Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 13, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B5 MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2020 ? WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM B 5BUSINESS DIY renos? Leave big jobs to experts It's best to put major projects on hold for now H OME renovation projects may start to look tempting to people cooped up in their houses during the COVID-19 pandemic. But while minor cosmetic changes are easy to tackle, experts say it's best to put major projects on hold, at least for now. "Things like electrical and plumb- ing, those should always be left to the professionals," said Steve Dawson, the owner of Dudley's Hardware in Toronto. "For anything that's not a serious issue, that can probably be put on hold for a bit." Dawson, who has owned the store near the city's downtown core for more than 10 years, suggested simple projects such as painting or gardening for anyone who's itching to get to work on their homes. A fresh coat of paint, or a new colour palette, can do wonders for any room, he said. "It's something that's fairly easy to do, you can take your time with it and you don't need a lot of experience," Dawson said. "It's about just beautify- ing your space because you're bored staring at the same walls. "We have a lot of customers com- ing in because they're having to be do video chats for work and they don't like how they look in front of certain colours, or they're realizing maybe it's time to fix that big plaster mark on the wall behind them." Dawson had to make changes to his shop over the last few weeks to accom- modate social distancing measures. Customers are no longer allowed in the store, with a small pickup window being used for orders instead. He asks customers to call ahead with their orders and avoid paying with cash, and his employees are wearing face shields to keep themselves safe. Those kinds of changes are the norm now, especially in Ontario where all major hardware stores have switched to pickup or delivery only. Some stores are limiting their hours nationwide. Canadian Tire's website was down Wednesday morning, with a message saying: "Due to these unprecedented times, we are experiencing a higher than normal volume of traffic." While Dawson said Dudley's has not been inundated with order requests, he expects an uptick as the pandemic continues. Things like paint, painting supplies and gardening tools have been his big sellers lately. Dawson said that's typically the case around spring, but he suspects the coronavirus outbreak has played some role. "People are starting to think about things like gardening and growing their own food, especially now," he said. Peter Lippert, a Toronto plumber with Newbridge Plumbing, said there are many reasons to hold off on large projects during the pandemic, with the most important being safety and avoid- ing unnecessary trips to the hospital. Lippert also cautions people to be aware that professional help, if needed, is in short supply. "My advice for starting any DIY during COVID-19 is keep it within your abilities," Lippert said. "Many contractors and trades people are still open but only for emergency services, so if you need someone to step in and fix what you've started, you may have trouble scheduling someone. "We also all want to make sure we are limiting the number of people that are coming in and out of our homes, so if you need to bring in a contractor, make sure it is essential." Ensuring you have the supplies you need before taking on a project is also important, Lippert said, stressing that having to order in certain items "could take months." "The last thing you want is to be staring at a half-finished project in your home adding to your stress lev- els," he said. Dawson says DIY projects don't need to be stressful and wants people to re- member that some home-improvement tasks can offer more benefits than just sprucing up your surroundings. "People are starting to get a little squirrelly being shut inside and seeing things that need to be fixed, and there's a lot of therapy when it comes to sort of freshening up and making your space more homey," he said. "Things like gardening, painting, they can go a long way in providing some mental stability." Just be sure you know what you're in for, Lippert warns. "Keep it simple. And avoid touching the kind of things that could do dam- age to your home." -The Canadian Press MELISSA COUTO Hand sanitizer will be in short supply for a long time COMPANIES across North Ameri- ca have noticed that we're all hunting for hand sanitizer and have started producing more, yet it's still proving difficult to find and availability is un- likely to improve in the short term. According to the companies making the alcohol-based hand cleaner, higher production isn't translating into more supply in part because there aren't enough of the plastic bottles to package it. A key compound used in the process is also in short supply. Additionally, the retail squeeze is exacerbated by the fact that health- care organizations on the front lines of the pandemic get their shipments first. Consumers get to pick from whatever inventory is left, and it hasn't been enough to go around. Data from market research firm Nielsen shows that U.S. sales jumped 239 per cent from a year earlier in the four weeks ended March 28. So as we all hunt for a bottle of hand sanitizer, this is what the companies involved in production have to say about it. - The plastic issue: To cope with a "flood of new demand," plastic-con- tainer producer Berry Global Group Inc. increased capacity at its North Carolina facility by 33 per cent in March. The manufacturer is running production around the clock at all of its facilities to fulfill orders for flip-top closures and plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, spokeswoman Amy Waterman said. But higher output doesn't mean there's a greater supply of plastic, because food production - another priority during the pandemic - is also ramping up dramatically. "We're not selling six-ounce con- tainers to hand sanitizer companies, we're selling those to yogurt compa- nies," Waterman said, noting that food producers are also critical "because people have to eat." It's not just the bottles. AptarGroup Inc., which makes specialized parts for cosmetics and personal care packag- ing, has raised output of lotion pumps and sanitizer caps. But with demand still outpacing supply, the company has been using tops made for bever- age or cosmetic containers sanitizers and household cleaners in some cases, according to spokeswoman Katie Reardon. These hurdles mean that companies that are changing gears to meet the sudden rise in sanitizer demand easily jump in to fill the void. RPP Products Inc., for example, typically makes automotive fluids, but began sanitizer production a few weeks ago. While the company has been able to produce 150,000 gallons per week, their only option for now is to package it in automotive bottles, said chief executive officer Eric Zwigart. "If you want to go out and try and find bottles that everyone wants to use, you won't be using them. You'll be waiting weeks and months," he said. - The gel issue: QYK Brands, a California-based cosmetics firm that sells more hand sanitizer than any other product, says it's not only the plastic containers that are in short supply. There's also not enough of the chemical compounds needed to make gel, chief executive officer Rakesh Tammabattula said. The company has less than two weeks' supply of a key component, in part because other manufacturers have suddenly jumped in "and emp- tied the inventory of everything that's available," he said. Chemical manufacturer Lubrizol Corp., which produces Carbomer polymers used to thicken sanitizer formulations, has seen "unprecedented increases in demand" for its ingredi- ents. The company has been manufactur- ing at full capacity, but is prioritizing orders from health-care customers. Tammabattula said supplies are mainly going to bigger competitors such as Gojo Industries Inc., the maker of Purell, he said. Gojo didn't respond to requests for comment. In a March 22 statement, Gojo said it had shifted its distribu- tion to ensure product is available for healthcare groups, first responders and grocers. In the meantime, temporary manu- facturers such as Zwigart will have to package their sanitizer with whatever materials they have on hand. It may not be ideal, but it's the only way to get shipments out in a timely fashion. "It's not easy in these times," he said. "You do the best you can." - Bloomberg GERALD PORTER JR. AND ED LUDLOW GERALD HERBERT / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES JOSHUA L. JONES / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A sign hangs where Purell hand sanitizer would be at the Piggly Wiggly in Athens, Ga., last month. The public has been buying up hand sani- tizer, toilet paper, cleaning supplies and even food in reaction to the spread of coronavirus. Homeowners spend billions to spruce up their abodes every year to boost their life- style and home value. But since not all renova- tions provide the same return on in- vestment, experts say it's important to consider how a splashy new countertop, bath- room overhaul or massive addition will pay off in the long run for not only their happi- ness, but also in a future sale. B_05_Apr-13-20_FP_01.indd B5 4/12/20 4:44 PM ;