Boston.com / Your Life

dave 02:00PM	hi peter, what do you think of those gutter covers, ie gutter helmut? I still dont belive it keeps all debris out. what happnes if pollen, smaller tree seeds and other debris gets stuck in there. then what do you do?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:03PM	Dave: Hi ho boys and girls, my name is Albert Alligator and I love Pogo, if any of you can remember. And for Dave, I think that Gutter Helmet has this guaranty: If the guitrters fill up with debris the company will clean them out for free for 20 years. That indicates to me a gret deal of confidence in their product.
dave 02:04PM	we have a smalll garage that we would like to finish and make a room out of, the problem is the floor is cracked and lookes like the lower wall s aactually concretecinder blocks. if we redo should we demo and pour a full slab or foundation in the event we build upward as well?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:06PM	Dave again: The garage floor is poured inside the foundaiton and is not a prt of the garage structure. You can break it up, put down 6 mil poly as a vapor barrier and repour a new floor. Or, if the cracks are not leaking water, put down indoor-outdoor carpeting and a synthetic juite pad, which will allow the wqter vapor tht is coming up through the concrete to continue through both carpet and pad and be ventilated out of the room.
das 02:06PM	how long should you wait before painting pressure treated wood?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:08PM	Das, The general rule on paintintg p-t wood is to wait 6 months. if the p-t you are talking about is a floor of a deck, do not paint it but apply (in six months) a semitranspasrent stain.
New2wood 02:08PM	Peter, For some reason, I need to buy a router. As this will be my first router, what should I look for in terms of HP and other features? Thanks!
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:09PM	new2wood: For yuour router, choose the middle grade unit, not the weeakest power and not the strongest power, but in the middle.
peeling ceiling 02:10PM	Hi Peter. I live on the top floor of a flat roof building and recently noticed a small area of bubbling paint on my ceiling. I assume this is water damage. Is there anything else besides water that would cause the paint to do this?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:12PM	peeling ceiling: moisture could very well be the cause of that bubbling paint. Before doing anything, check to see if there is a roof leak or other reason water is getting through the cieling. if the leak cfan be fixed, let the spot dry out and then wand to remvoe all lloose paint, then apply a latex enamel undercoater and finish with a latex ceiling paint.
Allan 02:13PM	Peter, I know you've answered this a hundred times, but... I'm buying a house that is about 4 years old. The deck looks like it is bare wood and it is very dry. What do I put on it to protect it please? I'm in an area that gets alot of sun and heat. Thank you. I appreciate you're being there.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:15PM	Allan: Thank you for the kind words. I am not so jaded that I don't apprpeciate a compliment. no matter wht ikind of wood the deck floor is, if it is untreated and is very dry, apply one thin coat of a semitransparent deck stain or semitransparent house stain. it comes in earth colors, one of which yu can choose, and it will not peel. restain with one thin coat in 3 to 5 years. edo not attempt to do anything else.
Allan 02:15PM	Peter, I remember Albert too and occaisonally share his love of cigars!
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:17PM	Allan: Yes, Albert loved his cigars all right, and i liked the way Walt Kelly showed how Albert talked thrugh his cigar smoke. Thwe same way V>T> Hamling had Alley Oop talk throiugh his cigar smoke. I havemet Selby Kelly, Walt's widow, and she is a hoot, as much fun as the Pogo gang.
Kat 02:18PM	speaking of gutters, we have wooden gutters in the front of our house that are not very deep and from what I understand need to be oiled. Is there any reason to keep them rather than replace with updated versions? The wooden gutters are only on the front of the house, the rest has the metal kind.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:20PM	Kat: Keep the gutters, if they are not so small that water overflows them. To oil, mix one part raw linseed oil with one aprt paint thinner and paint this on the inside of the gutter twice a year.
the renovator 02:20PM	we've been renovating our kitchen...ourselves. we specified stainless steel toekicks. since it's an old house counters HAVE to be level, the slack is in the toekick. any tips/advice for cutting the stainless steel?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:24PM	the renovator: I don't know how thick the s/s toekick is, so I can't tell yiou how to cut it.If it a bnit flexible, yoiu might be able to cut with tin snips. frankly, i have never heard of s/s toekicks. it might be possible to use the white or other color plastic baseboard. also, if the slack is not great, you might be able to put the s/s toekick in without cutting it, leaving the slack space at the top of the toekick. you will not see it unless you are lying flat on your face on the floor.
