Bathroom moisture can damage finish on door moldings
Q. Several years ago, we had new oak moldings and doors installed in our upstairs hall, bedrooms and baths. We are now near completion of a remodel upstairs, which includes updating our two bathrooms. The problem is that the inner (bathroom) side and bathroom door moldings look terrible. The inner bathroom door sides and door trim appear to be flaky, dry, discolored and almost look as if they're peeling. All of the other woodwork around the bedrooms seems fine, so I would guess that bathroom moisture is causing it. We had a fan installed in each bath, but I was hoping for some ideas to restore the woodwork to its former beauty.
A. Moisture could be responsible, but it would have had to been excessive. You haven't said what type of finish was applied to the moldings. Try removing it with a semisolid paint remover labeled for indoor use. Your local paint store should be able to advise you on the correct one. Be sure to provide plenty of ventilation. Apply a polyurethane varnish, which should be able to withstand the moisture. The fans should certainly help.
Q. My two oldest sons bought a ranch fixer-upper 18 months ago. They have wood-frame windows that have not been opened in at least 10 years. The windows have a metal track, but no springs. There is an upper and lower window, and they do not appear to be painted shut. We have tried to open several of the windows, but they will not budge. The frame seems to be stuck in the track. Is there anything we can try to get these windows to open?
A. Try spraying WD-40 between the sashes and the metal tracks in the channels at the top of the lower sashes, and allow to work overnight. Raise the lower sashes, and spray up the same channels on the upper sashes. Then try to move the sashes enough so you can spray from the top. You can also try using a pear-shaped tool with serrated edges, which is used to cut any paint film that freezes sashes to the window frames.
Q: Our house is 40 years old. The concrete floor of an old barn was used as the floor for the cellar. There is a crack in the floor that expands and contracts. We have a walkout basement, and the floors upstairs are not quite level. We have a large crack in the ceiling, which was repaired once by retaping the area, but it came right back. I don't want to do an extensive excavation to get the basement below the frost line. Can anything be done cosmetically to the ceiling that would lead to a permanent repair?
A. If I understand correctly, your house was formerly an old barn and its concrete floor is at ground level and is now the floor of the walkout basement. It sounds as if the old barn's foundation is not deep enough to prevent frost heaves, which cause the slab to move with the seasons. When cattle resided in these old barns, the heat they generated kept frost at bay and there were no problems. When these barns became empty, frost problems developed, and many of the barns began to deteriorate fast. If the ceiling crack is related to these seasonal movements, it may indicate that the entire structure is also moving. Have you had any problems with doors and windows sticking?
To prevent these seasonal shifts, you can provide heat in the basement or you can excavate an area about one foot deep at the foundation and 18 inches deep four feet away, which is a more environmentally friendly solution. In this trench, lay 2-inch-thick extruded polystyrene (XPS) rigid insulation and backfill over it. This will prevent deep frost penetration, and it should stop seasonal movements. Once you have succeeded, the ceiling crack should be stabilized and repaired as you did before.
Q. I read with interest the question regarding whether to mow a septic mound. When ours was put in, we were told to mow it. I then discussed this with our town's water-quality manager, and he said it was unnecessary. A year or so later, we had some work done on the pipes in the mound, and the men who did the work insisted that we had to keep it mowed or the woody roots would ruin the pipes. Now I read your advice to let the mound grow up, even with trees! This is all so confusing. We would love to let it grow if you can convince us that the roots will not ruin the infrastructure.
A. Was the repair because the roots of the woody plants had invaded the mound's pipes? If that's the problem, it may be safer to keep shrubs out and mow the mound. But it should not be necessary. Evergreen bushes and trees are best because they draw out effluent year-round.
Q. After reading your recent column “Basement Holds Water After Storm,” I have a question about the basement water in the home we bought nearly a year ago. What I thought was just a problem that could be corrected by digging down beside the foundation and sealing the wall at the bottom of the basement turns out to be more complicated.
