Seal up openings to keep mice, and cats, out of the attic
Q. Our problem is mice! They invade our attic. We set up two traps a day and get two mice daily. Recently, we didn't check the traps for four days and discovered that the dead mice had been eaten to nearly nothing. We're concerned about putting any poison out since neighbors have cats, and we don't want them harmed by eating a poisoned mouse. Our 42-year-old brick house is fairly sound. Where are these mice coming from? Do you have suggestions?
A. For cats to get into your attic, you must have a big hole! However, mice need only very small holes - about the size of a dime. The only way to exclude mice from your attic, or any place in your house, is to seal all possible places of entry, which seems like a huge job, perhaps even impossible. You could try one or more sonic mice repellers. They need a clear field and an electric plug. Any hardware store should carry them.
Q. I have many wood surfaces in my house - tables, counters, cutting boards - that have an oil finish rather than urethane. Many of these surfaces have been stained with black rings from metal tins that were placed on them overnight, usually a bit wet. Is there a product that will remove black stains, or is sanding the surface the only way to get rid of the marks left by the chemical reaction?
A. You could try sanding the affected surfaces, but if the stains are more than surface-deep, you will need to use a different method. Black stains caused by moisture can usually be removed with a solution of oxalic acid. Remove any finish with paint thinner to get to the raw wood. Buy oxalic-acid crystals (you will need very little) in a hardware, janitorial-supply store or pharmacy (very expensive) and mix it to saturation in hot water until some of the crystals are no longer absorbed. Apply the mixture to the stains with a small paintbrush, and leave it on overnight. If the stains are gone, wipe the areas with white vinegar and refinish the surfaces. If the stains are still there, albeit faded, repeat the treatment. Be very careful handling oxalic acid, as it is very potent. Wear rubber gloves, eye and skin protection, and be sure that any crystals or the mixture itself are not accessible to children and pets.
Q. I bought an older home with a wrought-iron fence. I painted it with a rust-conversion paint, and it is still rusty. What kind of paint do you recommend? The fence is even pitted.
A. It is best to remove all the loose rust with steel wool or a steel brush. The pitting cannot be restored, but any rust in the pits must be removed. When this is done, apply either a metal paint with an integral primer and rust resistance, or prime the fence with a metal primer and apply a topcoat of paint formulated for metal.
Q. Our house is a Dutch colonial now; it was originally a three-bedroom ranch with an addition put on in 1989. I was in the attic installing canned lighting when I noticed the insulation has no vapor barrier. There are 12 inches of rolled insulation currently. There is a ridge vent and two end vents (12-by-16 inches) and air vents from the soffit to the attic with rafter vents in each bay. Should there be a vapor barrier? Is the ventilation OK?
About the canned lighting, what should I do to prevent heat loss there? Also, there is a crawl space on the second floor that is about 20-feet long and has insulation with a vapor barrier but no Sheetrock covering it. Should that be covered?
A. If you have had no problem with mold, icing or other signs of dampness in the attic since the addition was added, there is no need to worry about adding a vapor retarder; the ventilation seems to be adequate. To prevent heat loss with canned lights, the best answer is to remove your canned lights. However, if the lights you are installing are rated "IC" (for insulated ceilings), you can put insulation over them. You must be referring to insulation between the rafters in the crawl space, since you see the vapor retarder. There is no need to have it covered with gypsum board, although it's not a bad idea to do so. Tape it well to provide an air barrier that would keep any moisture-laden warm air from convecting through the insulation and condensing on the roof sheathing.
Q. We had a room built on the back of the house to look over the backyard and the pond. The room is built on piers and there is a 2-foot open space on three sides with no insulation between the floor joists. Should I put insulation between the floor joists and cover it with plastic so the floor will be warmer? What type of insulation should I use?
A. You can have -inch CDX plywood (sheathing grade) fastened under the floor joists and have an insulator blow dense-pack cellulose between the joists. Or you could fill the joist spaces with fiberglass insulation and fasten the plywood to the bottom of the joists to protect the insulation from squirrels, raccoons, mice and other potential dwellers.
Q. I have tried your e-mail address, but it is not going through. Could you recommend a paint that will adhere to fiberglass roofing? The manufacturer was in Florida but is no longer in business.
