Peter Hotton chat transcript

Weed: Mr Hotton. My nice yard has been invaded by weed of all sorts. Can you recommend a good way to get rid of it. Preferably chemical free but if there is no solution, i am up for a visit to HD a pick up one of those Scott's weed killer bags. Thaks
Peter Hotton: Hi, boys and girls, and today's cirtter in hotton's screwball zoo is anacanda. Is that the right spelling. It won't matter if you are attacked by one. They are big pythons, I think in South America. Anyway, to Weed, vinegr will take care fo weeds, but if there are other growing things you do not want to kill, then you have to get some kind of weed killer. Vinegar is good to use on weeds that are growing in brick walkways, etc.

Cp: Hi Peter, I have bed bugs (<.25 inch with wings - kind of look like beetles) and ants (black) in my house. I removed a birds nest from my gutter (near bedroom) and a vine from the side of my house (near kitchen) where I believed the insects were originating from. I tried Raid and Hot Shot Foggers from Home Depot, but I still have the problem. I have isolated the bed bugs to one bedroom and the ants to the kitchen. Do you recommend any products or procedures?
Peter Hotton: cp: The ants are no problem; just keep sweeping them up and throwing them away. Bed bugs, if they are really bed bugs, are best treated by an exterminator. Whend I was a tad my mother would tell me at bed time, good night, sweet dreams, don't let the bed bugs bite. It has scared me for lo these 70 years.

Frank_Chelmsford: Don't think I am on.
Peter Hotton: Franik,you are on.

Perplexed: shower faucets , replaced internals, hard to turn. I replaced both the hot and cold stem (4C-2H for Elgier by Danco). I wiped out the inside, I tried adjusting the screws with no luck. I did not use any kind of lubricant. They are hard to turn, what can I do?
Peter Hotton: Perplexed: Have a plumber install a new one-handle valve.

Doorhelp: Hi Peter: I just had an interior hallway door installed. The door is unfinished. I'm planning to polyeurathane it. How many coats? I would like it to blend reasonably well with the existing wood trim. Should I stain the door - or will it darken sufficiently over time after I polyeurathane it?
Peter Hotton: doorhelp: If you put two or three coats of oil-based polyurethane on the door, it will take many, many months to darken to match the woodwork. You may have to buy a light stain, apply that,then apply the polyurethane. ou could use water-based polyurethane, but it will darkn much more slowlythan the oil-based poly.

Fixit: Any opinions on wood stoves verses pellet stoves? I understand pellets are cleaner, less maintenance, etc. but they also cost more because you have to buy the fuel, etc. always interested in opinions
Peter Hotton: fixit: A pellet stove uses a power vent (through the wall, without a standard chimney) and can be turned on and off at leisure. I don't think fuel cost is a problem here I would opt for a pellet stove. The power vent needs electricity to operate it.

Petsy: PAinting duct work (heat only) in cellar.. krylon metal paint?
Peter Hotton: petsy: Yes, Krylon spray will work on a metal duct. Paint only when the ducts are cool.

Blondie: {Blondie is my real name - from RI) We lost power for a few hours during this week's storm. I'm wondering if it's a good idea to invest in a generator to keep fridge, freezer, stereo, and ceramic heater going. How much should I be prepared to spend and what are maintenance requirements? Thanks!
Peter Hotton: Blondie, If you are in an area when frequent , long outages occur, then a standby generator is a good idea. Check a Honda dealer that handles generators. I don't know what they copst or the cost of installation.

Wetsy: how bout flooring in attick.. .hot as mutha up there, would it buckle, warpe in heat?
Peter Hotton: Plywood flooring well nailed or screws down, will behave very well in a hot attic. But loook into proper venting (ridge vent and soffit vents) to reduce the heat in that attic.

BosLandlord: I have a room without any light switches only pull cords - any retrofit options to add a switch without punching holes in the walls?
Peter Hotton: boslandlord: You will have to put holes in the walls under any circumstances, but you can use a system of wiring that uses conduits on the walls to hold the wires, and this will keep holes to a minimum.

Wetsy: how bout painting cellar walls, floors.. drylock for walls, epoxy paint for floors?
Peter Hotton: wetsy: Drylock for concrete walls, semitransparent stain or concrete stains for floors if they don't already have paint on them.

foo123: Peter, the house I moved into has an interesting drainage problem. Basically, they put a concrete patio around the rear of the house. When I say around, I mean it butts right up against the foundation on the back and two sides. The problem is that on each side of the concrete, where the downspouts drop the water, there is about 8' of concrete patio before you hit grass. What is the right way to move the water onto the yard, across the concrete so that it's not a large pipe that you can trip over? That said, the patio is flat so that water pools and sits up against the house - it does not drain nicely away from the house. Thanks!
Peter Hotton: foo123: Let the water run over the concrete from the downspouts; you are not going to use the patio during a deluge, anyway. For the level concrete, the only cure is to add about four inches of condrete, sloping away from the house.

