In this SideQuest, Samantha, Emily, and Arly dive into the mailbag to solve some common homeowner headaches. From the mysteries of "clicking" floors that have stopped clicking to the science of why your laundry room walls might be "sweating" syrup, the ladies break down how to fix it without calling in a pro (or burning the house down in frustration).

Is your click-and-lock flooring starting to show its teeth? We discuss the "Organized Chaos" approach to gaps in vinyl and laminate, including why a block of wood and some duct tape might be your new best friends.

• Mind the Gap: Why click-and-lock floors separate and how to "kick" them back into place—literally.

• The Glue Debate: Arly and Samantha face off on whether wood glue belongs on vinyl (Spoiler: Things get heated).

• Yellow Drips & Sticky Walls: If your walls look like a smoker lives there but they don't, it’s likely "surfactant leaching." We explain how high humidity and latex paint create this "syrup" and how to cure it for good.

• Wall Sweats: Condensation on your walls (not just the windows) is a major red flag for missing insulation. We talk about the "Breezeway Effect" and how to stop the moisture.

• The Anchor Struggle: How to remove plastic drywall anchors without leaving a crater in your wall—including the "hammer it in" trick.

Featured Tips & Tricks

• The Duct Tape Block: Wrap a 2x4 in duct tape (sticky side out) to create a high-grip tool for sliding floor planks back together.

• The Suction Cup Hack: Mention of the "Dumbbell" suction tool seen on TikTok for closing floor gaps.

• The Paint Cure: Don't steam up your bathroom for at least 3 days after painting to prevent the surfactant from leaching out.

  
  

  The Village Resources

  • Got a question? Email us at hthm@myhandymam.com or find us on social media linktr.ee/howtohandymaam

  • Join the Community: We are nearly at 800 members in our private Facebook group! Join the "Village" to get advice from Samantha, Emily, Arly, and hundreds of other DIY-capable women.

    • ​Community: Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ How to Handyma’am Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to ask questions and post your project pics.

    
    

    Products We Love: Find the tools mentioned in this episode at our storefront:

    • ​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop the Handyma'am Favorites on Lowe's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    
    

  • Follow the Journey: Catch our older SideQuests now moving to YouTube with full video!

This week’s episode is dedicated to our favorite sister/DIY-er, Isabel Bowen (of Bowen’s Builds)!

In this episode, we play a game of "Red Flag, Green Flag, Yellow Flag" to help you navigate the stressful world of hiring contractors. If you are planning a renovation or need a repair, knowing these warning signs can save you thousands of dollars (and a lot of headaches).

We discuss:

• 🚩 Cash Discounts: Is it a deal or a liability? We explain why paying cash often means you have zero recourse if the job goes wrong.

• 🚩 100% Payment Upfront: Why you should never pay in full before the work starts, and what a reasonable deposit actually looks like.

• 🚩 Trash Talking: Why a contractor who badmouths the previous worker is usually a major red flag for their own professionalism.

• 🟢 Change Orders: Why a contractor asking for more money mid-project might actually be a green flag (if they communicate it correctly!).

• 🟡 Lump Sum vs. Itemized Estimates: How to read a quote and know exactly what you are paying for.

Resources Mentioned:

Join the Village:Have a contractor horror story? Or a "Red Flag" we missed? Tell us in the Facebook Group!

• ​Community: Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ How to Handyma’am Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to ask questions and post your project pics.

Products We Love: Find the tools mentioned in this episode at our storefront:

• ​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop the Handyma'am Favorites on Lowe's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out the blog post ⁠⁠here!⁠⁠

Join the Village!

• ​Web:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ myhandymaam.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ​Socials:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @howtohandymaam⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/howtohandymaam⁠⁠

We realized we’ve been hanging out in your earbuds for a few weeks now, but we haven't properly introduced ourselves!

In this SideQuest, we’re hitting pause on the tutorials to tell you who we actually are and how "My Handyma'am" started. Spoiler: It began with an accidental renovation, a biology major who never left, and a lot of plaster dust.

In this episode, we cover:

• The "Accidental" Beginning: How Samantha and her husband bought a historic house, and Emily (fresh out of art school) came home for spring break and accidentally started a demolition by looking for a brick wall behind the plaster.

• The "Master Class": How Samantha and Emily spent 9 months renovating a flip house together—teaching themselves everything from tiling to making custom trim—which eventually launched their business.

• Arly’s Entry: How Arly went from a biology major to "Employee #1" (and basically an adopted family member) who joined the chaos and just never left.

• Why We Do This: We aren't just here to show off projects. We are here to build a community large enough to fund affordable, accessible trade education for women.

• The Tools We Started With: (Hint: It wasn't much). Proof that you don't need a fancy workshop or a contractor's license to start fixing your own home—sometimes you just need a hammer and some audacity.

Join the Village:Whether you are here to learn how to fix a leaky faucet or just need permission to pick up a hammer for the first time, you are in the right place.

Connect with us:

• Instagram/TikTok: @HowToHandymaam

• Email: HTHM@myhandymaam.com

• Leave a Review: If you love what we’re doing, rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple Podcasts helps us reach more people (and convince sponsors to help us teach more women!).

Find us everywhere: linktr.ee/howtohandymaam