Use cutting guides to keep yourself on the level
Q. Three 4-by-4 wood posts on my porch that are set on top of concrete piers have rotted, and I have to replace about 12 inches of their bottoms. I know how to do that, but my problem is how to make a level cut to match the square-cut replacements?
LAURENCE McKINNEY, Arlington
A. Good point, and this is how I did it: Nail small guide boards on four sides of the post, and use them as a guide for your hand saw. If you saw straight and true, and do not cut into the guide boards, you will be home free. In fact, you could nail four more guide boards above the original four, so your saw will not waver. A final note: Buy a Japanese hand saw. They are funny to look at but a real pleasure to use, and you will be much more accurate.
Finally, drill a hole in the end of the old post and into the new; try to get them to line up. Then when you put the pieces together, you can insert a 1/2- to 3/4-inch Rebar for extra reinforcement. Then glue the posts together with an adhesive caulk.
Q. I had a deck made of cedar installed about five years ago. It looked good, but then sections turned black and some gray, and began to look rather shabby. I had a man power-wash it and apply a cedar-colored stain, for $1,500. In three months the black came back, so I had a man apply bleach. It came back again. What is the best thing to do without costing a bundle? And keep away the black?
VISHNU SOLAN, Dover
A. Ah, the saga of the black deck. It may be a little like the creature from the black lagoon. Unsolvable, because the deck is outdoors, ready to take on the elements and mold, and sometimes green algae. First, abandon all hope for a pristine deck, which you cannot achieve except with a plastic deck or some composites. But you can do a few easy things to keep the deck pretty good looking. Make a mix of 1 part household bleach and 3 parts water, and paint this on the deck. Some critics, such as my friend John Wilder, will yell and carp that bleach will not work because it does not penetrate the wood. There is merit in that statement, but the mold will return anyway. Another mold killer is Moldex.
You can keep cedar, mahogany - and most woods - untreated. You could also treat with a semitransparent stain, but that is the only thing you should put on a deck. Others just don’t last very long. A semitransparent stain will last at least five years.
Q. How can I tell wallboard from a plastered wall? My walls are pretty old, and I think they are plaster on wood lath. When I tried to pound a hole into the plaster for a plastic wall anchor, it must have hit a wood lath, and I shattered the plaster. What am I doing wrong, and what happens when I want to put up another anchor about two feet from the original so I can hang a heavy mirror? I am afraid I will not hit the vertical lath.
CONFUSED
A. For starters, that lath behind the plaster is horizontal. If it were vertical, there would be nothing to nail it onto. Secondly, trying to hammer a nail into the plaster and lath will never work. Use a drill to make the hole for the wall anchor. Then you can go two feet to the right or left for the second hole. Because the lath is horizontal, you are sure to hit it when you drill the second hole.
How to tell wallboard from plaster? Wallboard is a term that means nothing, or everything. The proper word is plasterboard (also called drywall). Plasterboard has a paper face and back. Plaster does not. Plaster is applied to wood lath or Rocklath, which is a special form of plasterboard. Whether you are drilling into plasterboard or plaster on any kind of lath, either will hold plastic anchors well.
That fridge smell
This is the second time the Handyman could not see the forest for the trees. He advised a caller how to get rid of an awful stink in her refrigerator, but plumb forgot to suggest cleaning out the drip pans at the bottom of the refrigerator. Several folks came to the Handyman’s rescue.
From Delia, Belmont: During his bachelor days, my husband had a frost-free refrigerator that suddenly developed a killer smell. The appliance service showed us two drip pans underneath the fridge, accessible through the front grill. The trays were filled some icky liquid akin to a science experiment. We learned that these pans had to be cleaned regularly. You bet we did to ensure that smell never came back!
From Linda: The letter did not say whether they cleaned out the drain pan under the refrigerator or behind it. Both of these places can bring smells to the fridge.
From Vinny D: Another area to look at, if so equipped, is the no-defrost evaporation tray and/or tube. If the tray has not been cleaned, there is a strong mold smell. Depending what is in the water, or how someone perceives the odor, this could account for the smell.
Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is also in the g section on Thursdays. He is available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call 617-929-2930. Hotton also chats online about house matters 2-3 p.m. Thursdays. To participate, go to www.Boston.com. Hotton’s email is photton@globe.com 
