Rock the Block, Half Moon Bay

Come join us at the Coastside's favorite block party! We'll have multiple chances to win prizes, and we'll be giving away lots of raffle tickets to win a BBQ (and other great stuff!).

ACE Paint Brand, Clark + Kensington, Outperforms Big Brands

In Consumer Reports' latest tests of interior paints, a newcomer, Clark+Kensington, outperformed products from Benjamin Moore, Behr, and other big name brands. Clark+Kensington, sold only at Ace Hardware stores, earned the highest scores of 65 products evaluated for overall finish, ability to hide, and more.
"When choosing paint, don't assume a leading brand you swore by last time will do just as well this time around," said Bob Markovich, home and yard editor for Consumer Reports. "Our tests found paints can vary year to year - and a bigger name does not always equal a better product."
Consumer Reports found Clark+Kensington paint to be tops in satin and semigloss finishes, and among the best for flat paints. It was also impressive at hiding, leaving a smooth finish that resisted stains, and scrubbing. Its volatile organic compounds are low enough to meet the toughest, regional California standards.
While Clark+Kensington is available only at Ace stores, other paints that were great at hiding, durable, washable, and low in volatile organic compounds, are as close as Home Depot, Lowe's, and Benjamin Moore retailers.
New formulas have improved some paints, but others performed worse than they did just a year ago in Consumer Reports' test. Compared with earlier versions, the Behr Premium Plus Satin Enamel wasn't quite as good at hiding and became dull when cleaned.
Some paints such as Olympic One Flat Enamel improved at hiding. Better hiding also helped move Valspar Signature matte and semigloss up in the ratings, joining Behr in besting Benjamin Moore, which costs roughly twice as much, among flat and semigloss paints.
Twenty of Consumer Reports' top picks let consumers skip priming and paint directly over old finishes, bare wood, and wallboard. One coat of a "Recommended" paint should be enough to hide most colors beneath it, though a second coat adds richness and results in a more even finish even for top performers.
Since colors often look different in different lights, Consumer Reports suggests buying a sample, painting a patch, and living with it for a day or two before buying more. Here are three things to consider when choosing paint:
Go online before hitting the store. Manufacturer and retailer websites and Facebook pages offer a wealth of tips on choosing colors, including photo galleries of finished rooms and calculators to help consumers figure out how much paint will do the trick. They are also the place to check for deals such as free samples, discounts, and rebates if consumers are unhappy with the color after it's applied.
Find the perfect color. Certain hues are specific to a brand, but retailers can often match colors. Paint-color formula books and color-matching computer technology means consumers don't have to rely solely on the skills of a sales clerk, though one with a good eye and mixing equipment with clean nozzles may be able to match colors, too.
Match sheen to surface. The best low-luster satin and eggshell paints offer easy hiding and durability, making them ideal for most surfaces. Flat paints hide flaws better but are less resistant to stains and smudges, so use in low-traffic areas. Semigloss works well for trim and other surfaces that don't need to be wiped frequently, because repeated cleaning will dull most finishes.
Consumer Reports writes columns, reviews, and ratings on cars, appliances, electronics, and other consumer goods. Previous stories can be found at consumerreports.org.

Organic Garden Oasis in Willow Glen, CA

Two of our fabulous employees, Michele and Alexa, have created a beautiful garden oasis and are willing to share their creative process with us!

The organic raised garden is a new work in progress - and Alexa's baby. The rest of the yard design and adornments are Michele's hard work and talent at designing and building.

If you need advice on landscaping design, what will grow (and what won't) or just general tips on gardening - ask Michele! You can contact her here.

We'll be following the garden's progress, so check back to see what's growing!

 



 

Canning jar crafts at Hassett ACE Hardware, Half Moon Bay

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by our Half Moon Bay ACE and see the great crafts Jennifer has come up with for canning jars: candle holders, herb gardens, sugar holder, the options are endless!

We have several six packs of the limited-edition blue jars - come get 'em now, once they're gone, we can't get any more, and they are so pretty!

The other sizes are great for all sorts of other projects and those are almost always in stock.

Ask for Jennifer if you have questions on how to make these yourself, or for the jars on the driftwood, follow the easy steps in this post from McCutcheons Blog.

 

DIY Animal Toy Wall Art

[caption id="attachment_903" align="aligncenter" width="477"] Image from HarpersHappennings.com[/caption]

Ok. This project from HarpersHappenings.com is one of the cutest and most inventive DIYs with painted animal toys I've yet seen. Turns out our ACE stores also carry most of what you need for this fun project, which I would argue looks both swank enough for a library and whimsical enough for a kid's room.

Ingredients:

Miniature Plastic Animals - Not generally found at our store, unless you ask our mom customers, who probably have one in their purse.

X-acto Knife - Check.

Rust-Oleum Metallic Spray Paint in Gold - ...And Silver, and just about any other color you could want.

Eye Goggles - Oodles of choices.

Mask - I prefer the old-fashioned white one, but we've got several.

Glue Gun and Glue Sticks - Not our specialty, but if you're looking for DIY Animal Toy projects, you've probably got a glue gun already.

Frame - You might have one already that needs some art, or check your local thrift stores.

White Card Stock - Nope.

Pencil - Check.

For complete instructions, please see the original post on HarpersHappenings.com

New Orleans ACE Show, 2013

ACE holds corporate events and tradeshows every few months - and a lucky group of us got to enjoy the Spring show (where you're actually buying for the Holidays) in NoLA (that's New Orleans, Louisanna, dontcha know?)

It was raining most of the time we were there, but we managed to do the requisite breakfast at Cafe du Monde, stroll along the Mississippi and enjoy Bourbon Street at night:

Dr. Earth All Natural Garden Products

Introducing: Dr. Earth natural garden products, coming to our Willow Glen store on March 11, 2013!

Dr. Earth products are 100% NATURAL, ORGANIC, PEOPLE AND PET SAFE and include soils, fertilizers, weed killer, insecticides, fungicides, and snail and slug spray.

Dr Earth-soils are infused with Probiotic - living organisms like beneficial microbes and mycorrhizae. The microbes break down organic materials into forms more readily absorbed by growing plants. The soil can rebuild food reserves - a self regulating cycle that has occurred for millions of years as part of the wisdom of nature. Bigger, healthier and more abundant plants, fruits and flowers, that's the promise with Dr. Earth.

Made in America.