The Money Pit Calls & Answers

Find out why you don't need to apply a sealer over danish oil on the interior walls of your wood cabin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to find out if installing solar panels will be worth the investment for you. The installer should be able to calculate how many years it will take for you to get a payback; ask yourself if you will stay in the house that long. If not, other green, money-saving improvements include adding insulation or getting a more efficient AC unit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to prevent basement flooding by making sure that your downspouts extend at least four to six feet away from your foundation. Learn why you should also slope the soil away from the walls using clean fill dirt instead of topsoil, which is Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to use a siding wash product such as OxiClean or Jomax to clean your wood deck. Get step by step instructions for mixing with bleach, applying, letting sit, rinsing, and letting dry very well. Then use an oil-based primer and a solid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why stripped bolts could be the problem with a toilet that won't stay tightened to the floor. Get tips on how to match the old bolts and replace the wax seal before you reattach the toilet with the new bolts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove excess oil from door hinges that have been sprayed with too much lubricant. Get tips on taking the door off the hinges and wiping both sides thoroughly before putting it all back together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to maintain a flat membrane roof. Get tips on keeping debris off the roof and applying fibrous aluminum paint to reflect sunlight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you shouldn't prune trees too late in the season: the new growth makes the tree vulnerable to the cold. Get tips on using electric lighting as a source of additional heat and keeping the tree moist and watered so it doesn't radiate heat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair a bell tower with rotted panels. You need to be at roof level to work on it. Pull off the shingles and roof sheathing and install new pieces of sheathing. Then install a good underlayment, such as Grace Ice and Water Shield, and Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to replace cedar siding that has been damaged by a woodpecker. If the holes are too big to fill in, the best thing to do is pry up the piece above them, cut out the bad pieces and put a new piece in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to pour concrete for a three-bay garage with an above-ground lift. Get tips on putting a lot of extra concrete underneath the lift post. Also learn why you should divide the slab into thirds and put two expansion joints in between the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about how the EasyWater System works and decide if it suits your application. Find information about the EasyWater System and its inventor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out about radiant barrier paint. Get tips on how radiant barrier paint can help keep a building cool even in extreme heat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out which wood siding is better for your project, pine or cedar. Learn about the advantages of cedar siding and how to properly stain wood siding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on adding insulation to an attic that already has insulation. Find out which insulation to use, and learn about a website that can help you determine how much insulation you should use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you can't use cement to repair a crack in concrete. Instead, get tips on using an epoxy patching compound, which is designed to both fill the voids and seal them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why it is a bad idea to mix different kinds of indoor wall paint in an effort to make your concrete floor look like stone. Instead, use an epoxy paint that adheres well to concrete. You can buy two or three different colors and create the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair scratches in prefinished hardwood flooring. If the scratches are small, you can use stain sticks from Minwax to hide the cracks. But if the scratch is big, you have to tear out the affected planks and replace them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what your options are to give your old countertops a makeover. Get tips on buying paint kits from Rust-Oleum, Modern Masters or Giani. Learn why you should prep the surface before you paint, and let the paint dry well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove rust from a propane tank, then prime and paint it. Get tips on using a wire brush to remove the rust and loose paint and choosing a primer rated for metal, such as Rust-Oleum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rolled on and blown in insulation will both be equally effective if they are installed properly. However, unfaced fiberglass batt insulation is easier to handle and preferable in most cases. You want to put down 18 to 20 inches, and make sure you have Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what your options are to replace basement carpeting after a flood or sewer back-up. You can go with laminate flooring, engineered hardwood flooring or even low-cost ceramic tile. If the floor is uneven, the solution is not to pour more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to make a sliding glass porch enclosure to keep out winter wind. Have a channel up top and a channel down below and have both be attached to the porch opening. Then drop in some framed panels covered with clear Plexiglas by sliding them Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why it is a good idea to remove your asphalt shingle roof before installing a metal roof. If you left the shingles on and they started to curl underneath the metal roof, it could raise up the space. Additionally, the layer of shingles will Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you can't fix a cracked concrete driveway by putting asphalt over it. It will only continue to crack and will also lift sections of the asphalt at the same time. The solution is to rent a jackhammer and pull out the bad