Sprucing up your patio for spring and summer

If you have a concrete patio, then you have a place to sit and enjoy the great outdoors. You might even have room for a barbecue grill. Heck, if you have a big enough patio, it can be like an outdoor room. But whatever size patio you have, it probably has stains, maybe some mildew and who knows what else. Here are some great things you can do to clean it up and get it ready for another wonderful summer.

Start by removing everything you can. Sweep or blow off any leaves, dirt and other debris that have built up on the surface.

Take a close look at the surface. A power washer is a great tool for cleaning the surface. Just use a nozzle with a wide-spray pattern. If you can find it, there's a rotary surface cleaning nozzle that will make this job even easier. If you need to use a cleaner, use one that is compatible with your sprayer. If you don't have a power washer, you can use a chemical concrete cleaner and a good old scrub brush.

Once the bulk of the surface is clean, you can treat individual stains. Mildew stains can be removed with a bleach and water (50/50 mix) treatment. Scrub off the stains, being careful not to get the bleach on yourself or your plans. TSP, or trisodium phosphate, also is a wonderful cleaner for stains on concrete. Vinegar can be used on mineral salts that can leach through concrete from the ground below.

After cleaning, you need to consider protecting your clean surface. A penetrating sealer or stain will soak down into the pores of the concrete and give you really good protection.

Some are completely clear and others add a lot of color. Most will last a long time too, since they won't wear off. You may need to reapply after a year or so to maintain the protective properties. Surface paint also can be used, but it needs to be made for concrete in order to last. The best "paints" are epoxy, and will last if properly prepped. Just follow the package directions for lasting results.

Make sure all tables and chairs can rubber or plastic "feet" to protect your surface. Place catch trays under all potted plants to keep excess moisture under control. Keep up the good work, and your patio will be the perfect place for you and your friends to party this summer!

Muffin pans aren't just for baking

What is it about fixing appliances that is so fulfilling? I just love to tackle a broken toaster or a nonfunctioning can opener. The biggest problem is that you have to keep track of the small parts and try to remember how they fit back together when youmade the repair. I just get out a muffin pan from the kitchen and use it for keeping up with all of the parts I remove. I put each small part into a cup of the muffin pan, in order, so it will go back together easier. If you need to keep better track, just drop a piece of paper with a number on it, noting the order in which you removed it. After all, you don't want to end up with any leftover parts!

Get creative with recycling and find storage for your tools

In trying to find easy storage for some of my most often used tools, I got creative with my recycling. I was trying to find a better way to store my cordless drill, which I use more often than any other tool. I took an empty juice jug and cleaned it out. Then I cut off the bottom and punched two holes into one side of the top part of the jug. I then flipped it upside down and hung it on a couple of hooks on my pegboard wall. The drill slips down into it, with the bit sticking through the open spout, which is now facing the floor. It's cordless, so there's no problem with a cord getting in the way. If you were using a corded drill, you could wind up the cord and stuff it into the holster, if there's enough room. It's great for storage and super handy.

Super hints

• Here's a neat way to turn a plain glass window into an art-glass version. If you coat the glass inside the house with a thick coat of white glue, it will dry clear and look like antique glass. It won't totally block the view, but will make it look fuzzy.

• I know you can buy cheap steppingstones, but I really like to make my own. I guess it's sort of like "therapy" for me. I have a simple, round mold, but you could use an aluminum cake pan, a large plastic pot or even a trash-can lid. Just mix your concrete and gravel according to the package directions and fill the mold. If you want, you can place shells, rocks or pieces of tile into the mold beforehand and cover them with the concrete mix. In a day or so, you'll have a neat steppingstone like I have and you'll smile every time you step foot on it.

• You can clean more than dishes in your dishwasher. Fill it with the kid's toys and let the washer do the cleaning. It even sterilizes them if you use the right settings. Just make sure not to put in items that will melt or get lost in the drain. It will clean plastic pet toys, too.

Q. I want to give my older cedar chest to my daughter, but I need to fix a few things first. There are some water spots on the top of it. It's just stained, not sealed or clear-coated with anything. I would like to remove the water spots and put a clear finish on it. What do I need to do?

A. Do a little light sanding to remove the water spots. Then you can reapply matching stain in the areas that need it. Once you have it looking good again, apply a coat of clear polyurethane. Don't seal the inside surface. Sand the surface inside to bring the cedar smell back out.

