Have questions about how to keep your home fit and trim?
Home Sense columnist Mike McClintock is online every other Thursday at Noon ET to answer your questions about home building, remodeling, repairs and the wide range of home-consumer issues. If it has something to do with the place where you live -- from home security to the latest on appliances, energy-saving and a lot more -- just ask. Mike has the answers.
Mike McClintock
(For The Washington Post)
|
|
McClintock's column appears in the Post Home section every Thursday. He is the author of 10 books, including "Alternative Housebuilding."
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
_____________
Mike McClintock: Hi: Two things up front this week: first a solicitation (in the best sense of the word) and then another Home Sense question to consider while I start on your questions.
DID IT WORK FOR YOU:
Tired of cleaning out the gutters? This time of year gutter guards are tempting- if they would really work. We'll be covering them soon in the newspaper, and want your input. The key questions: What type of gutter guard do you have (brand names and installer companies are fine), and did it really end gutter clogs? Tell us about that one- and the one that clogged as usual or collapsed when it snowed.
Even in this electronic age we're not quite up to having an email address for you, so please write (you remember, pen on paper) to me at the newspaper, and I'll keep it first names or towns only so you can praise or vent at full force.
Home Section- Mike McClintock
The Washington Post
1150 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20071
-- or just to say hello and send a picture of you with your hammer or whatever would be cool, too; in the meantime...
HOME SENSE- EMAIL SCAMS -QUESTION
Many of the home consumer scams that used to arrive via door-to-door salespeople or junk mail now come electronically via email. The Federal Trade Commission has a list of the 12 most common scams (find the site link and full list end of hour), but the question is: which two topics below are NOT on the FTC's list of 12 most common email scams?
Cable descrambler kits
Driveway recoating scams
Chain letters
Get-rich-quick schemes
Reroofing scams
Bad credit repair schemes
_______________________
Alexandria, Va.:
Hello!
Question for you -- We have a very small (1100 sq. ft.) 50's rambler - it has radiant heat -- which we love. Currently, there is a cheap carpet installed over the original parquet floor. The original floor is in terrible shape -- paint splattered, water damaged, etc., and isn't worth saving. What is the best type of flooring for radiant heat? Having tile throughout is not something we'd enjoy, as it's awfully tough on the joints -- are there other options?
Thanks!
Mike McClintock: From the heat standpoint the less in the way of it the better, like a carpet and pad. But if you want to go from scratch (a light sanding might work wonders on the original wood you know) thinner would be better, maybe a laminate.
_______________________
Warrenton, Va.:
Hello Mike,
Thanks for your help in past. Here's another:
What type of pressure washer should I rent to get
the mold and grime off a deck, or does it make
more sense to buy one when wood in this climate
seems to get green and kind of gummy almost
every year?
Mike McClintock: Pressure washers are handy for many clean-up projects (aside from that nearly annual one on the deck), so buying one probably makes sense for you. Rebnting is a good idea if you really need a high-end and very powerful machine, say, to dig years of grime out of a concrete driveway. But most jobs like cleaning decks, siding and such don't need the 10-15hp and 3-4000psi delivered by the monsters. In fact, that much pressure can erode wood and even pry clapboards loose on a wall.
The most versatile (and inexpensive) model for you might be an electric with 1000-1500psi and a built-in or add-on detergent mixer. You should find one for something like $150 with a long cord and GFCI shock protection-not a bad deal. To make the tool more versatile, look fopr one with either an adjustable pressure setting or a nozzle with different diffuser settings. This lets you increase pressure for cleaning on masonry and materials that can take the powerful flow, and dial down the setting (or diffuse the spray) for more general cleaning.
_______________________
Woodbridge, Va.:
Hi Mike,
What steps should I take? It looks like I have some mold growing in the caulking of my shower.
Thanks!
Mike McClintock: Doesn't everyone? Mold loves it in showers, specially on caulk even more so than grout, which repsonds pretty well to scrubbing with one of the proprietary cleaners or a bleach-water solution. That doesn't work as well on caulk, and sometimes (depending on the type) can erode it. But start there.
