Question: Mortar is falling out of the inside of the granite foundation in my 137-year-old house, and wind and rain are coming through. What can I do to stop it? — Bob Demers, Dedham, Mass.
Answer: When mortar comes out, put new in. It's called repointing. It is hard work, but it will stop the wind and some of the rain, maybe most of it. While you're at it, you can check the outside of the foundation that is showing and repoint those stones if needed. Trying to repoint outside below grade (under ground) would be much too much work.
Here's how to repoint indoors to make a difference. Buy the right tools: a large trowel and a pointing tool, an elongated, S-shaped steel bar that allows you to push the mortar in.
Buy mortar by the bag. Sakrete makes a mortar mix that you just mix with water. Chip out old mortar as deep as possible and as wide as the joint between stones. Dampen the joint, and mix water with the mortar mix to a crumbly, not soupy, consistency.
Press the mortar into the joint as compactly as possible. You'll be amazed how much mortar you can get into a joint. Compacting must be done; otherwise the mortar will fail in months. Do not rub back and forth with the pointing tool; this will bring out water and weaken the mix. You can use the trowel upside down to hold the mortar so it can be pushed into the joint by the pointing tool.
One more important thing: Mix only a small amount of mortar at a time. Being an amateur, you will be working very slowly. Mortar begins to set in 15 minutes, and after that it cannot be used effectively. This practice will simply prevent waste. You will get the hang of how much to mix when you have filled a few joints.
Question: I screened in a porch and deck. How can I screen the floor, which has spaced boards, against insects? — C. Healey, Merrimack, N.H.
Answer: Let me count the ways (three of them): 1. Staple screening to the bottom of the deck, and regularly vacuum out the debris that will collect in the gaps. 2. Put indoor-outdoor carpeting on the floor boards. A reader said she did this and the gaps between the boards did not show through the carpet. 3. Screen in the space under the deck. Build a lattice-and-screen skirt around the perimeter of the crawl space under the deck.
In the Handyman's opinion, No. 3 is best, not only closing in the space under the deck to keep out undesirables, but also making the skirt look better, especially if you use lattice.
Question: I have two brass lamps that are lacquered. How can I clean them? They look a little dingy. I don't want to remove the lacquer. — N. Johnson, Winchester, Mass.
Answer: If they are looking a little dingy, I wonder if the brass is tarnishing under the lacquer. That is not supposed to happen, but it can. At any rate, wash the brass with soap and water and buff lightly with a buffing mitt or piece of lamb's wool. Don't try power buffing; it could abrade the lacquer.
Question: My wood threshold is weathering considerably, and the paint is peeling. How can I keep it from peeling? — Ken Crowley, Danvers, Mass.
Answer: Ah yes, the old paint on the threshold, which so many paint companies still recommend, despite the likelihood it will start peeling in a few months (well, maybe a few years) and will need scraping and sanding and repainting.
Arise, ye downtrodden threshold denizens! Throw off the chains of paint and use the be-all and end-all of stain: semitransparent stain, that is. You can get it in earth colors, mostly, but the best thing about it is that only one coat is needed, and there will be no peeling. When it wears away in three to five years, do it again with only one coat. It'll take you five minutes.
Of course, you have to scrape and sand everything off to the bare wood, because semitransparent stain must go over bare wood. Once you do that, however, you are golden.
Another idea is to put in an aluminum threshold, but that could look chintzy, not dingy.
Question: In June, I had a concrete (not asphalt) driveway poured, double width with wire mesh and expansion joints. Now hairline and wider cracks have occurred between the driveway and sidewalk. What can I fill those cracks with? — Peter Martino, Winthrop, Mass.
Answer: If the sidewalk was poured separately from the driveway, a crack is guaranteed to occur. Cracks also can occur in a steel-reinforced slab of concrete. Pouring the concrete in warm weather without proper wetting and protection from the sun during the curing period (28 days) also can cause cracks. You cannot afford to ignore these cracks, as minor as they may be. Cracks should be filled to keep water out of them; in winter, water will fill the cracks and freeze, widening the crack. For hairlines, paint clear masonry sealer on them; do this several times to seal them. Fill wider cracks with hydraulic cement; Top 'n Bond is a good brand. Fill them as deeply as possible; you may have to widen (and deepen) them with a cold chisel and mason's hammer to make the filling easier and to get enough in to make a difference.
Peter Hotton is available from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer telephone questions on house repair. Hotton also chats online about house matters from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursdays. To participate, go to www.boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is p_hotton@globe.com