Question - I am replacing my 27-year-old roof. A roofer wants to put an Ice & Water Shield on the edge of the roof, over the old shingles, before putting on new shingles. Is this acceptable? E.M, Reading, Mass.
Answer - Not in the handyman's opinion. An Ice & Water Shield is a rubberized strip that must be applied over bare sheathing; not only will it stick better on the bare sheathing, but it will present a more neat appearance. So, shingles should be removed three feet up from the eaves. Old shingles elsewhere on the roof, if there is just one layer, do not have to be removed; new shingles can go right over them.
Question - I have an oak front door with a clear finish. When I put in a screen door, acid rain splashed in and made spots on the door. How can I remove those spots, and how can I prevent them in the future? Phil Huckins, Peabody, Mass.
Answer - I suspect that the finish has been lightened by the water, and if that is the case, rub them with toothpaste or a mild abrasive such as Soft Scrub. You will be taking off the very top of the finish - not all of it, but enough to take the spots off.
As for preventing future spots, I think the water that hit the door was not so much acid but picked up minerals as it went through the aluminum screen. The cure there would be to replace the screen with a fiberglass screen. If the spots did not show up before you put up the screen door, then I think the screen acted as a disperser of the water into droplets that hit the door. In that case, I don't think the fiberglass will make any difference.
Question - Your May 26 column outlines a procedure for installing a moisture barrier (on the concrete basement floor) "to keep water vapor from coming up through the concrete."
Your May 30 column recommends using an indoor/outdoor carpet on a basement floor "to allow water vapor coming up through the concrete to continue through the carpet and be dissipated in the room."
In which situation is one approach or the other preferable? Please clarify. R.C, Worcester, Mass.
Answer - Good point, R.C. The treatments apply to two different situations. The first, installing a vapor barrier to stop the moisture, is done if the householder wants to apply a wood floor and insulate it; simply applying the wood floor will not do. The technique is this: Apply 4- or 6-mil polyethylene plastic on the floor, then drive pressure-treated 2(MUL)4 sleepers (on their wide side) 16 inches apart. Gun them in with a cartridge nailer, or have it done. Then, install 11/2-inch Styrofoam insulation between the sleepers. Finally, install 5/8- or 3/4-inch plywood on top of the sleepers, then the hardwood floor. Actually, with hardwood strip flooring, you don't need the plywood.
The second technique, the indoor/outdoor carpeting, is for householders who don't want a wood floor, or find one too expensive. Instead of stopping the water vapor, the carpeting (and a synthetic jute pad) accommodates it, allowing it to come through it. This is the state-of-the-art technique for covering basement floors.
Question - I don't like the look of the granite bricks on the front of my Cape Cod-style house. The rest of the house is cedar shingles, which I like. Could I paint the granite, or strap that wall and install shingles? D.C., Medford, Mass.
Answer - Yes, you can paint the granite. Use two thin coats of a solid latex stain; it will look like paint, last five years and resist peeling.
Strapping the wall (applying 1(MUL)3 boards) and installing shingles might also work, but it will bring the wall out 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches, which will interfere with the trim, corner boards, window and door frames.