July 10, 2008 -- Peter Hotton handyman on call chat
neeru__Guest_: I have been your fan for over 30 years since I came to Boston. Our Kitchen cabinets are 22 years old - Solid cherry wood with natural finish. They are in a very good shape but need cleaning to make them glow again. What is the best way to clean them and remove grime and grease from the frequently used cabinets without spoiling the finish. They have a satin smooth finish. Thanks for your help.
Peter_Hotton: neeru: Welcome to hotton's zoo, with today's .denizen the gnu, ganotherganu, also known as a hartebeast and warthog. Ugly mug, good lion fare. So for Neeru I think I answered y8our letter in a reply to yur email. But here it is again. Wash with a little detergent and water, as as possible, or use paint thinner instead. Or, Mr. clEan MAGIC ERASER. This will dull the finish which can be restored by buffing with a dry cloth.
E__Guest_: Every spring, for the past 4 springs (I've owned the house 5 years), I get a finch of some sort inside my house. They are usually first found downstairs. Any thoughts as to how they might get in? The laundry and a gas stove with stovepipe through the ceiling are on that floor, but otherwise there are closed windows and doors and no obvious holes. Any thoughts as to where they come in and how to stop them?
Peter_Hotton: E. Check that stove pipe through the ceiling. If it is open, put a screened cap on it. And put a stainless steel cap on your regular chimney. A chimney sweep can do that. S oil stacks are unlikely to be an access point.
Ernie__Guest_: We have a very old garage made of galvanized steel. I have stripped it down to bare metal, primed it and painted it with rustoleum brand paint yet it keeps peeling off. Any suggestions other than knock the garage down and start over?
Peter_Hotton: Ernie: It would be best to knock, the thin g down and start over with a standard type garage; expensive but good looking. I assume the galvanized steel siding is on a metal frame. If it is on wood you can take off the siding and put up plywood sheathing and white cedar shingles. Or, put the shingles or wood clapboards directly on the steel, using power-driven sheet meal screws. Or predrill holes on the steel and then put the sheet metal screws in place.
bob__Guest_: I have a steam boiler with indirect hot water. It goes on every hour or so thruout the day to heat the water. I am the only one in the house. Should I be looking at a gas or electric whole house instantaneous tankless system?
Peter_Hotton: bob: If you feel that in-boiler heater is costing you money, especially in the summer, you could switch to a gas whole house tankless system.
maple__Guest_: I'm putting in solid maple wainscotting in a basement finished room - does the wood need sealing/staining on all sides or just for decoration on the face?
Peter_Hotton: maple: Do just the face showing. even finishing the back will not protect it in a flood.
bubba__Guest_: Is it hard to install gutters by yourself?
Peter_Hotton: bubba: Yes, it is hard to install gutters by yourself because it is a two-man job, handling the long lengths of gutter. Otherwise, it is easy, as long as you slope the gutter 1/16 inch per foot and make sure it drips into the very midle of te gutter, from the right height.
Mary_H__Guest_: Roof and a wing of the house got stripped of many generations of old asphalt shingles, builder did a lousy cleanup job. Ground covers full of shingles, died back, I pulled out most of the shingles & they seem to be reviving. Builder also left a pile of dirt (incl. shingles). I want to pester him to take it away, my husband says just plant ivy on it. Asphalt shingles likely to have what kind of effect on plants??? Thanks.
Peter_Hotton: MRY h: My goodness, you found a doozy, the world's worst roofer. He is responsible for cleanup, and must do it. Plants that hve been hit will redcover when the debris is removed. But asphalt is toxic to evry living thing and must be removed. i suppose you paid him in full. of not, withhold money until he complies.
neeru__Guest_: Hi Peter, Thanks, This is original wood cabinet, has never been posished with furniture polish. Just cleaned Murphy's oil soap spray type occasionally
Peter_Hotton: neeru: Wash that murphy's stuff off with paint thinner, then give it one coat of a high quality furniture polish. Do not use the oil soap on furniture.
Jen__Guest_: Hi Peter - how would I go about completely replacing screens for a casement window, frames and all? The windows are over 10 years old, I don't know who made them, and my dog destroyed not only the mesh screen but broke the frames. They pop into the wood window frame with retracting pins. Any ideas? Thanks!
Peter_Hotton: Jen: They may or may not be Andersen, but try Andersen anyway. Or, go to a metal fabricator to custom make the screens, which can he installed in the original openings.
ATMelrose__Guest_: I have a 1930's era house and I am suspicous about just how much insulation is in my walls. With a looming historic oil bill coming my way, how can I investigate my walls, and where do I start looking for someone to blow in insulation?
Peter_Hotton: ATMelrose: you can take off a switch or outlet cover and pull the outlet or switch out of the box (turn off the power first), and poke a wire through a hole in the metal box to see if you can snag any insulation. If not, call an insulation company to advize you. Anderson Insulation in Abington is a good company.
ww__Guest_: Peter - I have a retanining wall separating my driveway and sloped front yard. The wall is about 6 feet in height at its peak, and slopes down gradually for roughly 50 or so feet. Its currently "bellying" and rotting. its wood. I want to put up a stone wall, but have been told not to do so if the wall is greater than 3 or 4 feet. Any truth to this? I've no masonry experience.
