Simple problem, lazy workers
Q: Can I put an air conditioner in a window that faces a closed-in breezeway that has jalousie windows? Also, my oil burner is noisy. I know that putting a plasterboard ceiling above the heater will reduce the noise, but I was told I can't do that because there are wires and pipes on the joists that will interfere with any ceiling material. What can I do?
ALICE, Weymouth
A: You can fire the bozos who said it can't be done. A piece of plasterboard on the joists will not only reduce noise, but is required as a fire stop. To make such a fire stop, 5/8-inch plasterboard is needed, at least in Massachusetts, and hopefully other states. Actually it is not a fire stop but will resist burning for a specified amount of time.
And, any carpenter or handyman can figure how to put up that plasterboard. It takes imagination, such as installing short lengths of 2-by-2 on the joists, to bring the ceiling material 1 1/2 inches lower, enough to keep it from interfering with wires and/or pipes. Those bozos said it was impossible because they didn't want to do it.
Q: I left a tea kettle on my glass-top stove and of course part of the metal melted and spilled onto the glass. I got some of it off by scraping with a razorblade scraper, and using stove-top cleaner. The remainder is very hard and resists my scraping. What can I do?
UNHAPPY COOK
A: Heat caused the problem, and heat will help solve it. Put the stove on low heat, and when the metal softens, scrape it with the razor scraper. Be careful that the scraper does not get too hot. Some people may express shock at scraping a glass top with steel. That is no problem if the scraper is careful. Besides, it is very difficult to scratch glass with anything but a glass cutter or diamond. In fact, some stove manufacturers provide razor scrapers along with the stoves.
Q: I would like to cover a coffee table with glass to protect the finish. Will the glass harm the finish?
GWENDOLYN WILLIAMS, Hingham
A: No, as long as the glass is lifted 1/8- to 1/4-inch above the finish. Use plate glass, and have the glass company soften the edges. To keep the glass above the finish, put small self-adhesive rubber feet on the glass. If the glass is fairly long, you may have to put extra feet midway along its length to prevent sagging.
Q: I would like to convert my porch into a screened porch but I also want to enclose it. I have thought of putting wood storm doors together. I also need to have single-glazed windows because double-glazed windows are not necessary, but I have not found any that are available. Do you know where I can get them?
MARRIANNE, by e-mail
A: Go to an independent lumber store and ask to see the Brosco catalog, which has 20 pages of single-glazed windows in all shapes and sizes. You can make your choice and the store will order them for you. The catalog also carries the wood storm doors. I think the storm door idea is better, and less expensive. If you opt for that, be sure to install the storm doors on a sloping base to allow good water drainage. Installed on a level base, their bottoms will rot out in a few years.
Q: I am getting hundreds of ladybugs in my house, but mainly on the second and third floors, and a lot around windows. My neighbors are getting similar infestations. Why would they be mainly on the upper floors?
LANCE, Littleton
A: It's an old story, especially irksome since the Asian lady beetle - that's the variety that behaves like this - was imported, inadvertently, from Japan some years ago. It thrived and has spread all over the country, surviving Katrina among other catastrophes. Ladybugs are beneficial, eating lots of aphids, so sweep them up and throw them outdoors. We have been through the above many times, but Lance also asked why they appear mostly on upper floors. That too is an easy one: Ladybugs like moisture, and humid air tends to rise. You might have noticed in winter when windows fog up, they do so mainly on upper floors. Same reason.
The Globe Handyman on Call also appears in the Sunday Real Estate Section. Hotton chats online about house matters 2-3 p.m. Thursdays. To participate, go to Boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is photton@globe.com.
