Advice on rolled linoleum flooring

Q. Being an avid reader of your weekly column, I would like advice for remodeling work on my 11-year-old home in Vermont. When I had this home built in 2006, I decided to use radiant heat because of many good reasons. The one remaining issue has stumped me. The kitchen and baths were floored with roll linoleum. It expands and contracts with the season and use of the heating system. It is now time to replace it.

In your experience have you found a sanitary, attractive material that will hold up to the expansion/contraction, be affordable (not interested in ceramic) and is available? If not, have you worked with a local contractor on this kind of challenge or a regional supplier of flooring materials that you would trust?

A. This should not have happened. It sounds as if the flooring was laid loose instead of being glued to the subfloor.

There are many flooring options and a wide range of prices.

Q. I have a real crazy situation I have never seen addressed in your column. My garage door faces south and between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. on sunny afternoons, the garage door won't close unless I block the sun to the door sensors with a piece of cardboard. Then when the door reaches the cardboard it reverses. I can't move fast enough from the remote to the door to retrieve the cardboard so the door will close all the way. This is not a problem if I'm coming home but if I'm leaving I am delayed until I can close the door. UGH! Any advice?

A. The best solution is to have the sensors moved back from their existing positions away from the sun. This should be done by a garage door mechanic because the alignment must be perfect.

If that is not possible, cut a curving shield from a soda bottle and bend a tab in order to screw it to the wood member to which the sensor is attached in order to shield the affected sensor.

Q. Our house has vinyl siding and Trex decking. It is in need of a serious power washing. But my partner is very concerned the power washers will ruin the vinyl siding. Is there a safe setting on a power washer that will clean well and not ruin the vinyl siding? Also, above the front porch is a real pine wood ceiling that is varnished. It has lots of black mold on it. Can it be power washed as well?

A. Power washing vinyl siding is not recommended because vinyl siding is installed loosely. Water is likely to be forced behind it.

It is best to wash vinyl siding with a car-washing brush attached to a garden hose, using a mild detergent similar to the kind used to wash a car. If the siding also has mildew, make a solution of one quart fresh Clorox bleach, one cup TSPPF (trisodium phosphate - phosphate free; buy in hardware and paint stores) to a gallon of warm water.

Rinse with a garden hose, aiming it down as much as possible. Be sure that the garden hose is set to the shower setting.

The Trex decking can be power washed, but with the lowest setting, as can the porch ceiling.

An alternative is to use Wet & Forget Rapid Application Hose End. It claims to be safe to use on all surfaces and around plants, and does not need rinsing. Downside is the cost if used on very large surfaces.

Q. I constructed an addition to my house two years ago. The addition consists of a two-car garage with a finished space above the garage. The finished space above the garage is a cathedral ceiling that I had closed-cell insulation sprayed directly to the roof sheathing. The ceiling finish is drywall. The garage below the space is also insulated with spray foam on the walls and ceiling below the finished space above. The roof pitches face south and north exposures.

During the first winter after completion I noticed spots on the south facing roof that had melted the snow, but not signs of melting on the north facing roof. I removed some drywall and found the foam insulation had separated from the roof framing members. I then removed all of the drywall on the south facing side only and had spray foam reinstalled to close the gaps. Drywall was then reinstalled.

This winter I am now seeing similar melting on the south facing roof again with no problems with the north facing roof. I have not removed drywall, but expect to see separation again. My suspicion is that the south facing roof gets very hot in the summer and there must be heat buildup that is causing the foam and wood to swell and then when the material cools down, shrinkage occurs. An architect told me he had heard the foam may actually go to liquid form if it gets too hot.

Have you heard of similar problems with foam sprayed on roofs that face south? Obviously I am very frustrated having "fixed" the problem once. What suggestions do you have to solve the problem?

A. I haven't heard of foam turning into a liquid when subjected to too much heat, and I find it hard to believe. What would make the foam return to solid when no longer under the influence of heat?

It is more likely the foam has shrunk again after having been subjected to the summer's heat. If the roof covering is dark shingles, the heat buildup is exacerbated.

If the room below is occupied and heated, and the melted spots are seen along the rafters, it is also possible the melting is now from the heat loss through the rafters and is no longer caused by the gaps in the insulation since the repair.

The snow cover on the south side is affected by the sun while the north facing roof is not and its snow cover is more stable. If the melted snow spots are minor, you may decide to accept living with them, but if you want to solve the problem, I don't see an easy solution.

You could try reroofing with white shingles, but that's no guarantee.

The foam may need to be removed and an air space provided by nailing 1-by-2-inch wood strips to the rafters just below the sheathing and fastening 1-inch-thick XPS to the bottom of the strips. Reapply sprayed foam, or layer 2-inch-thick XPS rigid insulation with staggered joints and all edges caulked with polyurethane below the wood strips to fill the remaining rafter spaces.

• 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.