Picking proper stain for woodwork; controlling heat in bathroom

Q. I am having my woodwork refinished, or at least I hope to. It is now very dark varnish and pretty awful looking. I would like to have it natural, but somewhat lighter than what is there now. One man said it is very labor intensive to strip the woodwork, stain and varnish, and very expensive. Another said he would apply Polyshade of a lighter color over it, for considerably less. What should I do?

DAVE, Haverhill

A. The first guy had the right idea, but priced himself right out of the ballgame. Go with the second man. If you don't know what Polyshades are, you will soon learn. Polyshades are made by Minwax, and are a latter-day varnish stain, only much better. We had varnish stain in the '40s and '50s. It was a combo of stain and varnish, and it was terrible, full of lumps and undesirable. I used it once as a kid and found it icky, and never used it again.

Polyshades are much better, smooth, easy to apply, and designed to provide a so-called natural finish over an old finish without sanding or refinishing.

Q. I have a newer bathroom put in by previous owners, on the second floor, and about 200 square feet. It is not connected to the heating system, so there are two wall heaters. It gets very cold in the winter, primarily the tile floor. I tried adding insulation but there is already some there. Anything else I can do? The windows are new, and there are double-paned skylights. Perhaps the heater on the exterior wall is a source for drafts?

TOM, Hotton chat room

A. My goodness, your bathroom is bigger than all my bedrooms! All those windows and two skylights may be making the room cold, and the heaters may be too small. If the heaters are vented outdoors, they may be losing heat, as well. I say bite the bullet and grit your teeth when you shower. It will keep you and yours from wasting water on long showers. As for the cold tile floors, the only cure is to put radiant heat under them.

Q. The baseboard radiator in my bathrooom got very rusty. I tried painting it and the rust came right back. How can I keep it clean? Also, a crack appeared in one of the panels of my 40-year-old exterior door. Do I need a new door?

HELEN YOUNG, Weston

A. Even if you painted the radiator right (sanded off the rust, used Rust Reformer, and painted with an oil-based paint) the rust will come back because of the heavy humidity in that room. A suggestion: Buy Contact paper and cut a strip to apply on the radiator cover. It will look good for a while. When it becomes dingy and discolored, take it off and put another layer on. The nice thing about the Contact paper is that it sticks easily and can be easily peeled off.

For the crack in the door panel, no, you do not need a new door. You can fill it: Put a bead of adhesive caulk on the crack indoors, then press it in with your fingers. Scrape leftover caulk and clean off residue with a wet sponge. Do the same on the crack outdoors, then prime and paint.

The crack occurred when the panel dried out and contracted. Normally this will not happen if the panel "floats" in the frame as it is designed to do, and the panel will simply move. But over the years the panel got tighter in the frame so that when it contracted, it could not move, so it cracked.

Q. When my washing machine went on a spin cycle, I smelled burning rubber, so I turned it off. It's 21 years old. Should I have it fixed or buy a new one?

LINDA, Somerville

A. It may only be a loose belt, but I don't think it is worth a $110 house call to find out with a 21-year-old machine. It is about nine years beyond its life expectancy, so the better part of valor is to buy a new one. The old one has done its duty, and more so.

Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton also appears in the Sunday Homes Section. He's available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call 617-929-2930. Hotton also chats on line 2-3 p.m. Thursdays: Go to Boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is photton@Globe.com