Episode 11:Cheap or Quality | Home Edition | When to Save on Your Materials
Welcome back to How to Handyma’am! This episode is a special one, and we are dedicating it to Emily’s mother-in-law, Jeanne, who is officially one year post-beating cancer. We’re big fans of vulnerability here, whether we’re talking about regular health screenings or the "odoriferous" smell of frozen Texas Toast garlic bread.
We’ve also had some major wins lately—we won our local business incubator "Shark Tank" style challenge, and we’re heading out to teach our very first DIY class to a Girl Scout troop later this month!
The Great Debate: Where to Splurge and Where to Save
At How to Handyma’am, we’ve learned everything the hardest possible way so you don’t have to. Here is our official guide on which home materials deserve your hard-earned money and which ones can be "Grade A" even at a lower price point.
1. Paint: SPLURGE (Always Quality) 🎨
The Trap: Cheap paint is essentially colored water. You’ll end up painting 12 coats just to get decent coverage.
The Pro Move: We swear by Sherwin-Williams, specifically because of the relationship with the staff. Having a "Paint School" expert who can troubleshoot why your finish is bubbling is worth every penny.
2. Click-and-Lock Flooring: SPLURGE (Quality is Mandatory) 🧱
The Tolerance Problem: Cheap click-and-lock flooring has zero tolerance for dust. If there is even a "midlet" of debris in the groove, it will never lock correctly.
The Stability Factor: Higher-quality planks come with better backing and heavier-duty locking mechanisms. If it’s too easy to click together, it’s going to be just as easy to unclick later.
3. Wallpaper: SPLURGE (Thickness Matters) 📜
The Weight Test: Good wallpaper should feel substantial, like a thick postcard or a placemat.
The Nightmare: Avoid thin, "stretchy" papers that feel like tissue or notebook paper. If the paper stretches while you're hanging it, your pattern will never line up.
Pro Tip: Skip the peel-and-stick or pre-pasted versions. Real glue allows for "slip," which lets you actually move the paper into place.
4. Tile: SAVE (Go Ahead and Go Cheap) 🚿
The Reality: A $2.00 subway tile is still a solid piece of ceramic. Once it’s on the wall and grouted, it looks just as good as the expensive stuff.
The Difference: Expensive tiles usually cost more because of the minerals in the glaze or because they are handmade in small batches.
The Safety Warning: Regardless of price, wear your safety glasses. Porcelain shards in the eye are a Grade F DIY experience.
5. Lumber: IT DEPENDS 🪵
Straightness over Price: You can’t build a straight shelf with a twisted board. Always pick through the pile to find the straightest pieces.
The Moisture Trap: Pressure-treated wood is often "soaking wet" when sold. As it dries, it warps and twists.
The Fix: Grab a cheap moisture meter. If the wood is over 15-20% moisture, it isn't ready to be stained or painted yet.
6. Paintbrushes: SPLURGE (Quality Tools Last Years) 🖌️
The Shedding Problem: Cheap brushes leave bristles in your wet paint that you’ll have to pick out with your fingernails.
The Lifetime Tool: Buy two high-quality brushes (like a Wooster or Purdy), clean them properly after every use, and they will literally last you years.
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Transcript: Here is the clean, pastable transcript for Episode 11 of the How to Handyma’am podcast, with the dialogue preserved and the speaker labels removed.
We missed you! Yeah, welcome back folks. Welcome to How to Handyma’am, the podcast where we tell you how wide to open your wallet. In this episode, we talk about our favorite podcasts that you should check out, and what's happened in the two weeks since we last recorded. I’m Samantha. I’m Arly. And I’m Emily, and this is How to Handyma’am. This episode is dedicated to my mother-in-law, Jeanne, who is about a year post-beating cancer. She is so badass, but she’s also just such a vulnerable person and is always willing to talk about what’s going on in her life. This one is for you, Jeanne. Love you lots.
You got a text from a fellow handyma’am that I wanted to bring up. I loved that she said she loved that we brought femininity to construction. I think it’s really important to enter the trades or the space that you’re in being exactly who you are. The three of us tend to be pretty feminine, which is fine, but there are also women who work for us who are way less feminine than us, and that’s fine too. You don’t have to pretend to be a guy to work in the trades. Her name is Tracy Germer and she is Asheville Handyma’am. She’s been so encouraging and enthusiastic—just another person that we can go "yay!" and fan-girl with about being in the trades.