A. You may have put a hyphen in my e-mail, as newspapers often hyphenate at the end of a line. My correct e-mail address is henridemarne@gmavt.net. The fiberglass roofing must be absolutely clean. Then try coating it with Bulls Eye 1-2-3, followed by a top-quality latex exterior paint.
Q. My asphalt driveway was laid in 1989. I've noticed that a space has developed over the years around its outer edges. The driveway is bordered on one side by a sidewalk and on the other side by a stone border. There is a concrete apron at the garage entrance. I am not sure when the spacing began, but it is getting progressively worse. It's now about 2 inches wide. Is it shrinkage? What can cause this? And what do you suggest for repairs?
A. Yes, it is shrinkage, and it is a normal phenomenon that occurs as asphalt ages and develops cracks. The best repair is done by asphalt contractors, who will use a hot, rubberized crack and joint sealant. None of the cold products available to homeowners will stand the test of time, and they will need to be redone every year. An alternative, if you prefer to do it yourself, is to use a cement joint compound, but it is not likely to last too long, either.
Q. We have recently moved into a home that is in the woods. Our gutters are consistently filling up with leaves in the fall and debris from our oak trees in the spring. Is there a new technology in gutters that will allow the rain to flow through and keep the debris out? If I remember correctly, you have not been positive on the type of gutter system that I am describing.
A. I have been very disappointed over the years with the several gutter covers I have tried. I have looked at several alternatives but find that they all seem to have some flaw. Some use a rounded shape, and water is supposed to follow by surface tension to shed leaves. This type may work for you since you have oak trees, but it does not prevent pine needles and other fine debris from following the water into the gutter. When that happens, how does one clean the gutters?
I asked the representative of another type of gutter cover what would happen in the case of a real downpour; wouldn't it wash right over the gutter? "Yes," was the answer from the honest representative. There is one solution that I have adopted and recommended to a number of friends and clients: the Rainhandler. But the grading around the house must be sloping away from it before this system can be considered, or it may lead to basement leakage.
The Rainhandler is a series of several Venetian-blind-like aluminum slats, lying flat, that is installed in 5-foot strips at the bottom of the fascia board. When rain runs off the roof, it is scattered in a shower-like spray instead of falling straight down and digging a trench in the soil. It is fun to watch, and it works in any kind of rain. I was concerned about what ice might do to it, but a friend tried it and sent me photos of huge icicles hanging from the slats with no ill-effect. The Rainhandler's Web site is www.rainhandler.com.
Q. I had my walls in my apartment painted just eight months ago, using both primer and Benjamin Moore paints. The original paint was peeling/flaking off in sizable sections - up to about 6 inches - exposing the white primer underneath. The paint flaking off had a chalky underside. The same situation is happening on the same wall, and to a limited extent, a different wall.
A. If your apartment is old, it is more likely that your walls were once painted with calcimine paint. The chalky residue on the surfaces that have peeled is a strong indication that this is your problem. You may want to have an experienced, old-time painter take a look at the peeled chips or check out your walls. If this is the case, remove all the loose paint, feather the edges of the surrounding nonpeeling paint and apply two coats of Olde Yankee Towne with Calci-coater over the entire ceiling. Be sure to follow the instructions on the container. You should be able to find this product at Home Depot and high-quality paint stores. If you can't find it locally, you can order it from Savogran. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 130, Norwood, Mass., 02062, (800) 225-9872, www.sclsterling.com/MSDS/scl_msds_index.htm. It comes in 1- and 5-gallon cans; 1 gallon will cover 125 square feet. You will not find the product listed in the Savogran's Web site. The most important thing to remember is that if there is any moisture coming from behind the calcimine paint, it will continue to cause peeling of any coats applied over it.
Reader tips
In response to a question from a reader whose stainless-steel kitchen sink had rings, I suggested that the reader try Bar Keepers Friend and Milsek's Stainless Steel Cleaner. I received a note from a Pennsylvania reader who has had very good luck using a product called Cameo to clean her stainless-steel pots and pans. She feels it should work on stainless-steel sinks as well. She says Cameo is a stainless-steel and aluminum cleaner manufactured for Church & Dwight Co. Inc., www.churchdwight.com. The manufacturer also claims it cleans copper. Thank you for this helpful tip.
• Henri de Marne's column appears Sundays. He was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via e-mail at henridemarne@gmavt.net
© 2008, United Feature Syndicate Inc.