_______________________
Clifton, Va.:
For the person -- or any person -- considering ceramic or terrazzo tile in their home -- don't do it where you will be spending a lot of time on your feet! It is very tiring; also echoes and can crack. We put in cork floor, engineered planks, and LOVE IT! Soft, quiet, environmentally sounds, hypoallergenic... comes in many patterns and colors. We used a 'large-cell' honey color to tie in our family room and kitchen. Nice transition from wood floor areas, too.
Mike McClintock: I don't remember anyone planning terrazzo (it's sort of commercial) but thanks
_______________________
Arlington, Va.:
The grass under my deck has obviously died, but I think mold has started to grow on the dirt. What can be done to kill this mold? Using bleach, which is what is normally used against mold, could possibly kill my grass if it flows or gets washed away.
Mike McClintock: A local gardening place will have more than mix you can use to kill vegetation of all kinds; you just have to be careful where you put it- and let some more air in there if you can.
_______________________
Bowie, Md.:
With regard to interior doors, what can be done to the hinges to make sure the door holds its position instead of drifting after releasing hold of it. I've noticed that when installed, some hinge pins are sometimes not fully inserted. What is the reasoning behind this?
Mike McClintock: If a door travels on its own (that could be interesting) it's usually a case of how the door and frame was hung, and maybe also that the wall is a little out of kilter, too. You can fix the travel part simply by pulling the pins and scuffing them up (just a bit at first) with a file. The door travel will be just slightly impeded, but not so much that you'll even notice it pushing by hand.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.:
A previous owner used silicone caulk all around the base of the shower stall, and it collected a lot of mold. I removed it by peeling, scraping, and cleaning with bleach and a soap-scum remover, then applied a caulk made for showers/tubs. Apparently the new caulk has been prevented from sticking by the residue from the silicone, because after a couple of months cracks appeared between the caulk and the surface. Is there anything I can apply to the shower surface to remove the silicone residue before I apply new caulk again? Thanks.
Mike McClintock: Silicone adhered to just about everything, so it's unlikely that's the problem and more likely that the new material suffered some of the same problems the old silicon did. About the best you can do before adding caulk is thoroughly dry a seam, using a hair dryer for instance, and blow out any dust or debris.
_______________________
Chambersburg, Pa.:
Hi, can you recommend a clear finish for our wooden stairs that won't make us gag? My husband is pretty sensitive to most paints and finishes. We've heard about nontoxic finishes but don't know anybody who's used one. Thanks.
Mike McClintock: Water-based clear sealers should be ok, though if you try the Web you'll find several sites offering "non-toxic" materials- often just water-based instead of solvent-based.
_______________________
Bethesda, Md.:
One of the rooms in our house (built in 1948) is colder than the rest of the house. It's a first floor bedroom in a cape cod. Our heating company cannot find any problem in the ducts. What are some other possibilities (insulation? windows?) and who is the best person to call to come take a look?
Mike McClintock: Some rooms are colder because of where they are (like northern corner). It's unusual for one to have less insulation than others, or way more windows. But you can adjust the system a bit by reducing register flow in nearby rooms (fed by the same main duct) so the cooler bedroom gets more heat. Surprised the company didn't suggest a booster fan- a tiny fan mounted in the register boot that kicks on when the main blower starts to run, and increases the airflow, which brings more heat to that room. Worth a try.
_______________________
NE Washington, D.C.:
Hi, I've got a gutters question. I bought my house two years ago, and it had gutter guards, but they were totally useless, so I threw them out. But, my real question is: how do I find a reputable company to clean and repair my gutters. I'm terrified of heights, so I can't DIY, which is my preference. In the past, I've bribed friends to do it. I get lots of mail solicitations, but I don't know if they are reputable or not. Anyone you recommend?
Mike McClintock: Best bet as always is to go by recommendations from friends and neighbors. But if basically would do the job if it were ground level, get yourself a ground-level tool, like a blower attachment to a shop-vac or small electric pressure washer or hose-end sprayer-whatever- thast is basically a long wand with a crook at the end so you stay on the ground and the end of the wand powers out the leaves.
_______________________
Silver Spring, Md.:
Mike,
My house has got 40 year old metal ducts for its forced air system. Each time the heat starts blowing they produce a heck of a knocking, presumably from the temperature change. Yet, this only seems to happen in a few spots.