concrete. Then put Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why it is not necessary to put crushed rock on top of the plastic sheeting in your crawlspace. The only thing you need to do is put a large single plastic sheet right on top of the soil to stop the moisture from evaporating up into the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on painting concrete basement floors and walls. Find out which paint is best to use on the high traffic floor so that it won't peel and crack during use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on laying laminate flooring over existing tiles. Find out what may happen if the existing tiles may tent up under the laminate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what needs to be done to change the hardware on a pedestal sink. Learn why it is best to hire a plumber for the job since more than likely he will have the tools needed to complete the job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to fix low water pressure problems by installing a pump and new water pressure tank. Find out how adding the pump and tank can help increase the water pressure to numerous fixtures and faucets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether or not you can put a pocket door into a load bearing wall. Get tips on what door would be best to use and what size the new door has to be framed at. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove mold from a driveway. The only permanent solution to prevent mold growth is for the driveway to get a lot of sunlight. Otherwise, use a siding wash like JOMAX or OxiClean. Apply it to the driveway, let it sit for a while and Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what to do when there's too much heat coming through your windows. The solution is to replace them with energy efficient windows. If you have louvered windows now you'll have to switch to another design such as casement windows because there Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to clean rust from a driveway. Get tips on using TSP, trisodium phosphate, which is available in the paint aisle of home centers and hardware stores. Mix it up into a paste and trowel it on the stain, then let it sit for a bit and it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix a leak above the front door. The most common cause of this is that the flashing above the front door on the outside of your home is breaking down and that’s why the water is getting in. First try using a silicone caulk around the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to install a garage wall panel system. You need to put a screw in every stud location because every square foot of it has to be sturdy enough to hang whatever you want to hang on it. If you run out of screws, you can go buy some deck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's OK to paint deck trim with a two-in-one product as long as the product is rated for exterior use. However, the only product you should use on a deck floor is a solid stain because nothing else will hold up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether it is necessary to do something about a crack in the foundation of your home. If it seems to be relatively stable, you can leave it alone. If you have issues with moisture getting through it you can always caulk the crack. However, if Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether it's OK to let moss grow on your roof. You can leave it alone as long as it doesn’t get too thick and start to grow under the shingles because it will hold water against them and cause rot. If it gets to be really thick, treat it with Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to refresh a deck and get it looking like new. Get tips on using a semi-transparent stain if your deck is in good shape and a solid stain if it's in bad shape. Make sure you don't get too aggressive when pressure washing, and let dry very Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix the problem of water coming up through the floor around your toilet. The problem is caused by an issue with the wax seal. The solution is that the toilet has to be taken up and the wax seal has to be replaced. You should then be Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether it is safe to use a steam cleaner on a hardwood floor. When cleaning a hardwood floor, you don’t want to use a lot of water; you want to damp mop it and use a good-quality hardwood floor cleaner. Using a steam cleaner should not be a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether you should be worried about the electromagnetic field around your refrigerator. All appliances emit electromagnetic fields but they generally drop off very, very rapidly when you move away from them. It's not really a cause for Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to soften hard water using EasyWater, a system that is attached at the main water line. It takes the lime deposits and the minerals in the water and essentially charges them so that they don’t stick together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about installing radiant barriers to remove excess heat from the attic. Find out how to install the barriers so that air flow isn't blocked. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to attach the top of a work bench if you are putting a plywood surface on top of a sheet metal top desk. Drill down through the top and use sheet metal screws to attach it to the desk. Clearance drill the wood top and then pilot drill the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on how to keep your garage door seal from sticking to the garage floor when the garage door freezes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips and advice on how to strip paint from wood siding and wood shingles. Find out how to go about preparing the wood for new paint and how to strip off the old paint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to remove old paint from wrought iron railings by using a pressure washer. Get tips on how to prime the surface before repainting the railings and which paint is good to use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn your options for products to use for painting a bathroom formica countertop. Learn about curing and drying time for paint and how humidity can affect drying time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices