The Money Pit Calls & Answers

Get tips on using Behr concrete floor paint and EPOXYShield from Rust-Oleum to paint your patio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether you should seal off your foundation vents. If your house is designed to have a vented foundation, you should definitely have the vents. If your house has a moisture problem, sealing off the vents is not the solution. Instead, look at Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove nicotine stains from wallpaper. Get tips on using trisodium phosphate, a powdered mix available at hardware stores and any home center. Mix up a fairly weak solution and put it on with a damp, not wet sponge. Work it in circular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to level a concrete garage floor. Get tips on using a floor-leveling compound. You control the consistency of it so that it trowels properly and you can actually get a perfectly level floor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix the problem of water pooling in your yard. Get tips on installing a curtain drain to solve the issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you should make plywood hurricane shutters well before you will need them. Use hanger bolts so that you have bolts on the windows that are ready to receive the shutters mounted into the window trim. Make the shutters to fit the windows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get your asbestos roof replaced. A worker wearing a respirator should take the shingles off by starting at the top and taking them apart. Disposal sometimes is an issue and that varies from state to state. Once the asbestos shingles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you should invest in a good whole-house air cleaner instead of getting your heat ducts cleaned. A whole-house air cleaner works much better than the very thin, fiberglass filters that typically are installed in furnaces and air Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to locate the source of a leak in your shower. Get tips on determining if the shower pan is the problem by covering the drain and filling the pan with about four inches of water. Next, take your garden hose and drop it right in the middle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on how to clean mold off a ceiling. Find out how mold grows and how to get rid of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on how to find the source of a leak in a chimney. Find out how silicone caulk can fix the leak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on how to clean and care for hardwood floors. Learn why having a throw carpet down may be slowing down the off-gassing process of polyurethane-coated hardwood flooring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on what to do with painted paneling. Learn whether you can strip paint off the paneling to make it presentable, remove wallpaper from paneling, or whether you should start with new wallboard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out in which order drywall should be installed; ceiling or wall first. Learn how the wallboard will help support the ceiling boards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn what needs to be done to create a basement from a dirt crawlspace. Learn how far to dig before you lose support for your foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on how to fix a hole in drywall. Learn how to use a bigger piece of drywall to repair the hole. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn the best technique to sand and stain a mahogany door. Find out which sandpaper and which stain should be used for an interior mahogany door. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on how to use a pressure washer to remove moss and mildew from your roof. Learn how changing your roof vents can also help keep the roof clean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on how to safely install a motion detector into an existing outdoor light. Making sure the power is off before you work with wires can keep you safe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on replacing a cedar shake roof. Find out about replacement roofing and how Owens Corning has a fiberglass roof that is made to look like cedar shake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on adding blown-in insulation to an attic. Find out why it is important to keep the soffit vents clear in order to keep the insulation dry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on finding the source of a roof leak. Learn how to check flashing, and search for cracked shingles that may be the cause of water leaking into your home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to update your kitchen cabinets to give your kitchen a new look without having to remodel. Learn about several options, such as stripping and whitewashing the cabinets, restaining them to their existing finish, decoupaging flowers and Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why it is not correct to install hardwood flooring directly on top of concrete. The concrete will give off moisture, causing the wood to buckle. However, it is OK to install engineered hardwood over concrete because it is dimensionally Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to use a car jack to take the pressure off a damaged roof support. Also get tips on putting up temporary columns so you can remove a column and pour a proper concrete footing for it before replacing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you should leave the gaps in your floorboards alone instead of trying to fill them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn where to find information about energy rebates and tax incentive programs in New Jersey. Visit NJCEP.com, the website of the New Jersey Clean Energy Program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to stop your chimney from leaking water. Get tips on sealing it with a masonry sealer that is a clear polyurethane/concrete mixture. Also check for sources of water that could be coming up through the patio and getting absorbed by the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what kind of roof will withstand high winds and hurricanes. Learn about Owens Corning’s high wind resistant shingle which can withstand 60 mph winds. Timberline also offers fiberglass asphalt shingles that can withstand 80 mph winds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix buzzing speakers. Learn about several possible causes, including loose wires, bad grounds, ham radios and signal interference. Get tips on using an uninterruptable power supply, which keeps your voltage regular or relatively Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether you should be concerned about your water heater making a popping sound. It’s nothing to worry about because it’s caused by normal expansion and contraction inside the pressure vessel as it heats and cools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get rid of Asian beetles. Get tips on using a microencapsulated pesticide such as Demand or Demon WP. Put it in an Ortho sprayer and spray it on baseboards, windowsills, doorsills, etc. Applying the right kind of pesticide in the right Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to choose the best kind of flooring for each area of the house. Engineered hardwood or vinyl flooring is good for places that have high traffic or a lot of moisture, such as a basement, bathroom or kitchen. Laminate wood flooring in a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the best way to remove a popcorn ceiling. Use a spray bottle to soak a section with water and let it sit for a while. Then work your way through with a 6-inch wide spackle knife. Block off the room from the rest of the house with plastic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what to do when the new concrete you’ve poured doesn’t match up with your old concrete. Get tips on using an epoxy patching compound, as it is the only thing that will adhere to concrete well. The new and old concrete won’t stain uniformly, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to clean a concrete driveway. Mix up some OxiClean, brush it on with a stiff brush, let it sit and then power wash it off. Be careful not to use too much pressure because you might erode the surface of the concrete. And do it on a sunny Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how using a wet/dry shop vac when sanding walls and other surfaces will keep dust at a minimum. Find out how to keep dust out of the rest of the house by using a ZipWall and cross ventilation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on how grading around the house and fixing gutters and downspouts can solve basement flooding. Learn how proper drainage can keep excess water away from the house. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about adjusting double hung windows. Find out how double hung window latches provide a seal against drafts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to rebuild a bathroom floor. Learn how to put sister floor joists against rotting floor joists so that you can put down a level bathroom floor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out about fixing a plastic membrane on a wooden foundation, and learn why the problem has the team stumped. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about repairing appliances after a power outage. Find tips about appliance parts and repair. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to easily eliminate a floor squeak. Find tips for fixing squeaky wood floors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out about grants and loans for home renovation and repair. Learn about HUD loans for home repair and remodeling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair crumbly mortar between bricks. The solution is to go in about half of the distance on the brick and repoint it. Use a special masonry trowel that is very narrow and will allow you to press the new mortar mix right between the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to frame a mirror without taking it off the wall. Learn about a solution from Moen called Mirrorscapes. It's basically a flat piece that you put onto your mirror with adhesive, and then a decorative panel snaps on top of that. You don’t Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether you should worry about a small amount of condensation on the inside of your windows as the weather begins to get colder. The answer is that it's more of an annoyance than anything else. If you want to slow it down, you can put shades Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether a leak means that you have to replace your roof. Leaks are typically very repairable. Even though a roofer may try to talk you into replacing the roof, that may not be necessary. However, if you do need a new roof, Owens Corning has Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get rid of roof moss without having to install expensive copper flashing. The main solution is to thin out surrounding trees and get more sunlight on the roof because if you have a very shady roof, you have conditions that are Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether it is economical to run an attic fan. Attic fans are not recommended if you have central air conditioning because when you turn the fan on in the summer, it depressurizes the attic but also reaches down into your house and starts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices