive at a higher rate. Additionally, ornithologists have suggested that amateur bird-watching and feeding is a beneficial hobby for humans as well. Here are some tips to help birds survive the winter. Ensure Seed is Accessible and Dry If the food

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The Importance of Fall Lawn Care

On September 19, 2017   /   Lawn and Garden, News from Sneade’s Home Center, Outdoor Living, Sneade’s Helpful Hints  
The Importance of Fall Lawn Care

The Importance of Fall Lawn Care The early fall brings beautiful weather. With the cooler days and lower humidity, it is the ideal time to get outside. Why not take advantage and spend some of that time preparing your lawn for next spring? With a little bit of effort, you will ensure your yard will weather through winter only to recover beautifully in the spring. You may think your yard needs less attention in the fall, but during this time of year, grasses are busily storing energy moisture and nutrients in preparation for the colder months ahead. These fall lawn

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Canning, The Basics

On August 29, 2017   /   Lawn and Garden, News from Sneade’s Home Center, Sneade’s Helpful Hints  
Canning, The Basics

Canning Basics Canning allows you to enjoy the delicious benefits of the summer bounty all year long. Transform gorgeous tomatoes and crisp cucumbers into sauces and pickles. Create sweet jams and jellies from your favorite fruits. Canning is a simple process, although time-consuming. It is an operation that is a bit labor-intensive but is worth every minute. You have the opportunity to make appetizing, hearty, and healthy foods. So, gather your friends and family for a fun day preparing and canning scrumptious fresh fruits and veggies. Just like any skill, the more you practice, the better you get. Here are

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Age Appropriate Chores for Your Kids

On August 11, 2017   /   News from Sneade’s Home Center, Sneade’s Helpful Hints  
Age Appropriate Chores for Your Kids

Age Appropriate Chores for Your Kids Do your little ones balk when you ask them to chip in around the house? Do you find that you are spending your valuable time repeating the same household tasks with little or no help? What are the reasons your kids never seem to pitch in? Do they take too long? Do they not perform the task “the right way?” Do you think it is easier if you just handle it yourself? Well, believe it or not, you may be putting your children at a disadvantage. You can have kids as young as two

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Painting Project Tips

On August 1, 2017   /   News from Sneade’s Home Center, Painting Tips, Sneade’s Helpful Hints  
Painting Project Tips

Painting Project Tips Starting a do-it-yourself painting project may seem overwhelming. You must make sure you have the right products for the project. Picking the right product can be confusing. In addition, different mediums require different applications. The key to it all is to keep it simple. Even if you are attempting a large project or a complicated faux finish, focus on one step at a time. Here are some painting project tips that can help you stay organized. Prep the Surface Carefully inspect the walls, trim, and ceiling for any cracks, holes, or peeling paint. Wipe down walls, remove

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Blues are Red Hot

On August 1, 2013   /   Sneade’s Helpful Hints  

Muted colors top the list as consumers seek to create calm, nurturing environments. Americans love the blues. This year they’re looking to create an atmosphere of harmony and tranquility in their homes, and blue delivers. In Ace Hardware’s 2011 consumer color preference study, blues and neutrals were the clear winners, followed by whites and greens (see chart for all results). Blues even showed up as tints in other color families, lending cool tones to greens, whites and grays. The top three blues are soft, pale shades that convey a sense of calm as well as sophistication. “Pale colors create a

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Solutions for Your Home – Concrete Or Cement?

On May 17, 2013   /   Sneade’s Helpful Hints  

According to the Portland Cement Association, British stonemason Joesph Aspin is credited with mixing up the first batch of cement in his kitchen in 1824. He found that mixing ground-up quarried limestone, shells or chalk, shale,, clay, and sand or iron ore, and heating the mixture in giant rotating kilns at 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, produced cement pellets. When ground up, these pellets produced the fine, gray powder we recognize as cement. There are actually eight types of Portland cement, each with slightly different qualities. As for concrete, it is a mixture of cement, gravel, stone (aggregates), and sand, and water,

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Solutions for Your Home – More Than Just Hanging On New

On May 12, 2013   /   Sneade’s Helpful Hints  

These metallic supports transfer loads from the joist to the support and come in three basic types. Face-mounting joist hangers fabricated from 12- to 18-gauge galvanized steel and are pre-punched to receive 10d to 16d nails, depending on the manufacturer’s recommendations. When heavier loads are called for, top-mounting joist hangers may be specified. They are fabricated from galvanized or hot-rolled steel, which is coated with corrosion-resisting primer. Integral straps tie the hanger to the tops of the support. Skewed joist hangers are designed to carry joists that don’t run perpendicular to the support. Building a roof or floor is a

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Solutions For Your Home – The Trickle-Down Effect

On May 4, 2013   /   Sneade’s Helpful Hints  

While this is certainly a possibility, it is more likely that the water stain stems from condensation. If the ducts leading from the fan through the attic to the roof are not properly insulated, moist air from the house will condense inside the ducting and will stream back toward the ceiling. If so, the first step in correcting this problem is to head up to the attic and see if there is any insulation encapsulating the ducting. In some cases, the insulation might have come loose and simply needs reapplying. We have everything you need to fix a problem with

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