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Re-sealing a Concrete Patio / Can Alligatoring Paint Be Corrected ? / Vermiculite Insulation

In Asbestos Tile, Q&A, Vermiculite on May 15, 2012 at 12:29 pm

To all my followers: Please pass along my blog address to all your friends and family. I’d appreciate it!

Q:
I have a concrete patio, which was sealed with a 50-50 mixture of boiled linseed oil and kerosene 8 years ago. We are happy with it, and I am thinking of resealing it with the same mixture, but not sure if it requires stripping.  If it does, what kind of mixture do I use to strip it before applying a new coat? Also can this 50-50 mixture be used for sealing stamped concrete patios?

A:

There is no need to remove the previous sealer since it has long worn away due to weather, the suns rays and normal wear. The only thing you need to do is make sure the surface is clean and dry before you reseal it. My recommendation is to wait until it is nice and hot to apply the sealer, otherwise it takes too long to dry.

Finally, this method of sealing concrete is not only recommended for patios, it is also recommended for driveways, porches and walkways as well.

Q:

The paint on some walls looks like the hide of an alligator. Can it be corrected?

A:

Yes, it can be corrected. You didn’t read me say it can be done easily, but I will say it could be corrected and maybe worth the effort to you.

Sometimes numerous random cracks appear over the wall – not straight cracks, but cracks that actually look like an alligator’s hide. These cracks originate within the paint itself. A couple of circumstances contribute to this problem: Applying paint over a surface that’s not clean or is greasy, and most often, applying a flat paint over glossy enamel or a varnished woodwork.

In the future, if you plan on painting over gloss or semi-gloss enamel paints or varnishes, sand and clean the surface prior to painting. Then apply a de-glosser, like Liquid Sandpaper.

To eliminate the alligatoring-paint, you have two alternatives: A temporary solution is to fill and sand each and every crack with spackling compound and repaint. The permanent solution is to chemically strip off all the layers of paint, clean, sand, prime the walls, and re-paint. Keep in mind that most of the paint under the latex topcoats probably contains lead. Lead paint must be removed using precautions. You must be careful not to stir up dust or cause fumes that contain lead. You really should consider hiring a professional since you are going to set up a containment area in each room that you’ll be working in. Containment means removing everything from those rooms. The carpeting and floors will have to be covered with heavy-gauge, six-mil plastic and all seams taped. The plastic should even be taped to the baseboards. The heat supply and returns must all be sealed off and you will need to wear disposable clothing, goggles and protective mask. You can find out more about safety measures by calling 1-800-424-LEAD. Ask for the brochure “Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home.” This brochure explains what to do before, during, and after renovations.

Now that you think about it, those cracks don’t look so bad after all, do they? They sort of give the walls character. And speaking of character, I’m often called one.

Q:
You inspected my house for a purchaser and found vermiculite insulation in the attic. They did not buy the house because of it. Why?

A:
Vermiculite is known to contain hazardous asbestos.

EPA’s recent testing in houses with vermiculite found that for the most part, undisturbed attic air contains no detectable asbestos. If vermiculite is disturbed, or samples pulled from the bottom of the insulation, there is up to 2% of a very hazardous type of asbestos. Since any exposure to asbestos is unsafe a licensed asbestos contractor should remove it.
Another problem with vermiculite is just its existence in the attic. Houses breathe and vacillate between negative and positive air pressure. When your house is under negative pressure you could be pulling asbestos fibers into the air via wall sockets, light fixtures, recessed lights, gaps between the floor and walls, etc.

Vermiculite looks about the size of the eraser on a pencil. The colors vary from silver-gold to a gray-brown. If you think you have it, do not go into the attic.

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Musty Odor From A Crawl Space / Leaking Chimney Clean-out / Wet Crawl Space / Wet Chimney Insulation

In Crawl Space, Odors, Q&A on May 8, 2012 at 2:33 pm

To all my followers: Please pass along my blog address to all your friends and family. I’d appreciate it!

Q:

I have a musty odor emitting from the crawl space. How can I stop the odor from rising through the floor?

A:

Check to make sure that a plumbing fixture or pipe is not leaking into the crawl. The leak could be rotting some of the sub-floor and possibly the insulation.

You’ll need to crawl under the house with a flashlight and look directly under the kitchen and bathroom areas. Check for plumbing leaks or leaking through the foundation walls.

Check the insulation around the perimeter or is it attached to the underside of the floor joists? In either case, it could be trapping moisture or critters and the smell could be originating from either. In both cases, it’s not uncommon.

If you’re sure that neither one of these issues is the cause of the problem, than you’ll have to remove the insulation away from the band joists. That is the insulation stuffed between the joists along the top of the exterior walls. Oftentimes when inspecting houses, I find evidence of leaking, rotting and wood destroying insect activity in that area and it is usually caused by improperly installed door walls, entries or brick flashing on the exterior.

Remember, where there’s smoke there’s fire and in your case, you need to find the leak and eliminate the odor.

Q:

I am confused. My real estate agent said I have to hire a home inspector, but the seller says it must be a licensed home inspector.

A:

There is no licensing for inspectors in Michigan. That’s not entirely bad. I’ve talked to inspectors where there is licensing and it seems to “dumb down” the industry.