John 02:24PM	Hi Peter: I sent you a mail ealier today asking what do you recommend as covering for a 3 year old concrete garage floor to give a neat, practical appearance? Our experience with regular garage paint is that it eventually peels (particularly in areas where the tires set on it) and looks messy. We are considering epoxy paint, 12"X12" interlocking tiles or rolls of rubber-type floor covering.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:27PM	John: If the concrete floor is nolt painted or stained, i suggewt yhou put on a semitransparent deck stain or semitransparent house stain. If you have ever spilled semitransaprent stain on a concrete floor where you do not want it , you know that it never seems to go away. there used to be concrete stains on the market,but they were removed probably for environmental reasons.
Stacey 02:27PM	Hi Peter, I'm new to home ownership and am a total novice when it comes to repair. When my husband and I bought our home, the basement was being used as a game room so we assumed it didn't leak. That heavy rain we had in April proved us wrong. Is there any way to know what is the best way to waterproof the basement other than trying a sealant first and hoping it works before going on to bigger and more expensive options?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:33PM	Starcey: treatment for a leaking basement depends on how the waer is coming in. If it is coming up through the joint between foundation and floor, it means that the water table (the water level under ground) is immediately under the slab and is under pressur;e h43ence the entrance of water. The cure there is a french drain, an inteiror drain pipe around the inside perimeter of the foundaiton, leading to a sump (hole) and sump pump. If the water is coming through the wall, dheck the wall for leaks and if the wall is concrete blocks or stone, yu can repoint, which means inserting new mortasr between the stones after tking out the old. also, you might have to or want to regrade the poperty if it is sloping down toward the house. a wterproofing company can give yu more advice.
BigDogsaladtosser 02:33PM	Hi Peter, I recently bought a house, and built into the kitchen counter is a blender. Going by the counter this was made in the 50's or 60s. We have a drawerfull of accessories (blender, salad tosser, egg beater), but the motor is run down
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:34PM	BigDog: I doubt if you can hget a new blender, but look into the p;oss9ibility of gettingi a rebuilt motor.an appliance repairman can help.
bob 02:35PM	Any ideas as to how we can remove a concrete slab that was poured to make a base for an extended hearth. The hardwood floor and the sub-flooring were also removed but that's another issue. Don't yell at me - we inherited the problem.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:40PM	bob: Thanks for the request not to yell at you. It's funny. My wife is constantly asking me not to yell. It all indicates that I can get a little shirty at times, frustrated , really, buit it als9o gives me a chance to be a little nicer. OK, if the slab is connected to anything l**** the hearth, yoiu can cut the concrete right there with a cold chisel and heavy hammer. it shoiuld not be so big (what, maybe 6 feet wide and foujr feet deep at maxiumum?) and 4 inches thick that you and a few husky friends cannot wrestle it into the back yard for breaking up. sometimes you can cut the slab up into smaller and lighter pieces. if not, yiou can hire a concrete cutting company to do the work.Might not cost too much, but it isnot cheap. I think they aqre in the yellow pages under concrete cutters.
julzie 02:40PM	Peter, several door knobs in my 60 year old house are dysfunctional - even dangerous because the doors lock by themselves. we removed the "guts" to prevent this, but I would like to replace all the door knobs and workings. how hard is this to do? any tips?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:44PM	jukzie: If the sets are not too old,you can get knobs and guts at any hardare store; even home depot and its ilk. if you can get locks similr to what is on the doors now, it is an easy matter of taking out the old and putting in the new. I do not think iti practical to replace just the guts and knobs because they are not sold separately. If what you buy is somewhat di9fferent from what is on the doors, you mayu ahve t cut new holes. But all that is possible, with some rather tedious work and plenty of imagination;.
ceiling 02:45PM	I would like your advise on repairing a crack on a dining room ceiling. It's fairly thin and runs about 6 feet, but is obvious enough that I would like to repair it before repainting. I've read that often times these cracks will reappear. Thanks for your help.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:49PM	Ceiling: you can repair the crack in the ceiling without its reappeaqring this way: If it is a hairline crack, Enlarge it with a utility knife, then install a heavy bead of adhesive caulk, then press it in with your fingers; scrape off excess and wipe off residue with a wet sponge. If your hands are ncie a clean you may not have to repaint. if the crack is a bit open, you do not have to make it wider. the adhseive caullk is called Pheno-Seal and is widely sold in hardware stores. The caulk will expand and contract with trhe movement of the ceiling, and will not recrack. it is wortha try.
