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Cutting countertop is best left to professional installers

Q: I enjoy your column in our newspaper, the Daily Herald. After reading a recent column, I've come up with a question on a pending refrigerator installation.

Our kitchen countertop overhangs the cabinets by a half-inch, and removing the half-inch will give us just the amount of space needed to install a 32-inch-wide refrigerator. My first thought is to slide the old refrigerator out to access the countertop that needs to be cut, but my question is what is the best way to ensure a straight cut since I have only one shot at doing this right? I was hoping to leave the countertop in place and cut it using a circular saw. Is there another tool you'd recommend for this job?

A. You haven't told me what type of countertop you have. Is it plastic laminate? Solid wood like butcher block? Granite? Another plastic type, such as Corian? And what is the configuration of the top onto which you want to make the cut?

But regardless of the type of material, the wisest course, in my opinion, is to have a countertop specialist do the cutting. Try to find one who would come to your house instead of wanting to take the top to their shop. If none will do so, an experienced carpenter is quite capable of taking care of it for you. Too much is at stake, so leave the responsibility to the professionals.

Q. Recently you wrote "most codes no longer allow floor drains in basements." I find that astounding. Could you explain the thinking behind that code? Has anyone done a cost-benefit analysis? Does it also apply to any low sanitary drains, i.e., a laundry tub or basement toilet?

A. The reason why basement floor drains have lost favor is that the water in the trap dries up unless the inhabitants are scrupulous about putting water in the drains on a regular basis. Once the water in the trap has evaporated, sewer gases, which contain methane, enter the house, and so do sewer flies and other undesirable critters.

In earlier days, floor drains were part of standard basement construction so leakage from appliances or outside sources would be disposed of. The goal was noble, but the sewer gases problem was far worse than the potential risk of flooding.

This only addresses floor drains; nothing is changed regarding laundry trays, washing machine drains or basement toilets, as these fixtures have water seals, and in the case of toilets, a wax seal.

Q: I have a ranch-style home that has steel siding. The siding has a deep, textured, woodlike surface. The finish is white, but it seems powdery and can rub off. A few years ago while attempting to lightly power-wash the siding, a few small areas showed the underlying metal coming through. Whatever coating the siding has (it does not look like a painted surface), I am concerned that any kind of typical paint may not stick or cover properly. How could I repair these small areas? If I decided to deal with the whole house, how could I refinish the whole house?

A. The chalking you are experiencing is a factory-built process designed to keep the siding clean over time.

Power-washing the siding should help remove most of the chalking. Once this is done and the siding is dry, you can prime it with an alkyd or special acrylic primer for chalking metal surfaces. Then paint it with a top-quality exterior acrylic paint of your choice.

Q. In your recent column in the Burlington Free Press, a question was asked by a Michigan reader about how to fasten foam board insulation to a brick wall on the porch, among other concerns. You responded at length about the heat problem, but did not answer about the insulation.

I have a similar situation on a porch we want to turn into a year-round room. We plan on installing a Rinnai heater, but we also need to insulate the brick walls to make this room more comfortable.

Please answer that question for our benefit and that of the Michigan reader.

A. I had answered that question as fully as I could. But keep in mind that newspapers may need to cut some features for space reasons. This may be what happened.

Here is a repeat of my answer to that particular question:

Installing rigid foam insulation will certainly greatly improve your comfort, but it will need to be covered by some protective material according to the building codes I am familiar with, and for aesthetic reasons as well.

If you choose to use extruded polystyrene (XPS) rigid foam insulation (blue, pink, gray or green), it can be fastened to the brick with polyurethane caulking compound or Styrobond as long as the wall surface is basically smooth - i.e., no irregularities that would keep the insulation from being in contact with the entire wall. Some construction adhesives may also be used as long as they are compatible with XPS insulation.

Apply generous, walnut-sized dabs every two feet or so and press the insulation as hard as you can onto the bricks. Gypsum board can be applied to the insulation with the same type of adhesive.

You will need "grounds" (wood strips) around all openings and along the base of the walls and the ceiling to attach trim and moldings.

If you choose polyisocyanurate (known as polyiso for short) rigid insulation with an aluminum skin, it will need to be installed with mechanical fasteners, as the skin is likely to separate from the board if adhesive is used.

An alternative is to fasten furring strips to the bricks 16-inches on center with Tapcon fasteners. Screw the insulation panels and the drywall to the wood strips.

If you prefer to use paneling, you will need to use furring strips in either case. The paneling should be coated with a flame-resistant paint or stain.

All electrical outlets will need to be safely brought forward or extended; a licensed electrician should take care of this step.

You do not need a vapor retarder.

I hope this answers your concerns.

Q. Last year I wrote to you about our then-1-year-old, 1½ story (approximately 2,000 square feet) home that had condensation issues on the windows (Marvin). Some additional facts: We have foam insulation, the main house has a full basement, while the two wings have crawl spaces with 4-foot frost walls. The crawl spaces are open to the main basement area.

We were heating primarily with wood, and keeping the three heat zones set at 60. The door to each heating zone was kept closed. The main portion of the house where we ran the wood stove reached a temperature of 68 with minimal condensation issues. The living room portion of this area is above one of the crawl spaces I mentioned above. You felt 62 was too low. We raised the temp to 68 and added a dehumidifier to the back wing, which is the master suite. The master bath is by far the worst. The condensation issues improved slightly. My husband believed there was an issue with the window glaze resulting in air leaks so several of the windows were reglazed over the summer.

Now that the cool weather is upon us, our condensation (standing water) issue is back even with all zones set between 68-70 degrees and the dehumidifier running in the master suite.

We suspect a contributing factor might be that with the foam insulation the house is super tight. We are considering installing an air exchanger. Is there a brand you would recommend? Can you recommend a few HVAC companies to install it?

A. Are the crawl space floors thoroughly covered with either 6-mil plastic kept in good shape or do they have a concrete slab poured over stones and a plastic sheet? A lot of moisture emanating from the soil can be a source of the excessive moisture you are experiencing.

New houses contain a considerable amount of moisture, which needs time to dissipate. In houses with central air conditioning used throughout the summer and heat set at normal temperatures in the winter, it may take a couple of years for the house to dry up.

In climates where summers are pleasant enough that ventilation is done with open windows, summer moisture may slow the drying process, and the houses may take longer than a couple of years to dry up after construction.

Condensation on windows is not usually a glazing issue; it's a high relative humidity (RH) issue. So you probably saw little change after the glazing was replaced.

Your experiencing condensation again now that the cold weather has returned is normal in most houses ventilated with open windows during the warmer weather. All components in the house, including furnishings, accumulate ambient air moisture, and that moisture needs to be relieved during the heating season. This is accomplished over several months when the heat is turned on. Generally, this condition is corrected by late January.

The number of people in the house, water-loving plants, pets, drying firewood inside and lifestyle habits, such as drying laundry on racks and taking long showers can also raise the RH.

Super tight houses should have heat recovery ventilation (HRV) systems, also known as air-to-air heat exchangers. An option is to have the bathroom fans set on a humidistat so they turn on as the RH reaches the set level, but that requires an air supply of equal capacity, since tight houses may not have enough cracks and crevices to supply it.

I am assuming that, since you use a wood stove for your main heating source, there is an adequate intake air supply to satisfy its needs. Otherwise, makeup air is drawn through chimneys and other paths that can introduce carbon monoxide into the house with deadly effect.

• Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. His book, "About the House," is available at www.upperaccess.com. His website is www.henridemarne.com. Email questions to henridemarne@gmavt.net, or mail First Aid for the Ailing House, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

© 2015, United Feature Syndicate Inc.

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