Home Sense

Mike McClintock (For The Washington Post)

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.

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.

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Mike McClintock: hello again: and as the corn is cut and the geese and other gaggles are in the flyways, crisper weather may be coming soon. Meantime, here's a fall cleanup scrambler for you to try while I start on your questions.

And yes, some of us got hooked yet again for parts of 'Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House' (yesterday on tcm), and had to see Myrna Loy describe the color scheme- and the painting contractor (Mr. PeDelford) answer. Only problem (movie is just like the book) is that Mr. Blandings is just too much of a moax (a Jackie Gleason 'Honeymooners' word), even though everything works out ok in the end.

HOME SENSE- CLEANING -QUESTION
Can you rate in order of popularity (scrambled below) responses to a recent survey by The Soap and Detergent Association on this question (yes, there's a trade association for almost every aspect of life):

What is the most important factor considered when selecting a cleaning product?
a. Fragrance
b. Performance
c. Ease of use
d. Safety and value
e. Trust of the brand name

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Rockville: We are contemplating a home renovation. Is there someplace people without a contractor's license can go for bathroom vanity closeouts, such as special orders that are never picked up?

Mike McClintock: That's an interesting idea, though you would have to be relying on other people's tastes, right? Like they wanted green sinks or pink cupboards and you just happen to find what you want? Seems unlikely, and i think that when people don't pick up their merchandise the store just keeps it and sells it again, but maybe another chatter will be on tpo some sort of reverse Salvaton Army deal

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Virginia: I have some major cracks in our plaster after we had some work done in our house. Any advice on how to cover the cracks? I have tried spackle but the cracks seem to come right back after a few months.

Mike McClintock: Usually, chronic cracks are caused by seasonal movement in the building frame. If your were caused by renovation work, possibly a bit of the structure was removed or somehow undermined in the process, leaving a weak link that causes the cracks to open after patching.

If you can't track that down, however, try making a stronger patch this way: first dig out (sand down) more plaster to make a kind of trough, then add some compound, then fiberglass mesh (the kind often used by roofers), then more comnpound.

This makes a stronger bond across the crack, but sometimes if the streesses are sever enough, a new crack opens a few inches away.

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Washington, D.C.: I need to get rid of a stump that is in the backyard of our new house. Someone has already drilled holes in it to (I assume) kill it, but never bothered to pull it out. Is there a good way to do this? I am stumped (ha ha ha ha)

Mike McClintock: Stump pulling is the old way, but really old way with a horse or ox and some chains, and even then it was a difficult job due to the root structure. If you are dealing with a small stump, you might try applying some pulling force with a come-along, but it would have to anchored to something significantly stronger than the tree.

Anyway, the modern solution is stump grinding. Landscapers or tree surgeons (a strange tag) pull up what looks like a squat but huge chain saw and it just digs into the stumnp and turns it to chips. It's noisy and messy and costly, but does the job thoroughly.

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Rockville, MD: Hi Mike. Being a newbie homeowner, your chats are invaluable!; We want to build a retaining/decorative stone wall next to our house in the backyard. It will provide extra seating at BBQs, and we want to plant annuals in it (between the wall and the house) for decoration. The wall would probably be about 3 feet high. My question is this: I'm figuring we would need to build a back part because we shouldn't have 3 feet of dirt against the side of the house. The back of the wall would be against the siding of our house. Is this a no-no? I hope I've explained my concerns clearly!;

Mike McClintock: Well i read it twice but not yet in the picture. At the end there, your're right not to build a wall dead against house siding, specailly if it will be retaining dirt. So no matter how it is configured, if the plan relies onthat it's not a good plan.

You could alter that part of the house to suit iof there's no other solution, basically stripping the siding that would be in contact, and building a waterproof barrier pretty much like a foundation that your wall could be built against, but that's a fairly big undertaking.

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Warrenton, Va.: Good afternoon Mike: Aside from installing a deadbolt (I did that after a recent "kick-in" burglary in the neighborhood), how can I make a fairly lightweight panel-style door more secure?

Mike McClintock: A deadbolt with a one-inch throw will help secure the door in the frame, often with a deeper than normal hole for the keeper in the frame. But a common weakness (revealed by a kick-in burglary( is that force may bust the door from the frame, or both the door and frame still attached. That means your deadbolt would still be locked but on the floor. It's kind of a noisy and obvious burglary, but can happen quickly, and during the day when no one's home, which is when most burglaries occur.