Dr.c 02:49PM	The clay pipe that comes out of the interior of my chimney is flaking where it protrudes above the brick. What is the proper course of action?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:50PM	Dr.c: If tghe caly liner is not flaking too much, forget it. If it seems excessive,you might be able to rep9alce jsut the top seciton. a chimney sweep can help there. he might recommend a chimney cap which for you might be a good idea because it will protect the new liner from the elements.
Dr.c 02:51PM	Peter, The windows installed on my house have exterior framing boards made of untreated finger joint lumber, unfortunately. They have started to rot, which i understand is a common problem. They are 5/4 inch. Is replacing them with solid untreated pine sufficient, or would your recomend something else?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:56PM	Dr.c: the casing is rotting befcause of a poor design. If the decay is at the nbottom olf the vertical casing, cut it off and put in a rfepalcement piece of pressure-treated lumber. and where the vertical casing touches the sill, do not slope the bottom to follow tghe slant of but cut it square and do not caulk it. let water drfain away from it. it sholdl work pretty well. I ahve done this on my daughter's house where the design caused the decay, andshe is so tickled, it amazes me.
southcoast 02:56PM	Hi Peter. Somebody recommended using Behr's Scandinavian Tung Oil as a deck finish for a new p-t deck. What's your opinion? Any cons to that?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:59PM	southcoast: Oil may be OK for any deck,but it might turn the wood quite dark. and, if it forms a fiilm, it could peel. I personally think that the best thing to put on any wood deck is semitransaprent deck stain or semitransaprent house stain. only one coat is needed, it will protect for 3 to 5 years and will never peel. IF you use one thin coat of a semitrasnsaprent stain.
Bamboo 03:00PM	Hi, Peter. Do I need to have a screen door or storm door over my front door? The front door has been getting tiny bee hives, I guess the bees sneak in through gaps in the screen door. I want to just remove the screen/storm door entirely to avoid this. Any pros and cons?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:01PM	bamboo: they are not bees but are wasps. yiou do not need a storm or screen on your front door unless you want it . the insulative value of a storm door is neglible.
Ranger 03:02PM	in Boston area, I'd appreciate your opinion reducing &/or eliminating mildew. Anything more I can do? As I did approximately 5 years ago, I expect to use oil based gloss white paint on wood shingles that have shown some small patches of mildew. some dealers & manufacturers suggest adding mildew resistant preparation to each coat of oil based paint (primer applied to bare sanded areas and finish; white gloss applied to primed and to sanded but not bare sanded areas). To eliminate small mildew infestation, approximately every 2-3 years, I wash house with bleach & specially formulated house prewash. Thanks
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:04PM	ranger: Exterior paints and stains contain a mildewcide that keeps the paint mold resistant for two years. there is a new item on the amrket called Scotchguard Mold Control which might help too.
steve 03:04PM	i recently had construction done on my condo - we had to rip the carpets out. Now we have concrete/cement floors throughout. There is dust from the plaster and carpentry all over the place. How do you suggest I remove all of the dust so it is livable until I can have floors installed (for the next few months)? I tried vacuuming.. but there is still a fine powder on the floors.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:07PM	steve: for all that plaster dust, nothing will work except this: add one tablespoon of oil (any kind will do, but bouiled linseed oil is as good as anything) to a gallon or two of hot water. It will not stir very weell, but stir it up anyway. dip a sponge in this mess and squreeze it almsot dry wipe this on the floor. voila! Dust is gone.
brown dog 03:07PM	Peter, we need to replace our deck. Someone told me it will be about $7,000 to replace for about 300sf. That seems like a lot. Does this estimate sound correct?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:09PM	brown dog: For entire deck, including superstructure, footings, posts and all, plus raling, etc., $7,000 is not unreasonable. for just the floor boards, it is way out of line.
Nancy 03:10PM	Have a question with regard to a pietra del la cordosa counter top. it is in a new condo and I was told not to seal it, yet everything spots it..water, rim o*****lass, etc. it looks like soapstone but it is not the same. Any thoughts? i have called tile places and get different opinions. One says seal it, one says not to seal it use mineral oil on it. Once I do whatever to it, I'm stuck. What do youu think?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:12PM	Nancy: If the counter top looks olike soapstone, or slate, mineral oil will work well. apply it, let it sit for 15 minutes, then take it all off with dry cloths. dispose of oily cloths safelyby burning them. Any oil will darken the stone considerably. Or, perhaps yu are better off selaing w8ith a maosnry seaoler. do this oncoe a year and hope for the best. If it stains from water, it is a poor choice for a counter top.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:15PM	OK, boys and girls and all the ships at sea, time to hang a clothes on this line. see you next week. yoiu can reach me at photton@globe.com see you. It was a good chat day.