Garage Floor Surface Paint

Ron in IA


I’m ready to seal my garage floor. Do you recommend a concrete floor paint or a two-part epoxy? I don’t want anything slick.

Of all the types of floor coatings – latex, polyurethane, epoxy – I really prefer using an epoxy. It’s going to last much longer and is a lot more durable, in my opinion. The problem with epoxy, though, is that it will definitely give you a slick, and often slippery, finish. Thankfully, though, you can put a non-slip additive in many of the epoxy coatings to help eliminate the slippery surfaces. Many of the floor coating kits actually come with the “flecks” or chips of color to sprinkle on the floor for a decorative or showroom look. Those flecks are great non-skid additives. Other additives are a fine sand-like particulate. Those tend to be better at anti-skid, but you need to be okay with the rough-looking texture.

Improving Your Energy Efficiency

Ruthie in MA


How can I be sure my older, recently serviced furnace is operating at peak efficiency?

The first thing I would do is to request a complete energy audit. Sometimes you can receive these complimentary from your utility company. Otherwise, it could run you up to $300, but they can pinpoint any problem areas to be addressed. For older furnaces, there are several things that can help improve their efficiency rating.

• Make sure the duct work is completely insulated and sealed. Older duct work may have fiberglass wrapping with leaky joints or loose near the connection to the inside registers. Foil tape to seal these joints should be followed by the application of an HVAC duct mastic. Thorough duct sealing can cut your heating & cooling costs up to 20%!

• Change filters regularly!

• Clean all registers and make sure they are not blocked by furniture, carpet, drapes, etc.

• Install a programmable thermostat to regulate the temperature in your home during the times when no one is there.

• And, while this isn’t a part of your furnace, making sure you have adequate insulation in your attic will definitely help by retaining the heat inside your home better and, in turn, cause the unit to run less often.

Trouble Drilling a Shallow Well

Jeff in FL


I’m trying to drill a well and after 7-feet, my bit has hit something solid and nothing seems to work on getting past it. Any suggestions?

I’ve never done any well drilling, but I’ve spoken with some folks who have. Rocks aren’t really well stoppers, but they will definitely slow down the process. In fact, it may not seem like you’re getting anywhere, but the pros tell me that a big rock can slow drilling down to about ½” per hour! The real problem, though, is not in the big rocks, but in the rocks about the size of a small melon. The reason is because the drill bit can’t bite into anything and just rolls off. While it’s not impossible to by-pass them, most of the pros also tell me that it’s so time-consuming that drilling a well just may not be practical in that situation. You can always try drilling in another location, but there’s no guarantee that the layer of rock you’re hitting now isn’t a layer that encompasses your entire property.

Scratched Corian

Karen in TN


I have a scratch in my Corian countertop. I’ve tried buffing it out as the salesman told me I could do, but it’s just left the spot looking dull as compared with the rest of the countertop. What can I do?

Sanding out scratches, as long as they aren’t too deep, is pretty easy. Getting that shine back? Not so easy. It can be done, but finding the right stuff to do it may be a challenge for you. I would use a random orbital sander and you also need to find some mylar discs. Get some 60-micron, 30-micron and 15-micron discs. Don’t just sand the scratch marks, either. You’ll need to sand the entire surface starting with the 60-micron and working toward the 15. By the way, I’ve been able to find those mylar discs at specialtytools.com in the past. I also like to use an orbital sander with an attachment that lets me use a vacuum hose with it to keep the dust at a minimum. Once the top has been sanded with the 15-micron disc, switch to an electric buffer on low speed and work in some buffing compound all over the top. At this point, you should have a fine looking countertop. For an added measure, you can put the cherry on top by polishing the counter with a specialty polish like 3M’s Finesse-It.

Moisture Problem at Windows

Wayne in ME


I’m having a problem with moisture on my windows in cold weather. I try to keep a dehumidifier going, but I still have moisture at the bottom and now it’s causing mold to grow.

