'Sacrificial' wood may be needed to combat woodpecker

Q. Last week, a beautiful woodpecker had his (or her) fun on the corner boards of my 25-year-old cedar home. One of the two-story boards has 23 holes in it. Two others have deep gouges. I had pest control come and they found no critters under the boards. The Tyvek house wrap seems intact. I put up metallic streamers under the eaves, and haven't heard any hammering for two days. I don't trust the bird not to come back in the future. Shall I just fill the holes with vinyl concrete patches and wait, or is there something else I can do? Should I replace the worst board?

A. Since no insects were found to explain the attacks on your cedar siding, it sounds as if the woodpeckers were drumming or signaling. We once had woodpeckers drum on the top of a metal chimney in the very early morning hours, waking us up with the horrendous din they caused. We were told at the time they were signaling that this was their territory.

This is what I had to do when we had the same problem: I shaped a piece of heavy-gauge metal to fit over the corner and screwed it at the top and bottom. I then covered the metal with new cedar boards. These new corner boards could be replaced if they suffered the same fate.

You can fill the holes with wood putty of the same color as the cedar if replacing the worst board is too difficult. But one strategy I was told about by my old entomology friend is to hang suet cakes nearby. This has solved the problem for us. Suet is available "rendered," which means that it does not go bad in warm weather.

Q. We are looking to replace all of our exterior doors with high-quality, budget-friendly doors. We live in Chicago and have warm summers and cold winters. Our current steel front door faces north and gets frost on the inside bottom of the door during the cold spells of winter. Our door that faces south will also be replaced and gets full sun all day. We currently have storm doors on all of our exterior doors. Our question is, which type of door is best for Chicago winters - fiberglass, steel or wood - and is a storm door beneficial and necessary? We do plan to have the entire door and frame system replaced. What type of performance ratings should we be looking for? How can we tell if the door we wish to purchase has a thermal break?

A. The most thermally efficient doors are insulated fiberglass and steel. These doors, if they have no glass panels in them, have around an R-12 rating.

Fiberglass doors come with a smooth or textured finish and need no painting. Steel doors come only with a smooth finish and need to be painted. Wood doors should be painted or stained.

Even though glass panels are all low-E nowadays, they have only an R-3 plus/minus rating. So the insulating value of the door diminishes in relationship to the size of the glass.

Solid wood doors have only an R-3 plus/minus rating. All insulated doors have thermal breaks.

You should have a storm door with a wood door, but it is not essential with fiberglass or steel insulated doors. While a storm door will add to the efficiency performance of any door, it should not be used over an insulated door that is exposed to the sun for a good part of the day. The heat building up between the primary door and the storm door will severely damage the insulated door, causing the fiberglass to expand and crack and the steel door skin to buckle and delaminate. If there is a glass panel in the door, the molding can melt and the glass seal may break.

There are several brands of insulated glass. You should check out multiple sources, such as window and door specialists and building-supply houses where the personnel are truly experienced in guiding you.

Interesting comment: "You recently had an inquiry about metal doors and the seepage from glass insets.

"We have had such doors for at least 15 years. We have found them very efficient in regard to the weather. They also hold the paint quite well.

"However, one door faces west, and if the sun creates enough heat, there is a seepage from the glass inset which is basically a half-circle. The seepage has the properties of glue. Ironically, the best time to wipe the seepage away is when the metal is very warm; otherwise, it is a very stubborn substance. There is no seepage from the door facing north.

"Would we buy a metal door again? Yes! Thank you for your great columns."

Q. Ever since our house was built (1970), we've had noisy water flow when any of the tub faucets were turned on. When switched to shower, the noise is reduced, but still noticeable throughout the house. The toilets are less noisy when filling. We are on town water with excellent pressure. I have tried restricting the flow using the house water shut-off, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Any suggestions?

A. Turning down the entrance service valve reduces the flow, but does nothing to reduce the pressure, which is causing the noise. Your town pressure may be too high. It should not exceed 80 pounds, preferably no higher than 75 pounds.

To reduce the pressure, you need a pressure-reducing valve, also called a pressure regulator. A licensed plumber is the one to call to have one installed.

Q. I am having cedar shake shingles, No. 1 grade, installed on my roof. When should I pressure-wash them after installation, and should I cleanse them with 1-part household bleach to 1-part water prior to pressure-washing? How do I apply this cleansing solution? I am planning to use TWP 1500 clear stain. Is this the best stain to use, and how should I apply the stain - spray, roller or brush? How often should I stain the roof after the first staining?

A. There should be no need to pressure-wash the shingles or apply a bleach mixture after installation. Staining them is a very good idea, and it will prolong the life of the shingles.

TWP 200 Series is a better choice for shingles and shakes, whether on siding or roofs. It has more oil to lubricate the wood and keep it from cracking and curling. It will last longer - five to seven years - than the 1500 series, which is not recommended for roofs and needs to be reapplied every three to five years depending on exposure. On a roof, it would not last that long.

TWP 200 Series has fungicide and UV protection and offers several hues. You can see them on the company's website, www.amteco.com. Click on Amteco Products, then on the TWP logo, which will lead you to a products list.

Keep in mind that if you choose a clear coating, it will need to be reapplied every year or two, whereas the darker the hue, the longer it lasts.

TWP 200 Series will appear darker when first applied, but will fade to the hues shown on the website after a few weeks.

All TWP products can be applied by brush or be sprayed, followed by brushing to help penetration. Using a roller may not cover the irregularities on the surface of the shingles and coat the edges.

Q. I have concrete steps that become very slippery in the winter. Melted snow from the entranceway roof falls on the steps then freezes once the temperature drops below freezing. After each snowstorm, I quickly remove any snow from the entrance roof with a snow shovel. I have tried Ice Breaker Mats, which work well but do not stay on the steps for the entire winter. Fluctuating temperature, moisture and usage weaken the adhesive, which causes the mats to lose their bonding.

I am wondering if there are other products that will make the steps safer to walk on during the winter. Would heated mats or outdoor carpeting solve this problem? It was suggested that I use a certain type of paint that you mix with sand that will improve traction. Is this a possibility?

A. Aluminum oxide is a better choice to mix with paint to provide better traction. But it is probably too late to paint cold concrete. Painting concrete also has some drawbacks; paint often peels. You may end up with another problem.

Ice Breaker Mats work well in breaking up ice, but there are other reports of their adhesive loosening up over the winter. I have checked with a number of sources to see if there is an adhesive that could be applied on damp, cold concrete, which could be easily removed from the concrete in the spring. Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful.

The products that might work would not be able to be scraped off, and the mats would be stuck for good. You could experiment with dabs of bathtub caulk and see if this works, but the concrete would have to be dry for the caulking to bond. You may have to use a heat gun or hair dryer to dry spots of the concrete for the caulking to adhere. It should be able to be scraped off in the spring and any residue removed with acetone.

• Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. His book, "About the House," is available at www.upperaccess.com. His website is www.henridemarne.com. Send email to henridemarne@gmavt.net.

© 2014, United Feature Syndicate Inc.