Celebrate National Good Neighbor Day With Ace Hardware's Top Five Neighborly Tips

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired - Sep 24, 2014) - Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, is celebrating National Good Neighbor Day on September 28^th by reminding homeowners that one of the ways to be a good neighbor is maintaining your home's appearance. Creating an appealing outdoor space is a great first step to building camaraderie with your neighbors and showing them your appreciation. In an effort to build strong community foundations across the country, Ace's Home Expert, Lou Manfredini, identified the top home maintenance tips and tricks to help homeowners become the best neighbors they can be.

"You don't need to move to a new home to live in a better neighborhood! A good looking home is one that you can take pride in and encourages neighbors to tackle their own home maintenance projects, resulting in a better neighborhood for all," says Manfredini. "To celebrate National Good Neighbor Day, I am offering my top five projects for homeowners to tackle this fall in an effort to assist in making their neighborhood a better place to live!"

To help homeowners across the country increase their curb appeal in celebration of National Good Neighbor Day, Manfredini offers these top five neighborly tips that are guaranteed to help your neighborhood look its best.

1. Curb appeal starts with the outside of your home. Walk across the street and take a look at what your home looks like from your neighbors' perspective. Next, inspect the exterior painting on siding, windows, doors and trim. Scrape off loose paint, sand it smooth and then repaint using two coats of Clark+Kensington® paint+primer in one. 
2. Take a good look at your lawn; it's the foundation to your home's overall look. To achieve a weed free lawn, start by raking the grass to remove leaves and debris. Next, apply a natural soil treatment, like Milorganite®, which will help to improve the ability of the soil to grow thick green grass. Following this treatment, apply new grass seed formulated specifically for the area in which you live. Finally, be sure to water the lawn appropriately and watch it go from dull to lush in only two weeks' time!
3. Older walkways may need some attention and since this will be the first thing your neighbors see when they come to visit, it's important that your walkway is impressive. Check for cracks and fill them with a crack filler like Quikrete® Concrete Crack Seal. This product is easy to apply and will mimic the color of your concrete walkway. If you have brick pavers that have shifted over time, pull them out and add sand to make the base more stable. You can then re-set the pavers to make your walkway safer and neater.
4. If you find your asphalt driveway is a little worse for the wear, re-seal it. A cracked driveway causes nothing but hazards and eyesores for your neighbors (and yourself). Start by cleaning the surface first with a citrus-based cleaner and allow it to dry completely. Once the surface is clean and dry, fill the cracks with Black Jack® Crack Filler and then apply a new coat of Black Jack® Driveway Seal. Be sure to finish the job with the sealer when temperatures are below 80 degrees and out of direct sunlight, if possible. Early mornings or early evenings are both great times for this job.
5. Finally, de-clutter and spruce up your home's outdoor spaces. Consider moving unsightly items next to your home that you may not be able to see, but are visible to your neighbors, such as bikes, lawn mowers and garden tools. If not having enough space in your garage for these items is an issue, consider adding a shed next to your home to better maximize the use of your space. Suncast® and Arrow Storage Products® both have a great selection of easy to assemble sheds that will help you stay organized and improve your neighbors' view!

For more helpful tips and advice on how to make your home neighbor-friendly this fall, Ace's Home Expert, Lou Manfredini, will host a live chat on Ace's Facebook page on Friday, September 26^th from noon - 1 p.m. CDT. You can also stop by your neighborhood Ace Hardware store or visit www.acehardware.com.

About Ace Hardware
For 90 years, Ace Hardware has been known as the place with the helpful hardware folks in thousands of neighborhoods across America, providing customers with a more personal kind of helpful. In 2014, Ace ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores, Eight Years in a Row," according to J.D. Power. With more than 4,850 hardware stores locally owned and operated across the globe, Ace is the largest hardware cooperative in the industry. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries currently operate 14 distribution centers in the U.S. and also have distribution capabilities in Shanghai, China; Panama City, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and approximately 60 countries. For more information on Ace, visit www.acehardware.com.