A little space will cure bulging shingles

Q. My neighbor had wood shingles installed on one large wall, and then painted. I can see the wall from my house and it is handsome. But it was not long before the shingles bulged, buckled, and bowed out in several places. What happened and how can she fix them to make them lay flat again?

SANDY, with an alarming view

A. Sandy sent the Handyman pictures, and my goodness, I have never seen such bulging, It looks at least two to three inches out, and the movement was so powerful that the bulging shingles pushed out the ones above. Not all the wall was affected but significant areas are. I think I know what happened: The cedar shingles were dry when they were installed, butting tightly against each other. Then they were primed and painted, which sealed them against outdoor moisture. But it wasn't long before moisture behind the shingles wet them enough so they expanded, causing those remarkable bulges. When we get long periods of dry weather, the bulges may flatten out, but don't count on it.

Here's the cure: Remove the bulging shingles, and cut 1/8-inch off one side of each shingle. Then reapply the shingles with a 1/8-inch gap between them. This will provide enough room for expanding without bulging.

Removing shingles is hard work and is probably not worth the time and effort. So, split the shingles to remove them, then insert new shingles with the 1/8-inch gap between them. Then prime and paint.

There is an old building rule concerning wood shingles. For green, white cedar shingles (green because they are full of water), butt them tightly to minimize the gaps created when the shingles dry out and contract. For dry shingles (kiln dried or dried naturally) leave that 1/8-inch gap; it will never get bigger and might get smaller, but not small enough for the shingles to bulge when they expand.

Q. Our driveway is being undermined by chipmunks, who have tunneled deeply under the driveway, creating a number of sink holes that are the very devil to keep filling in. Would a driveway of natural or concrete pavers (or paving stones) be effective? How deep should the crushed stone be under the pavers?

BAMBI, MICHAEL GOOD, Chestnut Hill

A. I presume the driveway is crushed stone, because it is unlikely that sink holes would appear in an asphalt or concrete slab, although depressions could appear in a layer of asphalt.

Pavers will work nicely. Six inches of crushed stone underlayment is normal for such a driveway, but some contractors suggest 12 inches. The underlayment is mainly for drainage. Since the chipmunks are so persistent, I suggest a deep border to help keep them out. This could be several feet of hardware cloth (steel mesh), although digging down to accommodate the mesh is a pain. The deeper the border the better.

Other possibilities are four inches of asphalt or four inches of reinforced concrete. Pretty prosaic, but you can fancy up the driveway with patterned concrete. One good thing about the pavers is that if Chip 'n' Dale do undermine the driveway and a few pavers drop, just pick them up, pour in more crushed stone or sand, and replace the pavers.

Q. What do you think is best for bulkhead doors: Wood or metal? I read in your column about the Bulkhead Man. Is he still doing bulkheads?

NEEDS A DOOR

A. I don't think it is a matter of best, but rather this: Wood is good if you want to build your own. Wood will last quite a while, but has to be kept painted. You could make a wood bulkhead last indefinitely if you use pressure-treated wood. Leave it natural or stain it with a semitransparent stain, and forget it.

Steel is even more permanent, and Joe Cavallaro of Canton, the Bulkhead Man, custom-builds steel bulkheads that are a heavier duty steel than commercial types. He powder coats the steel for long-lasting good looks. So if you don't do it yourself, call the Bulkhead Man, 800-553-4301.

Q. I need a screen door on my house, not a combination but a screen all by itself. However, the opening is 34 inches wide and 93 inches high, and I cannot find one to fit. Do you know where I can find one, standard or custom fit?

R. FELIX MISIEWICZ, Norton

A. Sure do, and there is a fine looking brochure that goes with it. The doors are wonderful, wood, and will bring you back to the good old days. They are made in many designs. The doors are mahogany, made by the Wooden Screen Door Co. of Waldoboro, Maine, (207-832-0519). I called to make sure they're still there, and they are, and also on www.woodenscreendoor.com. Goodbye aluminum, hello mahogany! You might guess that the Handyman's combo doors are wood.

Q. When I painted all my outdoor window sills, I noticed that some of the nails on the siding have popped. Also, there are a few split shingles. I plan to seal the splits, but if water gets into the slits, will it freeze?

JOHN, Leominster

A. OK, you can renail the popped nails, which popped when the wood dried out. If they persist in popping, pull them and replace them with stainless steel nails, which should hold better. Do not seal or caulk the splits, it will not hold anyway and is not necessary and will do no good. If you want to seal window frames, do it inside. Outdoor shingles, clapboards, and other kinds of siding, and window sills and door thresholds, are all designed to drain, and in the last 200 or 300 years very few have failed because the water drains down and away from the house.

Q. What can I use to stop the seams in my gutters from leaking? I have a seam right over my front door and it leaks right on my head. The builder put some kind of caulking on them but it didn't work. Would black roofing cement work? Thanks for any help.

BOB, by e-mail

A. For a seam sealer that will really work, go to a gutter dealer and ask for the mastic they use to seal joints. The stuff I used was clear and as sticky a material as I ever used. You can probably use an adhesive caulk (Phenoseal), but in any case, the seams have to be taken apart and then treated with the mastic before putting them back together again.

Q. My daughter bought a house in Madisonville (La.) that had double glazed windows, and there is so much moisture on the inside (not between the panes) that she has to mop up the sills several times a day. A contractor told her the windows are OK, but the house is airtight, causing the moisture. What can she do?

CHETTA ROSE, Pearl River, La.

A. The least the man should have told her is to ventilate the house to lower the humidity in the house. Or, in extreme cases, install a dehumidifier. Incidentally, air-conditioning is also a dehumidifier.

Q. I have an unheated enclosed three-season porch and I am having trouble figuring how to cover the floor, which is now plywood. Would Pergo or other plastic laminate work? I don't want to spend too much, but I would like it to look nice. Any ideas?

DEVOTED READER, Belmont

A. Pergo can work nicely. I think prefinished hardwood would be better, and probably only a little more expensive than the laminate. Another choice is ceramic tile, but it would also be the most expensive. Your idea of painting the plywood and putting down a rug is a good one, and least expensive of all. And be sure to insulate the crawl space ceiling.

Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is also in the Styles Section on Thursdays. He is available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call 617-929-2930. Hotton also chats on line about house matters 2-3 p.m. Thursdays. To participate, go to Boston.com Hotton's e-mail is photton@globe.com.