Guys, I just ate a bonbon and I did not know it was going to be spicy. I thought it was going to be so sweet and delicious, but after a minute, my mouth was on fire! That would be Mexican hot chocolate. Anyway, this will be brief, but I got my first ever Pap smear at 27 and I know I should have gotten it a lot sooner. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and this is your reminder to go get yours. It’s better to have a few awkward moments than cervical cancer. Cancer screenings are so important. In our family, we have about every form of cancer you can think of. A lot of cancers, if caught early, can be successfully eradicated.
I’ve been having so much fun lately meeting other podcasters. I wanted to share Nicole Stoute, who has the Marvelous Middle Age podcast. She talks about how middle age is a season to thrive. It’s a place for a community of women in midlife to be seen, supported, and encouraged. If you’re like me and anywhere in pre-menopause, menopause, or post-menopause, check it out. My weirdest favorite podcast is Tooth and Claw. It’s by West, Jeff, and Mike. West is a bear biologist. It’s real tales of animal attacks. It sounds spooky, but they care so much about animals and they talk about the behaviors that make animals attack and how you can prepare. Like, if you see a cougar, it’s probably a good sign because if you can see it, it’s probably not going to kill you because they're stealth predators.
I went to the Achieve Retreat in Madison, Indiana. It was super great and I met a lot of new people. It was really honing in on small business and understanding how to make your business thrive, not just be in survival mode. It kicked us off on our social media journey back in October of 2025. I’m also working on two niche-ified cabinets for a favorite customer. They're built into the studs, the insides are wallpapered with a chevron pattern, and she wants tiled shelves. We also just did a really beautiful tile floor for this client with 2-foot by 4-foot Italian porcelain tiles.
We haven't met since we won the Business Incubator Challenge! A week and a half ago, we participated in a challenge done by the Chamber of Commerce in our town. We competed in a "Shark Tank" style presentation and we won! It was an amazing night. We were talking about in-person classes, and this will be the first little micro-pilot of our in-person classes. We’re also dreaming about a fall How to Handyma’am Weekend Intensive. Think live podcast recording, multiple hands-on classes, tool demonstrations, and connecting with other women. But actually, our first class is this month with a Girl Scout troop! We're going to build something together and get them some hands-on experience.
We’re back from the break and ready for another episode of Cheap or Quality. This time we're doing products for your house—the materials you would buy to complete a DIY project. First up: Paint. Quality, 100%. We’ve tried the cheap stuff, and you’ll have to paint 12 coats. Some paint is just very watery. We prefer Sherwin-Williams because we’ve had the best luck, and they have a great relationship with their team. You can call the store and they actually know stuff; they're paint experts, not just cashiers.
Next: Click-and-lock flooring. Quality. I already hate click-and-lock flooring of the highest quality, so you know how I feel about the cheap stuff. If you’re deciding to DIY, you’re already saving a lot on labor, so splurge on the good quality flooring. The cheap stuff has a very minuscule little hook, and if it’s easy to lock, it will be easy to unlock. Also, a quick disclaimer: liquid floor leveler is not as easy as it seems. It requires skill, specific equipment, and a lot of patience. It’s not like pouring out a carton of milk that levels itself.
Spray paint: Cheap or mid-tier. The most important thing is doing a clear coat over it. Also, check the can to see what it’s for—metal spray paint won’t work the same on plastic. Paintbrushes: Quality. Unless you’re using oil-based paint and want a crummy brush you can throw away, go with quality. My number one grievance with cheap brushes is when the bristles fall out and end up in your paint job. Buy a high-quality brush like a Wooster or a Purdy, clean it well, and it will last you for years.
Lumber: Quality in terms of it being straight. You can’t build anything decent with a twisted board. When using pressure-treated lumber, it’s often soaking wet and will warp as it dries. Use a moisture meter to check it. Finally, Wallpaper: Quality. If it feels like computer paper or notebook paper, or if it feels stretchy, don't buy it. If you stretch the wallpaper, your pattern will never line up. Go with a thicker, linen-based paper. It’s expensive, but when you put it on, it’s perfect, and when you take it off, it comes off perfect.
We’ll see you this Friday for the full meal! Bye!
