Showing posts with label hammer heads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hammer heads. Show all posts
0 comments Friday, October 3, 2008

Tune in to HGTV tomorrow, October 4 at 10:30 am (check local listings) for the new season of "Hammer Heads"!

Thanks for watching and be sure to email me with any questions!

- Marcus

0 comments Friday, August 22, 2008


Hey there, sorry it's been so long since we've posted here, it's just been super busy. Between the apartment building remodel and our shows, we barely have time to breathe but it's all good. The good news is both our shows are in full production with no end in sight.
"Hammer Heads" Season 3 is really going to be great, we've been doing some cool projects and you can start seeing them on October 4th on HGTV (check your local listings.) We have also been picked up for a Season 4 (so I had better try to get some rest.)

Russ is almost invisible with all the work he's been doing on "Desing On A Dime" and we still don't have a firm date when his shows will air but we know it will be 2009. So if you miss him, visit his site and tell him.

Oh and they just started airing replays of "Hammer Heads" seven days a week so now you can see my face EVERY DAY so that' s nice.

Posted by: Marcus

0 comments Wednesday, April 23, 2008

This Friday the Team2Times duo will be a the Los Angeles Alternative Building Materials and Design Expo. They will spend the Day with ReUse Network helping to inform people about de-construction and why it is so important on a job-site! If you would like more information about the Alt-Build please go to the site.

Russ and Marcus will be there from 2 to 4pm Friday at booth 103.

0 comments Monday, April 21, 2008

Here are some good basic tips for painting from my friend Carmen De La Paz:

  1. Prepping your Paint job right will save you time in the end and your paint job will look a lot better. Don’t just grab a roller and start, take the time to evaluate and prep the project. Do you need to spackle holes, sand, caulk, etc?
  2. Tape is your best friend. Use it to mask off and you will have crisp lines, making your end result look professional. They make a completely smooth, blue painter’s tape that stops the little flecks that you get when the paint smooshes behind regular tape.
  3. Use a good brush. Spending a little more money on a quality brush will make the job more enjoyable. Suggested brand – Purdy. A cheap brush can fall apart and leave pieces behind on your project.
  4. Oil and water don’t mix. If you are painting over a wall that has oil-based paint you must apply a primer to neutralize the surface and allow it accept the new latex paint with out crackling of flaking off in the near future.
  5. Is it oil or isn’t it? Do the Goof off test. If the paint melts when you rub Goof-off on it – it is latex or water based. It the Goof-off doesn’t melt it, you have an oil-based surface.
  6. De-fuzz your roller by rolling it over tape to get rid of the loose fuzz – it’s better than leaving them on your wall during the paint process.
  7. Paint can impact a room up to 70%.
  8. When patching holes, instead of sand paper, use a wet rag to sand down the surface – you won’t have any dust and you will end up with a much nicer blend and feathering in your end result making the hole disappear.
  9. When painting a darker color on your wall, consider applying a tinted primer to help achieve the full saturation of the color without 5 or six coats. Ask your paint store to help select the shade of your tinted primer.
  10. Painting is not brain surgery. If you mess up either clean it up or paint over it and start again.

0 comments Tuesday, January 29, 2008


Question: I am never sure which Home Improvement store I should go to, can you please help me understand the difference (if any) between Lowes, Home Depot, OSH, and my neighborhood ACE Hardware?

Marcus: Great question, I’ll do my best to explain what I see as the differences. If you watch my show on HGTV called Hammer Heads, then you already know I am a total gadget freak - so I definitely do my share of shopping at all these stores.


Lowes is more homeowner-friendly, Home Depot is more tailored to contractors, OSH is a combination of the two and ACE is your mom and pop equivalent comparatively. For the most part, the larger chains are comparative in price and content, however, Home Depot and Lowes carry Contractor Packs of certain items, which make the price per item cheaper. It seems like Lowes is better taken care of and not nearly as messy – probably due to the early rush of contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc. that flood into Home Depot in the morning. I feel that they’re more customer-friendly at Lowes although, once again, that observation is in my surrounding area. OSH is a good place to find different things – can’t really tell you what, but it’s one of those places that if I can’t find it at Home Depot or Lowes, I’ll check OSH. As for ACE – it’s conveniently closeby, the customer service is usually great, the employees are typically older, retired guys who know almost everything about anything but the prices are substantially higher on a lot of the items. I’m all about supporting local shops, but it is difficult when the price difference is significant so, unless I’m in a huge hurry, I like to shop around.