A sticky situation develops on home's wood floors

Q. I recently installed a new kiln-dried, tongue-and-groove Douglas fir floor on our outdoor porch. The wood had been sealed on all six sides with two coats of a breathable stain/sealer prior to installation.

The porch gets the morning sun, and sap started to push through on many boards. How can I get rid of it without ruining the finish? The lumber and stain supplier had no workable solutions.

I tried the usual suspects. As expected, lacquer thinner will cut sap, but it also cuts stain. Acetone doesn't cut stain, but doesn't do much to sap, either. Murphy's Oil Soap is useless.

The latest suggestion is to let it get cold and scrape the sap off. The sap stays gooey when warm or hot.

A. The high heat of kiln-drying lumber crystallizes the sap. But changes in humidity and/or temperature may cause the sap to ooze.

I am surprised that Murphy's Oil Soap didn't work. Did you leave it on the sap long enough to soften it?

It is best to let the sap harden and remove it with a sharp chisel, being careful not to damage the wood itself. Place the chisel flat against the wood with the beveled edge facing up and gently wiggle or tap the chisel to lift one corner of the sap. Then pry off the sap block.

Wash the surface with acetone to remove any residue. However, the sap oozing may recur.

Q. We had our air ducts cleaned. The method used was a number of flexible rods banging the inside of the ducts to loosen the dirt.

We complained that for days after, a fine grayish dust repeatedly settled on everything in the house, including our noses, eyes and lungs. The process was repeated, and now the dust problem is worse. The first method was a gas unit, the second was an electrical unit.

Any suggestions or comments are appreciated.

A. A 1997 study by the EPA concluded that there was no evidence that residential duct cleaning improved air quality. Further studies have come to the same conclusion.

A good filter with a MERV of between 7 and 12 on the intake side of a furnace should collect most of the pollutants. An electronic filter does an even better job.

The problem you have may not be in the ducts themselves, but in the coils, air handling unit and motor, if the cleaning crew did not take care of them - as is often the case. They should be part of all duct-cleaning jobs.

It is important to hire an experienced firm, preferably one certified by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association, which is bound to adhere to the association's standards for total cleaning of the entire HVAC system.

You may want to get back to the contractor you hired and ask for proof of its certification and of the fact that they cleaned the entire system: ducts, coils, plenum, motor, etc.

Important advice to anyone considering duct cleaning, in addition to the above comments: The EPA does not certify air cleaners, so any claim that a company is certified by the EPA is a red flag; stay away from any firm claiming it is.

Check for all relevant licenses that your state may require (not all states have such requirements). Also be sure to check for proper insurance coverage.

And above all, never have your HVAC system steam-cleaned or treated by any moisture procedure.

Q. In our 1960s raised ranch, there is a corner room downstairs that I use as a shop. The framed walls were never finished, and there are only a couple of inches of scruffy Johns-Manville Spintex with torn paper vapor barriers.

I am in the process of extending the studs to about 5 inches, adding insulation and installing a plastic vapor barrier, topped with drywall. That I can do.

The big issue is the two electrical panels, one for house power and the other for our rooftop solar, which were installed on a piece of plywood on top of the studs. I want to fill up the void behind the plywood with insulation, but the least impractical method I've found so far is "Great Stuff" sealant. Do you have any other suggestions, or advice on how to use the Great Stuff to the best advantage?

A. Spraying a foam sealant behind the two panels is one way to go. Choose the type that expands the most in order to ensure full coverage. But be aware that these foams are not really insulation; they are gap fillers.

Another option is to have a licensed electrician release the panels from the existing studs so you can extend them and insulate between them as you plan to do for the rest of the workshop.

Q. I enjoy your columns very much. I am dismayed how often we expect answers from you without sending you specifics. I'll try here, and probably need help.

My 19-year-old, quality-built condominium, which I bought new and kept an eagle eye on the developers as it was built, is giving me a problem.

My condo association had my generous asphalt driveway milled and resurfaced with high-quality bitumen. All was well until the first time we got a 3- to 4-inch deluge, at which time my integral, two-and-a-half stall garage flooded and the center drain erupted. It took one hour for the garage floor to drain.

No other garages were flooded, and this deluge also left a pond about 20 feet in diameter on the lawn next to my driveway, between my unit and the next one to the north of mine. It also took an hour for this pond to drain.

My condo association and my paving contractor say that they did nothing wrong. All storm drains and eaves gutters are fully open.

With what I have supplied, can you give me an expert opinion as to how to remedy this problem?

A. I appreciate the thoroughness of your explanation, the detailed sketch of the overall conditions and the several photos accompanied by the appropriate notes. This is very helpful in my coming up with what I think is your problem.

One of your comments on a photo mentions the new driveway is now higher than before it was milled and new bitumen applied. It seems to me that this is what caused the ponding of water, which could no longer drain over your driveway to the lower grade and to the south yard drain.

It sounds as if the draining of the pond and the gutters' discharge into the underground drain you mention on your photos all overwhelmed the underground drainage, which you show as a schedule 20 PVC pipe. So the water gushed out into your garage.

The solution appears to be to make whatever changes need to be made to allow all surface water to drain without interference onto the lower lawn to the south of your unit.

Q. Two years ago, I replaced my driveway, sidewalk and patio and had them sealed at the same time. This fall, I tried to power wash them as they had berry stains from birds, leaf stains, dirt, etc., but I couldn't get it all out. I tried all sorts of concoctions, including bleach, CLR, WD40, Joy hand soap, etc., and nothing seemed to help. I do not want to use Muriatic acid because of the grass and plants I have surrounding the driveway and patio.

I want to reseal again and before that I want to remove the stains. Is there anything else I can use to remove the stains?

A. You haven't said if your driveway, sidewalk and patio are concrete or asphalt.

Since you mentioned they were sealed immediately, and that you do not want to use muriatic acid, I am assuming that they are concrete, as asphalt should not be sealed until all oils have dried, which takes two or more years.

Make a solution of water and Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and scrub the stained areas with a soft-bristle brush. You'll find Super Washing Soda in the cleaning supply aisle of your local supermarket or in hardware stores.

When the stains are gone, rinse with your garden hose, but be aware that the solution may damage vegetation. You'll have to prevent the rinse water from reaching it and use a wet vac to remove it.

If that does not take care of the stains, you may want to use more drastic measures. Buy a small amount of oxalic crystals in a paint store. Mix the crystals to saturation in hot water, using a plastic or glass container. Never use metal containers or tools with oxalic acid, which is a very corrosive chemical.

Apply the solution with an old paintbrush or scrub brush. Allow it to do its job for 10 to 20 minutes. When the stains are gone, rinse off the excess carefully, using the same precautions as mentioned above.

Be very careful using oxalic acid. Wear old clothes, eye and skin protection including heavy rubber gloves.

Interesting comment from a reader: "I have some information on the singing water line problem described in a previous column. I had the same issue and determined that if I moved the water line slightly with my hand, it stopped. I strapped the line with a little tension and also increased the pressure at the regulator and haven't had any noise since.

"As for the expansion tank, houses in our area are required to have backflow preventers, so the expansion tanks are a necessity. I watched a water tank expand, cartoonlike, with the water hammer caused by someone turning off a hot water faucet in a normal fashion in a system that lacked an expansion tank. After seeing that, I consider the expansion tank a necessity."

• 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. Email questions to henridemarne@gmavt.net, or mail First Aid for the Ailing House, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

© 2015, United Feature Syndicate Inc.