You certainly have the right idea with the dehumidifier. There’s no explanation other than what we know from science. Cold air is meeting moist warm air, plain and simple. Keeping your indoor humidity level between 35%-45% is ideal, but if you still have a problem, it’s indicative of an air leak at your windows. Even a very minor leak will be an issue. The first thing is to locate the gap. Try using a stick of lighted incense and, during a windy day, see if you can locate the opening. You’ll know, believe me, when you get next to it. The smoke coming off the stick will be blown aside. If that doesn’t work, you may need to consider having a professional inspect the area with an infrared camera. Either way, once the leak is identified, the proper use of weather stripping and/or caulking should help seal the gap and eliminate the air leak.

Scraping Up Old Adhesive

Kelsey in GA


I discovered the tile in our kitchen that I want to replace was put down with Liquid Nail. We’ve got the tile up, but how do we remove the Liquid Nail from the floor?

I would have loved to have seen that installation job! Believe it or not, you don’t have that tough of a task in front of you. The worse part is removing the tile and you’ve already done that. While you can purchase a chemical adhesive solvent, I’ve found that a very simple $12 tool that fits into any standard reciprocating saw is all you need. It’s called the Spyder Scraper from Simple Man Tools. They have two sizes available and all it is, is the working end of a rigid putty knife, but by using the reciprocating power of your saw, it becomes a Super Scraper! I’ve seen this tool cut through dried up Liquid Nails like a hot knife through butter and there’s virtually no elbow grease needed from you other than holding the recip saw in place as you scrape and keeping it at the right angle so as not to gouge the plywood subfloor. Hopefully, you’re on a concrete slab, which will make it all the more easier. Check them out. You can order directly through their web site at http://www.spyderproducts.com/.

Washing Machine Blues

No doubt you've heard the phrase, "Don't sweat the small stuff," but sometimes it's the little things that are successful in driving you the craziest. Case in point, some friends of mine recently moved into older home and were in the process of moving all their furniture in. When it came time to install the washer and dryer, there was a slight problem. You see they had gone to the trouble and expense of purchasing a front-loading washer and dryer with pedestals; and, even though they fit in the space, the door to the washing machine wouldn't open because it was hitting the cabinet in front of it. Moving that cabinet would seem to be the simplest solution, right? Unfortunately, the problem was that housed in that cabinet was the utility room sink, so moving it really wasn't an option unless you wanted to go to all of the added extra expense.

Fast forward to after their phone call to me. I wanted to come up with something that was a quick and easy fix, but at the same time didn't cost a lot of money. Here is where I finally have been vindicated for the multiple year accusation of being a packrat. I just hate throwing away a perfectly good piece of lumber simply because there was no need for it on the job. The same goes true for plywood, especially when we’re talking about ¾ inch plywood. So, with my scraps in mind, my solution was as simple as building a platform, but it had to be a platform sturdy enough to hold the weight of the heavy duty washer and dryer.

Lo and behold, in the packrat's possession were several pieces of 2 x 8, along with a little more than half a sheet of ¾ inch birch plywood. It was a simple matter to build a small frame out of the 2 x 8’s. The space I had to fill was 57 inches wide. I needed to use one 2 x 8 spanning the width…one 2 x 8 on each end…and one 2 x 8 in the center. I also added a couple more pieces of the lumber to act as added support. On the front of the frame, I used a piece of scrap1 x 10 that I cut down to exactly 8 inches, since that was what the overall height needed to be. That meant the top of the front piece protruded about ¾ of an inch above the 2 x 8 frame. This is where the ¾ inch plywood would go. A few 16-penny nails for the frame and some finish nails to attach the 1 x 10 is all that was needed to put everything together…at least everything but the ¾ plywood.

Before I put the top on, I wanted to make sure the frame itself was attached securely to the wall. The first thing I did was to remove the baseboard. After identifying where the studs were, I attached the 2 x 8 frame using 3 inch drywall screws drilled directly into the studs. Next, I attached the ¾ inch plywood top using 1 ¼ inch drywall screws. Finally, I cut a piece of the baseboard I had removed earlier to fit in the gap where the platform didn't cover.

