Use area rugs to cover up floor scratches

Some nicks have occurred in my hardwood floor. One or two of them are rather large, caused when a log was dropped. How can I remove them or at least disguise them?

DISGUSTED

Hardwood floors, beautifully varnished, are always subject to nicks, scratches, dents, and gouges, even though the finish is usually very hard. In fact, the hardness of the finish contributes to the nicks and scratches. For starters, cover the bad part with an area rug. If the log was dropped near the fireplace, a fireplace carpet might be just the thing.

A nick is hard to fix. One way is to sand the nick to reveal fresh wood, and varnish it several times. The new varnish will be quite different from the original finish, but in time, often in a few months, the patch will blend in with the old.

If the scratch is down to the bare wood, sometimes you can color it with an oil stain or one of those stain pencils sold in paint and hardware stores, making the scratch a bit darker than the finish. A slightly darker scratch may show up less than a light-colored one.

Gouges are incurable. So are dog scratches. The only fix is to have the floor sanded and refinished.

I have two ornamental wicker reindeer that graced my lawn at Christmas, and the little fellows really looked good. They are unpainted and look as if they were made of grape vine or bamboo. How can I store them to keep them good looking and free of mold?

ROSE COX, Wayland

Which of the reindeer are they: Dancer? Prancer? Can you name the others? No matter the names, you can store them in a dry space: garage, shed, or basement, if it is very dry. The attic is good, too, as long as it is dry. Do not cover the reindeer with plastic; that is a guarantee for mold. The material may be rattan, which needs no preservative. I agree with you that they look good unpainted.

Is a permit needed for cosmetic work in a bathroom? I am having a new toilet and new sink installed. I am also putting on new mosaic tile over a tiled floor. Is that OK? And, finally, can I put bead board on a tiled wall?

I.C., Cambridge

I don't think cosmetic changes require a permit, but check with your local building department first. As for the new mosaic-tile floor, if the floor is sturdy, the new tile floor will be OK; the added weight will mean little. But be sure to lift the toilet first and lay the tile right up to the drain opening in the floor, then install the new toilet on top of the new tiles. The plumber may have to add an extension on the toilet horn to accommodate the higher floor, but just a ¼-inch difference may not require an extension.

Yes, you can put beadboard (wainscotting) on a tiled wall. Put it on with construction adhesive, and install a decorative top to finish off the thicker wall.

My wood stove, installed 15 years ago, exhausts into the flue shared by an oil-fired burner. A chimney sweep who cleaned my flue said that the mortar in the flue liner is deteriorating. I understand I should have a new liner put in, but what kind is best?

P.W., Marblehead

For starters, a wood stove should be exhausted into its own flue, without sharing it with another appliance. Second of all, there are two good metal flue liners available. One is stainless steel, the other is an aluminum alloy used for a gas-fired appliance. I think they are equally good.

The terminals on a heavy-duty battery charger have corroded. How can I clean them?

ROBERT DORAN, Lynn

Try this solution: Clean with a tablespoon of baking soda in a bit of water.

My Jenn-Air range is in an island in my kitchen, and vented down through the basement to go outdoors. It works OK, but in very cold weather I can feel a cold breeze coming up through the stove when it is not running. It is cold! I put a piece of foil on the stove, which helps some but not very much.

R.M.M., West Harwich

The downward venting of Jenn-Airs is under power, and is designed to contain cool air in the vertical part of the duct, when the range is not on, which helps to keep cold air out of the house. It may not be quite so effective in very cold weather. Is there any way to put a cover on the stove where it leads into the basement? If so, that could solve the problem. Putting a cover on the duct outside is definitely not very practical. If a cover at the bottom of the stove is not possible, call Jenn-Air and see what they can do. I don't think they are interested in having one of their products freeze you out of the house.

Some of the wallpaper in my bathroom is shrinking, making a ¼-inch gap in some of the seams. How can I fix this unsightly situation?

SANDY SWINDELLLivermore, Calif.

The only thing that will really work is to repaper and ask the wall paper shop why the paper shrank. But you can make a partial fix that might work to your satisfaction. Paint the open seam the same color as the background or the main color of the paper.

We drained our indoor swimming pool and covered it with a permanent floor. Obviously we will not use the pool but we will use the room for living space. The walls are covered with redwood. Some walls have blackened from the moisture. How can we remove that moisture and finish the redwood?ELEANOR VANDER HAEGENFitzwilliam, N.H.

The black stains are, you are right, from water. Try wiping the stains with Coca-Cola. I think there is phosphoric acid in Coke and it may remove the black stains. It works for some people, anyway. If that doesn't work, you will have to sand the walls and apply two coats of a water-based polyurethane varnish. Or, use a semitransparent stain of a redwood color, which will show the grain of the redwood and keep it as natural looking as you will ever get.

The kitchen in my 1940s Colonial house was renovated 10 years ago, and it has been cold all the time ever since. The cast-iron baseboard heaters do not get warm enough. Since a new ceramic tile floor was installed, the opening at the bottom of the heaters is only ¼ inch. Is that enough to reduce the heat? Can the heaters be raised to increase this opening?

IAN KROP, Waban

Yes, a ¼-inch space can definitely affect the heating ability of the heaters. I think a heating plumber can raise those basebord heaters, to reveal an opening of at least ½ inch; better would be ¾ inch. If not, remove the tiles from under the heater to an inch or so in front of the heater.

What is a safer material to put on an asphalt driveway to melt ice and snow: calcium chloride or sodium choride?

FRUSTRATED

Either is safe. No salts will hurt asphalt, called bituminous concrete, which contains no Portland cement. It is regular concrete and mortar in a brick or other masonry that contain Portland cement, that the chloride will destroy. Calcium chloride is less hard on Portland cement concrete than sodium chloride.

Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton 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.