Skroon: We have newer windows and there is film/dirt that has formed between the double pain glass, anyway to clean in there?
Peter Hotton: skroom: how old are the "newer" windows? If 5 or 120 years or less, they may be under warranty and shoud be replaced for free. If they are not sliders or floor to cieling windows, you can drill 1/8 inch holes on the outside glass, 1-1/2 inches from each corner. Then, insert a water pic and clean the glass that way. Black & Decker makes a special bit for glass. I am sure other manufacturers do, too.

Ron: I have a lot of moisture in the basement of my vacation home. I'm not there all the time and there isn't a sink so I cant run a dehumidifier. What should I do hitch up
Peter Hotton: Ron: Your message was incomplete but your best bet is to ventilate the basement by keeping windows opened, screened and secured.

BarryHello. I am doing a kitchen and bath remodel in an old victorian. I have a plumber who is strongly suggesting the use of PEX piping. What should I be aware of of just insist on copper?
Peter Hotton: barry: I do not see any harm in using any kind of plastic for piping. The plumber knows he has to stgayh within code, unless he is a fly-by-night.

window_pains: Hi Peter. Any suggestions on how I can age some roofing tiles that were installed when we had our chimney re-flashed? The contrast with the older surrounding tiles is stark. Thanks.
Peter Hotton: window pains: No easy way to age the shingles unless you try a little spray paint, which is unlikely to last very long.

Mike: Hi Peter, I have been painting the walls in my home and got some latex paint on my newly finished hardwood floors. How can i get that dried paint off of the floors without damaging them?
Peter Hotton: Mike: Try putting Oops on the spills;mOopsa is designed to soften latex paint without hurting the floors. Also effective is to apply any kind of oil , let it sit 15 minutes, then scrape with a wood spatula.

Rob: Peter - It's humid and hot again. I've noticed that on just about every humid day, I get a lot of condensation on my water pipe in the basement - enough so that there are puddles underneath. The water doesn't drip on anything that would be affected, but I'm wondering if this could be a long term problem for the pipe itself, and if there is anything I should do about it.
Peter Hotton: Rob: The condensation will do no harm to the pipes. If you want to do something about it, insulate the pipes with foam tube insulation. The water vpaor will look for some other cool spot to condense on, but it will not condense on the pipes.

Newdeck: hello peter and all. I have a question that will solve and argument, we're rebuilding our deck and I say we should install the flashing on top on the boards and not under.
Peter Hotton: newdeck: flashing should go on top of the boards. Under will work too but it is far to complocated to try to do it right. The flashing on top of the boards should be deep enough to let the water drip through the gaps in the floor boards, not close to the ledger board.

Marcus: Hello, I have an unfinished basement and have been shopping for quotes to do a basic finish. Dry wall, carpet, basic lights etc (860 sq ft). The quote has a WIDE range from contractors. What is your general sense on how much something like this should cost.. Thank you sir
Peter Hotton: Marcus: I would guess about $50 per square foot.

Vines: Hi Peter. I've have several vines growing from under my deck, and it gets worse every year. What is the best way to kill these vines?
Peter Hotton: vines: If you keep cutting them they will grow bigger and faster. Try using Roundup on them. Or, if you can get to them, dig them out, roots and all.

Miked: Hi Peter: I had a new kitchen put in 2 years ago. the backsplash on my counter top has popped out fromthe wall...I guess from the humidity...how can I reattach it so it stays? The spot where it popped out is behind the faucet so it's a tricky spot too...
Peter Hotton: miked: If you can push the backsplash back into position, try this: Let it dry out, then put in some Pheno-Seal adhesive caulk between splash and wall and hold it against the wall for several mintues. It should hold like crazy.

BostonLou: Hello Mr Zoo. Happy Snake Thursday to you. I'm clearing out 100+ years of stuff from the family house. Any recommendations for a dumpster rental? We also have old wooden storm windows that don't fit the house. Think I can sell those anywhere?
Peter Hotton: BostonLou: You certainly are on the ball today; I like that. Any dumpster rental place is good. They are not cheap. Or call a basement, attic and yard suff disposal guy. You might try the Want advertizer for the storm windows; or you might be able to give them away to the Boston building Materials Coop. In the boston white pages.
Peter Hotton: OK, boys and girls, running over as usual. Some good questions today, including one really insulting one, and I don't know why. See you nest week. My email is photton@globe.com