Boston.com / Your Life

DG 02:03PM	Thanks for taking my question. I’m having crown molding installed in my living room. Since the molding is going to be painted my contractor suggested I use MDF because it won’t warp, expand or contract. Would it be better to use a quality hard wood or the MDF?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:06PM	DG: If you hae a standard house, not too fancy,etc., the mdf is ok, and a lot less exensive than haardwood. If yu have a fancy,, or historic house, then use softwood (pine) because it is going to be painted. no point in using hardwood if it is to be painted.
Dilly 02:07PM	Hi Peter. I just bought a house with a fireplace and don't really plan on using it this winter. Is there a cheap, easily installed and replaceable way to guarantee no heat loss with a flue that might not close 100%? Thank you.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:10PM	Dilly: Buy one or two-inch styrofoam insulation, cut it fit the throat of the fireplace and insert it above the damper. if it is a tight fit, you're home free. another way is to build a plywood screen to fit over the firebox opening, caulk it and forget itl you can paint it and hae a nice bucolic scene painted on it.or buyu a fan-type firebox cover for a finished look. the fan-type cover is not a cover but a decorative front.
Window Guy 02:11PM	Peter, How do you feel about inside-the-house storm windows? Any recommended brands? Any secrets to measuring the size of a window for these kinds of things?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:19PM	Window Guy: I THINK INSIDE STORMS ARE great; i haethem on my single-glazedwindows and outside storms for trple glazing. my wife doesn'tlikethm butshewill live with them, because theys ave a lot of heat. you can buy kits atbig boxhouse stores to go with acrylic windows,or call a company in simsbury, conn. that installsthem. i cannot think of the name at thismoment. you have to measure the windows opening for this company to make the right side insert. they are glass and are the best. The name is Innerglass, 800-743-6207.
bogeyboy 02:19PM	What's a ballpark figure to replace and properly flash old windows with "new construction" units? Installer would also be removing triple-track storms, but would not re-install them.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:21PM	Bogeyboy: for complete new windows, $500 each and up. for just replacement sahs (the movable parts) $200 and u0p. the contractor should keep the storms, and should re-installthem.
maine guy 02:21PM	Can I put ceramic tile over a linoleum floor?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:23PM	Maine Guy: Yes, you can put ceramic tile over linoluem, using thin-set mortar. a better way is to lay down a bedof mortar and then install the tile with thin-set mortar. this latter should be professionally installed.
Bamboo 02:24PM	Hi, Peter! Hope you're doing well. My husband and I painted our guest bedroom a deep red, garnet color. We didn't know about tinted primer, so the color was very uneven. We did three coats, and the color is still splotchy. Also, we didn't do the cutting in, and now there are unpainted areas that I'm afraid will never match even if we try to finish the painting. Short of hiring a pro to come in and re-do it (we're broke), are there any tips to fix it? I really love the color, but it looks messy right now. Thank you!
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:26PM	Bamboo: Keep painting with that color; thin coats.for the unpainted areas, tin the primer and add as many coats as you have to. I think red is a hard color to cover with, and to cover. but eventgually it should be less blotchy.
jax 02:26PM	What's your opinion of bathfitters, vinyl bathtub & wall unit
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:28PM	Jax: The bth fitter productis just oneof many, but the idea of an acrylic shell (not vinyl) and also acrylic wall unit is the best of the coversfor old bathrooms. i am not shilling.
on the Rox 02:28PM	What's your opinion of the gutterless rain handling systems?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:30PM	I did a story on the Rain Handler 30 years ago; infact i introduced it. it is an inexpensive alternative to gutters, and work for some and probably do not work for others. they disperse the waer coming overhte edge of theroof, not creating ruts inthe ground. properly installed, they will standup to ice.
Fritz 02:31PM	I am having trouble with a radiator on the second floor of my house. I have steam heat, and the furnace seems to be working fine, but one of the radiators does not seem to heat up at all upstairs. I've replaced the pressure valve with an adjustable unit, which has not helped, and made sure that the spigot at the floor is on. Any suggestions? Thanks very much.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:32PM	Fritz: find a steam fitter.
MAT 02:32PM	My wife's care leaked oil all over our asphalt driveway. Any suggestions to clean it up or do I now need to seal it? If I do seal it, any suggestions?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:33PM	Mat: Seal the dirvewway with jennite sealer, or have it done for $200 ormore.
Hacksaw 02:33PM	Peter, My electrical feed is secured to a freeze board and in the way of some vinyl siding I am installing. Will Mass Electric move that for me or should I deal with it where it is?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:35PM	Hacksaw: Mass electric will movoe it for you while you put in the vinyl and will put it back when you are done.