What could be the only reason it seems to always happen only in few spots? Short of tearing the walls up, what can be done about it?
Thanks.
Mike McClintock: Some of the screws or nails on the hangers are probably loose after all this time, and to quiet them you would have to locate them. Some are hidden in walls, but you might find them in open basements or attics. Suppose that if you did find a rattler in the wall you could drill a small hole and shoot in a bunch of insulating foam, just hoping that it would swell up enough to provide some support.
_______________________
Oak Hill, Va.:
Mike, thanks for all the good info. Would it be worthwhile to add ridge vents to my roof? Would that help regulate the temperature on my upstairs floor, which is hot in the summer and cold in the winter?
Mike McClintock: It would make the temps cooler in the summer by cooling down the attic, but wouldn't add any heat in the winter. I probably would have it pretty far down on the to-do list unless the attic was moldy or dripping with condensation or just a frying pan.
In most houses, capes at least, some large gable-end grills and a lot of intakes along the overhangs will do.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.:
When hanging drywall, how much space should there be between sheets? We have some weird angles in the room which makes matching up the sheets difficult, but some seams appear, to my untrained eye, very far apart.
Mike McClintock: No space. Sheets should butt. There is no room needed for expansion-contraction because the material is inert, just ground up rock, that is screwed to studs and stays where it's put. Problem with gapos is that tape compound, which does shrink, sags into the seam, maybe the tape, too, and the seam is difficult to keep closed.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.:
What's better for a very small bathroom: replace a bathtub with a new one with ceramic tile walls or install a tub surround? Which is more economical and/or easier to install? Thanks!
Mike McClintock: Surrounds are way cheaper, but then you have a surround and no more tile.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.:
Brand new homeowner.
We have some pretty bad mold in the basement by the electrical box and by the washer and dryer.
What's the best product to use to scrap off the mold fro mthe concrete walls?
And is htere some kind of of paint or sealant that I can use to help prevent it from reoccuring?
Mike McClintock: On major league deposits try half bleach and half water, using plenty of ventilation, maybe a mask, too. Mold will form on almost anmy surface, and although there are paints with fungicides mixed in, there really is no coating that prevent mold from growing where it wants to. To stop[ it you can keep cleaning, or lower the humidity, say with more AC or a dehumidifier.
_______________________
Bethesda, Md.:
Enjoy your commonsense advice!
We recently remodeled two of our bathrooms in a 50-year old home. All the sinks, faucets and pipes were replaced. We now have a lot of problems with clogged sinks. Do we need to change the pipes carrying the water and waste away? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Mike McClintock: That's a major job, specially at this point after the remodel, so try standard cleaning agents first, then maybe a contractor with a snake. Worst case is that some sloppy plumber let some combination of gunk down the drain that lodeged, say, in a trap. Worth trying disconnecting them and taking a look, just in case.
_______________________
Takoma Park, Md.:
Hi Mike,
I wrote in a couple of weeks ago regarding needing to get the electrical wires connecting to my house from the outside pole replaced since they were frayed. Well, Pepco came out and said the wires were not theirs and I needed to hire an electrician. I have since found out that the wires in question are called the drip loops that are actually another set of wires that bring the electricity into my meter from the outside pole wires. (I have also found out through the internet that many other utility companies around the country will replace the drip loops for free.)I called Pepco and they stated I needed to get an electrician to run parallel cables to the ones already there. Then I need to call a Montgomery county inspecter to come out and make sure they are up to code, THEN I call Pepco and they come out and hook them up. Wouldn't a licensed electrician know if they were up to code, then to back them up, wouldn't Pepco know if they were up to code? Now, I can't find an electrician to do the work. I don't know if it is too simple of a job or too dangerous? Any thoughts?
Mike McClintock: Sounds as though you need to do yet more investigating to narrow down that no-man's land between PEPCO and an electrical contractor. Why not try the electrcial inspector at your local building dept.? Any licensed electrical contractor who wires houses would be able to do the work to code.
_______________________
Bethesda, Md.:
My wife and I are replacing our upper and lower decks and are planning to build a screened-in porch on the top deck.
