Several solutions suggested for flooded backyard
Editor's note: Late last year, one of the Daily Herald's syndicated services stopped distributing Henri de Marni's home repair column. However, following a deal directly with the newspaper, de Marni's column has returned to the HomesSunday section.
Q. Our backyard is constantly wet. One landscaper recommended a dry well to remove the surface water. The other said French drains should solve the problem. The ground is made of clay. What would you suggest. We are talking about half an acre.
A. I assume your backyard is flat since water does not drain. For a drywell to work, your backyard would have to be sloped to the drywell, and the drywell would only work until it gets fully silted. That's not the best answer.
A French drain would be a better solution to a drywell, but it needs to be at the lowest point of the yard, so you would need to do some regrading to obtain drainage.
Where to build the French drain should be determined on site. It may be that it should be built half way between the house and the end lot line to minimize the amount of grading needed for effective drainage.
It will require an outlet to the front or the back of the house. Is there enough change in the grade between the front and the back of your land to allow for the French drain to daylight near the street or is there a ditch or a drop in grade at the far end of your property to do so?
A French drain without an outlet is no longer a French drain and the trench would only store water until the soil can absorb it. That could work if it were a large and deep trench filled with egg-sized stones or larger, similar to those installed for a septic absorption field.
Q. An overnight guest's car leaked a significant amount of power steering fluid on a paver driveway. Many blocks are discolored and I do not have replacements. How can I clean them?
A. If the pavers have the same face on both sides and are set on a sand bed, try turning them over.
But if not, try the following, even though the fluid may have penetrated too deeply to be able to remove it completely: Sprinkle TSP-PF on the stains, sprinkle hot water on the crystals, gently scrub the treated areas and let sit for half an hour. Scrub again and rinse thoroughly. You may need to do it more than once.
Q. I'm interested in your professional opinion of vinyl siding restoration products. I'm sure you are familiar with the faded and chalkiness that happens to vinyl over the years.
I'm a contractor and recently re-sided a home for a client because they wanted to change the look. The product they had me remove is good quality .044 gauge material and there is sufficient quantity to reside another residence, thereby reusing materials and avoiding landfill contribution.
Some products claim to restore the vibrancy of the original color and also "protect" this restored look for years to come. What products do you recommend for the cleaning and restoration of vinyl siding?
A. Rinse the siding with a hose (do not use a pressure washer) to wet the pollutants that have accumulated over time. You may use a soft bristle brush to help loosen the pollutants.
For siding that is still on the house, start at the bottom and rinse upward, keeping the siding wet at all times.
Follow this by washing the siding with a mixture of three parts white vinegar to seven parts water. It should remove most if not all of the pollutants and oxidation. You may add a cup of TSP-PF per gallon of water if the water/vinegar solution doesn't do the job well enough.
If you are not happy with the results, you can follow this with an application of one of the vinyl-siding restoration products on the market. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions as they vary by manufacturer.
If you decide to paint the siding, apply a coat of acrylic-bonding primer and let it dry completely. Apply a latex siding paint, using a synthetic-bristle brush or a paint roller. Be sure you paint each board completely from end to end to prevent streaking.
Once thoroughly dry, apply a second coat using the same process.
Q. I recently had my bathroom floor redone and the job is worse than terrible. (I know the person's in-laws, so I will not make a fuss.) Among the very many problems is the fact he put a thin molding along the floor (probably to hide an even worse job) and did not miter the corners. They are filled in with white silicone caulk.
I want to paint the molding and I am finding that paint on caulk does not work so well. What can I use and what can I do? Also, is there something I can do to make the messy job look neater? (I tried a razor blade but my hand is not steady enough to do a good job.)
A. I am sorry you had such a poor experience and feel you should not complain and get the job redone correctly. Most silicone caulking, so often misused, will not take paint. I don't think you can successfully make the sloppy job neater with a razor blade because the caulking can't be shaved that easily. Sorry, but I see no other way but to bite the bullet and have the molding replaced by a competent carpenter.
Q. Have you seen the SpoutOff yet? When you get a chance, check out a new product that will immensely help your readers: www.thespoutoff.com.
A. It's an interesting item, but it still leaves a residential 2-inch by 3-inch downspout and its potential clogging, which the Spout Off commercial mentions.
I much prefer to use, and recommend, commercial gutters and downspouts, which have greater capacity. Commercial downspouts are 3-by-4 inches - twice the cross section of residential spouts - and seldom clog up.
Some gutter installers will install a commercial outlet to residential gutters so you do not have to replace the gutters if you decide to change to commercial downspouts.
• Henri de Marne, a former remodeling contractor turned columnist and consultant, is the author of "About the House with Henri de Marne" (Upper Access Publishing). He continues to take questions from readers for this column and his website, www.henridemarne.com. Email questions to aboutthehouse@gmavt.net.
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