Peter_Hotton: ww: No truth to a limit on a stone retaining wall's height. You can make a dandy wall with concrete blocks made to be interlocking and actually slant into the held earth. Ideal Conc. Block co. is a good dealer, but there are others.
estreet__Guest_: Any opinion on stamped concrete versus pavers for patios
Peter_Hotton: estreet: Stamped concrete is concrete and can crack. Use the pavers or bricks for a patio.
erinrita__Guest_: Many of ours have been badly damaged by our pack of sons and things like my husband leaving them in the way of the automatic garage door.
Peter_Hotton: erinrita: You have other quesitons on the agenda but one is enough to answer. Left under the garage door. Hmm. No comment. If you know the brand, you can get new ones. If not, a store might be able to fix them if they are not too badly mangled. iF THEY ARE beyond help, you can find a metal crafter to make new ones. The hardware store might do this, too.
Phil__Guest_: Peter, I have solid wood 6 panel doors on our 3 bedrooms which tend to swing open. They only have two hinges on them. Do you think it would help if I added one in the middle, or should I try something else to help to keep the door stay in place?
Peter_Hotton: Phil: Adding a middle hinge probably won't wqork. But here is a cheap trick that might work. Take the pins out of the hinges and put them on a hard surface and whack them with a hammer. When you put them back in their barrel holes they wi ll stiffen their holes and will probably stop the swinging of the door. But this is a betetr way and more permanent. The doorws re not verticfal, so you can try putting a shim (thin cardboard, etc.) under the hinge leaf of the bottom hinge to try to bring the door to vertical. If that doesn't work, put the shim under the leaf of the top hinge. To give you an idea of what this all means, open your fridge door so that it is completely open. Let go, and it will automatically close. All fridges are like this on purpose to keep them from being held open accidentally. Your paneled doors are like this but are not supposed to be. Of course, check for loose hinges first.
Chit__Guest_: Peter-san:
Peter_Hotton: Chit: Who's calling me Peter-San? I have not been called that since I was in Japan and Korea from 1951 to 1952.
Jim__Guest_: Hi, Peter - love your Sunday column! 2 Qs: how to get sunblock off wood floors, and ink off leather upholstery in car? Tried Goo Gone in both cases, along with Murphy's. Thanks! Jim
Peter_Hotton: Jim: I already answered your question but it won't appear for a while. Sunblock and other thingws for the skin is usually water based, so try cleaning off the sunblock with water. If that does not work try paint thinner and or alcohol. For the ballpoint ink (asked in a previous question) rubbing alcohol is the solvent for such ink. Check for color fastness on the leather.
NotSoSmart__Guest_: Hi, Peter. My wife and I replaced the ancient brick squares in our backyward patio with a concrete composite designed to resemble paving stones. They are 16x16 gray blocks with irregular lines gouged into them, if you can picture it. What we hadn't considered when we ordered them was that something would have to go into those gouges. The man we hired to do the installation recommended stone dust. If we didn't fill the gouges with something, he said that we'd get weeds growing all through them. Sounded good to us. Now, though, after every hard rain we get stone dust grits all over the blocks because the dust gets popped out of the gouges. The grits get tracked into the house (wife's problem) and also into the pool (my problem). Where did we go wrong and what can we do to fix it? Would sand have been a better choice? Thanks!
Peter_Hotton: NotSoSmart: I think the best best is to buy the finest sand you can get (beach sand is very fine, generally, but a brick and concrete dealer can provide a good, fine sand, one that will not pop up like the stone dust does.
Sally__Guest_: I recently replaced the steps to my back porch with non-PT fir treads and pine risers. Should these be painted quickly to prevent rain damage? Any advice on how to prepare them? For example, cleaners, and can I prime them now and wait until to top coat later when my whole house gets painted this fall?
Peter_Hotton: Sally: The p-t treads can wait to be stained any time with a semitransparent stain. The pine risers should be stained or primed and painted as soon as practical.
Mari__Guest_: Hi Peter, would you think it okay to try to repair your own washing machine. It's just the little piece that creates safety by turning off the machine when the top is lifted up. Or should I get a repairman? THANKS
Peter_Hotton: Mari: If you really know what you are doing, fine, do it yourself. But something this minor I don't think needs fixing.
meg__Guest_: Hi peter, I have to drain my water heater of rust every few weeks . Where is the best place to get rid of this rusty water? Down the drain? Does it pollute? Thanks
Peter_Hotton: Meg: The rusty waster is not toxic, but don't drink it; too much iron in it. It is unlikely to pollute, but if you are getting heavy rusty water every time you drain, your heater has had it, and needs replacing.
Churchill__Guest_: Peter, do I need to put down a plywood 1/4" subfloor over a cement slab if I'm installing tile?
Peter_Hotton: Churchill: No, no underlayment is needed. Put the ceramic tile down with a thin-set mortar. If you are planning to put down resilient (plastic) tile, forget that and put down ceramic tile.
South_End_Gardner__Guest_: I planted a peony last summer, it didn't bloom this summer. Does it sometimes take a couple of years?
Peter_Hotton: south end gardener: You planted the peony too deeply. Dig it up and replant it, with the crown of the rootball just barely below the earthline, or at the earthline.
Peter_Hotton: OK, chillun and mama-sans, time to go. It was a good session. See you next thursday. My email is photton@globe.com