The sump pump runs every hour or two and seems to have no bottom cemented. We must be next to an underground spring, because the water flows into the sump from under the footing on which the cement-block wall is built. The sump is a square one with French drains coming into it from both directions along the inside of the concrete wall. I understand that the French drain runs all around under the basement floor and inside the basement wall footings. There doesn't seem to be any French drain running around the outside of the footing.
Presently, the sump pumps the water up to the top of the basement ceiling from which a pipe carries it across the basement to the sewer line. The sewer line runs from the house out to the township public sewer, which was installed six or seven years ago. The sewer line doesn't run from the bottom of our basement, however. It begins in our basement only about two feet below the main floor above to go out to the street. There isn't any lower point around our house or neighbors' to which we can drain that underground spring, which must be so close to the rear wall of our house that it flows under the footing and into our sump. Do you have any suggestions?
A. You mention both a cement-block and concrete wall. Which is it? Most municipalities do not allow sump pumps to discharge water into the sewer, as it adds to its stress. But you seem to have little choice because there is no low area to which the surface discharge of the sump can be made. You do not need much of a lower area to discharge the sump as long as the grade slopes away from the foundation sufficiently to drain the water away from it. The soil will absorb some of the water, and evaporation will take care of the rest. The town sewer must be quite high, which may be why your own sewer line is so high in your basement. Because you seem to have a working sump pump and a way to dispose of the water from the underground spring, what do you want to change? I can't think of another solution to what seems not to be a problem. If I have misunderstood your situation and your question, please provide more details as to what you are trying to accomplish.
Q. I have a friend who has bought a place in central New Hampshire. The land has a shell of a barn — well built, but just a shell. He wants to insulate it. A wood stove has already been installed, and the floor is cement. The roof is tin or some sort of metal. What is the procedure to insulate this and what materials should be used? He would like it to be livable.
A. If the barn is built as most are, the timbers are likely to be 8-by-8 inches and far apart. In that case, the best way to insulate it is to apply 2-inch-thick rigid insulation to the inside of its sheathing (XPS or polyiso) between the posts. Then he can nail studs 24 inches on center between the posts and fill the spaces between them with fiberglass insulation of the appropriate thickness. Apply a 6-mil plastic vapor retarder over the studs, followed by whatever wall finish is selected.
Q. We have a humidifier running nearly year-round and are wondering if the Humidex system, or something similar, would be a good investment to eliminate humidity at a lower cost. We would also appreciate some information on how the system works. Would we be able to open windows in the house during the summer? I love fresh air and am not inclined to run the air conditioner unless absolutely needed. The living areas tend to be dry during the heating months, as we have a hot-air system. If we use a humidifier at this time, are we defeating the Humidex system? Any information would be appreciated.
A. Do you mean that you have a “dehumidifier” running nearly year-round? If the living areas tend to be dry during the heating season, why are you running a dehumidifier? Or is it a time when it is not used? Dehumidifiers are usually only needed on the hot and damp summer days. Where does your excess moisture come from the rest of the time? Address this, and your problem may be solved.
The Humidex system expels air from the basement by drawing air from the upper stories of the house, which is replenished, according to its own explanation, by infiltration of outside air through windows, etc. So on hot summer days, you would be drawing moist air to replace damp air in the basement, which could result in condensation on the basement floor and walls because the basement is much cooler than the rest of the house. On milder and less humid days, this condition would be less critical. In the winter, the Humidex would bring in cold outside air, unless you shut the system off. But then, you do not need a dehumidifier, either. Weighing all the data will help you decide whether the Humidex is right for you.
Q. Could you please tell me the best material to use to treat a cedar-shake roof to prevent rot? The roof is 15 years old and has been treated before. After I power wash the roof to get rid of the mold and then treat it with the material you recommend, I am going to apply StainhandleR, which you recommended a few weeks ago, to prevent mold. Does this make sense?
A. In my opinion, the best product to use on your roof shakes is Amteco TWP Series 200. It is available in clear and seven colors. The clear does not offer the longer-lasting protection of the colors, but allows the wood to gray naturally. Any of the colors should last several years, but you may need at least two coats to start with if the shakes are quite dried up. Check out the colors at www.amteco.com. You should be able to get Amteco in paint stores.
• 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.
© 2010, United Feature Syndicate Inc.