Prior to any the cosmetic work being done, I wanted to make sure the washer and dryer operated correctly. At 8 inches high, 57 inches wide and 30 inches deep, the platform was perfect. The best part of it all -- and here's the part of the vindication -- it didn't cost one red cent. Everything I used, including the nails and screws were all leftover from previous jobs.

By the way, as far as the cosmetic work goes. My suggestion to the homeowners, because it's in the laundry room should be to paint the exposed front and sides of the base and to install a piece of sheet vinyl on top of the platform. All in all, not a bad days work for an old packrat.

Concrete Pieces Chipping Out in Cold Weather

Tommy in AR


I have a concrete patio that, whenever it gets covered in snow or ice, gets spots about the size of a quarter that crack and pop out. I'm including a picture here. What’s causing this and can it be repaired?

Great question, Tommy. It’s not so much the concrete as it is what’s inside it! It sounds like the company who mixed the cement for the patio used an aggregate that was fairly porous. They may have used ironstone, coal, shale or limestone. These materials will hold moisture and, when they freeze, especially near the surface, they expand and “pop out” as you have observed. The good news is that this is a cosmetic defect and doesn’t really affect the structural integrity of the slab. Small patches can be made by cleaning out the loose particulates in the hole and use a concrete patch material. But, if you’ve got an over abundance of these pop outs, you need to consider re-surfacing. I would take a look at some of the products from Quikrete. They’ve been tackling these issues for a while and have some good solutions for both re-surfacing and patching.

Entry door Sagging

Lynda in FL


For 2 years I have been trying to find a contractor to help me get my front entry door adjusted on my 1913 cottage. I have had some tell me to buy a new door, others said to jack up the house, others said add another hinge, another said to cut off the bottom on one side and add to the top. What’s the right answer? I really want to keep the door! Here's a picture.

This is a great example of the fact that there’s always more than one solution to most home improvement problems. However, whoever told you to cut off one side of the door and add a piece to another side needs to consider a different career. I also tend to disagree with the “just buy a new door” theory. The problem isn’t your door, it’s the opening. After 98 years, you can bet on some settling of the house and, possibly, a foundation pier has sunk or crumbled. Let’s look at some geometry for this one. Your door opening, when it was first created back in 1913 was, hopefully, a rectangle. In other words, the opposite sides were parallel and the corners were all 90-degree angles. Over time, your rectangle has become a parallelogram! The opposite sides are still parallel, but there are no more 90-degree angles! Fix the opening and your door will be fine. The bad news is that to do this right, you need to remove the door, the casing, jamb, frame…everything down to the studs. A good carpenter who knows how to use a 4-foot level and a framing square is the right man or woman for the job. The uprights or sides will be easy to repair. It may take a little extra ingenuity to make right the header or the threshold. Once you have your rectangle back (sides plumb and head/threshold level), you can replace the original door. Just a quick word about jacking up the house. If you have a fallen or damaged pier, then you definitely need to take care of that and, jacking up this area may, indeed, help with the door.

Spray Foam Insulation on Block Walls

Lee in IN


If I add 4” of spray foam to the exterior of a concrete block house, would it be better than a stick-built house? What kind of R-Factor could I expect?

Right out of the gate, I’m going to tell you that I love ICF buildings (Insulated Concrete Forms). Of course, ICF blocks are filled with concrete and have insulating foam on both sides, though. Are the existing blocks already filled? If not, it won’t be as effective; still, in my opinion, if you are planning to spray the exterior side with foam then sheath it with some type of siding, whether cement fiber board or vinyl, you can’t go wrong. The combination of concrete block and foam gives you a highly energy-efficient structure that is ultra-quiet, too. As far as the R-factor, it really depends on what type of foam you use. For most of the polyurethane foams, you’re looking at up to R-6.8 per inch. That would put your walls near an R-27. Not too shabby! But just remember, no matter how well insulated your walls are, you need to make sure ample insulation is in the attic space. And, the biggest source of heat loss/gain is going to be in your windows and doors. If you’re tacking on an additional 4-inches of girth around the exterior of the house (even more when you add siding), you might as well plan on replacing doors & windows with energy-efficient models.