Special Issues

Dear Gene: Our deck is shaded and regularly turns green with algae. We have pressure-washed the wood twice in three years to remove the stuff. Is there a better way? You should be able to remove the algae rather easily with a bleach-type deck cleaner such as Olympic or Wolman. These cleaners are sold at […]

Dear Gene: I plan to vent my range hood into the attic. Is this a good idea, or is there a better way? It is definitely not a good idea. Ideally the range hood should be vented to the outside, usually through the roof. This requires the installation of some ductwork but is worth the […]

Dear Gene: If we paint our siding, how long can we expect the paint job to last? It is impossible to say how long a given paint job will last, because so many variables are involved, but the question is certainly worth some discussion. Some manufacturers offer long-term warranties on exterior paint — some “lifetime” […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]