Do It Yourself Q&A: Whole house fans; oil-stained concrete
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (948 words)
Q: Our air-conditioning bills were very high last year and we are looking for a way to cut them down. What about a whole-house fan? -Georgette A: Whole-house fans work best in areas where outdoor air is cool enough for comfort at night if brought indoors. Night temperatures of 75 degrees or less are preferable. A whole-house fan is significantly cheaper to operate than an air-conditioner, and ...

May/16/2013 08:03 AM

Do It Yourself Q&A: Pressure washing siding without bleach; Deck Restore
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (1032 words)
Q: I want to have my house and rain gutters pressure washed, but don't want to use a cleaner that contains bleach. Is there such a thing? -C. Anderson A: The short answer is yes, there are bleach-free cleaners. But there are some other things you should know before having the house pressure washed. There are a number of house-and-deck cleaners that do contain bleach, often chlorine bleach, ...

May/09/2013 08:06 AM

Do It Yourself Q&A: Painted cedar shingles; painting chain-link; repairing decks
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (943 words)
Q: Our 1920s house has painted cedar shingles. We have problems with mildew, peeling and so forth. Paint lasts about six to seven years, using oil primer and top-brand latex paint. Our current painter suggests removing all the paint with nontoxic remover, which would be very expensive. Can you give me some suggestions on stripping the old paint? Should I use stain instead of paint? -E. ...

May/02/2013 08:01 AM

Do It Yourself Q&A: Clogged aerators; sealing quarry tiles
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (962 words)
Q: We had a new faucet and sink installed a few months ago and the water in the faucet runs fine, but a couple of other faucets are giving us only a trickle. Do we need more new faucets or what's the answer? -Elsie A: There's a good chance that clogged aerators are the cause of the slow-running faucets, especially since the new faucet works well. If this is the cause, the repair is relatively ...

Apr/25/2013 08:04 AM

Do It Yourself Q&A: Soffit boards; fence post caps
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (984 words)
Q: The roof of our one-story house has a fairly wide overhang, with wood soffit boards about 10 inches wide underneath. These boards get dirty quickly and some of the paint has cracked and peeled. Is there a more permanent solution than repainting? -L. McDonald A: You can eliminate painting and make the soffits easier to clean by installing soffit covers made of vinyl, vinyl-covered aluminum, ...

Apr/18/2013 08:06 AM

Do It Yourself Q&A: Get longer-lasting deck treatment
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (941 words)
Question: I have a large pressure-treated wood deck that I've been giving a clear finish since it was built about eight years ago. I buy the best stuff I can find at my home center but it only lasts about two years and I have to do it all over. I want to switch to a finish that lasts a lot longer. What are my choices and how do I go about refinishing? Answer: Clear deck finishes usually have ...

Apr/11/2013 08:05 AM

Do It Yourself Q&A: Paint sprayers; leaky gutters
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (924 words)
Q: I want to learn to use a paint sprayer and do a lot of inside and outside painting at my house. The dealer has a good selection but is not clear on which would be best for me. Can you help?--Sam A: Do-it-yourselfers basically have two choices in sprayers, not counting aerosol-spray paints often chosen for small jobs. The choices are airless sprayers and HVLP (high volume, low pressure) ...

Apr/04/2013 12:22 PM

Do It Yourself Q&A: Old doorbell; marble shower; plungers
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (993 words)
Q: We live in an older house with what I suppose is the original doorbell system. It runs off a transformer in the basement and apparently has wires running through the walls. It quit working weeks ago. Can I fix the old bell or is there a better solution? -Jerry A: If it is just the transformer or the push-buttons, a repair would be rather easy, but you might have to hunt for an electrician ...

Mar/28/2013 08:09 AM

Do It Yourself Q&A: New roof; bathroom cabinets
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (986 words)
Q: I want to get new asphalt shingles on my roof this spring. I've always understood that I can have new shingles installed over one layer of old shingles, which is what I have, but the contractor I like wants to remove the old shingles down to the sheathing. That would cost a lot more and I wonder if he is just trying to make some extra money. What do you think? -Tony A: The contractor is ...

Mar/21/2013 08:06 AM

Do It Yourself Q&A: Painting an asbestos ceiling; dying driveway patches
Download
Home-Do-It
BC-HOME-DO-IT:MCT (1026 words)
Q: Our house was built in the early 1970s and has popcorn textured ceilings. The ceilings have been painted. I know the ceilings might contain asbestos, but how do I clean the cobwebs that have collected on them? I am afraid of disturbing the asbestos. -J. Tracy A: You are correct that the ceilings might contain asbestos. Popcorn textured ceilings with asbestos were sprayed on the ceilings of ...

Mar/14/2013 08:00 AM