Wooden doors need time to dry after being stripped of paint
Q. A few months ago, I had my interior Douglas-fir doors stripped of paint by a contractor. They were dipped in methylene chloride (most strippers seem to go this route) and then brought back to me. A week or so later, I stained them with linseed oil and mineral spirits. I noticed on some areas of the doors that a mixture looking like resin was bubbling out of the grain of wood. I think that the methylene chloride was still wet inside the wood, and the oil was reacting to it. I cleaned it up and let the doors sit for weeks in a shed, even putting them out in the sun to dry them, waiting for any vapor smells to disappear. The question I have now is, am I to be concerned about vapors from the methylene chloride? There isn't any of that strong stringent smell that I would associate with methylene chloride, but there is a little sweet, woody scent on the doors. Also, was it OK to use the boiled linseed oil on these doors after they had been dipped?
A. You should have neutralized the methylene chloride with only mineral spirits and let the doors dry. Then the boiled linseed oil could have been applied. You should be OK now.
Q. I am having a problem in the master bathroom on the second floor. (We have another full bathroom on the second floor. We also have a half bath in the basement recreation room.) We are on a septic system and have an ejector pump in the basement laundry room.
A few months ago, a storm took out the electric power for five days - no water, no electricity, etc. We used the basement bathroom, flushing with a bucket of water. When the electricity came back on, we noticed that when the ejector pump ejects, some black goo and gurgling water sounds are coming from the drain in the master bathroom. I don't know where to start. It needs to be fixed. Of course, money is very tight, so I am hoping this is a problem we can fix ourselves. Could you advise me?
A. Is it still happening after several months? It sounds as if when the power came back on, some of the contents of the storage tank, where the ejector pump is, got pumped uphill to the second-floor bathroom, but that should be over by now. The gurgling sounds would be caused by sewage working its way back down the waste lines. If it's still happening, you should call a licensed plumber to investigate.
Q. In a recent article, a reader asked about indoor-outdoor carpeting on a deck, which you thought was a bad idea. I showed it to my husband, and he said that doesn't apply to us. We converted our deck to a screened-in porch in June 2004. My husband covered the floor with indoor-outdoor carpeting. I questioned this practice, thinking that if the wood got wet, it wouldn't dry and would rot. The first winter we covered the screens with plastic in an effort to keep the area dry. It created a smell that was almost toxic. No one could explain the odor, so we have not put up the plastic in the winter. The carpeting does get wet when it rains and snows. Have we ruined the wood? Is there anything that can done? I'm ready to tear out the carpeting now.
A. The odor came from the chemicals in the carpet outgassing in the enclosed porch. This should be over by now and you should no longer have the problem. It is not a good idea to have a wet carpet over wood, even if the wood is pressure-treated. You should be able to close the porch again for the winter or install some floor-to-ceiling bamboo-like shades you can lower when rain is threatening.
Q. I have a 30-year-old ranch. I want to replace the -inch cedar siding with face brick (not the -inch brick mounted on slats, but the regular brick). Some say that I should remove the siding, then install Tyvek all around before the brick is laid. I would like to leave the existing siding, because it is sound and is also extra insulation. Could I staple the Tyvek over the siding before the brick is installed?
A. I am curious as to why you want to replace sound cedar siding with bricks, but I have heard of stranger things. The reason you should remove the existing cedar siding is because the bricks will have to be anchored into the existing sheathing - if it is structural - or into the studs. It will be difficult to do that through the cedar siding.
I hope you are also aware that you will need a foundation to support the bricks and that this foundation needs to be below the local frost line. If you have a full basement, you cannot simply go to the frost line in your area. (You didn't say where you are.) You have to go down to the footing of the basement and start the bricks on its lip. An alternative that is safe only if you are in an area of little frost is to lag to the existing foundation as many steel angles around the house as you need and start laying the bricks on them. You may choose to lag the steel angles at grade level to avoid a frost problem.
Q. We are being invaded by a very small insect that seems to inhabit the areas around windowsills and floors. They are very small and difficult to see. They seem to "jump" very quickly when we go to crush them and show up in the spring when the weather gets warm, so apparently they are dormant during the colder months. We don't know where they originate from, or whether they invade from outside the house or are dormant inside until warmer months.
We have a concrete-slab ranch, and I treat around the foundation beginning in the early spring with Spectracide Triazicide Soil and Turf Insect Killer Concentrate. We have tried two indoor sprays to try to kill them: Ortho Max Flying Insect Killer and Bayer Advanced Home Pest Control Indoor/Outdoor Insect Killer. Both sprays have proven to be completely ineffective on these critters. We heard that they are called "springtails." That pretty well describes the way they "jump." But I don't know if that's really their name. When we kill the larger one, there will suddenly be scores of "babies" running away from the "mother." Please tell us what may be effective against the infestation of these insects.
A. The best thing for you to do is to catch several of the little bugs and put them in a hard plastic container such as a film can - a disappearing item since the advent of digital cameras. Don't use a baggie, as the bugs must be alive when they arrive either at the local entomology office of your local university's Extension Service or if you take them to a pest-management professional for identification. Once the entomologists have identified them, they can advise you on the treatment.
Q. I own a bungalow-style home built in 1938. I am not sure of its age, but my oil-fired boiler (hot-water radiators) has decided it is time to go. I am having a hard time finding objective reviews of products for residential use. Is there a report that I can access in order to make a sound decision on this? I have been considering the Energy Kinetics EK1 system but wonder if the considerable cost is worth it. These run about $1,500 more than a similar setup from Weil-McLean and seem to require specially trained mechanics. Any suggestions?
A. Energy Kinetics is a steel boiler that has sophisticated computerized controls and requires trained mechanics to install and service. Years ago, when it first came out, the claim was that it saved a considerable amount of fuel because it used these controls to transfer what otherwise would be wasted energy to its sidearm tank to heat the water. It proved to be quite accurate at the time, but it was at a time when other manufacturers had not come out with their newer version of energy-efficient boilers. To make your decision, compare the AFUE of the Energy Kinetics with that of the Weil-McLean or any other boilers you might consider. Decide whether the difference in the original price is worth it. I don't think it is.
Q. First of all, I would like to thank you for your article "Stuck with stucco." This time I need your opinion about polished concrete countertops.
A. You're welcome! Polished concrete countertops, granite tops, etc., can be beautiful, but they need some periodic care. I fear that these are a passing fad and will no longer be so attractive to homeowners or prospective buyers in a few years, going the way of copper kitchen appliances and the like. Remember when wall-to-wall carpeting was a "must"? Now it's hardwood floors. The old standby of countertop coverings: plastic laminates such as Formica, Nevamar, Wilsonart, etc., and Dupont's Corian have been around forever and are still very popular for good reasons: They are tough and need practically no upkeep outside of the usual common-sense care of not using them as cutting boards.
• 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.