Ridge vent only works if it has an opening
Q. I had a ridge vent installed some years ago, and I discovered that the installers did not cut an opening in the roof. I had a vent installed properly three years ago, and it worked well enough, but now I cannot see daylight through the vent from inside the attic. There seems to be some kind of shingle in the way. How can I open it up again?
CYNTHIA WATKINS,
Durham, N.H.
A. I have heard a lot of things in my years as a Handyman, but a no-vent ridge vent takes the cake. What were they thinking? I know, they weren’t thinking. Sometimes debris gets blown against the vent from the outside, and you could try putting a leaf blower on the vent from inside the attic. If that doesn’t work, have the installer take off the vent and make sure it is clear, and that there is a 2-inch opening in the roof on each side of the ridge board. Or, put a new type of vent on. Sometimes a vent may get stepped on and squished. That part should be replaced.
Q. I have a new sidewalk made of bluestone slabs, which look very nice but the gaps are very wide, up to 1 1/2 inches, and I can’t keep sand in them. I was wondering if I could grow moss or grass in them.
IRA REISKIN,
Newton
A. You could try, but it is difficult to grow grass in narrow gaps, and the grass would be weedy. Those blocks should have been touching. The gaps are also too wide and the blocks will move, so mortar won’t work either. But moss is a good idea. It looks great and will relieve the severity of the slabs. And, here is an old formula I saved for many years: Apply horse urine (well, maybe). The following is better: Weed between slabs, then make a syrup of 1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup boiling water; boil till thickened. Put syrup on cracks and joints, then mist with water every day for a while. Within three weeks moss should grow.
Anything else? Fill gaps with stone dust, water down, and add more until it is even with the slabs. It will harden unlike sand and can be quite satisfactory. If you like the idea of stone dust paths, check out the Adams Mansion in Quincy, a national historic park.
Q. In winter, gaps appear in the beadboards of my bathroom and in the 3-inch-wide boards in my bedroom ceiling. In summer the gaps close. I know that moisture makes them swell and drying out makes them shrink, but is there anything that can be done ? Should I paint my paneled doors where shrinkage has revealed a strip of bare wood?
MARY,
from Lincoln
A. Lots of things can be done, but if the gaps don’t bother you, live with them. The gaps may reduce as they age. You are right about why they expand and contract. The only cure is to wait until winter when they are at their driest and narrowest, take ‘em off and put ‘em back on tightly. The gaps will never show again.
There is one thing you can do that will not take that much effort but will cover the gaps. Buy pine lath strips, 1 1/2 inches wide and 3/8 inch thick, and nail one over each gap on the 3-inch boards in the bedroom ceiling. Stain the strips the same as the ceiling boards, or a contrasting color. As for the bare wood strips on the paneled doors, they are also the result of expanding and contracting. You can paint them.
Q. Can gutters be installed on the rafter tails of a roof? My gutter man said the tails are end grain, and nails will not hold, and that’s the reason the gutters failed last time. I tried putting a facia board connecting the rafter tails, but since the roof dips a little, the facia looked bad. Removing gutters permanently is not possible.
JOE,
from Malden
A. A bit of explanation. Rafter tails are the ends of rafters of a roof (usually a bungalow type) that overhang the wall by 2 feet or so, and are covered only by the roof. So, yes, a gutter can be put on the rafter tails without fear of pulling out of the end grain. You can use galvanized screws or strap hangers, which are steel strapping that fits under the shingles instead of being driven into the tails. The gutter man must make sure the new gutters are at the right height, and that water drips into the very middle of the gutters.
Q. My floors originally had vinyl-asbestos tiles, which I covered with larger Peel & Stick vinyl tiles that stood up very nicely until the fridge broke and flooded the floor, creating a few spaces where the vinyl tiles broke apart. I was told that I must remove both layers in order to make repairs. Is this so?
ALGIERS
A. I do not think it is so. Let the floor dry out completely. Reglue any loose tiles with adhesive caulk and fill in those empty spaces with bits of tile. Then put down your favorite Peel & Stick tiles, but do not line up the edges. If the water pulled up most of the tiles, then I’m afraid they all must be removed before a new floor is laid.
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 e-mail is photton@globe.com 
