Magnet stops draft through mail slot
Q. Some time ago, I purchased a magnetic cover (that you recommended in your column) for the mail slot in my door. If possible, I would like to purchase another one. Can you furnish me with the name and address of the company?
Mount Prospect
A. The product is magnetic vent covers made by Thermwell Products Co. (item MC 815). They are 8-by-15 inches and can be cut to fit the openings with regular scissors. They are available at Home Depot. It is a new product that is not yet listed on the Frost King Thermwell Products Inc. Web site.
Q. We have a room on the back of the house that is 2 feet off the ground. It is open on three sides. There is no insulation under the floor between the floor joists. Would you give us your opinion on the best way to insulate it? At 74 years old, I need the easiest way to do it. Do I need to leave an air space between the floor and the insulation? Do I put fiberglass insulation between the joists, then cover the whole thing with plastic as a vapor barrier?
Lombard
A. There is no easy way to do this job, but since you are planning on doing the job yourself, the least difficult way is to use fiberglass batts. Choose the R-factor you deem best, but my recommendation is R-30, which is 9½ inches thick and comes in 48-inch lengths. These batts will fill the entire depth of what I assume are probably 2-by-10-inch floor joists. Even if the joists are 2-by-8-inch (7½ inches deep), you are better off using R-30 and squeezing them when covering the insulation up, which you will need to do in order to keep animals from tearing it up. R-19 or R-21 (6¼ or 5½ inches thick) come only in 93-inch length and would be difficult to handle while on your back, working overhead. Unfortunately, Owens Corning has discontinued the manufacture of their fully wrapped product, so you will have to deal with bare fibers.
Wear tight clothing at the wrists and collar, a tight hat, gloves, goggles and a mask The best masks, Duckbill masks, are made by Kimberly-Clark. They are available at Home Depot. Choose their N95 sanding mask for fiberglass insulation. For information, visit www.kcdiy.com.
Use friction-fit insulation (without a vapor retarder), and make sure that you install it so there are no voids anywhere. It will require you to squeeze the insulation before pushing it all the way to the subfloor. When you release it, the batt fills the entire space. Next, you need to cover the insulation to protect it from destructive activities. Raccoons, skunks, squirrels and mice would tear it up in no time, looking for a nest site. For this, you will need help. Use perforated pegboard screwed to the bottom of the joists. Better yet, as animals cannot chew it, use ¼-inch hardware cloth or metal plaster lath. An alternative well worth considering is to have a contractor screw CDX plywood to the bottom of the joists and blow in dense-pack cellulose to fill the joist spaces.
Q. We have unsightly flagstone in the foyer. Is there a paint that would adhere to it? This was asked of you last year (not answered), and I have not been able to get an answer.
Monroe Township, N.J.
A. Sorry, but I get so much mail that I can't answer all the questions asked. If the flagstones have no finish on them, they can be thoroughly cleaned and painted. If there are remnants of a previous finish, they must be removed by rubbing the flagstones with a clean cloth and paint thinner. Complete the cleaning by washing the flagstones with a solution of one cup TSPPF detergent in one gallon of water to remove all contaminants. Paint them with two coats of an epoxy garage-floor coating or an oil-base floor enamel. You will need good ventilation, as the odor and fumes will be very strong.
Q. The older home I've lived in for five years has masonry steps out front. There are six steps and a landing made of concrete slabs and a brick foundation. The concrete, bricks and mortar, and wrought iron railings are beginning to fall apart due to the fact that virtually no sun ever reaches them, so they never thaw in winter or dry out from the rain. I want to replace the steps, but I'm afraid that going with masonry again is a lost cause. I don't know how old these steps are, and I don't know how long new ones will last given the conditions. Would using vinyl decking material to build new stairs be a good option? Would that solution be more costly than masonry? I don't even know how much to budget for either job. Any advice would be appreciated.
Woodbridge, N.J.
A. Why don't you have a masonry or general contractor look at the situation and advise you of the best approach? A masonry contractor will give you a price for repairing or redoing the masonry work. A general contractor can do the same, but he or she will be able to discuss and price alternatives, such as removing (or covering up) the existing failing work with pressure-treated wood or composite steps, and repairing or replacing the landing with the appropriate material.
