Boston.com / Your Life

Sid 02:01PM	Hi Peter I would like to know what is the best thing to use on an old stone foundation which has lost its mortar finish due to moisture?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:03PM	Sid: First of all, hello toeveryone, so now let's go to work. and for Sid, it souinds as if the fou8ndaiton was given a skimcoat of mortar; it is called parging, and the skimcoat just fell offl. to fix, chip off any loose mortar, then apply a bonding agent to the foundaiton and reparge it; apply a thin coat of mortar. this is the only way a new layer of mortar will work.
aircon 02:04PM	My neighbor installed a central airconditioner a year or so ago on his driveway which is directly below my second floor bedroom. It makes a lot of noise especially when it comes on in the middle of the night. Is there any way to insulate the sound that it makes?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:06PM	aircon: You can build a fence around the a/c, putting the fence about two feet away from the a/c on all sides, and as high as practicable. If you want to put a top over it, it must be at least three feet above the a/c, and open on all four sides. an alterntaive is to install your own a/c and close all the windows.
6of7 02:08PM	I am currently having problems with the drainage system for the washing machine in my 35 year old house. While trying to drain water from my washing machine the water started backing out of the standpipe. So far I have snaked the pipes within the house(there is no blockage) as well as snaked the cleanout out towards the backyard-about 25 feet with no blockage. I know that this pipe does not connect with septic tank but rather empties elsewhere. I also understand that this was a fairly common practice when the house was built (though illegal at the time) What type of system I am likely to find when I start digging up my back yard? A tank or simply perforated pipes layed in a gravel bed??? Any suggestions on what I should do to replace/repair the current system? I would love to utilize this water to irragate my wifes ever expanding flower gardens but having been recently layed off from my job money is tight and whatever I do has to be as inexpensive as possible...I thought about tying th
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:10PM	6 of 7: The wahsing machine drain leads to a drywell in trhe back of the house, not into the septivc systrem. The dry well is a hole int he ground filled with larger rocks or crushed stone, and it is clogged with silt, so when the washer drains it backs up because it has no other palce to go. the least expensive answer is to connect that drain to the septic system. Or, dig up the dry well and buiod a new one in its place; one that will t ake the water flow.
Slotguy 02:11PM	Well, Gramps, whaddaya suggest for removing grease and oil stains from driveway pavers? And don't tell me Skin So Soft or Coca-Cola!
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:14PM	Slotguy my foot: Dear Mr. Prophet. reat to hear from you, Roy, and keep up the good work. Geeze, how in hell didjka get all that grease on the pavers. dumb. to correctr, scrape off any hardened grease and/or oil, then soak the stain with paint thinner to dissolve the oil, then sprinkle, heavily, baking soda, speedy-dry (the absorbent clay used in service staitons to p;ick up, wow, oil), or cat litter. Good luck, because you will hae to repeat as necessary. Are you eating meat again?
novice 02:15PM	You offered an explanation for banging radiators several weeks ago and I have misplaced it; could you explain this and what we can do about it? Also, how do you clean very dusty, dirty radiators? Remove them?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:19PM	novice: if the radiators are steam radiators, here is how to end the banging. Put a shim under the valve end of the radiator (The valve is the silvery valve at the high end of the radiator) . This will slope the radiator in the r8ightr direction to allow condensate that colledcts at the bottom of the radiator after the steam does its work.
water man 02:19PM	i am going away for a couple of weeks, can i shut off the water in the whole house.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:22PM	water man: you probably do not have to, since the heating system is not working, unless it had a b uilt-in hot water heater. chances are pretty good that there will be no flooding from boiler or water heater or even the water system. You can shut the water off without a problem.
cara 02:22PM	Hi Peter, What would be the cheapest way to replace a bathroom window (I have an older home that the bathroom window is right next to the shower/tub and it is starting to rot). Thanks, Cara
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:26PM	Cara: What part is rotting out? If it is the movable sash (the part that goes up and down) you can replace the movable sash. J.C. Adams of cambridge and J&B sash and door in chelsea are two companies that do this. if the wholle window is rotting, youi can pry it out and put a new one in its poalce. as for windows, nothing is cheap, even the cheap ones.
SLATE FLOOR 02:26PM	I have a slate floor that has been sealed by the previous homeowners with something that's shiny and has a yellowish tint to it. The house is about 15 years old. The finish is scratched and I want to strip off the shiny finish. I"ve tried acetone and an orange based product from homedepot without much luck. Any suggestions.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:28PM	slate floor: The yellow stuff may be varnish or Future. in either case, use chemical paint remover such as Stripeeze or 5F5 which is stronger than the orange stuff, which is called Citristrip. work with lots of ventialtion, because the remvoer is cuastic and toxic.
sunshine 02:28PM	Hi Peter, I enjoy your columns & chats and have learned a lot. Do you know what the best method would be to remove black stains from a concrete patio? I am assuming it is mold. Thanks!
