Guides
Answers we give at the counter, written down. Written for supers, building managers and contractors working in New York City buildings.
- GuideWhat Ice Melt Does to Concrete, Floors and Your LiabilityWhy the cheapest rock salt costs a building more than it saves: spalling, ruined lobby floors, dead tree pits and slip and fall exposure.7 min read
- GuideSafe Step Ice Melt, Which Bag for Which JobWhich Safe Step bag suits a sidewalk, a garage ramp, a roof or a pet area, with the working temperatures from the product data.4 min read
- GuideIce melt before the first freezeBuy it in October. Four minutes.4 min read
- GuideNYC Trash Containerization Rules, and Which Bin You Actually NeedWho needs the Official NYC Bin, who can use any rigid 55 gallon container, set-out times, and what to buy for a 12 unit versus a 40 unit building.5 min read
- GuideCan liners explained, which bag your building actually needsMatch liner dimensions, mil thickness and color to office cans, Brute containers, recycling stations, compactors and renovation debris.3 min read
- GuideWhich garbage bag do you use?Size by can, not by guess.4 min read
- GuideBasement and closet lightingPorcelain keyless, pull chain sockets and the flush mount that replaces a bare bulb. The unglamorous fixtures that run a building.4 min read
- GuideBatteries at the counterNine volts for smoke detectors, coin cells for the key fob, and why a building buys the sixteen pack.3 min read
- GuideDrain daySlow, stopped, or the whole line. Three different problems.4 min read
- GuideThe turnover electrical kitWhat to buy once so the apartment is done in one trip.4 min read
- GuideToilet seats and bathroom turnoverRound or elongated, and the three numbers that decide it.3 min read
- GuideBenjamin Moore at First AveAura, Regal Select, Advance, ben and Super Hide. Which line belongs on which wall, and which one a building actually buys.5 min read
- GuidePaint prep, the painters kitEverything that goes in the bag before the paint does. Tape by surface, cloths by weight, grit by coat.4 min read
- GuidePatch, fill and glueSpackle, joint compound, plaster of paris and the glue that actually holds. What to use on which hole.5 min read
- GuideRoller liners and traysNap thickness by surface, liners by the sleeve, and why a metal tray outlives six plastic ones.4 min read
- GuideTaping knivesWhich blade for which job, from the dollar plastic scraper to the fourteen inch skim blade.4 min read
- GuideHigh security compared, Mul-T-Lock, Medeco, MarksWhat restricted actually means, and what a building is buying.5 min read
- GuideMops, brooms and the janitor closetWhat a porter actually uses every day, and the difference between a house broom and a lobby broom.4 min read
- GuidePadlocks and lock boxesShackle size, keyed alike, and the lock box that lets a contractor in without you being there.4 min read
- GuideThe NYC pest kitGlue boards by the case, bait where it belongs, and the foam that ends the mouse problem for good.4 min read
- GuideWindow washingOne pass, top to bottom, wipe the blade. Why paper towels leave streaks and a squeegee never does.3 min read
Other guides
5 guides- GuideBirch or CDX, and Which Sheet Your Job Actually NeedsCDX by the sheet plus a cut charge, birch by the square foot, and the point where buying the whole sheet is cheaper than buying the cuts.6 min read
- GuideGetting Sheetrock Into a Manhattan Walk-UpWhich board to buy, what fits the elevator, and what to have ready before the truck arrives at a walk-up.6 min read
- GuideHow Same-Day Delivery Actually WorksThe cutoff, the rates, and what happens when an order mixes shelf stock with next truck items.5 min read
- GuideGloves by the dozenNitrile by the box, coated knit by the pair, and what a building should keep in the closet.3 min read
- GuideScotch and 3M tapes by jobDuct, electrical, foil, thread seal and mounting. Which tape belongs on which job, and the three places people use the wrong one.4 min read
