Vanity stains can be difficult to remove
Q. We have white stains on one of our bathroom vanity tops. These stains were made by bottles (mouthwash, hand lotion, etc.). The vanity top is made out of a Formica-type material. I have tried everything I can think of to remove them: bleach, hydrogen peroxide, toothpaste, lemon juice and several bathroom cleaners, but nothing works. Do you have any ideas? The vanity top in the other bathroom has no stains, even though bottles are kept there, too.
A. You have tried about everything I would have suggested, except Kaboom. That is not to say that it will work, but it's worth a try. I assume that the other bathroom's top is made of a material that is not porous. If anyone has had a successful experience with a similar situation, please send me your recipe.
We built our home two years ago and had some problems with water coming into the house where the ceiling hits the wall. The problem area is where we have copper flashing that meets brick and stone. Our builder had the roofer come to check the copper flashing and the brick person come to check for mortar cracks. More caulking was done around the flashing, and our brick was sprayed with water repellent. The issue was supposedly resolved. We even paid to have a home inspector come out.
We sprayed the area in question with a hose for 20 minutes with no moisture showing inside and without the inspector's equipment showing any sign of water. Recently we had several days of rain and the problem resurfaced. We are frustrated and don't know what to do about this issue. We are concerned about mold developing later from the water coming in and dripping down the wall. We are also concerned about the water getting into our floor, since that room is hardwood. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.
A. The original problem seems to have been caused by poor flashing practices. Counter flashing - usually lead - needs to be set into mortar joints as the bricks and stones are laid, then copper or aluminum stepflashing is inserted under each shingle course as it is nailed. The counter flashing is pressed down over the stepflashing, and sometimes caulking is needed to keep the joint between the two tight in order to prevent wind-driven rain from getting through and to keep wind from bending the soft lead upward. Using caulking as the principal seal to masonry seldom lasts.
With the steps taken, and the success of the repairs, as witnessed by the home inspector - assuming that you sprayed water in the direction of the wind that causes you the renewed problem, it is now time to look at the top of the chimney cap to see whether any cracks have developed as the mortar dried. The caulking done to try to stop the leakage may also have started to separate and fail. This is more likely if they used silicone instead of polyurethane.
I own a small Cape-style house built in the early 1950s. I've noticed that in almost every room on the first floor, hairline cracks have developed in the ceilings. A friend of mine tells me it's related to settling issues (the neighborhood has very sandy soil). There are no water spots/stains, so I don't believe it has anything to do with that. What is the issue? And aside from repainting the ceilings, is there anything that can be done to keep it from recurring?
A. You must have plaster ceilings. Have these hairline cracks developed recently, or did you just notice them? It seems that any settlement would have taken place many years ago. Hairline cracks are difficult to patch since they are so small. Painting will not hide them completely. Unless you want to have vinyl wallpaper hung on the ceiling, sometimes we have to accept that perfection is not achievable.
Our roof of 19 years is showing need for attention. We are considering a metal roof and like the idea of the standing seam type. We have seen some (apparent) standing-seam roofs that are much narrower, maybe 8 to 10 inches between seams instead of the 16 usually seen. These narrower roof panels look more attractive to us. I have not seen any comment regarding metal roofs in your column. What are your recommendations?
A. I have addressed readers' questions before regarding metal roofs. Sorry if you missed them. You are referring to screw-on metal roofing panels, which are not the same as standing seam but are less expensive. Any contractor can apply them over your existing shingles, but be aware that, unless the shingles are removed, the sun may cause the metal to telegraph the shingle beneath them. This is more likely with the wider-panel, standing-seam roof, which should be installed by experienced contractors specializing in that particular type of roofing.
I recently purchased a home that was built in 1974. It is an oversized ranch with a small basement but is mostly built over a crawl space. The hot water heater is in the basement and both bathrooms are over the crawl space, at a considerable distance from the hot water heater. It takes a very long time for hot water to reach the bathrooms, and I waste a lot of water waiting for it to warm up. The water heater is 15 years old. Is there anything that can be done to get the hot water to the bathrooms more quickly? Would a tankless hot water heater help with this problem? Wrapping the pipes has been suggested, but I don't know how much that would help given the distance between the hot water heater and the bathrooms.
