Q: We have a fiberglass shower with a small dent in it. The dent is dime-size, and about 1/16 inch deep. Can this be fixed permanently? We don't want anything that when applied will come off easily or mildew. - Mae R., Danville, Calif.
A: There are paint patch kits available that come close, but we don't recommend them because of their lack of permanence. This sounds like a job for Superman. Just kidding! The only permanent fix is to use a fiberglass filler, the same material as the shower. Apply several coats of a two-part epoxy resin filler with pigment to match the color of the shower, sand smooth with 600-grit wet and dry sandpaper and polish with an electric buffer and boat polishing compound. All of these materials can be purchased from a marine supply store. If you aren't versed in this kind of handy work, try the newspaper classified ads under home repairs and/or plumbing fixtures or in the Yellow Pages under plumbing fixtures and/or plumbing fixture refinishers. You can expect to spend $75 to $150 for the repair.Q: The overhang surrounding my house consists of horizontal tongue-and-groove boards over the rafters. It is a wide overhang, about two feet. There are spots of fungus or dry rot on the outer board. These should have been replaced at the time the tar and gravel roof was redone, but it's too late for that. Is there a chemical treatment of any kind that would prevent the fungus from progressing until such time as I can afford to have the perimeter of the roof boards replaced? - James L., Walnut Creek, Calif.
A: Perhaps this sounds like a politicians' response, but the answer is yes . . . and no. There are chemicals which inhibit fungal growth, but in the case of your overhang their effect may be questionable. Copper Green (a brand name for a 10 percent solution of copper napthanate) is a pesticide that is readily available in hardware stores and reasonably safe to apply. The chemical can be relied upon to retard (but not eliminate) the fungus growth if it isn't too far along and if you can access the areas not yet affected. You wire brush out the rotted areas to a point where you reach good wood, then paint on the Copper Green. Good wood will resist the point of a knife, and affected areas will feel like balsa wood to the touch.
CAUTION: There could be damaged areas of wood beneath the roof cover at the top of the overhang material that are inaccessible and therefore untreatable. You can only fix what you can see. Murphy's Law applies to all the rest. Good luck!