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:29PM	ASunshine: for the black stains on the concrete, make a mix of one part household bleach and three parts of water, and paint this on the concrete; let it dry, then hose off.
555 02:29PM	Hello, I recently had a mirage wood floor put in the dinning room and living room. I noticed after a few weeks an area that the floor has buckled. This happened where the two rooms meet. I had the guy come back but he said there is nothing he can do. Any suggestions??
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:33PM	555: The floor was installed without expansion joints at the perimeter of the room. an expansion joint is simply a half-inch gap; when the floor expands(it will from moisture and/or heat), the gap allows the floor top expand into it. without the gap, the floor will buckle. thje installer can do something about it: relay the floor with expansion joints. Gert after hime like ugly on an ape.
Laurie D 02:34PM	I would like to paint a door and doorway in my bathroom (which will be a different color from the hallway). Where do I "stop" with one color on the door and the molding for one room and "start" with the color for the other area?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:35PM	Laurie D: paint the face of the door and the edges where it closes the same color. as for the jamb, y9ou can paintthe jamb one color, whichever color you like.
413 02:36PM	any tips on disquising a scratch on a hardwood floor from my wife pushing the coach across the room. It's right in the middle and really noticable because it is much lighter than the rest of the wool
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:38PM	413: The only thing you can do is disguise trhe scratch, or cover it with a rug. to disguise it, stain it slightly darker than the finish. use an oil stain (Minwax is a good brand) and just paint the scratch with it, and wipe up excess from the finish itself.
grady 02:38PM	I am about to put a patio in my backyard. I am thinking slate or brick. Any advice? What should I put under the brick for drainage and to keep it from sinking?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:41PM	Grady: Use brick: lay it on two inches of sand or stone dust for drainage. if it is well tamped, it will not sink. check out my archives for laying brick., or check with Life at Home Section for my story that appearded last fall.
alex 02:41PM	hey peter, i have lots of moss growing on my yard around the grass, how can i prevent this from happenning?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:42PM	Alex: Be content with the moss because it is attractive and is growing where grass cannot. another way is to make sure that area gets lots of sun. if that is impossible, you are likely to have nothing but moss.
cp 02:44PM	Hi Peter, Can you give me suggestions for eliminating crab grass and weeds in my yard. Thanks, CP
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:45PM	cp: Have a lawn man do your lawn. Or , use lots of weed killers and herbicides to get rid of everything but the grass, and hope that the grass will grow.
Vince 02:46PM	I've got a door that's about 3/8" too small for the jamb opening. I've tried all kinds of cheesy weatherstripping. What would be the best way to fix it? Cut the jamb or play with building out the hinges?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:47PM	vince: try gluing a thin piece of plywood or other wood to the hange edge fo the door and remounting the hinges. Or, pull off the jamb and put a shim in it to bring it out a bit to make the opening to the right size.
kcb 02:47PM	What type of stockade fence is best pine or cedar?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:49PM	kch: most stockade fences are of spruce, which is OK to use. if youi have a choice bween pine or cedar, choose cedar; it resists decay.
Matt2 02:49PM	Peter, I have a concrete walkway that the previous owners used to much salt on, it is in rough shape. Can I put a new thin lawyer of concrete over it? Any other sugestions?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:50PM	Matt2: yoiu can paut a skimcoat over the old walk, but you msut applyh a bonding agent first. the best thickness for such a skimcoat is 2 inches .
Matt 02:51PM	Good afternoon Peter...I had my bathtub painted 6 years ago and recently I noticed that the finish is starting to flake off. What can be done about this and can the tub be refinished again.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:54PM	Maztt: You can have th tub reglazed for about $300, but the finish must be very carefully prepared for it to work, and there are no guarantees that it will not peel again. the warranty for a glazing job is I think 5 years. Not very long. A better way is to have an acrylic shell applied over the tub. it will last indefinitely and costs considerably more than glazing, but in my opinion is worth it. Bath Fitter is one dealer who deals with acrylic shells.
