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A Seamless Way to Remove Nails from Trim and Flooring

The problem: You can save some dough by using salvaged materials like trim and oak flooring. But before you can install or even safely store them, you have to pull out any old nails — without damaging the wood.

The fix: Although you might be tempted to whack the nail from the back with a hammer and then yank it, don’t. That can mar the surface. Instead, pull the nails out from the back, says Peter Fazio from the site Dadand.

Tool list:

• Pliers
• Work gloves
• Drop cloth

How to:

1. Put the trim or floorboard face down on a drop cloth to protect the front surface.
2. Using your pliers, grab the nail and gently roll onto the curved part of the tool until the nail pops out.

If the old filler used to conceal the nail on the front side pops out, it’s easy to fix. Refill the hole with color-matched wood filler (it’ll work for composite trim, too). Scrape the top of the repair gently with a putty knife to remove excess filler — otherwise you’ll leave a noticeable bump.

If you can’t find color-matched filler, repair the hole and gently sand the area smooth. Spot paint to match.

In a 6-3 ruling, a majority of justices agreed that the stay on the lower court’s order finding the CDC’s eviction moratorium to be unlawful was no longer justified.

In their order, the justices wrote, “The moratorium has put the applicants, along with millions of landlords across the country, at risk of irreparable harm by depriving them of rent payments with no guarantee of eventual recovery. Despite the CDC’s determination that landlords should bear a significant financial cost of the pandemic, many landlords have modest means.”

The case was brought by the Georgia and Alabama Associations of REALTORS® and other property providers, with NAR’s help.

In May of this year, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich for the District of Columbia had struck down the ban as unlawful, but she stayed her ruling pending appeal. The case wound up twice before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

In a statement, NAR said of the ruling:

“This decision is the correct one, from both a legal standpoint and a matter of fairness. It brings to an end an unlawful policy that places financial hardship solely on the shoulders of mom-and-pop housing providers, who provide nearly half of all rental housing in America, and it restores property rights in America.

“No housing provider wants to evict a tenant—it is always a last resort and reserved for the rarest cases. The best solution for all parties is rental assistance, and all energy should go toward its swift distribution. Nearly $50 billion of aid is now available to cover up to a year-and-a-half of combined back and future rent and utilities for struggling tenants—and every state has started a program to distribute the funds.

“With this rental assistance, now is the time to return the housing sector to its former, healthy function. NAR is thankful for the Biden administration’s new guidance to speed up rental assistance distribution, which includes many NAR recommendations. We will continue to work with all parties to make that assistance readily accessible to tenants and housing providers.”

NAR cautions housing providers that some state and local governments may still have their own eviction moratoria in place. 

• Remove faded and droopy summer annuals and replace them with hardier flowers. Pansies can take a beating through a light frost and will provide a splash of color through the fall. Mums are also a great choice.
• Plant any new evergreens during September and keep them well-watered until the ground freezes.
• Plant any new deciduous trees and shrubs. Use root-stimulating fertilizer to encourage root growth.
• Divide any overgrown spring blooming perennials and water them thoroughly after re-planting. After a hard frost, cut the perennials to the ground.
• Plant spring-blooming bulbs. Make sure to consider color and height, placing smaller bulbs toward the front of your garden where you'll be able to see them in the spring.
• If you have a vegetable garden, pull out the plants as soon as they finish producing and begin to wither.
• If you have bare patches on your lawn, the cooler weather is a great time for re-seeding or patching with sod because of decreased weed competition.
• Potted plants that go outdoors during the warmer months should come back inside. Use this time to remove damaged stems and leaves with yellowing, holes, or spots.
• Plant the rosebush of your dreams. Fall is a good time to plant roses, just not hybrid tea-style roses, which will not establish sufficient roots before winter.

3,200 is the number of jobs added to Virginia’s economy between May and June 2021. While job growth has been steady for several months, Virginia has still not gained back all of the jobs lost last spring.

2,800 is the number of jobs added to the Accommodation & Food Services sector in Virginia between May and June 2021. This means that the vast majority of the job growth in June was driven by this sector, which was the hardest hit part of the economy during the pandemic.

4.3% is the June 2021 unemployment rate in Virginia. Unemployment in the commonwealth has declined steadily for the past 12 months, although the statewide unemployment rate is still above where it was prior to the onset of the pandemic.

5.4% is the percent change in Consumer Price Index (CPI) between June 2020 and June 2021. The annual change in CPI is a common measure of inflation in the economy. Inflation has been driven by higher prices for autos, airline tickets, and other consumer goods.

2.78% is the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) rate during the last week of July, according to Freddie Mac. Rates have fallen somewhat in recent weeks with concerns about the Delta variant of the coronavirus and continued uncertainty in the economy.

• Use open shelving. Open shelving costs less than wall cabinets.
• If you want cabinet doors, consider slab door fronts or shaker style, which are typically less expensive.
• Ask your neighbors for their stuff. Seriously -- if you know of someone doing a remodel, find out what they're doing with their old items. Chances are they'd love to see their cabinets, sinks or light fixtures being repurposed rather than thrown away.
• Head to the discount appliance store. They'll have scratches or dents, but you can often fix those or find an appliance with an imperfection in an unnoticeable spot.
• Visit secondhand shops and auctions. Get there early on the days they bring in new items and move fast -- you won't be the only one there!
• Paint and new hardware. This one almost always works. A new coat of paint, some updated pulls and knobs and voila! A whole new look.
• Keep things where they are. If you do opt for a more extensive remodel, keep the plumbing and gas lines where they are. It can add a lot to the cost when you change the footprint and move these around.

As home prices escalate, some people are worried that buying a home at this time is not a smart financial move. But there is solid evidence that over the mid-term and longer-term, homeownership is a good investment and there are many financial benefits of homeownership.

In the first quarter of 2021, the median sales price in Virginia was $323,333. Five years ago, in the first quarter of 2016, the typical home in the state sold for $249,167, which means prices rose by 30% over the past five years.

If a family had purchased the typical home in 2016, five years later, that family would have accrued nearly $55,000 in housing equity. The profit accrued takes into account the out-of-pocket costs associated with buying and selling a home and also reflects changing interest rates.