Jr 02:36PM	For the life of me I can't seem to get my toilet paper holder to stay secured to the wall. I used the drywall plastic anchors but they are coming out along with the screws. Any recommendations?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:37PM	Jr. Try using wing bolts instead of the plastic anchors. Or, use molly bolts. if neither works, you may have to openthe wslal, put in a wood backer board between studs and scew the holder onto that.
bogeyboy 02:37PM	Peter: Would you know o*****ood source for full width drawers and slide hardware for a kitchen cabinet retrofit? I need to bring some order to our "plastic container" cabinets. I'm thinking two, full extension drawers would do the trick. Thanks.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:41PM	bogeyboy: try the woodworker's store catalog. i can't think of hte number,but there may be stillI a woodworkers store way up on mass ave. in cambridge. i think the woodworkers store is now called Rockler.
kgr 02:41PM	What is MDF crown molding?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:43PM	KGR: And what, maybe, is kgr? MDF is a kind of plastic or pvc molding; i do not know what thje iniitials stand for.
bostonjohn 02:43PM	Welcome back, Peter! How was Germany? Do you know how I'd get moss off of my brick front steps?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:47PM	Hello, bostonjohn. germany and berlinwere great; so was meissen,dresden, potsdam andwittenburg, and old luther's tomb. and so was prague. but Berliners are among the mostrude people in the world. Not un-nice, just rude,. after a million jostles, i never got a skolozie, pardon orgo to hell. but that was really minor. if that green on your steps has a thickness and is dark green,it is moss, and you can scrape it off, then treat with one part household bleachand three parts water. if it has no thickness and is bright green, it is algae, and give it the bleach/water treatment, scruib with a scrub brush and repeatwith the bleqach-water solution.
lefty 02:47PM	Peter, are CO detectors considered essential these days? In a single family home (7 rooms, gas heat) with basement and attic, how many are recommended and where should they be placed?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:48PM	Lefty: If they are not requitred by law, co detecters are a very wide way to go.one on each floor is adequate. i have one onthe second flooro and i think thaet is adequate.
elmo 02:49PM	Hi Peter. I own a vacation home and it is log construction. On the gable ends the logs are rounded and I cannot get soffit flush. As a result, I have perfect "bat house" environment and have dozens of bats living in there. The bats don't really bother me but their droppings make an awful mess and I am afraid they may be unhealty for my 7 year old son. I am reluctant to staple mesh along the length as it would destroy the character of the home. I also do not wish to kill the critters. Any suggestions?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:52PM	Hello, Elmo: If the droppings are outside, soakthemdown with water occassionalyand they should be safe,aslong as yourson stays away. otherwise it is a matter of cutting the soffit where itbuttsagainst the logs to the shape of the logs when installing the soffit. the bats will go elsewhere if they arekept out. it's too bad because they are beneficial,but yur son's health takes precedence.
Homebrewa 02:53PM	Peter, My 7-year old house has a walk-out basement. The insulation down there above the knee-wall is moldy; I assume from humidity reasons. It is covered with sheet plastic. I don't plan on finishing this off for a few years but wonder if I need to pull that moldy insulation out of there beforehand? Thanks!
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:55PM	Homebrewa: the insulation must beredmoved,the walls cleaned beforoe new insulaiton isinstalled. the inuslaiton got moldy because the basement wasnot ventilated; make sure the basement is ventilated during the summer. venting isless necessary in winter.
c 02:55PM	We've got an odd-sized doorway (it's very narrow) in our home that needs a door. Home Depot doesn't carry them and won't rip one to size. Any tips?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:58PM	C: If home depot doesn't rip it, yoiu could rip it yourself. Or, try the Brosco catatog (in any independednt lumberstore) that has a bigger choice if youcan't find the right size, make one yourself.
speedy 02:58PM	are you typing with your toes
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:59PM	Speedy: Whassamattah, you cain't read my toe tracks? Tough.
PB 02:59PM	Hi Peter. I have a raised ranch and I'm planning to put a rug in one of the rooms on the first floor. I'm currently planning to put the pad on top of the slab, but I'm concerned about moisture seeping into the slab and then into the rug. Is there anything I can do to prevent this short of not installing the rug?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:02PM	PB: If you are putting a rug on a concrete slab, specify indoor-outdoor carpeting and a synthetic jute bad, both of which will allow water vapor coming up through the concrete to continuue through them and into the room, where it can be vented away.
sue 03:03PM	Hi I emailed about moisture on the inside of my windows--new house on old fieldstone foundation humidity level between 50 & 60%. Wood stove in cellar, oil heat, de humidifier, we do get water when teh table is high. even door jambs and in very cold weather my steel doords get moist too to the point one rusted even though it has a storm on it. tried everything, not using stove, not putting pot of water on stove. when it's really cold the entire window is covered with moisture. any ideas as to what else I can do to eliminate this problem??
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:05PM	Sue: in a nutshell, youir best betisto ventilate thehouse as 'much and asthoroughly as possible. vedntingi will hep release that water vapor. i can email you more after i sign off, because it is ime top sign off.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:05PM	All right, boys and girls, time to go. youcan email me at photton@globe.com.