Should we be concerned about beginning the project a month or so from now as the weather turns cold and wet?
We will be using a TREX-like material for the decks and cedar for inside the screened-in area.
The builder says they work in any weather and that its not a problem and doesn't affect the materials.
Mike McClintock: Sounds okay as long as you guys don't mind the chill. The main trouble is building houses in bad weather thart lets go before you get the roof on. But i used to work striaght through the winter when there was work- and got the callouses opening up from the cold, and had coffee break around a fire made from every bit of wood debris on site; winter work did make for clean sites.
_______________________
Quiz answer:
Driveway recoating
Reroofing
Mike McClintock: You're onto my not very well disguised question.
_______________________
Falls Church, Va.:
I'm trying to run a gas line to a gas clothes dryer and looking for an option that doesn't require cutting and threading existing pipe. There's a sediment line just before the water heater. Can I remove that cap, install a T joint to go to the dryer, and then another short lenght of pipe to act as the sediment line for both appliances? The length to the dryer is just 4 or 5 feet. Thanks
Mike McClintock: I tried but can't quite conjur up the schematic. Typically, you can adapt from an existing supply line to avoid threading and use a flexible connector, but to be sure you should check local codes. Sometimes in town is stricter than in country.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.:
what are engineered planks?
Mike McClintock: "Engineered" is the buzz word for "manufactured", so instead of a 2x4 that's milled from the real thing, you get a partially plastic or conglomoration of other stuff in the 2x4 that's engineered. The idea is that the manufactured 2x4 will be stronger, warp less, etc.
_______________________
Bethesda, Md.:
We have a significant erosion problem in our
(relatively small) yard in a hilly area, complete with a gully
and washing of sediment onto adjacent property. Appears
mainly due to combination of
downspout and surface runoff. Mainly we need to control
the sediment. The situation appears complex enough to
require the assistance of a contractor.
What is the best way to locate someone for this job? Does
this sound like something that a landscaper would handle,
or should we be looking to some other type of contractor?
Thanks.
Mike McClintock: It's an inbetween area. Some landscape contracvtor mainly put in tyrees and such, while others have earth-moving equipment and can build you a bridge or small dam. But that kind of gur probably would be best to come up with a solution, so just ask what kind of work they do.
_______________________
Forestville, Md.:
I want to build an addition to a 1000 sq. ft. cape cod for a masterbedroom, bath and closet and a family room. Just a simple rectangle will do, maybe 24 by 28 ft. or so. The lot is level and has no special problems. Where can I find a designer who can give me a simple cape cod plan that I can take to the county, hopefully with a list of materials? Surely I can avoid having to go to an architect with many unnecessary services that have to be paid for.
Mike McClintock: If the plan is really that straightforward you might find one in a plan book- at least close enough so you could work with the building inspector, say, to increase the size of floor joists because your addition is a few feet wider than the one in the book.
Yes, some inspectors can drive you crazy, but if they see you want to do the right thing and build to code, many will help you get plans in order.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.:
First-time homeowner here. I plan to paint the entire interior of my 1BR condo, including kitchen cabinets.
I have wood filler, plaster patching stuff and spackle. What's the difference between them? How do I know when to use each one?
Thanks
Mike McClintock: They serve similar purposes on different materials, that's all. The wood filler is for trim, say, where you has to set a few nails and there's a hole. There are dozens of different patching compounds for walls, and Spackle will do fine, though on shallow scars a soupy mix of drywall copmpound spreads out nicely.
With these (and most materials) it's not so much which one inparticular that you use but how you use them, i.e. if you're handy with a blade there will be few ridges and next to no sanding.
_______________________
Rockville, Md.:
Just moved into a split level in rockville, 40 years old, LOVE IT!
However the one thing I do not like....
To get to the powder room you must walk thru the "utility room", where I have cleaned it up and carpeted it and made it into an office. But the utility sink for the washing machine sits right outside the powder room, major eyesore -- it's plastic, stained, etc.
In my old house, when the washing machine finished a cycle, the water just went away back into the plumbing - no utility sink! Is it possible to retrofit an older house and get rid of the utility sink? What needs to be done?