Beat that weakness by removing the typica;lly short screws at hinges and keeper hardware and installing long screws that reach further into the frame or even through the door frame into the house framing. Another option is to pull the door stop and drive several long screws that reach into the adjacent framing- on both sides. That way, a burglar would have to batter through the splintered door, which would not separate from its hinges, or the door frame, or the double 2x4s normally installed on the sides of door openings.

You also might want to ask the local police about a neighborhood watch program, and also about a security survey of your home; many departments have a crime prevention unit that will do that for free.

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Dupont Circle: I'm repainting some interior door trim. I read that I should fill gaps between the top and side pieces of the trim with painter's caulk and then sand smooth. It looks like the last person tried to do that, but the caulk is still kind of gooey and the joint is not very smooth. Would it be wrong to use wood filler instead of caulk here? It seems like I'd stand a better chance of getting an invisible seam with something that dries hard and can be sanded better.

Mike McClintock: Gooy caulk on interior trim sounds like a seller filling in the gaps prior to sale- kind of a quick and dirty thing. I'd scrape it out, then use wood filler (in the wood trim; it makes sense) sometimes in two coats to fill a deep opening; then sand when it hardens, hit it with a touch of paint to prime, then paint away.

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Takoma Park, MD: I'm having my front porch and underside of the roof hang painted in a few weeks. I live in a 1937 bungalow and just noticed that the electrical wires going into my house are a bit frayed, not the wires themselves but the black cover that is wrapped around them. Is this something I need to be concerned about, especially having someone scraping and painting around them? Is Pepco responsible for replacing if need be? Thanks!;

Mike McClintock: Unless you are way off the street and have some extra poles in your property, the utility is responsible for wiring to the service, so call them and they will probably send someone to check-maybe not immediately

Working close to the wires is another problem , frayed or not. It requires common sense and for more safety a non-metal ladder

Kind of macabre, but you might want to ask an extra question about the contractor's liability insurance.

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Woodbridge, Virginia: Hi Mike,
Our house is seven years old; we've been in it for one year. Last week I suddenly noticed that our ceiling fans were very dirty-- it almost looked like there was soot on them. This is upstairs and downstairs. I also looked at a few of our vents and some of them have more grime on them than I remember seeing. What's up with this? I cleaned everything and it has stayed clean thus far, but now I'm paradoid that I'm breathing filthy air. And we didn't do anything different, such as turning on the heater, etc.
Thanks.

Mike McClintock: First guess is that the furnace needs tuning. I'd do that (and clean the fans and all) and see if the problems comes back. Also replace the air filters (assuming you have hot-air heat as most homes do)

If the grime has popped up since summer, i.e. you haven't yet turned on the furnace, it might be mold from all the gunky weather.

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New Kitchen, Va.: Hi! I recently had a corian countertop installed in my kitchen. However, they did not install the backsplash flush to the wall. They've told me that they cannot make it flush because my wall is not straight. Is this true?

Thanks

Mike McClintock: Yes, as a straight backsplash or anything else can't very well lie flush against a surface that isn't straight, too. Typically, installers deal with this by installing things the way they did- and then covering the irregular gap with a custom piece that's scribed to the ins and out of the wall. It's a difficult job to do well and neatl;y, and it seems they just bailed.

Think about some cap material or a small shelf board, or some other way to diguise they gap- or call them back to try again.

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Washington, D.C.: Hello,

I am relocating to West Virginia, and the home that I purchased has two fireplaces. What are some of the things that I need to pay attention to with a fireplace?
Thanks

Mike McClintock: Easy/best answer is to have both of them cleaned by a chimneysweep. It's wise just for the cleaning and to get rid of creosote, and a good sweep will easily be ably to spot more serious problems like a break in the flue tile.

But even old flues that have major problems can be rescued with a chimney relining , if need be.

Then there's all those Boy Scout fire safety rules once the weather turns chilly.

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Clifton, Va.: I always found dynamite or C4 the best way to remove stumps. A shaped charge does wanders. Not sure if this is legal in DC and you have to have experience with the stuff -- too much is not a good thing. Never had a problem on 21 acres and it drives my new yuppy neighbors nuts.

Mike McClintock: If you could get the materials, it would be nuts for a novice to try it- and maybe wind up with a huge tree stump going through the roof. Stump grinders tend to be just a little safer aside from legal.