A. You have several options. A 15-year-old water heater is reaching the end of its useful life, unless it is a plastic one like Marathon. It may be wise to replace it. An instant water heater, if installed in the same location as the existing one, will not solve the problem of long waits. Moreover, if there are several people using hot water at the same time, or you try to shower while using the dishwasher or washing clothes, you may not be able to get the water temperature you'd like at the shower, unless the instant water heater is big enough for your needs.
If the basement ceiling is open, you can have a licensed plumbing contractor install a return line that is equipped with a small circulator, which constantly circulates water in a loop. The pipes should be insulated to save energy. Another choice is to have the plumber install a special pump like the Laing Auto-Circ under the kitchen sink. It has a timer, so you can have it come on early in the morning and shut off in the evening after you go to bed. It provides hot water at every faucet in the house instantaneously. We have one and love it.
The basement under our 21/2-year-old, 1,760-square-foot ranch is comprised of a poured concrete foundation with two sections being crawl spaces. The crawl space areas are 10-by-6-by-4 and 13-by-22-by-4 feet, respectively. Both are sealed from the outside but have 2-by-3 foot access openings into the main basement.
The outside walls of the crawl spaces are essentially below ground. The floors of the crawl spaces are covered with shale with a plastic barrier on top. The barrier is sealed to the walls, and all seams are sealed, as well. The floor-joist bays above each are insulated with standard fiberglass insulation. The joists themselves are manufactured I-beams. The primary basement area (roughly 26-by-50-by-8) has wall blanket on three sides with the floor joist bays insulated with fiberglass. It is also below ground all but for a few inches, but there is an egress window on one end. The opposite end of the basement has no wall blanket but is completely underground and supports one side of the attached garage and one end of the larger crawl space. The back wall of the garage makes up one long wall of the larger crawl space.
There is no heat source in the basement yet. I do have a dehumidifier. The basement is dry, as are the crawl spaces. The winter temperature on the coldest of days does not dip below 60 degrees. In the summer, the temperature is roughly 68 degrees. Humidity is roughly 44 percent. I would like to have comfortable economical heat for a game room that's approximately 32-by-13, a bathroom of approximately 5-by-8, and an office space of 12-by-13. The remainder of the area is for my shop and storage, which do not need any more heat than currently provided naturally. Could I safely close the crawl space openings? If not, do you recommend putting foam-board insulation on the outside walls of the crawl spaces without covering it with any other material? What would be the most effective heat source for the basement?
A. Your builder is up to date on crawl space building: no vents to the outside and the ground thoroughly covered with plastic. Even in very cold climates, such crawl spaces retain a 60-degree temperature if buffered, as yours is, with soil covering most of the foundation walls.
You didn't say, but is there rigid insulation against the outside foundation walls? That would help keep the crawl spaces temperature as high as it is now. But, in that case, there would have been no need to put fiberglass insulation between the I-joists, although it does not hurt. Since the fourth basement wall is common with the garage and one of the crawl spaces, it should be safe to insulate it, as I presume you have had no problem with frost pressure cracking the other insulated walls.
I would not recommend permanently sealing off the crawl space openings, if that is what you are asking. You should be able to have access to them to check them from time to time, especially if there is any plumbing or ductwork in either one. However, you could install doors on hinges or removable panels that can be insulated with rigid insulation. If you choose to leave them open - a good option, as they would benefit from the dehumidifier in the summer - you can add rigid insulation to the crawl space's outside walls from inside, if there is none already there on the exterior of these walls. They would then continue to be conditioned spaces with the basement as they are now.
There are many crawl spaces with rigid insulation left exposed without a fireproof coating. It depends on the local building codes. A good way to heat the game room would be to install a Rinnai propane or natural gas heater, but that would not take care of the bathroom or the office. Considering how small these two rooms are, they could be heated with electric baseboards on wall thermostats.
• Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via e-mail at henridemarne@gmavt.net.
© 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.