Mike McClintock: Just some not very exotic plumbing. You have the same setup i do, but mine is a giant metal double barrel monster next to the washer-dryer in the basement. Don't use it much, but sometimes a giant sink is handy.
_______________________
Charlottesville, Va.:
I recently had a gas line run from our gas fire place to our kitchen for our new gas range.
The man installed the gas connector in the floor where the range sits, and it is about 2-3 inches from the back wall. As a result, my slide-in gas range does not sit flush against the back wall, and there is a 2-3 inch gap between the wall and that open grate-thingy on the top back of the range for ventilation on the back of the range.
Was the gas pipe installed correctly and is there any way that I could get it closer to the wall so there isn't that gap between the range and the wall?
Mike McClintock: Sounds like the installer took the easy way out- like finding the simple installation and leaving you the difference. To get the range back flush you would have to move the piping.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.:
Mike, I'm looking for a couple of good books on basic home repair, specifically for a newbie. Can you recommend any?
A few have been recommended to me by friends but they are all 10+ years old. Does this matter? I know a lot of stuff doesn't change but I already have one book that shows a diagram of a toilet tank interior with outdated equipment, which makes me wonder what else might get outdated in a book like that.
Thanks
Mike McClintock: For basics, the strangely oblong Reader's DSigest books are pretty good. Some of the people who did their text are good, and, for basics, the presentation is fairly thorough.
_______________________
Frederick, Md.:
I want to replace the fluorescent light in my kitchen with a pewter chandelier. Can this be accomplished with minimal patch work to the ceiling? I'm not sure how much the builder had to cut out of the ceiling to install the fluorescent light. Also, must I buy ceiling paint for the ceilings or will regular wall paint suffice? Thank you!
Mike McClintock: Paint doesn't know where it's going so you can use ceiling paint on a wall and vice versa. ("Ceiling paint" is sometimes whiter or thinner.) Anyway, a basic fluorescent fixture should have been mounted on the drywall, possibly left unfinished but typically after taping and painting. There will be a box for the wiring, but you'll need that for the new fixture, too.
Main work could be moving the box (you would have to do some drywall chopping and patching unless it was exposed in a crawl space por attic above), unless it just happens to be centered where you want the fixture to hang. Maybe you'll get lucky.
_______________________
Germantown, Md.:
Hi there! I have a strange substance that has appeared in larger and larger numbers on the north side of our home. They are little dots, very dark red and almost black, and they are all over the siding, window glass and screens, and door. I've even found some on my car (parked close to the house). If you try to pick them off, they leave a red stain. None of my neighbors have them. The painters I used in the spring didn't know what they are. Neighbors don't know what it is either. Any ideas?
Mike McClintock: Think you've stumped me, mainly because it's only your house, so it can't be birds or anything natural. Has to be something from your place, maybe the roof, but i'll think on it and maybe next time another chatter will help, too.
_______________________
Mike McClintock: Out of time already, so send your questions again in 2 weeks (and your gutter guard comments if you ahve them)
HOME SENSE- EMAIL SCAMS -QUESTION
Many of the home consumer scams that used to arrive via door-to-door salespeople or junk mail now come electronically via email. The Federal Trade Commission has a list of the 12 most common scams (find the site link and full list end of hour), but the question is: which two topics below are NOT on the FTC's list of 12 most common email scams?
Cable descrambler kits
Driveway recoating scams
Chain letters
Get-rich-quick schemes
Reroofing scams
Bad credit repair schemes
HOME SENSE- EMAIL SCAMS -ANSWER
The two NOT on the list are: Driveway recoating and reroofing scams. Although all sorts of bogus home improvement schemes used to top the Better Business Bureau (and many other) consumer complaint lists, that category has not translated electronically, thankfully, and does not appear on the FTC list of most common email scams.
The FTC list is:
1. Business opportunities
2. Bulk email (electronic mailing lists)
3. Chain letters
4. Work-at-home schemes
5. Health and diet scams
6. Effortless income
7. Free goods
8. Investment opportunities
9. Cable descrambler kits
10.Guaranteed loans or credit on easy terms
11.Credit repair
12.Vacation prize promotions
See the full list with descriptions at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/doznalrt.htm
See you next time
_______________________
