Question: You listed a formula of oil and something to apply to my slate hearth. It was simple, but I forgot the formula! What kind of oil can I use, and what is that second ingredient? — Al Meyer, Plymouth, Mass.
Answer: Write this down, memorize it, fold it several times, chew it thoroughly before eating. If you don't do this, we will have to deal with you another way. The oil is boiled linseed oil. You buy it boiled; you do not have to boil it yourself. Mix one part of this oil with one part paint thinner. Paint this on the hearth, but not in the firebox, let it sit for 15 minutes, then wipe it all off, or all that is going to come off, with a dry cloth. If you do not wipe it all off, it may stay sticky forever. You can substitute mineral oil for the linseed oil, but it, too, has to be wiped off. You can do this any number of times, but let it dry before making a fire.
Painting tile floor
Here is more info on painting a ceramic tile floor, from Leon Cantor of Cambridge, Mass. Counter to the handyman's opinion that a ceramic tile floor cannot be painted, Canto said, "I've done it, and it works.
"I treated the tile with liquid sandpaper, then dabbed each tile with a sponge with a latex enamel, not covering the whole tile but leaving a sponged effect. It has been good for a year."
Well, thank you, Leon Cantor, for your success, and for telling the handyman.
The handyman can add two opinions: I don't think the liquid sandpaper did any good because it is designed to soften varnish or paint to allow the new finish to stick. It did not soften the glaze of the tile, which is glass.
The other opinion is this: The sponging technique did not cover the entire tile, therefore it is less likely to peel. This is not to take away from your accomplishment, which I think is considerable, and nervy. You are going into the handyman's archives.
Question: I pulled up a carpet and had the floor redone. The sanders sanded the floor and applied two coats of polyurethane varnish. Now dark marks show up criss-crossing, as if a tricycle went over the floor, back and forth, in the middle of the room. The workers said nothing can be done. Is there really nothing that can be done? — Nancy Lubar, West Roxbury, Mass.
Answer: Never say nothing can be done. It is all relative. The workmen should have told you nothing can be done before they sanded and varnished, because those lines were probably there before the carpet was taken up, and they should have seen them and known that they are water marks. Perhaps a tricycle did make the marks. It could have been a tea cart or other wheeled vehicle.
If they are water marks, they cannot be removed but they can be disguised. It will require sanding, bleaching the entire floor, and then, if the marks are not lightened enough, stain the floor dark enough to cover the marks, then varnish. Short of that, replace the floor. It would be nice if your workers would redo it, because they knew what those marks were and knew they could not be sanded off.
Question: I have very little counter space, so I would like to use the top of my gas stove for extra space, of course when I am not using the stove. Are there any covers that can be put over a stove top for this purpose? — Karen Stoloff, Canton, Mass.
Answer: If you had a flat-topped electric stove, you could use that. But gas is better on a stove than electricity, and there is no point getting a new stove just for that. I seem to remember as a tad seeing flat tops for stoves, and I think some of them were hinged, but that was a long time ago.
Besides, with a gas stove, you have to put the top on legs so the top will clear the raised burners. If there is a pilot light, a top might not be feasible. You could still try it, though. Cut a piece of 3/4-inch plywood to fit, put laminated plastic on top, bottom, and edges, and devise feet several inches long to bring the top above the burners. If the pilot light scorches the bottom of the top, then this idea won't work. I think it's worth a try. Just don't turn on the gas. As an extra precaution, put the top on only as you use it. In other words, overnight and other idle times, take it off.
Question: I am replacing some clapboards and am running into differing opinions on whether to nail through one clapboard or two. Who's right, and what is the best way? — Terry Parkinson, Litchfield, N.H.
Answer: The best way is to nail through one clapboard. The theory is that nailing through one clapboard will allow the clapboards to expand and contract without tearing themselves apart.
Single-nailing, however, is impractical. The clapboards are 5 1/2 inches wide, and when they are exposed 4 inches it means they have a 1 1/2-inch overlap. If you tried to nail the clapboard so as to clear the top of the one below, you would have to nail more than 1 1/2 inches up from the butt of the clapboard you are nailing. That is too high; a nail should be within 1/2 inch of the butt of the clapboard. Anything higher and the clapboards will curl and warp like crazy.
Nailing within 1/2 an inch will require going through both the clapboard being nailed and the one under it. So go ahead and do it that way; it is the practical way, and in my opinion, the practical way is the best way.
E-mail: hotton@globe.com