There are two alternatives to repair an aging enamel tub

Q. Could you give me your input concerning my bathtub? It's a white enamel metal tub in a 1970s house. The bottom enamel is getting very thin, and there are gray areas where people stand while showering. I wonder what my options are. Getting the whole bathtub covered with a new fiberglass/plastic tub liner or using a spray enamel tub-repair kit I saw in Lowe's are my two ideas. Does this work? What part of the tub should I treat, the affected half of the bottom of the tub only? Since the kit requires scoring the existing enamel with steel wool, I don't want to wreck any good enamel unless I have to.

A. Painting only portions of the tub can result in a spotty job. Even though using the Lowe's kit will be a lot less expensive than any alternatives, keep in mind the ultimate product and how it will affect the resale value of your house. You may choose to ignore it until you are ready to sell, or you may get estimates from firms that repair tubs and sinks by spraying a matching color enamel and firms that cover the tub with a new plastic liner. Either of these two choices will embellish the tub but will require care in cleaning it, as you cannot use abrasive cleaners on them.

I have a 22-year-old deck made with pressure-treated wood and over the years have recoated the deck with TWP 501C Cedar. Do you still like this product? My wife likes the color and does not want to use a stain. I clean the deck with Jomax and bleach before using the TWP.

Also, the nails in the deck are coming up about 1/16th of an inch. No big deal, but should I nail them back down?

A. TWP is an excellent coating for pressure-treated lumber and all cedar products. TWP 501 has an oil base that needs porous surfaces to soak in. If you like it, keep using it. For those interested in TWP products, they can be purchased in ICI paint stores. Yes, you should reset the nails, if only to keep people from tripping on them or stubbing their toes when walking barefoot.

In the past two to three years, in the month of May, we have had carpenter bees swarm near our front door. By the time an exterminator came, they were gone from sight. We can see no holes in the wood because, in March, we sided our house with vinyl. We understand the bees may be nesting, but how do we reach their nests without damaging our siding?

A. Carpenter bees drill round holes about 1 inch deep into the edge of unpainted boards, boards with very old paint and boards with clear or semitransparent stain. Then they turn 90 degrees and drill "galleries" that are 4 to 6 inches long and lay their eggs, one at a time, in cells that they close as they progress. If the entire wood fascias of your house have been covered with vinyl, and the bees cannot come out, they will die in their galleries. However, did the exterminator verify the fact that the swarming bees were, indeed, carpenter bees? Unless you or the exterminator saw the round holes typical of their galleries, the bees may be of a different type.

We need your help. Bunnies, field mice, voles, chipmunks, etc., have set up housekeeping under our Wolmanized lumber deck, which is built at ground level. How do we get rid of them or at least discourage them? And if we decide to rip out the 25-year-old deck and replace it with some type of stone, what stone/concrete would look good and not cost us a fortune?

A. Short of building a pressure-treated plywood skirt or other type of material with very small mesh around the perimeter of your deck, I don't know what else to suggest. The least expensive replacement would be a concrete patio, which can be stained if you do not like the looks of the raw concrete. Any stonework will be very expensive, but you can get estimates from a couple of stone patio builders or landscape contractors doing stonework.

Our vacation home is all cedar, the interior of which has become soiled over the years with water stains and body oil from our dog. Can you recommend any method of cleaning the cedar or possibly using a stain to cover up the soiled areas?

A. Water stains inside? Do you have some leakage from the roof or through the siding? If so, you need to tend to them as soon as possible. To remove the water stains, try Oxy Boost, oxyboost.com, (866) 699-2667. You should not apply a stain over the body oil from your dog; it will need to be removed first by washing the affected areas with any household detergent.

I have new Broan ceiling fans in both bathrooms. Any time the wind blows, the flapper by the vent pipe moves. It makes an annoying noise when it opens and closes. Is there some way to fix it, or did the builder just put in a cheap unit that can't be adjusted?

A. I assume that the house is new and that you recently moved in. You haven't told me whether the two fans' outside jacks are aluminum or vinyl. Vinyl jacks are usually louvered and should not be causing the noise you hear. Aluminum jacks look like hoods and have a flapper inside; it may be what you have. If so, count your blessings, as vinyl louvers often break and must be replaced. Aluminum jacks are much longer lasting; in fact, I have never had to replace any of them. There are two types of aluminum jacks. One has a loose flapper, while the other has a flapper with a small spring that holds it shut when the fan is not in use. The latter is the only type I have ever installed. If it is available in your area, you could ask the builder to replace both of yours. Other than that, I don't know of a solution.

My problem is chipmunks, which have been rampant this year. I must have 20 holes on my small side slope. They eat my window box nasturtiums, my garden flowers, etc. Cute? Yes. Bothersome? Yes. How can I get rid of them? Can they burrow like a gopher?

A. As cute as they are, they can be destructive and a real nuisance. Control is difficult to achieve. To protect vegetation not for human consumption, you can apply one of several taste repellents: Bitrex, Thiram or ammonium soap with a high fatty-acid content. Mothballs or flakes thrown liberally in their burrows may work, but they are likely to dig more holes elsewhere. Bird feeders and seeds on the ground will attract them. Other than that, trapping them in live squirrel-size traps - such as Havahart traps - and relocating them as far away as possible may help. But if you have a lot of them, you're in for a lot of work. First check whether trapping nongame animals is allowed in your state. Also be aware that relocating any small animal is almost a sure death sentence, as they no longer have known safety holes to protect themselves from birds of prey, foxes and other predators. Sorry to say that there aren't too many appealing choices.

• Henri de Marne 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.

© 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.