Question: Well, I lost your recipe for a tack cloth, so I have to ask for it again. -- Roy Walsh, New London, N.H.Answer: And the recipe, please: Take a cotton cloth (napkin, hanky or heavy T-shirt). Dip the cloth in paint thinner, squeeze it almost dry, and sprinkle on several drops of oil-based polyurethane varnish, and knead until the varnish is evenly distributed. Store it in an airtight container. It will pick up a lot of sanding dust. When it gets dirty and untacky, rinse it out in paint thinner and add more varnish. If after a period of storage it comes out stiff, throw it away and make a new one. Or, for a dollar or so, buy one in a hardware or paint store.
Question: My house is 200 years old and has powder post beetles. What can I do about them? -- Jack Murphy, Marshfield, Mass.
Answer: You can sit tight and see what happens; powder post beetles and other wood-boring critters such as the old house borer tend to come and go; sometimes they will attack furniture and other wood members, then disappear. I must assume that you saw small holes in the wood and possibly a fine powder coming out of the holes or collecting on the floor or nearby. I also assume you contacted an exterminator. In fact, that is your best bet. But to treat them yourself, you can varnish or paint the wood (if possible or practical) and/or apply an insecticide to the holes -- an insecticide such as a borax-based product, pyrethrin/silica arogel, or synthetic pyrethroid. They are reasonably safe to use indoors.
Question: My varnished wood kitchen cabinets are still in great shape, but are looking a little shabby. Actually, the frames are in good shape, the doors and drawer fronts are what are shabby, but I don't want to spend big bucks to fix them. How about painting just the doors and door fronts? Or is that a silly idea? -- Joyce Cobb, Rockingham, N.C.
Answer: What you propose is a matter of personal taste, therefore no one's darn business but your own. In fact, the handyman thinks it is a great idea, in good taste, and who knows, you may be setting a trend, although some furniture is a combination of the natural wood look and a contrasting paint.
First, choose a color. Some color ideas: white, bright red, or black. If you opt for a high-gloss enamel, it will give a high-tech look.
Remove the doors and all hardware. Sand the doors and drawer fronts by hand to reduce gloss and roughen the finish. Wash with a strong solution of Spic and Span. Prime with a latex enamel undercoater. Finish with two coats of a high-gloss, indoor-outdoor, oil-based enamel or an eggshell-finish (neither flat nor shiny) latex wall paint.
As a final fix-up, consider replacing all the hinges and knobs and handles.
Question: I have strange gray discoloring of the vinyl floor around my toilet, but no water. How can I clean it, and keep it from coming back? William Benson, Slidell, La.
Answer: That grayish discoloring around the toilet is caused by moisture, which is under the vinyl. Vinyl is notorious in discoloring from moisture, and there is little you can do about it because it is under the vinyl, except replace the vinyl.
If the moisture under the vinyl is coming from a leak, the only way to find out is to lift the toilet (or have a plumber do it) and replace the wax ring.
It may not be a leak in the toilet. Sometimes if you get a lot of condensation of water vapor on the toilet bowl or anywhere else on the toilet, this moisture drips down around the perimeter of the toilet bowl, gets under the vinyl and causes the uncleanable discoloration. If the water drips between vinyl and bowl, it might get under the vinyl and not feel wet.
To stop this condensation, keep the bathroom well ventilated. Use the exhaust fan, if it is exhausting outdoors. If there is no fan, install one so that it exhausts outdoors. Frequent use of such a fan can keep the bathroom clearer of moisture. Or open the windows.
Question: My old soapstone sink is in bad shape, although it still holds water and is good as a washing machine drain. How can I clean it? -- Richard Goganian, Wellesley, Mass.
Answer: The only way to clean soapstone is to sand it. Well, you can clean it with paint thinner to dissolve built-up soap and that sort of guck. If it cleans up to your satisfaction, fine. But to really clean it and restore it and get it looking as it did 100 years ago, here is how to do it: When you sand, it will come out very light gray or gray-green. Then apply a mix of one part boiled linseed oil or mineral oil, and one part paint thinner. Apply lightly, wait 15 minutes, then rub thoroughly with your hands, and finally remove excess oil with a dry cloth. It will come out black or dark green, how it looked years ago.
Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton will answer reader questions. Write him at the Boston Globe, Boston, MA 02107.