capecpd 02:54PM	I recently purchased a home with a large outdoor deck. Now that spring is here, I notice that the paint on the deck is peeling. It looks like the former owner painted it using a spray gun as there are areas of red paint where he overshot on the driveway and house itself. Do I need to repaint this right away, or can I let it go until next year? The wood is pressure treated. If I do need to repaint, do I also need to scrape the peeling paint off as well? This could be a large job.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:57PM	capecpd: you can let the paint continue to peel, if you can stand the sight of it (ugh!), but in order to have it doneo against, do not painit it.. that is the worst thing you can do to a wood deck. peeling will be certain. guaranteed. to redo it, sand it off or scrape it all off and apply one coat of a semitransparent stain. only one coat is needed every 3 to 5 years.
foss 02:57PM	Is there anyway to remove paint from a stone foundation? We are now noticing a lot of drips on the foundation from a bad paint job above the foundation.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:58PM	Foss: Use chemical paint remover such as stripeeze or 5F5. it is tedious, but with time and patience and lots of repeating, it will work.
JB 02:59PM	Peter, I am replacing the fascia boards around my house before I put up new gutters. I'm having difficulty putting up the new boards under the existing flashing that is part of the roof. Is it imperative that the flashing go OVER the fascia board since the water will be running into the gutters? I don't want to replace tha flashing because the roof is new. Thanks for all of your sound advice
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:01PM	JB: What you call flashing as a part of the roof is a drip edge, and a new facia should slip under the the drip edge. the flashing MUST go under the flashing. if you remvoethe old facia, this will be very easy to do. have done this, and it is not difficult, as long as you take off the old facia.
beantown53 03:01PM	Hi, Peter - small yellow-orangey dots or speckles beneath the windows sills of my kitchen windows. Could they be marks of termite infestation? I thought those little fellas bore through wood from underground, and avoid daylight like insectoid versions of vampires? There are a couple of teeny holes nearby, maybe four or five in all, but not directly above the stains. Thanks!
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:02PM	beantown53: it sounds as if you are infested with wood boring inwsects. call an extemerminator. i do not think it is termites.
LouBee 03:03PM	I enjoy your column very much and hope you can help with a problem with a brickwalkway. We had a brickwalk and patio off our new screen porch (my husband says a screen porch is like a wedding ka-ching!) Over the winter some animal -- I suspect chipmunks and squirrels -- dug by the window well and under some of the walkway so now the brick edging is caving in since the dirt beneath it is gone. There is a bird feeder suspended from the side of the house over the area but that has been there for years -- long before the porch and walkway and we have not had any problem with animals digging the ground beneath it. Is it a matter of simply refilling the area betneath the bricks or is there some way to prevent this from happening again? Thanks.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:04PM	Keep picking up the sinking bricks, add well tamped fill and put the bricks back. eventually the critters might give up.
LostinLawrence 03:06PM	I'm renovating my old house. It was built in 1890 and was subsequently made into a 3 family. I'm gutting out a bedroom on the second floor and it has a very small close that I'd like to remove. I've taken off the plaster and lathing strips but am afraid to remove the wood frame because I'm not sure if they are load bearing. How can I tell whether the framed area is actually a load-bearing structure?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:07PM	Lostinlawrence. If the ckloset is sticking out of a corner, the walls are probably not load bearing. On anything else, have an architect or engineer inform you what walls are load bering and what are not.
octoruss 03:08PM	Peter, We had a significant ant colony in our backyard grass. To kill the ants, I poured boiling water over the ant colony, which seems to have killed them (at least on the surface). However, it also killed the grass. What do you suggest I do to ensure the ants in the colony are dead, and also to replace some of the dead grass---sod?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:09PM	Octoruss: Sod is good for replacing grass. as for the ants, boiling water is good on patios and other non-living areas. for grassy area,s, use granular diazinon.
6of7 03:09PM	oops! I thought about tying the greywater to my existing septic system but I am afraid that will put to much "strain" on the current leech field for my septic system. I dont think that the ground will absorb that much water.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:10PM	6 of 7: Your septic system, if it is working well now, should be able to accommodate washing machine water.
MICK 03:11PM	I was wondering if you could tell me what the easiest way to cut 6x6 landscape timers would be? Its a little scary to me to think of using a chain saw to make a clean cut. Thanks for your help.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:14PM	MICK: A chain saw will work well to cut a straight cut on a 6 by 6 timber. you could use instead a large bow saw, but it might be harder to get a straight cut with a narrow blade. Or, use a portable rotary saw, cutting as deep as p;ossible, then finishing the cut from the other side.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:15PM	OK< Boys and girls, tgime to go. it has been great. i'd appreciate it if the nutcakes lay off this chat room. you know who your are. anyhione can reach me at photton@globe.com see you next thursday.