Wet or moldy carpet pad could be the source of bad odor

Q. Firstly, thank you for your solution to a previous problem. You determined that a roof leak was due to bad flashing on the chimney. I didn't want to accept that answer because we previously had the flashing repaired. But we didn't know that it was improperly repaired. We spent much additional time and money on other possible options, only to come full circle and find it was the flashing. Kudos to you!

Secondly, I need help concerning a bad odor in the basement. We had a water line leak from the ceiling above about a year ago. There is a carpeted finished space below. We did our best to dry out the wet area on the floor. We had the heat on all winter and the A/C all summer. A dehumidifier has been used for a year since the leak. We feel that the area is completely dried out.

It didn't smell much over the summer, but now with the heat on it smells bad again. The Berber carpeting is on a hair pad over a cement floor. Do you think the carpeting is ruined? I have heard that it is now suggested that plastic should be put down as a vapor barrier under carpeting on a cement floor. What are your suggestions about getting rid of the odor? Should the carpeting be replaced? Or would it be enough to just replace the pad? Also, what do you think the best floor covering would be for a finished basement?

A. I am glad that you got the roof leak fixed. Often, these leaks are mysterious and difficult to find, and finding them may be a question of eliminating a number of possibilities - and luck.

Hair pads are difficult to dry, especially under a carpet. My sense is that it is the hair pad that is giving off this odor.

Consider pulling the carpet up in several areas and checking the pad. It may have to be disposed of and replaced with a synthetic pad. You may lay a sheet of 6-mil plastic on the bare concrete floor to create a vapor retarder before laying the new pad.

If you find that the carpeting is dry and does not have mold on its back, it should be OK to reuse it.

If you decide to change the floor covering, you should make sure that soil moisture is not migrating through the concrete slab. You can determine that by tightly duct-taping 2-by-2-feet squares of 6-mil plastic film to the concrete floor in several places. If you see signs of water under the plastic after a couple of days, you should not have vinyl tiles laid on the slab. But if the plastic is completely dry, it should be OK to lay vinyl tiles. Other choices are ceramic or quarry tiles.

There are other options as well. Look at these online: Rubber Cal, www.rubbercal.com; ModuTile, www.modutil.com; Place N' Go Flooring, www.placengo.com

Carpet squares (easily replaced if need be), bamboo flooring, epoxy paints and cork are other choices. But they should be used only if the basement is thoroughly dry, and installation instructions must be followed to the letter.

Q. I read your column in the Daily Herald every week and I can't thank you enough for all the tips you provide. You have helped me in the past and I'm hoping you can do the same with this request.

My steel front entry door has two side window panels (half window and half wood). Around the trim on the window panels is what appears to be a sticky gunk. I have removed it a few times, cleaned the area with soapy water, let it dry and repainted it using Behr (primer/paint in one), but I can't seem to get rid of this as it continues to reappear.

What product can I use to eliminate the gunk and do you have a recommended process I can follow?

A. Are these panels in the sun, and is the outside metal skin painted a dark color? It looks to me from the pictures you sent as if heat is melting some material used between the opening and the glass panels. The gunk is coming out at the corners and in the center of the lower fiberglass molding where there is a joint.

There are also signs of condensation, which has caused the growth of mold and gotten behind the paint, resulting in paint peeling.

Have you pricked the bubbles to see if it is water or some other foreign material in them?

I am sorry to say that if it is, as you describe it: "sticky gunk," which keeps coming out repeatedly after you have removed it, I have no idea how to prevent recurrence.

If you know where the door and side panels come from, you might ask the distributor to find out how these glass panels are set in the side panels.

If sun heat is responsible for this oozing material, try painting the outside steel skin a very light color to dissipate the sun's heat rather than absorbing it.

Q. We built our house four years ago. At that time, the yard was graded and seeded. Most of the grass is growing fine, but there are some patches that did not take. Some patches are a few inches square, while others are a couple of feet square. The soil has clay in it, so the bare patches are hard as rock. Should I just till up the dirt and apply grass seed, or should I replace the bare dirt with better topsoil and then seed it? If so, how deep should I dig down and remove the clay soil?

A. Dig down about 6 to 12 inches deep, dispose of half the clay; stir up what you will mix in equal parts with either topsoil or peat moss.

Plant grass seed next spring and cover the seeds with peat moss or straw, and keep these areas moist until the grass is ready for its first mowing.

Q. I have a question about resealing the quarry tile in my downstairs entry hall, kitchen and bathroom. I originally used an acrylic sealer, which lasted about 10 years and held up well. Although dirt got tracked in, it resisted abrasion. Most recently I used Trewax Beauty Sealer - now called Trewax Stone and Tile Sealer. The ingredients aren't listed. Do you know of a better product? I want something very durable, not high-gloss and not slippery to walk on. Should I use the Trewax again?

A. Once you have used a product with a wax base, you either need to have it stripped completely or you have to stick with a wax product. It seems that the easiest way is for you to stick with Trewax since you seem to have been pleased with it.

Q. I'm a native Burlingtonian now living in Illinois. I have read your column for years and have followed much of your advice. My question today concerns my driveway. It is made of concrete and is approximately 17 years old. In certain areas, seams and large patches of the concrete have flaked or chipped off. None of this wear and tear has disrupted the functionality of the driveway, but it appears unsightly. Is there any way to repair this process of decay? I believe the problem involves water, freezing and then thawing as well as salt usage over the years. Any insight would be appreciated.

A. There are a number of products on the market for repairing concrete spalling or breakage. Thorocrete is one of them, but you can find others in home-improvement centers, hardware stores and building-supply houses.

Since you haven't sent me photos, you may need to have a concrete contractor look at the problems and advise you of the feasibility of any repairs.

Q. Mold is growing on my asphalt shingles that are about 9 years old. How do I get rid of it without harming the shingles?

A. My guess is that what you refer to as mold is algae. Algae are caused by moisture that does not dry fast enough after rainfalls or snow melt, perhaps because that part of the roof is shaded by trees or on the north side of the house.

There are firms that will spray roofs to get rid of algae with a variety of different and sometimes proprietary products. But if you intend on tackling the project yourself, you can spray the roof with Wet & Forget, an environmentally friendly product originally developed in New Zealand (www.wetandforget.com), or Stainhandler Roof & Deck Cleaner (www.stainhandler.com). There are others.

Another formula is to mix in equal parts fresh Clorox bleach with water and spray it on the roof on a windless day at the rate of one gallon per 50 square feet of shingles.

In all cases, soak any plantings below before spraying, cover them with plastic and rinse again when all dripping from the roof has ended.

Cover your skin and eyes, use old clothes and beware that walking on a roof is dangerous and not good for the shingles. Professional roof cleaners spray from the ground with high-pressure hoses.

Interesting suggestion from a reader: "A few weeks ago there was mention in your column of artillery fungus and how to get rid of it. My June 2014 copy of This Old House magazine advises that the Penn State Extension Service lists several people who've had good luck with Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. The trick is to wet the spots first and wait several minutes for the packets to soften. That seems to make them easier to 'erase.' Hope this helps."

My take: If this really works, it is a great suggestion, as artillery fungus is very difficult to remove without causing damage to the surfaces onto which it is stuck. As I recall, there was a piece in the Penn State Extension Service website years ago discussing the near impossibility of removing the hard, dark pin-sized spots that are exploding from decomposing organic mulch and sticking to surfaces above the mulch, especially if these surfaces are light in color.

• Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Email him at henridemarne@gmavt.net, or mail First Aid for the Ailing House, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

© 2014, United Feature Syndicate Inc.