Freshly sealed driveway should be blocked off from traffic

Q. On Sept. 1, I had my new driveway sealed after two years of letting it dry out. Within two hours, the letter carrier walked across the wet driveway, then put eight tar footprints on my cement porch and proceeded to make another 20 feet of prints down the other side of the driveway.

There is nothing I can do about the 29 prints on the asphalt, unless I resurface it. It already cost me $130. I don't know if I can even put two coats on in one month.

But my big problem is the tar prints on my cement porch, and the post office told me there's nothing they can do. I'm a 69-year-old gal who lives northwest of Chicago. I'm by myself and it looks like the mess is mine, as I was planning on selling next spring. This doesn't do much for curb appeal. I already tried vinegar and bleach to no avail.

What can I use other than Benzene, kerosene & muriatic acid as the Internet suggested?

A. Whoever applied the sealer on your driveway should have blocked access to it until the sealant had dried thoroughly. To get the right procedure to remove the footprints, you need to know what sealant was used.

If the sealer is cutback coal tar, a commercial product like Sure Klean Asphalt and Tar Remover may do the job. Check out www.prosoco.com and click on Products followed by Sure Klean.

I suggest that you call the people who applied the sealant and ask them to come and clean the mess. Unfortunately, it will be at your expense since the USPS is not going to take any responsibility for helping you out. And the post office has a point; the driveway should have been closed off.

Q. Please advise the person who said that his new gutter guards applied over a rubber roof were blown away by the wind that he or she can go to any professional roofing supply company that deals in rubber (EPDM) roofing materials and buy tubes of "seam sealing caulk." This product is made specifically for use on rubber roofing and will help to bond the gutter guard into place. Be advised that he may need to buy a gallon of seam sealer cleaner to assure maximum adhesion to the EPDM roof material.

A. With what I know of the situation, the solution to the reader's problem is not to glue the gutter guard to the rubber roof, as it would create a "dam" that blocks the proper evacuation of water and of other creations of nature.

The gutter guard should be set below the roof's drip edge. But thank you for the information about the available seam caulk.

Q. I have had Pella replacement windows for approximately 20 years. The windows on the rear of my house face south. The vinyl window trim and screen frames have faded over the years. The vinyl is a dark architectural brown. Can the vinyl be repainted? The inside is stained wood, so there is no problem.

I intend to have the screening replaced, and if it is possible to do, I would prefer to repaint the screen frames prior to replacing the screens. I live in a suburb just northwest of Chicago.

A. Clean the vinyl thoroughly and apply a coat of B-I-N over it, followed by a compatible latex paint. An experienced paint store associate should be able to steer you to the right choice.

Q. We have to redo our bathroom, including a glass block window. The room's only ventilation is through a ceiling fan. We took down the ceiling drywall and fiberglass insulation that was above it.

We noticed the insulation was damp and looked like maybe mice nests were in it. Mold was visible on the underside of wood that was above the insulation.

What can we do to get rid of mold and put up in ceiling that insulates properly?

A. I am assuming that the wood with mold on it is the bottom of the roof sheathing. Is there any natural ventilation between the roof sheathing and the top of the insulation in the form of soffit and ridge venting? And was the insulation filling the rafter spaces?

It sounds as if moisture from the bathroom is convecting into the rafter spaces, causing the excessive moisture problem.

The presence of mice nests also suggests that there is at least one entry point. Redoing your bathroom gives you the opportunity to find and seal any suspicious place through which mice can get in.

Regarding the insulation question, I need more information before I can give you whatever sensible advice I can. I would need to know the depth of the rafters, the thickness of the fiberglass insulation you removed and whether any kind of roof ventilation exists. I also need to know what type of ceiling finish you plan on installing.

The mold can be dealt with by spraying it with a solution of three parts water and one part fresh Clorox bleach.

Q. I know over the years you have hit on mold, but I'm wondering if you ever ran into this. Three years ago we had new linoleum laid in our unheated breezeway. This year there was a stretch of what we believe was mold showing on top of the flooring. Is there a way to remove the mold from the surface of the linoleum?

A. The term "linoleum" is used generically to describe sheet goods, which can be real linoleum or vinyl. The way to deal with mold is the same for either material.

If the mold is only on the surface of the linoleum or vinyl (you can actually feel it by running your hand on it), it should be easily removed by wiping it off with a clean cloth dampened with a solution of three parts water and one part fresh Clorox bleach.

But it is also possible that the moisture stains you see have been caused by moisture penetrating the material from below. Is your breezeway floor concrete or wood over a crawl space?

If the bleach solution does not work, it is likely that moisture from below caused the mold. In this case, whether the surface is linoleum or vinyl, the only remedy is removal and replacement of the floor covering.

You may want to call a flooring specialist to determine if the problem is from moisture migration from below.

Q. I would like to know the best type of caulking to use for an outdoor wood porch.

A. In my experience, the best all-around caulking by far is polyurethane. Unfortunately, polyurethane caulking is not that easy to find. Hardware stores feature different types, most of which are silicone-based. The commercial construction industry uses mainly polyurethane caulk compounds, which tells you something.

I have used Sikaflex-1a for over 50 years, and have been very pleased with it. The Home Depot carries Sikaflex Construction Adhesive, which looks like the same thing to me, in their masonry supply section. You won't find it in the painting section, which is devoted to a variety of other types of caulking.

There are other brands of polyurethane caulking available, often referred to as sealant. You can also find polyurethane caulking in masonry-supply and construction specialty houses. One such supplier on the East Coast is A.H. Harris (www.ahharris.com). Unfortunately, it is difficult to navigate the company's website; it is best to call one of its stores to order.

Q. Some time ago, we were planning to have oak flooring installed over a grade-level concrete slab. My wife wrote to you saying that our contractor plans on putting the moisture barrier over the subflooring. Your reply was to put the vapor retarder directly on the concrete. Unfortunately, the contractor did it his way. The boards are slightly concave; could the placement of the moisture barrier be a reason the boards are cupped?

A. It is possible. Placing the vapor retarder directly on the concrete will contain any moisture migrating from the soil, which can happen if the concrete was poured directly on grade or fine material instead of several inches of egg-size stones covered with plastic.

Moisture may also migrate through the concrete even if there are several inches of the proper size stones, but no plastic vapor retarder under the concrete, and the soil is very wet, or water fills the stone bed when snow melts or during heavy rains.

Concrete being somewhat porous, moisture contained by the plastic will eventually be reabsorbed by the concrete when the conditions are right again.

Placing the vapor retarder on the subfloor allows moisture to penetrate the subfloor material. If the subfloor material is plywood, the effect is less of a problem than if the material is OSB or similar particle board; all particle board products are moisture-absorbent and retain moisture. In these conditions, water vapor can eventually migrate through the plastic, which is not 100 percent moisture-proof; it is only moisture-resistant.

Additional information from a reader: A reader had asked for a way to make a handicapped-accessible ramp skid-resistant when wet. Following my answer, several readers sent me their solution. Here is another one:

"One brand that I have used successfully is from No Skidding, a company that produces a variety of slip-resistant coatings and other products. Its website is www.noskidding.com.

Another interesting note from a reader: "I noticed your comment to the person with the 40-year-old kitchen cabinets who was curious about what to do. Your comment was that "firms that replace cabinet doors and drawer fronts ... may be hard to find."

We had our kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts replaced two years ago just by going to The Home Depot. They used a subcontractor, of course, but the result was great - they turned out excellent."

• 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.