The best inspectors are qualified and must undergo ongoing continuing education training. They also must be members of the American Society of Home Inspectors (www.ashi.org) or the National Society of Home Inspectors (www.nahi.org).

Both organizations set standards of practice, require continuing education and establish guidelines regarding ethics for inspectors.

Make sure any inspector is a member of one of these organizations and has errors and omissions insurance.

Q:

I have water in my crawl space. It has a dirt floor that is covered with plastic and I put extensions on the downspouts. There are no problems with rot or mold but there is a slight musty odor.

A:

With time you will have mold and rot so correcting the leak is imperative.

I am assuming the ground around the exterior is sloped away from the house and not toward it.

Your next step would be to either waterproof the foundation walls and install a drain tile system on the exterior or put in a drain tile system to a sump pump in the crawl.

Whatever you do is expensive, but necessary. Check in the yellow pages under basement waterproofing companies.

Q:

My water heater and furnace are in the basement and exhaust into a mutual chimney quite apart from the fireplace. There is an ash clean-out door at the base of the chimney. In rainy weather or at a thaw, through this door comes a pretty good flow of water.

A:

First, install a metal chimney cap and screening on top of the flue. Also make sure the wash at the top of the chimney is not cracked, broken, rusted through and/or leaking.

While those are the common sources of leaking, your problem may be because the chimney below grade is cracked and water is getting into it and leaking through the clean-out door.

If that’s the case, basement waterproofers should be able to repair the problem.

Q:

When it rains, water drips into our basement under the fireplace. The contractor who installed the fireplace for us has told us, that the water coming through the chimney has also ruined the insulation inside the chimney. He says the cold drafts we get in our living room each winter coming from the firebox are the result of the insulation having been soaked and no longer doing its job. I’m trying to decide what to do.

A:

I agree that the insulation is most likely ruined. The leak probably originated from the chimney wash. If it is masonry, (which I doubt) it can be patched with vinyl concrete. If it’s a metal pan, it is a poor design and prone to leaking.

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Mystery Spots on Basement Floor / Missing Roof Shingles / Garage Door Opener Problem

In Miscellaneous, Q&A on May 1, 2012 at 9:41 am

To all my followers: Please pass along my blog address to all your friends and family. I’d appreciate it!

Q:
I have never had any problems with leaks in my basement.

Over the last several months I have noticed several dark spots appearing on the concrete floor. They are not moist and some of them have white areas, but those are not wet. The spots are not near walls or under any pipes; they are more toward the middle of the basement. Do you have any idea of what they might be?

A:
Those are leaks and efflorescence as a result of leaks. The moisture under the slab is permeating up. If you have a sump pump, check it and verify that it is working and possibly lower it in the sump to make sure it comes on sooner.

Q:
Every year about this time, or for that matter, every year at just about anytime, the wind rips off a shingle or two from my house. It is becoming expensive to hire a roofer to replace them each time. The roof isn’t that old so it shouldn’t need replacing. How can I replace a missing shingle myself and save money?

A:
When you inspect your asphalt or fiberglass shingles, you should find that each shingle, which generally has three or four tabs, is probably secured with nails or staples. The nails should be about one-inch in from each edge and another one over each slot. The overlapping shingles should conceal the nails or staples. Obviously, your self-sealing tabs did not seal properly. A common problem with shingles installed in cold weather.

You need to slip a pry bar under the overlapping shingle (which is just above the torn/missing shingle) loosen and raise it. After removing the nails, you should be able to pull out the remainder of the damaged shingle.

Using a utility knife cut off several inches along the top of the new replacement shingle along with a small corner on each topside. Slip that newly trimmed shingle into place and nail it down suing four galvanized roofing nails.

Now for the tricky part – trying to nail a new shingle down without damaging the overlapping shingle. A good technique is to slip your trusty old pry bar back up under the overlapping shingle directly over each nail. Then hammer on the pry bar to drive each of the nails down at one time. I hope I’ve driven my point home.

While you’re up there lightly try and lift the remaining shingles. If they are loose, dab a small amount of tar from a tube or caulking gun under each loose tab. That should prevent additional shingles from blowing off.

You know what they say, “What goes up, must come down”. But as you can see, when we’re talking about your roof, what comes down must go back up!

Q:
Help, my automatic garage door opener is acting up.

A:
You didn’t provide enough information, but here’s a start. Check and see if there is anything obstructing the door’s remote sensor. Remove the obstruction and try again. Check and see if you have photoelectric sensors neat the bottom of both sides of the overhead door. They may have become dislodged or misaligned.

The most likely problem is the photoelectric sensors located near the floor. They are a safety feature designed to prevent damage and injury. Make sure there is no obstruction. Even a cobweb could cause the problem.

Perhaps the sensors are loose or not lined up. They could have been bumped or dislodged.

Take a look at them and you should see a small light. The light should be constant and not blinking. If it is, try adjusting and tightening the wing nut at the back of the sensor.
Some concrete floors heave. If that’s the case, adjust the automatic safety reverse. Look for an adjustment screw. If you can’t locate the owner’s manual, and your opener is an older model, it may not have an adjustment knob or screw. If that’s the case, it’s not safe and should be replaced.

If the door activates itself, somebody nearby may be using the same radio code as you. Check your manual for instructions to recode your opener.

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