Q. I don't necessarily like my popcorn ceiling but, after fixing a leak in our attic, I needed to make the texture match what we already have. I also would like to find out how to clean this stuff as it seems to fall off the ceiling quite easily. What should I do?

A. First of all, if your ceiling was installed before 1980, it may have asbestos in it so, when in doubt, take a sample to your hardware store for further examination. The newer texturing is just Styrofoam and is safe to work with. You can clean it by blowing the dust away with canned air or a vacuum cleaner set to "exhaust." To apply a small patch, use the canned material. It's a little messy, but quick and easy. If your patch is larger, you also can get the stuff in a bucket.

Q. I have wood floors in my house. They appear to be glued to the concrete slab. My wood floor is glued to my slab. There are two places where the floor seems to have come loose and sounds hollow when you step on it. Is it possible to glue these spots back down without ripping the floor up?

A. You can try to glue it back down by drilling a small hole into the center of the loose spot, then shooting a syringe full of glue in under the flooring. Put a couple of loads of glue in if you need to, and then put weight on it overnight or for a couple of days to ensure it gets spread out and cures properly. Then patch over the hole with some wood putty. Good luck!

Reader tips

• When we built our deck, we also added a rail around it. To make it look neat, we used rebar horizontally from post to post. We drilled holes into the posts and then ran the rebar through them before attaching everything into place. We used three pieces, set 12 inches apart on each side of the deck. It looks great and I love it. I'm thinking about making a trellis out of more rebar for the side of the deck so I can grow some roses next to it.

• When working on small painted projects, I just set them on a piece of waxed paper in my shop. These items won't stick to the paper, even when paint drips onto it. It also is easy to just wad it up and throw it away when you're finished. It also works great for glue-ups that might stick to your workbench. Give it a try and see if you don't like it better than newspaper or something else.

• I wanted to spruce up our house before we put it on the market next month. I decided to paint our shutters, since every window on the front of the house has them. I chose a contrasting color and painted all of them and the front door, too. It really made a huge difference, and the realtor said we should get more money when we sell it.

• I've tried some of the new abrasive sponges, but I still prefer to use steel wool pads, especially when I am cleaning extra-rusty or corroded metal surfaces. But they do have a tendency to rust and fall apart if left wet. To keep them in good shape and lasting longer, I keep a small jar of olive oil right on my workbench. I store the steel wool pads in the oil. This keeps them ready to use and there's never any rust on them when I do use them. They definitely last longer this way.

• I use cooking oil for some of my tools, especially the garden tools. It doesn't matter if it's old because nobody is going to have to taste it - at least, I hope not! It's much better than throwing it away.

Shoptalk

• If you have noticed that the pressure in your water supply has diminished over time, especially the hot-water supply, it may be something as simple as mineral deposits clogging up the lines. This is very common and cannot only affect your water supply, but many of your water-using appliances. But there's a simple way you can blast these deposits from your supply lines. We have instructions for a neat little trick you can do with a dime! It's a very simple thing to do and it may just solve your problems - at least, your water-pressure problems. This information, and a lot of other cool stuff, also is available at www.thesuperhandyman.com, so stop by sometime.

• Storage for lawn and garden tools or pool needs doesn't have to mean a large storage shed. Rubbermaid has a smaller Slide Lid Shed that is perfect for smaller storage needs like this. It looks like a big shed, but it's much smaller. It's easy to assemble, won't leak, is hard to dent and is fairly weather-resistant. The durable double wall construction even allows you to install shelving, wall anchors and other customizing features. The "lid," or roof, slides on a smooth track to roll back out of the way so you can get what you need out. You can even lock it up if you wish to. These are available at many home centers and hardware stores, and you can get additional information online at www.rubbermaid.com.

• If you recycle batteries like I do, then you probably have a container to store your used batteries in, which you take to a recycling center when you get a chance. But then what? Well, the folks at Energizer have just announced the new Eco-Advanced Battery. It's actually made from recycled batteries. They have done several things to make the battery as "green" as possible, including giving it a 12-year life span when stored properly. The plan is to keep working with the formula until they are made from 40 percent recycled batteries. They are available in AA and AAA versions, and sold practically everywhere you can find batteries. To find out more, go to www.energizer.com and check it out.

• Write to Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit online at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2015, Cowles Syndicate Inc.