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Food, Home & Garden
2015 June
Pg 9 - The Sunshine Express
New Outdoor Solutions
Stay one step ahead of Mother Nature
(BPT) - After one of the harshest winters in history
for many areas of the country, it is likely that your
property has suffered some damage or wear and
tear. New products and solutions that resist mois-
ture damage, help reduce maintenance, and stay
one step ahead of the weather are just around the
corner at home centers and local lumberyards.
Keeping water out
Although water damage and flooding happens on
a devastating scale after a large snow melt off,
the experts at WAYNE Water Systems say flood-
ing can happen anywhere and in any climate.
Kent Koester, national director of retail sales, says
sump pumps with back-up battery systems are
an effective first line of defense to prevent flash
flooding from driving water into your home. New
alert systems that call your landline or text you
when water levels rise or power is lost can keep
homeowners up to the minute on their basement
status. ¡°A quality back-up sump pump and new
notification systems can provide peace of mind for
any homeowner,¡± says Koester. ¡°It¡¯s a small price
to pay to protect your home, pets and valuables.¡±
Durable decks with indoor beauty
The assault of moisture and wintry weather can
be wood¡¯s worst enemy, so it is likely that wooden
structures in the backyard have suffered. A great
way to upgrade and enjoy years of low-mainte-
nance without the hassles of wood, is to choose
a capped composite or capped PVC decking that
resist stains and scratches and require less up-
keep. ¡°There are decking options with the game-
changing aesthetics of dramatic surface textures
and streaking effects that deliver the rich look of
interior flooring to the outdoor deck,¡± says Carey
Walley, vice president of marketing for Tim-
berTech/AZEK. ¡°Imagine having a deck that looks
like tropical hardwoods or freshly stained lumber -
without all of the work, but with all of the durable,
lasting beauty.¡± Many decking options have com-
prehensive warranties and can be enhanced with
lighting, hidden fasteners and premium railings.
Caulks can protect your home
Caulks and sealants can go a long way in protect-
ing areas of the home that are vulnerable to
moisture and water damage. They can seal
out winter¡¯s chill or the heat of summer, while
saving on energy bills. And, caulks are a great
way to keep water from entering the home
according to the caulk experts at Red Devil , a
143-year-old family-owned company. ¡°There
are water-tight, greener formulations that seal
around windows, doors, receptacles and roofli-
nes to keep the home safe from water dam-
age,¡± says Alan Crupper, vice president of mar-
keting for Red Devil Inc. And, for today¡¯s fine
homes, Crupper adds for exterior aesthetics
there are caulks that are specially formulated
to accept paint, so an exact color match is pos-
sible for sided or painted homes. ¡°An example
is the Create-A-Color caulk colorizing kit that
allows any professional or DIYer to match the
caulk to any interior or exterior color,¡± he says.
Patio repairs hide nature¡¯s wrath
Moisture and freezing temperatures can wreak
havoc on concrete or brick, causing cracks,
gaps and uneven surfaces. Imagine an outdoor
patio repair that can be installed as easily as
assembling children¡¯s building blocks.
There are now DIY- and eco-friendly options
to cover cracked patios, concrete slabs, decks,
balconies and even flat rooftops.
Available in an array of colors, these pavers in-
stall quickly and easily with no special masonry
tools required. ¡°As an example, these light-
weight, recycled pavers fit into a grid system
and can cover up many outdoor disaster areas
after a rough winter,¡± says David Justice, prod-
uct manager, AZEK Pavers. ¡°They are greener
options that allow any homeowner to easily
create beautiful paver patterns over an existing
surface at a significantly lower cost than
replacing the entire patio or deck.¡±
Old Man Winter and Mother Nature may be an
overwhelming power couple, but consumers can
win the battle with new technologies and products
designed for longevity, high performance and dura-
bility season after season.
A Competitive Edge
Top 5 Reasons for Restaurants to Have
Their Own Mobile App:
* Reinforces their brand. ChowNow iOS and
Android apps showcase the restaurant¡¯s logo and
food, creating the ultimate brand experience from
mobile, to web, to in-store.
* Removes the middleman. ChowNow apps
create a direct line of communication between the
customer and the restaurant - no third party taking
a commission or holding onto data.
* Collects customer insights. Every order that
comes through the app is stored in the restaurant¡¯s
ChowNow Dashboard, so they can remarket to
those guests and grow their business.
* Opens a dialogue. Restaurants can send push
notifications and promotions to customers that
have downloaded their apps at the click of a button
* Makes checkout a cinch. Apple Pay and Google
Wallet come built into the apps, offering a friction-
less checkout experience for the customer and, in
turn, more converted orders for the restaurant.
ChowNow leads the way in building branded iOS
and Android mobile apps for restaurants and res-
taurants love having their own app because it gives
them a competitive edge.
For information on how you can get a ChowNow
app for your restaurant call KingDaddy at The
Sunshine Express, 970.864.2142.
Image: www.azek.com/products/pavers