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Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: I'm going to answer in terms of how I purchase cleaning products and will be curious to learn whether my habits are like millions of others...
a. fragrance
e. brand name
c. ease of use
b. performance
d. safety and value

Mike McClintock: No to the first one (way out of order) so we'll go from there.

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Rockville, Md. -- wall question: Thanks! You answered the question. Glad you were able to understand my ramblings.

Mike McClintock: At some point we'll be able to send pictures and skecthes back and forth- and cut way down on the typing.

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Roof leak: Our roof leaked in Tuesday's heavy rain. This has happened once before in the six years we've lived there, also during a particularly heavy rain. The roofing is about 7 years old.

The gutters are quite clean. What I think is happening is that the drainspout from the upper roof (above a second-story bump out) is draining right onto the lower roof (above the first floor of the house) creating a heavy flow onto one particular spot. Is there a cheap way to fix this? For example, can the drain be rerouted so it goes directly to the ground rather than flowing down the lower roof?

It's an old house, and it's not a good time for me to spend a lot of money on it (kid in college). Thanks.

Mike McClintock: It's done a lot, but i never liked the idea of draining one roof onto another. It can erode the surface granules quickly, and caise leaks from the gushing flow as you've discovered. You can continue the line with an elbow or another fitting, and then a striaght run down the lower roof to a point where you can add another downspout.

You could try running it to the lower gutter, but in a big rain it would probably overwhelm it.

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Burke, Va.: Mike, We recently bought a townhouse and the intake vent for the central air is in the middle of the living room. When it goes on, it drowns out most sounds, including people talking and the TV. We were thinking that we might be able to point it in a new direction, possibly in the stairwell so it's not right behind our heads. Is that feasible or is there a better solution?

Thanks!

Mike McClintock: Maybe you mean the main return vent, normally set in a central location to collect air for recooling? If so, it's difficult to move without redoing a lot of the ductwork, which can be tricky (impossible) unless it's all in an open attic.

There are some ways to reduce the noise, though. They involve building a two- or three-stage box that reduces the air flow more inside the wall- something a farily sharp installer would have to rig for you.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi Mike,
We live in a 50s capecod and this week I noticed that the wood floor in our upstairs hallway seems to be buckling. It's directly outside our bathroom/shower area and so I naturally thought there may be a leak. We had a plumber put in a new shower fixture (and retile) the area about 6 months ago. We pulled off the panel and don't see any real signs of wetness. However, I will check tonight post taking a shower. Could there be any other reasons for the floor to move like this? Should I call out the original plumber to have him have a look?

Mike McClintock: Coincidences like that often turn out to be true, but the excessive moisture recently could have buckled wood flooring that might not have been sealed well, fitted too tightly or both. If a leak is causing it, there really should be some dampness you can find.

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Springfield, Va.: Question on cleaning products:

Is the order b, c, e, d, a?

Mike McClintock: You would think b, performance, would be first but it's not.

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Oakton, Va.: We have a very limited decorating budget but we'd really like to do something with our kitchen floor. Its got lamenate tiles over sub-flooring. (You know, the peel and stick kind) I'm not thrilled about pulling up the old tiles and putting new ones down. Expense and time don't seem to be on our availability list! Can lament tile be painted? What is the process?

Mike McClintock: If you paint you'll be repainting a lot with all the foot traffic in kitchens. If the tile is sound and just ugly youcould tile over it.

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Washington, DC: In a move that can only be described as idiotic, I used a good wooden serving spoon to apply wet plaster to a trowel. (it did work great!;) Now I have a good wooden serving spoon covered in hard hard hard dried plaster.
Any secret tips for getting the spoon back to its original condition?

Mike McClintock: Put it in the freezer for a day, then whack it a few times.
Either that or an awful lot of sanding.

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Arlington: I'm sure you've been down this road a million times, but . . .

Painting laminate cabinets. What's the best way to do it and do the primers with bonding that allegedly eliminate the need to sand really work?

Mike McClintock: Laminate (as in Formica) cabinets are unusual, more often the countertops and the cabinets are wood or pictures of wood. Anyway, cleaning and some sanding will prep the surface, but no paint can stand up to the treatment counters get. If you really have laminate cabinets, it would last longer.

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Ashburn, Va.: is it possible to rent a scaffold? I want to remove wallpaper and paint my two story foyer, but I don't want to pay someone $1000 to do it. Have you ever done this?

