Rusty fence can be revived with sandpaper, specialty paint
Q. I bought lovely but rusty fence sections that I want to place around my garden. What is your suggestion: Tedious steel wool scraping to remove the rust and then a spray paint to finish them? Anything easier?
MARY FLANAGAN, by e-mail
A. The only easy way is to have someone else do it. If they are wrought iron, you have some gems. Here's how to make them just perfect. Sand as much rust off as practicable. Use sandpaper, medium grit, not steel wool. If any rust remains, paint it with Rust Reformer, a coating that contains phosphoric acid (there are other brands), and turns the rust black, and paintable. In fact, paint the whole fence. Then paint with a high-quality wrought iron paint. Black, of course. Good iron paints are Noverox, Krylon door and shutter paint, and Krylon contractor wrought iron paint. The latter two are aerosol sprays. No primer needed in many cases.
Q. I am being inundated with red ants. They are on the bathroom floor with radiant heat under the ceramic tiles. I used a Tat spray, without much success. What else can I do?
GIVING UP
A. Don't give up. They are not termites and they are not carpenter ants. Don't use a spray indoors. Use half bleach and half water, with the windows open.
Ant cups will help. So will sprinkling boric acid around the baseboards.
Handyman on Call also appears in g 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. 