Q. My house is surrounded by tall trees and gets a lot of shade. There is moss (green patches) growing on the vinyl siding on the north side of the house. I had it power-washed about four years ago, but the moss is back. Are there any products that I can apply to the vinyl siding to kill off the existing moss and prevent future growth? Also, I have clumps of moss growing on one side of the roof that is asphalt shingles. I assume that power washing is not a good idea for the roof. So how do I get rid of the moss on the roof and prevent future growth?
New Jersey
A. It would be unusual for the green patches on the vinyl siding to be moss; it is more likely mold or algae. Moss is a very bushy kind of growth that needs constant dampness and grows mostly on soils, roof shingles and plants and usually grows in clusters. To remove what has grown on the vinyl siding, you need to wash it with a strong detergent, like TSPPF, and bleach. The growth will recur once the solution has stopped being effective, and you will need to treat the siding again from time to time. The moss on the roof can be killed by wetting it with a mixture of 3 parts white vinegar to 1 part water. It will take several weeks for the results to show. You cannot prevent future growth.
Q. When it rains, water seeps into the basement at the side of the house through a crack in the lower part of the wall. This wall is immediately adjacent to the outside steps where I gain entry to the house. It would appear that these steps were not originally part of the house, but added to make a side entrance. The driveway is also located on that side of the house.
It wasn't something that was noticed during the inspection of the house before purchase -- no dampness in the walls, etc. I contacted the inspector, who initially inspected the premises and told me that I needed to fix this, but it does not require a French drain.
As a single female, I have found that contractors try to take advantage. What would you advise in terms of fixing this problem? Is there a DIY solution? I am mindful that the cheapest is not always the best, but am just afraid of being taken advantage of, again.
Via e-mail
A. You can do three things. The most important is to look at the grade in the area where the water enters. It is very likely that there is a depression near the steps, or that the grade is too flat or slopes toward the foundation instead of away from it. Adding a clayey loam to fill any low areas and slope the ground gently away from the house may solve the leakage problem. If this is the case, I am surprised that the inspector didn't point that out to you.
The gutters and downspouts should also be checked to make sure that they do not leak and that the downspouts discharge their content onto splashblocks that move water away from the house.
The crack in the foundation should be filled with an appropriate compound such as Water Plug or an epoxy. Again, the inspector should have suggested that. If you are handy and have the time, you can order some soil delivered by a landscape contractor and spread it where needed. You can also have the landscape contractor do the job under your direction. You can buy a can of Water Plug in a hardware store and follow the directions on the container. Also check how the downspouts discharge and make any necessary corrections. If the gutters leak, it may require applying gutter seal after letting them dry and cleaning them thoroughly.
Q. We are the original owners of a brick home built in 1951. We added two bedrooms and a powder room on top in 1968. Our foundation is always wet on the outside (the weather side). What can we do to remedy this situation? We had the roofer who replaced the roof check it, had new front gutters put on at his suggestion, and he says it is not the roof. We also had some painting done on the bricks on that side of the house and a new cap put on the chimney. But it is still wet on the outside of the foundation. The inside was painted with a waterproof paint and shows no sign of dampness. We have lived here for 57 years and would greatly appreciate any advice you can give us.
Trafford, Pa.
A. I assume that you mean the part of the basement foundation that shows above grade. Is the foundation made of bricks all the way from the footings to the roof, or is the foundation made of cinderblocks? If the latter is the case, by waterproofing it, you may have caused water to collect in the blocks' cores, and you see the results of this water storage on the outside wall. It can also be that the bricks in your house are absorbing the rain since it is the weather side. In that case, clean the bricks thoroughly and choose a time of year when the weather is dry to allow the bricks to dry completely. Make any necessary repairs to the mortar joints, and apply a clear, siloxane-base coating to the bricks. The coating should prevent water absorption but allow the bricks to breathe. Without more information, that is all I can think of and offer at this time.
Q. We are going to replace our flooring in the kitchen. Is there vinyl or a similar floor covering that comes in 14- or 15-foot widths?
Via e-mail
A. Sorry, it generally comes in 12-foot-wide rolls. Although it may also be found in 6-foot rolls.
© 2008, United Feature Syndicate Inc.