Henri de Marne
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Years of varnish can be removed like paintJun 22, 2014 12:01 am - Q. Can you tell what is wrong with the finish on this woodwork (photo attached) and how we can repair or improve its appearance? Much of the woodwork in our 1929 house h...
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Ventilating bathroom fans through roof is far from idealJun 15, 2014 12:01 am - Q. We read your information in a recent Sunday column about not venting bathroom fans through the roof. We live in a two-story home with a hipped roof. We have soffits a...
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A reciprocating saw can fit into hard-to-reach placesJun 08, 2014 12:01 am - Q. We have a 5-foot retaining wall in our backyard that is constructed of 6-square-inch, pressure-treated timbers. The timbers are connected by three 12-inch spikes driv...
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Pressure washers can be powerful tools when used correctlyJun 01, 2014 12:01 am - Q. I am thinking of buying a power washer and would like some advice on which type to buy. It will be used to clean my deck, fence and vinyl siding. Thank you for any he...
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Reader's patio condition backslidesMay 25, 2014 12:01 am - (EDITORS: Henri de Marne is on vacation this week. This column was originally published on May 4, 2007.) Q. We have a patio in the back of our house. Part of it is start...
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Use of wrong type of lumber may have led to rotting, moldMay 18, 2014 12:01 am - Q. I'm afraid I've got something really bad happening to the "knee wall" I built up under part of my house five or more years ago. Here's my situation: I bought my home ...
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Window air conditioners do not take up much spaceMay 04, 2014 12:01 am - Q. We want to put an in-the-wall air conditioner in the kitchen of a small summer home. The kitchen gets unbearably hot, even when just using the stove burners. There re...
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Drying out after a flood can cause additional issuesApr 27, 2014 1:01 am - Q. I need some advice. Last October I had a drainpipe back up, which caused flooding in my finished basement and some of my first floor. I called my insurance company an...
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Energy-efficient housing is a worthy goal when done rightApr 20, 2014 12:01 am - Q. I have a zero-net house with 16-inch-thick walls and have the same condensation problems, even on triple pane windows, as your recent reader from Vermont had. As I se...
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Air flow, not gutters, is to blame for ice damsApr 13, 2014 12:01 am - Q: We have lived in Rolling Meadows for more than 40 years and have always had problems with ice dams. All the articles we have read regarding ice dams state they are ca...