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Compiled from Wire Services
Thursday, July 20, 2000; Page H04

Q: It's such a chore to scrape paint off the glass after repainting windows. Is there an easy way?

A: It's easy to paint the narrow wood muntins between windowpanes. The hard part comes when you have to scrape off the dried paint from the glass.

Here's how the pros do it: First, use a sharp utility knife to score the paint on the glass. However, don't press the knife tip right up against the muntin. Instead, score the line at least 1/16 inch onto the glass pane.

This technique eliminates the likelihood of cutting into the wood muntin and, more important, allows the paint to form an airtight seal between the glass and wood.

Next, use a razor-blade paint scraper to remove the excess paint. Push the blade into the paint being careful not to scrape beyond the scored line.

Q: I would like information regarding urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) in walls. We are thinking of buying a house and are afraid of settling on something before knowing if formaldehyde is present.

A: UFFI was installed in many houses during the 1970s but was banned in 1982 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for use in schools and residences. The commission banned the material after reviewing test data that linked formaldehyde fumes to cancer in rats and mice. The ban was later overturned by a U.S. Court of Appeals. By that time, however, most of the contractors installing the material had gotten out of the business.

During and after installation of UFFI, formaldehyde levels decline rapidly--to below .1 parts per million within the first year of the installation. Although people vary in their susceptibility to formaldehyde, most healthy adults would not experience ill effects from exposure below .1 parts per million.

And because a house containing the insulation would probably have had it installed years ago, any vapors from the insulation would probably be negligible.

Formaldehyde is widely used in many other products, such as plywood, particleboard, chipboard, plastic laminates, cosmetics, cleaners and paper products. It is possible that the air in the house could have a high formaldehyde concentration from these products.

If you are concerned about this, have the air tested for formaldehyde by a certified lab.

Q: My 4-year-old son decided to use the living room wall as a canvas for his new crayon set. I've had problems in the past trying to repaint over stains when I was unable to completely remove them. What's the best procedure for dealing with this problem?

A: Your first impulse may be to try to paint over the stain, but many stains cannot be covered with paint alone.

Rust, grease or oil, crayon wax and Magic Marker ink may be activated by the solvent (water or oil) in the paint and bleed back through the new paint.

This is true regardless of how many coats of paint you apply. You either must seal over the stain or remove the offending material from the wall before painting.

The best approach is to try to remove the stain material. Check with your local paint dealer for products containing solvents that will remove splattered latex paints, grease, crayon marks and other stains.

Pour some cleaner on a clean cloth, wet the stain and let the cleaner work for a couple of minutes. If you just try to scrub the stain away, you also may remove some wall paint.

If the stain comes off the paint, spot-prime the stain area and then repaint the wall.

If the stain proves difficult to remove, you can seal in almost any stain with a shellac sealer. The shellac is fast-drying so it does not activate the stain material but covers it over.

To avoid the shiny spots resulting from the higher sheen over the shellac sealer, seal the entire wall with shellac, not just the stain.

Q: How much does individual energy use affect your environment?

A: Consider this: If you just clean your air-conditioner filter every month as is recommended, you will reduce your annual emissions of carbon dioxide by about 175 pounds each year. You'll also save money on your energy bills by keeping the air flowing smoothly through the filter.

And if you have skylights in your house, each 2-by-4-foot clear skylight has an energy impact of around $20 per year because of the extra heat load on the air conditioner. Consider installing shaded skylights to help control the heat getting inside and to keep the house more comfortable. Skylights are great. Don't get rid of them, just work with them to make them as energy-efficient as possible.

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