Clean stone with acid, elbow grease
Q: My patio and walkway are made of large bluestone slabs set in sand and unmortared. They have served well for 35 years, but now are dirty and shabby looking. How can I clean them and sort of restore them? Someone mentioned using muriatic acid to etch the tops. Would that work?
JOHN MORROW,
Ipswich
A: Why is it that it is always “someone’’ who says such-and-such? This time the “someone’’ is right. Buy muriatic acid at a paint store or well-stocked hardware store. Mix it half and half with water, by pouring the acid into the water, and pour this solution on the bluestone; it will fizz up; when the fizzing stops, scrub with a brush and rinse. Wear skin and eye protection, and be super careful working with acid.
Q: I removed a rusted-out post on my wrought-iron railing, and cleaned out the opening. When I secure the new post, what should I use around the bottom of the post that is inserted in the opening? Several sources suggested hydraulic cement. The hole is full of water; can I put cement in it or should I remove the water?
CURIOUS
A: Hydraulic cement will secure the post very well. Top ‘n’ Bond is a good mortar to use, and so is Sacrete’s Mortar Mix. Be careful with hydraulic cement. It expands a lot, and can break an unprotected hole in brick or concrete. Dip a cloth in the hole to absorb the water. The hole need not be dry.
Q: During a holiday project, I used glitter and a powdery white substance for snow, and got quite a bit of the stuff on my plastic kitchen counter. No matter how much water I use, it turns to mud as I try wipe it up, and the glitter pieces just lie there.
WEST ROXBURY
A: Try this: Add enough water to make a soupy, sloppy mess. Then scrape it up with a wide putty knife. If the stuff is soupy enough, wipe it up with a squeegee.
Q: I am considering painting over old wallpaper in lieu of removing it. Any pointers? Should an oil-base primer be first applied to the wallpaper and then latex over that? I am concerned that, over time, the paint will be more susceptible to chipping and be generally of poor quality.
JOHN O’CONNOR, by e-mail
A: Never fear. You can use a latex enamel undercoater as a first coat. It may wrinkle the paper a little, but most of the wrinkling will disappear when the paint dries. If you can find an oil-based interior primer, all the better. In either case, finish with an eggshell latex paint. You may need two coats on top of the primer. Thin coats always. If the old paper is intact, you will never notice it is painted. It will not be susceptible to chipping or lose quality.
Q: My condo is only seven years old and I am having a terrible time with ice dams and leaks. I have the proper soffit vents and a ridge vent, but still get the dams. I know that a cold roof will help prevent ice dams, so I wonder if putting in a fan to bring in more air through the soffit vents would make the roof cooler.
HUDSON
A: Yes, it would, and since you have no gables (in a continuous-roofed series of units), you cannot put in a gable fan. However, a roof fan would also work. Also make sure your attic floor has adequate insulation (up to 24 inches), and make sure your attic covers only your unit. And make sure there are no furnaces or other heat- producing appliances in the attic. Don’t laugh, it has happened.
Q: How can I clean the outside of my roof windows? They are Velux and open only six inches, not enough to let my arms out to clean them. I am not about to go on the roof for any reason, so I may have to hire it done or leave them dirty.
BOB MURCIAK, Amesbury
A: Spraying a hose on the outside might help. Call Velux to see if they have any brighter ideas. Velux is a high-quality brand and maybe someone there might know something we don’t.
Q: How can I restore a butcher block counter top? Also, how can I do the same to cork floor tiles. They are real cork, about 2/3 inch thick. I don’t use the butcher block as a cutting board.
DIANE, Cambridge
A: The top is made of wood strips just like a floor, originally varnished. Sand the top to the bare wood. Use a power sander, but be careful it does not sand too deep. Then apply two to three coats of a polyurethane varnish, oil- or water-based. Sand the cork, too, but only enough to reveal the cork. Then coat it with an oil-based varnish.
Handyman on Call also appears in the Globe’s Style & Arts section on Thursdays. Peter Hotton is available 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair; call 617-929-2930. Hotton chats online about house matters 2 to 3 p.m. Thursdays at www.boston.com. Hotton can be reached at photton@globe.com. 