Mike McClintock: Having built house for 12 years i used to have all sorts of extension ladders and scaffolds and ladder jacks for siding and you name it. All of it's too dear for a one-time project, so there are many types of rentable equipment. Trick will be to find a setup for the stairs-foyer- often a conbinatetion of ladders and planks instead of a stages or boxed scaffold.

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Gaithersburg, MD: 1. ease of use
2. performance
3. fragerance
4. trust of brand name
5. saftey and value

Mike McClintock: Everyone's off so far, so i'll give yuou the number one answer (24 percent of the surveyed): trust of brand name

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Fairfax, Va.: I have a question on insulation. We have a split-level with a crawl-space under the main (split) level. In colder weather, the floor on the main level gets really cold, and hot water/heat delivery seem to be harder to that part of the house.

Would it be possible to remedy this by going into the crawl-space and insulting the underside of the floor or the pipes/ductwork that goes through the crawl-space? If so, what would you recommend?

Mike McClintock: The conditions you report make the solution pretty obvious: you need more insuylation, like: around the perimeter of the foundation; clip-on foam tubes around the pipes, then maybe batts or panels or more insulation in general to skeep the entire floor warmer.

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Floor again: Thanks for your answer -- to follow-up, how should we fix it? Just wait to see if it dries? Call a floor contractor?

Mike McClintock: Have to see what gets wet first, then stop the leak, then see about the floor after that.

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Ann Arbor, Mich.: Hi -- I don't have a range hood over my stove. Can one of those small air cleaner appliances do the same job -- or do I have to install a range hood?

Mike McClintock: The range hood will catch smoke and grease and all where it's produced, which a general air-cleanier outin the room somewhere can't do. Best is a hod with a duct to the outside. The non-ducted models work ok, but you need to clean them and change the filter a lot.

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Edgewater, Md.: How do you repair a nail pop? I have a few that are driving me crazy. Thanks!

Mike McClintock: Pull the nail and drive a drywall screw that's longer than the nail.

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Charlotte, NC: I have popcorn type ceilings....there was a leak and now we have an ugly black spot on the ceiling. It's not getting bigger but it bothers me to no end-- how do I fix that?

Mike McClintock: Black is probably mold, which responds to bleach. Recreating a popcorn finish is just a question of dabbing on spackle creatively and then hitting the kernels with paint.

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Reston, Va.: Baseboard Heaters: I have a 1900 sq ft split level home. In winter, the downstairs remains very cold compared to the upstairs. Previous owners had baseboard heaters installed on separate circuit but by the time I bought the house, the units were so old that I didn't trust them and removed them (although I did test them briefly and they worked).
Question: would reinstalling new baseboard heaters be a good way (economicly, heat produced, safety) to add additional heat to the lower level? I had a new gas furnace installed last fall but the installers didn't think it made sence (cost too much money) to try rerouting vents, etc.

Thanks.

Mike McClintock: If you have enough heat for the entire house, and it sounds as though you do, it's a question of balance. The main way (with a gas furnace heating water for baseboard) is to split the levels into two zones, each with it's own circulator and themostat. Short of that, you usually can bypass some panels in the too-warm part and get more heat elsewhere.

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Lorton, VA: Hi Mike!;
Do you think ceramic tile in the main floor of a townhouse would be weird? This would include the livingroom. I'm looking for something more durable than wood or carpet and easier to clean since I have several pets. I like mexican tile but am wondering how it would hold up and if this would seem odd in the livingroom.
Thanks!;

Mike McClintock: It would seem Mexican

I don't know; tile is a tad severe on the feet and given to echoes, and not too comfy to stretch out on; maybe tile as you like and then just a rug or two so it's not quite so cold?

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Mike McClintock: HOME SENSE- CLEANING -QUESTION
Can you rate in order of popularity (scrambled below) responses to a recent survey by The Soap and Detergent Association on this question (yes, there's a trade association for almost every aspect of life):

What is the most important factor considered when selecting a cleaning product?
a. Fragrance
b. Performance
c. Ease of use
d. Safety and value
e. Trust of the brand name


HOME SENSE- CLEANING -ANSWER
According to the Washington-based Soap and Detergent Association (results from their 2004 National Spring Cleaning Survey), here is the order and response percentages to the question: What is the most important factor considered when selecting a cleaning product?

a. Trust of the brand name; 24%
b. Safety and value; 20%
c. Ease of use; 14%
d. Performance; 10%
e. Fragrance; 4%

(surveys normally add up to 100%, but maybe a bunch of these surveyed folks were busy shopping or cleaning)

Out of time, so see you next round

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