Dear Gene: My house has aluminum siding. The finish is faded and deteriorated. Can I successfully repaint the siding? — M.K. Aluminum siding can be successfully repainted, but there is some controversy about how to do it. I have seen instructions that call for using an acrylic paint and no primer except on bare spots, […]
Special Issues
Posted inSpecial Issues
Keep it cool upstairs
Dear Gene: We live in a two-level house with most of the living space on the upper floor. The air-conditioner thermostat is on the upper floor, which gets very warm in hot weather. We are thinking of having a couple of electrically powered attic fans installed to help cool the upper floor. What is your […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
The great debate
Dear Gene: We live in a condominium with a deck that has wood railings that are in need of replacement or repair. The condo association wants us to replace the wood railings with vinyl, which is supposedly maintenance-free. What are the pros and cons of wood versus vinyl? — M.E. Vinyl isn’t maintenance-free, of course, […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Solving a noise problem
Dear Gene: My home is close to a busy highway, and there is a lot of road noise. Are there special windows I can install to solve the noise problem? — M.M. Some windows are superior at screening out noise, according to their makers. An example is Milgard’s Quiet Line. For more information, check the […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Removing yellow stains
Dear Gene: Some of the grout in my two-year-old ceramic-tile bathroom floor has acquired yellow stains. I haven’t been able to remove the stains with various household cleaners. Can you help? — J.M. Household cleaners are sometimes strong enough to clean grout and tiles (I’ve had good reports about Simple Green, for example), but for […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Getting rid of odors
Dear Gene: I own a condominium that has a musty mold or mildew odor and also gets sticky residue on some surfaces. What can I do about this? — N.M. These symptoms, which are especially common in basements, are almost always caused by moisture resulting from poor ventilation and excessive humidity. Air conditioners, which also […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Fixing squeaky floors
Dear Gene: Our house has beat-up hardwood floors covered by wall-to-wall carpet. The floors squeak badly. Is there any way to fix this problem from the basement, without removing the carpeting? — M.S. Squeaking floors can be very tricky to repair, but if you can work from underneath the floor, you have an advantage. The […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Painting vinyl siding
Dear Gene: Is it possible to paint vinyl siding? Will the paint eventually wash off? — A.L. Vinyl siding can be successfully painted if some basic rules are followed. An important point to remember is that vinyl siding should not be painted a darker color than the original color. This is because dark colors cause […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Repairing plaster walls
Dear Gene: How can we make lasting repairs to cracks in our plaster walls? Also, should plaster be primed before it is painted, and what primer should be used? — K.L. I can’t guarantee that the patches will be permanent, because cracks are often caused by settling or movement in the building. Cracks can reopen […]
